01 / BEFORE YOU COMMIT
Check the game and your build.
Use Place 80681221431821 by Practical’s Games. The public launch was October 30, 2026 at 22:00 UTC, or October 31 at 06:00 UTC+8. It is free to play and still labelled Alpha. A guide for an earlier stress test can describe different progression rules. Launch announcement
Decide what you want to do on most possessions: handle and pass, score away from the ball, or work inside. Use that choice to judge a build’s trade-offs. This is a planning checklist, not a claim that one position is strongest or that an old template fits the current attribute budget.
Check dominant hand and skin color before committing. The developer’s build tutorial says changing either later requires creating a new build or resetting the current one. The reviewed source does not explain reset costs or refunds. Official build tutorial
If you are following a video, distinguish the player’s current attributes from the build’s eventual caps. A high cap does not mean a fresh character already has that rating. Do not treat a creator’s intended badge layout as proof that all of it can be equipped at once.
02 / START SMALL
Learn one possession at a time.
The routine below is our suggested practice order. It uses the developer’s documented inputs; it is not a measured fastest-leveling method.
- Start with a stationary shot. Hold E, X on Xbox, or Square on PlayStation. Compare that with a short tap for a pump fake so you can tell the two actions apart.
- Pick a teammate deliberately. PC overhead passes use numbers 1–4; controller passes use RB/R1 and the displayed teammate icon. Choose the target before adding faster combinations.
- Try a layup before a driving dunk. Run to the rim and hold the shot input for a layup. The driving-dunk command adds Shift + Space on PC, RT + Y on Xbox, or R2 + Triangle on PlayStation. A command does not guarantee that a build can perform the finish.
- Add one change of direction. With the ball in the right hand, the official PC crossover to the left is Z; from left to right it is C. Controller versions use the corresponding D-pad or right-stick direction. Starting hand matters.
Keep the PC, Xbox and PlayStation controls reference nearby for the complete input conditions and direct source links. If an action differs, check the current game’s own controls before repeating an old combination.
The developer also announced the launch code RELEASE. Follow the redemption instructions and read the game’s response; this guide does not promise a particular reward amount.
03 / UNDERSTAND THE LIMIT
Why coin upgrades stop at 85 OVR.
The October 28 release FAQ puts the coin-based limit at 85 Overall. It says additional Overall is determined by badges. Reaching 85 is therefore not, by itself, evidence that coin upgrades are broken. Read the developer’s FAQ
| Stage | What the source says | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Starting build | Starts at 60 Overall. | Use your actual current attribute values, not a template’s final caps. |
| Coin upgrades | Improve attributes and Overall up to 85. | Read the current upgrade screen before spending; no full upgrade cost is certified here. |
| Beyond 85 | Additional Overall is determined by badges. | A full point-award formula and guaranteed route to 99 have not been verified. |
The older July Stress Test 3 announcement described an 80 OVR start, coin upgrades to 99 and disabled badge progression during that test. Those are different test conditions. Follow the later release explanation when comparing guides. Historical ST3 announcement
The pre-release FAQ’s starting-coin offer was explicitly subject to change. Check your actual balance; this page does not promise that a new build receives 30,000 coins.
04 / READ BADGE ADVICE CAREFULLY
Requirements, points and progression.
An attribute-threshold table does not establish how many badge points you currently have, how new points are awarded, or whether a proposed full loadout fits. When comparing a guide with your character, check the named badge, its tier and the values actually shown in your game.
Our reviewed official material confirms badge-based progression beyond 85, but does not give a complete point-award formula. We cannot certify claims such as “one point every five wins,” a fastest mode, or a fixed number of hours to 99. Player discussions are not a substitute for a developer rule or a measured result.
If you reach 85 and cannot identify the next requirement, note your mode, current Overall, named badge and the exact on-screen message before asking in the official community. That makes the question specific without assuming the issue is a bug or recommending a reset.
Source and version notes.
Launch and progression statements come from the developer’s dated announcements and FAQ, linked beside the relevant claims. The controls were read directly from the official controls channel. We have not independently recreated a complete build or badge budget in the current client. Public Alpha rules can change; source-review dates describe what was checked.