Cinch — Progression Map

← play
Generated from the game's own unlock tables at every build · 78 nodes, 47 arrows · rows are swimlanes by category, columns are power level (depth + 10×(level-1)) · Power Levels → · Fusion Map → for per-guard class fusion (not covered here)
Trigger — something you do Ladder Cells Roster Protocols Forge Gemsmith Gear Lattice
PL 0
PL 1
PL 4
PL 5
PL 6
PL 10
PL 12
PL 15
PL 17
PL 18
PL 20
PL 23
PL 25
PL 26
PL 28
PL 30
PL 34
PL 38
PL 40
PL 45
PL 47
PL 48
PL 50
PL 58
Ladder — map clears & verb unlocks
Cells
Roster
Protocols
Forge — cinch tiers & refining
Gemsmith — cinch panel & boss augments
Gear — hero & guard equipment
Lattice
TRIGGER Clear The Castle Grounds (first time, any depth)
The 3rd boss kill of your very first Level 1 run — unlocks Level 2 for selection.
→ Clear The Entrance Hall (first time, any depth)
TRIGGER Clear The Castle Grounds at Depth 1
→ NOVA
ladder NOVA
NOVA — a radial burst that damages and staggers every enemy around your hero, on a longer cooldown than CINCH. Your second offensive verb. Unlocked by clearing The Castle Grounds's 3rd boss at Depth 1.
from: Clear The Castle Grounds at Depth 1
TRIGGER Clear The Entrance Hall (first time, any depth)
Unlocks Level 3 for selection.
→ Clear The Dungeons (first time, any depth)
TRIGGER Clear The Entrance Hall at Depth 2
→ TELEPORT
ladder TELEPORT
TELEPORT — drag away from your hero to blink there instantly, charging enemies along the path and stunning everything on landing. A reposition, not a nuke. Unlocked by clearing The Entrance Hall's 3rd boss at Depth 2.
from: Clear The Entrance Hall at Depth 2
TRIGGER Clear The Dungeons (first time, any depth)
Unlocks Level 4 for selection.
→ Clear The Royal Chambers (first time, any depth)
TRIGGER Clear The Dungeons at Depth 3
→ SHOCKWAVE
ladder SHOCKWAVE
SHOCKWAVE — THE UNLOCK LADDER's Depth 3 milestone. Cleared The Dungeons's 3rd boss at Depth 3.
from: Clear The Dungeons at Depth 3
TRIGGER Clear The Royal Chambers (first time, any depth)
Unlocks Level 5 for selection.
→ Clear The Throne Room at Depth 5
TRIGGER Clear The Royal Chambers at Depth 4
→ RIFT
ladder RIFT
RIFT — THE UNLOCK LADDER's Depth 4 milestone. Cleared The Royal Chambers's 3rd boss at Depth 4.
from: Clear The Royal Chambers at Depth 4
TRIGGER Clear The Throne Room at Depth 5
→ ASCENDANCE
ladder ASCENDANCE
ASCENDANCE — THE UNLOCK LADDER's Depth 5 milestone, its capstone. Cleared The Throne Room's 3rd boss at Depth 5.
from: Clear The Throne Room at Depth 5
TRIGGER First boss kill
Any level, any boss — the very first one you ever slay, lifetime.
→ Blood Gems
cells Blood Gems
Bosses begin dropping socketable gems for guards/the cinch.
from: First boss kill
TRIGGER Defeat 5,000 lifetime
→ New Level-0 recruit
TRIGGER Slay 10 bosses
→ New Level-0 recruit
TRIGGER Complete 25 feats
→ New Level-0 recruit
roster New Level-0 recruit
A fresh Warden joins your bench. Each milestone claims once, ever.
from: Defeat 5,000 lifetime + Slay 10 bosses + Complete 25 feats
TRIGGER Win the Vanguard Rite
Pledge a bench guard + 3 Core Slag + 2 Surgestone + 1 Vanguard Sigil, at L1 / Depth 5 (forced on arming), then win 3 boss kills in that run. The guard is safe either way; failing refunds the materials in full (2026-08-02 fix).
→ 4th guard slot
roster 4th guard slot
Permanent +1 roster slot fielded every run, from here on.
from: Win the Vanguard Rite
TRIGGER First TRANSCEND
Fuse guards of the same tier into one of the next tier, for the first time ever.
→ Rite materials drop
