Merge Project is an endless wave defense game where you merge parts into stronger components, build automated production lines, and defend your base against increasingly dangerous enemies and bosses. This guide walks you through your first steps, how to set up automation, what to expect from each boss wave, and how to push further as the difficulty scales.
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Merge Project
01
Your first five minutes
Step
In shortUse the full five minutes of Wave 0 to get a basic defense and your first merger in place before enemies arrive.
When you join for the first time you earn the Welcome badge and land in Wave 0, which has no enemies. The first minute is a voting phase where everyone picks a difficulty; the remaining four minutes are yours to build. Open the Help menu and run the tutorial before you do anything else.
Open the tutorialfind it in the Help menu so you understand the controls before Wave 1 hits.
Vote on difficultychoose Lenient for a casual run, Normal for the intended experience, or Hardcore if you want a real fight; note that only Normal and above count for badges and leaderboards.
Drop parts to mergepress Q to drop a part onto a compatible part and produce something new; this is the core action the whole game is built around.
Lay your first Itemductmerge a Red Part with a Duct Binder, then connect your machines so parts move automatically instead of sitting on the ground.
In shortA Merger plus a tidy Itemduct network frees your hands so you can focus on defense instead of manually combining parts all game.
Every part you pick up is automatically researched and added to your Database, so just playing the game unlocks recipes. The key machines to build early are the Merger and the Itemduct.
Tips worth knowing
Build a Merger by merging a Magenta Part with an Advanced Material — it combines parts automatically so you do not have to.
Connect machines with Itemducts so parts flow from one station to the next without you carrying them.
Avoid creating loops in your Itemduct layout; a circular path causes parts to cycle forever and jam the whole line.
Once you reach Tier 3 materials, craft an MRG-2000 by fusing two Magenta Parts with an Evolved Material — it merges faster than a standard Merger.
Use a Junction (made by merging an Itemduct with a Fluidduct) wherever you need both items and fluids to share the same path.
The Item Barrel holds up to 300 items and is good for stockpiling Itemducts and Reinforced Itemducts, but it has no output port, so only store final products in it.
03Live and upcoming eventsEvents
Events running now or coming soon. They have fixed dates, so check them first.
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Community Content Update
Next update, which will mainly focus on adding new content.
Planned features:
- A lot of new content (Mainly community …
In shortPick Normal or Hardcore if badges and leaderboard rankings matter to you; Lenient locks you out of both.
Difficulty is locked in during Wave 0's one-minute voting phase and shapes the entire run. The table below shows how each setting changes enemy stats and the time between waves.
Enemy speed
0.75x on Lenient, 1.0x on Normal, 1.25x on Hardcore
Enemy health
0.55x on Lenient, 1.0x on Normal, 1.5x on Hardcore
Enemy damage
0.75x on Lenient, 1.0x on Normal, 1.5x on Hardcore
Time between waves
120 seconds on Lenient, 80 seconds on Normal, 60 seconds on Hardcore
Badges and leaderboards
not available on Lenient, available on Normal and Hardcore
Hardcore extra pressure
the Guardian begins attacking your Spawn directly once it gets low on health
05
Boss and enemy wave schedule
Summary
In shortEvery boss unlocks a new tier of parts, so your upgrade roadmap follows the boss kill order.
Enemies arrive on a fixed schedule for the first several waves, then shift to an algorithm after Wave 36. Bosses appear at set wave numbers and always drop specific loot. After Wave 50, enemy health begins scaling upward each wave at a compounding rate.
Wave 14 Ice arrives; defeating it drops 2x Ice Core and an Upgradability Module (and a 33% chance at an Ice Part)
Wave 28 Namia arrives alongside a full wave of minions; defeating it drops 2x Hydrogen Part and 1x Oxygen Part
Wave 50 the Forgotten King arrives alone, overriding all other enemies; defeating it drops a King's Sword, a King's Core, and 2x Luminescent Crystal
Wave 100 the Guardian returns at this milestone; beating it earns the Uncharted Depths badge
Wave 150 the Guardian appears again; beating it earns the Abyss badge
Wave 51 onward enemy health multiplies each wave at a compounding rate
06
Tier progression
Table
In shortEach tier unlocks after a boss kill, and higher tiers demand more crafting steps but deliver much stronger machines and weapons.
