Game Modes

Ninja.io has 61 different game modes: Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, Dodgeball, Training, and the newest addition: One Versus One(1v1 Mode). All matches can last for a maximum of 10 minutes.

Deathmatch is a kill-race style mode, where everyone is their own team. The mode offers a very fast-paced, chaotic free-for-all experience where players can acquire both kills and deaths *very* easily. The aim of Deathmatch is to kill other players as fast as possible to win, while also trying to stay alive. Each round of Deathmatch ends either when a player has reached 30 kills, or the time runs out. When the time does run out, the player who currently has the most kills will be declared the winner. Deathmatch used to be the most popular game mode, but is now overshadowed by various other gamemodes, and has slowly stabilized to the point where there is usually one or two active and full Deathmatch servers per region.

In Deathmatch, there is a custom leaderboard that shows players' kills, deaths, KDR (kill-death-ratio), and level on a uniquely large menu. Leaderboard ranking is judged by kills, but in the case where two players have an equal amount of kills, the player with the least deaths goes first. Note that when a player suicides, their death count increases by 1 and their kill count decreases by 1 as well. Deathmatch can hold up to 12 people, with the team colours: red, orange, yellow, light green, green, dark green, light blue, dark blue, pink, purple, grey and brown.

One tactic some players use to win is called "camping" - hiding in a strategic location where the player can easily attack enemies, but not many enemies can attack them. Popular camping spots include hidden locations behind netting or in a sandbag. While camping, the Barrett is a very useful weapon as it instakills and lets players kill opponents before they even know what happened. In general, camping is an effective method but frowned upon, and is often called a method for less experienced players. The Chainsaw can be used as a secondary weapon for camping, as it can insta-kill players during close combat or just fly at someone while holding down your left click.

Another method is constantly spawnkilling opponents - where the player attacks opponents right when they spawn, and kills them before they can react. However, this can be risky as newly spawned players are temporarily invulnerable to damage, and the method can backfire (they will usually be under "spawn protection" [no one can kill you for a few seconds after you re/spawn]). Also, a good counter to any spawnkillers is to quickly swap to a secondary weapon (by pressing Q) to quickly kill off any potential spawnkillers. The secondary weapons will be fully loaded even right as you respawn, which is a great advantage, and will usually fend off any spawnkillers hungry for free kills. Another useful tactic is to immediately get going; as moving players are harder to hit/kill.

A newer tactic (from one of Maxson's (the Camper) videos, the "camping-like-a-tank" method is when you choose a location and camp. After getting a kill, you choose a new location for camping. This avoids someone coming back to kill you for revenge, or shooting you from memory (where they think you are based from where you killed them) - with the Barrett for example.

Team Deathmatch is a more recent addition where two teams (Alpha/red team and Bravo/blue team) compete to see which team can acquire 100 total kills the fastest. Each team has a maximum of six players, shown clearly on a custom team leaderboard showing players' kills, deaths, KDR, star and level. Each round of Team Deathmatch wins either when a team has reached 100 kills, or when the time runs out. When the time does run out, the team who currently has the most kills is declared the winner. In the event where both teams have the same amount of kills, the round ends in a draw.

In this mode, one team usually has a huge advantage if they have at least two more players than the other team. It is also common for players (or the vast majority of the team) to camp out at the other team's main spawn point and get kills for their team that way. However less players on the other team means less kills can be got in the same period of time, and if the time is short and the other team has significantly more kills and much less players, there is a chance to lose.

A tactic is to camp at the other team's base where they normally respawn for quick and easy spawnkills (refer back to the Deathmatch section), but this can be very risky. Camping is still a strategic and effective method in Team Deathmatch, especially at common choke points or active areas, but exposes the camper to all the players on the other team. Another method is to have a defender of the team base so that just incase the other team (or some of their members) invades, the defender/s can kill them so the spawn area for the defender's/s' teammates is safe (refer back to the Deathmatch section).

Team Deathmatch is currently one of the 2 most popular game modes; the other being Capture the Flag.

Capture the Flag is one of the older but more iconic game modes. In this mode, a flag is located at a position near the team's central spawn point. The goal is to "capture" the other team's flag by touching it. Players score points for their team by taking the opposing team's flag back to their base and touching it to their flag if it's present. Each round of Capture the flag ends either when one team scores 3 points, or when the time runs out. When the time does run out, the team with the most flag captures wins. In the event where both teams have the same amount of captures when time runs out, the round ends in a draw. The amount of flag captures can be seen on the right side of the screen, or on the full leaderboard (by pressing V). The full team leaderboard displays players' flag captures, kills, deaths, KDR, level and points.

If a player has the flag, they will lose possession of the flag on death. (Players can also manually drop the flag by pressing the W and S keys simultaneously.) An opposing team member from the other team can then touch the flag to return it, or the player's teammate can touch the flag and recapture it. However, if the flag remains uncaptured for a long period of time, it will automatically be returned to the team's base (this prevents the flag from being unreachable due to falling out of the world/map).

