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PROTOCOL 03 // ARENAS

The map bites back.

Each arena combines base pressure, a time limit, a T1–T7 Kill Contract, a boss, its own horde profile and climax. Contracts only raise the kill target: they do not add enemies or modify HP, damage, or density.

CATALOG // STAGE-012

Arena map

STAGES 01–12 · SOURCE f7d2644

STAGE 01

Dark Forest

1.00×

Standard horde. Forest Ogre.

15:00limit750T110base coins

BOSS: Forest Ogre · MERCHANT: no

Ramp: base

STAGE 02

Profaned Cemetery

1.35×

Aggressive horde. Ancient Reaper.

15:00limit900T120base coins

BOSS: Ancient Reaper · MERCHANT: yes

Ramp: base

STAGE 03

Forgotten Dungeon

1.75×

Heavy horde. Dungeon Lord.

15:00limit1,125T135base coins

BOSS: Dungeon Lord · MERCHANT: no

Ramp: base

STAGE 04

Crimson Volcano

2.10×

Blazing horde. Lava Elemental.

15:00limit1,275T145base coins

BOSS: Lava Elemental · MERCHANT: yes

Ramp: base

STAGE 05

Glacial Peak

2.50×

Icy horde. Ice Colossus.

20:00limit1,800T160base coins

BOSS: Ice Colossus · MERCHANT: yes

Ramp: base

STAGE 06

Dark Swamp

1.90×

Amphibious horde. Swamp Guardian.

20:00limit1,900T180base coins

BOSS: Swamp Guardian · MERCHANT: yes

Ramp: base

STAGE 07

Gale Desert

2.30×

Agile horde. Sand Sultan.

20:00limit2,000T1100base coins

BOSS: Sand Sultan · MERCHANT: yes

Ramp: base

STAGE 08

Empty Cathedral

2.60×

Elite horde. Fallen Archangel.

25:00limit2,625T1110base coins

BOSS: Fallen Archangel · MERCHANT: no

Ramp: base

STAGE 09

Forgotten Cove

2.40×

Numerous horde. Abyssal Tide Beast.

25:00limit2,750T1120base coins

BOSS: Abyssal Tide Beast · MERCHANT: no

Ramp: base

NO COVER IN THE
CURRENT CANONICAL PACKAGE

STAGE 10

Abyss of the Starved

2.95×

Rising acceleration. Abyss Herald.

30:00limit3,450T1145base coins

BOSS: Abyss Herald · MERCHANT: yes

Ramp: 10% time · 1.2% per level · cap 1.42×

NO COVER IN THE
CURRENT CANONICAL PACKAGE

STAGE 11

Unstable Rift

3.35×

Cascading elites. Rift Heart.

30:00limit3,600T1170base coins

BOSS: Rift Heart · MERCHANT: no

Ramp: 14% time · 1.6% per level · cap 1.55×

NO COVER IN THE
CURRENT CANONICAL PACKAGE

STAGE 12

Void Citadel

3.80×

Maximum pressure. Void Sovereign.

30:00limit3,750T1200base coins

BOSS: Void Sovereign · MERCHANT: yes

Ramp: 18% time · 2% per level · cap 1.68× · density 1.45×

NEW GOAL AUTHORITY. `KillGoalCatalog` now uses the T1 value from `StageKillContractCatalog` on every arena. The old 60/80-style goals are no longer the canonical objective for HUD, climax, or telemetry.

WORLD

Every arena has its own scenery.

12 BACKGROUNDS · VISUAL LANDMARK

Arena presentation is also part of the current contract: all 12 stages resolve a dedicated thematic background, and the merchant uses a dedicated visual shop landmark whenever available. The artwork does not block enemies or create a safe zone.

Arena	Visual
Dark Forest	Dedicated arena theme
Profaned Cemetery	Dedicated arena theme
Forgotten Dungeon	Dedicated arena theme
Crimson Volcano	Dedicated arena theme
Glacial Peak	Dedicated arena theme
Dark Swamp	Dedicated arena theme
Gale Desert	Dedicated arena theme
Empty Cathedral	Dedicated arena theme
Forgotten Cove	Dedicated arena theme
Abyss of the Starved	Dedicated arena theme
Unstable Rift	Dedicated arena theme
Void Citadel	Dedicated arena theme

12 dedicated backgrounds

StageAssetResolver maps each of the 12 published arenas to its own thematic background. arena_background_v2.png remains only as the explicit fallback when a stage-specific asset is unavailable.

