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Tools
In Hyper Bullet, the thing in your hand is called a Tool — it's how you "process" every Target the arena throws at you, and it's the single biggest decision you make before a run even starts. There are three Tools you actually run with — the Pistol, the SMG, and the Shotgun — each with its own feel, reload style, and a signature scoring mechanic baked in from the very first shot.
Quick facts
- Tools in rotation: Pistol (free), SMG, Shotgun — plus a hidden Tutorial Tool used only in onboarding.
- How to fire: Pull the trigger. "Pull the trigger. Process this target."
- How to reload: Point the Tool's muzzle toward the floor — there's no reload button. "Point Tool down to reload."
- Pre-installed mechanics: Pistol = Combo · Shotgun = Overkill · SMG = Heat. "Every tool contains a pre-installed mod."
- Mod slots: Every Tool has a row of Mod slots, with some locked until you spend Coins to open them.
- Leaderboards: Separate per Tool (and per difficulty/trial), so your score only competes against the same Tool.
- Editions: Every Tool can wear unlockable Editions — pure cosmetics, no stat changes.
Player terms used here: the things you shoot are Targets (not enemies). The thing in your hand is a Tool. The bolt-ons you buy to improve it are Mods. We use the game's own words throughout.
The basics every Tool shares
No matter which Tool you grab, the core feel is the same:
- Pull the trigger to fire. "Pull the trigger. Process this target."
- Point the Tool down to reload. This is the one habit that wins runs. "Point Tool down to reload." There's no reload button — you physically tilt the muzzle toward the floor and the Tool loads up. Reload early and often, because firing on an empty mag wastes precious seconds of your 30-second Wave clock.
- Shoot Targets to get points. Every Target is worth 10 base points before your Mods and combo go to work. Hit the Target score before time runs out to clear the Wave.
- Every Tool ships with a pre-installed mechanic. As the tutorial puts it: "Every tool contains a pre-installed mod." That built-in mechanic — Combo, Overkill, or Heat — shapes how you should play that Tool from your very first shot.
- Mod slots fill up as you build. Each Tool has a fixed row of Mod slots, and some begin locked — you spend Coins to unlock the extra slots during a run so you can carry more Mods.
Exact slot counts and costs aren't in the data
Hyper Bullet's compiled code defines per-Tool fields for upgrade-slot count, locked slots and slot cost (WeaponTemplate.m_upgradeSlots, m_lockedSlots, m_slotCostBase, m_slotCostIncrement), but the extracted game data does not include their values. So this page describes the slot system qualitatively rather than quoting specific numbers.
Tip: Treat "point down to reload" as a rhythm, not an emergency. A smooth shoot-shoot-shoot-tilt-down-shoot loop keeps your fire-rate up and your combo alive.
The Tools at a glance
| Tool | In-game label | Fire behavior | Cartridge / projectile | Reload style | Pre-installed mechanic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pistol | Pistol | Single shot per trigger pull | bullets | Whole Magazine swapped at once | Combo |
| SMG | SMG (internal auto) | Auto / rapid-fire — hold to keep firing | bullets* | Whole Magazine swapped at once | Heat |
| Shotgun | Shotgun | One shell → a spread of pellets | shells → pellets | Single shell loaded one at a time | Overkill |
| Tutorial | — (hidden) | Single shot, used only in onboarding | bullets | Magazine | Combo (teaching tool) |
* The game ships cartridge/projectile nouns for the Pistol (bullet / bullets) and the Shotgun (shell / shells, firing pellet / pellets). There is no SMG-specific noun string in the data, so "bullets" for the SMG is a reasonable inference, not confirmed in-game text.
What the in-game stat card shows
When you compare Tools on the Select a Tool screen, the stat card uses these labels (verbatim from the game text):
{cartridge} Capacity— how many cartridges a mag holds (CAPACITY= "{nounCartridge} Capacity"). For the Pistol that reads "Bullet Capacity"; for the Shotgun, "Shell Capacity".- Reload Speed (
RELOAD_SPEED). - Reload style — either Magazine (
RELOAD_MAGAZINE, the whole mag swaps at once) or Single {cartridge} (RELOAD_INDIVIDUAL, e.g. "Single Shell", loaded one at a time). These map to the engine'sReloadStylesenum:RELOAD_MAGAZINE = 0,RELOAD_INDIVIDUAL = 1.
