Celtreos: All Weapons Guide

Abilities are categorized as follows:

• Destroyer-class (Blaster, Razor, Plasma, Weaver)
• Locator-class (Seeker, Phaser, Chain Gun, Hunter)
• Sideways-class (Sideliner, Missile, Ground Wave, Column)
• Multiway-class (3 Way, 4 Way, 5 Way, 7 Way)
• Deflector-class (Shield, Armor, Deflector)
• Wide-Area-class (Bomb, Lightning, Ray Burst, Time Warp)
• Defender-class (Defender, Shadow)
• Default-class (Main Gun)

Celtreos allows one ability from each class to be used in the game. Although some preset weapon groups can be selected easily, it is also possible to pick different combinations.

Regardless of choice, only weapons obtained through power-ups in game may be used. Weapons change by picking up power-ups, rotating through weapons via keyboard/mouse/controller, or by directly using numeric key bindings:

• 1 selects the main gun
• 2 selects your multi-way weapon
• 3 selects your sideways weapon
• 4 selects your locator-class weapon
• 5 selects your destroyer-class weapon

(Weapons can also be changed using the Touch Bar, if your Mac has one.)

Special abilities (Wide-Area-class) are used with the B key or equivalent mouse or game controller action.

Defender-class abilities are passive.

These are generally the most powerful weapons in the game but they come with drawbacks.

This weapon fires multiple disc-shaped shells in completely random forward directions. The shells grow larger as they move so they will cover a wider area if your ship is on the left-hand side of the screen.

The discs are also fired in clusters, which can be useful because a single shell may be absorbed by hitting one enemy but others in the same cluster will keep moving and hit something else.

This weapon fires multiple spinning razor-edged blades in completely random forward directions. The blades grow larger as they move so they will cover a wider area if your ship is on the left-hand side of the screen.

This is a relatively fast attack but it fires fewer shots overall than any other Destroyer-class weapon.

This weapon fires several deadly bursts at a high rate of speed but it only moves in one (forward) direction.

The balls are also fired in clusters, which can be useful because a single ball may be absorbed by hitting one enemy but others in the same cluster will keep moving and hit something else.

Unlike many weapons that can be nullified when hit by enemy fire, Plasma is not stopped by all enemy projectiles. It is a very effective weapon against enemies that attack with lots of lasers for example.

This weapon fires a large number of projectiles in a sinusoidal pattern, as well as some in a straight-forward direction.

Due to its unusual flight pattern, the Weaver can often simultaneously damage targets that are hard to cover with other weapons. It can also sometimes maneuver around obstacles.

It is one of the few forward-firing weapons that can be used effectively while keeping your ship out of the direct line of enemy fire, which makes it a good choice in a number of boss fights.

Of all Destroyer-class weapons, the Weaver is the most controllable and the most flexible but it can also be the weakest unless you carefully focus your attacks.

All locator weapons are capable of following enemy targets automatically. When new targets are located, icons will appear on the screen briefly to hint at where your weapons will go next.

While enemy-seeking weapons are extremely valuable, they can also be fooled: not all auto-located targets are easily damaged, and some cannot be damaged at all (such as enemy lasers). Carefully choose when to use these weapons, and position your ship on screen in a way to find the most valid targets.

This weapon fires 6 pointed projectiles at the nearest located targets. It is a relatively short-range attack (you cannot be on the other side of the screen from your intended targets).

The initial volley moves in a forward fan-out but Seeker projectiles can move in any direction.

The projectiles continuously seek targets while they are active and may change targets.

Seeker projectiles have the ability to bounce off of obstacles; while they become weaker when doing so, this can make them very effective in tight quarters.

This weapon fires two long beams at the nearest located targets. It is a long-range weapon that can hit anything on the screen.

While this is a very powerful attack, it suffers from a cool-down delay and it cannot fire as quickly as most other weapons.