Visible in-arena shop

When the merchant is available, ArenaSpriteRenderer draws merchant_shop_world_v1.png as the shop landmark behind the character; the old procedural booth is not stacked over the dedicated artwork.

The stall is presentation-only

MerchantWorldPresentationRules is explicitly visual-only. The stall artwork creates no collision, spawn exclusion, or enemy safe zone.

Merchant position does not block combat

0.1.19 removed merchant enemy-exclusion rules. Enemies may approach or cross the visual landmark area; only interaction distance remains owned by merchant systems.

FALLBACK, NOT DEFAULT. gfx/stages/common/arena_background_v2.png remains the fallback; the current resolver has a dedicated path for every published arena.

T1–T7

Per-arena Kill Contracts

7 CONTRACTS · T7 SUPREME

Each arena stores its own completed Tier. T1 uses the base goal; T2–T7 multiply that same goal up to 7×. An exceptional run can cross several tiers at once, but each reward is granted only once per arena.

Arena	Kills/min	T1	T2	T3	T4	T5	T6	T7 Supreme
Dark Forest	50	750	1,500	2,250	3,000	3,750	4,500	5,250
Profaned Cemetery	60	900	1,800	2,700	3,600	4,500	5,400	6,300
Forgotten Dungeon	75	1,125	2,250	3,375	4,500	5,625	6,750	7,875
Crimson Volcano	85	1,275	2,550	3,825	5,100	6,375	7,650	8,925
Glacial Peak	90	1,800	3,600	5,400	7,200	9,000	10,800	12,600
Shadow Swamp	95	1,900	3,800	5,700	7,600	9,500	11,400	13,300
Windblown Desert	100	2,000	4,000	6,000	8,000	10,000	12,000	14,000
Empty Cathedral	105	2,625	5,250	7,875	10,500	13,125	15,750	18,375
Cove of the Forgotten	110	2,750	5,500	8,250	11,000	13,750	16,500	19,250
Abyss of the Starved	115	3,450	6,900	10,350	13,800	17,250	20,700	24,150
Unstable Rift	120	3,600	7,200	10,800	14,400	18,000	21,600	25,200
Void Citadel	125	3,750	7,500	11,250	15,000	18,750	22,500	26,250

T1 replaces the legacy mission

Each arena's canonical kill goal is now its T1 contract. Completing it for the first time marks the stage mission and still unlocks the next arena as before.

T1 → T7 raises the goal, not the horde

Each tier requires 1×, 2×, 3×, 4×, 5×, 6×, or 7× the stage base goal. The contract itself never increases spawn, density, HP, or enemy damage.

One run can skip several tiers

Kills are measured within the same run. If the run reaches several new contract thresholds, every newly reached tier is consolidated and paid once for that arena.

Defeat and abandon can still advance

Finalization evaluates contracts from the run's actual kill count even without victory. Infinity is separate and does not advance T1–T7 contracts.

T7 Supreme retires the directive

The first T7 completion grants 1 Core, records Supreme, and permanently removes the directive from that stage. During the same run it disappears as soon as the T7 target is reached.

Tier	Coins	Essence	Core	Rule
T1	1× stage reward	5 + 2× stage index	0	If normal victory already paid the stage reward, T1 does not duplicate that payment.
T2	1× stage reward	0	0	One-time reward per arena.
T3	1× stage reward	0	0	One-time reward per arena.
T4	1.5× stage reward	0	0	One-time reward per arena.
T5	2× stage reward	+1	0	Economy reinforcement.
T6	2.5× stage reward	+1	0	Penultimate contract.
T7 SUPREME	3× stage reward	+2	1	Retires contracts for that arena.

