This guide includes campaign structure and progression details, with light spoilers for mission names and unlock timing.
Fast answer
The answer before the background
Cataclismo has 17 campaign chapters in the official mission list. They are grouped into tutorial, city building, expedition and tower defense scenarios rather than one uniform level type. Survival Mode does not use a fixed campaign-style level list: it generates maps and sends increasingly difficult waves. To increase Survival progression, complete the main objectives shown in the quest panel, such as surviving 15 waves, destroying Broodnests or meeting resource and building targets. In the campaign, progression is mainly controlled by Prosperity and the Book of Insight’s Expedition Levels.
Campaign structure
How many campaign levels are there?
The official campaign page lists 17 numbered chapters, from Chapter 1, A Herald's Message, through Chapter 17, The Alta Perl. The game describes the full campaign as approximately 20 hours, but completion time depends on difficulty, optional objectives and how much time you spend building defenses.
The numbered chapters are not all the same kind of stage. The first three teach the basic systems, while later missions alternate between settlement management, limited-resource expeditions and focused tower defense. This matters because a strategy that works in a city-building mission may be wasteful or impossible in an expedition.
- Tutorial chapters: 1 to 3.
- City building chapters: 4, 6, 10, 14 and 17.
- Expedition chapters: 5, 8, 9, 12, 13 and 16.
- Tower defense chapters: 7, 11 and 15.
| Chapter range | Mission type | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Tutorial | The game introduces movement, defenses, settlement economy and the basic day-night loop. |
| 4, 6, 10, 14, 17 | City building | You gather resources, raise Prosperity, expand defenses and survive a fixed number of nights. |
| 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16 | Expedition | You work with limited units and limited building pieces, often while exploring or protecting Iris. |
| 7, 11, 15 | Tower defense | You receive limited forces and pieces, then manually trigger nights while defending a stronghold. |
The safest current answer is 17 campaign chapters because that is the number shown in the official mission table. The game also includes Survival, Skirmish, Sandbox and Level Editor content, but those should not be added to the campaign chapter count.
Waves and nights
Stages do not all use the same wave system
Campaign missions normally measure pressure in nights. The official mission table lists zero to four nights depending on the scenario. City-building missions use the regular settlement loop, while tower defense missions let you trigger nights manually. Expedition missions can have zero or one listed night because their main challenge is movement, exploration and limited supplies rather than repeated base construction.
Survival Mode uses waves instead. Its maps are procedurally generated, and enemy pressure increases as the run continues. The first waves mainly feature Feeble Vermin, with Vermin appearing from Wave 4, Fury from Wave 6, Centaurs from Wave 11, Abominations from Wave 16 and Blisters from Wave 20 onward according to the official Survival table.
- After each Survival wave, choose one of three random rewards or refuse a reward for a point.
- The number of attack directions is random and generally increases over time.
- Survival is always played on Medium difficulty in the official documentation.
- A Survival objective can require reaching Wave 15, which is different from simply completing a normal campaign night.
- The 1.0 notes say a Survival session must reach Wave 12 to validate; this is a session-completion rule, not a replacement for the separate Wave 15 progression objective.
| Mode | Main time unit | Typical gate |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign city building | Night | Survive the listed nights and complete the mission objective. |
| Campaign tower defense | Manually triggered night | Destroy the attacking horrors before they reach the stronghold. |
| Campaign expedition | Exploration and objectives | Reach locations, protect Iris or gather the required items. |
| Survival | Wave | Complete main objectives and manage rewards between attacks. |
A higher wave does not automatically mean a higher permanent progression level. Waves provide pressure and can provide points, but the permanent Survival unlock tier is tied to the main objective system.
Progression gates
How to increase progression level
In Survival, open the objective or quest panel and focus on the main objectives rather than only the smaller Hogar requests. The official objective list includes surviving 15 waves, destroying all Broodnests, killing all day horrors, controlling five units, collecting five salvage pieces, reaching wood or mineral gathering targets and building 5,000 pieces. Completing these main objectives rewards progression levels needed for more advanced unlocks.
