DominikDJS: Added campaign and expedition guides, including Endless progression, saving and leaderboards

2026-11-02T11:33:07Z

Added campaign and expedition guides, including Endless progression, saving and leaderboards

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Arms of God features a main campaign and additional Expeditions accessed through the Expedition Map in the Cathedral. Each offers a different structure, from Act-based progression to extended survival in Endless Mode.

== Overview ==
{| class="wikitable"
!Mode
!Structure
!Main objective
|-
|Main Campaign
|Four Acts, each containing 15 waves
|Progress through the campaign and defeat its bosses.
|-
|The Endless Ascent
|15 introductory levels followed by Endless Mode from Level 16
|Develop a build, defeat Rector, and survive the increasingly difficult Endless phase.
|-
|Desert — The Sealed Testament
|10 longer waves ending with Ophaniel
|Complete an expedition through desert ruins and a forgotten temple.
|}

== Main Campaign ==
The main campaign follows the Templar's journey through a ruined world, a defiled cathedral, the catacombs beneath it, and Hell.

It consists of four Acts:

* '''Act I — In the Shadow of Ruins'''
* '''Act II — Reclaiming the Sanctum'''
* '''Act III — Catacombs of Blood'''
* '''Act IV — Into Hell'''

Each Act contains 15 waves and a boss encounter. Players develop their builds during combat and use the Cathedral's permanent progression systems to prepare for subsequent attempts.

For the narrative descriptions of each Act, see [[Story]].

=== Unlocking Expeditions ===
Complete all four Acts on Mercy difficulty to unlock the Expedition Map in the Cathedral.

The Endless Ascent and Desert are separate Expeditions, available from Nightmare difficulty. Completing The Endless Ascent is not required to access the Desert.

== The Endless Ascent ==
The Endless Ascent combines a 15-level expedition with an open-ended survival phase. The introductory levels provide time to develop a build before entering Endless Mode.

=== How to Access ===

# Complete the four-Act main campaign on Mercy difficulty.
# Return to the Cathedral.
# Open the Expedition Map.
# Select The Endless Ascent.
# Choose an available difficulty and Templar, then begin the expedition.

=== Run Structure ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Stage
!Description
|-
|Levels 1–14
|Progress through the expedition while developing your weapons and build.
|-
|Level 15
|Defeat Rector, the final boss of the introductory expedition.
|-
|Level 16 onward
|Enter Endless Mode and continue surviving as the challenge escalates.
|}
Defeating Rector leads into the Endless phase rather than ending the expedition.

=== Endless Phase ===
Endless Mode tests how long a completed build can survive under increasing pressure. Bosses appear repeatedly, providing additional opportunities to collect Vows.

Boss selection was randomized in update v0.6. Dreadseer and Ophaniel were added to the Endless enemy roster in v0.705.

=== Curses ===
'''The Endless Ascent does not use the Curse system.'''

This allows players to test their builds without the additional random modifiers introduced by Curse selections.

=== Saving and Continuing ===
Since update v0.576, an Endless Mode save is preserved when quitting or after a crash. Continuing the run returns the player to the beginning of the last Endless wave.

Use '''Quit and Save''' when leaving a run that you intend to continue.

'''Abandon Crusade''' ends the current run and awards the earned metaprogression resources.

=== Leaderboards ===
Endless scores are recorded on global leaderboards separated by Templar class.

New seasons or major balance changes can reset the active leaderboard. Previous results remain available in the in-game Leaderboard History.

This allows scores achieved under earlier balance versions to remain accessible separately from the current competition.

=== Difficulty and Score ===
Patch v0.705 introduced the following difficulty-based score multipliers:
{| class="wikitable"
!Difficulty
!Score multiplier
|-
|Mercy
|×1
|-
|Nightmare
|×2
|-
|Inferno
|×6
|-
|Torment
|×24
|}
This table describes the scoring multipliers; it does not replace the Expedition access requirements listed above.

