Guide · 81 facts from 15 sources
Progression guide
How your company climbs from Tier 1 to Tier 4, what changes at each tier, and what survives a reset. Every line is a sourced fact; tap the source to hear it said.
How it works
Your company levels up, not your character: finish shared challenges to unlock the next tier.
Company tiers
Characters do not level; the company levels by finishing shared company challenges.
Company Video: Jeff Kaplan + Tim Ford Play 10 MORE HOURS of The Legend of California at 11:59 (opens in a new tab)
Players can play solo or form a company with up to three other players.
Company Steam post: The Legend of California Alpha Coming Soon (opens in a new tab)
Opened with J; company challenges shared by all members, whoever completes them.
Company Goals Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 21:39 (opens in a new tab)
Advancing a tier needs about seven of ten challenges so players can pick a play style; full completion gives an extra reward.
Company Goals Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (October) at 1:02:51 (opens in a new tab)
Next-tier challenges can be progressed before levelling up; the tier jump is a button press once seven are complete.
Company Goals Video: Jeff Kaplan + Tim Ford Play 10 MORE HOURS of The Legend of California at 1:31:07 (opens in a new tab)
Progression has four tiers, deliberately fast and shallow because the game resets monthly.
Company Goals Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (October) at 1:02:17 (opens in a new tab)
Tiers on the map
Map tier colors: blue is Tier 1, yellow Tier 2, purple Tier 3, red Tier 4.
Tiers Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (July) at 3:06:06 (opens in a new tab)
Nothing stops players from entering higher-tier areas; harder tiers give better crafting drops.
Tiers Video: Jeff Kaplan + Tim Ford Play 10 MORE HOURS of The Legend of California at 6:46:56 (opens in a new tab)
Higher tiers drop rare crafting materials at better rates, useful to finish lower-tier tools.
Tiers Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (July) at 1:45:44 (opens in a new tab)
Tier 3 players in Tier 3 gear die fast in Tier 4; armor and ammo tier matter more than skill.
Tier 4 Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (July) at 2:56:24 (opens in a new tab)
Recipes, jobs and money
Higher recipes are not auto-unlocked; they are found in crates, bought from vendors, or bought from other players.
Recipes Video: Jeff Kaplan + Tim Ford Play 10 MORE HOURS of The Legend of California at 52:15 (opens in a new tab)
Unlearned recipes glow pinkish purple in the inventory; right-click to learn them.
Recipes Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 1:59:22 (opens in a new tab)
Jobs are tiered and their rewards scale with tier, so ranch tier unlocks better jobs.
Jobs Video: Jeff Kaplan + Tim Ford Play 10 MORE HOURS of The Legend of California at 51:43 (opens in a new tab)
One job can be taken per in-game day; the board resets at sunrise, so finishing early allows another.
Jobs Video: Jeff Kaplan + Tim Ford Play 10 MORE HOURS of The Legend of California at 56:40 (opens in a new tab)
Two main currencies exist: gold is the shared company currency and bucks the personal one.
Gold Video: Jeff Kaplan + Tim Ford Play 10 MORE HOURS of The Legend of California at 4:29:51 (opens in a new tab)
Resets and what you keep
The world, your company tier and your ranch reset about once a month. Legacy rewards stay on your account.
By default the server resets every month, and every reset re-lays out difficulty zones, outposts and strongholds.
Persistence Reset Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (July) at 3:34:59 (opens in a new tab)
Progression is kept fast and shallow because the world resets every month.
Persistence Reset Video: Jeff Kaplan + Tim Ford Play 10 MORE HOURS of The Legend of California at 11:59 (opens in a new tab)
Account-bound unlocks like cosmetics persist across resets and servers; company and ranch progress does not.
Legacy Rewards Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (July) at 4:44:08 (opens in a new tab)
Account-wide unlocks that survive persistence resets and carry to characters on other servers.
