Holyday Studios launched Firestone into Early Access on 26 September 2019 and shipped the 1.0 version on 1 April 2024. You field a party of up to five heroes plus one guardian against waves of enemies in the setting of Alandria, and the party keeps fighting while you are offline. Progress comes from research trees, slot-based gear enchanting and repeated ascensions rather than from manual combat input.
Starting Firestone: Online Idle RPG can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet. For the full progression path, see our walkthrough.
What Kind of Game Is This?
Firestone: Online Idle RPG is a rpg game built around Five hero party plus one guardian and Slot-based gear enchanting. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Build
| Build | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Mage | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Priest | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Druid | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Paladin | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
Our recommendation: Start with Mage. It offers the most forgiving experience while teaching core mechanics.
Avoid Paladin as your first pick. It requires deep knowledge of game systems to use effectively. Once you're ready, check our classes guide for all options.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn Five hero party plus one guardian
You bring five heroes and a single guardian into each fight. Heroes divide into Damage, Tank and Healer specialisations and spend mana, rage or energy on their abilities, while the guardian supplies passive buffs plus an active screen-clearing hit that unlocks auto attack at Talent Level 21.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how Five hero party plus one guardian works before worrying about anything else. Our combat guide breaks this down further.
Step 2: Head to Campaign
The main stage progression through Alandria, where hero unlocks are gated behind specific stages: Boris at stage 2, Solaine at stage 7, Leo at stage 150. Stalling here is the normal signal that it is time to ascend.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later. See our maps guide for all locations.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for Chestplate: it's the most accessible early upgrade. The health slot for one hero. Boris wants it first because he already carries the most health in the early roster and the front rank is where fights are decided.
Step 4: Understand Slot-based gear enchanting
Enchantment levels attach to the equipment slot rather than to the item sitting in it, so upgrading a Common chestplate to a Mythic one keeps the enchantment level you already paid for. Costs double per enchant level until level 8, then rise by 50 percent per level, then double again for levels 13 and 14.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early. It pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to Chaos Rift
Endgame content with its own rules. Guardian bonuses from research, experiments, exotics, guild trees and talents do not increase guardian damage here, so the loadout that carries your campaign will not carry this.
Essential Mechanics Explained
Five hero party plus one guardian
You bring five heroes and a single guardian into each fight. Heroes divide into Damage, Tank and Healer specialisations and spend mana, rage or energy on their abilities, while the guardian supplies passive buffs plus an active screen-clearing hit that unlocks auto attack at Talent Level 21.
Slot-based gear enchanting
Enchantment levels attach to the equipment slot rather than to the item sitting in it, so upgrading a Common chestplate to a Mythic one keeps the enchantment level you already paid for. Costs double per enchant level until level 8, then rise by 50 percent per level, then double again for levels 13 and 14.
Firestone and Meteorite research trees
Gold, firestones and meteorites each buy different upgrade trees, and meteorites in particular gate the tier 2 and tier 3 equipment unlocks. Tier 1 gear only helps the hero wearing it, while tier 2 and tier 3 gear give attribute bonuses to every hero you own even when they sit on the bench.
War Machine campaign
War machines run a separate campaign from your hero party, fighting enemy war machines and other players' machines with their own upgrade path. It progresses independently, so it keeps earning while the main campaign is stalled on a wall.
Ascension resets
Ascending wipes campaign stage progress in exchange for permanent multipliers, which is the actual engine of long-term growth. Pushing one extra stage before ascending is almost always worth less than ascending sooner and pushing further on the next run.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Waiting for high-rarity gear before spending on enchants, when the levels attach to the slot and carry over anyway
This is a common trap that costs new players significant time.
2. Dumping every gold coin into the Weapon slot, which only benefits one hero, while the Relic and Wrist slots sit unenchanted
This is a common trap that costs new players significant time.
3. Delaying ascension to chase a few extra campaign stages instead of banking permanent multipliers
This is a common trap that costs new players significant time.
4. Carrying the campaign guardian build straight into Chaos Rift and finding most of its damage bonuses do nothing
This is a common trap that costs new players significant time.
5. Ignoring the war machine campaign entirely and losing a whole parallel progression track
This is a common trap that costs new players significant time.
