Oath & Ash
Handbook
Everything about Oath & Ash, one chapter at a time. It’s the same handbook you find in the app under Settings, Handbook.
Last updated: 28 September 2026.
Chapter 1
Getting started
The basics
Lead your hero through three Acts of ten encounters each. Every battle is fought with cards. Win to unlock the next waypoint and earn Dust, and sometimes a new card too.
Setting out
On the home screen, pick your hero and go to Adventure. On the map, choose a waypoint and set off. Before the battle, the enemy introduces itself. Then your first turn begins.
Battles in progress are saved. You can return to the map at any time and pick up where you left off.
Chapter 2
Battle
Your turn
At the start of each turn, you draw five cards and get three Energy. A card's Energy cost is the number at the top left. Choose a card and press Play.
When you're done, press End turn. Any cards you didn't play go to the discard pile.
Attack and Stance
Every card is either an Attack or a Stance. The small badge at the bottom of the card art tells you which: a sword for Attack, a shield for Stance.
Stances are defensive cards, like Guard, Second Wind, Underbrush or Bandage. Some enemies react to them. Armor won't stop Rockfall: the rocks go right past it. But if you play at least one Stance that turn, it only hits you for half. The enemy's intent tells you if you still need a Stance.
The enemy's intent
The top right shows what the enemy will do next, such as an attack of a certain strength. Tap it to see the card and the enemy's whole deck. Read the intent, and you can protect yourself in time.
The enemy turn
After your turn, the enemy carries out the action it announced. Then your next turn begins. You win when its Health drops to zero and lose when yours does. Either way, you keep your progress.
Chapter 3
Stats and keywords
Health and Armor
Health is your life total. Armor absorbs damage before it hits your Health and wears off at the start of your next turn. You can play each 0-Energy card once per turn.
The Knight
Wall: if you have at least 10 Armor before you play a card, its “With 10+ Armor:” bonus applies. Riposte: some attacks deal extra damage equal to half or all of your Armor. Your Armor stays, unless a card says “Spend”. Parry hits back if you fully block the enemy's next attack.
The Hunter
Poison takes effect before the enemy acts, goes through Armor, then halves. An enemy can carry at most one eighth of its full health in Poison, plus 2 per level of the poison card. Traps are set in advance, and every Trap goes off as soon as the enemy attacks. You can have up to three Traps out at once.
The Mage
Chain: many Mage cards get stronger for each card you have already played this turn. “+3 for each card” means 3 more per card, counting up to 5. The count starts over each turn. Frost sits on the enemy and weakens each of its attacks by half your Frost, then half of it thaws. At 10 Frost the enemy freezes once per fight and skips a turn.
Chapter 4
Cards, Levels and rarity
Rarity
Cards come in five rarities: common, uncommon, rare, epic and legendary. The frame color shows a card's rarity.
Levels
Every card has its own Level, from one to five, shown by the lights on the right edge of the art. Spend Dust to upgrade a single copy. Higher Levels make its effect stronger.
Chapter 5
Deck and Collection
Deck and Reserve
Your Deck always has twenty cards. Any extra cards you find go to your Reserve. Swap cards between Deck and Reserve in the Collection.
Salvage
You can salvage cards from your Reserve for Dust. Deck cards are protected. Upgraded cards give back more Dust.
Chapter 6
Acts, waypoints and finds
The three Acts
Act one is the Thorn Path, Act two the Ashlands, Act three the Sand Sea. Each Act has ten waypoints, including several boss fights. The next Act unlocks once you beat the final enemy of the one before.
In the Sand Sea the sun climbs higher: from round 9 on, every enemy in Act three hits 4 harder each round. Long fights get dangerous there, so try to end them early.
Finds
Each waypoint favors one of your hero's two play styles. After a win, a card of that style may turn up. Reveal it, then keep it in your Reserve or salvage it for Dust.
You can replay waypoints you've already beaten, for example to earn more Dust.
Chapter 7
Expeditions
What it is
Open the expedition from the map icon on the right of the start page. You set out with just 10 cards and build your deck along the way. Your collection, your deck and your acts are never touched.
