How to play PokéSurvivor

Controls

Targeting prefers whatever is touching you, then the boss if it is in range, then the nearest enemy. With an empty field it will chip the nearest rock or chest. Melee cares about the body next to you. Beams and shots prefer the boss.

The first ten minutes

1. Create a guest session or an account, then take the eight-question personality quiz. It suggests one of 29 starters. You can refuse and pick another. See the starter list.
2. You begin with one move, or two if that Pokémon has bought the Repertoire upgrade. Take every level-up. Each level offers one of three cards.
3. Break rocks, tall grass, and chests as you walk. They drop experience, coins, and berries. Do not stop moving when a wave condenses.
4. From about 70 seconds the cast gets tougher. A healer, shielder, bomber, or summoner is mixed into the tiers. Kill healers first.
5. The first boss is at 3:00, then 6:00, 9:00, 12:00, and 15:00. During a boss the normal waves drop to a quarter and there is no swarm. Each boss drops a ×10 gacha ticket.
6. If a rift portal appears, step in only when your HP and your active move can handle a two-minute legendary. Details are on the legendaries page.

Level-ups and move evolution

Cards are either a new move, a level on a move you own, or a stat: Vigor, Power, Sprint, Reflexes, Guard, Synthesis, Magnet, or Study. You will not be offered more than two buff-only moves. Moves come from your Pokémon's types plus a shared Normal pool, so a Fire partner sees Ember, Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Heat Wave, and the Normal list. The full catalog is the PokéSurvivor moves guide.

Every damaging move has five levels. At level 5 it can evolve if, sometime in that same run, you have taken the stat card it asks for. Ember wants Power and becomes Fire Blast. Bubble wants Sprint and becomes Surf. The offer shows up as a gold card. Buff moves do not evolve. Evolving is one of the daily missions, so take the gold card when it appears.

Map objects worth stopping for

• Power altar. Touch it for 25 seconds of Fury (damage ×2), Bolt (+45% speed), Magnet (pickup ×4), or Haste (−40% cooldown). Then it goes dark.
• Spring. Heals while you stand on it, then needs about 45 seconds to refill.
• Locked chest. Stand beside it for 3.5 seconds, even while you are being hit. Coins, 1–3 tickets (a 15% chance one of them is a ×10), and enough experience for a level.
• Traps. Poison, sticky, or explosive. They also damage wild Pokémon. Pull a pack through one.
• Water slows you to about 0.6 speed and enemies a bit more. Lava burns whoever stands in it, including enemies. Walls, trees, and crystals block enemy shots. Flying, Ghost, and bosses ignore terrain.

The biome changes every 4 minutes: Gloomy Forest, Crystal Cave, then Ash Volcano, each with its own music. A rift fight happens in a separate arena and pauses the horde outside.

After you fall

Coins for the run are roughly time ÷ 5 + defeats ÷ 4 + 80 per boss + coins you picked up, multiplied by the Fortune upgrade on that Pokémon. Spend them on the permanent upgrades for the partner you actually play. Tickets are separate and feed the region gacha. A held item is gone when the run ends. The item list says which one to keep if a second one drops.

Guest progress stays in this browser. A cloud account follows you to another computer and merges saves: collections union, upgrades keep the higher level, and coins follow the newer save. Playing two sessions at once still merges. It does not delete a Pokémon you already own.

PokéSurvivor beginner questions