Starcleave Frontier
Starcleave Frontier: the free pixel RPG you play in your browser
Absorb fallen stars, forge your legend and adventure with friends. Starcleave Frontier is a free online pixel-art adventure RPG with six heroes, star crater dungeons, farming, a house to call your own, and a shared multiplayer world. No download, no install.
▶ Play Starcleave Frontier free
- PriceFree to play
- PlatformAny modern web browser (desktop, laptop, phones in landscape)
- PlayersSingle-player or online multiplayer
- GenrePixel-art action RPG with farming and housing
- SavesCloud saves with a free account, or offline in your browser
What is Starcleave Frontier?
Every night, stars fall on the frontier and tear open glowing craters full of monsters and treasure. You are a Starborn: you grow stronger by absorbing star essence from every creature you defeat. Starting from the safe town of Haven, you explore ever more dangerous rings of wilderness, dive into crater dungeons, bind the Echoes of fallen bosses, farm your own fields and build a home, alone or together with other players online.
The six heroes
Pick a hero on your first visit. Each plays differently and has six abilities: attacks, a heal, a guard and an ultimate.
Saber
Balanced swordfighter. Wide sword arcs and steady damage; easy to play and good at everything.
Mage
Star caster. Hurls starbolts that burst on impact and hit groups; uses mana.
Archer
Ranged hunter. Fires arrows from afar; keep your distance and pick foes apart.
Lancer
Reach fighter. Long spear thrusts that pierce every foe in a line.
Paladin
Armored tank. Heavy mace and shield; tough to kill, and every swing lands hard.
Assassin
Swift striker. Twin daggers, blinding speed and deadly critical hits, but fragile.
Abilities, Chains and combos
Abilities sit on keys 1 to 6. Casting different abilities back to back builds a Chain that adds power to each link, and your ultimate spends the whole Chain for a huge finisher. Each hero also has named combos, such as the Saber's Comet Cyclone (Comet Slash into Whirlwind). Learn and upgrade abilities at the Skill Hall in any town.
Towns
Towns are safe zones with the same buildings (Market, Smithy, Starbank and Skill Hall) but their own people, colours and goods.
| Town | Where | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Haven | The centre of the world, where every hero starts | Food, every kind of seed, classic furniture |
| Mistvale | West along the road, in the misty pines | Moon Lamps, Frosted Ferns, Mistweave Rugs |
| Emberhold | At the end of the south road, in the Glassdunes desert | Ember Lanterns, Dune Carpets, Sandstone Tables |
Rest at a town's fountain to set your respawn point and add the town to your Recall list.
The frontier and its biomes
The world is a series of rings around Haven, each harder than the last: Dewmeadow, Pinehollow, Glassdunes, Ashfields, Frostreach and the Starscar. Gather wood and ore as you go, and watch the sky after dusk.
Star craters and boss Echoes
Shards of stars fall every night and open craters ranked from ★1 to ★7. Each crater is a multi-floor dungeon that ends in a boss. Defeat the boss and bind its Echo with Star Shards: Echoes fight beside you, tend your farm or guard your home.
| Rank | Crater | Recommended level |
|---|---|---|
| ★1 | Dim Crater | 1–7 |
| ★2 | Bright Crater | 8–15 |
| ★3 | Radiant Crater | 16–24 |
| ★4 | Blazing Crater | 25–34 |
| ★5 | Frozen Crater | 35–44 |
| ★6 | Fallen Crater | 45–54 |
| ★7 | Starless Crater | 55–60 |
Your own house in the woods
Abandoned houses wait deep in the pine woods. Buy a Woodland House Key at any town market, open a boarded-up door and the house is yours. Grow crops in its field, upgrade it from a Shack to a Cottage, Lodge and Manor, and decorate the inside: place, rotate and move furniture you buy in each town. Online, every house belongs to one player and others see the owner's name on it.
Gear, crafting and the economy
Forge weapons and armor at the Smithy through six tiers, from Copper to Starmetal, using gold and materials from each biome. Enhance gear up to +10 with Star Shards. Keep gold safe in the Starbank (it is shared by every town) and stow spare gear in your gear bag to trade it.
Playing together online
- Shared world: everyone online explores the same frontier and fights the same monsters, with a shared day and night.
- Chat: World, Party and Private (whisper) channels.
- Friends and parties: send friend requests and form parties of up to four.
- Trading: trade items, gold and forged gear with two-step confirmation.
- Open-world PvP: outside towns and homestead yards, players can fight each other (party members can't).
- Cloud saves: with a free account your hero is saved online; one active session per account.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard and mouse | Touch (landscape) |
|---|---|---|
| Move | WASD | Joystick |
| Sprint | Hold Shift | Run button |
| Attack | Space, J or click | ⚔ button |
| Abilities | 1 to 6 | Ability bar |
| Use / talk | E | Use |
| Eat | F | Eat |
| Recall | B | Recall button |
| Chat | Enter or T | Chat window |
| Auto-hunt / auto-farm | H / G | Auto buttons |
More answers in the Starcleave Frontier FAQ.