Nova Swarm

Fight. Defeat a boss. Choose how the run evolves.

Nova Swarm is a fast vertical shoot 'em up built around Mayhem Tactical, the main ranked mode.

You begin with one ship. The rest of the 30-ship roster is unlocked one by one as your career develops. In Mayhem Tactical, launch from Sector 1, break through shifting enemy formations, and fight a major boss at the end of every sector.

After defeating a boss, three upgrades are presented. Choose one, and it remains active for the rest of the run. This is the Tactical Draft: a simple decision between sectors that gradually turns the starting ship into a specialised build.

The controls are immediate, restarts are quick, and enemy attacks are designed to be read. The screen can become crowded, but the danger should make sense once its pattern is understood.

Build a different ship during every run

The Tactical Draft contains 32 upgrades across Offense, Mobility, Defense, and Utility.

A choice might increase weapon damage, improve Phase recovery, strengthen drones, add a defensive failsafe, or open a more specialised direction. Upgrades can stack, evolve, and combine into Fusion protocols. Each Draft also includes one rescan if none of the first three choices suit the build.

Temporary powerups still matter, but drafted upgrades give the full run its structure. Decisions made after the first few bosses continue to shape the ship many sectors later.

Several ways to enter the swarm

• Mayhem Tactical is the main ranked route. Start from Sector 1, draft an upgrade after every boss, develop a build, earn career progress, and compete on the Tactical leaderboard.
• Mayhem Pure is the original ranked ruleset without Tactical Drafts. The selected ship, positioning, and execution carry the entire run.
• Daily Signal gives every pilot the same fixed ship and route under shared daily rules.
• Scout Run reduces the pressure for learning attack patterns, testing ships, and experimenting with builds.
• Sector Run starts from checkpoints unlocked in Mayhem, making later sectors easier to practise.

Start Overrun Tactical from Sector 51

Reach Sector 30 in Mayhem to unlock a direct start at Sector 51.

Overrun Tactical begins with a fixed set of five upgrades, so the ship is ready for late-game pressure from the first wave. Defeat further bosses to continue drafting upgrades and push the build deeper into Overrun.

Overrun contributes career XP and progress toward cumulative Pilot Orders. It is not a leaderboard shortcut and does not unlock achievements or additional checkpoints.

A Pure version is also available for pilots who want the same Sector 51 start without Tactical Drafts.

30 ships with meaningful differences

The hangar includes reliable starter craft, spread weapons, precision cannons, drone specialists, Phase-focused interceptors, and demanding late-career hulls.

Every ship has its own trait, weapon behaviour, handling, strengths, and tradeoffs. The chosen ship establishes the starting point; the Tactical Draft determines what it becomes.

Unlocking a new ship changes how the game is approached, not only how it looks.

Bosses designed to be learned

Bosses have distinct silhouettes, movement rhythms, warnings, and attack patterns. Later encounters can call reinforcements, protect support craft, shield priority targets, or turn an open arena into a much tighter problem.

Learn the windup, find the safe lane, decide which target must be destroyed first, and carry that knowledge into the next attempt.

Progress between attempts

• Pilot ranks, ship unlocks, checkpoint starts, and long-term career goals
• Pilot Orders that reward specific ways of playing Mayhem
• A Threat Codex covering enemies, elites, bosses, patterns, sectors, run themes, and discovered upgrades
• Detailed Run Reports covering combat, survival, progression, Tactical upgrades, and practical counter-advice
• Separate Steam leaderboards for Mayhem Tactical and Mayhem Pure
• Steam Achievements and Steam Cloud support
• Keyboard and controller support, with optional mouse fire

Nova Swarm is built for the moment after a defeat when the pattern is understood, another build is already taking shape, and the next attempt is only seconds away.