Getting Started
Tarnished & Rising is a personal RPG that turns real-life daily habits into a fantasy progression system. You complete real tasks, log workouts and meals, and defeat weekly bosses — all of which earn Runes, the game's only currency. Runes level up your character, unlock your companion's power, and fuel a multiplier that grows the longer you stay consistent.
This page covers the basics. Once you've read it, the rest of the wiki covers each system in detail.
The Core Loop
Every day follows the same rhythm:
- Open the app — earn your 250 Rune daily login bonus and see your New Day Card, which tells you how yesterday went and what Grace level you're carrying into today.
- Complete your daily tasks — broken into Tier 1 (easy wins), Tier 2 (meaningful habits), and Tier 3 (challenge tasks). Tiers 1 and 2 affect your Grace and are required for full daily performance. Tier 3 is optional but pays well.
- Log workouts and meals via the dedicated buttons on the Quests screen. These earn Runes separately from your task list.
- At 2am each night, the game engine calculates your Day Quality Score, sets your Grace level for tomorrow, deals boss damage, and awards any macro bonuses you earned.
The Four Tabs
| Tab | What It's For |
|---|---|
| Quests | Everything you need to do today. Tasks, boss status, companion, log buttons. |
| Grace | Your character. Level up, spend Skill Points, equip gear, care for your companion. |
| Legacy | What you've earned. Boss kills, achievements, loot collection, collectibles. |
| Realm | The shared world. Activity feed for all players, leaderboard, visitor profiles. |
Key Concepts
Runes
Runes are the only currency. They're earned from completing tasks, logging workouts and meals, killing bosses, and hitting nutrition targets. They're spent on leveling up, upgrading your companion, and a handful of other actions. On death, you lose 50% of your unspent Runes — so spending regularly is wise. See Rune Economy for the full breakdown.
Grace
Grace is your daily performance rating — Blazing, Burning, Flickering, or Forsaken — calculated from your Day Quality Score at 2am each night. It determines how hard your boss hits tomorrow and whether you can restore Vigor. A good day keeps your Grace high. A bad day dims the flame. See Grace & Day Quality Score for full detail.
Ember
Ember is your permanent accumulated flame. It grows every day based on your Grace level and never resets except on death (where it drops to your last Site of Grace floor). Ember drives your Rune multiplier — starting at 1.0x and climbing to a cap of 3.0x at Ember 200. The longer you've been consistent, the more every action is worth. See Ember & Rune Multiplier.
Bosses
A new boss appears every week. It attacks your Vigor (your HP) every night at 2am. The harder you hit it — through Runes earned and tasks completed — the faster its HP drops. Kill it before the week ends and collect a major Rune windfall and a permanent Echo reward. Let it survive and it gets replaced by a new one. See How Bosses Work.
Your Companion
Each player has a companion — Nick has The Wards, JD has Dixie. Companions have two systems: a permanent level (bought with Runes on the Grace tab) that gives passive bonuses to all your earnings, and a daily happiness meter that decays if you skip their tasks. Keep them happy to keep the bonuses active. See Companions.
Priorities for a New Player
- Complete Tier 1 and Tier 2 tasks daily. These are the foundation of your Grace score. Don't ignore them for Tier 3.
- Log your workouts and meals. These are significant Rune sources and affect your Day Quality Score.
- Don't hoard Runes. Level up when you can afford it. The 50% death penalty is real.
- Stay consistent. Ember builds slowly and pays off compounding over weeks. A week of Blazing Grace is worth more than one great day followed by neglect.
- Do your companion tasks. A neglected companion suspends your bonus multiplier — you lose the gains you've already invested in leveling them up.
The app calculates everything at 2am Central each night. Grace, boss damage, Ember growth, and macro bonuses all fire at that time. Anything you do before 2am counts for that day.
Notes & Tips
- You start at Burning Grace — the second-best tier. This is also where you respawn after death. The game gives you a fair starting position.
- Tier 3 tasks and Weekly Tasks are optional — they earn Runes and deal boss damage but do not affect your Grace or Day Quality Score.
- The Daily Proclamation at the top of the Quests screen changes every day. It's flavor text — it doesn't affect gameplay but it sets the tone.
- Your Rune multiplier starts at 1.0x on day one. It doesn't stay there long if you're consistent — Ember builds faster than it feels like it should in the early weeks.
- Death is not the end. You respawn at full Vigor with your Flask restored. The Rune loss hurts, but the game is designed to be recoverable.