Welcome to Esperia! AFK Journey, the highly anticipated open-world RPG from the creators of AFK Arena, invites you into a vibrant 3D world teeming with adventure. This beginner-friendly, auto-chess style gacha game emphasizes strategic team building and character synergy, allowing for a relaxing yet engaging gameplay experience. If you’re looking for a comprehensive Afk Journey Guide to kickstart your adventure, you’ve come to the right place.
AFK Journey distinguishes itself with its captivating art style, a hallmark carried over from AFK Arena, now brought to life in stunning 3D. The game prioritizes accessibility, ensuring new players can readily acquire and upgrade a diverse roster of heroes, including the often elusive Celestial and Hypogean factions, obtainable through in-game shops.
Designed for players seeking a laid-back idle RPG with deep strategic elements, AFK Journey provides a comfortable progression curve and an engaging storyline. For those with a competitive spirit, a PVP mode with leaderboards offers a platform to showcase your strategic prowess.
It’s important to understand that AFK Journey is designed as an idle game. Progression is paced to allow resource accumulation while you’re away, typically requiring only a couple of logins daily to maximize efficiency outside of events. However, the compelling gameplay and charming characters may well entice you to spend more time exploring Esperia and optimizing your teams.
Ready to embark on your journey? This AFK Journey guide will walk you through the essential basics to get you started on the right foot.
Understanding Characters in AFK Journey
If you’re an AFK Arena veteran, you’ll recognize many familiar faces in AFK Journey. However, the character system in AFK Journey introduces several key differences, offering a fresh strategic layer to team composition.
Character Summary
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Factions: Characters are divided into six factions, each with unique lore and strategic advantages:
Maulers: Brute force warriors who value strength above all else.
Lightbearers: Devoted to the goddess Dura, fighting for justice and light.
Wilders: Guardians of the forest, wielding nature’s magic and deeply connected to Yggdrasil.
Graveborn: Undead heroes seeking immortality through necromancy and dark arts.
Celestials: Divine beings dedicated to eradicating darkness and the Hypogeans.
Hypogeans: Agents of chaos and destruction, seeking to corrupt Esperia.
Celestials and Hypogeans are considered “God” or “Devil” factions, rarer and more challenging to ascend compared to the other factions.
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Classes: Characters are also categorized into six classes, defining their combat roles:
Mage: Ranged damage dealers specializing in magical attacks.
Marksman: Physical ranged damage dealers, excelling at sustained damage.
Rogue: Agile melee damage dealers, often focusing on burst damage or disruption.
Support: Healers, buffers, and debuffers, crucial for team sustain and utility.
Tank: Frontline protectors, absorbing damage and controlling enemy aggression.
Warrior: Melee damage dealers, often with a balance of offense and defense.
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Rarities: Characters are divided into two main rarity tiers:
A-Level: More common, easier to obtain and ascend.
S-Level: Rarer, more powerful base stats, but require more resources to ascend.
While A-Level heroes are easier to acquire, don’t underestimate them! Some of the most effective characters in AFK Journey are found among the A-Level roster. Both A-Level and S-Level heroes can reach the highest ascension tier, Supreme+.
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Progression System:
- Fodder System Removed: AFK Journey streamlines hero progression by eliminating the need for fodder units.
- Ascension via Dupes & Acorns: Ascending heroes now requires duplicates of the character or faction-specific Acorns, obtainable through gameplay and in-game stores.
- Automatic Skill Leveling: Each hero has three core skills that automatically level up as the hero’s level increases.
- Hero Focus (Legendary+): Reaching Legendary+ tier unlocks Hero Focus, granting stat bonuses or unique effects.
- Exclusive Weapon (Mythic+): Mythic+ tier unlocks an Exclusive Weapon, providing a new passive skill that can be further upgraded.
- Skill Enhancement (Supreme+): Achieving Supreme+ tier unlocks Skill Enhancement, adding bonus effects to existing skills.
- Class-Based Equipment: Gear management is simplified with a class-based system. Equipment acquired for a class is automatically equipped by all characters of that class.
- Resonating Hall: Level up just five heroes, and the Resonating Hall automatically syncs the levels of all other heroes to the lowest level among your top five, eliminating the need for resets or manual leveling of every character. You can freely adjust your top 5 heroes in the Resonating Hall at any time.
