skills/forge-master-player-guide/references/core-gameplay.md

<!-- Source book: GETTING_STARTED_AND_EARLY_PROGRESSION_PLAYER_GUIDE_v0_1.md -->

# ForgeMaster Getting Started and Early Progression

Status: **Player-facing draft v0.1**  
Evidence cutoff: **11 September 2026**

## The short version

Early ForgeMaster progression comes from several systems that unlock gradually. A good beginner routine is:

1. keep attempting the Campaign;
2. keep the Forge producing and upgrading;
3. equip genuine improvements rather than following Power or rarity alone;
4. use daily opportunities before they expire;
5. keep hatcheries and research timers productive;
6. join a helpful Clan when Clans unlock;
7. begin serious hoarding only when the stock has a defined purpose.

There is no need to understand every advanced modifier, Clan War optimisation or ascension reserve on the first day.

## What happens on the main screen

The main screen shows the current Campaign battle and the character's active build. Campaign battles advance through numbered stages such as `2-10` or `4-1`. They do not use Dungeon Keys, League Challenge Tickets or saved summon resources, so continue pushing whenever the character may be strong enough.

The equipment area shows the eight equipped items. The current active Skills, Pets and Mount also contribute once those systems unlock.

To inspect the character's complete statistics, tap the small **i** beside the equipment area. The same statistics can be opened by tapping the player's icon from the PvP League screen. Tapping the displayed Power number does **not** open the full statistics.

## The first progression loop

The early loop is simple:

1. defeat Campaign stages;
2. collect Coins and Hammers;
3. forge equipment;
4. equip useful improvements;
5. upgrade the Forge;
6. use the resulting strength to clear more Campaign stages.

As new systems unlock, Skills, Pets, Mounts and Personal Tech add further Damage, Health and modifiers to the same character.

## Campaign unlock path

The current major stage unlocks are:

| Stage | What becomes available | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1-9 | Offline Coins and Hammers | Collect after qualifying absences; the base counted period is capped at four hours. |
| 2-1 | Shop and Starter Package | Treat purchases as optional; normal progression does not require buying every offer. |
| 2-10 | Dungeons, Hammer Thief and Auto Forge | Begin using all daily Dungeon capacity and learn Auto Forge filters. |
| 2-15 | Skills, first Skill slot and Ghost Town | Equip an active Skill and use Ghost Town for Skill Tickets. |
| 3-1 | Pets, first Pet slot and Invasion | Start producing eggs and keep hatcheries occupied. |
| 3-10 | Arena/Leagues and Chat | Use all five daily League tickets and inspect opponents beyond Power. |
| 4-1 | Personal Tech, second Skill slot and Zombie Rush | Keep one useful Tech upgrade running and collect red potions from Zombie Rush. |
| 4-10 | Second Pet slot | Build toward a complementary Pet pair. |
| 4-15 | Clans | Join an active Clan to access cooperation, missions and clan competitions. |
| 5-1 | Third Skill slot | Build a three-Skill loadout rather than judging Skills in isolation. |
| 5-15 | First additional automatic hammer | Benefit from the extra automatic production. |
| 6-1 | Third Pet slot | Build the full three-Pet combination. |
| 6-15 | Stepping Stones | Add the event to the routine when available. |
| 7-15 | Second additional automatic hammer | Benefit from the further automatic production. |
| 10-1 | Fairies | Convert an appropriate existing modifier into an additional capped combat effect. |

Some systems also have non-Campaign conditions. Ascension depends on maxing the relevant Forge or summon progression, not on reaching one universal Campaign stage.

## Equipment basics

The character has eight equipment slots:

- weapon;
- headgear;
- armour;
- gloves;
- belt;
- footwear;
- necklace;
- ring.

New equipment can improve Damage, Health and modifiers. A higher era or level often has stronger headline values, but it is not automatically better for the complete build.

When comparing an item, check:

1. that it belongs in the correct slot;
2. its Damage and Health contribution;
3. its modifiers;
4. whether Melee or Ranged Damage matches the equipped weapon;
5. what the complete statistics become after the swap.

If a supported modifier does not appear on a complete statistics screen, its value is zero. If the screen is cropped, the missing value is unknown rather than zero.

## Power is a summary, not a verdict

Displayed Power is based on Base Damage and Base Health. It does not directly value most combat modifiers, active Skill timing or matchup effects.

Use Power to judge broad growth. Do not use it as the sole reason to:

- replace an item;
- choose a League opponent;
- merge a Pet or Mount;
- conclude that a battle result is wrong.

A lower-Power character can legitimately beat a higher-Power opponent through stronger Crit, Attack Speed, Double Chance, Lifesteal, Block, Regen, Skills or a favourable melee/ranged matchup.

## Forge progression

Use Hammers to forge equipment and Coins to upgrade the Forge. Forge upgrades improve the equipment-era probability table but soon become heavily time-gated.

Auto Forge unlocks at Campaign stage **2-10**. Its filter is inclusive:

- selected eras and modifiers describe items to keep;
- an item is retained when it matches at least one selected modifier;
- it may therefore also contain a modifier that was not selected;
- non-matches are sold automatically;
- ordinary Auto Forge stops when a match is found.

Do not sell or replace an item merely because one headline number is higher. Review the complete build.

## Daily activities as they unlock

### Dungeons

There are four independent Dungeons, each with two daily uses:

| Dungeon | Main reward |
|---|---|
| Hammer Thief | Coins and Hammers |
| Ghost Town | Skill Tickets |
| Invasion | Eggshells |
| Zombie Rush | Red Personal Tech Potions |

Use all eight daily opportunities. If the next level cannot be beaten, use **Sweep Last** to collect the last successfully cleared level's reward. Dungeon capacity does not carry over.

