Orbit Swarm devlog #2: Weapons that orbit, builds that grow
Merges, set bonuses, explicit damage types and ship parts — and the one rule we kept from the start: no permanent power.
The name comes from the core idea: your weapons don't sit on your ship's nose, they orbit it. Every weapon sits in a ring around you and picks its own target. That frees your thumbs for movement, and it makes your build visible at a glance: you can count your arsenal just by looking at your ship.
Merges and set bonuses
Weapons come in four tiers, I to IV. Two copies of the same weapon at the same tier merge into the next tier, which turns the shop into a puzzle: buy the new weapon you want, or the copy that completes a merge? Weapons also belong to classes, and holding several of the same class activates a set bonus, like extra crit chance for electric weapons.
Nothing hidden
We also wanted it to be obvious why one build hits harder than another, so damage types are explicit. Every weapon is melee, ranged or elemental, and the weapon card shows exactly how much extra damage it gets from your stats. Each stat, in turn, lists the weapons it affects. Nothing changed in the math; the game just stopped hiding it.
Ship parts
Then came ship parts: four slots for Engine, Shield, Reactor and Module. Parts change how your ship behaves, not just its numbers. An Ion Engine gives you extra dash charges, a Bubble Shield slows and reflects, a Helper Drone fights beside you. Parts also have four tiers, and finding a part you already own upgrades it. You can't buy them in the shop; they come from Shipyards, Elite sectors and boss crates, so a good part always feels earned.
No permanent power
One rule we kept from the start: no permanent power. Between runs you unlock new ships and harder threat levels, and you fill in your Codex, but you never start a run stronger than last time. If you win, it's because of the build you made in that run.