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand Five hero party plus one guardian and Slot-based gear enchanting
- Choose Mage as starting build
- Clear Campaign main content
- Acquire Chestplate or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Chaos Rift
- Enchant the slot and not the item. Levels stay attached to the slot, so a Common chestplate enchanted twice stays at level 2 when you replace it with a Mythic one, which means you should never wait for good gear before enchanting.
- Watch the enchant cost curve before committing gold. Costs double per level up to level 8, rise 50 percent per level after that, then double again for levels 13 and 14, so pushing one slot far past the others burns gold you could spend across four other slots.
Tips for New Players
- Enchant the slot and not the item. Levels stay attached to the slot, so a Common chestplate enchanted twice stays at level 2 when you replace it with a Mythic one, which means you should never wait for good gear before enchanting.
- Watch the enchant cost curve before committing gold. Costs double per level up to level 8, rise 50 percent per level after that, then double again for levels 13 and 14, so pushing one slot far past the others burns gold you could spend across four other slots.
- Unlock tier 2 and tier 3 gear as soon as your meteorites allow. Tier 1 gear only helps the hero wearing it, while tiers 2 and 3 give attribute bonuses to every hero on the account including the ones sitting on the bench.
- Ascend earlier than feels right. Grinding three extra stages before an ascension usually returns less than the permanent multipliers you would have banked by resetting sooner and pushing further next run.
- Build a separate guardian plan for Chaos Rift. Guardian bonuses from research, experiments, exotics, guild trees and talents do not raise guardian damage there, so the setup that carries your campaign is worth much less inside the rift.
- Keep the Ring slot one to three levels ahead of the Relic and Wrist. The Ring drives the gold bonus, which funds every other enchant, so it pays for itself faster than the slots it is funding.
- Push Talent Level 21 to unlock guardian auto attack. Until then the guardian's active ability needs your input, which defeats the purpose of an idle game running while you are away.
- Run the war machine campaign as a second track rather than an afterthought. It progresses against enemy machines and other players independently, so it keeps generating value on days when the hero campaign is walled.
- Match hero specialisations rather than stacking damage. A party of five damage dealers dies to the first wave spike, and the Damage, Tank and Healer split exists precisely because the front rank decides how long the back rank gets to fire.
- Check that alchemist experiments are always running before you close the game. They resolve on timers, so an idle experiment slot overnight is the single easiest source of lost progress in the whole account.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is the party?
Up to five heroes plus one guardian. Heroes split into Damage, Tank and Healer specialisations and spend mana, rage or energy on their abilities, across classes including Warrior, Mage, Priest, Druid, Paladin and Rogue.
When do the main heroes unlock?
Boris is the first, arriving at stage 2 with the most health and dodge chance of the early roster. Solaine is the third at stage 7 with the lowest health of any hero, and Leo is the sixth at stage 150 as a Paladin.
Does enchanting carry over when I replace gear?
Yes. Enchantment levels attach to the equipment slot rather than to the item, so upgrading from Common to Mythic in the same slot keeps whatever level you already paid for.
What is the difference between gear tiers?
Tier 1 gear only improves the hero wearing it. Tier 2 and tier 3 gear, unlocked with meteorites and a minimum gear power, give attribute bonuses to every hero you own even when that hero is not in your active party.
Why is my guardian weak in Chaos Rift?
Guardian bonuses from research, experiments, exotics, guild trees and talents do not increase guardian damage inside Chaos Rift. It runs on different rules, so it needs its own approach rather than your campaign loadout.
More Firestone: Online Idle RPG Guides
- Firestone: Online Idle RPG Firestone: Online Idle RPG Overview
- Firestone: Online Idle RPG Best Builds
- Firestone: Online Idle RPG Tier List
- Firestone: Online Idle RPG Walkthrough
- Firestone: Online Idle RPG Tips & Tricks
- Firestone: Online Idle RPG Weapons Guide
- Firestone: Online Idle RPG Combat Guide
- Firestone: Online Idle RPG Boss Guide
- Firestone: Online Idle RPG Maps & Locations
- Firestone: Online Idle RPG Crafting Guide
- Firestone: Online Idle RPG Classes & Characters
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