### Ranked Leagues

The Arena provides five Challenge Tickets per day. Both a win and a loss consume one ticket, and unused tickets do not carry over. A loss gives no points but removes no League points already earned.

Inspect the opponent's actual build. Power alone does not identify the safest fight.

### Clan Missions

Once available through a Clan:

- review the six daily offers;
- use the one refresh carefully;
- complete up to three successful missions with the daily Mission Tickets;
- choose a 1-, 3- or 10-minute rally according to how much assistance is needed;
- assist other members whenever practical.

Up to three helpers can lend Power. Only the initiating player receives the mission reward, but assisting is unlimited and does not use the helper's Mission Tickets.

## Skills

Skills add passive Damage and Health while three equipped active Skills provide their battle effects. Additional copies fill that individual Skill's progress bar and eventually raise its level.

The ordinary undiscounted summon bundle costs 200 Skill Tickets for five summons. Personal Tech can reduce the displayed cost later.

Skill summoning consumes a scarce saved resource and scores active Clan War points on Skill days. Early summons may be worthwhile for progression, but large later stocks should have a deliberate purpose.

## Pets

Players eventually equip three Pets. Pets contribute Damage, Health and modifiers. They also have Damage-biased, Health-biased and Balanced archetypes, so the best trio is not always the three highest-rarity Pets.

Ordinarily:

1. convert Eggshells into eggs;
2. keep available hatcheries occupied;
3. hatch the resulting Pets;
4. equip useful Pets and lock anything that must not be merged accidentally;
5. merge only genuine fodder.

Players begin with two hatcheries and may buy two more for a maximum of four parallel hatches.

Buying an egg scores no Clan War points. Hatching is passive scoring because it is constrained by time. Merging is active and irreversible because it consumes an egg or Pet.

The important exception is Pet ascension preparation: eggs and Pets are removed, while Eggshells survive. A rebuild reserve must therefore remain as Eggshells.

Pet, Mount and Skill ascensions should normally be scheduled for a hard or competitive Clan War rather than a savings week. Their assets and accumulated progress are completely lost; only Eggshells, Clock Winders or Skill Tickets survive respectively. Use only enough expiring Pet/Mount merges or Skill upgrades to help win, then ascend knowing that everything remaining in the pillar disappears.

## Mounts

Only one Mount is equipped. Mounts contribute Damage, Health and modifiers but have no separate Damage/Health/Balanced archetypes.

A base Mount summon costs 50 Clock Winders before Personal Tech. The Mount appears immediately—there is no hatching phase. Summoning and merging both consume scarce assets and both count as active Clan War scoring.

Do not treat Clock Winders like ordinary Eggshells. Keep them until the summon serves progression, ascension rebuilding or a justified Clan War spend.

## Personal Tech

Personal Tech is permanent individual research arranged in three branches:

- Forge;
- Power;
- Skills/Pets/Tech.

A child node becomes available after each required parent has at least one completed sublevel; a parent does not normally need to be 5/5.

Starting an upgrade spends red Personal Tech Potions and begins its timer. Clan War Tech points are awarded when **Complete** is pressed on the finished upgrade, not when the timer starts.

Keep research moving, but choose upgrades that help the current bottleneck rather than chasing branch-completion percentage.

## Joining a Clan

An active Clan opens access to:

- Clan Missions and assistance;
- shared Clan Tech;
- the Clan Tech Race;
- weekly Clan Wars;
- clan chat and coordination.

Red Personal Tech Potions and green Clan Tech Potions are different resources. Red potions fund the player's permanent Personal Tech. Green potions are donated to the shared Clan Tech tree and score in the Clan Tech Race.

## When to start saving seriously

Saving should have a named purpose:

- a Skill, Pet or Mount progression target;
- an ascension rebuild;
- a planned Personal Tech upgrade;
- a Clan Tech Race donation plan;
- a Clan War active-spending reserve.

Do not let vague hoarding prevent the early unlocks and permanent improvements that generate more resources every day.

Once Clan War matters, use the established principle:

> Only spend enough active-scoring resource to win. This may mean spending nothing and relying on passive scoring.

This applies to scarce stored resources. It does not mean abandoning Dungeon uses, League tickets, ordinary income or productive timers.

## Approaching ascension

Ascension is a later reset-and-rebuild system for Forge/equipment, Skills, Pets and Mounts. Do not ascend merely because the button appears.

Before an ascension:

1. identify exactly what the chosen pillar removes;
2. identify which raw resource survives;
3. record the assets and modifiers that must be replaced;
4. establish a target and reserve;
5. decide whether Clan War timing helps without endangering the rebuild.

Ascended assets gain approximately ×50 applicable base values per star, compounded, but the first low-rarity replacements may still trail the mature high-rarity assets removed by the reset.

## A beginner's daily checklist

- [ ] Claim available offline income.
- [ ] Attempt further Campaign progress.
- [ ] Forge and review equipment sensibly.
- [ ] Keep Forge and Personal Tech timers productive.
- [ ] Use both attempts in every unlocked Dungeon.
- [ ] Use all five League tickets before replenishment.
- [ ] Keep hatcheries occupied.
- [ ] Complete up to three worthwhile Clan Missions.
- [ ] Assist Clan rallies when available.
- [ ] Check the current Clan War day before spending a scarce scoring resource.
- [ ] Lock valuable Pets and Mounts before using merge controls.