NO EXTRA MOBS. Contracts only measure how many enemies were killed in the same run. Spawn, density, health, and damage remain owned by horde/difficulty systems. After the first T7 completion, the directive permanently disappears from that arena.

HORDE

Every stage owns its roster.

STAGE HORDE CATALOG

Forest uses dedicated time windows and is deliberately restricted to SWARM, GRUNT and RUNNER. Other arenas advance through progress bands that change archetype eligibility and relative weight. Infinity keeps its own endgame curve.

Arena	Profile	Pacing	Bands	Identity
Dark Forest	Runner Introduction	confidence	0–25 s · 25–45 s · 45–70 s · 70–90 s · 90 s+	opens with 100% SWARM; gradually introduces GRUNT and RUNNER and keeps only those three archetypes throughout Stage 1
Profaned Cemetery	Siege of the Swift	sequential	0% · 15% · 35% · 55% · 75% · 90%	GRUNT/RUNNER open the stage; goblins and ranged arrive later while heavies, summoners and elites are reserved for later arenas
Forgotten Dungeon	Wall of the Heavy	sequential	0% · 15% · 35% · 55% · 75% · 90%	TANK defines the identity and progressively gains support from other archetypes
Crimson Volcano	Blazing Clamor	sequential	0% · 15% · 35% · 55% · 75% · 90%	SWARM appears from the start and the mix grows with ranged, tank and elite
Glacial Peak	Frost Vigil	sequential	0% · 15% · 35% · 55% · 75% · 90%	TANK opens pressure while ranged/summoner enter later windows
Dark Swamp	Swamp of Hunters	sequential	0% · 15% · 35% · 55% · 75% · 90%	mixes hunters and goblins early and broadens composition late
Gale Desert	Storm of the Swift	aggressive	0% · 15% · 35% · 55% · 75% · 90%	RUNNER carries major weight and remains relevant through final assault
Empty Cathedral	Choir of Elites	aggressive	0% · 15% · 35% · 55% · 75% · 90%	RANGED and ELITE gain weight with summoner support late
Forgotten Cove	Combined Horde	aggressive	0% · 15% · 35% · 55% · 75% · 90%	combines land and aquatic rosters including Brine Stalker, Coral Bulwark and Ink Wraith
Abyss of the Starved	Abyss of the Hungry	aggressive	0% · 15% · 35% · 55% · 75% · 90%	RUNNER and Brine Stalker pressure early; Ink Wraith and support appear later
Unstable Rift	Unstable Rift	aggressive	0% · 15% · 35% · 55% · 75% · 90%	RUNNER opens the stage and SUMMONER/ELITE grow as the rift escalates
Void Citadel	Void Citadel	aggressive	0% · 15% · 35% · 55% · 75% · 90%	TANK enters immediately and the full roster converges late
Infinity	Merciless Infinity	infinity	0% · 30% · 55% · 78% · 92%	dedicated profile increasingly weights elites, summoners and endgame composition

WAVES

Difficulty warms up by wave and by stage.

30 S · 12 WARM-UP TIERS

WavePacingRules spreads the opening across roughly six minutes: each wave lasts 30 seconds, the first twelve tiers rise progressively, and wave 12+ keeps the maximum base tier while Difficulty Director continues scaling by progress, level and dominance. Bonus spawns start only at wave 7.

Wave	Window	Spawn	Group	HP	Damage	Speed	Read
1	0–29 s	0.60×	0.78×	0.92×	0.90×	0.95×	confidence opening
2	30–59 s	0.64×	0.80×	0.93×	0.91×	0.96×	3-second opening breather
3	60–89 s	0.68×	0.82×	0.94×	0.92×	0.97×	warm-up
4	90–119 s	0.72×	0.84×	0.95×	0.93×	0.98×	warm-up
5	120–149 s	0.76×	0.86×	0.96×	0.94×	0.99×	warm-up
6	150–179 s	0.80×	0.90×	0.97×	0.95×	1.00×	last wave without bonus spawns
7	180–209 s	0.85×	0.94×	0.98×	0.96×	1.01×	bonus spawns become eligible
8	210–239 s	0.90×	0.98×	1.00×	0.98×	1.02×	mid pressure
9	240–269 s	0.96×	1.02×	1.02×	1.00×	1.03×	damage baseline
10	270–299 s	1.02×	1.07×	1.04×	1.02×	1.04×	pressure above baseline
11	300–329 s	1.10×	1.13×	1.07×	1.05×	1.05×	advanced escalation
12+	330 s+	1.18×	1.20×	1.10×	1.08×	1.06×	max tier; Director keeps scaling

Stage 1 has a six-minute confidence window

In Forest, common enemies stay at 0.60× nominal difficulty for the first 180 seconds and smoothly recover to 1.00× from 180–360 seconds.

