Currently, there are five arcade game modes in Cobalt:

• Challenge
  
• Deathmatch
  
• Team-Strike
  
• Plug Slam
  
• Survival

In this guide, I will give you a detailed description of each game mode, including rules, tips, options, mechanics, etc. There will be more game modes introduced in later game updates, and I will update this guide once they are added.

Since I'm not a native English speaker, if you find any grammatical errors or inappropriate words, please let me know, thanks. ;P

The only goal in challenge mode is to get high scores and get a higher place on the scoreboard. There are currently two arcade challenges:

• Speed Challenge: Reach the goal using the shortest time possible
  
• Combat Challenge: Kill all the target enemies within a certain time limit, and get the highest score possible. Target enemies are indicated by red squares.

The following map is an example of speed challenge levels:



Par Time is usually the average time it would take to complete the level. If you complete the map under Par Time, then you are faster than about half of the players.

Mountainhammer Time(derived from Kinten's last name Hammerberg) is usually the map author's best time. If you hit the Mountainhammer Time, congratulations, you are faster than most players.

You can change Bullet Time option to change the time dilation. The default value is "Normal(100%"). It's recommended to select "Extreme(200%)", so you can have more time to react. This option does not affect the final score of your run through since timer will be automatically adjusted accordingly.


The following map is an example of combat challenge levels:



The calculation of total score:



Total Score = Combat Score * (Completion + Time Bonus + Accuracy Bonus + Health Bonus)

Note that the bonus percentages shown in game are rounded, while the bonus percentages used in the calculation are not.

The score you will get from killing one enemy is based on the base score of the enemy, three combos, and other bonuses:

• Stealth Level: Stealth combo will level up by killing enemies when you are never spotted and not noticed. High Stealth Level can give you significant bonus score. Stealth Levels are：
  
  • Level1: Ghost
    
  • Level2: Spook
    
  • Level3: Specter
    
  • Level4: Wraith
    
  • Level5: Phantom
    
  • Level6: Shade
    
  • Level7: Shadow
    
  • Level8: Poltergeist
    
  • Level9: Demon
    
  • Level10: Legend
    
  • Level11+: Erlking
• Multi Level: Killing multiple enemies within one frame(i.e. using grenades. throwables that only deal thermal damage will not work) will give you Multi Level. The level is the number of enemies you kill. Multi Combo will not level up:
  
  • Level2: Double
    
  • Level3: Triple
    
  • Level4: Quadruple
    
  • Level5: Quintuple
    
  • Level6: Sextuple
    
  • Level7: Septuple
    
  • Level8: Octuple
    
  • Level9+: Multi
• Combo Level: Combo Level will level up when you kill multiple enemies within a short time limit. Once activated, Combo Level HUD is shown under the player. Combo Level will continue to level up until you fail to kill more enemies within the time limit.
  
  • Level2: Sweep
    
  • Level3: Wipe
    
  • Level4: Fray
    
  • Level5: Spree
    
  • Level6: Rampage
    
  • Level7: Battle
    
  • Level8: Assault
    
  • Level9: Frenzy
    
  • Level10: Domination
    
  • Level11: Bloodlust
    
  • Level12: Blade Runner
    
  • Level13: Highlander
    
  • Level14: D-Day
    
  • Level15+: Overlord
• Surprise: Kill the enemy when it has spotted you, but not confirmed the sighting yet
  
• Sneak: Kill the enemy when it has seen you at some point but has currently not noticed you at all
  
• Redirected: Enemy was killed by projectile / grenade that was thrown by a friend of a dead body
  
• Counter: Enemy was killed by projectile / grenade that was thrown by a dead body
  
• Deflect: Enemy was killed by projectile / grenade that was deflected
  
• Physical: Enemy was killed by boxes or other movable tiles. The bonus score of this is very high. If possible, please consider using physical kills for all enemies.

You can also change Bullet Time option in Combat Challenges. The default value is "Normal(100%"). It's recommended to select "Extreme(200%)" to obtain more react time.


Being sneaky, in my opinion, is the best tip for combat challenges. You will not only approach enemies more easily but also get score bonuses and accuracy bonus! Also, I highly recommend you to read the awesome guide by bruno.loff. Some techniques can be directly applied to both speed challenge and combat challenges.
http://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=677864849

In speed challenges, don't touch the gound as long as possible. You will lose your speed when touching the ground!!!