## Common early mistakes

- Treating Power as a complete measure of combat strength.
- Replacing equipment solely because its era or level is higher.
- Letting Dungeon or League capacity expire unused.
- Leaving hatcheries empty while holding ordinary Eggshells.
- Spending Clock Winders as though Mounts had a passive hatching stage.
- Merging an XP-invested or unusually useful Pet/Mount merely for one war action.
- Starting every available Personal Tech node without considering the build's bottleneck.
- Hoarding so early that key systems remain locked unnecessarily.
- Ascending without enough surviving resource to rebuild.
- Treating “save” as “do nothing.”

## Where to read next

- Campaign Stages and Progression
- Equipment and Forging
- Combat, Stats and Modifiers
- Resources
- Dungeons and Clan Missions
- Skills, Pets and Mounts
- Personal Tech
- Ranked Leagues
- Clan War
- Ascension and Rebuilding

Use the detailed chapter when an exact probability, reward, timer, cost or reset decision matters.

## What remains uncertain

- Exact onboarding prompts and forced tutorial actions for a brand-new account.
- The purchase prices of additional hatcheries.
- The precise reset time for every daily allowance and event.
- Whether a failed Dungeon attempt consumes one use.
- The presentation of configured Campaign stage group 11.

These do not prevent publication of the overall progression path, but the guide should not invent missing screen behaviour.


---

<!-- Source book: EVERYDAY_PROGRESSION_AND_DAILY_ROUTINE_PLAYER_GUIDE_v0_1.md -->

# ForgeMaster Everyday Progression and Daily Routine

Status: **Player-facing draft v0.1**  
Evidence cutoff: **11 September 2026**

## The purpose of a daily routine

ForgeMaster progression comes from three different kinds of opportunity:

| Opportunity | Examples | Daily approach |
|---|---|---|
| Expiring daily capacity | Dungeon uses and League Challenge Tickets | Use before replenishment; it cannot be saved for a later day |
| Timed progression | Egg hatching, Forge upgrades and Personal Tech | Keep the available slots or timer working whenever practical |
| Hoardable resources | Skill Tickets, Eggshells, Clock Winders, potions, Coins, Hammers and Gems | Spend for useful progression, planned ascension or the minimum active Clan War score required |

A strong routine captures the first two without accidentally exhausting the third.

## The central daily principle

> Use expiring capacity, keep timed systems productive, and spend scarce saved resources deliberately.

During a Clan War, add the established rule:

> Only spend enough active-scoring resource to win. This may mean spending nothing and relying on passive scoring.

“Save” should not normally mean abandoning Dungeon uses, League tickets, ordinary income or routine timed progression. It means avoiding unnecessary discretionary spending.

## First login of the day

### 1. Check the current context

Before spending anything substantial, check:

- the current Clan War day and the clan's instruction;
- the daily war score and weekly match-point position;
- the Clan Tech Race standings and next elimination line;
- current League position and the available five opponents;
- any ascension being prepared;
- Fairy or other event time remaining.

This prevents an ordinary summon or merge from consuming a reserve needed for ascension or a later decisive war day.

### 2. Claim ordinary income

Collect available offline rewards and other routine claims. The base offline cap is four hours and Personal Tech can extend it, so a player who will be away for longer than their current cap gains nothing from the excess absence.

### 3. Inspect the timers

Check:

- the current Forge upgrade;
- the running Personal Tech upgrade;
- all occupied egg hatcheries;
- any completed egg or Tech action that might be timed for a Clan War scoring day.

Avoid leaving a timer idle by accident. Deliberately holding a completed action is different: it should have a specific scoring purpose and should not block more valuable progression for too long.

## Daily non-carrying activities

### Dungeons

Use both daily attempts in all four dungeons: eight uses in total.

- Attempt the next level when it is realistically beatable.
- Use **Sweep Last** when progression is blocked.
- On Clan War Days 1 and 4, the same eight uses provide 24,000 base passive points before Clan Tech.
- On every other day, use them for progression and resources anyway; the capacity does not carry over.

### Ranked League

The player receives five Challenge Tickets per day. Every battle consumes one ticket whether it is won or lost, and unused tickets do not carry over.

Before challenging:

1. inspect the five offered opponents;
2. look beyond headline Power to Damage, Health, modifiers, equipment, Skills, Pets and Mount;
3. prefer an opponent with a realistically favourable matchup;
4. use all remaining tickets before replenishment unless there is a concrete reason not to fight.

League and Clan War run for the same weekly period, but League battles do not spend Clan War tickets and do not directly score the Clan War.

### Clan Missions

Review all six offers before committing the day's three Mission Tickets.

- Use the refresh strategically when the first set is poor.
- Use a one-minute rally for an easy mission.
- Use three or ten minutes when assistance may be needed.
- Up to three clan members can assist.
- Only the initiator receives the reward.
- Failure consumes no Mission Ticket but removes that mission from the list.
- Assist other members whenever convenient; assistance is unlimited and uses none of the assistant's tickets.

Clan Missions do not score Clan War points and have no interaction with Dungeon progress. Their value is progression, resources and helping clan members complete better offers.

## Keep the timed systems working

### Egg hatching

Players begin with two hatcheries and can buy up to two more. Under ordinary play:

1. convert routine Eggshells into eggs;
2. keep available hatcheries occupied;
3. use shorter eggs when frequent access is possible;
4. use longer eggs before sleep or a long absence;
5. time completions for Clan War Days 3 and 5 where practical, without leaving hatcheries idle for excessive periods.

