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Progression System

How characters, classes, and abilities develop across all 32 chapters of Vigilans Nexum.

🎯 Overall Progression Arc

Total Game Length: 32 Chapters across 4 Parts
Level Range: 1 → 45
Class Tiers: Citizen → Base → Intermediate → Advanced → Master → Unique

📊 Level Curve per Part

Part 01: Path of Liberation (Chapters 1-8)

Level Range: 1 → 12
Enemy Levels: 1 → 14
Focus: Learning fundamentals, establishing base roster

Chapter Avg Level Start Avg Level End New Units Mechanics Introduced
01 1 2 Dardan, Hasan Movement, Attack, Items
02 2 4 Maksimo Weapon Triangle
03 4 6 Ivan, Leona Terrain Effects, Objectives
04 6 7 - Naval Combat (Optional)
05 7 8 Lina, Marven Magic Introduction
06 8 10 - Support Conversations
07 10 11 Mikael The Nexus / Exchange
08 11 12 - Boss Battle, Promotion Preview

Class Unlocks:

  • Chapter 5-6: Base Classes become available (Fighter, Mage, Soldier, etc.)
  • Chapter 8: Promotion teaser (story NPC promotes to demonstrate system)

Milestone: By end of Part 01, all Vigilant Knights are recruited.

Part 02: A King's Promise (Chapters 9-16)

Level Range: 12 → 22
Enemy Levels: 14 → 24
Focus: Class specialization, expanding roster with royal allies

Chapter Avg Level Start Avg Level End New Units Mechanics Introduced
09 12 14 Tifa, Claude Mounted Units
10 14 15 - Shopping/Economy
11 15 17 Fabius Heavy Armor Units
12 17 18 Asta Divine Magic (Lux)
13 18 19 Vector Assassin Archetype
14 19 20 Shira Advanced Bow Techniques
15 20 21 - Multi-Phase Battle
16 21 22 - Major Story Boss

Class Unlocks:

  • Chapter 10: Intermediate Classes (level 10 requirement)
  • Chapter 15: Advanced Classes (level 20 requirement) become available

Milestone: Kingdom of Adolla arc complete, Tifa joins permanently.

Part 03: The Champion's Road (Chapters 17-24)

Level Range: 22 → 32
Enemy Levels: 24 → 35
Focus: Mastery of combat arts, arena challenges

Chapter Avg Level Start Avg Level End New Units Mechanics Introduced
17 22 24 - Naval Battle System
18 24 25 - Ghost Ship (Horror Theme)
19 25 26 Kassandra Thysian Combat Arts
20 26 27 - Darkness Magic (Umbra)
21 27 28 Rohan Desert Survival Mechanics
22 28 29 - Sandstorm Hazards
23 29 31 - Arena Tournament (Multi-Battle)
24 31 32 - Dardan's Awakening (Story Event)

Class Unlocks:

  • Chapter 20: Master Classes (level 30 requirement)
  • Chapter 24: Dardan unlocks unique "Champion" class

Milestone: Thysia arc complete, Dardan recognized as Champion of Aurevia.

Part 04: The Name You Were Given (Chapters 25-32)

Level Range: 32 → 45
Enemy Levels: 35 → 50
Focus: Endgame challenges, unique classes, final revelations

Chapter Avg Level Start Avg Level End New Units Mechanics Introduced
25 32 34 Elena, Matteo Imperial Tactics
26 34 36 Alex Civil War Mechanics
27 36 38 Raphael Multi-Army Battles
28 38 40 Luca Political Choices
29 40 42 Rael (?) Enemy Conversion
30 42 43 - Allied NPC Armies
31 43 44 - Pre-Final Battle
32 44 45 - Final Boss (Multi-Phase)

Class Unlocks:

  • Chapter 26-30: Unique Classes for protagonist group
  • Chapter 32: Legendary weapons accessible

Milestone: True identity of Varnel revealed, final confrontation.

🏆 Class Progression System

Class Tiers & Requirements

Citizen (Lv 1)
    ↓ [Level 5]
Base Classes (Fighter, Mage, Soldier, etc.)
    ↓ [Level 10 + Certification]
Intermediate Classes (Mercenary, Warlock, Cavalier, etc.)
    ↓ [Level 20 + Certification]
Advanced Classes (Hero, Sorcerer, Paladin, etc.)
    ↓ [Level 30 + Certification + Story Event]
Master Classes (War Master, Archmage, Great Knight, etc.)
    ↓ [Level 35 + Story Unlock]
Unique Classes (Champion, Vigilant Lord, Shadow Blade, etc.)