The actual numbers behind those labels — mag size, reload time in seconds, max combo — live in per-Tool template fields (m_magSize, m_reloadTime, m_maxCombo) whose values are not present in the extracted data, so this page won't quote them. What we can say with certainty is qualitative: the Pistol is the precise single-shot Tool, the SMG is the only hold-to-fire auto Tool, and the Shotgun is the single-shell, multi-pellet Tool.
During a run you can read some of these per-Tool stats live: as of Update 0.9.4, the Pistol's Min/Max Combo and the Shotgun's Pellet Count are shown on the augment readout while you play — the in-game way players actually see them.
Pistol
↑ The real in-game Pistol model (extracted from the game). Drag to rotate · scroll to zoom · it auto-spins. See more Tools on the Cosmetics page.
Quick facts
- Cost: Free — "The Pistol is free. Claim it." It's the only free starter Tool.
- Cartridge: fires bullets · whole Magazine swapped at once on reload
- Fire: Single shot per trigger pull
- Pre-installed mechanic:
Combo (default max 3x) - Best for: Precise players who read the arena and place every shot.
The Pistol is your starting Tool and it's the free one — "The Pistol is free. Claim it." Don't write it off as a beginner Tool: it's the most precise Tool in the game and the natural home of the Combo mechanic, so it can absolutely top leaderboards in the right hands.
Feel & role: Tight, deliberate, one-shot-at-a-time accuracy. Every pull of the trigger sends a single bullet exactly where you're pointing. Great for picking off fast, weaving Targets and for players who like reading the arena.
Magazine & reload: Uses a Magazine reload — point it down and the whole clip swaps in at once. (The exact mag size and reload time aren't in the extracted data, so we won't quote a number; qualitatively the Pistol's mag is small and its reload is quick.)
Pre-installed mechanic — Combo. Combo comes baked in:
Each consecutive hit increases multiplier by 1x. Misses reset your combo. Default max combo is 3x.
In other words: hit, hit, hit and your score multiplier climbs; miss once and it resets to the start. The Pistol's accuracy and the Combo mechanic are made for each other — precision keeps the chain alive.
Tip: On the Pistol, a clean streak beats a fast one. Slow down half a beat, land every shot, and let Combo stack. You can push that 3x ceiling higher with the right Mods and run items — for example the Pistol-flavored Ridiculous Combo built-in (comboMaxGrowerTrial) and the Magic Beans Mod both grow your max Combo Wave after Wave — and levels can climb past the usual cap via Super Sockets and Hacks.
SMG
↑ The real in-game SMG model. Drag to rotate · scroll to zoom.
Quick facts
- Unlock: Add-on / Hyper Value Bundle (not free). Added in Update 1.0 (21 May 2026).
- Cartridge: fires fast — whole Magazine swapped at once on reload
- Fire: Auto-fire — hold the trigger to keep shooting
- Pre-installed mechanic:
Heat - Best for: Aggressive players who never want to let off the trigger.
The SMG (labeled SMG in the menu, internal auto under the hood) trades the Pistol's precision for a wall of bullets. Hold the trigger and it keeps firing — this is the only true auto-fire Tool you run with. It arrived as a new Tool in Update 1.0, bringing its own Mods, Hacks and Augment with it.
Feel & role: Fast, loose, aggressive. The SMG keeps shooting for as long as you hold the trigger, so it shreds dense clusters and swarms of Targets that the Pistol would have to pick off one by one. It's the Tool for players who want to flood the screen with shots and never stop moving.
Magazine & reload: Like the Pistol it uses a Magazine reload — tilt down and the whole mag refills at once. Auto-fire empties a mag fast, so watch your Capacity: empty an auto mag mid-swarm and you'll feel it. (Exact mag size and reload time aren't in the data; what's confirmed is the auto-fire behavior and the Magazine reload style.)
Pre-installed mechanic — Heat. The SMG ships with its own built-in mechanic, Heat:
Firing and hitting targets increases your Heat, which slowly fades away. Each level of Heat adds to your Multiplier.
Heat is made for sustained auto-fire — keep the stream going and your multiplier climbs with every level of Heat. Stop shooting and it slowly cools back down, so the SMG's whole game is keeping that gauge topped up.
Tip: The SMG eats its mag fast, so build a "burp and dump" rhythm — fire, flick down to reload before you're bone dry, and you keep the pressure (and your Heat) up without ever clicking on empty. Hunt for Mods that build and hold Heat.
Shotgun
↑ The real in-game Shotgun model. Drag to rotate · scroll to zoom.
Quick facts
- Unlock: Add-on / Hyper Value Bundle (not free). Added as a purchasable Add On in Update 0.9.4 (4 Dec 2025).