Although the beams often go in the same direction and may even both hit the same target, it is possible that they will split and find different targets, even in opposite directions.

This is one of the few weapons that can pass through walls and other obstacles, which makes it extremely useful both for survival and for achieving higher scores.

This weapon fires pairs of small bullets at a very high rate of speed. It is a medium-range weapon that can hit targets from a moderate distance.

The initial volley moves only in a forward direction for a short period of time before seeking targets, which can limit its usefulness in some situations.

The bullets continuously seek targets while they are active and may change targets.

Chain Gun bullets have the ability to bounce off of obstacles; while they become weaker when doing so, this can make them very effective in tight quarters.

This weapon fires 5 large round projectiles at a high rate of speed. It is a long-range weapon that can hit targets in most parts of the screen.

Unlike other Locator-class weapons, the Hunter only selects a target once. It will travel quickly but if the enemy moves out of the way then the attack may hit nothing at all.

Hunter projectiles have the ability to bounce off of obstacles; while they become weaker when doing so, they will travel great distances even after bouncing. Since the projectiles are very large, they do not work well in tight quarters.

Sideways weapons attack primarily above and/or below your ship but they can have other abilities too.

This weapon fires wide triangular projectiles, one above your ship and one below. It also fires a single bullet in a forward direction.

It is a relatively slow-moving weapon, which allows for some interesting strategies. For example, you can quickly move your ship around the screen before enemies move in, creating a mine field of Sideliner attacks that can wipe out enemies in many different parts of the screen.

This is a weak attack but it becomes deadly when paired with the Rapid Fire power-up.

This weapon fires 6 tiny missiles, three above your ship and three below. In addition, after a short period of straight movement, the missiles begin to seek enemy targets!

It takes awhile for the missiles to start seeking so you generally have to position your ship near the top or bottom of the screen to give the missiles enough time to move around.

This weapon carpet-bombs below the ship, in a backwards-to-the-left pattern. It also fires a single bullet in a forward direction.

Clearly this weapon cannot be used effectively at all times but when it does apply it is one of the best things you can have in your arsenal.

In low-gravity stages, this weapon changes completely: it does not go “down”, it deposits bombs that float backward, behind your ship. This makes it extremely useful in the Planetary Approach stage for instance, where the angle of enemy attacks is constantly changing and enemies are often behind you.

This unique weapon fires a large number of beams directly above and directly below the ship, as well as a weak beam in a forward direction.

An extremely valuable technique is to “sweep” this weapon around the screen, as it will obliterate whatever the beams touch while they are active. Unfortunately, like the Phaser, this weapon has a cool-down delay.

This is one of the most effective weapons in the entire game because it has a tremendous ability to penetrate walls while doing significant damage. Its main drawback is that the forward beam is very small and often does not even do enough damage to destroy smaller enemies.

The main feature of these weapons is that they fire at different angles.

The problem with multi-way projectiles is that enemies can be anywhere on the screen and it may be hard to line up your attacks. Try to find the Rapid Fire power-up to make these weapons much more deadly.

This weapon fires 3 triangular projectiles, one straight ahead and two behind (above and below the ship).

This is a very weak attack but it is the fastest of all multi-way attacks (for what that’s worth).

This weapon fires 4 triangular projectiles, two ahead (above and below the ship) and two behind (above and below the ship).

When you want to tuck your ship out of the path of enemy fire and still do some damage, this is a useful weapon.

This weapon fires 5 triangular projectiles, one straight behind, two roughly above and below the ship, and two ahead.

Not many weapons in the game have the ability to fire straight backwards, which makes this weapon a decent choice.

This weapon fires 7 triangular projectiles straight away from the ship, in all directions.

These projectiles move more slowly than other multi-way weapons.

These passive abilities increase your defenses. They do not save you from collisions so you still have to avoid walls!

This will completely absorb up to 6 different attacks, or fewer strong attacks.