Buying an egg scores no Clan War points. Hatching scores and is treated as passive because hatching throughput eventually becomes the limiting factor; the egg or resulting Pet can still later be used as one merge donor.

The important exception is **Pet ascension preparation**. Eggs and Pets are destroyed by Pet ascension, while Eggshells survive. Keep the intended rebuilding reserve as Eggshells until after ascending.

Avoid making the transition casually in a savings week. The old egg/Pet inventory is also a Clan War merge bank: leave it unused and ascension destroys it; empty it first and its active score may be wasted. Prefer a hard war and use only the merges needed to help win. Every egg and Pet still present is then destroyed; only Eggshells survive.

### Personal Tech

Only one Personal Tech upgrade can run or wait for completion at a time. Start useful upgrades promptly enough to keep research moving.

The red-potion payment and the Clan War score occur at different moments:

- red potions are paid when the upgrade starts;
- Clan War points are awarded only when the completed upgrade is claimed with **Complete** on Day 2 or Day 5.

A completed upgrade may be held for one of those days when the scoring value justifies the delay. Do not hold it so long that the blocked research time costs more than the likely war benefit.

### Forge upgrades and forging

Forge upgrade timers become long, so maintain a useful upgrade path while continuing to earn Coins and Hammers.

Forge ascension removes all equipment and resets Forge progress while retaining Coins and Hammers. Unlike the other pillars, a large currency reserve cannot restore the old progression level immediately because the Forge must wait through each upgrade timer, eventually lasting many days.

- Funding ordinary Forge-upgrade nodes scores on Clan War Days 2 and 4.
- Using Gems for **Finish Now** also scores on Days 2 and 4.
- Forging equipment with Hammers is a different action and scores on Days 1, 3 and 5.
- Forge ascension itself costs 3,000,000 Coins and scores no Clan War points.

Routine forging that advances equipment and produces Coins can form part of passive scoring. Mass-forging purely to create war score is active and should stop once the required result is secure.

## Hoardable progression systems

### Skills

Skill summons and upgrades score on Clan War Days 1 and 3. They consume saved Skill Tickets or accumulated copies and are active scoring.

Summon or upgrade when it advances the Skill collection, supports a planned Skill ascension rebuild or supplies the minimum score the clan needs. Do not spend an ascension reserve merely because Skills score that day.

### Mounts

Mount summons and merges score on Days 2 and 4. Both are active:

- summoning consumes Clock Winders;
- merging irreversibly consumes one donor Mount.

Unlike eggs, a Mount appears immediately and the summon itself scores. Clock Winders should therefore remain as liquid stock until a progression, ascension or necessary war-spending decision is made.

### Pets

Pet merges score on Days 3 and 5 and consume one donor egg or Pet. Rarity, level and accumulated XP do not increase the points for that merge.

Merge only genuine fodder after protecting equipped Pets and useful alternatives. A developed donor passes its XP to the recipient but loses its modifiers and still counts as only one merge action.

### Clan Tech

Green Clan Tech Potions fund shared nodes and score in the weekly Clan Tech Race. Prioritise useful nodes, watch the next elimination line and coordinate donations so several members do not overspend at once.

The tree and remaining green potions reset with the Clan Tech season. Hoarding becomes less valuable near that reset, but donations should still have a useful node or race-survival purpose.

Each accumulated character ascension star adds +5% Clan Tech Potion rewards from all sources. This personal bonus is separate from the clan's source-specific income and Race Reward nodes.

## Clan War day-by-day overlay

| Day | Take the normal/passive opportunities | Active resources to protect |
|---:|---|---|
| 1 | Eight Dungeon uses; routine forging | Skill Tickets/copies; extra Hammers |
| 2 | Naturally ready Personal Tech completion | Coins, Gems, Clock Winders and donor Mounts |
| 3 | Routine forging; correctly timed egg hatches | Skill Tickets/copies, donor eggs/Pets and extra Hammers |
| 4 | Eight Dungeon uses | Coins, Gems, Clock Winders and donor Mounts |
| 5 | Routine forging; correctly timed hatches; naturally ready Personal Tech | Donor eggs/Pets, extra Hammers and rushed Tech |
| 6 | Use the five brawl tickets and select realistic rivals | No Days 1–5 stock should be spent merely to imitate brawl scoring |
| 7 | Collect and reconcile War and League rewards | Do not count projected rewards before collection |

Allow ordinary participation to establish the score before committing active stock. If passive scoring is already enough, active spending should be zero.

## A full daily checklist

- [ ] Read the clan instruction and current War/Tech Race position.
- [ ] Claim available offline and routine rewards.
- [ ] Use two attempts in each of the four Dungeons.
- [ ] Use all five League Challenge Tickets before replenishment.
- [ ] Review six Clan Missions, use the refresh if helpful and complete up to three worthwhile missions.
- [ ] Assist visible clan rallies.
- [ ] Keep all available hatcheries productive, except when preserving Eggshells for imminent Pet ascension.
- [ ] Keep a useful Personal Tech upgrade running or make a deliberate scoring-day hold.
- [ ] Keep Forge progression moving and forge normally where useful.
- [ ] Check time-limited Fairy or event progress.
- [ ] Avoid unnecessary Skill summons/upgrades, Mount summons/merges and Pet merges.
- [ ] Protect each intended ascension reserve.
- [ ] Before leaving, check that no daily capacity or timer was forgotten.

