Progression

Advance through the ages.

Iron & Aether is designed like a civilization evolving over time. Each era introduces a new way to think about the world while keeping the systems you already built relevant.

Foundations

Survive. Explore. Establish.

The opening is intentionally grounded. Find a place worth calling home, secure resources, explore the world, and establish the infrastructure that everything else will grow from.

Early explorationSettlement buildingResource foundations

The Mechanical Age

Turn motion into progress.

Create becomes the language of early industry. Rotational power, processing lines, logistics, trains, and increasingly ambitious automation transform a survival base into a functioning mechanical settlement.

Create engineeringAutomationMechanical logistics

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The Arcane Awakening

The world is stranger than it looked.

Research, ritual, rare materials, and celestial discovery begin to matter. Arcane progression is intended to expand your established infrastructure, with Thaumcraft and Astral Sorcery planned as major pillars as their ports are integrated.

Arcane researchRitual systemsCelestial discovery

I&A

Convergence

Machine and magic stop being separate paths.

The middle-to-late game starts deliberately crossing disciplines. Arcane materials feed factories, automation supports research, and the best solutions increasingly require knowledge from both halves of the pack.

Cross-mod recipesShared infrastructureHybrid systems

I&A

Industrial Ascension

Build at a scale that once seemed impossible.

Late game centers on advanced power, high-throughput processing, sophisticated logistics, huge builds, and server-scale goals. Everything you learned earlier becomes the foundation for the final industrial era.

Advanced industryHigh-output powerEndgame projects

Deliberate downtime

Progression should never feel like homework.

Major leaps are separated by quieter stretches. Those are not filler—they are where you build a proper base, finish a train line, explore with friends, decorate, trade, experiment, or simply enjoy the world before the next era asks more of you.