ShellShock Live: Complete Guide

A guide to ShellShock Live's turn-based tank artillery: aiming fundamentals, weapon types, game modes, leveling and unlocks, team play with flares, and habits that separate good players from great ones.

Researched September 2026 — current as of v1.1.1 (May 20, 2023), the latest PC update. Development has since focused on kChamp's other projects, so the game is stable rather than actively patched. Check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

It's turn-based artillery. Everyone aims at the same time, then all shots resolve. Set angle and power, pick a weapon, and fire before the timer runs out.
Learn one reliable shot. Most good players rely on a few consistent angle/power combos they know by heart. Start by learning how far your shots travel at a fixed angle.
The terrain is fully destructible. Your shots, and everyone else's, reshape the map every turn.
You can move your tank a limited distance per turn. Moving to better ground or away from danger is often worth it.
Pick weapons for the situation. Direct damage, area damage, digging, rolling, homing, healing: each has a job.
Level up to unlock weapons. There are 100 levels, each with its own reward, and Star Badges beyond level 100.
Everything gameplay-related is earned by playing. Paid content is cosmetic only.
Use flares in team games (added in v1.1.1) to call targets and movement.
Grab crates on the map when you can; they're worth the detour.
Don't cheat. The developer has warned that aim-assist and XP-farming tools are against the Terms of Service and can get you banned.

Aiming Fundamentals

Every shot is angle plus power. The game shows the start of your trajectory, so you learn the rest by feel and memory.

Build a mental chart

Pick one angle (many players like a steep one around the 70s) and practice how power changes distance.
At a fixed angle, distance scales predictably with power. Learn a handful of "anchor" shots.
Use the Scenario Editor (Firing Range) to practice without pressure.

Correct from your last shot

Watch where your last shot landed and adjust power in small steps.
Change only one variable at a time.
If the terrain between you and a target changes, re-check your arc for new obstacles.

Bumpers, portals, and walls

Bumpers on the sides bounce shots back into the map (the Cage Match mod raises them by 300%).
Portals (featured in Vortex) teleport projectiles.
Advanced players plan bank shots off bumpers.

Weapon Types

ShellShock Live has 400+ weapons, most with upgraded tiers. Categories to know:

Type	Examples	Use
Direct damage	Single Shot, Big Shot, Sniper Rifle	Reliable damage on a known target
Multi-shot/spread	Three Ball, Five Ball	Forgiving area coverage
Homing	Homing Missile (upgrades to Homing Rockets)	Hits moving or hidden targets
Rolling	Permaroller (Heavy Permaroller) and other rollers	Rolls along terrain into tanks in dips
Terrain	Dirt-spawning and digging weapons	Bury enemies, build cover, reshape the map
Area/over time	Napalm, Acid Rain (Acid Hail)	Punish clustered or stationary tanks
Healing (v1.1)	Health Aura (+, ++), Potions (Small to Huge)	Heal yourself and allies; beware healing enemies in an aura
Control (v1.1)	Confuser (Super-, Mega-), Wanderer (Double, Triple), CensorBar	Mess with enemy shots and aim
Drones	Drone, Heavy Drone	Drone-based attacks added in v1.0
Prestige set	Radar, Sonar, Lidar	High-level unlock set (level 88)
Big payload	Mega-Nuke	One of the most powerful weapons in the game

Tiers: many weapon sets have 2 to 4 tiers, like Health Aura, Health Aura+, and Health Aura++, or Confuser, Super-Confuser, and Mega-Confuser.

Items

Item	Effect
Overcharge	Boosts your damage (25% in v1.0 notes)
Fortify	Reduces damage you take (25% in v1.0 notes)
Jetpack	Movement tool
EMP	Utility item (usable on controller since v0.9.8.20)

Game Modes

Mode	Summary
Team / Free-For-All	The standard matches, up to 8 players
Deathmatch	Kill-focused mode (XP multiplier raised to 1.5x in v1.1.1)
Assassin	Target-focused mode (XP multiplier raised to 1.6x in v1.1.1)
Points	Score points with damage and objectives
Charge	A mode with its own rules; healing weapons aren't assigned here
Rebound	Bumper-heavy bounces
Vortex	Every shot must pass through a portal before it can deal damage
Cage Match (game mod, v1.1)	Raises the side bumpers by 300%, so bank shots matter even more
Hotseat	Local multiplayer on one PC
Campaign missions	Single-player missions, including a bonus set added in v1.0

Healing weapons are not assigned in Charge and Points modes (v1.1.1).