protocols Rite materials drop
Core Slag, Surgestone, Plateshard, Vanguard Sigil, Ascension Ember start dropping from boss kills, surge survives and unique/Shieldbearer kills. See the footer for exact per-material odds.
from: First TRANSCEND
TRIGGER Clear The Entrance Hall at Depth 2
Same condition as Teleport, further up in the Ladder lane — Crucible additionally needs materials.
→ Crucible Protocol
protocols Crucible Protocol
Pledge 3 capped Tier-2 guards and the materials, then complete the Crucible to forge one Tier-3 guard. Costs: 3 Core Slag + 3 Surgestone + 2 Plateshard.
from: Rite materials drop + Clear The Entrance Hall at Depth 2
TRIGGER Clear The Royal Chambers at Depth 4
Same condition as Rift, further up in the Ladder lane — Ascension additionally needs materials.
→ Ascension Protocol
protocols Ascension Protocol
Pledge 4 capped Tier-3 guards and the materials, then complete the Ascension to forge one Tier-4 guard. Costs: 5 Core Slag + 3 Plateshard + 1 Ascension Ember.
from: Rite materials drop + Clear The Royal Chambers at Depth 4
TRIGGER Clear The Castle Grounds (first time, any depth)
→ THE FORGE (panel)
forge THE FORGE (panel)
The panel itself becomes visible — Cinch Tier purchases open immediately; REFINE stays locked until Level 4.
from: Clear The Castle Grounds (first time, any depth)
TRIGGER Clear The Royal Chambers (first time, any depth)
→ Refining unlocked
forge Refining unlocked
Spends Slag Ingots to permanently raise a drafted card's per-stack value beyond its normal cap. The hardest-earned gate in the game by design — ingots can bank from The Royal Chambers kills before REFINE itself unlocks.
from: Clear The Royal Chambers (first time, any depth)
TRIGGER Clear The Castle Grounds at Depth 4
Makes Cinch Tier 1 buyable — does not grant it by itself.
→ Cinch Tier 1
TRIGGER Buy at THE FORGE (3 Core Slag)
→ Cinch Tier 1
forge Cinch Tier 1
Cinch — Shatter — Reach 9 · Damage 21 — Caught enemies take +25% damage from your next cinch (2.5s window) — chain cinches into the same pack to escalate it.
from: Clear The Castle Grounds at Depth 4 + Buy at THE FORGE (3 Core Slag)
TRIGGER Clear The Entrance Hall at Depth 5
Makes Cinch Tier 2 buyable — does not grant it by itself.
→ Cinch Tier 2
TRIGGER Buy at THE FORGE (5 Core Slag + 2 Surgestone)
→ Cinch Tier 2
forge Cinch Tier 2
Cinch — Compression — Reach 9 · Damage 29 — Bonus damage scaled by how far each enemy was actually dragged this cinch — a long yank hits harder than a short one.
from: Clear The Entrance Hall at Depth 5 + Buy at THE FORGE (5 Core Slag + 2 Surgestone)
TRIGGER Clear The Dungeons at Depth 6
Makes Cinch Tier 3 buyable — does not grant it by itself.
→ Cinch Tier 3
TRIGGER Buy at THE FORGE (8 Core Slag + 3 Surgestone + 2 Plateshard)
→ Cinch Tier 3
forge Cinch Tier 3
Cinch — Collapse — Reach 9 · Damage 36 — An enemy that dies while still gripped detonates into its neighbours — a chain reaction through a packed cluster.
from: Clear The Dungeons at Depth 6 + Buy at THE FORGE (8 Core Slag + 3 Surgestone + 2 Plateshard)
TRIGGER Clear The Royal Chambers at Depth 8
Makes Cinch Tier 4 buyable — does not grant it by itself.
→ Cinch Tier 4
TRIGGER Buy at THE FORGE (12 Core Slag + 3 Plateshard + 1 Ascension Ember)
→ Cinch Tier 4
forge Cinch Tier 4
Cinch — Singularity — Reach 9 · Damage 43 — The cinch point keeps dragging in anything caught for 1.5s after the snap — latecomers within the first 0.35s still get swept in.
from: Clear The Royal Chambers at Depth 8 + Buy at THE FORGE (12 Core Slag + 3 Plateshard + 1 Ascension Ember)
