Six tiers, one answer per prompt
Each of this edition's 50 prompts has 12 predefined answers. The first answer earns 100 points; the next three earn 64 each; the next five earn 32 each. The final three answers earn 16, 8, and 4 points respectively.
Tier names describe a balloon's climb, not a measured percentage of players. The board contains editorial estimates of familiar responses. The table below describes the data used by this edition, without claiming a live public survey.
| Tier | Board position | Points | Lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky High | The top answer | 100 | 1,000m |
| Jet Stream | Answers 2–4 | 64 | 640m |
| Cloud Nine | Answers 5–9 | 32 | 320m |
| Kite | Answer 10 | 16 | 160m |
| Treetop | Answer 11 | 8 | 80m |
| Grounded | Answer 12 | 4 | 40m |
How points become altitude
Altitude in metres = total points × 10. A 64-point answer adds 640 metres. Seven 100-point answers produce 700 points and 7,000 metres, the maximum for Classic or Daily.
A pass or timeout adds zero. An answer that is rejected before the deadline does not end the round, so you can keep trying. Once an answer is accepted, its tier is final for that prompt. Endless keeps adding points beyond seven prompts, so its total is not capped at 700.
Two different climbs can reach exactly the same height
Consider a balanced climb with points of 100, 64, 64, 32, 32, 16, and 8. It totals 316 points, or 3,160 metres. Now compare three top answers followed by four 4-point answers: 100 + 100 + 100 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 is also 316.
The tie explains the weight of a top answer: one 100-point result is worth more than three 32-point results. It also shows why your final altitude alone cannot describe the whole climb. Review the individual rounds to see whether you were consistent or relied on a few large lifts.
| Climb | Points by prompt | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Steady lifts | 100 · 64 · 64 · 32 · 32 · 16 · 8 | 316 |
| Three big lifts | 100 · 100 · 100 · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 | 316 |
Points and balloons are different in Endless
Endless begins with three balloons. A pass or timeout removes one. Any accepted answer earns its tier's points and preserves your balloons; a 100-point answer also restores one balloon, up to the starting limit of three.
A rejected guess is not itself a lost balloon while time remains. The balloon is lost if you eventually pass or the prompt times out. The run ends when no balloons remain.