How to PlayMagefall

How to Win (and What to Do First)

Magefall is a turn-based realm conquest game. You grow by spending turns to claim land, build economy, recruit armies, research spells, and wage wars — but the win condition is simple: Land is the scoreboard.

Realm: Magefall Players: 0 Unclaimed Land: 0

The 10‑Minute Starter Plan

  1. Open the Map and claim nearby unclaimed land to expand your footprint.
  2. Tax (1 turn) a few times to get early gold for your first buildings and recruits.
  3. Build Farms to raise Supplies cap (so you can hold more troops).
  4. Recruit a starter stack (enough to discourage opportunists).
  5. Build an Obelisk once you can afford it so you can bank more mana and push spells later.

Early game is about not wasting turns and getting a basic economy online.

Turns

Turns are your action fuel. Most actions cost turns. Turns regenerate up to your cap (288). A new turn is generated every 300 seconds while you are below cap.

  • If you’re capped, you’re wasting regeneration. Spend turns regularly.
  • When in doubt: Map, Tax, or Focus keeps you progressing.

Resources

  • Gold: buildings + recruiting. If you can’t rebuild, you can’t win wars.
  • Mana: spells + magical pressure. Big wars are decided by mana timing.
  • Valor: unlocks Wizards of Valor (your combat identity).
  • Power: a threat signal — not the victory condition.
  • Land: the score, the bragging rights, the “world domination” number.

Map Basics: Claim • Move • Attack

The Map is the game. You’ll use it to expand, reposition, and start wars.

  • Claim — take unclaimed land and grow your territory.
  • Move — reposition within your own territory (setup for attacks/defense).
  • Attack — only against bordering enemies. No “air-bombing” across the realm.

Rule of thumb: If you’re not touching them on the map, you can’t meaningfully fight them.

Economy: Tax • Focus • Buildings

Your economy is what lets you keep fighting when the first battle doesn’t end the realm.

  • Tax (1 turn): immediate gold injection for recruiting + buildings.
  • Focus (1 turn): immediate mana recovery so you can cast and research.
  • Farms: raise Supplies cap so you can hold more troops.
  • Obelisks: raise Mana cap and Arcane capacity (for summons).

If you want to dominate late game, your build order usually becomes: Farms until you can field real stacks, then Obelisks to enable spell wars.

Recruitment and Supplies

Units cost Gold and consume Supplies. Supplies cap is mostly built via Farms. If you hit your cap, you must build farms or lose troops.

  • Balanced stacks are safer than single-unit spam.
  • The best armies are the ones you can rebuild quickly.
  • When you plan a war, budget turns for recruit → cast → attack.

Research and Spells

Research is a long game advantage. You pay upfront (gold + mana) and then your research completes after you spend enough turns on any actions. Think of it as: start research, then keep playing — it finishes naturally.

The First 13 Barracks Units (Unique Passives)

These passives are intentionally subtle but impactful—they reward mixed armies and counterplay rather than “one unit to rule them all”.

