A Crimson Moon Run, also called a Hunt, begins at Sanctus Clypeus and moves through Missions inside a Ward. You gather equipment and temporary power, lose lives from the Life Pool when defeated, face the Ward boss, and try to secure permanent progress before starting again.
The Complete Run Flow
- Prepare Gear and an Angel at the Loadout Station.
- Choose a Mission, difficulty, and available modifiers at the War Table.
- Complete objectives, explore secrets, and fight regular enemies, elites, and mini-bosses.
- Adapt the build with new Gear and temporary Boons offered at Nexus Gates.
- Pass through Nexus Gates to secure equipped and stored Gear.
- Use the Life Pool to recover from deaths and continue toward the Ward boss.
- Return to Sanctus Clypeus with secured Gear added to the Armory in purified form.
Life Pool and Death
A single-player Run begins with a set number of lives, and you can unlock more. When you die, you lose one life, revive automatically, and release a burst that pushes nearby enemies back. The Run ends only when the Life Pool is empty.
The Life Pool resets after you complete a Mission and return to the hub, and again before World Boss fights. Co-op uses shared lives and lets partners resurrect each other, while dynamic scaling adjusts the challenge for two players.
Permanent vs Temporary Progress
| Carries forward | Lost on failure |
|---|---|
| Gear secured through a Nexus Gate, returned in purified form | Equipment not secured before the Mission ends |
| Collected XP, levels, unlocks, and Lore Scrolls | Bonus completion XP and bonus Souls |
| A portion of Souls earned from enemies | Some Souls and Consumables found during the Mission |
There is no corpse run. Once the Mission ends, unsecured loot cannot be reclaimed from a marker.
Handcrafted Routes, Randomized Encounters
Missions use fixed, learnable locations rather than generating entirely new maps for every attempt. Enemies, challenges, objectives, and rewards can change within those spaces, so route knowledge and adaptation both matter.
Three Wards are documented across six main Mission locations: Forsaken Streets, Archspire Cathedral, Ramshorn Keep, Shoreditch Prison, Elk Grove Academy, and Moore Manor.
What Makes a Run Successful
A boss kill is one part of a successful Run. You can also expand the Armory, unlock higher difficulty levels, collect Lore Scrolls, and learn a safer route. Check side paths before each Nexus Gate and secure any Gear that could open a new build.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Crimson Moon a roguelike or roguelite?
It uses repeatable, run-based Hunts with temporary power and permanent progression. The practical loop fits roguelite expectations even when official marketing emphasizes action RPG systems.
Can lost loot be recovered after a failed Run?
Unsecured loot is gone when the Mission ends. Gear carried through a Nexus Gate is retained in a weaker, purified form and added to the Armory.
Are levels fully procedurally generated?
No. The developers describe defined spaces that can be learned, with enemies and challenges randomized within them.