In this mode, players either alone or in teams will try to kill players in the opposing teams and compete for the most kills. Players can pick up guns and throwables on the ground to get advantages. When one player kills another player in the opposing teams, the team of this player will score one point. If one player kills a player in its own team(including itself), the score of the team will be deducted by one. The match will end when a team reaches the score limit, and the team will win the match.




If you are using a keyboard, press A and S to switch between preset rules, but it's recommended to use the "Developers Choice" rule. Options are:

• Score Limit: The minimum score required to win a match. Choose "0" if you don't want a score limit(in this case, the match will not end until you quit the match).
  
• Teams: The number of teams. If you choose "Free For All", each player will have its own team.
  
• Music: The background music of the match.
  
• Character: The character of players. Some character will carry weapons and throwables at spawn. Not all the characters are unlocked at first, and you need to get achievements and complete challenges in story mode to unlock more characters.
  
• Shield: The type of shield belt.
  
• Spawned Weapons: The weapons spawned on the map. [Map Specific] uses the default settings of the map. Not all the weapon presets are unlocked at first. You need to get achievements and complete challenges in story mode to unlock more weapon presets.
  
• Spawned Throwables: The throwables spawned on the map. [Map Specific] uses the default settings of the map. Not all the throwable presets are unlocked at first. You need to get achievements and complete challenges in story mode to unlock more throwable presets.
  
• Spawned Equipment: The equipment spawned on the map. [Map Specific] uses the default settings of the map. Not all the equipment presets are unlocked at first. You need to get achievements and complete challenges in story mode to unlock more equipment presets.
  
• Spawned Melee: The melee weapons spawned on the map. [Map Specific] uses the default settings of the map. Not all the melee presets are unlocked at first. You need to get achievements and complete challenges in story mode to unlock more melee presets.
  
• Spawned Consumables: Weapon Upgrades or Shieldbelt Batteries. [Map Specific] uses the default settings of the map.
  
• Bullet Time: Controls the effects of time dilation. The default value is Normal(100%). The minimum value is Off(0%), the maximum value is Extreme(200%).
  
• Bots Enabled: Enable this if you want to play with bots.
  
• Max Bots: The maximum number of bots. The maximum value of this option is 8.
  
• Balance Bots: Once enabled, bots will try to balance the number of players in different teams.
  
• Max Bot Skill: The difficulty of bots. The maximum value is 100%.
  
• Adapt Bot Skill: Once enabled, bots will automatically adapt their difficulty according to the performance of players.

If you want to return an option to its default value, select the option and press C.

Tips
Practice is the only way to master Deathmatch. Your overall skills are very important in this fast-paced mode. Remember to read the awesome guide by bruno.loff. He will teach you many useful skills.
http://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=677864849

Team-Strike is highly inspired by the game Counter-Strike. In this mode, players are divided into two teams, each of which consists of at most four players. This mode is round-based. Players can purchase or upgrade their equipment at the beginning of each round. When a match begins, players need to eliminate the players in the opposing team within the time limit. When one of the teams is eliminated, the surviving team scores one point.

When the round limit is reached, the team with the highest score will win the match. If both teams have the same score(and scores of each team < 10) in the last round, the round and the rounds after(if this round is still a tie) will be Sudden Death rounds until one team breaks the tie.

When time runs out:

• Match Point + Last Round: The team that has the match point will win the game.
  
• Deciding Round(and scores of each team >= 10): Overtime! The round ends until one team is eliminated. The surviving team will win the game.
  
• Normal Round: The round is a tie.

Each character has three levels, and the ability of each level increases as the prices rise. The top-left corner of the HUD is the Volts you currently have, which is 75 in this case. The green dots are characters you can purchase now, and the red dots are characters you can purchase after you have enough Volts.



When a round ends, you can choose to Play, Repair( your character), and Sell( your character). Repairing a character requires a certain amount of Volts, which is shown at the top-left corner of the HUD(28 in this case). You can get some Volts back by selling your character.


