Frequently Asked Questions

Is the game really free?

Yes. Phantom Badlands is completely free with no microtransactions, ads, or premium currency. It's a passion project.

What is the setting, exactly?

The ground here refuses to keep its dead down. A phantom is one of the things that comes back up — and they come up together, in the shape of the place they died in, whole enough to walk into. That is why nobody out here says “dungeon”: they say a phantom came up, the way you’d say a storm came in.

What comes up is drawn to the living, and if it is left alone it works its way toward the nearest town. So somebody walks in and puts it back. The word does double duty, though — what is inside wants to make you one of its own, and given enough trips it will. That is why death here is permanent, and why the delvers get called phantoms too.

What is permadeath?

When your character dies, they're gone forever. However, your Sanctuary (account-level home) preserves registered companions, stored items, and Baddie Points earned from each death. Every new character starts fresh but benefits from what you've built.

How do I play with friends?

Walk into another player to send a party invite. Parties hold up to five, and you all fight one shared enemy rather than separate copies of it — everyone locks in a card at the same time, then the round plays out actor by actor. Buffs and items can be aimed at teammates or their companions, leadership rotates after each fight, and gathering rewards are copied in full to every member rather than split. You can also trade items and companions directly. Use /friend add <username> to maintain a persistent friend list with online status, or /c <message> for clan chat and /p <message> for party chat.

What's the Mentor system?

Players at Level 20+ can volunteer as mentors with /mentor on — a gold ★ appears next to their name. When a mentor parties with a Level < 10 player and they win combat together, the whole party earns +25% XP. Use /mentors to see who's currently mentoring. Whispers from new players display a [NEW Lv X] tag for mentors to spot quickly.

Does anything I do persist after death?

Yes — your account keeps a lot. Your Sanctuary, registered companions, stored items, Baddie Points, account Valor, clan membership, friend list, block list, and trade history all persist across permadeath. Only the character's level, stats, inventory, and gold are lost. Use Home Stones to send specific eggs, equipment, or supplies to the Sanctuary before a risky run.

What platforms are supported?

Windows and Linux, both 64-bit, with a launcher for each. The game is text-based and lightweight, so it runs on virtually any modern PC.

How do I report bugs?

Use /bug <description> in-game, or post on the GitHub Discussions forum.

Is there PvP?

There is an opt-in duel, but the game is built around cooperative PvE — exploration, dungeon clearing, party combat, and the social title system (Jarl, High King, Elder, Eternal).

How often is the game updated?

Very frequently. Updates are pushed regularly with new features, balance changes, and bug fixes. The launcher auto-updates so you're always on the latest version.

I forgot my password. What do I do?

Contact the game admin on the forum with your username and they can reset it for you.

Can I contribute to the game?

Absolutely! The game is open source on GitHub. Feature suggestions, bug reports, and pull requests are all welcome.