Guide

How to play Clackshot

Clackshot is a typing shooter. Ships fly down at your base, each carrying a word. Type a ship's word to shoot it down before it reaches you. That's the whole idea; the rest of this page explains the details that turn a good run into a great one. Ready to try? Start a run.

Controls

On phones and tablets Clackshot uses its own keyboard, so the phone's keyboard never pops up, autocorrect never interferes, and every key fires the moment your finger touches it.

Locking on

The first letter you type locks onto the ship whose word starts with it. Every ship on screen starts with a different letter, so there is never any doubt about which one you meant. Keep typing to finish the word; each correct letter fires a shot and nudges the ship back a little. Finish the word and the ship explodes.

The enemies

• Drones: the backbone of every wave. Short words, steady speed.
• Darts: small and fast, always with short words. Deal with them first.
• Weavers: swing from side to side as they fall, which makes them harder to track.
• Brutes: slow and heavy, carrying long words. Start them early.
• Splitters: break into two fast shards with tiny words when destroyed. Be ready for the follow-up.
• Bosses: every 5th wave. A boss carries a whole phrase, one word at a time, and calls in small minions while you work through it. Finishing the phrase is worth 500 bonus points.

Each wave is a little faster than the last, and from wave 4 onwards words get longer.

Scoring, combos and multipliers

A destroyed ship is worth 10 points per letter in its word, times your current multiplier. Your combo counts correct keys in a row, and it raises the multiplier:

One wrong key resets the combo to zero. That's why accuracy matters as much as speed: a clean run at a steady pace usually beats a fast, messy one. Clear a whole wave without a single wrong key for a perfect wave bonus that grows with each wave.

Shields and the EMP

You start with 3 shields. A ship that reaches your base takes one; lose them all and the run is over. The EMP destroys every ship on screen at once (bosses only lose a little ground). You start with one, earn another each time you clear a wave, and can hold up to 3. Ships destroyed by an EMP are worth half points with no multiplier, so save it for real emergencies.

Daily challenge

The daily challenge gives everyone the same ships and words for the day. Your first daily run counts for the daily leaderboard, so it's the fairest way to compare with friends. Playing on consecutive days builds a streak.

Ranks and loadout

Every run earns XP towards your pilot rank, from Cadet to Legend. New ranks unlock ship designs, tracer colours and engine wakes, which you can equip in the loadout. Cosmetics never change how the game plays.

Tips for higher scores

• Target the ship closest to your base, not the one with the easiest word.
• Start long words early: brutes are slow, but their words take time.
• When a splitter goes down, have your eyes on where the shards will appear.
• Slow down slightly when your multiplier is high. Protecting a ×4 is worth more than a few extra letters.
• Look at the next word while you finish the current one. If you want to build raw speed, the how to type faster guide has a simple two-week plan.

Common questions