Families

Choosing a family

The last step before a run is a circle of the twelve families, like the one below. The run starts with one card from the family you pick — one of its weakest: the lowest rarity it has among the cards a fresh run can be dealt, so nothing that needs another card, a companion or an ability first. Where several share that rarity, one of them is picked at random.

Hover a family to see what it is and what it starts you with. Click it for its page.

Kinetic The orb itself: its speed, size, bounces, throws and catches. Starts with one of Striking Force or Whiplash

Precision Crits, long shots and executions: every hit chosen. Starts with one of Carom, Keen Eye, Marksman or Trick Shot

Fire Burning, explosions and craters. Starts with one of Firewalk, Hot Coals, Blazing Trail or Pyre

Frost Chills, freezes, and what shatters afterwards. Starts with one of Cold Return, Freezing Shot, Frozen Court or Hoarfrost

Storm Lightning that arcs from one body to the next. Starts with one of Arc Spark, Capacitor or Thunderhead

Void Gravity, time, pulses, and stepping through space. Starts with one of Magnetic Grip, Pocket, Void Drag or Wormhole

Arcane Echoes and copies: mirror shards, phantoms, links. Starts with one of Glint or Imprint

Blood Kills, bleeding, and power drawn from your own wounds. Starts with Open Wound

Beast Companions that fight beside you. Starts with Goat Companion

Guardian Health, armour, shields and retaliation. Starts with Vitality

Combo Cards that feed on, or pay out, the combo meter. Starts with one of Backhand, Head Start, Metronome, Showboat or Tip Jar

Wild The unaligned: speed, economy, and deals with a catch. Starts with one of Deep Pockets or Swift Steps

Kinetic Precision Fire Frost Storm Void Arcane Blood Beast Guardian Combo Wild

The twelve families

Every card belongs to exactly one family. Each card you own in a family multiplies the draw weight of that family's other cards by +30%, up to 5 cards' worth (×2.5 at most). Rarity, the difficulty's odds and family all multiply together, so a family you lean into still keeps its legendaries rare. Your two leading families also name the build.

Kinetic17 cards

The orb itself: its speed, size, bounces, throws and catches.

Starts a run with Striking Force or Whiplash

Traits: Quick Release · Slipcatch · Perpetual Motion

its page →

Precision15 cards

Crits, long shots and executions: every hit chosen.

Starts a run with Carom or Keen Eye or Marksman or Trick Shot

Traits: Long Shot · Exit Wound · Marked

its page →

Fire15 cards

Burning, explosions and craters.

Starts a run with Firewalk or Hot Coals or Blazing Trail or Pyre

Traits: Long Burn · Flashpoint · Wildfire

its page →

Frost15 cards

Chills, freezes, and what shatters afterwards.

Starts a run with Cold Return or Freezing Shot or Frozen Court or Hoarfrost

Traits: Lingering Cold · Ice Rink · Frostbite

its page →

Storm15 cards

Lightning that arcs from one body to the next.

Starts a run with Arc Spark or Capacitor or Thunderhead

Traits: Long Arc · Conductor · Seek the Weak

its page →

Void15 cards

Gravity, time, pulses, and stepping through space.

Starts a run with Magnetic Grip or Pocket or Void Drag or Wormhole

Traits: Wake · Undertow · Collapse Point

its page →

Arcane15 cards

Echoes and copies: mirror shards, phantoms, links.

Starts a run with Glint or Imprint

Traits: Resonant Copies · Phantom · Playback

its page →

Blood16 cards

Kills, bleeding, and power drawn from your own wounds.

Starts a run with Open Wound

Traits: Contagion · Tap the Vein · Bloodbath

its page →

Beast17 cards

Companions that fight beside you.

Starts a run with Goat Companion

Traits: Eager · Pack Tactics · Apex Pack

its page →

Guardian16 cards

Health, armour, shields and retaliation.

Starts a run with Vitality

Traits: Small Shield · Bulwark · Reckoning

its page →

Combo15 cards

Cards that feed on, or pay out, the combo meter.

Starts a run with Backhand or Head Start or Metronome or Showboat or Tip Jar

Traits: Metronome · Crescendo · Encore

its page →

Wild15 cards

The unaligned: speed, economy, and deals with a catch.

Starts a run with Deep Pockets or Swift Steps

Traits: Light Feet · Jack of Trades · Wildcard

its page →

Traits

Hold 3, 5 and 7 (Frost and Void 3, 4 and 7; Kinetic 2, 4 and 6) different cards of one family and its three tiers switch on — a second copy of a card does not count: bronze, silver, and the gold capstone. They are never bought or picked: they follow your cards, and a card given up (Transmute, the Collector) takes its tier with it. In a run, the column on the right of the screen shows every family you hold and how far it is to the next tier, and hovering a row shows all three. A card that would complete a tier says so above it on the card screen.

