The Lost Archive

A secret expedition hidden behind the 404 gremlins.

Create Your Adventurer

Name

Class

Fighter22 HP · 6 ATK · 3 DEF · 6 SPStamina-fueled meleeMage14 HP · 3 ATK · 2 DEF · 10 MPHigh-power spellsScholar18 HP · 4 ATK · 3 DEF · 6 MPBalanced support casterRogue20 HP · 5 ATK · 2 DEF · 4 MPFast backstab specialist

Daily Challenge: the same archive for everyone today, with its own scoreboard.

Resume a Run

Top Delvers

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Archive Fragments

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Archive Level

LV1

ATK

DEF

Spell

Gold

Weapon—

Armor—

Shield—

Neck—

Field Guide

What's New

Classes

ClassHPMPATKDEFStarting Ability

Fighter226 SP63Stamina (SP) — refills each floor, +1 per enemy attack; unlocks Cleave, War Cry

Mage141032Fire (also castable at range)

Scholar18643Spark (also castable at range, 4 tiles)

Rogue20452Backstab, Thrown Dagger. Passives: parry (5% per level, max 40%) and trap disarm (5% per level, max 75%)

Spells & Abilities

NameClassUnlockCostEffect

CleaveFighterLevel 32 SPBase hit = ATK − enemy DEF + 0–2 (at least 15% of ATK). 40% chance to strike twice for 2× that; otherwise one heavy hit for 1.5×.

War CryFighterLevel 53 SPRaises your ATK by +3 for your next 3 attacks. SP refills fully each floor and regens +1 per incoming hit.

FireMageStart2 MPMagical strike, base power 7. Can be cast at range on the map.

Ice ShardMageLevel 34 MPStronger magical strike, base power 9. Can be cast at range.

LightningMageLevel 56 MPHeavy magical strike, base power 14. Chains to monsters within 3 tiles for 60% damage, losing 40% per hop.

SparkScholarStart2 MPLight magical strike, base power 5. Can be cast at range (4 tiles).

RestoreScholarLevel 33 MPHeals 10 HP +2 per level above 1. Usable in battle and on the map.

WeakenScholarLevel 52 MPLowers the enemy's ATK by 2 (+1 per 5 levels) for the rest of the fight. Once per fight — it does not stack.

BackstabRogueStart2 MPPower 6 + half your ATK − enemy DEF. First use in each battle adds +4 ambush damage.

Thrown DaggerRogueStart2 per floorMap-only ranged throw (3 tiles): 4 + half your level − enemy DEF.

Smoke BombRogueLevel 32 MPPrimes your next Run for an 80% escape — even from the Keeper. Casting uses your turn; if it fizzles the enemy gets another hit.

Potions

Every potion heals +2 HP more per level above 1. Each floor holds up to 4 potions as loot (2 on floor 1, 3 on floor 2). Normal kills have a 20% chance to drop a Minor Potion.

ItemEffectNotes

Minor PotionRestores 6 HP3 in your starting pack. Floor loot; 20% drop from normal kills; guaranteed from elites.

Healing PotionRestores 12 HP1 in your starting pack. Floor loot; 20% bonus drop from elites; dropped by the Keeper.

Greater PotionRestores 22 HPFloor loot from floor 3 (25%, then 35% from floor 6); guaranteed drop from boss kills.

Archive MapReveals exit pathOne hidden per floor (blue dot, right half of the map). Highlights the shortest path from you to the exit, updating as you move and showing through fog. Does not carry to the next floor.

Equipment

Equipment drops on floor 3 and deeper. Gear is class-locked — only items suited to your class will drop or be sold. Slots are weapon, armor, shield (Fighter) and amulet (Mage / Scholar); click a slot in the status panel to equip from inventory. Swapping puts the old piece back. Gear comes in 5 tiers that unlock by floor: tier 1 from the start, Rare at floor 6, Epic at 12, Legendary at 25, Mythic at 45. Drops are usually the newest unlocked tier (30% chance of the one below). Each +1 enhancement (max +3) adds 1 to every stat on the item. Spell Power adds to damaging spells (Fire, Ice Shard, Lightning, Spark) — not to Backstab, Cleave or Thrown Dagger.