## The short busy-day routine

When time is limited, prioritise:

1. Sweep all eight Dungeon uses if progression attempts would take too long.
2. Use the five League tickets against the safest available opponents.
3. Choose three reliably completable Clan Missions and use short rallies where appropriate.
4. Fill every hatchery with an egg suitable for the expected absence.
5. Start or confirm a useful Personal Tech upgrade and inspect the Forge timer.
6. Check the clan order before making any summon, merge or major spend.

This captures most expiring capacity and timer value without requiring a full equipment or build review.

## Weekly reset and reward routine

On the final day of the League and Clan War period:

- use remaining daily League and Dungeon capacity;
- check that personal Clan War milestones have been collected;
- avoid counting the expected War, League or Tech Race reward before it is actually awarded;
- collect the final rewards when available;
- compare new balances with ascension targets;
- decide whether the next week is primarily a progression, saving or active war week;
- review the Clan Tech season countdown separately from the weekly race countdown.

Higher League and War tiers usually give larger rewards, but the ordinary daily routine remains valuable even during a deliberate saving week or an unwinnable war.

## Common mistakes

### “Save means do nothing”

No. Use non-carrying Dungeon and League capacity and collect routine income. Save means protect discretionary stock.

### “If an action scores today, I should do as much as possible”

No. First decide whether the action is worthwhile progression and whether the clan actually needs active score.

### “I should leave Eggshells untouched for a Pet war day”

Usually no. Buying eggs scores zero and hatching is time-gated, so ordinary shells should feed the hatcheries. Keep shells liquid only when they form an imminent Pet-ascension reserve or another explicit plan.

### “Dungeon keys should be saved for their scoring day”

They cannot be carried into another day. Use them daily; the scoring-day uses are an additional benefit.

### “A ready Personal Tech upgrade always belongs on Day 2 or 5”

Not automatically. Holding it blocks further research. Compare the score with the progression time being sacrificed.

### “A projected weekly reward is part of my current stock”

Not until the result is final and the reward has been collected.

## What remains uncertain

- The exact daily reset and settlement timing for every mode and time zone.
- Whether unused Mission Tickets can ever persist across a reset.
- Whether a failed Dungeon battle consumes a daily use.
- Exact stacking and rounding when several reward or scoring bonuses apply.
- Fairy availability and rules after the current event or season ends.
- Campaign/Stage progression details, which belong in the next dedicated chapter.

Use the player's current interface when a displayed timer, cost, reward or reset notice differs from a generic figure in this guide.


---

<!-- Source book: CAMPAIGN_STAGES_AND_PROGRESSION_PLAYER_GUIDE_v0_1.md -->

# ForgeMaster Campaign Stages and Progression

Status: **Draft player guide — configuration verified, selected visible behaviour still to confirm**  
Source cutoff: **11 September 2026**

## What the campaign is

The campaign is the sequence of battles shown on the main game screen. Clearing battles moves the player through numbered stages, unlocks major game systems and reaches Progress Pass rewards.

Campaign progress is separate from Dungeons, Clan Missions, the Arena/Leagues and Clan Wars. Those modes may use the same character build, but they have their own entries, tickets, rewards and progression.

## Reading a stage number

A campaign stage is written as `n-m`:

- `n` is the stage group or age;
- `m` is the battle within that group.

For example, **Hard 2-13** means battle 13 of stage group 2 on Hard difficulty.

The current configuration contains:

| Stage group | Battles | Display range |
|---:|---:|---|
| 1 | 10 | 1-1 to 1-10 |
| 2–11 | 20 each | n-1 to n-20 |

That is **210 battle templates per difficulty**. The same 210 formations are used for Normal and Hard, giving 420 configured campaign battles in total.

Stage groups 1–10 correspond to Primitive through Divine. The player-facing label for configured stage group 11 has not yet been verified, so this guide does not invent one.

## Waves inside a battle

Each configured battle contains either two or three waves. The progress markers beneath the stage name show movement through the current battle's waves.

All enemies in the same stage group and difficulty use the same base Health and Damage. The battle number changes the number, mixture and arrangement of enemies rather than applying a separate stat multiplier for every successive battle.

This explains why a later battle in the same group can be much harder even though each individual enemy has the same base Health and Damage: the player may face more enemies, more waves or a less favourable mix of melee and ranged attackers.

## Normal and Hard

The current game defines two campaign difficulties:

- **Normal** uses the listed age-scaled enemy values.
- **Hard** reuses the same battle formations but multiplies every enemy's Health and base Damage by **6,000,000**.

This is a very large step. Reaching Hard and then slowing down sharply is normal progression, not evidence that the character has become weaker.

Ranged enemies use approximately **67%** of the corresponding base Damage value. Their ability to attack from range may still make a particular formation dangerous.

## Enemy scaling by stage group

These are **per-enemy** values before the ranged-enemy Damage adjustment. They are not the total Health or Damage of the whole wave.

| Group | Age label | Normal Health | Normal Damage | Hard Health | Hard Damage |
|---:|---|---:|---:|---:|---:|
| 1 | Primitive | 70 | 10 | 420m | 60m |
| 2 | Medieval | 160 | 20 | 960m | 120m |
| 3 | Early-Modern | 640 | 80 | 3.84b | 480m |
| 4 | Modern | 2,560 | 320 | 15.36b | 1.92b |
| 5 | Space | 10,240 | 1,280 | 61.44b | 7.68b |
| 6 | Interstellar | 40,960 | 5,120 | 245.76b | 30.72b |
| 7 | Multiverse | 163,840 | 20,480 | 983.04b | 122.88b |
| 8 | Quantum | 655,360 | 81,920 | 3.93216t | 491.52b |
| 9 | Underworld | 2,621,440 | 327,680 | 15.72864t | 1.96608t |
| 10 | Divine | 15,728,640 | 1,966,080 | 94.37184t | 11.79648t |
| 11 | Name pending | 125,829,120 | 15,728,640 | 754.97472t | 94.37184t |

The full battle difficulty cannot be judged from this table alone. Enemy counts, waves, weapon ranges, attack timing and the player's healing and damage output all matter.