Faction Deep Dive
Understanding the strengths and lore of each faction is key to strategic team building in AFK Journey.
Lightbearers
The Lightbearers are champions of justice and light, serving the goddess Dura. They are sworn enemies of Hypogeans, Maulers, and Graveborns, dedicated to restoring peace and order to Esperia.
Example Lightbearer Heroes:
Rowan (S-Level Support): A powerful support hero known for his healing and energy regeneration capabilities.
Vala (S-Level Rogue): A nimble rogue specializing in single-target damage and disrupting enemy formations.
Lucius (A-Level Tank): A sturdy tank providing team-wide shields and damage mitigation.
Maulers
Maulers are a fierce warrior culture where strength dictates worth. While primarily aligned with Dura, some Maulers have been known to fight alongside Hypogeans in specific scenarios, though this is uncommon.
Example Mauler Heroes:
Brutus (S-Level Warrior): A formidable warrior famous for his invulnerability skill and high damage output.
Smokey & Meerky (S-Level Support): A unique support duo providing buffs and crowd control.
Kruger (A-Level Warrior): A strong warrior specializing in area-of-effect damage and battlefield control.
Satrana (A-Level Mage): A powerful mage dealing fire damage and capable of self-resurrection.
Wilders
Wilders possess a deep connection to nature and Yggdrasil, the world tree gifted by Dura. Their magic often draws upon the power of the forest and its life force.
Example Wilder Heroes:
Eironn (S-Level Rogue): A highly mobile rogue known for pulling enemies together and dealing area damage.
Hewynn (S-Level Support): A versatile support hero providing healing, buffs, and crowd control.
Arden (A-Level Mage): A crowd control mage specializing in rooting and disabling enemies.
Parisa (A-Level Mage): A mage focusing on single-target damage amplification and enemy debuffs.
Graveborns
Graveborns are undead heroes resurrected through dark magic, seeking immortality and often associated with necromantic arts. Their allegiance to Hypogeans remains ambiguous.
Example Graveborn Heroes:
Cecia (S-Level Marksman): A marksman specializing in summoning minions and dealing sustained damage.
Thoran (S-Level Tank): A unique tank known for his resurrection ability and disruptive ultimate.
Silvina (A-Level Rogue): An assassin-type rogue specializing in targeting and eliminating backline enemies.
Niru (A-Level Support): A support hero providing healing and damage amplification, particularly effective against enemies with low health.
Celestials
Celestials are divine beings, a prominent faction in both AFK Arena and AFK Journey. Their primary objective is to destroy Hypogeans and purge Esperia of darkness.
Example Celestial Heroes:
Dionel (S-Level Marksman): A celestial marksman renowned for his high damage output and ability to target multiple enemies.
Scarlita (S-Level Warrior): A celestial warrior known for her powerful single-target damage and self-sustain.
Hypogeans
Hypogeans are the main antagonists, mirroring their role in AFK Arena. They strive to destroy Dura’s creations and spread chaos and evil throughout Esperia.
Example Hypogean Heroes:
Berial (S-Level Rogue): A Hypogean rogue specializing in high burst damage and controlling enemy energy.
Reinier (S-Level Support): A Hypogean support providing buffs and debuffs, manipulating the battlefield to his team’s advantage.
To explore the full character roster of AFK Journey, visit our comprehensive character list:
Mastering the Resonating Hall
The Resonating Hall in AFK Journey is a game-changer for idle RPGs, streamlining hero leveling and eliminating common frustrations. Unlocked early in the game, it provides immediate benefits for managing your growing hero collection. Here’s how it revolutionizes hero progression:
- Hands of Resonance: Upon unlocking the Resonating Hall, your five highest-level heroes become “Hands of Resonance.” These are your primary leveling targets.
- Level Sync: Any heroes you’ve leveled before unlocking the Resonating Hall will have their levels reset, and all invested resources will be refunded.
- Resonance Level: The “Resonance Level” is determined by the lowest level among your Hands of Resonance. All other heroes in your roster are automatically leveled up to this Resonance Level.
- Focus Leveling: You only need to level up your Hands of Resonance directly. All other heroes benefit from the level syncing.
- Flexible Swapping: You can freely swap heroes in and out of the Hand of Resonance slots at any time, without any cost. This allows for dynamic team adjustments and experimentation.