During the game, players will get global messages (visible to all ingame players) that inform them if:

* A player captures the flag
* A player drops the flag
* A player returns the flag
* A player scores a point for their team

A common strategy for a team is to attack in groups, have one player capture the flag and score points, and defend the location where the enemy's absent flag is. This way, once their teammate scores, another player can immediately capture the flag to possibly score another quick point.

Another common procedure when players capture the flag is to rush into the enemy base, grab the flag, and pick off any defenders chasing them. If the player's team flag has been captured as well, they often will hide with the flag, or group up together with 3 or 4 defenders, thus making it harder for enemies to return their flag to their base. This often results in a siege period where teams both try to infiltrate the enemy lines to search for their flag, until one is returned and the team scores.

When playing on the offensive, players should know the maps inside and out so they can memorize the best escape routes to take after capturing the enemy flag, or to know the best location in the map where they can hide with the flag during a siege period. Players must learn how to control their flying so that they can quickly maneuver back to their base and score a point ASAP. Even small delays can change the entire course of the game, and in Capture the flag, it's very easy to be in the wrong place in the wrong time. WARNING: Your enemies might be lying in wait at your score point, so be careful!

As for playing defensively, players should always be on the lookout for invaders coming to take their team's flag. They should also have a reliable supply of throwables to use in case of emergencies. It's best to set up an ideal defender nest near the flag that can repel enemy attackers and keep their flag secure. If the opponent does capture the team's flag, defensive players should chase the opponent down and kill them before they can bring the flag back to their base.

When it comes to keeping the flag safe, the most common strategy is to keep the enemy's flag at the base, at the place your own flag would be. This would allow for you to instantly score once your flag is returned. With this strategy, there is usually a team of defenders assisting the ninja with the flag, so if it is dropped another ninja can immediately grab it again.

Another strategy is to find a secluded spot, one that isn't often traveled (for example, the bridge in Facing Worlds). If doing this, it is recommended to keep a couple of throwables on hand in case someone spots you. When the flag is returned, you can quickly make a break for the base. Be warned: of you choose this strategy, there is a high chance a team of enemy ninjas is waiting for you at your base!

Capture the Flag is currently one of the two most popular game modes; the other being Team Deathmatch.

1v1 mode is the newest game mode, which reformed the skill rank system (see Skill/Experience for more information) and brought up a new era of top players. There are a few rules to this gamemode, unlike the other ones, those being

### Rules:

1. The first player to get 10 kills wins.
2. If time runs out, the player with the most kills wins.
3. You leave = you lose!
4. Cheating is not allowed.
5. Behave and be respectful.

There is only one tactic to this game mode, Map knowledge, reflect skills, weapon skill and game smarts. In this mode it does not matter how long you've played it, what gun you're using, etc.; this mode is for the best of the best. Only the best players will win in streaks and will win easily. For map knowledge you just need to play the game enough to learn where everything is (for example: where sandbags are or where health boxes/grenades are located). Reflect skills means you know what parts of the walls to hit with guns like Barret or Carbine so they slide and ricochet against the walls and floors. Weapon skills implies that you do not need a Barrett, you can use whatever you want as long as you are good with it, can kill with it and you know the limitations of the weapon; you can win. Game smarts means you just generally understand how your ninja will fly and how the game will respond to your clicks on your keyboard and mouse, you also understand how the physics in the game works like how your grenade will arc when you throw it or how your cluster grenade will spread when you throw it.

This 1v1 mode was developed by Buizerd due to incessant demands from the ninja.io community. Parts of the community were against the old skill ranking method, as being inactive for a week or two would lower your ranking drastically. Despite this, the community has *once again* complained because of how the 1v1 system works, citing unfair point gains, alt dominance/farming, and still inaccurate skill rankings. *poor buizerd, never catching a break...*

Notes: Your skill rank relies ENTIRELY on 1v1; *especially* your title. For example; not playing 1v1 (or losing 1v1's) means your title remains "Rookie" (or gets demoted). However, if you play 1v1 and win enough times, you get your title from "Rookie" into "Beginner". Plus, you get 100 gold if you win.

Your level doesn't completely rely on 1v1. Kills, flag captures, etc. will all add up to your experience so you can level up (kills, deaths, etc. in Training Mode are NOT counted).

### Spectator mode:

It is possible to spectate a 1v1 match by going into the Game List and looking for 1v1's. Where there normally would be a button saying "Join", it will be "Spectate". Clicking this will bring you into the match. You will be able to click (LMB) and switch between the view points of the two different players. Right clicking will also enable your camera to freely move around in the direction of your mouse. There is also a zoom function, for which you need to scroll up and down. Down will zoom out, while up will zoom in. Using this method, it is possible to see the whole map. This does not work on bigger maps, such as Space Station, etc. Any other spectator can see your messages but the actual players doing the 1v1 cannot (they can only see *their* messages; not the spectators'/'s. Players will be able to see the spectator/s messages only once the 1v1 is finished, and the game has activated the end scene. If there are more than 2 spectators and one of them leaves, (Spectator #(your number depends on when you entered) will appear after their username. Ex: NinjaAB123 (Spectator #1) has left the game. In this case, AB123 was the first spectator to enter and now spectator #2 will become number 1. If AB123 were to rejoin, they would not become #1 again, they would now be #2, or spectator N + 1, where N is however many people are currently spectating

Dodgeball is a special game mode, with no guns and a set of custom maps. In this gamemode, two teams attempt to kill each other using only throwables in a sudden "dodgeball" death match. As one might assume from the name, players must also dodge any incoming throwables to avoid death as well. One game of Dodgeball lasts 10 rounds, and each round ends when all members of one team are killed. Any dead players must wait until the next round to respawn.

