Guide / FAQ & Glossary

Quick answers

FAQ & Glossary

Short answers to the questions players ask most, plus a glossary of every term the game uses. Can't find something? The full detail is in the guide pages linked from each answer.

Platforms and accounts

Where can I play?

In your web browser right now, at aetherchronicles.com, on desktop or phone. No download needed.

Is there an iPhone app?

Coming soon. The iPhone app is on its way to the App Store but isn't released yet. When it lands, sign in with the same account and everything comes with you.

Is it free?

Yes. Aether Chronicles is free to play. Every card can be earned or crafted by playing, and Motes from duplicates let you craft exactly what you're missing. See Shop & Economy.

Do I need an account?

Yes. New players create a free account (email and password). It keeps your collection safe in the cloud and lets you play online. See Your account.

Can I buy gems on the web?

Not at the moment. Gem purchases on the web are switched off at launch while secure checkout is finished; the Gem Store says "Coming soon". Gems are still easy to earn from Daily Trials quests, the story, achievements, the Covenant and ranked seasons. The iPhone app will sell gems through the App Store, and your first purchase there pays double gems.

What languages are supported?

English only for now.

Does progress sync between devices?

Yes, while you're signed in: "Progress syncs across your devices." Your device also keeps its own save, so solo modes work offline.

How do I delete my account?

Settings → Account → Delete account, then enter your password. It permanently deletes your cloud save, friends and messages and can't be undone.

Gameplay

How do I attack?

You don't have to do anything. Combat is automatic: when you end your turn, each of your ready units strikes the enemy unit facing it in the same lane, or the enemy's Soul if that lane is empty. Your job is choosing what to play and which lane to put it in. See Combat.

Why didn't my new unit attack?

Newly summoned units are exhausted and attack at the end of your next turn. Only units with Vanguard attack the turn they arrive. Moving a unit with Maneuver also exhausts it for that turn.

Why can't I play this spell?

Spells and Events need a Summon of the same element on your side of the board. Sigils need a same-element Summon to bind to, with fewer than two Sigils already on it. Play a matching Summon first. See the element gate.

Why did my Soul drop when my Bulwark blocked?

That's the wall's price: every blow a Bulwark takes also costs its side 1 Soul. Ordinary blockers block for free. See Walls.

What happens if I run out of cards?

Fatigue. Each draw from an empty deck costs Soul: 1 the first time, then 2, then 3, and so on.

Can a match end in a draw?

Rarely. If both players hit 0 Soul at once, the player whose turn it is wins. A match that reaches the 60-turn cap goes to whoever has more Soul, and only an exact tie there is a draw.

Is Quick Match casual?

No. Quick Match is ranked and uses the same queue as the Ranked Ladder. For unrated games online, play Draft Duel or challenge a friend. See Ranked.

Do I lose rank if I quit?

Yes. Conceding or disconnecting from a ranked match is a full rank-point loss. If it happens before round 3 the match is a "No contest": the quitter still takes the loss and the winner gets nothing. Surrendering any match pays no coins or XP.

Is there a turn timer?

Online matches show a turn dial. When you challenge a friend, the host picks the timer (Off, 30, 60 or 90 seconds; 60 by default). Solo modes have no timer.

Cards and collection

How many cards are there?

1,209 across 24 sets at launch. Browse every one in the Card Database.

How do I get a specific card?

Craft it with Motes: 40 for a Common up to 12,800 for a Mythic. Motes come automatically from duplicate pulls. See Crafting.

Can I turn extra cards into Motes?

There's no manual disenchant. Duplicates from packs, the Fortune and Weekly Singles become Motes automatically when you pull them; packs never hand you a second copy of a card you own.

Which cards can't be crafted?

Covenant cards (one exclusive Legendary per season, on the premium track), Chronicle cards (from mastering a story chapter) and Promo cards (one in each Collector's Tin). The card page says where each is earned.

The game says a promo card is from the Covenant. Is it?

