From the original page to a run
- Open Aethus’s original game ↗ (external website, opens in a new tab). Keep this guide in a separate tab. The original does not run inside this website.
- Allow the initial game-data download to finish. A loading bar is different from a WebGPU warning or a server quota message.
- Choose your hero and inspect the class, selected talents and starting spell. A developed character may start with a different spell from a new one.
- Start the run with Enter. Move to leave room around the hero, collect experience and read the offered upgrade’s effect before selecting it.
- When the run ends, inspect permanent progress and prepare the next attempt. Export a save before changing browser, device or host.
The controls you need first
| Input | Action | Decision it supports |
|---|---|---|
| WASD or both mouse buttons | Move | Leave a route out of the approaching pack. |
| 1 / 2 / 3 | Choose an offered card | Read the actual card; this is not a fixed shopping list. |
| R | Reroll the offer | Use when the present offer does not support the run; inspect the remaining rerolls in the client. |
| Enter | Play | The original picker’s quick-start prompt. |
| Escape | Pause/menu | Check Options and your current settings. |
These are the original picker and menu prompts, reviewed 29 October 2026. Use Options → Controls / Key Bindings for the current full binding list instead of importing keys from a different reconstruction. [1]
Three decisions that should stay separate
| Decision | When to make it | What to compare |
|---|---|---|
| Run cards | During the level-up offer | The spell you currently use, the trigger it needs and the problem it solves now. |
| Permanent talents | Between runs | Prerequisites, opening-spell changes and the engine you can actually unlock. |
| Permanent equipment | Before comparing another run | Keep the starting investment similar; do not credit the entire difference to one card. |
Match a launch problem to the next step
| What you see | What to check | What this does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| Game-data download | Let the download progress; note whether the counter changes. | A black loading surface alone is not proof of a broken save. |
| No WebGPU warning | Use a current Chrome, Edge or Safari and check GPU availability. The launcher also suggests a Linux Chrome WebGPU flag. | A browser version alone does not guarantee a usable GPU adapter. |
| Too many people are playing | Use the original page’s Windows download or original community link; a quota is not fixed by changing class. | The hidden warning text in HTML is not evidence the server is currently full. |
| Different progress | Return to the previous browser/profile/origin, then export before migrating. | A new host does not automatically inherit old storage. |
Sources & verification
- Aethus · original game ↗ (external website, opens in a new tab) — Original v0.127.0 / d1c85453 public client text inspected 29 October 2026. Single-source menu and talent evidence; no completed run or damage benchmark.
- Aethus · browser launcher ↗ (external website, opens in a new tab) — Inspected 29 October 2026; resource stamp c33ee61002a5. Original-host and frame checks, startup handling and local-save fallback. The resource stamp is not the game version.