Volts are your money. You can get Volts from killing players in the opposing team. The base score is 30 Volts, and you can get more by special bonuses:

• Multi Level: Killing multiple enemies within one frame(i.e. using grenades. throwables that only deal thermal damage will not work) will give you Multi Level. The level is the number of enemies you kill. Multi Combo will not level up:
  
  • Level2: Double
    
  • Level3: Triple
    
  • Level4: Quadruple
    
  • Level5: Quintuple
    
  • Level6: Sextuple
    
  • Level7: Septuple
    
  • Level8: Octuple
    
  • Level9+: Multi
• Combo Level: Combo Level will level up when you kill multiple enemies within a short time limit. Once activated, Combo Level HUD is shown under the player. Combo Level will continue to level up until you fail to kill more enemies within the time limit.
  
  • Level2: Sweep
    
  • Level3: Wipe
    
  • Level4: Fray
    
  • Level5: Spree
    
  • Level6: Rampage
    
  • Level7: Battle
    
  • Level8: Assault
    
  • Level9: Frenzy
    
  • Level10: Domination
    
  • Level11: Bloodlust
    
  • Level12: Blade Runner
    
  • Level13: Highlander
    
  • Level14: D-Day
    
  • Level15+: Overlord
• Redirected: Enemy was killed by projectile / grenade that was thrown by a friend of a dead body
  
• Counter: Enemy was killed by projectile / grenade that was thrown by a dead body
  
• Deflect: Enemy was killed by projectile / grenade that was deflected
  
• Physical: Enemy was killed by boxes or other movable tiles. The bonus score of this is very high. If possible, please consider using physical kills for all enemies.

You can also get Volts at the end of a round:

• Winning team: +175 Volts
  
• There are three levels of Volts for losing team:
  
  • Losing one round: +125 Volts
    
  • Losing two rounds in a row: +225 Volts
    
  • Losing three or more rounds in a row: +325 Volts
• Tie：No Volts for both teams

If you are using a keyboard, press A and S to switch between preset rules. Options are:

• Rounds: The round limit. A team will win the game before the round limit when it scores (0.5 * Rounds) + 1 points
  
• Round Time Limit: The time limit of a round. If the time limit runs out, the round will be a tie.
  
• Music: The background music of the match.
  
• Character: The character of players. Some character will carry weapons and throwables at spawn. Not all the characters are unlocked at first, and you need to get achievements and complete challenges in story mode to unlock more characters.
  
• Bullet Time: Controls the effects of time dilation. The default value is Normal(100%). The minimum value is Off(0%), the maximum value is Extreme(200%).
  
• Bot Fill: The percentage of bots in a team(4 players maximum). The number of bots in both teams will increase by one when this option increases by 25%.
  
• Balance Bots: Once enabled, bots will try to balance the number of players in both teams.
  
• Max Bot Skill: The difficulty of bots. The maximum value is 100%.
  
• Adapt Bot Skill: Once enabled, bots will automatically adapt their difficulty according to the performance of players.

If you want to return an option to its default value, select the option and press C.


If you decide not to sell your character at the end of a round, pick up as many throwables as you can so that you can use them in the next round.

In this mode, players are divided into two teams. Players of each team need to grab the Plug at the center of the map and get it into opposing team's goal to score a point. The plug will be ejected from the plug station into the air after three seconds if none of the players pick up the plug. The timer will start only after the plug is grabbed by a player or is ejected from the plug station. When time runs out, the team with the highest score will win the game. If both teams have the same score, the game will get into overtime.

The plug can be melted by Plasma weapons and Bean Gun, and it will respawn at the plug station after that.




If you are using a keyboard, press A and S to switch between preset rules, but it's recommended to use the "Developers Choice" rule. Options are:

• Time Limit: The time limit of the match. When time runs out, the team with the higher score will win the match.
  
• Music: The background music of the match.
  
• Character: The character of players. Some character will carry weapons and throwables at spawn. Not all the characters are unlocked at first, and you need to get achievements and complete challenges in story mode to unlock more characters.
  
• Shield: The type of shield belt.
  
• Spawned Weapons: The weapons spawned on the map. [Map Specific] uses the default settings of the map. Not all the weapon presets are unlocked at first. You need to get achievements and complete challenges in story mode to unlock more weapon presets.
  