Hogar requests are a separate source of points. They cover tasks such as building wood or stone pieces, training units, killing horrors with specific units and surviving without losing pieces or units. These points are useful for buying or rerolling Survival rewards, but they should not be confused with the main objectives that raise progression levels.
For the campaign, the relevant gate is Prosperity. Campaign and Skirmish missions begin at Prosperity Level I. Constructing the required buildings and enough Prosperity points lets you advance to Levels II, III and IV. Each increase unlocks additional units, buildings, pieces and upgrades, and also raises Military Capacity by five. Prosperity upgrades take time and pause during the night.
- Survival progression: complete the main objectives displayed in the upper objective panel.
- Survival unlock currency: complete Hogar requests and earn points for the unlock menu.
- Campaign progression: construct the required buildings, reach the listed Prosperity total and wait for the upgrade to finish.
- Hero and technology progression: spend Knowledge Points in the Book of Insight between campaign missions.
- Expedition Level gates: Bookworm, Prodigy, Master and Sage determine which Book of Insight skills can be purchased.
| System | What raises it | What it unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Survival progression level | Main objectives | Higher-tier units, buildings, pieces and other Survival unlocks. |
| Hogar request points | Secondary Survival requests | Purchases, rerolls and reward-based improvements. |
| Prosperity I-IV | Required buildings and Prosperity points | Campaign and Skirmish units, buildings, pieces and Military Capacity. |
| Expedition Level | Knowledge Point and Book of Insight progression | More advanced unit, citadel, Iris and piece skills. |
If Survival appears stuck at a low tier, check the main objectives first. Building more defenses or surviving extra waves may improve the current run, but neither action necessarily completes the specific objective required for the next progression level.
Route planning
A practical way to progress without wasting runs
Start the campaign normally and treat the first three chapters as system training. In city-building missions, prioritize the economy and the buildings needed for the next Prosperity level before spending heavily on decorative or inefficient fortifications. Because Prosperity upgrades pause during the night, begin the upgrade before triggering the next attack whenever the mission allows it.
In expeditions, preserve limited pieces and avoid treating the map like a normal settlement. The official rules describe limited units and limited construction pieces based on available caches, so a large permanent wall is often less valuable than a short defensive position that protects the required route. Iris is playable in expedition missions and, in the listed expedition rules, her death fails the mission.
In Survival, select objectives that overlap with your normal plan. For example, a run focused on economy can pursue gathering targets, while an aggressive run can combine Broodnest destruction with unit-control or horror-kill objectives. Review the three reward choices after every wave, and spend rerolls only when the alternatives would materially improve your defense or help an active objective.
- Before each campaign night, confirm the mission objective and the likely attack direction.
- Use Prosperity requirements as a checklist instead of waiting for the game to reveal every unlock automatically.
- In expeditions, count pieces and units as finite supplies.
- In Survival, track main objectives separately from Hogar requests.
- Use the Book of Insight between campaign missions so Expedition Level gates do not surprise you later.
FAQ
Common questions
Is the campaign 17 or 18 levels?
The current official campaign table lists 17 numbered chapters. Some community discussions refer to different scenario totals, likely because they count internal entries, alternate content or save-file records. For the playable campaign chapter count, use the 17 missions shown in the official table.
Does reaching Wave 15 automatically raise Survival progression?
No. Reaching Wave 15 completes one possible main objective, but the run can also offer other main objectives such as destroying Broodnests, killing day horrors or meeting gathering targets. Check the objective panel to see which tasks are active.
How do I unlock better units in campaign missions?
Raise Prosperity by meeting the required building and Prosperity-point conditions, then allow the upgrade timer to finish. Some campaign skills and special upgrades also require Knowledge Points and a sufficient Expedition Level in the Book of Insight.
Are campaign nights the same as Survival waves?
No. Campaign missions list nights as part of their scenario structure, while Survival Mode uses escalating waves on procedural maps. Both are enemy attacks, but they belong to different progression systems.
Can I increase Survival progression by playing more waves after the objective is complete?
Extra waves can earn points and improve the run, but permanent progression is awarded by completing the relevant main objectives. Surviving longer alone is not a substitute for an unmet objective.
Sources
What we checked
Official listings establish current availability and product facts. Community pages are used for mechanics and build history, then labeled separately.