Nebulous Upgrade Checklist

Use this checklist while the Nebulous shop is open. It compresses the Upgrades Hub into actions: what to buy first, what to refuse, when to farm, and when to specialize before Guardians and the final boss drone opener. Deep explanations live on Early Game Upgrades, Late Game Builds, and Upgrade Mistakes—this page is the operator card.

Pre-run gates

• Controls feel comfortable (Controls)
• You know the run shape: levels → five Guardians → finale with five drones first (Bosses Hub)
• Group joined for +15% resources when possible
• Codes checked if you care about freebies (Codes)
• You accept that after first clear, permadeath raises stakes

If any gate fails, fix it before optimizing trophy badges on Leaderboards and Badges.

Tier A — buy these first

Check off in order when shops allow. Skip gaps rather than filling with traps.

• Damage online enough that weak packs die before full pattern recycles
• Clip size reduces empty-gun panic
• Reload keeps fire continuous with your clip
• Bounce / ricochet starts converting misses into multihits
• Rockets package owned and mentally earmarked for elites/phase breaks (Rockets and Items)

Rule: if a shop offers Tier A versus comfort, take Tier A unless you are literally about to die and need one emergency shield.

Tier B — after Tier A is real

Pick only what supports the fight problems you actually have.

• Homing / swarms for dense multi-target chaos
• Explosives when adds clump
• Turret drones when aiming under pressure is your failure mode
• Modest shield as a panic button after offense exists

Do not clear all of Tier B. Clear the lines that match your deaths.

Red list — refuse early

• Early size upgrades (default no)
• Stacked early health as a personality (one emergency buy max)
• Random utility you cannot link to the next two levels
• Equal spending into every shiny category among eighty-plus upgrades
• Drones before the gun basics work
• Shield tree as your first three purchases

If you already bought red-list nodes, stop feeding them. Overfund Tier A instead.

Farm gate (before Guardians)

• Kill times feel crisp on normal levels
• Rockets are spendable, not mythical
• You can describe your build in one sentence
• If any box above is unchecked → run a farm loop (How to Farm) before a committed Guardian attempt

Learning attempts can break this gate on purpose. Committed attempts cannot.

Guardian prep gate

Use with Guardian Roster and Beat Guardians.

• Tier A complete
• Farm gate green
• Failure mode predicted (adds / long phase / aim fixation / reload panic)
• Tier B answer purchased for that failure mode
• One mechanical focus chosen for the attempt
• Tilt from last death cooled off

Late identity lock

Choose one; do not half-build five. Details on Late Game Builds.

• Ricochet Machine
• Rocket Artillery
• Homing Swarm Control
• Turret Drone Battery
• Balanced Breaker (temporary until you commit)

After locking:

• Refuse nodes that only serve a different identity
• Spend rockets on purpose during Guardians
• Re-check red list so comfort did not creep back

Final boss gate (five drones first)

• Multi-target plan ready (ricochet, swarms, rockets, or drone pressure)
• Opener lanes practiced mentally via Final Boss
• Shield is insurance, not the plan
• No mid-finale fantasy respec unless a rare high-impact node appears
• Post-drone plan is the same identity, not a new personality

Recovery block after a slanted shop

• Name the death cause in one phrase
• Map it to a missing Tier A/B tool
• Buy only toward that tool
• Farm one clean loop
• Retry with one focus
• If movement is the real issue, leave the shop and drill controls

Patch re-check mini-list

After notes land (Patch Notes):

• Tier A still outclasses early size/health
• Rocket breakpoints still feel right
• Farm loop timing still acceptable
• Guardian pacing unchanged enough to trust muscle memory
• Finale drone clear time re-measured

Roadmap features (co-op, editor, cosmetics) stay off this card until they ship—see on the roadmap.

Session stamps (optional)

Copy these into your own notes:

• Date / goal (literacy, funding, clear, prestige)
• Identity chosen
• Tier A complete? Y/N
• Red-list purchases? Y/N — list them
• Guardians attempted / result
• Finale drones time or fail reason
• Next drill

Quick reference links

• Tools Hub
• Upgrades Hub
• Early Game Upgrades
• Late Game Builds
• Upgrade Mistakes
• Bosses Hub
• Getting Started
• Links Hub
• Scripts (not part of this checklist; account risk)

One-line doctrine

Damage, clip, reload, bounce, rockets first; size and early health are traps; farm before Guardians; specialize before the drone finale; stop negotiating with the red list.

Run the checklist. Then run the arena.