Each hero starts with their own relic. Relics are lasting boons that stay with you until the expedition ends.
Your Health carries over from fight to fight. If your hero falls, the expedition ends. You can close it at any time and pick up later, even in the middle of a fight.
Legs and stops
An expedition has three legs of 12 stops each, with the enemies of acts one, two and three. Each leg is a map: you start at the bottom, and the boss waits at the top, at the twelfth stop. The paths branch, and from where you stand you can reach the glowing places right above you. Along the way lie fights, elites, rests, merchants and events, with a camp to rest at in the middle of every leg. Tap a place to see what waits there, and plan your route to the boss.
Each week the map has a different look: River Run, Field of Ruins, The Gorge or Misty Lakes. After four weeks the series starts over. An expedition keeps the look of the week it began in.
After a fight you pick one of three cards for your expedition deck, or take none. An elite also offers you a choice of relics. The boss gives a relic and then heals you fully.
At a rest you heal 30 percent of your Health or upgrade one card by one level. Each event gives you two choices, for example with a pilgrim, a shrine or a dice player.
Ember Shards and the merchant
You only earn Ember Shards on an expedition: 18 for a fight, 35 for an elite, 60 for a boss. The merchant sells cards, a relic, healing and removing a card for them. They are gone when the expedition ends.
Rewards
Every cleared leg pays Dust: 60, 120 and 200. You keep the Dust from cleared legs even if you give up. Every win on an expedition gives embers for the season path, like a win at a place you know.
The "On Expedition" achievement pays 40 Dust for the first leg, 80 Dust for two legs in one run and 30 diamonds for winning a whole expedition.
Weekly expedition
The weekly expedition has the same route for everyone. You get one try per week, and the week starts on Monday at midnight (Berlin).
In the weekly ranking, each cleared leg counts 12 points plus the stop you reached. A won expedition counts 37 points plus your remaining Health.
After the week ends there are prizes by place: 300, 220 and 160 Dust for the top three, 100 Dust up to place 10, 50 Dust up to place 50 and 30 Dust otherwise. A prize counts once you clear a leg. You claim it the next time you open the expedition.
Chapter 8
The heroes
Separate progress
Each hero has their own Deck, Collection and Act progress. Dust and Diamonds are shared. To switch heroes, swipe across the picture on the home screen or tap the hero next to it. You can't switch during a battle.
Unlocking
The Knight is available from the start. The Hunter joins once you defeat the Thorn King at the end of Act one.
The Mage joins once you defeat the Oathbreaker King at the end of Act two. She has 52 Health and plays with Chain and Frost.
Chapter 9
Dust, Diamonds and card boxes
Dust
You earn Dust in every battle and spend it on upgrades. All your heroes share it.
Diamonds and card boxes
Your first-time wins give you Diamonds. Spend them in the Shop on card boxes, each with three random cards for your chosen hero. The Shop lists the odds for each rarity.
Chapter 10
Daily
Weekly calendar
Tap the calendar icon at the top right of the home screen to open Daily. A gold dot means something is waiting for you.
Claim one reward a day. Days 1 to 6 alternate between Dust and Diamonds. Day 7 is a card box with three cards for your current hero. Miss a day? You pick up right where you left off. After day 7 the week starts over. A new day begins at midnight, your local time.
Daily battle
Every day brings a daily battle: an enemy your hero has already beaten, with a twist. The enemy might start with extra Armor, or you might draw an extra card in your first hand. Every player gets the same twist on the same day.
Your first win of the day earns 60 Dust. The daily battle gives no card find and no Diamonds, and it does not count as a waypoint. Lose? Try again as often as you like that day.
Chapter 11
Season path
How it works
The sun at the top right of the start page opens the season path. A season lasts one month and ends, like the league, on the last day at 8 pm (Berlin time). The path has 40 levels of rewards: Dust, Diamonds, card boxes, card choices, avatars, card backs, card frames and titles.