TRIGGER Buy at THE FORGE (6 Core Slag + 3 Surgestone + 2 Plateshard)
→ EFFICIENT PROTOCOLS
forge EFFICIENT PROTOCOLS
One-time purchase: every feat target is 10% cheaper (×0.9, ceil, min 1), forever after. Existing progress toward a feat is untouched — only the target shrinks.
from: Buy at THE FORGE (6 Core Slag + 3 Surgestone + 2 Plateshard)
TRIGGER Clear The Castle Grounds (first time, any depth)
→ Gemsmith card
gemsmith Gemsmith card
The cinch’s own permanent weapon panel becomes visible — not gated further by Depth or anything else.
from: Clear The Castle Grounds (first time, any depth)
TRIGGER First kill: THE MAGNET
Boss 4 of Level 1, once cleared to Depth 6
→ +15% CINCH radius
gemsmith +15% CINCH radius
THE MAGNET's own INVERSE CINCH, tamed — the catch radius flares 15% wider, permanently.
from: First kill: THE MAGNET
TRIGGER First kill: THE BULWARK KING
Boss 4 of Level 2, once cleared to Depth 7
→ +40% dmg vs Shieldbearers
gemsmith +40% dmg vs Shieldbearers
Forged from THE BULWARK KING's own shattered frontal plating — every hero hit lands 40% harder on Shieldbearers.
from: First kill: THE BULWARK KING
TRIGGER First kill: THE SUNDERER
Boss 4 of Level 3, once cleared to Depth 5
→ -15% CINCH/NOVA cooldown
gemsmith -15% CINCH/NOVA cooldown
THE SUNDERER's own RIFT PULSE cadence, stolen — CINCH and NOVA both recharge 15% faster.
from: First kill: THE SUNDERER
TRIGGER First kill: THE ZENITH
Boss 4 of Level 5, once cleared to Depth 7
→ +30% dmg vs Bosses
gemsmith +30% dmg vs Bosses
THE ZENITH's own collapsing ring, turned inward — every hero hit lands 30% harder on bosses.
from: First kill: THE ZENITH
TRIGGER Clear The Castle Grounds to Depth 10
→ Hero Weapon
gear Hero Weapon
Hero +15% max HP.
from: Clear The Castle Grounds to Depth 10
TRIGGER Clear The Entrance Hall to Depth 10
→ Hero Breastplate
gear Hero Breastplate
Guards +10% max HP.
from: Clear The Entrance Hall to Depth 10
TRIGGER Clear The Dungeons to Depth 10
→ Hero Greaves
gear Hero Greaves
Hero +10% move speed · Guard revive duration -20%.
from: Clear The Dungeons to Depth 10
TRIGGER Clear The Royal Chambers to Depth 10
→ Hero Gauntlets
gear Hero Gauntlets
Guards +15% damage.
from: Clear The Royal Chambers to Depth 10
TRIGGER Clear The Throne Room to Depth 10
→ Hero Helmet
gear Hero Helmet
Guard fall-away revive duration -25%.
from: Clear The Throne Room to Depth 10
TRIGGER Clear The Castle Grounds to Depth 18
→ Guard Weapon
gear Guard Weapon
Guards +5% damage (nominal +10%, 50%-effective).
from: Clear The Castle Grounds to Depth 18
TRIGGER Clear The Entrance Hall to Depth 18
→ Guard Breastplate
gear Guard Breastplate
Guards +5% max HP (nominal +10%, 50%-effective).
from: Clear The Entrance Hall to Depth 18
TRIGGER Clear The Dungeons to Depth 18
→ Guard Greaves
gear Guard Greaves
Guards +5% move speed (nominal +10%, 50%-effective).
from: Clear The Dungeons to Depth 18
TRIGGER Clear The Royal Chambers to Depth 18
→ Guard Gauntlets
gear Guard Gauntlets
Guards +4pp crit chance (nominal +8pp, 50%-effective).
from: Clear The Royal Chambers to Depth 18
TRIGGER Clear The Throne Room to Depth 18
→ Guard Helmet
gear Guard Helmet
Guard (near-player) revive duration -7% (nominal +15%, 50%-effective).
from: Clear The Throne Room to Depth 18
TRIGGER Clear The Entrance Hall (first time, any depth)
→ Core Lattice card
lattice Core Lattice card
The passive node board becomes visible (also grandfathered on any point already spent, or Core level 3+).
from: Clear The Entrance Hall (first time, any depth)

