Orbs
Orbs drift into the arena during a round, and whoever touches one first gets it. What an orb does depends on which side you are playing, so a contested orb is a real decision rather than a free pickup.
The six orbs
| Orb | For the evader | For the chaser |
|---|---|---|
| SPEED | +25% speed for 3 seconds | +22% speed for 3 seconds |
| FREEZE | Every chaser crawls for 2 seconds | The runner crawls for 2 seconds |
| POINTS | +25 points, multiplied by your combo and any doubler | |
| LIFE | Restores a heart. Only appears when you have lost one. | |
| SHIELD / OVERTIME | Blocks one tag, and stays with you until it is used | +4 seconds on the clock |
| SCORE ×2 | Every point doubled for the rest of the round | |
Which orbs are worth the risk
An orb is only worth taking if the detour doesn't put you in a chaser's path. With that in mind, here is roughly how they rank for the evader:
1. Shield
The only thing in quick play that undoes a mistake. It blocks one tag and you keep it until something tags you. If you can reach it safely, always take it. And because the chaser turns the same orb into four extra seconds of hunting, taking it also denies it.
2. Freeze
Two seconds of every chaser crawling is two seconds of free repositioning: get to open space, put a block between you, or grab another orb on the way.
3. Life
It only appears when you are hurt, which is when you need it most. Worth a careful detour.
4. Speed
Useful for getting out of a tight spot, but three seconds goes quickly and the chaser can steal it for itself.
5. Points and Score ×2
Good for the leaderboard, never worth a life. Take them when they are on your way, and leave them when they aren't. Score ×2 pays more the earlier in the round you get it, since it doubles everything after.
For the chaser the order changes. Freeze comes first, because a runner crawling for two seconds next to you is usually a tag. Overtime is next: four more seconds, and taking it stops the runner getting a shield. Speed helps you close a gap that was otherwise holding steady.
Orbs are shared. The chasers take orbs too, and an AI chaser will happily grab a speed orb you were heading for. Look at where the orb is relative to the chaser before you commit to it.
Getting more orbs
Two perks make orbs appear about 30% more often: SCAVENGER for the evader and BLOODHOUND for the chaser, both unlocked at round 35. In the Arena, the SCAVENGER boost makes them appear far more often for one floor and MAGNET lets you claim them from further away. And two wildcard rounds are all about orbs: ORB RUSH makes them respawn about three times as fast, and GOLD RUSH rains coins for your disc with the odd score doubler.
Orbs in a two-player match
In a local 1v1 (one phone, two phones or the TV), orbs belong to a role. Each one appears ringed in the current evader's colour or the current chaser's. Take your own role's orb to use it, or run through the other side's to smash it before they can, which the game calls DENIED. Since roles swap every round, the same colour is yours one round and theirs the next.
Orbs in the party modes
Quad Royale and Team Tag keep it simple, with one orb on the field at a time:
- SPEED: a three-second boost.
- SLOW: chills the other team in Team Tag, or the AI pack in Quad Royale.
- SHIELD: eats one tag. When the chasing team takes it, it becomes OVERTIME (+4 seconds) instead.
In Team Tag the orb's ring wears the colour of the team it belongs to: take your own, run through theirs to smash it. In Quad Royale orbs are free for all, though the AI chasers will steal speed and smash the rest.
No orbs in the boss fights or online duels
Boss floors in the Arena spawn no orbs at all: it is your disc, the boss and the mission. Arena PVP duels have none either. Your trained stats and skills are all you bring.
PLAY QUAD CHASE