- Level Cap: The level of your Hands of Resonance cannot exceed the Resonance Level by more than 10 levels, ensuring balanced progression.
This innovative system eliminates the fear of “leveling mistakes.” Did you invest in a DPS hero who isn’t performing as expected? Simply swap them out with another hero, and they will instantly inherit the Resonance Level, ready for action.
Leveling Up – Before Level 240
- Resources: Leveling heroes before Resonance Level 240 requires Gold and Experience, both readily obtained from AFK Stages and various in-game rewards.
- Essence Bottleneck: Every 10 levels, in addition to Gold and Experience, you’ll need Essence. Essence often becomes the primary bottleneck, requiring idle time to accumulate enough for level breakthroughs.
Leveling Up – Post Level 240
- Resonance Hall Leveling: Once your top five heroes reach level 240, the leveling system shifts to the Resonance Hall itself. Instead of leveling individual heroes, you level up the Resonance Hall, increasing the level cap for all synced heroes.
- Level Cap Increase: The Resonance Hall level cap increases by 5 for every Supreme+ ascended hero you own, rewarding hero progression.
- Essence & Diamond Rewards: Post-240 leveling primarily requires Essence. Furthermore, you’ll earn Diamonds each time you level the Resonance Hall past level 300, providing valuable premium currency.
Ascension: Powering Up Your Heroes
Ascension is crucial for increasing your heroes’ power and unlocking their full potential in AFK Journey. The game simplifies the ascension process compared to traditional AFK-style games, removing the need for fodder units.
Ascension Requirements
Ascension in AFK Journey requires either hero duplicates or faction-specific Acorns. The following table outlines the ascension requirements for each tier and hero rarity:
| Current Tier | Target Tier | Celestial / Hypogean |
|—|—|—|—|—|
| Elite | Elite+ | 1x | – | – |
| Elite+ | Epic | 3x | – | – |
| Epic | Epic+ | 4x | 1x | 1x |
| Epic+ | Legendary | 5x | 50x |
| Legendary | Legendary+ | 8x | 2x | 1x |
| Legendary+ | Mythic | 10x | 100x |
| Mythic | Mythic+ | 12x | 2x | 2x |
| Mythic+ | Supreme | 200x |
| Supreme | Supreme+ | 20x | 2x | 4x |
| Paragon Levels (Beyond Supreme+): To upgrade beyond Supreme+, you need to reach Paragon levels, requiring significantly more duplicates. Paragon levels primarily increase base stats and introduce Rivalry stats, specifically effective in PVP modes. Reaching Paragon 1 requires 25 Supreme+ heroes in your roster. |
| Supreme+ | Paragon 1 | 45x | 6x | 4x |
For detailed Paragon level requirements, consult our dedicated Ascension Info guide.
Ascension Summary
- A-Level Hero (Supreme+): Requires the original hero + 63 duplicates (64 total) and 200 Faction Acorns.
- S-Level Hero (Supreme+): Requires the original hero + 7 duplicates (8 total) and 350 Faction Acorns.
- Celestial/Hypogean Hero (Supreme+): Requires the original hero + 13 duplicates (14 total).
Ascension Unlocks
- Legendary+: Unlocks Hero Focus, granting stat bonuses or new effects.
- Mythic+: Unlocks Exclusive Weapon, providing a new passive skill.
- Supreme+: Unlocks Skill Enhancement, adding bonus effects to existing skills.
Equipment: Class-Based Gear System
AFK Journey simplifies equipment management with a class-based system. Individual hero gear is no longer necessary. Instead, you collect equipment for each class, and all heroes of that class automatically benefit. This system streamlines gear management and promotes flexible team compositions.
Equipment Pieces
Each class utilizes six equipment slots: Weapon, Gloves, Accessory, Helm, Armor, and Boots. Different equipment pieces provide varied stats, some emphasizing offense, others defense. Prioritizing equipment upgrades for each class depends on their core role.
Equipment Upgrading
Equipment can be obtained as drops from AFK Stages or as quest rewards. You can also Forge and Upgrade equipment manually using Casting Shards, acquired by recycling unwanted gear. The forging level is capped by your Resonance Level, encouraging overall hero progression.
