Field manual
How to play PHAGE
Two minutes to learn. The whole game is choosing where your streams go, and when.
Controls
Select
Click one of your cells to select it. Shift-click to add more. Double-click selects every cell you own.
Send half
Drag from your selection to any target, or click a target while cells are selected. Half of each cell's units launch as a stream.
Send all
Right-click a target (or hold Alt while ordering) to commit every unit from your selected cells.
Reinforce
Send to one of your own cells to stack units there. Useful to brace a frontline before a push.
The rules
Production
Cells you own divide every second, filling toward a capacity shown by the ring around them. Neutral cells are dormant and never grow.
Combat
An arriving stream subtracts from a defender's garrison. Drop it below zero and the cell flips to you, with the survivors becoming its new garrison.
Defense
A cell's type and the defender's Antibodies upgrade reduce incoming damage. Bastions are brutal to crack head-on.
Victory
Absorb every rival colony to win. Lose all of your cells and streams and the match is over.
Cell types
| Strain | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Standard | Balanced production, capacity, and defense. The all-rounder. |
| Breeder | Floods units fast, but holds fewer and defends poorly. |
| Bastion | Hard to crack. Heavy defense, sluggish production. |
| Launcher | Hurls fast streams that reach targets sooner. |
| Vault | Stockpiles an enormous garrison. Produces slowly. |
Evolution
Clearing campaign stages earns evolution points. Spend them in the lab for permanent, stacking upgrades that apply to every cell you own.
Mitosis
Cells divide faster. +14% production per level.
Membrane
Hold more units per cell. +13% capacity per level.
Virulence
Streams hit harder. +11% attack per level.
Antibodies
Cells resist invasion. +11% defense per level.
Flagella
Streams travel faster. +9% speed per level.