ItemSlotBonusBest For

Iron SwordWeapon+2 ATKFighter · tier 1

Steel SwordWeapon+4 ATKFighter · Rare (floor 6+)

Leather ArmorArmor+1 DEFFighter / Rogue · tier 1

Chain MailArmor+2 DEFFighter · Rare (floor 6+)

Wooden BucklerShield+1 DEFFighter · tier 1

Tower ShieldShield+2 DEFFighter · Rare (floor 6+)

Knight BladeWeapon+6 ATKFighter · Epic (floor 12+)

Plate ArmorArmor+4 DEFFighter · Epic (floor 12+)

Kite ShieldShield+3 DEFFighter · Epic (floor 12+)

Runic GreatswordWeapon+9 ATKFighter · Legendary (floor 25+)

Runic PlateArmor+6 DEFFighter · Legendary (floor 25+)

Runic BulwarkShield+5 DEFFighter · Legendary (floor 25+)

Archive EdgeWeapon+12 ATKFighter · Mythic (floor 45+)

Archive AegisArmor+8 DEFFighter · Mythic (floor 45+)

Index WallShield+7 DEFFighter · Mythic (floor 45+)

Arcane StaffWeapon+1 ATK, +3 Spell PowerMage / Scholar · tier 1

Tome of PowerWeapon+5 Spell PowerMage / Scholar · Rare (floor 6+)

Magic RobeArmor+1 DEF, +2 Spell PowerMage / Scholar · tier 1

Silver PendantAmulet+1 DEF, +1 Spell PowerMage / Scholar · tier 1

Arcane AmuletAmulet+2 DEF, +2 Spell PowerMage / Scholar · Rare (floor 6+)

Warded RobeArmor+2 DEF, +3 Spell PowerMage / Scholar · Rare (floor 6+)

Crystal StaffWeapon+2 ATK, +7 Spell PowerMage / Scholar · Epic (floor 12+)

Runed VestmentsArmor+3 DEF, +4 Spell PowerMage / Scholar · Epic (floor 12+)

Sage LocketAmulet+3 DEF, +3 Spell PowerMage / Scholar · Epic (floor 12+)

Archivist CodexWeapon+2 ATK, +10 Spell PowerMage / Scholar · Legendary (floor 25+)

Starweave RobeArmor+5 DEF, +5 Spell PowerMage / Scholar · Legendary (floor 25+)

Astral CharmAmulet+4 DEF, +5 Spell PowerMage / Scholar · Legendary (floor 25+)

Primal IndexWeapon+3 ATK, +14 Spell PowerMage / Scholar · Mythic (floor 45+)

Void SilkArmor+7 DEF, +7 Spell PowerMage / Scholar · Mythic (floor 45+)

Archive HeartAmulet+6 DEF, +7 Spell PowerMage / Scholar · Mythic (floor 45+)

Twin DaggersWeapon+3 ATKRogue · tier 1

Shadow LeatherArmor+3 DEFRogue · tier 1

Assassin BladesWeapon+5 ATKRogue · Rare (floor 6+)

Night CloakArmor+5 DEFRogue · Rare (floor 6+)

Shadow FangsWeapon+8 ATKRogue · Epic (floor 12+)

Wraith WeaveArmor+7 DEFRogue · Epic (floor 12+)

Venom KrisWeapon+11 ATKRogue · Legendary (floor 25+)

Umbral GarbArmor+10 DEFRogue · Legendary (floor 25+)

Whisper EdgeWeapon+15 ATKRogue · Mythic (floor 45+)

Phantom ShroudArmor+13 DEFRogue · Mythic (floor 45+)

Status Effects

EffectSourceDescription

PoisonedShow Notes Specter, RSS Revenant, Data Wraith, Endless Thread, Corrupted elites, Corrupted Index, The Void, Keeper (gen 2+) — 30% on hitEach poisoning adds 3 ticks. One tick per step on the map and per attack or spell in battle, for 1 + floor÷5 damage (e.g. floor 10 = 3). Persists between floors.

BurningFire elites, Keeper (gen 3+) — 30% on hitEach burn adds 3 ticks of 2 + floor÷4 damage, ticking like poison. Persists between floors.

StunnedArchive Warden, Digital Hydra, Paywall Phantom, Archive Overseer, Frozen elites, the Keeper — 30% on hitYour next attack or spell is lost (running and potions still work). Applied after the hit that stuns you. Cleared on a new floor.

WeakenedVoid-Touched elites, Keeper (gen 4+) — 35% on hitEach hit adds 3 ticks of −2 damage on your basic attacks. Ticks down per step or per attack/spell.