## Why campaign progress matters

Campaign progress opens many of the systems used elsewhere in the game.

Important current unlocks include:

| Stage | Unlocks |
|---|---|
| 1-9 | Offline Coins and Hammers |
| 2-1 | Shop and Starter Package |
| 2-10 | Dungeons, Hammer Thief and Auto Forge |
| 2-15 | Skills, first Skill slot and Ghost Town |
| 3-1 | Pets, first Pet slot and Invasion |
| 3-10 | Arena/Leagues and Chat |
| 4-1 | Personal Tech, second Skill slot and Zombie Rush |
| 4-10 | Second Pet slot |
| 4-15 | Clans |
| 5-1 | Third Skill slot |
| 5-15 | First additional automatic hammer |
| 6-1 | Third Pet slot |
| 6-15 | Stepping Stones |
| 7-15 | Second additional automatic hammer |
| 10-1 | Fairies |

Some systems have additional non-campaign requirements. Ascensions, for example, depend on maxing the relevant Forge or summon level rather than reaching one particular campaign stage.

## Progress Pass rewards

Selected campaign milestones award resources through the Progress Pass. The current data contains separate Normal and Hard milestone tracks, and each milestone has:

- a free reward bundle;
- a separate premium reward bundle.

These are milestone rewards rather than rewards for every battle. A complete lookup table is maintained in the companion Campaign Unlocks and Rewards Reference.

## Campaign and offline income

Offline income unlocks at **1-9**, but the current idle configuration does not increase its basic rate with campaign stage. Its current base settings remain:

- 1 Coin per second;
- 1 Hammer per minute;
- minimum qualifying absence of 10 minutes;
- maximum counted absence of 4 hours.

Campaign progress is still valuable for unlocks and milestone rewards, but players should not assume that every additional stage raises their offline rate.

## Should I keep pushing?

Campaign attempts do not consume Dungeon uses, League tickets, Skill Tickets, Clock Winders or Eggshells. In ordinary play, there is little reason to avoid a campaign attempt that the character may win.

A sensible approach is:

1. Push while stages are being cleared reliably.
2. When stuck, identify whether the character cannot kill the wave quickly enough or cannot survive it.
3. Improve the weakest part of the build through ordinary Forge, equipment, Pet, Mount, Skill and Personal Tech progression.
4. Retry after a meaningful improvement.

Do not spend a scarce saved resource merely because the campaign screen is available. Consider whether the next stage opens something important or whether the same resource is being protected for ascension or Clan War.

## Understanding a failed stage

A failed stage is not explained by Power alone. Two characters with similar displayed Power can perform differently because of:

- Critical Chance and Critical Damage;
- Attack Speed and Double Chance;
- Block, Lifesteal and Health Regen;
- melee or ranged weapon behaviour;
- active Skills and their timing;
- Pet and Mount contributions;
- the size and melee/ranged mixture of the enemy waves.

The displayed Power figure is a useful broad progression indicator, not a guaranteed campaign result.

## Campaign and Clan War

Campaign battles are not one of the scheduled Clan War scoring activities. Continue ordinary campaign progression when useful, but do not confuse a Progress Pass resource reward with active Clan War scoring.

If campaign progression encourages spending a scarce war-scoring resource, apply the established rule:

> Only spend enough active-scoring resource to win. This may mean spending nothing and relying on passive scoring.

## What remains uncertain

- The player-facing name and presentation of configured stage group 11.
- Exactly when the game offers the transition from Normal to Hard on the live screen.
- Whether a defeat immediately repeats the same wave or restarts the whole battle in every current client state.
- The precise ordinary Coin award for defeating campaign enemies; `CoinsPerEnemy` is present, but the complete displayed calculation has not yet been verified.
- Whether all Progress Pass rewards and icons display exactly as the parsed configuration labels imply.

Until these are observed directly, the guide should describe the verified structure without filling the gaps by assumption.


---

<!-- Source book: LEAGUES_PLAYER_GUIDE_v0_1.md -->

# ForgeMaster Ranked Leagues Guide

Status: **Public guide draft v0.1**  
Evidence cutoff: **11 September 2026**

## What Ranked Leagues are

Ranked Leagues—also presented as the **Arena**—are ForgeMaster's individual player-versus-player competition. Players challenge other players, earn a place in a 100-player league table and receive a reward based on their league and finishing position.

Leagues are separate from Clan Wars:

- League position belongs to the individual player, not the clan.
- League battles use daily **Challenge Tickets**, not Clan War battle tickets.
- League rewards are a separate weekly resource payment.
- Personal Tech can improve ordinary equipment, Skill, Pet and Mount contributions used in League battles.

## Unlocking the Arena

The current game configuration unlocks the Arena after main-battle stage **3-10** is reached.

Before that point, a player may still see references to PvP or league rewards without being able to participate.

## The league ladder

The current ladder contains eight positions:

1. Unranked
2. Bronze
3. Silver
4. Gold
5. Platinum
6. Diamond I
7. Diamond II
8. Diamond III

Diamond III is currently the highest league.