No. The three promo cards (Embermane, Hollowcrown and Dawnwarden) come from Collector's Tins in the Shop, one per tin. Some screens show them with the Covenant label; trust the tin. See Shop & Economy.

Do card levels matter?

Not at launch. Every copy is level 1 and there's no way to level cards up, so ignore any level numbers you see.

What's an alt art and does it change the card?

An alt art is a different painting for a card you own. It never changes the rules. You earn them through card mastery, story stars and the Covenant, or buy them. See Alt art.

Modes and events

Where is Aether Jack?

Aether Jack, the coin card table behind the Daily Fortune screen, is on the web (and Android). It won't be in the iPhone app, where its sleeves are sold for gems instead. See Aether Jack.

Are there guilds?

No. There are friends, season rivals, direct messages and the leaderboard. See Friends & Social.

When do dailies reset?

At 00:00 UTC. The Weekly Twist changes on Mondays and Weekly Singles and the grand Fortune on Thursdays (both 00:00 UTC). See What resets when.

How do I get the Event Pack?

You can't at the moment. It appears in the game's data but isn't sold or given anywhere in the launch build.

Some achievements look impossible.

A few are waiting on future content. The story achievements for completing 5 and 10 chapters can't be done until more chapters arrive (there are 4), and "Every Echo Answered" says 7 side trials but means all 10.

Glossary

Keywords printed on cards have their own page: see Keywords.

Aether: Your mana. You get 4 on your first turn and 1 more each turn, up to 10. It refills every turn.
Soul Points (Soul): Your life total. 30 to start. Reduce your opponent's to 0 to win.
Lane: One of the three board columns: Aggressive (+1 ATK), Balanced and Defensive (+1 DEF).
Summon: A unit card with Attack, Defense and Health that takes a lane.
Spell: A one-time effect. Needs a Summon of its element on your side.
Event / Decree: An Event becomes a standing Decree with an ongoing effect. You can have one Decree at a time.
Sigil: Binds to one of your Summons of the same element and buffs it. Up to two per Summon.
Element gate: The rule that Spells and Events need a same-element Summon on your board.
Clash: One unit striking another: the strike, then a counter-blow if the defender survives.
Counter-blow: The defender's strike back after surviving a hit. Pierce and Unseen attackers don't take one.
Exhausted / Ready: Ready units strike at the end of your turn. New, moved and risen units are exhausted for a turn.
Maneuver: Move a unit to another lane for 1 Aether, once per unit per turn. It exhausts the unit.
Eclipse: Summoning onto your own unit. The new unit gets +1/+1 and the one beneath is buried until the top one dies.
Buried: A unit under an Eclipse. It rises when the unit above it dies.
Wall's price: Each blow a Bulwark takes costs its side 1 Soul.
Tithe: Pay Soul instead of some of a card's Aether cost, 1 for 1, never down to 0 Soul.
Wager: A dice roll on Fate's Gambit cards that decides how strong the effect is.
Scorch: Drawing with a full hand (7) sends the drawn card to your discard.
Fatigue: Damage for drawing from an empty deck: 1, then 2, then 3, and so on.
Mulligan (Redraw): Shuffle your opening hand back and draw a new one. Once per duel.
Coins: The everyday currency, earned by playing.
Gems: The premium currency, earned from quests, story, achievements and seasons.
Motes: The crafting currency, from duplicates and rewards.
Pity: The guarantee of a Legendary within 110 cards opened and a Mythic within 250.
Covenant: The 50-level season reward track, with a free and a premium side.
Chronicle: The four story-only cards earned by mastering each chapter.
Echo: An optional side trial in the story campaign.
Mastery: Card mastery (play a card enough to earn its PROVEN art) and deck mastery (play a deck to earn cosmetics for it).
Split: A 28-day ranked season.
Twist: The weekly rule change for Practice and quick play.
Dossier: Your file on an opponent you've faced.