They spawn all over the pond, and knives and stars also fall around the Queen. Touch it, it's yours. You can hold 3 to 6 of each, depending on your EVO.
| Item | Key | Lasts | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knife | F | 10 s | close-range attacks |
| Star | G | 10 s | attacking without taking damage |
| Shield | E | 10 s | escaping or eating without taking damage |
| Boost | Space | 10 s | speed; another while one is active = jump |
| Bonus points | — | instant | +25 points |
| Farm | B | until stolen | steady points |
| Cyst | hold C | — | saving your amoeba (Playground) |
Knife (F)
Spins around your amoeba for 10 seconds, one turn per second. Every hit takes points from whoever it touches, and it cuts deeper the more points you have. Against the Queen, each hit takes 2% of her points and hands them to you.
When to use it: when cutting through a crowd or joining a fight that's already started. A knife with nobody around is a threat without an audience.
Star (G)
10 seconds of invincibility, hurting anyone who touches you. Pressed against the Queen, it takes 1.5% of her points per second. Whoever lands the final blow in a Queen Hunt gets a 30-second star.
When to use it: to get through a spot where contact is unavoidable. Invincible doesn't mean immortal 11 seconds from now: know where you'll be when it wears off.
Shield (E)
10 seconds with no damage taken, but no attacking either. It's not the same as rookie protection (30 seconds at spawn, EVO 1 and 2, online), which ends if you attack.
When to use it: escapes, crossings, eating next to big amoebas. It won't win a fight: it protects you, it doesn't hit for you.
Boost (Space)
10 seconds of extra speed. Using another while one is active stacks the speed and makes you jump your own body length, over whoever's in the way (never into a neutral zone or out of the pond). You start with 3 (4 from EVO 6), get one back every 30 seconds, and find more lying around the pond.
When to use it: to escape or close a short gap. Pick the direction first: speed without direction is just a mistake that arrives sooner.
Bonus points
+25 points on the spot. No glamour, no drama. Grab it if it's on your way; don't cross the pond for it.
Farm (B)
Costs 5 wild bacteria. It grows one bacterium per minute, up to 10; only you can eat them, 100 points each. Anyone who sits on it for 20 seconds steals it. At EVO 5 you spawn with 3 bacteria; at EVO 7, with 5: instant farm.
When to use it: somewhere you can keep an eye on. Everyone else can count to five too.
Cyst (hold C)
Playground only: hold for 3 seconds and your amoeba turns into a cyst, saved with its level and everything for next time. It's how you clock out without losing progress.
Rules for every item
- On top of another amoeba's farm, no item works.
- Activating an item that's already active restarts the timer (it doesn't stack) and uses up another one. Star and shield can be used back to back.
- How many of each item you can hold depends on your EVO (3 to 6).
How to fit items into a match: Tips & strategy. The full rules: Guide.