Parts and structures are grouped into four tiers. Tier 1 items are available from the start; Tiers 2, 3, and 4 open up as you defeat bosses.
In shortMost runs stall because of a clogged item line or a gap in turret coverage, not because the enemies are too strong.
If your base suddenly stops producing parts or waves start breaking through, work through this list before rebuilding anything.
Check for Itemduct loopsif a duct path forms a circle, parts will cycle endlessly and block everything behind them.
Fill all Spawn module slotsthe Spawn has a Primary slot and three Secondary slots; leaving any empty wastes potential stat bonuses.
Watch the Wave 51 health scalingenemy health grows by a compounding multiplier each wave after 50.
08
Badge-driven goals
Warn
In shortSeveral badges require you to deliberately avoid a normal strategy, so plan the run around them before you start.
Most badges are only earnable on Normal or above in PvE. Some are straightforward milestones; others force you to play in a restricted way that conflicts with normal tactics.
Worth watching out for
Spewer Value requires that Spewers are your only source of damage for the entire run up to defeating Namia.
Unpractical Strategy asks you to defeat Ice without placing any turrets at all.
What does automation mean? bans every type of Duct (Itemduct, Reinforced Itemduct, Fluidduct, and Junction) for the whole run to Wave 50.
Leader is awarded when the monthly leaderboard resets and you are listed on any Highest Wave board at that momentit resets approximately once every one to two months.
Unlimited Possibilities requires merging a Merger that itself merges Mergers.
Dizzy needs four status effects on one enemy simultaneously.
Glossary
Glossary
Merging
Dropping one part onto a compatible part to produce a new item; can be done by hand or automated inside a Merger or MRG-2000.
Itemduct
A connector made from a Red Part and a Duct Binder that moves items automatically between machines.
Fluidduct
A connector made from an Ice Core and a Duct Binder that carries fluids between machines.
Junction
Merging an Itemduct with a Fluidduct creates this, which lets items and fluids share one route.
Fuser
A machine crafted by merging an Ice Core alone that combines three ingredients into one output.
Tier
A number from 1 to 4 that marks how late in the game a part or structure becomes available, with higher tiers requiring boss kills to unlock.
Magnification
The compounding health multiplier applied to enemies starting at Wave 51, making each successive wave harder than the last.
Status Effect
A debuff such as Frozen, Burning, Corrosive, or Armor Shred that turrets or weapons apply to enemies for extra damage or penalties.
Database
The in-game research log that records every part you have picked up and displays its recipe.
Sandbox
A mode that removes normal restrictions for free building; only accessible in private PvE servers.
Common questions
FAQ
Which difficulties let me earn badges and reach the leaderboard?
Badges and Highest Wave leaderboard entries are only available on Normal and Hardcore. Lenient is purely for casual play and does not count toward either. The Leader badge specifically requires you to be on a Highest Wave leaderboard at the moment it resets, which happens approximately once every one to two months.
How do I expand my Baseplate?
Craft an Expander by merging a King's Core with a Machine Frame. King's Core drops guaranteed from the Forgotten King at Wave 50. Using the Expander on your Baseplate gives you more space to build and earns the Finally, more space badge.
Where can I save my progress?
Saving and Sandbox mode are only available in private PvE servers. Public servers do not support saving.
How do I unlock the Fuser?
Craft a Fuser by merging a single Ice Core. Ice Core itself is made by fusing a Blue Part, a Green Part, and an Ice Part together — but you need a Fuser to do that fuse, so the first Ice Core must come from defeating Ice at Wave 14, which drops two of them guaranteed.
What is the Team Deathmatch mode?
Team Deathmatch is a PvP gamemode you select when creating a server. It includes exclusive structures like the Command Tower and the Spawner that do not appear in normal PvE.
Updated Nov 6, 2026
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