Quests¶

Fifty scripted fights in five tiers. Each quest sends fixed waves on a fixed clock. Kill everything it sends to win.

Starting out¶

• You start at the centre of the map with the quest's weapon: the Pistol, unless the tier table says otherwise.
• Bonuses drop as usual. Four quests block Nuke or Freeze, noted on each quest (see Bonuses — suppression rules).
• Level-ups work as usual, offering the perks you've unlocked.
• Ten quests add creatures or nests for a second player: 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.9, 1.10, 2.3, 2.10, 3.10, 4.7 and 4.8.

Waves¶

Groups arrive at set times. A group of several spreads out in a line from its spawn point, 40 units apart.

Wipe the field and you don't wait for the script: after 3 s with nothing on the field (and at least 1.7 s into the quest), the next group arrives early. Nests count as creatures, so a living nest keeps the script on schedule.

Completion¶

A quest ends when the script has sent everything and nothing is left on the field. The quest clock stops there. The 2.5 s wind-down to the results screen isn't counted.

The clock runs on game time. It slows under Reflex Boost and stops while the game is paused.

Beating a quest unlocks the next one and the quest's reward. Every quest except 5.7 unlocks a weapon or a perk.

Scoring¶

Your score is your time, and lower ranks higher:

Final time = quest clock − 50 ms per health point left − 1 s per unspent perk pick

• Player 1's health counts in whole points, so full health takes 5 s off. In co-op player 2's health counts too, fractions included. A fallen player's health is below zero, so it adds a little time.
• A perk pick you never spent is worth 1 s.
• The high-score record keeps the final time, kills, shots fired and hit, and your most used weapon.

Failure¶

If every player dies, the quest fails. It counts as played but never reaches the high-score table.

Retries¶

Fail, hit Play Again, and the quest eases off. Each retry weakens the creatures it spawns (formations only in part; see Formations):

Nests also spawn 0.35 s slower per retry, up to 3 s, except the ringed lizard nests of 2.8. Picking another quest, going to the main menu or winning resets the count. Hardcore never eases off.

Hardcore¶

Hardcore unlocks once you beat 4.10 in the full game. It keeps its own progress, starting again from 1.1. Hardcore wins also count toward normal progress.

• Any group of two or more gets 8 more of the same, whether creatures, nests or whole formations. Deadly Fast aliens get 2 more and Plasma Shooter spiders none. Single spawns stay single, but in co-op a group of 2 becomes 10.
• Every creature has 20% more health, 5% more speed and hits 40% harder, nests included. Fast yellow spiders are the exception for speed: they end up 26% slower. Formations get this only in part; see Formations.
• Nests spawn 0.4 s faster than on normal, never faster than every 0.1 s. The ringed lizard nests of 2.8 are the exception.
• Some quests add their own extras: more splitters in Spideroids (2.10), four extra players' worth in Gauntlet (4.7) and Syntax Terror (4.8), and a ring of 12 more nests in The End of All (4.10). Nuke stops dropping in Zombie Masters (3.10) and Freeze in Spideroids (2.10).

The totals swing hard: Major Alien Breach (4.1) goes from 400 aliens to 2,000.

Beating 4.10 on hardcore unlocks the Splitter Gun.

Formations¶

Rings, chains and grids arrive as one group around a leader (see Linked groups), and the ringed lizard nest of 2.8 arrives inside its ring. Hardcore and retries change only the last creature to join the group. The leader, the nest and every other member keep their normal stats, so a hardcore ring is barely tougher than a normal one.

Every ring and chain, and every grid in 5.7, also swaps that last member for a plain 20 HP alien, on any difficulty and whatever the group is made of. The 2.9 bronze grid and the 2.8 rings keep theirs.

Quest list¶

Nest stats below are on normal: hardcore nests spawn 0.4 s faster, except in 2.8.

Tier 1¶

Mostly aliens, plus two spider quests (1.7, 1.10). Introduces nests and formations.