Cinch — System Status Map

Generated from DEFAULT_ONBOARDING_FLAGS (src/onboarding-flags.ts) at every build, 2026-10-21 · 69 flags (41 ON / 28 OFF) · 15 always-on unflagged systems · 4 designed-but-unbuilt · grouped by CLAUDE.md's three-loop layer (moment-to-moment / session-to-session / week-to-week), plus FTUE delivery and cross-run/meta as two further buckets that sit outside that table. This section answers "what is in this game, and what is currently switched on?" — it does not replace the progression graph above, which stays the reference for HOW each account-level system is unlocked.

Onboarding flags — every one of 69, live default state

Moment-to-moment — combat, rendering, readability (13)
ONfeatTrayBeforeFirstCinchObjective bar visible from t=0, run 0
OFFcommandRowBeforeFirstCinchCommand row visible before the first cinch, run 0
OFFdoctrineControlIn-run FOLLOW/HOLD/DOCTRINE row
OFFmanualAutoToggleMANUAL/AUTO AFK toggle
ONfeatCompletePopup"FEAT COMPLETE!" popup
ONspriteAtlasesPipeline-generated sprite atlases over billboard silhouettes
ONheroCameraL1 camera-follow + doubled arena scale
ONcinchReviveA cinch on a fallen guard also revives it
ONturretAutoDeployTurrets auto-deploy after a dwell, any guard mode
ONclassAttackFxClass-tinted nova VFX
ONbossReadabilityRingPulsing ground ring under live bosses
ONmeleeArcFxMelee swing-wedge VFX (render only, damage untouched)
ONmeleeHitboxMelee resolves against a directional wedge, not a disc — real balance change
Session-to-session — the 3–5 min run: drafts, revive, deeds (8)
OFFsurgeHazardMid-run SURGE risk/reward offer
ONscarsScar awards on near-death events
ONcuratedDraftPoolNarrows draft offers to a curated positioning-class pool
ONearlyAnointmentAnoint eligibility at a lower threshold than xp cap
ONanointCeremonyCelebration overlay on an anoint conversion
OFFcollaborationGuard-pair synergy card + in-run announcement
OFFveterancyDrillIn-run Kit Rank purchase at the pause layer
ONheroOnlyFeatsDrafts offer hero + anoint cards only, no guard-class cards
FTUE delivery — teaching the loop to a first-time player (8)
ONcinchTeachToastRun-0 toast teaching the CINCH verb
ONfeatTrayTeachToastRun-0 toast teaching the objective tray
OFFbloodGemTeachToastOne-shot explainer on a save’s first gem drop
ONpositionTeachToastRun-1 toast stating the guards-are-protagonists thesis
ONsurviveTeachToastRun-2 survival toast
ONfirstDeathFunnelFirst death routes the player into Loadout
ONforcedLoadoutTour3-step tour on a player’s first Loadout visit
ONsystemHelpButtonPlayer-initiated (?) help on core screens
Week-to-week — the depth ladder and its meta tracks (12)
OFFcoreLevelsCore Lattice section, banked-core beats
OFFdriftsDrift picks at legacy milestones
OFFdoctrineLoadoutLoadout DOCTRINE section (pick a squad doctrine)
OFFaspectLoadoutLoadout ASPECT section (pick a cinch aspect)
OFFskillTeasersSHOCKWAVE/RIFT/ASCENDANCE teaser rows
ONlifetimePLFeatTargetsAnti-farm feat scaling off lifetime cleared power level
OFFpowerCellsPower Cells banner/section/codex row
OFFforgeThe Forge — Cinch Tier purchases, refining
OFFrunModifiersRUN MODIFIERS card in the loadout
OFFdepthNudgePost-DOMINATED-run DESCEND call-to-action
OFFfusionTargetFusion target picker card (mechanic itself is unaffected)
OFFgemWordsGem Word activation + display
Cross-run / meta surfaces — records, sharing, reference pages (28)
ONkeeperRecord(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
ONlegacyLevels(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
ONarmory(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
OFFguardPoseSprites(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
OFFenemyPoseSprites(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
ONmeleeSwordFx(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
ONguardGoals(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
ONheroLevelling(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
ONheroCardExpansion(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
OFFdepthOfField(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
OFFdailyRunDAILY RUN card — shared-seed attempt + standings link
OFFcrossRunRecordsMANIFEST/COPY BUILD/SET NAME/STANDINGS row
OFFshareRunDeath screen SHARE RUN button
ONloadoutRefLinksPROGRESSION MAP / FUSION MAP / POWER LEVELS header links
ONheroAuraMark(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
ONheroYank(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
ONfinaleBoss(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
ONguardSaves(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
ONadditiveFusion(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
ONrespawnEscalation(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
ONloot(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
OFFlevelTextures(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
OFFlandmarkArt(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
ONfilmGrade(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
ONhd2dEngine(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
OFFpropArt(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
OFFsceneryArt(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)
ONdeathReadout(no gloss authored — flag added after this map’s FLAG_META table; falls back to the meta lane)