Kinetic

2 · 4 · 6

1. 2
   IQuick Release

   Throws leave 20% faster.
2. 4
   IISlipcatch

   A blink that ends within 3 m of the orb catches it.
3. 6
   CapstonePerpetual Motion

   The orb loses speed half as fast in flight, and an orb that slows to a crawl away from you glides back on its own.

Precision

3 · 5 · 7

1. 3
   ILong Shot

   Hits 6 m or more from where you threw get +10% crit chance.
2. 5
   IIExit Wound

   A critical hit sprays out behind the enemy: everything in a 3 m cone past it takes half the hit.
3. 7
   CapstoneMarked

   Every hit marks an enemy for 5s. A direct hit on a marked enemy, before the throw has bounced off any enemy, deals 2.5x damage.

Fire

3 · 5 · 7

1. 3
   ILong Burn

   Every burn lasts 2s longer.
2. 5
   IIFlashpoint

   An orb hit on a burning enemy sets off the rest of its burn at once, then sets it burning again.
3. 7
   CapstoneWildfire

   When a burning enemy dies, everything within 3 m catches fire, and can spread it again.

Frost

3 · 4 · 7

1. 3
   ILingering Cold

   Your chills last 2s longer.
2. 4
   IIIce Rink

   The orb loses no speed bouncing off frozen enemies.
3. 7
   CapstoneFrostbite

   A frozen enemy that dies bursts into an ice nova that freezes everything near it, so it chains through a frozen crowd.

Storm

3 · 5 · 7

1. 3
   ILong Arc

   Every lightning chain jumps 1 m farther.
2. 5
   IIConductor

   An enemy killed by lightning passes it on: the chain jumps from the body to up to 3 more enemies.
3. 7
   CapstoneSeek the Weak

   Chain Lightning jumps to the lowest-health enemies within 6 m, and kills any it leaves under 10% health.

Void

3 · 4 · 7

1. 3
   IWake

   Blinking tugs enemies within 2 m of where you left 1 m inward.
2. 4
   IIUndertow

   An orb at rest slowly pulls enemies within 3 m toward it.
3. 7
   CapstoneCollapse Point

   Your blink leaves a rift where you started. Blink back to it before it fades and everything within 5 m collapses into it for 200% orb damage.

Arcane

3 · 5 · 7

1. 3
   IResonant Copies

   Arcane cards (echoes, copies and shards) deal 15% more damage.
2. 5
   IIPhantom

   When the orb kills, a phantom of it leaps from the body to the nearest enemy for 40% of the hit.
3. 7
   CapstonePlayback

   A ghost orb follows your orb's path 5s behind it, passing through enemies for half damage.

Blood

3 · 5 · 7

1. 3
   IContagion

   Enemies that die bleeding spread their bleed to the 4 nearest within 2 m.
2. 5
   IITap the Vein

   An orb hit on a bleeding enemy deals its remaining bleed twice over at once, then bleeds the 2 nearest enemies within 4 m.
3. 7
   CapstoneBloodbath

   Every bleed deals double damage, and any damage, not only a direct orb hit, starts a bleed on an enemy that is not already bleeding.

Beast

3 · 5 · 7

1. 3
   IEager

   Companions move 15% faster.
2. 5
   IIPack Tactics

   Companions go for whatever your orb hit last.
3. 7
   CapstoneApex Pack

   Every companion gains a power. Owl: its bolts hit everything within 1.5 m, and every 4th stuns. Demon: an enemy dying within 4s of its claws bursts into flame. Angel: heals you 1 HP every 3s. Goat: Stampede, 30% faster and harder rams that shove further and carry on in a cone behind the target.

Guardian

3 · 5 · 7

1. 3
   ISmall Shield

   A 15-point shield that comes back after 4s without being hit.
2. 5
   IIBulwark

   A hit your Ward or Spinning Guard stops stuns the attacker for 0.5s.
3. 7
   CapstoneReckoning

   Taking damage sets off a 4 m nova for 200% orb damage that stuns for 1s. Once every 5s.

Combo

3 · 5 · 7

1. 3
   IMetronome

   Your combo window is 1s longer.
2. 5
   IICrescendo

   Hits 5, 15, 25 ... of a combo send out a free void ring.
3. 7
   CapstoneEncore

   When a combo of 10 or more would drop, it falls to half instead (once a streak), and the lost half flies as a combo bomb at the biggest crowd on screen. Bosses take a quarter.

Wild

3 · 5 · 7

1. 3
   ILight Feet

   +8% walk speed.
2. 5
   IIJack of Trades

   Each Wild card also counts toward your leading family's traits.
3. 7
   CapstoneWildcard

   Each wave you borrow the third tier of a random family you have not completed.