1.1 Land Hostile. 10 gray aliens in waves of 1, 2, 3 and 4, from the bottom edge and three corners, all out by 11.5 s.

1.2 Minor Alien Breach. 39 aliens. One comes from the right every 3.6 s. A second right lane joins at 18 s and a left lane at 32.4 s. One big gray alien (800 hp) comes from below at 39.6 s.

1.3 Target Practice. 30 aliens pop up 64–288 units from you, freeze for 1.5 s, then charge. They have 10 hp. A new one arrives every 2 s, speeding up to every 1.1 s.

1.4 Frontline Assault. 50 aliens. A steady stream from the bottom edge, with the top-left corner joining at the 4^th wave and the top-right at the 10^th. Waves 4–8 are blue. Two big gray aliens hit from the sides at 16 s.

1.5 Alien Dens. 5 nests (1,000 hp, an alien every 3 s, up to 100 each). Two at 1.5 s, one at the centre at 23.5 s (one per player), and two more at 38.5 s.

1.6 The Random Factor. 6 aliens from the right and 6 from the left every 10 s, 10 waves. The right side grows to 8 with two players. Each wave has a 1-in-5 chance of adding a big gray alien from below.

1.7 Spider Wave Syndrome. 144 blue spiders from the left, 8 every 5.5 s (10 with two players), 18 waves.

1.8 Alien Squads. 8 rings, each a 200-hp leader with 8 aliens, from offscreen between 1.5 s and 30 s. Then 52 gray aliens, one from the top-left and one from the bottom-right every 1.8 s, until 81.2 s.

1.9 Nesting Grounds. Alien waves from below at 1.5, 25 and 39 s (8, 8 and 6). Small nests (450 hp, 16 aliens each) arrive at 8, 13 and 18 s, three more at 41–43 s, and a 1,000-hp nest at the centre at 44 s. It ends with tougher aliens: 7 at 50 s and 4 at 55 s. Every alien wave grows with two players.

1.10 8-legged Terror. A Spider Boss (4,500 hp, shoots plasma) lands right of you at 1 s. Then a spider from each corner every 2.2 s from 6 s to 34.6 s. The left corners send one per player.

Tier 2¶

Introduces zombies, nests that make lizards, and splitter spiders.

2.1 Everred Pastures. 160 spiders. Four kinds, one per edge, all at once every 13 s, growing from 1 to 8 per edge. 16 blue spiders burst from top and bottom at 40.5 s.

2.2 Spider Spawns. Four fragile spider nests in the corners at 1.5 s. A 1,000-hp nest at the centre at 18 s, then four more fragile nests around it by 31.5 s. Pairs of fast yellow spiders (50 hp) charge from the left at 3 s and the right at 21 s.

2.3 Arachnoid Farm. Two rows of 5 tough spider nests (1,000 hp, a spider every 5.2 s) at 0.5 s and 10.5 s. From 40.5 s, a middle row of 8 fragile, fast nests (50 hp, a spider every 2.5 s), 3.5 s apart. Each row gets one more nest per extra player.

2.4 Two Fronts. 40 blue aliens from the right and 40 blue spiders from the left, one per side every 2 s, 1 s apart. A spider nest and an alien nest drop in at 22.5 s, 42.5 s and 62.5 s.

2.5 Sweep Stakes. 64 aliens in 16 spokes of 4 radiating from you, a new spoke every 2 s down to 0.88 s, all out by 23.6 s. They freeze for 1.5 s on arrival.

2.6 Evil Zombies At Large. 340 zombies from all four edges every 5.5 s, growing from 4 to 13 per edge.

2.7 Survival Of The Fastest. 22 fragile spider nests (50 hp, a spider every 2.5 s) laid in a spiral that closes in on the centre, one every 0.9 s. Then 2 spider nests and 2 alien nests in the corners at 22.3 s and 24.3 s.

2.8 Land Of Lizards. Four lizard nests, one per quadrant every 10 s. Each sends a blue lizard every 1.05 s, up to 64, on either difficulty, and sits inside a ring of 24 fast red aliens.

2.9 Ghost Patrols. 2 Deadly Fast aliens at 1.5 s. Then, alternating left and right every 2.5 s until 30 s, 12 fast leaders, each with 5 translucent 220-hp guards. Another Deadly Fast at 27.5 s. It ends at 37.5 s with a grid of 27 translucent 260-hp aliens behind a leader.

