Growing stronger
Wildercord has no levels to grind and no skill tree. You grow by doing things. Every spell you pay for condenses mana in your heart. Every first discovery goes into your Grimoire. Each element you use grows your affinity with it. Swordsmen follow the separate Aura path, and the Sword Masters teach their arts once you are strong enough.
Hover the heart badge in the Cord screen to see your circles and what the next one needs.
The caster’s path
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Heart Circles | Twenty rings of condensed mana: more mana, regeneration and power, four perks, Master lessons from Circle VIII and vows from Circle IX. |
| Circle Vows | From Circle IX, seven circles ask you to choose one of two vows with /vow. |
| Heart Paths | At Circle X, choose the Storm, the Well or the Ward with /path. |
| The Grimoire and Feats | Your record of discoveries. Each first discovery feeds your next circle. |
| Your Affinities | One affinity per element, grown by casting it and by everyday things. |
| Advancements | Wildercord’s advancement tab and its rewards. |
| Mana | Max mana, regeneration, Mana Crystals and potions. |
| Cord Enchantments | Seven enchantments for your Cord. |
| Defending Against Magic | Armour, Warding, the Potion of Warding and the spellguard. |
| Elemental Armour | Four light armour choices that answer spells in different ways. |
| Defensive Foci | Reprieve and Grounding, two foci for surviving spells. |
| Ley Lines and the Wellstone | Veins of world mana that double your regeneration. |
| The Training Dummy | Test your spells and read every hit. |
| Practice and Trials | A practice room and three optional spell trials. |
| Research Notebook | Three one-time experiments and your saved spell builds. |
The swordsman’s path
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Lore Journal | Your journal (H): leads to follow, places, people, what you learned and what was said. |
| Aura | Breathing methods and the five stages from Glow to Sovereign. No Cord needed. |
| Breathing Methods | Every method and what it does. |
| Sword Arts | Each method’s five arts. |
| Swordsman’s Weapons | Oathkeeper, the Bulwark Maul and the Skyrend Glaive. |
| Ways | The Blade, the Bulwark, the Shadowstep or the Banner, chosen at Edge. |
| Techniques of Your Own | Write, name and rank up your own techniques from Edge. |
| The Bonded Blade | Bond one blade and grow it to Soulforged. |
| Sparring and Lineage | Safe spars, masters and disciples. |
| Village Tournaments | Beat three stewards with blade and Aura alone. |
| The Marchkeeper Battlefields | Old sword traditions and the lessons they teach. |
| The Sword Tombs | Buried galleries and the Buried Keeper. |
| The Sleeping Blade | Where Oathkeeper rests. |
| The Highland Beasts | Stonehorn and Galeclaw, beasts that shrug off spells. |
Blade and spell together
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Resonant Strikes | Land a spell and an Aura strike close together for a bonus. |
| Rune-Etched Blades | Etch one effect rune into a weapon. |
| Unity | At Form and five Heart Circles, mana and Aura briefly feed each other. |
| Sword Masters | Masters who test you once you reach Form or eight Heart Circles. |
Where your spell power comes from
Everything below multiplies together.
| Source | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Each working Heart Circle | +1.5% (up to +30% at twenty) |
| Potency on your Cord | +8% per level (up to +24%) |
| Overflow (7th Circle), casting at full mana | +15% |
| Circle Vows | Keen Edge +6%, Overcharge +10% (Austerity -3%), Crown of Power +10% |
| Your affinity with the effect’s element | +3% per level (up to +15%) |
| Charging a cast | up to +40% (see Casting) |
| Rhythm | +8% per beat, up to +24% |
| A staff of the effect’s element | +20%, a greater staff +35% (see Casting Gear) |
| A rune ranked up at the Fusion Altar | rank II +25%, rank III +50% (see Ranks) |
| Your innate rune | +6% per working circle, on that rune only |
A path through it
- Wear a Cord and cast. 600 mana spent forms your 1st Circle and wakes your innate rune.
- Learn runes and set off reactions. The early circles ask for both.
- Hunt with spells. Several circles want monsters and Runebound beaten with magic.
- Find a ley line. Mana flows twice as fast there, and circles form in half the time.
- Craft Mana Crystals and enchant your Cord. Each crystal is +10 max mana for good, up to 100.
- Explore and fight bosses. Secret spells, the Archivist and the dungeon bosses open the later circles.
- Study from Circle VIII. Master lessons such as Relay Circle open at VIII, X, XII, XIV, XVI and XVIII.
- Choose your vows from Circle IX. The other circles from IX to XX each ask you to pick one of two vows.
Other ways to grow: Cords, Casting Gear, The Fusion Altar and Familiars.