For optimal equipment upgrade priorities for each class and in-depth equipment information, refer to our dedicated Equipment & Upgrade Priority guide.
Exclusive Equipment: Unleashing Hero Potential
Exclusive Equipment (EX Weapons) are powerful enhancements unlocked when a hero reaches Mythic+ ascension tier. These unique items provide tailored stat boosts and unlock a fourth ability, known as the EX Skill, significantly enhancing a hero’s combat effectiveness.
| EX Levels | New Passive Skill? | Upgrade Stones (Total) |
|---|---|---|
| EX+1 to EX+5 | Yes | 150x Tidal Essence |
| EX+6 to EX+10 | Yes | 75x Temporal Essence |
| EX+11 to EX+15 | Yes | 200x Temporal Essence |
| EX+16 to EX+20 | No | 125x Twilight Essence |
| EX+21 to EX+25 | No | 500x Twilight Essence |
For a detailed guide on EX Weapon priorities and optimal upgrade paths, consult our Exclusive Weapon Priority guide.
Gacha System: Summoning Heroes in AFK Journey
Acquiring new heroes in AFK Journey revolves around the gacha system. Currently, four primary banner types offer different summoning opportunities:
All-Hero Recruitment
The standard banner, All-Hero Recruitment, features all non-Celestial/Hypogean heroes. Summons are performed using Diamonds.
- Cost: 300 Diamonds per single summon, 2700 Diamonds for a 10-pull (discounted). Always opt for 10-pulls when using Diamonds.
- Wishlist System: Unlocked after 30 pulls, the Wishlist allows you to select two S-Level and two A-Level heroes per faction. Subsequent summons prioritize heroes from your wishlist.
- Pity System: Pity starts at 10 pulls and increases with each S-Level hero summon, capping at 60 pulls. A guaranteed A-Level hero is provided in every 10-pull.
- Rates:
- S-Level Hero: 2.05%
- A-Level Hero: 22.5%
- Faction Acorn x30: 0.5%
- Faction Acorn x4: 15%
- Faction Acorn x1: 59.95%
Rate-up Recruitment
Rate-up Recruitment banners feature specific heroes with increased drop rates, often introducing new characters or highlighting existing ones.
- Featured Hero Guarantee: When summoning an S-Level hero on a Rate-up banner featuring an S-Level hero, you are guaranteed to receive the rate-up hero. For A-Level rate-up heroes, you receive 8 copies upon summoning an A-Level hero.
- Limited Rate-up Heroes: The number of rate-up heroes obtainable is limited based on your highest ascended hero tier.
- Pity System: Pity is set at 40 pulls and does not increase, offering a more consistent summoning experience.
- Improved Rates: Rate-up banners generally have better rates compared to All-Hero Recruitment.
- S-Level Hero: 3%
- A-Level Hero: 10%
- Omni Acorn x30: 1.5%
- Omni Acorn x4: 15%
- Omni Acorn x1: 70.05%
Epic Recruitment
Epic Recruitment banners offer even better summoning rates and feature a Wishlist system from the start. Summons require Epic Invite Letters, obtainable through shops, game modes, and story progression.
- Wishlist from Start: The Wishlist system is available immediately, allowing you to target specific heroes from the outset. You can select 5 heroes for your wishlist.
- Pity System: Pity starts at 10 pulls and caps at 30 pulls, offering a faster pity cycle than All-Hero Recruitment.
- Best Rates: Epic Recruitment boasts the highest summoning rates among standard banners.
- S-Level Hero: 5.22%
- A-Level Hero: 18.75%
- Faction Acorn x30: 1%
- Faction Acorn x4: 25%
- Faction Acorn x1: 50.03%
Stargaze
Stargaze is the exclusive banner for summoning Celestial and Hypogean heroes. It unlocks after performing 400 summons across other banners, representing a later-game summoning option.
- Celestial/Hypogean Focus: Stargaze is the only source for directly summoning Celestial and Hypogean heroes.
- Hero Selection: You can select a specific Celestial or Hypogean hero to target.
- Currency: Summons require Stellar Crystals, a rare currency obtainable from Guild and Recruitment stores (limited monthly purchases). Diamonds cannot be used on this banner.
- Pity System: Pity is set at 40 pulls and does not increase.