- Cartridge: loads shells, each firing a spread of pellets · reloads one shell at a time (Single shell)
- Fire: One trigger pull throws a spread of pellets (base 4 pellets)
- Pre-installed mechanic:
Overkill (shipped with the Shotgun in 0.9.4) - Best for: Close-range players who line up clusters and overkill single Targets.
The Shotgun is the big, satisfying boom of the roster. Instead of one bullet, every shot loads a shell that bursts into a spread of pellets — and because those pellets pile onto the same Target, the Shotgun is the natural home of Overkill.
Feel & role: Wide, punchy, and forgiving on aim. One trigger pull throws a spread of pellets downrange, so you can clip several Targets at once or absolutely delete a single one with everything that hits. It rewards getting in close and lining up clusters.
Ammo — shells & pellets: The Shotgun is the only Tool with two ammo words. You load shells; each shell fires multiple pellets. The base pellet count is 4 (the changelog for Update 0.9.5 notes: "Changed base Shotgun pellet count to 4, down from 5."). That distinction matters for builds — some Mods scale with how many pellets you fire, how many miss, or how big your mag is.
Magazine & reload — single shell: This is the Shotgun's signature feel. It reloads one shell at a time (Reload Style: Single Shell, the
RELOAD_INDIVIDUALstyle), not in one big swap. Point the Tool down and it racks shells in individually, so you can top off a round or two between volleys. Knowing when to fully top up versus chamber a quick shell is a real skill. (The exact mag size and full reload time aren't in the extracted data.)Pre-installed mechanic — Overkill. The Shotgun's built-in mechanic is Overkill:
Adds 1x for every additional hit on a target.
Because a single shot lands multiple pellets on the same Target, the Shotgun stacks Overkill multiplier naturally — every extra pellet that connects pushes the score higher. Update 0.9.5 buffed this so "Shotgun inbuilt Overkill now applies through indirect hits, like lightning and explosion."
Tip: Because you reload shell-by-shell, you're never fully out of the fight. Slip a single shell in during a quiet half-second, fire it, keep racking. And lean into Overkill: pouring a full pellet spread into one big Target is often worth more than spreading shots thin. Pair it with spread- and pellet-focused Mods.
The other Tools in the data
Beyond the three Tools you play, Hyper Bullet's GunId enum defines several more internal variants. Most aren't part of the standard live rotation, but they appear in the data with proper display names:
| Internal id | Display name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
pistol | Pistol | The free starter Tool. |
shotgun | Shotgun | Single-shell, multi-pellet Add On. |
auto | SMG | The in-game SMG is internal auto. |
burst | Burst | Internal variant. |
revolver | Revolver | Internal variant; can also carry the Ridiculous Combo built-in. |
autoShot | Auto Shot | Internal variant. |
burstClip | Burst Clip | Internal variant. |
grenade | Grenade | Lobbed-projectile Tool (see below). |
clusterGrenade | Cluster | Lobbed-projectile variant. |
Note that GunId also lists a separate smg = 128 value alongside auto = 8; the Tool the menu calls "SMG" is the internal auto. Stats for all of these variants share the same caveat as the live Tools: the per-Tool stat values are not present in the extracted data.
The pre-installed mechanics (Combo, Overkill, Heat)
Here's the part that makes choosing a Tool so important. Combo, Overkill, and Heat are "pre-installed" on certain Tools — you don't buy them, they come baked in and define how that Tool scores. In the decoded item data each is an Augment whose weapon field names the Tool it ships on and whose builtIn field names its hidden mechanic Mod:
- Combo (
augmentCombo) → pre-installed on Pistol (built-incomboPoints) - Heat (
augmentHeat) → pre-installed on SMG /auto(built-inheatPoints) - Overkill (
augmentOverkill) → pre-installed on Shotgun (built-inoverkillMult; the same Augment is also available on burst, autoShot, burstClip, smg, tutorial and clusterGrenade)
| Mechanic | Lives on | What it does (in-game text) | How to play around it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combo | Pistol | Each consecutive hit increases multiplier by 1x. Misses reset your combo. Default max combo is 3x. | Don't miss. Chain hits to ramp your multiplier; a single whiff drops you back to the start. |
| Overkill | Shotgun | Adds 1x for every additional hit on a target. | Pour extra hits into the same Target to rack up bonus multiplier — pellets and rapid fire excel here. |
| Heat | SMG | Firing and hitting targets increases your Heat, which slowly fades away. Each level of Heat adds to your Multiplier. | Never stop shooting. Keep your Heat gauge topped up so it keeps adding to your multiplier; let it cool and you lose the bonus. |
These same three mechanics also exist as Augments you can pick up during a run (see the Augments page) — but the Tool you choose decides which one you start every run with. Match your playstyle to the mechanic:
- Love precise streaks? Combo (Pistol) is your jam.