Embers move you along, and 150 embers make one level. You earn embers from victories (30 at a new place, 15 at one you know), the daily battle (40), a defeat (5), league duels (15, or 30 for a win), the first friendly duel of the day, the calendar (20), claimed achievements (25) and the first win of the day (50 extra). The top of the path shows this list with every value.
If you are behind today's target level, your embers count double until you catch up. After level 40, every 300 embers bring an ember chest with 100 Dust.
Claiming
Tap a reward to claim it. “Claim all” claims everything at once except card choices: there you pick one of two or three cards yourself. A card box opens right on the path.
Anything you haven't claimed by the end of the season is paid out automatically. Card choices and card boxes then turn into Dust.
Path Letter and appearance
The Path Letter opens a second track with more rewards for one season, including its own avatar, a card back and titles. Anything you have already reached, you claim right away.
Under Settings, Appearance you choose your card back, card frame and the title shown under your name in the ranking. It is looks only and changes nothing about cards or battles. You pick avatars in the Arena.
Every hero has a victory line they say after winning a duel in the Arena; whoever loses hears it too. From October, level 12 brings a new line for all three heroes each month. You choose the line under Appearance as well, where you can listen to it and turn off your opponents' lines.
Chapter 12
Arena and league
League
For the league you first choose a name. Other players see it in the ranking and after a duel. It is checked automatically, and you can change it once a month.
Next to your name in the ranking you show an avatar. Eight crests are free, and four more unlock when one of your heroes reaches Silver, Gold, Platinum or Diamond. Tap your avatar in the Arena to change it. The ranking shows the players of the hero you have selected.
“Find an opponent” pits you against another player's real deck, led by the computer. If nobody fits right now, an Arena Guardian steps in: a computer opponent with one of the six play-style decks at your card level. It gives half points and is not in the ranking.
After every league duel your deck becomes your defense. When someone attacks it, you'll see on your next visit whether you held.
Each hero has their own points. The leagues are Starter, Bronze (from 400), Silver (from 1,000), Gold (from 1,700), Platinum (from 2,500) and Diamond (from 3,400). You move up as soon as you reach a threshold and only drop back 100 points below it. Once you reach Bronze or Gold, you stay there for the rest of the season.
Your first three wins each day give 40 dust each. You can continue an open league duel later; after 24 hours it counts as a loss. You can also give up.
Seasons and prizes
A season lasts one calendar month and ends on its last day at 8 pm (Berlin time). Then every hero starts with half their points.
Your prize depends on the highest league you reached that season: Starter 100, Bronze 250, Silver 450, Gold 700, Platinum 1,000 and Diamond 1,400 dust. From Gold on you also pick one of three rare cards, in Diamond an epic one. Every hero who played or defended at least one league duel that season gets one; you claim it in the arena.
Report and block
Tap a name in the ranking to report it or block the player. You won't face a blocked player again. A name that's reported several times is hidden until we've checked it. If your own name is hidden, you can pick a new one right away.
Friends and profiles
Your friend code is in the Arena under “Friends”. “Invite” shares it. When a friend enters your code, you both become friends. A new code makes the old one stop working, and your friends stay.
“Duel” lets you play against a friend's defense. Friendly duels don't count for the league and give no Dust, but the first one each day gives embers for the season path. The friend list shows your record. Win 1, 10 and 50 friendly duels for the "Among Friends" achievement.
Tap a name in the ranking or the friend list to see that player's profile: title, best league, and for each hero the league, record, defense, adventure, collection and achievements. You open your own profile from your name in the Arena. Reporting and blocking are in the profile.
Chapter 13
Achievements
Tiers and rewards
Achievements have several tiers. When you reach a tier, claim the reward under Achievements on the home screen.
Chapter 14
Playing with VoiceOver
Finding your way
Headings guide you through every screen, for example with the rotor. In battle, the enemy and its Health form a heading. Every card you play and every enemy turn is announced.
In the battle menu, Read battle status reads out all current values. In Settings, Learn the sounds lets you hear each game sound on its own.
Chapter 15
Help and contact
Support
Your support code is in Settings. Tap Email us to write straight to support. Your code, app version and device are filled in for you, so just describe your issue.