Starward guide: orb merge tips and strategy
How the gravity well works, the merge strategy that carries a run from Dust to Quasar, and how to set up a Supernova.
How to play Starward
Starward is a drop-and-merge puzzle bent into a circle: you fire orbs inward from a launcher ring, and gravity pulls everything toward a solid core (two in Twin Suns).
Aim and fire
Drag anywhere to swing the launcher around the ring, then release to fire. SWAP trades your loaded orb with the next one, then locks briefly before the next swap. AIM extends the predicted path across the well; it never fires for you.
Merge
Two orbs of the same tier merge on contact into the next tier. Merges that land in quick succession build a chain, and every merge's points are multiplied by the chain count.
Lanes
The ring is split into twelve launch lanes. Firing a lane heats and strains it. Heat fades in seconds, but strain barely fades by waiting; firing three or more lanes away is what vents it. The HUD warns you with "Rotate" and then "Sector Critical".
How a run ends
Three ways: an orb sits outside the event horizon for about two seconds (Event Horizon Breached), the well stays packed past roughly half its area (Critical Mass Reached), or a lane stays at full strain (Launch Sector Collapsed).
Gravity strengthens over the first three minutes of a run, and the orbs you are handed shift away from Dust toward Sparks and Comets as the run goes on. You can only ever be handed the first four tiers; everything bigger has to be built.
The nine orb tiers
Each tier is about a quarter wider than the one before it. Points shown are the base for creating that tier, before the chain and any bonus multipliers.
| Tier | Orb | How you get it | Base points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dust | Launched | — |
| 2 | Spark | Launched, or two Dust | 20 |
| 3 | Comet | Launched, or two Sparks | 30 |
| 4 | Moon | Launched, or two Comets | 40 |
| 5 | Planet | Two Moons | 50 |
| 6 | Giant | Two Planets | 60 |
| 7 | Star | Two Giants | 70 |
| 8 | Nova | Two Stars | 80 |
| 9 | Quasar | Two Novas | 90 |
| — | Supernova | Two Quasars | 1,000 |
Orb merge strategy tips
The core habits from any orb merge game still apply. Starward's gravity and lanes change how you carry them out.
- 01Keep big pieces together.A Giant only becomes a Star by touching another Giant. Build each new tier next to its partner, so the merge happens as soon as the second one forms.
- 02Don't bury small tiers.A lone Dust wedged between two Planets is dead space that pushes the pile outward. Clear small orbs while they are still reachable.
- 03Plan with the lookahead.You can see the loaded orb, the next one and a faint third. Read all three before you fire, and swap when the next orb has a better target than the loaded one.
- 04Keep a side of the well, not a single lane.In box-style merge games you keep one column for the current small tier. Here, three shots in a row into one lane can max out its strain, and merges between orbs that started in the same lane score half. Work one side of the well and rotate between its lanes.
- 05Fire into cold lanes, merge across the well.A merge set up by a shot into an unmarked lane scores 1.25×; one from a marked lane scores 0.8×. Merges between orbs that started in far-apart lanes pay up to 1.35×, and merges between lanes two or more apart also relieve strain on both.
- 06Treat Star Rush as a chain window.Merges fill the Star Rush meter, and long chains fill it fastest. For nine seconds every merge scores double, gravity eases a little and the chain window stretches.
- 07Spend Orbit Shift before the horizon.Each Star Rush banks one Orbit Shift, up to two. It swings the pile into orbit, pulls edge orbs inward and cools every lane, but deletes nothing. At two charges, a third Rush earns nothing, so use one.
- 08Place the Singularity.This rare wildcard merges with the first orb it touches and bumps it up a tier. It turns up more often in a crowded well.
How to get a Supernova in Starward
Two Quasars that touch always go Supernova. Both orbs leave the well and nothing takes their place; it is the only merge that leaves no orb behind. It scores 1,000 points times your current chain, and Star Rush, arena bonuses and lane bonuses multiply that as they do any other merge.
The largest orb you can be handed is a Moon, so each Quasar is thirty-two Moons' worth of merges, and two Quasars take up a lot of the well.
Setting one up: build the second Quasar beside the first rather than on the far side. Keep the small tiers cleared so the pile has room while the second ladder climbs. If you can, finish the last merges while Star Rush is running. A Singularity that touches a Quasar only produces a Quasar, so don't spend it there. To practise, the Reach Quasar goal mode ends the moment you make one and shows your time.
Your first Supernova earns the Supernova achievement and unlocks the Void orb palette.
Starward arenas
Gravity Well
One steady pull toward a single core. The core is solid, and orbs that hit it are knocked sideways rather than swallowed.
Twin Suns
Two gravity pockets split the field. Merges in the centre bridge between them score 1.5×.
Pulsar
Every seven seconds a pulse pushes every orb outward. The HUD counts it down. Merges during the pulse score 1.5×, but keep the edge clear before it hits.
Mastery
Each arena tracks your best score with a mastery rank: Rookie, Bronze at 2,500, Silver at 7,500, Gold at 15,000 and Cosmic at 30,000.
Starward Daily run
Every player gets the same orb sequence and the same arena each day, plus a shared mission such as building a ×4 chain or triggering Star Rush. The first Daily run you start is your ranked score for the day; replays are practice and can only raise your personal best. Once you fire the first orb the attempt is spent, and leaving early submits the score so far. Starting a ranked run needs a connection.
The Daily resets at 00:00 UTC. Playing on consecutive days builds a streak. A Daily run can't be saved and resumed. Tap another pilot on the Ranks tab to block or report them.
Starward Free vs Pro
There are no ads. The ranked Daily is free and never counts against your runs.
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Daily run | Ranked | Ranked |
| Casual runs per day | 3 | No daily cap |
| Every orb tier | Everything | Everything |
| Prestige rank | Not included | Included |
| Premium palettes | Not included | Included |
Casual runs are Endless, Reach Nova and Reach Quasar, in any arena, and the count resets each UTC day. Continuing a saved Endless run doesn't use one. The Ember, Aurora and Void palettes unlock through play; Nebula, Prism and Obsidian are Pro. Prestige shows a menu title, Drifter to Ascendant, from your best score and total runs.
Pro comes from the one-time Full Game Unlock for Starward, or from a monthly or annual StackForge Play Pass, which unlocks Pro in every StackForge game on your account. Restore Purchases is on the paywall.
Starward FAQ
Is Starward like other drop-and-merge games?
The merging is the same. The differences are the circular well, twelve launch lanes that strain if you repeat them, and scoring that rewards merges set up from different sides.
Why did my run end when nothing crossed the line?
Besides an orb breaching the horizon, a well packed past about half its area or a lane left at full strain also ends the run. The end screen names the cause.
Do two Quasars always make a Supernova?
Yes. Any two Quasars that touch go Supernova and both leave the well.
Can I pause Endless and come back later?
Yes. Save & Home keeps an Endless run, and Continue picks it up without using a free run. Starting a new Endless run replaces the saved one.