War CryFighter abilityYour ATK is raised by +3. Fades after 3 attacks. Cleared on a new floor.

Smoke BombRogue abilityYour next Run has an 80% chance to escape, even from the Keeper. Used up by that Run whether it works or not; cleared on a new floor.

Monsters

All stats scale with floor depth: HP +1 per floor, ATK +0.4 per floor, DEF +1 per 10 floors, XP +0.5 and gold +0.2 per floor. Harder monsters appear starting at the listed floor and are weighted more heavily; the weakest early monsters stop appearing past the last floor in their range. Drain monsters heal for half the damage they deal you, and Regenerating monsters recover 6% of their max HP at the start of each of their turns. Abilities trigger 30% of the time on hit. From floor 6, each monster has a 3% chance per floor past 5 (max 45%) to be an Elite — Fire (burn), Frozen (stun), Corrupted (poison) or Void-Touched (weaken) — with +30–60% HP, +10–30% ATK, +1 DEF and 1.5× XP and gold. Elites always drop a Minor Potion.

NameAppearsBase HPBase ATKBase DEFSpecial

404 GremlinFloors 1–201041—

Footnote SlimeFloors 1–20830—

Broken Link WraithFloors 1–20930—

Errant BotFloors 1–201241—

Show Notes SpecterFloors 3–35124230% poison on hit

The AlgorithmFloors 3–351652—

Paywall PhantomFloors 3–35145230% stun on hit

RSS RevenantFloors 3–35134130% poison on hit

Gold GoblinFloor 3 (18% of floors)820Double speed. Steals 15% of your gold (min 5) and flees for the exit — kill it to get the gold back.

Archive SentinelFloors 5–502054High DEF — physical attackers beware

Index CrawlerFloors 5–501471Very high ATK, low DEF — kill it fast

Cache FiendFloors 5–501862—

Redirect LoopFloors 5–501653—

Data WraithFloor 8286330% poison on hit; high HP

Archive OverseerFloor 8247430% stun on hit; very tough

The Endless ThreadFloor 8307330% poison on hit; highest HP

Deep CrawlerFloor 82682Highest ATK, low DEF

Floppy MimicFloor 12256330% stun on hit

Bit Rot SwarmFloor 12227230% poison on hit

Copy Protection GolemFloor 12295535% weaken on hit

Dial-Up BansheeFloor 20257330% stun on hit

Vaporware PhantomFloor 202763Regenerates 6% of max HP each turn

Crunch WraithFloor 202773Drain: heals half the damage it deals

Landfill HorrorFloor 30317430% poison on hit

Kill Screen GlitchFloor 30268330% burn on hit

Licensing LichFloor 30286535% weaken on hit

Abandonware KnightFloor 452775Drain: heals half the damage it deals

Missing NumberFloor 452484Regenerates 6% of max HP each turn

Source Code LeviathanFloor 45277430% poison on hit

Cancelled SequelFloor 652585Drain: heals half the damage it deals

Console War VeteranFloor 65277630% stun on hit

Kernel PanicFloor 65239430% burn on hit

The Keeper

Who is it?An ancient guardian that wakes when you linger too long on a floor. It spawns somewhere in the left half of the map, always knows where you are, and moves at double speed.

How long do you have?The clock counts your moves on the current floor: 90 plus a map-size bonus (up to +50), minus 3 for every 5 floors, kept between 60 and 220 — and never less than 1.5× the shortest route to the exit + 40. Watch the status panel for warnings.

Warnings"The archives grow restless" at 60% of the clock, a second warning at 85%, then "Keeper awakens in X moves". When it spawns the text turns red and pulses.

Fighting itIt scales with floor (HP 12 + 3.5×floor, ATK 4 + 0.45×floor) and can stun (30% on hit). It cannot be fled — Run just gives it a free hit; only a Smoke Bomb (80%) gets you away. Defeating it gives XP, gold and a Healing Potion.

It comes backWithin a floor it escalates. Defeating it resets the clock to 0; when the clock runs out again it returns stronger, adding poison, then burn, then weaken. If you leave it alive, another, stronger Keeper spawns every 60 moves.

If you don't fightLeave through the exit — the clock and the Keeper's strength reset on every new floor.

Bosses

A boss guards every 5th floor (5, 10, 15…). Only one enemy is placed — the boss — and that floor always has a merchant. The four bosses come in order and repeat every 20 floors. Past floor 5 they gain +2.5 HP and +0.4 ATK per floor and +1 DEF per 8 floors; each repeat cycle adds +35% HP and +2 ATK more. Bosses give 3× XP and always drop a Greater Potion.