  • 1. SwordsmenSteady Line: slightly reduced casualties when defending. Great baseline frontline.
  • 2. SpearmenAnti‑Cavalry: bonus damage vs Cavalry (notably Heavy Knights, fast beasts). Your counter-pick.
  • 3. ArchersOpening Volley: extra damage on Round 1. Strong for tempo and picking off weak stacks.
  • 4. ShieldbearersShield Wall: reduced damage taken from ranged attacks. Use to absorb arrow/caster pressure.
  • 5. CrossbowmenPiercing Bolts: ignores a slice of enemy defense. Best into tanks.
  • 6. Veteran InfantryHold the Line: tougher when outnumbered; stabilizes mid‑ranks.
  • 7. SkirmishersEvasion: slightly harder to kill; good for trading and harassment.
  • 8. Battle SergeantsBanner Aura: small army‑wide damage boost (diminishing returns). Bring a few in every serious army.
  • 9. Heavy KnightsCharge: strong Round‑1 hit; vulnerable to ranged focus. Pair with Shieldbearers.
  • 10. War EngineersSiegecraft: add siege pressure (buildings are more likely to be damaged if you win).
  • 11. Arcane AuxiliariesWarding Drill: adds a bit of spell shielding for your army. Great vs wizard openers.
  • 12. Spellbound VeteransMagic Resistance: dampens incoming wizard spell impact; sturdy enchanted line troops.
  • 13. Novice BattlemageSpell Amplifier: improves your wizard’s opening effects and brings ranged pressure.
Current spell catalog (data-driven):
SpellTargetManaTurnsDurationResearch
Ruinous Bolt
A vicious firebolt that immolates a meaningful portion of a random enemy stack. Border-only.
enemy 200 5 0 700g / 250m / 18t
Veil of Fog
Shrouds a target enemy parcel in dense fog for 6 turns. Ranged units suffer heavy effectiveness when attacking that parcel.
enemy 220 4 6 700g / 420m / 18t
Ember Scourge
Sets a target enemy parcel ablaze for 6 turns. Small ongoing attrition to defenders in battles over this tile.
enemy 240 4 6 780g / 460m / 20t
Floodplain
Floods a target enemy parcel for 7 turns. Infantry suffers reduced damage when fighting on this tile.
enemy 240 4 7 850g / 480m / 22t
Stone Spikes
Jagged earth erupts under the enemy: moderate casualties and a brief shock to morale. Border-only.
enemy 240 6 0 850g / 380m / 22t
Glacial Lock
Freezes a target enemy parcel for 4 turns. Attacks against that parcel become harder and defenders gain a solid edge.
enemy 260 5 4 900g / 520m / 26t
Chain Lightning
Jumps through the enemy line: damages a random stack, then splashes a smaller echo into a second stack. Border-only.
enemy 260 6 0 900g / 400m / 24t
Tidal Crush
A crushing wave that targets the largest enemy stack (by quantity) and reduces it. Border-only.
enemy 280 7 0 950g / 450m / 26t
Stonebreaker Rite
A grinding earth-rite that cracks enemy infrastructure: destroys some Farms (capped). Border-only.
enemy 700 14 0 2000g / 900m / 70t
Tempest Sunder
A violent storm snaps obelisks and disrupts spellwork: destroys some Obelisks (capped). Border-only.
enemy 750 15 0 2200g / 1000m / 75t
Fire Siege
Siege-fire crashes into a bordering enemy parcel. Randomly destroys a portion of Farms and Obelisks (capped). Border-only.
enemy 900 18 0 2500g / 1200m / 90t
Rampant Growth
Blesses one of your own parcels for 10 turns. Defenders on that tile gain resilience; your supply strain eases slightly in battles over it.
self 180 3 10 650g / 420m / 20t
Golden Tithe
For 10 turns, your Tax action yields more gold.
self 220 2 10 900g / 350m / 22t
Mana Surge
For 10 turns, your Focus action yields more mana.
self 220 2 10 900g / 350m / 22t
Aegis of Stone
For 6 turns, your armies resist damage better in battles (damage reduction).
self 260 3 6 1100g / 500m / 30t
War Fervor
For 6 turns, your armies fight harder in battles (attack power bonus).
self 260 3 6 1100g / 500m / 30t
Ashen Veil
For 4 turns, hostile spells against you are harder to land and ranged pressure weakens.
self 300 4 4 1300g / 650m / 34t
Chronomancer's Refund
A forbidden blue rite: regain a small number of turns (capped by your turn cap). Massive cooldown.
self 1100 25 0 6500g / 2600m / 320t
Arcane Spark
A precise crackle of arcane energy that picks off a small portion of a random enemy stack. Your starter spell.
enemy 35 1 0

Mana timing wins wars. Don’t blow your mana on tiny casts right before a big border fight.

Wizards of Valor

Wizards are unlocked with Valor. You choose one as your Active Wizard. Your active wizard auto‑casts at the start of every battle (attacking or defending), shaping how your wars play out. Only one wizard effect can be active at a time.

Unlock Costs

  • Green — 25 Valor
  • Blue — 50 Valor
  • Black — 125 Valor
  • White — 250 Valor
  • Red — 500 Valor

War Effects (Auto‑Cast)

  • Green • Verdant Surge — reduces losses by returning some wounded to your ranks.
  • Blue • Arcane Tempo — dampens the enemy’s battlefield output and rewards smart timing.
  • Black • Reaper’s Cut — increases your lethality and boosts raid spoils on victory (gold + mana siphon).
  • White • Aegis of Concord — shimmering wards blunt spells and arrows (better defense and trades).
  • Red • Crimson Onslaught — siege magic crackles over the battlefield; on victory, enemy buildings may be damaged.

Switching your active wizard costs turns. Your bound creatures remain, but any in‑progress summoning ritual is canceled (see the Dashboard tooltip).

Summoned Creatures (Late Game)

Summons are high-cost power that consume Arcane Capacity (from Obelisks). They’re the “I’m serious now” layer of the game. Each active wizard offers three summon choices (low / mid / elite) so you can field summons earlier and scale up over time.

Summon Roster (Abilities)

Summons act as real combat stacks. They are expensive because they carry special passives that can swing battles—especially when mixed with the right infantry.