2.10 Spideroids. Just 3 splitter spiders (4 with two players, 6 on hardcore), but each one splits into a swarm as it dies. No Nuke drops, and no Freeze on hardcore.

Tier 3¶

Lizards take over: five of the ten are lizard quests. Hidden Evil brings near-invisible aliens.

3.1 The Blighting. Alien nests in all four corners at 2 s. Waves of 12 blue aliens and blue lizards in turn, every 16 s from rotating edges, 7 waves. 20 Deadly Fast aliens: 2 per side at 1.5 s, then 4 at 36, 52, 68 and 69 s.

3.2 Lizard Kings. Three chains at 1.5 s, two from the right and one from the left, each a 1,500-hp lizard leading 4 lizards. Then 28 lizards around a 256-unit circle, one every 0.9 s, going around about one and a half times.

3.3 The Killing. 10 waves every 6 s: 12 blue aliens, spiders or lizards in turn, from the right, left, bottom and top. Waves 5 and 10 drop 9 alien nests at random spots instead.

3.4 Hidden Evil. 160 near-invisible aliens from below: 50 faint purple, then 110 green ones you can barely see, all out by 35 s. Until you take it, Monster Vision is always your first perk choice.

3.5 Surrounded By Reptiles. 20 lizard nests (50 hp, a lizard every 6.2 s) box you in: two columns at 1–4.2 s, then two rows at 8–11.2 s.

3.6 The Lizquidation. 210 lizards from both sides every 8 s, growing from 6 to 15 per side. Two Deadly Fast aliens open the quest at 1.5 s.

3.7 Spiders Inc. 2 fast yellow spiders (50 hp) from below and 4 blue spiders from above at 0.5 s. From 17 s, fast yellow spiders from top and bottom every 6 s, growing from 3 to 10 per side: 190 in all.

3.8 Lizard Raze. 180 lizards, 6 per side every 6 s until 85.5 s. Three lizard nests (50 hp, a lizard every 2.2 s) on the left at 10 s.

3.9 Deja vu. Sweep Stakes with nests: 72 lizard nests (50 hp, a lizard every 6.2 s) in 18 spokes of 4 around you, a spoke every 2 s down to 0.72 s, all placed by 25.1 s.

3.10 Zombie Masters. Four giant zombies (8,500 hp) that walk and shed a zombie every 0.9 s, arriving at 1, 6, 14 and 18 s. The first and third double with two players. No Nuke on hardcore.

Tier 4¶

High-volume quests that mix every enemy type with heavy nest patterns.

4.1 Major Alien Breach. 400 green aliens, 2 from the right and 2 from the top per wave, 100 waves. The gap shrinks from 2 s to 0.53 s. The last wave lands at 129 s.

4.2 Zombie Time. 192 zombies, 8 per side every 8 s until 89.5 s.

4.3 Lizard Zombie Pact. 192 zombies, 6 per side every 7 s, 16 waves. Lizard nests (50 hp, a lizard every 2.2 s) drop left of centre on waves 1, 6, 11 and 16, in groups of 3, 5, 7 and 9.

4.4 The Collaboration. 808 creatures. Every 11 s, 16 waves: blue aliens from the right, blue spiders from the bottom, blue lizards from the left and zombies from the top, growing from 7 to 19 per edge.

4.5 The Massacre. Zombies from the right every 5 s, growing from 3 to 20. Every other wave, from the first, adds Deadly Fast aliens, growing from 1 to 17. 288 in all.

4.6 The Unblitzkrieg. 81 nests, alien and lizard in turn. They trace a square about 200 units in from the walls twice, plus one at the centre. The gap between nests drops from 1.8 s to 0.7 s, with the last placed at 82.7 s.

4.7 Gauntlet. 10 spider nests (1,000 hp) in a ring 158 units around you. Then zombies from all four edges every 5.5 s, growing from 2 to 11 per edge. From 42.5 s, 18 more nests in a ring at 258 units. Each extra player adds a nest to each ring and a zombie wave.