• Spawned Throwables: The throwables spawned on the map. [Map Specific] uses the default settings of the map. Not all the throwable presets are unlocked at first. You need to get achievements and complete challenges in story mode to unlock more throwable presets.
  
• Spawned Equipment: The equipment spawned on the map. [Map Specific] uses the default settings of the map. Not all the equipment presets are unlocked at first. You need to get achievements and complete challenges in story mode to unlock more equipment presets.
  
• Spawned Melee: The melee weapons spawned on the map. [Map Specific] uses the default settings of the map. Not all the melee presets are unlocked at first. You need to get achievements and complete challenges in story mode to unlock more melee presets.
  
• Spawned Consumables: Weapon Upgrades or Shieldbelt Batteries. [Map Specific] uses the default settings of the map.
  
• Bullet Time: Controls the effects of time dilation. The default value is Normal(100%). The minimum value is Off(0%), the maximum value is Extreme(200%).
  
• Bots Enabled: Enable this if you want to play with bots.
  
• Max Bots: The maximum number of bots. The maximum value of this option is 8.
  
• Balance Bots: Once enabled, bots will try to balance the number of players in different teams.
  
• Max Bot Skill: The difficulty of bots. The maximum value is 100%.
  
• Adapt Bot Skill: Once enabled, bots will automatically adapt their difficulty according to the performance of players.

If you want to return an option to its default value, select the option and press C.


Throwing techniques are very important in Plug Slam. Why? Watch the following video by SuperMickyJay:


Make sure you know how to roll-throw. If you are not comfortable with throwing at a strange angle, subscribe to the following map by Isogash and practice:
http://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=615949137

Learn to use Flashbang. Know the function of it:

• Stun and blind the targets, making they unable to move for a short time.
  
• Make targets drop the plug.
  
• Nullify the shield of targets.
  
• Blinded targets cannot pick up weapons and the plug.
  
• Blinded targets cannot use their Reaction Enhancer to enter bullet time.
  
• Blinded targets cannot aim.

In survival mode, you will encounter waves of enemies. The game ends when all of the players die or you successfully survive the last wave. Between waves, you can access the shops on the map and purchase weapons and equipment to prepare for the next waves. You will get Volts from killing enemies, collecting pickups, and selling equipment.

Each wave is divided into multiple attacks. The enemies from the next attack will not spawn until you eliminate all the enemies from the current attack.

When you are ready to fight, please press R(by default) on the keyboard or the back button on the controller to get ready. When all the players are ready, the next wave starts.


Beside normal attacks, there are two special attacks that give you rewards if you complete your tasks in these attacks:

• Calling Raids
  
• Protect Bopo

Calling Raids


In a Calling Raids attack, a special enemy, which is indicated by a red square, will spawn on the map. The enemy is usually more powerful than most enemies in the attack. You task is to kill it within the time limit. If you successfully kill the special enemy, all the players will get Volt rewards. If you fail to kill it under the time limit, it will call raids and gradually disappear. When raids come, the sky turns red and many projectiles, usually grenades, flashbang, missiles, bullets etc, are poured from the sky. Note that you will not get Volt rewards if enemies on the map are killed by the projectiles from raids.

Protect Bopo


In a Protect Bopo attack, a Bopo, which is indicated by a green square, will appear on the map. The type of Bopo can be changed in options. Your task is to protect it until the end of the attack. If Bopo survives at the end of the attack, all the players will get Volt rewards and Bopo will disappear. If Bopo dies, no Volts will be awarded. Special Bopo, such as Bopo Predator and Bopo Hamster etc, can help you fight against enemies.


You will respawn instantly if you are killed during preparation time(i.e. between waves).

If you die in an attack, you will become a Brain. A Brain can fly, but it can only carry one melee weapon, one ranged weapon, and one throwable. A Brain can only survive for a limited amount of time. Also, the effect of Reaction Enhancer(which let you enter bullet time) is weakened. If you finish the attack within the time limit, you can respawn as a full hull set in the next attack. However, if time runs out or you die as a Brain, you will not be able to participate in the future attacks of the current wave, and you will not respawn until the wave is completed.