Always-on systems with no flag at all

These cannot be toggled off at #admin-flags — they are the baseline the flagged systems above sit on top of.
Moment-to-moment — combat, rendering, readability (5)
ALWAYS ONCinch (hero verb)Catches/staggers enemies in a radius — the hero’s one continuous action executeCinch() (src/main.ts)
ALWAYS ONNova (per-class hero ability)Class-specific hero burst, unlocked via UNLOCK_LADDER VERB_LABELS, UNLOCK_LADDER (src/main.ts)
ALWAYS ONGuard meleeOmnidirectional damage tick, largest damage channel in the game GUARD_MELEE_TICK, guardMeleeDamage() (src/main.ts, src/balance/guards.ts)
ALWAYS ONElitesReinforced enemy variants src/balance/elite-miniboss-constants.ts
ALWAYS ONBosses (base + unique)Per-level boss ladder + 4 unique-boss augment fights UNIQUE_BOSS_INFO (src/main.ts) — see progression-map.html’s Gemsmith lane
Session-to-session — the 3–5 min run: drafts, revive, deeds (3)
ALWAYS ONDoctrine / Aspect mechanicThe underlying pick mechanic — doctrineLoadout/aspectLoadout above gate only the Loadout SECTION that lets a player choose one DOCTRINE_ASPECT_UNLOCK_RUNS (src/balance/tuning-constants.ts)
ALWAYS ONFeatsIn-run objective targets, scaled by lifetimePLFeatTargets scaleFeatTarget() (src/main.ts)
ALWAYS ONDeed infrastructure (completeDeed)The banking mechanism guardDeeds gates end-to-end — no partial-on state exists completeDeed() (src/main.ts)
Week-to-week — the depth ladder and its meta tracks (7)
ALWAYS ONTeleport / Shockwave / Rift / AscendanceLater UNLOCK_LADDER rungs, gated by depth-push clears UNLOCK_LADDER (src/main.ts)
ALWAYS ONGuard fusion (TRANSCEND)Fuses same-tier guards into the next tier FUSION_TABLE (src/main.ts) — see fusion-map.html
ALWAYS ONBlood Gems (drops + sockets)Boss-dropped affix gems, socketed onto guards/cinch gemInventory, resolveGemDrop() (src/main.ts)
ALWAYS ONHero/Guard Armory (Gear)10 permanent stat slots unlocked by deep depth clears ARMORY_SLOT_LEVEL, HERO_ARMORY_DEPTH, GUARD_ARMORY_DEPTH (src/main.ts) — see progression-map.html’s Gear lane
ALWAYS ONCore Lattice (accrual)Passive node board; accrual runs even while coreLevels hides the surface lattice_visible node (this file’s own progression graph)
ALWAYS ONKit Rank (between-runs purchase)Forge purchase of guard Kit Rank — veterancyDrill above only adds an IN-RUN version of the same spend buyGuardKitRank(), kitRankCost() (src/main.ts)
ALWAYS ONDepth / Torment ladderThe week-to-week spine every meta track is judged against selectedDepth, maxDepth (src/main.ts)

Designed, not built

Paper designs with no player-facing implementation. None of these ship before 2026-09-17 per their own doc headers.
Design docs with no shipped surface (4)
NOT BUILTDamage-pattern combination algebra + class-tinted attack VFX (full plan)The primitive × modifier composition algebra for every class/weapon damage pattern — only the classAttackFx nova-tint slice above has shipped from it.
DESIGN ONLY. No code, no image generation. — docs/attack-vfx-damage-patterns-2026-08-30.md
NOT BUILTWeapon drops (in-run, ground pickup)Enemy-dropped, walk-over weapons, in-run only, no persistence — supersedes the older permanent-armory-slot weapon idea.
DESIGN ONLY. No code. Nothing here ships before 2026-09-17. — docs/weapon-drops-2026-08-30.md
NOT BUILTBlood Oaths (declare-and-earn framework)Pause-layer declared goal on a named guard, payout-agnostic — no player-facing surface exists; the only code trace is a debug-handle-only placeholder.
DESIGN ONLY. No code. Nothing here ships before 2026-09-17. — docs/blood-oaths-framework-2026-08-31.md
NOT BUILTMelee hitboxes (directional wedge resolution, stage 2)Resolves guard_melee against a facing-aware wedge instead of an omnidirectional disc — a real balance change; meleeHitbox flag above exists and stays default-off pending this design’s implementation.
DESIGN ON PAPER. No code in this PR. Nothing here ships before 2026-09-17. — docs/melee-hitboxes-2026-09-01.md