4.8 Syntax Terror. Four waves, 30 s apart, of 10 alien nests (1,000 hp, an alien every 2.4 s) scattered in a fixed pattern. One more nest per wave per extra player.

4.9 The Annihilation. 2 Deadly Fast aliens on the left at 0.5 s. 12 alien nests in a zigzag column on the right, 0.5 s apart. From 45 s, 12 more in the same column, 0.3 s apart.

4.10 The End of All. Plasma Shooter spiders from the four corners at 3, 6, 9 and 12 s. Six alien nests 80 units around you from 13 s, and a 3,500-hp Plasma Shooter nest dead centre at 14.8 s. 8 Plasma Shooters from the sides at 18–21 s, six more nests at 43 s, and 8 more Plasma Shooters at 48–51 s. No Nuke or Freeze drops.

Tier 5¶

The hardest quests: bosses, big formations and heavy nest use.

5.1 The Beating. A yellow alien that drops a Submachine Gun at 0.5 s. 3 big gray aliens (800 hp) from the right at 8 s, then 64 small green aliens at 10 s. The same from the left at 18 s and 20 s. At 40 s, 24 ghost aliens from above and 12 rings of 9 aliens from below.

5.2 The Spanking Of The Dead. Two yellow aliens that drop Submachine Guns at 0.5 s. From 5 s, 128 zombies, one every 0.3 s, on a spiral that closes from 512 units to under 30 around the centre. Then 16 white zombies (200 hp) from the right at 48.4 s and 16 from the left at 58.4 s.

5.3 The Fortress. 6 blue spiders from the left at 0.1 s. Then 7 small alien nests (450 hp, 16 aliens each) in a column right of centre by 4.7 s. From 10.3 s to 30.1 s, 34 spider nests (1,000 hp) fill a 6×6 block in the upper middle, leaving two gaps.

5.4 The Gang Wars. Rings of a 200-hp leader and 8 aliens: one from each side at the start, then 2 from the right every 4 s until 41.5 s. A chain of 10 aliens circling a leader comes from below at 50.5 s. Then 2 rings from the left every 4 s until 95.5 s, and 3 chains at 107.5 s.

5.5 Knee-deep in the Dead. Zombies from the left every 1.5 s, two at a time from 50 s. A 2,000-hp green brute leads at 0.1 s and returns every 12 s, 9 in all. Extra lanes open after 12.5, 24.5, 36.5 and 48.5 s, the last two sending white zombies: five streams at once.

5.6 Cross Fire. 6 blue spiders from the right at 0.1 s. Plasma Shooters from the left: 4 at 5.5 s, 6 at 15.5 s and 8 at 25.5 s. 2 splitter spiders at the centre at 18.5 s, and 12 blue spiders from top and bottom at 26 s.

5.7 Army of Three. 15 grids, each a 1,500-hp leader with 27 followers: 420 creatures. Three alien grids, three spider grids, then three lizard grids from the left by 42.5 s. The finale is 3 alien grids from below at 52.5 s and 3 spider grids from above at 56.5 s.

5.8 Monster Blues. 10 lizards from the left at 0.5 s, 10 aliens from the right at 7.5 s, 24 spiders from top and bottom at 17.5 s. From 27.5 s, 64 groups from the left, one every 0.9 s, cycling aliens and two spider kinds, growing from 2 to 9 each. 396 in all.

5.9 Nagolipoli. Rings of 8 and 12 blue spiders around you at 2 s and 8 s. From 13 s to 37.8 s, blue lizards from all four corners every 0.8 s, growing from 1 to 4 per corner: 320 lizards. Then 6 spider nests down each side at 49.6 s and 50.6 s, Plasma Shooter nests above and below the centre at 53.6 s, and 16 lizards from top and bottom at 54.1 s.

5.10 The Gathering. A boss parade. 3 splitter spiders by 9.5 s, then 4 Spider Bosses by 24.5 s, then 4 giant zombies by 39.5 s. 6 Plasma Shooters from the corners at 54.5 s, 6 Spider Bosses from the left at 90.5 s, and 6 more splitters from the right by 109.5 s. No Nuke drops.