The selected difficulty and multiplier are displayed in the Endless Ascent start window. Elite enemy score rewards were also doubled in v0.705.

These values replaced the ×1 / ×3 / ×9 / ×27 multipliers announced in The Cursed Update.

=== Build Preparation ===
Presets and Loadouts allow players to prepare different configurations before starting an expedition.

Owned Prayers are saved with the hero's Loadout. Prayer and weapon refunds were increased to 100% in The Endless Ascent update, making it easier to rearrange the available build options.

=== Practical Tips ===

* Use the first 15 levels to develop your build before the Endless phase begins.
* Prepare for repeated boss encounters as well as groups of regular enemies.
* Check the selected difficulty and score multiplier before starting a leaderboard attempt.
* Use Quit and Save to preserve a run you intend to continue.

== Desert — The Sealed Testament ==
The Desert is a separate expedition through ancient ruins and a forgotten temple. Its story concerns the Book of Judgments, an ancient text that must be secured before it falls into demonic hands.

For its story description, see [[Story#The Sealed Testament|The Sealed Testament]].

=== How to Access ===
Complete the main campaign on Mercy difficulty or above to unlock access through the Expedition Map in the Cathedral.

The Desert is available from Nightmare difficulty. It does not require completing The Endless Ascent.

=== Expedition Structure ===

* The expedition contains '''10 longer waves'''.
* Its environments include desert ruins and a forgotten temple.
* '''Ophaniel''' appears at the end of Wave 10.
* The expedition has a defined conclusion and does not transition into Endless Mode.

=== Events and Curses ===
The Desert includes Events such as the '''Cursed Shrine'''.

Activating a Cursed Shrine applies a Minor Curse for the current wave in exchange for double Ashes from demon kills.

This is separate from the regular Curse selections on Inferno difficulty and above. Those Curses remain active until the end of the Act rather than lasting for a single wave.

=== Progression ===
The Cursed Update changed difficulty progression so that unlocking Inferno and Torment requires completing the Desert campaign.

== Difficulty Levels ==
Difficulty levels modify the challenge within the available modes.

* '''Mercy'''
* '''Nightmare'''
* '''Inferno'''
* '''Torment'''

Higher difficulties can change enemy behavior and introduce additional threats.

Regular Curse selections appear on Inferno and above, with more selections at higher difficulty. Elite enemies also appear on Inferno and Torment, with more frequent appearances on Torment.

'''Exception:''' The Endless Ascent does not use regular Curse selections.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

=== When does Endless Mode begin? ===
The Endless phase begins on Level 16, after defeating Rector on Level 15.

=== Do I need to complete Endless to unlock the Desert? ===
No. They are separate Expeditions unlocked through main campaign progression.

=== Does every mode have 15 waves? ===
No. Each main campaign Act has 15 waves, The Endless Ascent has 15 introductory levels before its Endless phase, and the Desert contains 10 longer waves.

=== Are Curses active in The Endless Ascent? ===
No. The mode is excluded from the regular Curse system.

=== Can I continue an Endless run after quitting? ===
Yes. Endless saves are preserved on quitting or crashing, and the run resumes from the beginning of the last Endless wave.

=== Are old leaderboard results deleted when a new season begins? ===
Previous results are preserved in the in-game Leaderboard History.

== See Also ==

* [[Story]]
* [[Characters]]
* [[Weapons]]
* [[Prayers]]
* [[Crux]]
* [[Updates]]

== Sources ==

* [https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3100310/view/679632054236741929 The Endless Ascent — Major Update]
* [https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3100310/view/695395286786246934 Update v0.576 — Endless Mode Fixes, Stability & QoL]
* [https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3100310/view/695396555568447755 Update v0.6]
* [https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3100310/view/716793726963286396 The Cursed Update]
* [https://steamcommunity.com/games/3100310/announcements/detail/677387864414093774 Patch v0.705 and subsequent amendments]

Game modes - Revision history

DominikDJS: Added campaign and expedition guides, including Endless progression, saving and leaderboards