What RPG mode is
RPG mode, open to signed-up accounts, puts you on foot on the real map, place names and all. Off-mission you're in the plaza: no enemies, chat, and up to 30 nearby players with nicknames and HP.
Each land you own in Grid mode adds to your RPG max HP (up to a cap) without making enemies stronger. One mission runs at a time, and every start, replays included, costs tickets.
How a mission plays out
- Walk: Head from stop 1 to stop 2 and onward. The movement gauge drains as you walk and refills when you stop; each leg is a fixed amount of walking regardless of real distance.
- Fight: You auto-throw your weapon at the nearest enemy, and the coins they drop become XP.
- Boss: A boss appears near each stop; the final blow plays on the battle screen, then the stop's story appears.
- Defense: Each captured stop except the last faces waves (stops passed × 10, up to 40). Place job cards from a row of 9 around it; merging the same job and star adds a star (up to 3). Even if it falls, you keep XP for waves held.
- Finish: Beat the final boss at the last stop.
Bases appear at the start and each stop reached; inside, you heal and take no damage but can't attack. Double-tap the base button to build one where you stand (costs tickets). Your newest base or captured stop is your save point, where you restart at 0 HP.
Levels, cards and recommended levels
Each level-up offers three growth cards, such as Quick Throw, Orbiting Weapon or Trusty Shield. Raise a matching pair far enough and an evolution card unlocks; Second Wind lets you rise where you fell with half HP, once per mission. Growth and levels reset with each mission.
The recommended level (a test-run result plus a margin of 3) rises at every stop and turns orange when you're below it; missing levels make enemies stronger. Today's Fortune adds RPG effects until midnight on your device, and a job the mission favors gives more attack and less damage taken (not Starter).
The 18 historic journeys and their favored jobs
Historic journeys follow real exploration, trade and sailing routes and unlock in list order. Antarctica, the first, is the easiest guide mission; more stops mean higher difficulty.
| Journey | Stops | Favored jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Antarctica | 4 | Guardian, Builder |
| Polynesian Voyages | 5 | Explorer, Builder |
| Trans-Saharan Trade Route | 5 | Miner, Tycoon |
| Zhang Qian: Journey to the West | 5 | Explorer, Assassin |
| Arctic | 5 | Guardian, Builder |
| African Safari | 5 | Explorer, Guardian |
| Three Kingdoms | 6 | Warrior, Guardian, Assassin |
| Spice Route: Indian Ocean Trade | 6 | Jeweler, Tycoon |
| Voyages of Zheng He | 6 | Guardian, Jeweler, Tycoon |
| Age of Discovery | 6 | Warrior, Jeweler, Tycoon |
| Australian Outback | 6 | Explorer, Miner |
| Lewis & Clark | 6 | Explorer, Builder |
| Roman Roads | 7 | Warrior, Guardian, Builder |
| Viking Voyages | 6 | Warrior, Assassin |
| Ibn Battuta | 7 | Explorer, Miner |
| Magellan: Around the World | 7 | Explorer, Warrior |
| South America: Andes & Amazon | 7 | Builder, Miner |
| Silk Road | 10 | Jeweler, Tycoon |
Stops include the start. A first clear gives the completion reward plus the mission's companion, a full character with motions, weapon, music and voice, which can't be gifted or made public. Replays give no rewards.
Each stop tells a short story about the real place (Xi'an was Chang'an, the Han and Tang capital). Legs vary (cargo, breach, storm, rescue, night, race and more), and leg types favor jobs too, such as Tycoon and Miner on cargo legs.
This month's boss hunts and help requests
Each month brings two negative NPC bosses and two positive NPC help requests, open all month. The NPC page lists each NPC's month.
Boss hunts: five acts, fought alone
Boss hunts are solo, with the boss's HP only in your game. They run over 5 acts; the HP bar refills each act, and each act has its own task and recommended level. Some acts need a shield broken first, and in act 5 you hit the enraged boss at its weak moment. November's Mummy runs Tomb Entrance, Bandage Bind, Canopic Jars, Sandstorm and Pharaoh's Wrath (break the 4 jars in numbered order). Each boss can be defeated once a month, summons aren't allowed, and Warrior and Assassin are favored.
Help requests and the Character Book
Help requests are short missions from a positive NPC (3–4 stops, no bosses) with twists like chimney gift delivery or Fortuna's cards of fate. Finish without falling for 3 stars.
Of the 48 NPCs, the 24 positive ones join your Character Book through their help request and the 24 negative ones through their boss hunt. The book is a 7-by-7 board with your character in the center; 3, 5 or 7 registered cells in a row or column earn gold. The time left turns red 24 hours before the month ends.
Survival tips and summoning friends
RPG mode is not meant to be easy: enemies grow stronger and more numerous at every stop.
- Keep moving: Idle outside a base and tough enemies close in under fire pillars, lightning and arrow rain. With an empty gauge, build a base and rest.
- Don't linger: The longer you stay on one leg, the stronger new enemies get.
- Read the warnings: Red circles are fireballs, yellow ones lightning. Break homing orbs with your throws; sidestep spears that flash red.
- Don't switch casually: Canceling erases progress and upgrades.
Need help? The summon button calls full members of your clan, who fight beside you through the destination's boss fight and split that leg's gold and tickets equally (their share arrives by mail). So can today's Arcade opponents. Re-calling someone takes time, and there are no summons during defense.