- Rates:
- Selected Celestial/Hypogean Hero: 3.25%
- Other Rewards: Diamonds, Dazzling Stones, Ruin Stones, Universal Acorns.
Wishlist: Targeting Your Desired Heroes
The Wishlist system is a powerful tool for directing your summons toward specific heroes you need for your team compositions.
- Unlock: Wishlist unlocks after 30 pulls on the All-Hero Recruitment banner and is available from the start on Epic Recruitment banners.
- Functionality: When the Wishlist is fully populated, any hero summoned from the corresponding banner will be drawn from your wishlist selections.
- Wishlist Slots:
- All-Hero Recruitment: 2 A-Level and 2 S-Level hero slots per faction.
- Epic Recruitment: 5 total slots, typically filled with S-Level heroes for maximum value.
- A-Level Hero Benefit: Even when A-Level heroes are on the Epic Recruitment Wishlist, they will always be summoned as their Epic version (granting 4 soulstones if you already own the hero), providing a faster method for A-Level hero ascension.
To optimize your Wishlist selections, consult our Wishlist Tips guide for recommended heroes.
Team Building Strategies in AFK Journey
Effective team building in AFK Journey involves maximizing faction bonuses and strategic hero role composition.
- Faction Bonus: Deploying multiple heroes from the same faction grants team-wide stat bonuses. Aim for team compositions with no more than two factions to maximize these bonuses.
- Celestial & Hypogean Flexibility: Celestial and Hypogean heroes act as “neutral” units, counting towards any faction bonus. For example, a team of 4 Wilders and 1 Celestial/Hypogean hero will activate the 5-hero faction bonus.
- Avoid Mono-Faction Teams: While tempting, mono-faction teams are generally not optimal. Most factions lack sufficient synergistic heroes to form a top-tier team, and the stat bonus is often less valuable than the utility provided by meta heroes from different factions.
- Faction Core: Meta teams often revolve around a “core” of 3 heroes from the same faction, dictating the team’s primary faction. The remaining two slots are filled based on synergy and overall team strength.
Standard Team Setup
While team variations are numerous, most effective teams follow a standard role distribution:
- Tank: Essential for frontline survivability and enemy aggro control. Choose your tank carefully, as the tank roster is relatively small.
- 2x DPS (Damage Per Second): Running two DPS heroes is generally more effective than one, as current team compositions are not optimized for single-carry strategies.
- Support: Provides healing, buffs, debuffs, and sustain, forming the backbone of team survival and effectiveness.
- Flex Spot: The fifth slot offers flexibility. Consider:
- Specialist: Heroes with unique kits, often providing a mix of roles or niche utility (buffs, debuffs, enhancements).
- Second Support: Increased healing, buffing, and team sustain.
- Second Tank: Enhanced frontline durability and damage absorption.
The optimal flex spot hero depends heavily on the enemy formation and encounter type.
For in-depth team building guidance and meta team examples, refer to our AFK Stages Teams guide.
Exploring Game Modes in AFK Journey
AFK Journey boasts a rich array of game modes available from launch, providing diverse gameplay experiences and progression paths. Here’s a brief overview:
World Map
Replacing traditional stage-based progression, AFK Journey features an expansive open world to explore. Roam through Esperia, complete quests, battle enemies, discover treasures, gather resources, and solve puzzles. The world is divided into areas and chapters, requiring quest completion to progress further.
Unlock: Default
AFK Stages
AFK Stages are the core progression mode, featuring battles against increasingly powerful enemies. Reaching higher AFK Stages unlocks most other game modes and functionalities. Your AFK Stage progression directly impacts your idle rewards, incentivizing continuous advancement. The auto-challenge feature automatically progresses to the next stage upon victory, streamlining progression when your team is strong enough.
Unlock: Tutorial
Dream Realm
Dream Realm is a daily boss rush mode where players compete server-wide for the highest damage dealt to a daily rotating boss.
- Daily Boss Rotation: Four different bosses rotate daily.
- Difficulty Levels: Each boss has 6 difficulty levels. Clearing higher difficulties yields better scores and rewards.
- Invite Letter Rewards: First-time clears of each boss difficulty level reward Invite Letters.
- Difficulty Carry-Over: Previous highest difficulty clears carry over to subsequent boss rotations, eliminating the need to repeat lower difficulties.