  • Green • ThornlingThorns: reflects a portion of melee casualties back onto attackers. Great vs brawlers.
  • Green • BarkguardShielded Bark: tough vs ranged fire; small aura that steadies your line.
  • Green • Ancient TreantSiege Colossus: brings strong siege pressure if you win; hard to bring down.
  • Blue • Water WispWarding Mist: adds spell shielding and improves your opening exchange.
  • Blue • Tidal RaiderRanged Hunter: bonus damage vs ranged stacks; deletes archers/casters.
  • Blue • Siren of the TidesArcane Chorus: amplifies your wizard opening effects; deadly early impact.
  • Black • Bone SkulkAmbush: extra punch in Round 1 and slightly harder to kill.
  • Black • Crypt StalkerLife‑Drain: prevents some losses based on kills inflicted; duelist that sustains.
  • Black • Grim ReaperExecute: bonus damage into fragile or already-thinned stacks—snowballs fights.
  • White • Cherub ScoutWards: strong spell shielding and reduced ranged casualties; excellent defensive glue.
  • White • Templar GuardSanctuary: reduces overall casualties for your whole army.
  • White • Seraphic GuardianDivine Protection: powerful team-wide protection + wards.
  • Red • Cinder ImpSwarm + Burn: becomes dangerous in numbers and adds burn follow‑through casualties.
  • Red • Ember HoundRelentless Burn: strong opener plus heavy burn for grinding down tanks.
  • Red • Infernal DragonMythic Siege: massive siege pressure and brutal burning damage—war‑ending threat.
  • More Obelisks = more Arcane capacity = more bindings.
  • If you lose Obelisks, capacity drops and excess summons collapse.
  • Protect your Obelisks if you invest in summons.

War: When to Fight and How to Snowball

War is expensive — but it’s how you take land. Look for border targets, cast for advantage, then attack to seize territory. Winning is often about chaining: win → take land → stabilize economy → win again.

  • Border rule: you can only engage meaningful targets that touch your territory.
  • Fatigue: wars have limits — don’t waste turns in endless feuds.
  • Pick fights where you can take land and hold it afterward.

If building capture is enabled, captured buildings per victory are capped at 25.

Guilds (Alliances)

Guilds are how you turn “one mage vs the world” into coordinated domination. You can share plans, defend borders, and time wars together. A good guild doesn’t just win fights — it wins the week.

  • Create or join in the Guild Hall.
  • Coordinate border pushes and defensive walls.
  • Politics matters: alliances, pacts, and betrayals are part of Magefall’s soul.

Game Phases (Basics → Mid → Late)

Early Game
  • Claim land and establish borders.
  • Farms first so you can field real stacks.
  • Recruit enough to not look free.
Mid Game
  • Border skirmishes for land.
  • Obelisks + mana timing become decisive.
  • Start research and unlock a wizard identity.
Late Game
  • Spell wars + coordinated pushes.
  • Summons if you can protect capacity.
  • Chain victories: keep your turn economy rolling.

Common Mistakes (and How Not to Die)

  • Sitting at turn cap (wasting regen). Spend turns daily.
  • No Farms (you can’t hold troops). Supplies is survival.
  • All-in wars with no rebuild plan (you win once, then collapse).
  • Ignoring borders (you can’t project power if you aren’t positioned).
  • Spending mana carelessly right before a border war.

You can review outcomes in War Reports. Combat logs will include a summary of wizard effects that triggered.

Spells (Your Grimoire)

Spells are cast from the War page. Your available spells come from the grimoire you’ve unlocked through progression (and the realm’s spell catalog). Some spells are self-cast and some are hostile.

  • Spells usually cost turns and mana
  • Hostile spells create a war report (and they make enemies)
  • Self-cast spells are great for preparing a push or stabilizing after a fight

Rule of thumb: Don’t cast spells blindly. Read the spell description + costs, and plan your turns.

