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.

Sources

• ShellShock Live on Steam
• Steam News: v1.0, v1.1, and v1.1.1 release notes (Steam News API)
• Steam News hub for ShellShock Live