DDraceNetwork is a free, open source cooperative 2D precision platformer built on the Teeworlds engine, and it arrived on Steam on 17 August 2020. Up to 64 players share one server and drag each other through thousands of community maps using a grappling hook and a hammer. Official servers run across 14 countries, and every finish feeds a single global points table holding over 33,000 points.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Bind the dummy toggle to a single key before doing anything else
Bind the dummy toggle to a single key before doing anything else. Almost every solo technique, from deepfly to dummy hammer parts, assumes you can swap control between two tees without pausing to open a menu.
2. Learn the /r rescue command on your first evening
Learn the /r rescue command on your first evening. It teleports you back out of freeze to the last safe position, which turns a dead run into a five second setback rather than a restart from the start line.
3. Hook the wall before you jump, not after
Hook the wall before you jump, not after. Beginners jump first and then hook, which wastes the jump, while the correct order lets the hook add its own acceleration on top of your existing upward speed.
4. Download the top 5 demo for any map that is beating you
Download the top 5 demo for any map that is beating you. DDNet stores replays of the fastest finishes, and watching a 200 point player route a part is worth more than an hour of blind attempts.
5. Use /save after every hard section on a long Brutal map
Use /save after every hard section on a long Brutal map. The code stores your whole team state, so a disconnect or a dinner break costs nothing instead of erasing two hours of progress.
6. The laser rifle unfreezes at range and bounces off walls, so aim at the wall behind a trapped teammate when a direct line does not exist
The laser rifle unfreezes at range and bounces off walls, so aim at the wall behind a trapped teammate when a direct line does not exist. This rescues players stuck in pits that the hammer cannot reach.
7. Deep freeze is not the same as freeze
Deep freeze is not the same as freeze. Only an Undeep tile clears it, so stop hammering a deep frozen teammate and carry them to the Undeep tile instead, which is usually placed nearby by the map author.
8. Pick a home server region from the 14 available and stay on it
Pick a home server region from the 14 available and stay on it. Points are global, but hook timing at 20 ms of ping feels different from 120 ms, and swapping constantly stops your muscle memory from settling.
9. Finish every 1 and 2 star Novice map before touching Moderate
Finish every 1 and 2 star Novice map before touching Moderate. The points are small individually, but there are enough of them that the category alone can carry a new player past a thousand points while teaching hook control.
10. Join a team with /team before attempting a hard map with friends
Join a team with /team before attempting a hard map with friends. Team 0 lets strangers hook and block you mid attempt, while a numbered team isolates the group and makes the finish a shared requirement.
Advanced Strategies
Role Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Novice runner (A-Tier):
- Focus on Grappling hook movement combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Hook
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Rank chaser (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Hammer
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how DDraceNetwork's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Grappling hook movement + Freeze and deep freeze tiles: The hook reaches roughly 11 blocks and accelerates you toward whatever it grabs until you hit the cap of about 20 blocks per second. Combined with Freeze and deep freeze tiles, a freeze tile disables movement keys, jumping, the hook and every weapon for a few seconds.
Hammer unfreezing + Team system with save codes: The hammer is short ranged melee that instantly releases any tee it touches from freeze. When paired with Team system with save codes, typing /team followed by a number drops you into a private team where every member has to reach the finish together.
Points scaled by map difficulty scaling: Points depend on the server category plus the map star rating. A Moderate map at 0 stars pays 5 points and a Brutal map at 3 stars pays 24, and each map only ever pays once no matter how many regional servers you finish it on.
Weapons Efficiency
| Weapon | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hook | Everything, from a first Novice map to the hardest Insane climbs | Always available, reaches about 11 blocks, and pulls you toward hookable tiles at up to roughly 20 blocks per second. |
| Hammer | Rescuing frozen teammates and building vertical momentum | The only melee tool and the one you press most often. |
| Shotgun | Dragging teammates across long gaps and gaining speed on shotgun parts | Fires a straight beam that pulls any tee it strikes toward the beam, including your own. |
| Grenade launcher | Rocket jumps and knocking a stuck teammate free of a corner | Lobs a projectile whose explosion pushes tees outward. |
| Laser rifle | Long distance unfreezes and bouncing a shot around a corner | An automatic weapon whose beam bounces off walls until it hits a tee or runs out of range, and any tee it touches is unfrozen immediately. |
Location Efficiency
Novice (First 20 hours): The entry category and the largest one, meant to be finished by a group rather than a soloist. Star ratings run from 0 to 5, paying 1 point up to 6 points per map.
Moderate (After roughly 100 Novice finishes): The step where parts stop forgiving sloppy hook timing. A 0 star Moderate map already pays 5 points, which is more than any Novice map.
Brutal (Several hundred hours in): Long maps with sections that assume you can hammerfly and rocket jump on demand. A 3 star Brutal map pays 24 points, so a handful of finishes moves your global rank noticeably.
Insane (Veteran only): The hardest team category, where single parts can take a week of attempts. These maps sit at the top of the points table and many have only a few dozen finishers worldwide.
Solo (Any, difficulty varies map to map): Maps designed to be completed alone, with no teammates and no dummy interference, though chat stays open. This is the category to use when nobody else is online in your region.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Treating DDNet as a solo game. Most Novice through Insane maps have parts that physically cannot be passed without a second tee to hook or hammer you.
- Hammering a deep frozen teammate over and over. Deep freeze ignores the hammer completely and only an Undeep tile releases it.
- Skipping the Novice category because it looks easy. The category teaches hook release timing, and players who jump straight to Moderate usually stall out for weeks.
- Forgetting to save a team code on long maps. One disconnect on a Brutal run wipes an entire evening of coordinated progress.
- Chasing speed before consistency. A part you clear one time in ten will fail somewhere in a twenty minute run, so drill it to near certainty first.
Pro Quick Tips
- Bind the dummy toggle to a single key before doing anything else. Almost every solo technique, from deepfly to dummy hammer parts, assumes you can swap control between two tees without pausing to open a menu.
- Learn the /r rescue command on your first evening. It teleports you back out of freeze to the last safe position, which turns a dead run into a five second setback rather than a restart from the start line.
- Hook the wall before you jump, not after. Beginners jump first and then hook, which wastes the jump, while the correct order lets the hook add its own acceleration on top of your existing upward speed.
- Start with Rank chaser, switch to Novice runner when ready
- Invest in Hook above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Novice → Moderate → Brutal → Insane → Solo. See our maps guide
- Grappling hook movement + Freeze and deep freeze tiles together are stronger than either alone
More DDraceNetwork Guides
- DDraceNetwork DDraceNetwork Overview
- DDraceNetwork Best Builds
- DDraceNetwork Tier List
- DDraceNetwork Walkthrough
- DDraceNetwork Beginner's Guide
- DDraceNetwork Weapons Guide
- DDraceNetwork Combat Guide
- DDraceNetwork Boss Guide
- DDraceNetwork Maps & Locations
- DDraceNetwork Crafting Guide
- DDraceNetwork Classes & Characters
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