Current Spell List & Effects

Spell Target Cost Effect
Ruinous Bolt
Key: ruinous_bolt
Enemy
Mana: 200
Turns: 5
Research: 700g • 250 mana • 18 turns
A vicious firebolt that immolates a meaningful portion of a random enemy stack. Border-only.
Veil of Fog
Key: veil_of_fog
Enemy
Duration: 6 turns
Mana: 220
Turns: 4
Research: 700g • 420 mana • 18 turns
Shrouds a target enemy parcel in dense fog for 6 turns. Ranged units suffer heavy effectiveness when attacking that parcel.
Ember Scourge
Key: ember_scourge
Enemy
Duration: 6 turns
Mana: 240
Turns: 4
Research: 780g • 460 mana • 20 turns
Sets a target enemy parcel ablaze for 6 turns. Small ongoing attrition to defenders in battles over this tile.
Floodplain
Key: floodplain
Enemy
Duration: 7 turns
Mana: 240
Turns: 4
Research: 850g • 480 mana • 22 turns
Floods a target enemy parcel for 7 turns. Infantry suffers reduced damage when fighting on this tile.
Stone Spikes
Key: stone_spikes
Enemy
Mana: 240
Turns: 6
Research: 850g • 380 mana • 22 turns
Jagged earth erupts under the enemy: moderate casualties and a brief shock to morale. Border-only.
Glacial Lock
Key: glacial_lock
Enemy
Duration: 4 turns
Mana: 260
Turns: 5
Research: 900g • 520 mana • 26 turns
Freezes a target enemy parcel for 4 turns. Attacks against that parcel become harder and defenders gain a solid edge.
Chain Lightning
Key: chain_lightning
Enemy
Mana: 260
Turns: 6
Research: 900g • 400 mana • 24 turns
Jumps through the enemy line: damages a random stack, then splashes a smaller echo into a second stack. Border-only.
Tidal Crush
Key: tidal_crush
Enemy
Mana: 280
Turns: 7
Research: 950g • 450 mana • 26 turns
A crushing wave that targets the largest enemy stack (by quantity) and reduces it. Border-only.
Stonebreaker Rite
Key: stonebreaker
Enemy
Mana: 700
Turns: 14
Research: 2000g • 900 mana • 70 turns
A grinding earth-rite that cracks enemy infrastructure: destroys some Farms (capped). Border-only.
Tempest Sunder
Key: tempest_sunder
Enemy
Mana: 750
Turns: 15
Research: 2200g • 1000 mana • 75 turns
A violent storm snaps obelisks and disrupts spellwork: destroys some Obelisks (capped). Border-only.
Fire Siege
Key: fire_siege
Enemy
Mana: 900
Turns: 18
Research: 2500g • 1200 mana • 90 turns
Siege-fire crashes into a bordering enemy parcel. Randomly destroys a portion of Farms and Obelisks (capped). Border-only.
Rampant Growth
Key: rampant_growth
Self
Duration: 10 turns
Mana: 180
Turns: 3
Research: 650g • 420 mana • 20 turns
Blesses one of your own parcels for 10 turns. Defenders on that tile gain resilience; your supply strain eases slightly in battles over it.
Golden Tithe
Key: golden_tithe
Self
Duration: 10 turns
Mana: 220
Turns: 2
Research: 900g • 350 mana • 22 turns
For 10 turns, your Tax action yields more gold.
Mana Surge
Key: mana_surge
Self
Duration: 10 turns
Mana: 220
Turns: 2
Research: 900g • 350 mana • 22 turns
For 10 turns, your Focus action yields more mana.
Aegis of Stone
Key: aegis_of_stone
Self
Duration: 6 turns
Mana: 260
Turns: 3
Research: 1100g • 500 mana • 30 turns
For 6 turns, your armies resist damage better in battles (damage reduction).
War Fervor
Key: war_fervor
Self
Duration: 6 turns
Mana: 260
Turns: 3
Research: 1100g • 500 mana • 30 turns
For 6 turns, your armies fight harder in battles (attack power bonus).
Ashen Veil
Key: ashen_veil
Self
Duration: 4 turns
Mana: 300
Turns: 4
Research: 1300g • 650 mana • 34 turns
For 4 turns, hostile spells against you are harder to land and ranged pressure weakens.
Chronomancer's Refund
Key: chronomancer_refund
Self
Mana: 1100
Turns: 25
Research: 6500g • 2600 mana • 320 turns
A forbidden blue rite: regain a small number of turns (capped by your turn cap). Massive cooldown.
Arcane Spark
Key: arcane_spark
Enemy
Mana: 35
Turns: 1
A precise crackle of arcane energy that picks off a small portion of a random enemy stack. Your starter spell.

Note: Spell balance can change as the realm evolves — this list is pulled from the current spell catalog.

The Fruits of War (Land • Bonus Land • Valor • Buildings)

Winning wars is how empires are made. Victories can award multiple kinds of rewards — and the battle report will show the details.

  • Stolen Land: taken directly from the defender (this weakens them)
  • Valor: prestige earned through conflict; used to unlock Wizard paths
  • Captured Buildings: conquest can grant buildings as spoils (shown in the report summary)

Important: Bonus land does not come from the defender. It represents your armies claiming unsettled territory while marching to and from battle.

Retaliation & Politics (This Is the Realm)

Magefall is intentionally a little political. Attacks create grudges, alliances, and revenge cycles. If you win, expect retaliation — and if you lose, learn fast and strike back smarter.

  • Use War Reports to scout targets and learn matchups
  • Usernames in reports are clickable — click a name to jump to War with the target pre-filled
  • Don’t spend every turn on offense — keep enough turns to defend after you attack