- Like overkilling single Targets with a face full of pellets? Overkill (Shotgun) is for you.
- Want to go fast and never let off the trigger? Heat (SMG) rewards sustained fire.
Tip: Your starting mechanic should drive your shopping list. A Combo Tool wants Mods that protect and raise your combo; a Heat Tool wants Mods that build and hold Heat; an Overkill Tool wants more pellets and extra hits per Target. Build into what your Tool already does.
The grenade projectile
Most shots fire a standard bullet (or a fan of pellets from the Shotgun), but Hyper Bullet's data also includes a grenade projectile (the grenade and clusterGrenade Tools). Unlike a straight bullet, a grenade is a lobbed, arcing projectile — it travels with weight and can detonate to catch a crowd of Targets at once rather than punching a single hole. Grenade-flavored Mods like Flight Time (grenadeAgeMult), Bigger Grenades (grenadeSize), Bouncy (grenadeBounces), and Magnetic (grenadeMagneticStrength — "Grenades find enemies attractive.") play to that area-effect idea. If a Tool or build throws grenades, think area, not pinpoint aim: arc it into the thick of a wave and let the blast do the work.
The Tutorial Tool
Before you ever reach the Select a Tool screen, the onboarding hands you a hidden Tutorial Tool (tutorial in the GunId enum). It's a stripped-down Pistol used only to teach the three fundamentals — pull the trigger to shoot, point the Tool downward to reload, and reach the Target. It even previews Combo by rewarding consecutive hits. You can't take it into a real run or post a score with it; once the lesson clicks, the game tells you "When ready, claim the pistol," and you're off.
Choosing a Tool affects your run — and your leaderboard
Your Tool choice isn't just an Edition or a feel preference — it changes your whole run and which leaderboard you compete on.
- It sets your starting mechanic. Combo (Pistol), Overkill (Shotgun), or Heat (SMG) shapes how you score from shot one and which Mods you'll chase in the Shop.
- It changes your moment-to-moment play. Single-shot precision (Pistol), trigger-held auto-fire (SMG), or wide pellet spreads with shell-by-shell reloads (Shotgun) are three genuinely different games.
- It decides your leaderboard. Hyper Bullet keeps separate leaderboards per Tool (and per difficulty/trial, plus the separate Endless board). Your Pistol high score competes against other Pistol runs, your Shotgun score against other Shotgun runs. Want to climb a specific board? Run that specific Tool. Compare yourself on both the Global and Friends rankings.
You pick your Tool — and your difficulty (Easy, Normal, Hard, or Insane — see Game Modes) — from the Select a Tool screen at the start of every run. Master one Tool, learn its mechanic inside out, and that's where you'll post your best numbers.
Unlocking the paid Tools
The Pistol is the only free starter Tool. The Shotgun, the SMG and Endless Mode are paid Add-ons. The Hyper Value Bundle unlocks everything at once — "Includes Shotgun, SMG, Endless Mode and all future Add-ons!" — and on purchase the game confirms "All Tools have been unlocked!"
Make it yours: Editions
Every Tool can be dressed up with unlockable Editions — "Select an Edition to alter the appearance of a Tool." They come in finish families like Camo (Arctic/Digital/Jungle/Urban), CellShaded, Flow (Ice/Lava/Water), Metal (Bronze/Gold/Iron), Ornate (Jade/Marble/Polymer/Wood), Plastic, Stickerbomb (Blue/Green/Multi/Pink), and the Default finish — each available for the Pistol, SMG, and Shotgun.
Editions are pure cosmetics: they don't change how a Tool shoots, just how good it looks doing it. As Update 0.9.8 put it, there are 41 Visual cosmetics for each Tool (the "Editions"), "Awarded for completing Trials at all difficulties!" — so chasing the full wardrobe is really a mastery challenge. See the Cosmetics & Visuals page for the full set.
See also
- Mods & Builds — the bolt-ons that turn a stock Tool into a score machine.
- Scoring, Combos & High Scores — how 10-point Targets become huge numbers, and how Combo/Overkill/Heat feed the math.
- Augments — the playstyle-defining pickups (including Combo, Overkill, and Heat) you can grab mid-run.
- Targets — everything you'll be pointing your Tool at.
- Cosmetics & Visuals — Editions for every Tool.