Stage 2 preserves nominal difficulty

Cemetery does not receive an extra common-enemy opening ramp.

Stages 3+ warm up from 12% to 82%

Opening difficulty starts at 1.08× on Stage 3 and rises +0.045 per stage, capped by target difficulty; interpolation uses smoothstep.

Advanced cadence is compressed

Difficulties above 1.35× use cadence compression with a 1.85× cap so later arenas do not open at endgame frequency.

Wave transitions provide a short breather

From wave 2 onward, the first 3 seconds recover the spawn multiplier from 0.64× to 1.00×.

ANTI-CLUMPING. EnemySpatialIndex remains shared by movement and local queries. The arena separates a 300-slot physical pool, 180 common-enemy baseline, stepped headroom up to 280 and 4 boss-reserved slots. Cell 80 u, up to 10 relevant neighbors, 28 u max push, padding boss +30 · heavy +14 · swarm↔swarm +5 · default +9.

CLIMAX

The arena changes rules near the end.

STAGES 1–12 ROLLOUT

The climax system is enabled across all 12 stages. Forest stays on the baseline with no special climax; from Stage 2 onward each arena gets its own triggers, pressure and — in several cases — dedicated hazards. Climax is separate from regular temporary stage events.

Arena	Climax	Trigger	Activation	Duration	Hazard	Pressure
Dark Forest	No special climax	arena baseline	—	—	none	normal profile
Profaned Cemetery	Necromancy	time ≥ 70% OR dominance ≥ 18%	never before 35%	55 s · repeatable after 45 s	none	spawn up to 1.08× · group 1.10× · runner/elite reinforcement
Forgotten Dungeon	Iron Siege	kill goal OR time ≥ 70%	never before 35%	60 s	none	spawn 1.20× · group 1.35× · tank/elite focus
Crimson Volcano	Eruption	time ≥ 65%	65%	75 s	fire zone · 4.5 s	hazards gain weight with camping
Glacial Peak	Whiteout	time ≥ 70%	70%	70 s	ice zone · 5.5 s	fewer runners, more ranged/elite
Dark Swamp	Corruption	time ≥ 48%	48%	persistent	corruption zone · 7 s	spawn 1.08× · group 1.10× · phase 2 at 80%
Gale Desert	Sand Hunt	dominance ≥ 18% OR time ≥ 70%	never before 35%	65 s	none	spawn/group 1.18× · large RUNNER bonus
Empty Cathedral	Fallen Choir	time ≥ 70%	70%	70 s	none	spawn 1.12× · group 1.16× · ranged/summoner/elite
Forgotten Cove	Drowned Tide	kill goal OR time ≥ 75%	never before 45%	70 s	none	spawn 1.18× · group 1.28× · combined roster
Abyss of the Starved	Abyssal Hunger	time ≥ 50%	50%	persistent · phases at 75% and 90%	rift portal · 7 s	spawn 1.20× · group 1.25× · ranged/summoner accelerate
Unstable Rift	Rift Breach	time ≥ 65%	65%	persistent	rift portal · 5 s	spawn 1.18× · group 1.28× · elite/summoner
Void Citadel	Void Siege	time ≥ 40%	40%	persistent · phases at 70% and 90%	void zone · 5.5 s	spawn 1.22× · group 1.28× · ranged/summoner/elite

ANNOUNCEMENTS. Runtime emits a dedicated callout when a climax starts. Some climaxes also suppress incompatible regular events while active.

HAZARDS

Danger is telegraphed before damage.

