- Become Blackhole upgrades decide whether you scrape by as rubble or dominate as a black hole.
- Priority order: Mass Gain > Impact Power > Gravity Range early; Shard and Arc builds later.
- Chain Lightning is the strongest mid-game damage unlock in the demo skill tree.
- Scale Expansion raises enemy body size — only buy it when you can one-hit current targets.
- Matter Streams offer the best mass-per-second farming once unlocked.
Become Blackhole Upgrades Overview
Become Blackhole is a space incremental game by PandaKoala Studio where you start as a mote of dust and swallow your way up through asteroid, moon, planet, and star stages until you become a black hole. Every upgrade point you spend in the skill tree directly shapes how fast you gain mass, how hard you hit, and how efficiently you vacuum up fragments. Choosing the wrong nodes early can stall your run, while the right picks let you chain-shatter entire fields of bodies in seconds.
The skill tree expands progressively — each tier you unlock branches into new upgrade paths covering movement, gravity, shard damage, and electromagnetic arcs. The in-game UI keeps descriptions in plain language, which makes build planning accessible even if astronomy is not your forte.
Video Highlights:
- Full 30-minute demo run covering every early upgrade tier
- Impact Power doubling from 4 to 8 points after a tier-up
- Chain Lightning unlock and shard-based damage build
- Matter Stream farming and quick-chance event gameplay
Every run, ask one question before buying: does this upgrade help me break bigger bodies or collect fragments faster? If neither, skip it until later.
Early Game Priority Upgrades
The first minutes of a run determine your momentum. Focus on three stats before anything else: Mass Gain, Impact Power, and Gravity/Gravitational Range. Mass Gain boosts resources from every swallowed fragment, Impact Power determines which bodies you can shatter, and Gravity Range widens how far fragments get pulled toward you.
| Upgrade | Effect | Priority | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mass Gain | More mass per fragment absorbed | Buy every level offered | ★★★★★ |
| Impact Power | Breaks larger bodies, releases shards | Buy before tackling big targets | ★★★★★ |
| Gravitational Range | Pulls fragments from farther away | 1-2 levels early | ★★★★ |
| Turning Response | Fixes stiff steering | One level if steering feels off | ★★★ |
| Max Speed (Stellar Wind) | Faster travel between targets | Buy when streams unlock | ★★★★ |
| Enriched Dust Cloud | Bonus mass from dust | Strong value per point | ★★★★ |
Do not buy Scale Expansion or Enemy Body Size Plus One early. Larger enemies hit harder and shatter into pieces you cannot one-shot yet — the video run showed runs stalling after premature body-size upgrades.
Mid Game: Shard and Arc Builds
Once you unlock Shard Shot mechanics, your damage model shifts. Shattering a body with impact releases shards, and upgrades like Secondary Split, Extra Bouncing, and Chain Disintegration turn those shards into a self-sustaining damage loop. Around the same time, the electromagnetic branch unlocks Chain Lightning, which ionizes bodies for 3 seconds and makes them take 25% more damage.
Shard Build
- Core node: Chain Disintegration
- Regenerates shards on hit
- Best with Extra Shots and Bouncing
- Sustained damage, forgiving playstyle
Arc Build
- Core node: Chain Lightning
- Ionization boosts all damage by 25%
- Pair with Overload Discharge
- Highest AoE clear speed
Hybrid Build
- Core node: Conductive Cascade
- Shards trigger arcs at 25% damage
- Most gear-independent
- Recommended for first full run
Key mid-game nodes ranked:
| Node | Effect | Build Fit |
|---|---|---|
| Chain Disintegration | Shard hits regenerate a shard | Shard ★★★★★ |
| Secondary Split | Extra shards per shatter | Shard ★★★★★ |
| Chain Lightning | Arc discharges between bodies | Arc ★★★★★ |
| Conductive Cascade | 20% chance shards release arcs | Hybrid ★★★★★ |
| Fracturing Mechanics | Boosts shard damage | All builds ★★★★ |
| Long Range Ricochet | Shots bounce, retaining damage | Shard ★★★★ |
Watch for tier-ups (T0 to T1 and beyond). The demo run showed Impact Power jumping from 4 to 8 points after a tier transition — bank points just before a tier-up for maximum value.
Farming with Matter Streams
Cosmic Matter Stream unlocks groups of bodies lined up across space. Flying through them collects fragments rapidly, making streams the most efficient mass farming method once available. Support upgrades extend stream duration and density.
Unlock the Stream Node
Purchase Cosmic Matter Stream in the skill tree as soon as it becomes available; it changes your farming rate more than any other single node.
Boost Stream Quality
Buy Dense Streams and stream duration upgrades so each pass collects more bodies for longer.
Line Up Your Approach
Enter along the stream axis at max speed. Momentum Coupling and impact upgrades let you punch through larger bodies in the line for shard bursts.
Chain into Quick Chances
Timed quick-chance events often spawn near streams. Grab Extra Starting Time and bonus-time upgrades to convert them into free mass.
The demo ends at the asteroid stage with Moon Core activated; the full game continues through moons, planets, and stars. Build fundamentals from the demo carry over, so practice the shard hybrid now.
Run Checklist and FAQ
Before Each New Run, Confirm:
- Mass Gain and Impact Power fully leveled for current tier
- Gravity Range high enough to auto-collect fragments
- Chain Lightning or Shard loop unlocked
- Matter Stream duration upgrades purchased
- Body size upgrades delayed until one-hit capability
Q: What are the best first upgrades in Become Blackhole?
Start with Mass Gain and Impact Power, then add Gravitational Range and Enriched Dust. These four carry you through the dust-to-asteroid stages before specialized damage builds matter.
Q: Is Chain Lightning worth it in Become Blackhole upgrades?
Yes. Chain Lightning ionizes bodies for 3 seconds, increasing damage taken by 25%, and discharges chain between targets. It is widely considered the strongest mid-game damage unlock in the demo.
Q: When should I buy Scale Expansion?
Only when you can already one-hit your current target tier. Scale Expansion and Enemy Body Size increase the size and toughness of bodies, which punishes under-leveled Impact Power.
Q: How long is the Become Blackhole demo?
The demo runs roughly 30 minutes and ends at the asteroid stage with Moon Core activated. The full game continues through moons, planets, stars, and finally the black hole stage.