Each weekly table has positions 1–100. The current promotion and demotion boundaries are:

| Current league | Promoted | Remain | Demoted |
|---|---:|---:|---:|
| Unranked | Top 90 | 91–100 | None |
| Bronze | Top 80 | 81–100 | None |
| Silver | Top 50 | 51–90 | Below the rank-90 boundary |
| Gold | Top 30 | 31–80 | Below the rank-80 boundary |
| Platinum | Top 20 | 21–70 | Below the rank-70 boundary |
| Diamond I | Top 20 | 21–60 | Below the rank-60 boundary |
| Diamond II | Top 10 | 11–40 | Below the rank-40 boundary |
| Diamond III | None | Top 20 | Below the rank-20 boundary |

The game files store demotion as a boundary value. A live end-of-week capture is still needed to settle whether a player exactly on that numbered boundary is in the safe or demotion band. The table therefore preserves the game's **below the boundary** wording rather than pretending that edge case has been observed.

Promotion normally moves a player one league upward and demotion one league downward. Movement over more than one league in a single weekly settlement has not been observed and should not be assumed.

The League period runs for the same seven-day period as a Clan War. The final ranking determines promotion, staying in the same league or demotion for the next League period. Rewards are collected on day 7.

## Challenge Tickets

The current configuration provides **five Arena Challenge Tickets per day**. The live opponent screen says that Challenge Tickets are replenished every day at **01:00**.

They are **use them or lose them**: unused Challenge Tickets do not carry over to the next day. This works like the daily Dungeon Keys, so there is no resource-saving benefit from leaving a League ticket unused before replenishment.

The screen presents five possible opponents. For a player away from the ends of the table, these are the players immediately **three places above and two places below** the player in the current League ranking. League points determine the order first; players tied on League points are ordered by **Power**. The five remain fixed until somebody scores and the League rankings change; the offered list is then updated from the newly resolved ranking.

A player can inspect an opponent's player card before deciding whom to challenge. The card can show:

- displayed Power;
- Total Damage and Total Health;
- Forge level and ascension stars;
- equipped equipment, Skills, Pets and Mount;
- the opponent's visible combat modifiers.

Every match attempt uses one Challenge Ticket, whether the player wins or loses. A defeat gives no points but does **not** remove any League points already earned.

## Choosing an opponent

Do not choose solely by displayed Power. Power measures raw Base Damage and Base Health; it does not directly include Critical Chance, Critical Damage, Attack Speed, Double Chance, Lifesteal, Block, Regen or the quality of the opponent's equipped Skills.

A sensible choice balances two things:

1. the chance of winning;
2. the league points offered for that opponent.

A difficult opponent may offer more points, but an unwinnable fight has little practical value. Conversely, repeatedly choosing the easiest-looking opponent may produce fewer points than a slightly harder but still favourable match.

Useful checks include:

- ranged versus melee opening advantage;
- whether the opponent has enough Lifesteal and Attack Speed to sustain themselves;
- strong Crit plus Critical Damage combinations;
- Block and Regen on durable builds;
- the three equipped active Skills;
- matching Melee or Ranged Damage for the equipped weapon;
- ordinary Personal Tech bonuses affecting the equipment, Skills, Pets and Mount used in the fight.

The points displayed beside an opponent are the reward for winning that particular match. A defeat gives no points and removes no existing League points; its cost is the Challenge Ticket used for the attempt.

## League battle rules

Current game data sets a **60-second maximum** for an Arena match.

Arena battles use the ordinary combat systems—weapon attacks, Skills, Pets, Mount, modifiers and conditional Tech—but have their own Health weighting:

| Base-Health source | Current Arena weighting |
|---|---:|
| Equipment/player base | 100% |
| Pet contribution | 50% |
| Skill contribution | 50% |
| Mount contribution | 200% |

This is why Arena durability cannot always be inferred by copying the headline contributions from another screen without applying the Arena rules.

Decoded definitions named **League Battle Damage** and **League Battle Health** exist, but they are not placed in the current Personal Tech tree. Do not count them as player-available bonuses unless a future game update actually exposes them.

Still to verify live:

- what happens when neither player is defeated before 60 seconds;
- whether Fairies apply in Arena battles;
- exact draw and same-frame lethal-hit presentation;
- whether the opponent's stored loadout is fixed when the weekly group is created or reflects later equipment changes.

## Ranking and matchmaking

League rank is based primarily on accumulated League points. When two or more players have the same League-point score, displayed Power breaks the tie and determines their order. Historical captures show a table containing the player plus up to 99 other ranked players.

The opponent list is ranking-based rather than a separate set of Power-matched selections: it normally shows the three players immediately above and two immediately below the player after equal-point ties have been ordered by Power. Because anyone scoring can change the rankings, the list can also change when another player battles.

This also explains why the offers can become harder after early wins: scoring moves the player upward in the table, so the adjacent ranked players are likely to be stronger competitors. It is not evidence of a hidden Power-matching penalty.

Handling at the very top and bottom of the table still needs a direct capture.

If all five offers look poor:

- inspect the full cards rather than rejecting them from Power alone;
- look for a favourable weapon/build matchup;
- compare the points available with the actual risk;
- improve the build before spending the next ticket if the opponent list can safely wait.