Unlock: AFK Stage 16
Honor Duel
Honor Duel is a fair-play PVP mode where players battle on equal footing using pre-set heroes provided by the game. Team composition and strategic hero placement are key. A weekly reward track incentivizes participation and wins.
Unlock: AFK Stage 16
Arena
Arena is a traditional PVP mode where players use their own hero rosters to battle against opponent defense teams. Ranking points are gained and lost based on battle outcomes, progressing through Leagues from Novice to Champion, with increasing daily and weekly rewards.
Unlock: AFK Stage 20
Arcane Labyrinth
Arcane Labyrinth returns with enhanced gameplay. Players navigate a labyrinth, choosing between two room options after clearing each room, each offering different rewards for defeating the enemies within.
Unlock: AFK Stage 100
Battle Drills
Battle Drills is a guild-based competitive mode similar to Abyssal Expedition, but on a smaller scale. Guilds cooperate to progress through a monster-infested map, defeating scouts, camps, and bosses to earn rewards and rankings. Stronghold buffs enhance hero power for deeper map progression, requiring guild coordination for optimal performance.
Unlock: AFK Stage 121
Legend Trial
Legend Trial is the AFK Journey equivalent of Factional Towers from AFK Arena. Different trials are available on specific days of the week, rewarding Acorns, Essence, and Artifact Ascension materials.
Unlock: AFK Stage 166
Primal Lord
Primal Lords are server-wide world boss events. These powerful bosses spawn on the world map, requiring server-wide cooperation to defeat. Faster defeat times result in better rewards for all participating players. Primal Lord events are cyclical, featuring different bosses periodically.
Unlock: Cyclical Event
Trial of Abyss
Trial of Abyss is an endgame dungeon unlocked after completing the main story campaign and clearing AFK Stage 1125, and the server age reaches 18 days. Players descend through dungeon floors, battling increasingly challenging teams, often featuring Celestial and Hypogean heroes.
Unlock: AFK Stage 1125
Artifacts: Strategic Battle Items
Artifacts return in AFK Journey, but with a significantly revamped system. Artifacts are no longer bound to individual heroes. Instead, you select one Artifact to deploy in battle, offering powerful active or passive effects. Six Artifacts are currently available, unlocked through story progression.
Best Artifacts Pre-Season Ranking
For pre-season gameplay, the Artifact ranking is generally: Confining Spell > Starshard Spell > Enlightening Spell > Awakening Spell > Blazing Spell > Ironwall Spell.
For detailed information on each Artifact and their effects, consult our Artifacts guide.
Shops: Emporium and Currencies
AFK Journey features a diverse range of shops located within the Mystical House -> Emporium, offering various resources, hero dupes, and summoning currencies.
Currently, five shops are available:
- Recruitment Store: Offers summoning currency for banners and Stargaze, Acorns, and Soulstones. Refreshes monthly.
- Guild Store: Provides summoning currency for banners and Stargaze, Acorns, and crucially, Celestial and Hypogean hero dupes. Refreshes daily and monthly.
- Arena Store: Sells S-Level hero dupes. Refreshes monthly.
- Dream Store: Offers A-Level hero dupes. Refreshes monthly.
- Friendship Store: Contains Affinity items and Gestures. Refreshes daily.
For optimal shop purchase priorities, refer to our Shop (Emporium) Guide.
Guilds: Playing with Friends
Guilds in AFK Journey foster social gameplay, enabling cooperative challenges and competitive guild modes like Battle Drills and Glory Expedition. Importantly, guilds are server-specific in AFK Journey, unlike AFK Arena. Joining the same server as your friends is crucial for guild participation. Cross-server guilds are a highly anticipated feature for future updates.
For comprehensive guild information, explore our Guilds guide.
Video Guide
For visual team building tips and strategies, check out this video guide:
[AFK Journey Team Building Video](VIDEO_LINK_HERE – Placeholder, replace with actual video link)
This AFK Journey guide provides a solid foundation for your adventure in Esperia. With its engaging gameplay, strategic depth, and beginner-friendly design, AFK Journey offers a compelling idle RPG experience. Explore the world, build your dream team, and embark on your epic journey today! For more in-depth guides and advanced strategies, be sure to check out other resources on conduct.edu.vn. Happy adventuring!