The maps in this mode are significantly smaller, and feature abundant item boxes everywhere. In each map, there is a vertical border drawn down the middle of the map that players cannot cross. If players attempt to run into the border, they will be slightly bounced backwards. Teams must strategically use and conserve their throwables to eliminate the players on the other team. Even though item boxes regenerate almost instantly, one cannot reload them, and players taking time to grab some more may leave themselves vulnerable. The items included in this map are shurikens, grenades and snowballs. There are no health boxes, empasising the fact that this mode is quite literally a fight to the death.

One of the few tactics there are to this game mode is to camp the item boxes' spawn locations, so that players can have virtually an unlimited supply of throwables, only at the cost of lowered mobility and range. When dealing with shurikens and snowballs, headshots are also key as they do extra damage. Lastly, another ideal tactic is to minimize one's hitbox by proning at times (by pressing the key X), which makes one harder to hit.

Since its release, Dodgeball has not gained as much attraction as the other gamemodes, and players will usually find only 1-2 quiet and small servers at times. However, it still serves as good aim training and practice with various throwables.

Dodgeball is currently the least popular out of all game modes.

Training mode was released in September 2022, which brought fresh new content into the game, such as the map Arrival and the new training bots. The gamemode is specifically built for training newer players to learn the ropes and mechanics of the game, before entering the intense experiences of real servers. It may also be used by more seasoned players just to hone their skills, socialize, or make friends. Everyone in Training mode cannot hurt each other, which makes it a safe "peace zone" to play around and experiment freely.

**It is important to note that all Training games are unranked, and kills/deaths do not save or give experience.**

In Arrival there are three portals to three training stations:

### Weapon Training

The Weapon Training section is the most popular and active station. Its main purpose is to display the vast variety of weapons in the game for players to train with. In this station, large stands containing all of the weapons and items in the game for players to pick up and use at their leisure. This is primarily where the bots reside, in the form of Ninja bots and sentry bots. For more info on bots, go to their page.

At the far right pool of the Weapon Training area as well as the top of a small pyramid in the main training hub is a small message that says that it is still under construction, possibly hinting towards another update. There is also a bathtub-like pool of water with a sort of "ship" over it. On the back of the "ship", there is a spinning wheel which will cause death (suicide) if you touch it.

### Spectator Zone

This area is basically two small white bubbles in the Nexus map that lets players spectate others inside the map engaging in combat. Players can switch from one bubble to another by crouching through a small green circle, and they may also exit the area by crouching through the small yellow circle. Note that spectators can not damage/be damaged by other players while inside the bubble. This allows them to be comfy inside and watch the combatants fight.

### DM Practice

To enter, you must go to the red Entering this portal will bring you to the main area of Nexus, where immortality is **turned off** and players may deal damage to one another. This area is where players get to fight others in an unranked setting. The combatants can stand on the bubbles (which are the Spectator Mode) but not go INSIDE of them. In order to get inside the Spectator Zone, you must exit the red portal (stand on it and press S) and go to the yellow portal. Stand on the yellow portal and press S, it should direct you to the Spectator Zone.

## Notes

* It's been noted by Buizerd that Zombie Survival mode was in the works.hat
	+ Due to community backlash about the condition of the game, progress on ZS seems to have been halted in favor of QoL fixes and skill rank reforms. As part of that reform, **1v1 mode** was added.

* The Weapon Training area has not been updated yet since the M60, Uzi and Boomerang were added. However, bots *can* spawn with those weapons.

## Trivia

* In Capture the Flag, there was a bug that would cause the flag to rise into the air infinitely, and render it unable to be captured by either team, This was due to a very precise action consisting of the explosion of an M79/RPG/X75/grenade hitting the flag the exact frame it was dropped. This bug would force all players to wait until the match ran out of time. However, this has thankfully been patched (partly; the flag will still rise into the air, but it can still respawn or be grabbed by a player).
* For a short period, the win conditions for gamemodes were bugged, and it was possible to get insane amounts of kills above 30. Maxson once exploited this for a 109 kill DM win.
* 1v1 was added partially because the original skill rank system was considered unfair by many. The system favored active players over good players which made it considerably inaccurate. However, better players tended to have an idle rank higher than worse ones; orange stars with 2.3+ KDR tended towards upper Advanced, while a player with a similar level and lower ratio tended towards lower Advanced/upper Proficient.
* Because the win condition for CTF games is flag captures, it is possible to have more than 100 kills total on one team, assuming no flags are captured.