The Timeline connects gameplay milestones to Epochs: entries that reveal a piece of the Spire’s history and unlock content. A card missing from your rewards may belong to a pool your profile has not unlocked yet. More runs alone do not replace a specific character or act objective.
Character order
| Character | Unlock route |
|---|---|
| Ironclad | Available initially. |
| Silent | Play a run as Ironclad; open Fog Rolls In. |
| Regent | Play a run as Silent; open Anomalous Planet. |
| Necrobinder | Play a run as Regent; open Life and Death. |
| Defect | Play a run as Necrobinder; open Booting Up. |
These first character steps ask you to play a run with the preceding character. They do not require an Act 3 victory. Return to the Timeline afterward and open the revealed entry before expecting the character to be selectable.
Character rewards
Each character has additional milestones. The Act 3 milestone unlocks that character’s Ascension progression and a group of character potions. Earlier milestones add more cards and relics. Check the missing entry’s requirement rather than choosing a build whose essential card is still outside your available pool.
For example, the Ironclad’s The Pact Epoch is tied to defeating Act 3 as Ironclad. The Silent’s equivalent is Trophies; Regent has Grand Strategy, Necrobinder has Spireborn, and Defect has Resolving Bugs. These are separate objectives, so an Ironclad victory does not complete all five characters’ progression.
Alternate content and Ancients
Underdocks is an alternate Act 1 unlocked through the Timeline. It changes the encounters and boss choices you can receive at the beginning of a run. Hive is Act 2 and Glory is Act 3; do not interpret every unfamiliar act name as a later floor of the same route.
Orobas has an Epoch requiring a run with every character. Darv’s entry asks you to encounter the other Ancients. These conditions explain why an early profile can offer fewer Ancient choices than a guide written from a progressed account.
Daily and Custom runs
Use Standard runs when pursuing Epoch progression. Mega Crit removed achievement and Epoch unlocks from Daily and Custom runs in the first major update. A special modifier can make a demonstration easier without satisfying the ordinary unlock condition.
If a completion goal remains unfinished, inspect the specific Epoch and the character used. Character availability, content-pool access and Ascension unlocks are different forms of progression.