## Weekly rewards

Rewards depend on both the league and the finishing band:

- 1st
- 2nd
- 3rd
- 4th–5th
- 6th–10th
- 11th–20th
- 21st–50th
- 51st–100th

Possible reward resources are:

- Hammers;
- Coins;
- Skill Tickets;
- Eggshells;
- red Personal Tech Potions;
- Clock Winders;
- green Clan Tech Potions in Diamond II and Diamond III.

Higher finishing positions generally receive more of each included resource. Higher leagues provide substantially larger bundles, but the mix also changes:

- Unranked has no Clock Winders in the current table.
- Bronze awards Clock Winders only in its top two positions.
- Silver and above award Clock Winders throughout all finishing bands.
- Diamond II and Diamond III replace Coins with green Clan Tech Potions.
- Diamond III uses the same non-green resource amounts as Diamond II but awards substantially more green potions.

See [League Rewards Reference](LEAGUE_REWARDS_REFERENCE_v0_1.md) for the complete current table.

League rewards are relatively small, although higher leagues provide larger rewards. When planning ascension or Clan War reserves, add a League reward only after the day-7 result is final and the reward has been collected; do not count an expected high finish as though it had already been paid.

### League reward breakpoints and delayed Power

A temporary Power gain has weekly reward value only if it changes the final finish band: 1, 2, 3, 4–5, 6–10, 11–20, 21–50 or 51–100. Movement within the same band pays nothing extra.

Under a neutral benchmark where unboosted rank is uniformly distributed from 1 to 100 and the gain improves rank by exactly \(d\) places, the chance of crossing any reward boundary is 7% for one place, 12% for two, 16% for three, 24% for five and 39% for ten. The chance that the gain specifically crosses into the top 10 is \(d/100\) for \(d\leq90\). These are combinatorial benchmarks rather than individual forecasts: real results depend on live League points, activity and Power tie-breaks.

## Practical weekly approach

1. Check the current promotion, safe and demotion boundaries.
2. Use the opponent cards rather than Power alone.
3. Prefer a reliable points return over a glamorous but improbable win.
4. Recheck the table late in the week; other players can continue scoring.
5. Protect a promotion or safe position rather than assuming an earlier rank will hold.
6. Record the final league, rank and collected reward before using it in resource planning.

## Common misunderstandings

### “I beat somebody with more Power, so the game is wrong”

Power does not include most combat modifiers. A lower-Power build can legitimately win through Crit, Attack Speed, Double, Lifesteal, Block, Regen, Skills or a favourable melee/ranged matchup.

### “I am rank 20, so I receive every reward above rank 20”

No. The reward bands are alternatives. A rank-20 finish receives the 11th–20th bundle once.

### “Unranked means I am not taking part”

Unranked is the starting league and has its own 100-place table, promotion boundary and rewards.

### “League and Clan War tickets are the same”

No. They are separate participation allowances belonging to different modes.

### “I should save today's Challenge Tickets for tomorrow”

No. The five daily tickets do not carry over. Use them before the next replenishment or lose them.

### “Displayed Power tells me which opponent is safest”

It is a useful first clue, but not a battle verdict. Inspect the actual combat package.

## What remains uncertain

- the exact day-7 settlement/reset time and detailed collection sequence;
- how the five-opponent list is filled at the top and bottom edges of the table;
- the inclusive treatment of the exact demotion-boundary position;
- how players are initially assigned to each 100-player League table;
- time-limit, draw and same-frame lethal-hit resolution;
- Fairy eligibility in Arena battles;
- whether a weekly opponent's later loadout changes are reflected immediately.

These uncertainties should be resolved with ordinary player-visible screenshots or short recordings. They do not prevent publication of the league names, daily allowance, battle timer, promotion structure or current rewards.

---

<!-- Source book: STEPPING_STONES_PLAYER_GUIDE_v0_1.md -->

# ForgeMaster Stepping Stones Guide

Status: **Player-facing draft v0.1**  
Evidence cutoff: **11 September 2026**

Stepping Stones is a recurring chance-based minigame, observed roughly every other week for about five days. Check the live event timer because the exact schedule is not yet established.

## How it works

- One token buys one play.
- Every jump is displayed as a 50/50 choice: one stone is safe and one breaks.
- Later tiles offer better rewards.
- Play consumes one token; Auto ×20 consumes 20 tokens and automates 20 games.

Auto ×20 is confirmed as a time-saving option. There is no evidence that it improves odds or rewards.

## Tokens

The shop offers **eight free tokens per event day**. Unclaimed daily shop tokens do **not** roll over, but claimed tokens in the player's balance **can accumulate**. Extra tokens may be purchased for real money, but buying them is optional.

Claim all eight free tokens each day even if you plan to wait until you have 20 for Auto ×20.

## Visible reward ladder

| Furthest tile | Displayed reward |
|---:|---|
| 1 | 2 Hammers and 200 Coins |
| 2 | 4 Hammers and 500 Coins |
| 3 | 8 Hammers and 700 Coins |
| 4 | 20 Hammers and 700 Coins |
| 5 | 40 Hammers and 1,000 Coins |
| 6 | Disguise Glasses or Paper Hat; +1% Damage or Health |
| 7 | 150 Hammers and 2,000 Coins |
| 8 | Random Skin; +2%–12% Damage or Health |

A **10.5%** skin has been won directly, confirming that values can exceed 10%. The displayed 12% is the best current maximum, although a 12% award has not yet been directly captured.

Skins apply to weapons, helmets and armour. Three matching skins complete a named set and activate an additional set bonus. The pictured Knight set grants **+10% Damage and Health** when complete. Exact reward settlement, evolution, modifier stacking, duplicate handling, cadence and duration remain unresolved.