Since you can lose weapons by dying, the Shield can be extremely important: it allows you to graze through some of the lesser enemy attacks like bullets and lasers. In fact, it stays with you, even across stages, only expiring when enough damage is done. Furthermore, you can beef up a weakened shield by obtaining another Shield power-up.

This is both an offensive and defensive shield, in that you can run into enemies for a powerful melee-style attack! It defends against enemy fire completely in 4 different directions but there are “gaps” so you still have to be careful about incoming lasers.

If a piece of armor is hit, it will completely disappear (leaving you vulnerable in that quarter) and then respawn. This means you are still highly vulnerable in a firefight if too many attacks come from one direction but after a second you are essentially back at full defense. Armor never goes away completely, as long as you don’t die!

This will cause most enemy attacks to “bounce” off and move in a new direction. It has a wider coverage area than Shield and Armor.

This is interesting in two-player games because the player with a Deflector can be positioned in a way to divert attacks away from the other player.

Unlike other defenses, the Deflector has a timer: it will gradually fade and wear off after awhile.

These are not normal abilities; they consume “charges” and have a 5-second cooldown in between uses.

Since they are limited, you may not want to use them at all during early stages of the game, especially since some later bosses (like the one in Alien Ocean) are extremely challenging without help from wide-area attacks.

This extremely-wide-area attack causes instant explosions in a rectangular pattern all around your ship, affecting most enemies on the screen and obliterating any onscreen bullets and lasers.

Certain enemies will not be destroyed by one Bomb, they will simply be heavily damaged.

This has several different appearances (for example, it is not fiery in space) but its damage remains the same.

This directional attack is more powerful than Bomb but it only affects a cone region directly behind your ship. Therefore, carefully position yourself to do the most damage!

This fires dozens of Phaser-like beams at targets all around your ship, doing massive damage. The beams can penetrate walls and other obstacles.

This slows down time between your ship and enemy ships, for several seconds, removing all bullets from the screen. Sometimes, it may also affect projectiles or obstacles. It will not affect the normal progression of the stage, such as the movement speed of walls so you still have to pay attention in tight areas.

It can be difficult to decide exactly when to use this weapon but it is very useful when there are many enemies, especially larger enemies, and you need more time to clear them out. It is especially useful if you are bombarded with enemies while stuck with a weak weapon, because the extra time still allows you to defeat enemies and improve your score.

These are helpers that add to your normal ship arsenal, and you can obtain more than one for increased capability.

These are rotating orbs that move around your ship in a roughly-circular pattern. Their orbit also moves in and out so sometimes they will be further away.

Defenders do not intercept enemy attacks; instead, they damage whatever they touch. They can be deadly in close quarters with even the most powerful enemies and bosses.

The more you have, the faster they move; maximum 5. If you die, you lose them all but there is a chance some of them will respawn as power-ups.

These are after-images of your ship that occupy your most recent positions on the screen. Each fires a single bullet straight ahead (as if from your Main Gun).

Due to their delayed appearance, Shadow images are extremely valuable for covering multiple parts of the screen at once. They can be used to continue attacking an enemy while moving your ship out of harm’s way.

The more you have, the more bullets you can fire; maximum 5. If you die, you lose them all but there is a chance some of them will respawn as power-ups.

The default weapon is always available even if other weapons are lost when you die. Note however that the gun returns to minimum strength when you die (unless you have a Preserver).

Default weapons improve automatically over time, which means they will be more useful if you stay alive for longer! They can be enhanced more quickly by picking up “+” power-ups. Be careful though, they can also be weakened significantly if you hit a “-” power-down orb.

The potential maximum strength and predictable, forward-line firing pattern actually makes the Main Gun the best choice in a number of situations, including boss fights! It is not misled by enemy fire (as seeking weapons can be), it is consistent (unlike many high-powered weapons) and it is fast.

Some stages have gravity, some don’t; pay attention to this because you may have to account for bullets that drift downward as they move across the screen.