Dovion's Leaderboard: How to Climb (and Stay There)
At the top of your screen sits a ruthless judge: the leaderboard. On Dovion, as in every good .io game, the leaderboard is the real finish line — the one that turns a sea stroll into a competition. Here's how it works, how you climb it, and why staying there is a discipline all its own.
The leaderboard in two words
The leaderboard displays at the top of the screen and updates in real time: every room has its own current podium, and your position shifts as your match unfolds. One detail that matters: Dovion's rooms are populated by 30 to 48 AI-piloted ships, ranging from level 5 to level 41. Direct consequence — the leaderboard is never empty, and there's always someone to dethrone, even at three in the morning. You never win first place by default.
Climbing: progress without sinking
Climbing the leaderboard starts with simply climbing, period: earn XP, gain levels, evolve your hull at the 5, 15, 30, and 45 milestones, and turn your power into dominance. The classic routes:
- The grinder's route: mine rocks, fish, fill the hold, sell. Slow but steady.
- The hunter's route: sink pirates and players, scoop up what they drop. Fast but risky.
- Shortcuts: on-screen events, bounties, and the famous lagoon black market for bold captains.
A classic trap awaits the ambitious: gold stacked in your hold is worth nothing until it's sold — if you sink, it sinks with you. Climbing the leaderboard with a full hold is like scaling a wall with pockets full of lead. Our guide to managing your hold will save you that particular shipwreck.
Staying there: the hard part
Reaching the top of the board changes your match more than you'd think. First, because you become visible: a name at the top of the leaderboard naturally draws eyes, and therefore ambitions. Second, because the game itself gets tougher as your level rises: past level 30, the center's bosses treat you as a priority target.
The rules of survival at the top:
- Sell often. A leader who's broke from selling beats a leader who sank with a full hold.
- Choose your fights. At the top of the board, you have nothing left to prove to small hulls; every unnecessary duel is a free risk.
- Read the map. Events, bounties, hostile zones: the top spot is kept through anticipation. It's all in our checklist for reaching the top of the leaderboard.
Watch out for the Colonel
One last warning, and not a small one: sometimes the scoreboard... lies. Colonel Mbappé — a parody character and the game's official troll, with no connection to the real footballer — has a nasty habit of "rigging" the scoreboard, announcement and all. If the leaderboard suddenly shows something absurd, don't throw your keyboard: that's him. Consider it local folklore, and go settle the matter at the source if you dare.
Also worth reading
- Late game: playing for first place without losing everything
- Leveling up fast: the optimal route from level 1 to 30
The podium isn't read, it's taken: Play Dovion for free and go get your name at the very top of the screen.