NameBase HPBase ATKBase DEFAbility

Archive Warden4073Floors 5, 25, 45… 30% chance on hit to stun you (you lose your next attack or spell).

Corrupted Index5584Floors 10, 30, 50… 30% chance on hit to poison you.

Digital Hydra6594Floors 15, 35, 55… 30% chance on hit to stun you.

The Void80115Floors 20, 40, 60… 30% chance on hit to poison you.

Map Legend

Gold squareYou (the player).

Grey staircaseExit to the next floor (shown once you've seen it). On every 10th floor it is a green portal arch that also gives you a save code.

Red / Purple / Cyan squareEnemy. Chases you when it can see you, wanders otherwise. An orange triangle above it means it has been alerted (hit at range) and is hunting you.

Square with a matching ringElite enemy.

Gold square (with ring)Boss — appears on every 5th floor.

Red-ringed squareThe Keeper.

Yellow square (orange / green ring)Gold Goblin — orange while hunting your gold, green while fleeing with it.

Amber diamondMerchant. Walk onto it to open the shop.

Green dotPotion loot.

Gold dotEquipment loot (gear cache or opened hidden cache).

Blue dotArchive Map — reveals the shortest path to the exit when picked up.

Grey gravestoneFallen adventurer — the remains of another player who died near this depth (floor 3+, not boss floors or the Daily Challenge, about 1 floor in 17). Search them for some of their gold, 3 potions (the best kind they carried) and sometimes a piece of their gear (never better than this floor's tier). One in four is guarded by the player's ghost, a tough fight that leaves better loot: more gold, 5 potions and always a piece of gear you can use. Only the first player to reach a set of remains gets anything: after that they're gone for everyone. Your own ranked deaths leave remains for others too.

Pink squareArchive Fragment — a rare find that gets rarer the deeper you go: at most one in each block of 5 floors, on a random floor in the block, with a 50% chance per block on floors 1–15, 35% on floors 16–50 and 20% from floor 51. A line of real history from a They Create Worlds episode, with a link to hear the whole story. Deeper floors hold later episodes; everything you find is kept in the Archive Fragments codex on the start screen. Any fragment from that era can turn up, including ones you already have — a duplicate gives you nothing new.

Bronze / Iron / Silver / Gold diamondA key for the locked door of the same metal.

Colored tile with a lockLocked door (floors 3–25, not boss floors). Its key is always somewhere you can reach before it, never right beside it, so you may need to explore to find it. Keys don't carry to the next floor.

Teal crossHealing shrine (floor 2+) — restores 35% of max HP once.

Purple diamondWarp portal (floor 6+). Step on it to jump to its linked partner.

Small blue / orange / green diamondSpecial room (floors 5–25, 70% of non-boss floors, one per floor; the coloured diamond). Archive Library: unlock your next ability early, or +80 XP. Altar of Trials: sacrifice 20% of max HP for +2 ATK or +2 DEF. Hidden Armory: a higher-tier piece for an equipped slot (your old piece goes to your pack), or gold. Trivia Terminal: name the episode a line of history comes from for XP and gold, with a link to the episode. Collector's Shelf: +1% XP and gold from kills for the rest of the run per 10 Archive Fragments you've collected, up to +25% (not in the Daily Challenge). Cartridge Landfill: dig up to 6 times for 1+ HP each: junk, gold, potions, gear, or a Mimic Cartridge that attacks. Debug Room: one cheat with a catch: Noclip (pass through one wall, costs 20% of your HP; it never lets you into solid rock or somewhere you could no longer reach the exit from), God Mode (no damage for 10 moves or hits, the Keeper comes 30 moves sooner) or Item Spawn (gear for your class, plus a monster that hunts you). Save Point: if you fall later on this floor, you wake here once with half your HP. Arena: three fights in a row with no running, for gold, XP and gear; you can decline and come back. Glitch Room: two random effects, good or bad (map reveal, teleport, item drops, monsters scrambled and alerted, a stat swap for the floor, gold gained or lost). Speedrun Gate: reach the exit within the move limit shown for bonus gold and XP.

Dim arrowA spent dart trap. Traps are invisible until triggered — spike traps (floor 4+) and dart traps (floor 5+) deal damage that grows with floor. A Rogue may disarm them for +5 XP.