Certification Requirements

Tier Level Req Stat Reqs (examples) Seal Cost
Base 5 Str 8 OR Mag 8 Free (story)
Intermediate 10 Str 15, Dex 12 500 Gold
Advanced 20 Str 25, Spd 20 2,000 Gold
Master 30 Str 35, Def 30 5,000 Gold
Unique 35+ Story unlock only Cannot buy

Class Change Rules

  • Flexible Reclassing: Units can change classes freely (with seals)
  • Skill Retention: Learned class skills are kept when changing
  • Level Retention: Level stays the same across classes
  • Stat Adjustments: Class bonuses apply immediately

📈 Stat Growth Across Game

Expected Stats at Key Milestones (Balanced Unit)

Level HP Str Mag Dex Spd Lck Def Res
1 (Citizen) 18 5 3 5 5 4 4 2
10 (Intermediate) 28 12 8 11 12 8 9 6
20 (Advanced) 38 20 14 18 20 13 15 11
30 (Master) 50 28 20 26 28 18 22 16
45 (Unique/Max) 70 38 28 36 38 25 30 23

Class bonuses add +5-10 to primary stats at Master tier.

⚔️ Weapon Progression Timeline

When Weapon Tiers Become Available

Tier First Available Typical Use Period Obsolete By
Iron Chapter 1 Ch 1-10 Never (budget option)
Steel Chapter 5 Ch 5-18 Never (mid-game standard)
Silver Chapter 12 Ch 12-28 Never (expensive but reliable)
Legendary Chapter 20+ Ch 20-32 Endgame only
Unique/Prf Story-based Character-specific Never

Magic Spell Availability

Tier Spell Level Available From Example Spells
Basic E-Rank Chapter 5 Fire, Thunder, Wind
Intermediate D-Rank Chapter 10 Fireball, Lightning, Gale
Advanced C-Rank Chapter 18 Inferno, Chain Lightning, Tornado
Expert B-Rank Chapter 25 Meteor, Ragnarok, Divine Pulse
Ultimate A-Rank Chapter 30+ Apocalypse, Judgement

🎓 Skill & Ability Unlocks

Ability Learning System

Passive Abilities: Learned through class mastery
Combat Arts: Learned at specific class levels
Magic Spells: Learned through magic ranks
Unique Skills: Story-based unlocks

Sample Ability Timeline (Dardan)

Level Class Ability/Skill Unlocked
1 Citizen None
5 Fighter HP +5
10 Mercenary Vantage
15 Mercenary Wrath
20 Hero Sol
25 Hero Swordfaire
30 War Master Critical +10
35 Champion (Unique) Nexus Mastery (Exchange has no cooldown)
40 Champion Bond of Souls (Adjacent allies +5 all stats)

🌟 Recruitment Timeline

Unit Availability by Part

Part 01: Dardan, Hasan, Maksimo, Ivan, Leona, Lina, Marven, Mikael (8 units)
Part 02: +Tifa, Claude, Fabius, Asta, Vector, Shira (14 total)
Part 03: +Kassandra, Rohan (16 total)
Part 04: +Elena, Matteo, Alex, Raphael, Luca, Rael (?) (22+ total)

Deployment Limits by Chapter

Chapters Max Deployment Notes
01-04 4-6 units Forced deployment (tutorial)
05-08 8 units Flexibility begins
09-16 10 units Standard mid-game
17-24 12 units Larger battles
25-32 14-16 units Endgame army battles

Special: Some chapters force specific units (story reasons).

💎 Resource Progression

Gold Economy Over Time

Part Avg Gold Earned Cumulative Total Major Purchases
1 6,000 6,000 Base weapons, seals
2 12,000 18,000 Steel weapons, intermediate seals
3 18,000 36,000 Silver weapons, advanced seals
4 28,000 64,000 Master seals, stat boosters

Stat Booster Distribution

Energy Drop (HP+5), Spirit Dust (Mag+2), etc.

  • Part 01: 1-2 stat boosters (hidden on maps)
  • Part 02: 3-4 stat boosters
  • Part 03: 5-6 stat boosters
  • Part 04: 8-10 stat boosters (can also buy limited stock)

🎮 Difficulty Curve

Challenge Pacing

Ch 1-3:   Easy         (Tutorial, learning mechanics)
Ch 4-7:   Medium       (Applying knowledge)
Ch 8:     Spike        (First major boss)
Ch 9-11:  Medium       (New mechanics, new difficulty)
Ch 12-15: Medium-Hard  (Optimization required)
Ch 16:    Spike        (Part 2 finale)
Ch 17-22: Hard         (Mastery expected)
Ch 23-24: Very Hard    (Arena + Story Boss)
Ch 25-30: Very Hard    (Endgame gauntlet)
Ch 31-32: Extreme      (Final challenges)

Note: This is for "Normal" difficulty. Hard/Maddening increase by 1-2 tiers.

✅ Progression Checklist

Ensure each Part includes:

  • 2-3 new playable units
  • 1 new class tier unlock
  • 2-3 new weapon/spell tiers
  • 1-2 major boss battles
  • Story climax at Part finale
  • Clear mechanical theme (Part 1 = Basics, Part 2 = Classes, Part 3 = Mastery, Part 4 = Unique)

Version: 1.0
Last Updated: 2026-05-10
Cross-Reference: Balancing Guide, Game Mechanics