TELEGRAPH + FIXED POOL

Hazard	Warning	Duration	Canonical effect
Fire Zone	0.85 s	2.8 s	13 base damage per tick before intensity; ticks every 0.55 s
Ice Zone	1.10 s	5 s	3 base damage per tick and movement reduced to 0.72×
Corruption Zone	1.10 s	7 s	5 base damage per tick; area and damage scale
Void Zone	0.90 s	4 s	10 base damage per tick
Rift Portal	1.00 s	1.8 s	opens a reinforcement of 2–5 enemies

ANTI-CAMPING. Telemetry uses a rolling 6-second window. After a full window with less than 42 units traveled, camping pressure rises after 5 seconds and normalizes by 12 seconds, scaled by the arena. Reference: 6 s window, 42 units minimum movement, 5 s grace, normalized by 12 s.

∞

Infinity mastery is per arena.

SEPARATE FROM CONTRACTS

Infinity does not progress T1–T7 contracts. Its own mastery remains independent per arena through 7,500 → 12,500 → 20,000 → 32,500 → 50,000 → 75,000 → 100,000 → 125,000 → 150,000 → 175,000, then +25,000 kills per additional farm.

FIRST GLOBAL FARM

7,500 kills

The account's first eligible Infinity completion grants one global one-time Core.

FARM 6

75,000 kills

+1 Ascension Core in that stage.

FARM 8

125,000 kills

+1 Ascension Core in that stage.

FARM 10

175,000 kills

+1 Ascension Core in that stage.

Pressure bands

TIME + ADAPTIVE ESCALATION

The difficulty director measures progress, expected level, proximity, dominance, kill speed and camping signals. At each band, group size, health, damage, speed, spawn rate and XP scale together; climax adds its own layer on top of that snapshot.

0–34%

Opening

OPENING

Base pressure; the player has room to establish the first build decisions.

Spawn 1× · group 1× · HP 1× · damage 1× · speed 1× · XP 1× · distance 860–1120

35–59%

Pressure

PRESSURE

Pacing accelerates and the composition begins to demand repositioning.

Spawn 1.22× · group 1.15× · HP 1.07× · damage 1.05× · speed 1.05× · XP 1.04× · distance 780–1000

60–79%

Danger

DANGER

Enemy health, damage, pacing, and speed rise; bosses can overlap depending on the arena.

Spawn 1.45× · group 1.35× · HP 1.15× · damage 1.12× · speed 1.12× · XP 1.08× · distance 700–900

80–91%

Onslaught

ONSLAUGHT

Horde volume and concurrent boss capacity enter the siege phase.

Spawn 1.70× · group 1.60× · HP 1.24× · damage 1.20× · speed 1.20× · XP 1.14× · distance 620–820

92–100%

Final Assault

FINAL_ASSAULT

The game shows the final warning and raises multipliers before the arena's real time limit.

Spawn 2.05× · group 1.95× · HP 1.32× · damage 1.26× · speed 1.30× · XP 1.20× · distance 560–760

BOSSES

Encounters have their own rhythm and identity.

NATIVE FIRST · VISITORS LATER

PER-STAGE SCHEDULE

First / interval

S1 215/240 s · S2 120/180 s · S3 135/195 s · S4 120/180 s · S5 150/210 s · S6 216/360 s · S7 216/360 s · S8 200/300 s · S9 270/420 s · S10 324/540 s · S11 324/540 s · S12 324/540 s.

1 → 4

Concurrent limit

The simultaneous cap grows from 1 to 3 with progress; Infinity and invasions can raise the ceiling to 4.

Base coins per boss

The kill grants 15 base coins before multipliers. Physical pickup rolls are separate: 75% chance and common value 1.

BOSS ONBOARDING. On Stage 1 the boss uses 0.55× HP, 0.60× damage and 0.72× speed; Stage 2 uses 0.70× HP, 0.75× damage and 0.78× speed. The first encounter always uses the stage's native boss.

VICTORY ≠ CONTRACT. Normal victory still follows the stage endpoint. The Kill Contract is evaluated separately from actual kills at run finalization and may advance even on defeat or abandon.