Green floor tintHighlighted path to the exit (visible after picking up the Archive Map).

Gear & Merchants

Gear cachesFrom floor 3, one guaranteed equipment piece per floor (two from floor 6) is placed in an open room (gold dot on the map).

Hidden cachesFrom floor 3, one invisible cache per floor (two from floor 12). Step on it for 12 + 2.5×floor gold and a piece of gear.

DuplicatesFinding or buying gear you already own upgrades your copy +1 instead, up to +3. A duplicate of a +3 item is salvaged for gold.

MerchantsFrom floor 3: always on every 5th floor, otherwise a 25% chance, always inside a room. They sell two potion stacks (Minor ×3 and Healing ×2 through floor 3; Healing ×3 and Greater ×2 after) and one piece of gear priced by its stats × (1 + floor÷10). If you already own that piece, buying it upgrades yours +1 at the Forge price. "Merchant on this floor" appears in your status panel when one is present.

ServicesForge: +1 to a random equipped item below +3 (20 + 8×floor gold). Full rest (30 + 8×floor). Train +1 ATK or +1 DEF permanently (50 + 10×floor, +25 per previous training). Antidote when poisoned, burning or weakened (10 + 3×floor). Reveal the whole floor map, once per floor (20 + 5×floor). You can also sell potions and gear.

GoldEarned from enemies, hidden caches, salvaged duplicates, the Hidden Armory and selling. Shown in your status panel. Spent only at merchants.

Leveling & Progression

Level upDefeat enemies to earn XP. Each level needs about 6% more XP than the last: 100 XP for level 2, ~1,158 total for level 10, ~7,596 for level 30, ~28,973 for level 50.

HP on level-upMax HP increases by +3 and your HP and MP are fully restored.

Level-up bonusChoose one: +1 ATK, +1 DEF, or +5 Max HP.

MP / SP+2 max MP (Fighter: SP) per level.

PerksEvery 5th level, pick 1 of 3 random perks for the rest of the run: Critical Eye (10% double damage on attacks), Poison Resist, Burn Resist, Iron Skin (+1 DEF, +1 more every 4 floors, max +5), Treasure Sense (hidden caches in sight are found automatically), Potion Master (potions +4 HP), Swift Feet (+15% escape, max 90%), Arcane Focus (abilities cost 1 less MP/SP, in battle and at range), Veteran (+2 XP per kill), Lucky (+20% gold).

Spell unlocksEach class unlocks new abilities at levels 3 and 5. Check the spell slot buttons — they appear automatically. An Archive Library can unlock the next one early.

MP regen+1 MP every 5 moves on the map. Mage and Scholar regain 2 MP per kill, other classes 1. On a new floor, Fighters refill SP fully; other classes gain +1 MP.

Combat

Damage formula(Attacker ATK) − (Defender DEF) + random 0–2, but never less than 15% of the attacker's ATK (rounded up, minimum 1) — DEF reduces damage but can't cancel it. Applies to your attacks and to enemy hits.

SpellsUse the numbered spell buttons. Spell damage is (power + Spell Power) − (enemy DEF) + random 0–2, minimum 2. Spell Power grows with level (+1 per 2 levels, all classes but Fighter) and from gear. Higher cost = higher power.

RunRogue 70%, Mage / Scholar 50%, Fighter 35%. Non-Rogues lose 1% per floor past 5 (minimum 25%). The Keeper can't be fled without a Smoke Bomb (80%). A failed run still lets the enemy attack.

Ranged [F] / [T]Mage, Scholar and Rogue can hit visible enemies that aren't adjacent straight from the map. Shoot [F] fires at the nearest target in one press, using the ranged ability you last used (or the first one you can afford). Aim [T] lists every target in range: press its number, or click an ability to choose which one to use. Range by class — Mage: attack spells, up to your vision range; Scholar: Spark, 4 tiles; Rogue: Thrown Dagger, 3 tiles, 2 per floor. A target that survives is alerted and hunts you. A ranged kill earns the same rewards as a melee kill (XP, gold, combo, perks and potion drops).

ComboKills in a row without taking damage boost XP and gold: ×1.05 at 3, ×1.10 at 5, ×1.20 at 8, ×1.30 at 10+. Any damage resets it.

Items in battleUse potions from the Item menu during your turn. Using a potion counts as your turn — the enemy will counter-attack.