Progression and Currencies

XP levels you up to 100. Each level has rewards and unlocks.
Star Badges mark XP milestones beyond level 100.
Gears are spent in the Gear Shop on items and some weapon sets.
Challenges unlock some weapons: Wanderer comes from the "Daily Dominator" challenge (50 daily challenges) and the Small-to-Huge Potions from the "Medic" challenge (both v1.1). Daily Challenges were added in v1.1 and are unique per player.
Prestige weapons unlock at high levels, such as Homing Missile (level 84), Radar (level 88), Acid Rain (level 91), Taser (level 93), and Recruiter (level 97, upgrading to Enroller and Enlister). Confuser unlocks at Star Level 2.
Cosmetics: tank bodies, tracks, headlights and taillights (v1.1), victory tunes, and dogtags.

Team Play and Flares

v1.1.1 added flares, a quick way to communicate. Pick a flare from the crosshair button next to Fire, choose Team or All, and place it:

Flare	Meaning
Circle	Point out a crate, tank, or anything on the map
Arrow	Signal your movement or ask an ally to move
Crosshair	Focus fire on a specific enemy
X	Mark a bumper hit point or anything else

Team tips:

Focus fire. Two tanks hitting one enemy beats spreading damage.
Save a heal for an ally about to die (v1.1 healing weapons).
Don't stack up. Splash weapons punish grouped teams.
Watch your allies' aim (the game shows ally aim) so you don't waste the same shot.

Choosing a Shot: Situation Guide

Situation	Good choice	Why
Enemy in the open, you know the range	Direct-damage weapon	Maximum damage for a precise hit
You're unsure of the range	Spread weapon (Three Ball, Five Ball)	Several projectiles cover your error
Enemy hidden behind a hill	Homing or a high lob	Gets over or around terrain
Enemy sitting in a crater	Roller or area damage	Rollers follow the slope down to them
Two enemies close together	Splash or area-over-time weapon	Hits both
You're about to be buried or exposed	Terrain or construction weapon	Rebuild cover or dig out
Ally low on health	Healing weapon (v1.1)	A save can swing a team match
Enemy about to take a big shot	Control weapon (Confuser, Wanderer)	Makes their turn unreliable

Reading the battlefield each turn

Check health bars: who's closest to dying, on both teams?
Check terrain: has anything changed that blocks your usual arc?
Check crates: is one worth moving toward?
Check threats: who can hit you easily next turn, and should you move?
Then pick the weapon and fire.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Changing angle and power at the same time when correcting a miss.
Firing big splash weapons at close range. Self-damage is real.
Standing in a pit. Rollers and area weapons love tanks in holes.
Ignoring movement. Getting to higher ground or out of a crater changes the whole fight.
Healing enemies with Health Aura. Enemies inside the aura heal too.
Using your strongest weapon on a nearly dead tank. Save it for a full-health target.
Letting the timer run out.

Advanced Tips

Memorize power per distance at your favorite angle; it's the single biggest skill jump.
Use terrain weapons defensively to build cover or bury an enemy's line of fire.
Play the turn order mentally. Think about where enemies will be after their moves.
Bank shots off bumpers to hit tanks hiding behind terrain.
Pick up crates for extra weapons and value.
Play Deathmatch and Assassin for XP thanks to their raised multipliers (v1.1.1).
Practice in the Scenario Editor with obstacles and specific setups.

FAQ

Is ShellShock Live still being updated? The last PC update was v1.1.1 (May 2023). The game is still playable online.

How many players per match? Up to 8 in team and free-for-all battles.

What's the level cap? 100 levels, with Star Badges for XP beyond that.

Is it pay-to-win? No. All gameplay content is earned by playing; purchases are cosmetic.

Is there cross-play with mobile? No. The mobile version (released May 2022) is a separate game on its own development track.

What's the best weapon? It depends on the shot: direct weapons for exact hits, homing for hidden tanks, rollers for tanks in dips, and area weapons for clusters.

What is ShellShot Arena? A separate real-time, top-down game in the ShellShock universe that kChamp announced in May 2023.