If all the players die as Brains, game over! You can choose to Retry Wave or leave directly.

Volts are your money and score. They can be obtained by killing enemies, collecting pickups, and selling equipment. Special kills can provide you with more Volt awards:

• Stealth Level: Stealth combo will level up by killing enemies when you are never spotted and not noticed. High Stealth Level can give you significant bonus score. Stealth Levels are：
  
  • Level1: Ghost
    
  • Level2: Spook
    
  • Level3: Specter
    
  • Level4: Wraith
    
  • Level5: Phantom
    
  • Level6: Shade
    
  • Level7: Shadow
    
  • Level8: Poltergeist
    
  • Level9: Demon
    
  • Level10: Legend
    
  • Level11+: Erlking
• Multi Level: Killing multiple enemies within one frame(i.e. using grenades. throwables that only deal thermal damage will not work) will give you Multi Level. The level is the number of enemies you kill. Multi Combo will not level up:
  
  • Level2: Double
    
  • Level3: Triple
    
  • Level4: Quadruple
    
  • Level5: Quintuple
    
  • Level6: Sextuple
    
  • Level7: Septuple
    
  • Level8: Octuple
    
  • Level9+: Multi
• Combo Level: Combo Level will level up when you kill multiple enemies within a short time limit. Once activated, Combo Level HUD is shown under the player. Combo Level will continue to level up until you fail to kill more enemies within the time limit.
  
  • Level2: Sweep
    
  • Level3: Wipe
    
  • Level4: Fray
    
  • Level5: Spree
    
  • Level6: Rampage
    
  • Level7: Battle
    
  • Level8: Assault
    
  • Level9: Frenzy
    
  • Level10: Domination
    
  • Level11: Bloodlust
    
  • Level12: Blade Runner
    
  • Level13: Highlander
    
  • Level14: D-Day
    
  • Level15+: Overlord
• Surprise: Kill the enemy when it has spotted you, but not confirmed the sighting yet
  
• Sneak: Kill the enemy when it has seen you at some point but has currently not noticed you at all
  
• Redirected: Enemy was killed by projectile / grenade that was thrown by a friend of a dead body
  
• Counter: Enemy was killed by projectile / grenade that was thrown by a dead body
  
• Deflect: Enemy was killed by projectile / grenade that was deflected
  
• Physical: Enemy was killed by boxes or other movable tiles. The bonus score of this is very high. If possible, please consider using physical kills for all enemies

After you complete a wave, you can access the shops on the map to purchase weapons and equipment. After the next wave starts, the shops are closed until you finish the next wave.

Buy


The price of the weapon is shown at the top-left corner of the HUD. The icon of an item will be darkened if you do not have enough Volts to purchase it.

The shop is divided into three rows. The items on the first row offer a -25% special discount. If you purchase an item, the item of the same column in the next row will move up, filling in the slot of the item you have just purchased. If you purchased a discounted item, the item that fills in will also offer a discount.

When you finish a wave, all the items in a shop will move one row up, and new items come in on the third row. Remember, it's always your last chance to buy a discounted item because it will disappear after you start the next wave.

Sell


You can also sell your equipment by selecting the items on the right of the HUD. The Volts you will get from an item is shown at the top-left corner of the HUD. The items on the left will brighten if you can purchase them after selling the item you're selecting. Note that the ammo of a gun will not be sold when you sell the gun.

• Music: The background music of the game
  
• Protect: The type of Bopo you need to protect. Not all the Bopos are unlocked at first, and you need to get achievements to unlock more Bopos
  
• Enemy waves: The enemy preset of each wave. Not all the enemy presets are unlocked at first, and you need to get achievements to unlock more enemy presets
  
• Bullet Time: Controls the effects of time dilation. The default value is Normal(100%). The minimum value is Off(0%), the maximum value is Extreme(200%)

• Before you purchase new an equipment piece, think whether you are going to leave your old equipment piece to other players. If not, sell the old one first!!!
  
• Purchase a Shieldbelt as soon as possible(if there is a Shieldbelt shop on the map), and upgrade Durability to the maximum level.
  
• Collect all the pickups on the ground after you finish a wave.
  
• Salvage all the broken weapons and sell them for extra Volts!