Legacy Rewards Steam post: Alpha 4 Patch Notes (opens in a new tab)
Challenges give two reward types: Repeatable and Legacy.
Player Challenges Steam post: Alpha 4 Patch Notes (opens in a new tab)
Permanent in the final game, but may be reset during Alpha/Beta and will be reset at Early Access launch.
Legacy Rewards Steam post: Alpha 4 Patch Notes (opens in a new tab)
Tier 1
Start on the beach, clear small Outlander camps, gear up at the general store and get out fast.
Where you are
New characters start on the beach and harvest, kill and loot in Tier 1.
Beach Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (May) at 1:44:54 (opens in a new tab)
Tier 1 is the starter zone, held by Outlanders; its edge is marked by a blue border on the map.
Tier 1 Video: Jeff Kaplan + Tim Ford Play 10 MORE HOURS of The Legend of California at 1:06:50 (opens in a new tab)
Tier 1 has only light strongholds themed to the Outlanders: one medium, otherwise small or tiny hideouts.
Tier 1 Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (July) at 3:36:37 (opens in a new tab)
Early goals: hit enemy strongholds for Tier 1 resources and graduate from Tier 1 quickly.
Tier 1 Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 16:02 (opens in a new tab)
Gear and shops
Tier 1 outposts are only general stores; later outposts specialize by vendor type.
Outpost Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 2:43:17 (opens in a new tab)
Bought at a Tier 1 General Store for 15 bucks.
Medium Backpack Steam post: Alpha 4 Patch Notes (opens in a new tab)
Gun that can be bought from the Tier 1 general store.
Dutfield Flintlock Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 15:28 (opens in a new tab)
Recipe sold by the Tier 1 outpost general store.
Iron-Tipped Arrow Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 15:28 (opens in a new tab)
Ammunition for Tier 1 guns; made with sulfur and iron.
Black Powder Ammo Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 29:38 (opens in a new tab)
Moving on
Advancing from Tier 1 requires completing seven challenges.
Tier 2 Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 58:06 (opens in a new tab)
Example challenges: place a makeshift workbench, purchase a mule, obtain springs.
Company Goals Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 22:15 (opens in a new tab)
Reward for completing Tier 1; can be placed at the ranch.
Industrial Furnace Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 2:39:20 (opens in a new tab)
Tier 2
Enemies bring guns, and you found your ranch. Get the Buffalo Gun and start hunting for brackets.
What changes
Tier 2 human enemies are Desperados; Tier 1 humans are Outlanders.
Tier 2 Video: Jeff Kaplan + Tim Ford Play 10 MORE HOURS of The Legend of California at 1:26:08 (opens in a new tab)
Tier 2 has harder, more varied predators and enemies with firearms and higher fire rates.
Tier 2 Video: Jeff Kaplan + Tim Ford Play 10 MORE HOURS of The Legend of California at 1:23:59 (opens in a new tab)
Tier 1 arrows deal weak damage to Tier 2 enemies; even a headshot may not kill.
Arrow Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 1:31:54 (opens in a new tab)
Found your ranch
Press U to open ranch management and found the ranch after reaching Tier 2.
Ranch Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 2:05:34 (opens in a new tab)
Needs a blueprint to stake the claim; can be placed almost anywhere not already claimed.
Ranch Video: EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK - The Legend of California: A Sprawling Western Adventure (noclip) at 17:22 (opens in a new tab)
Each company has only one ranch; a solo player counts as a one-person company.
Ranch Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (August) at 4:38:32 (opens in a new tab)
Brackets gate building the lumber mill.
Bracket Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (October) at 3:41:21 (opens in a new tab)
Brackets gate building the ranch mine.
Bracket Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (October) at 3:41:21 (opens in a new tab)
Gear and shops
Buffalo gun recipe is sold at an outpost; it is the first Tier 2 gun to get.
Buffalo Gun Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (October) at 2:04:26 (opens in a new tab)
Single-action revolver, fan-the-hammer fire; recipe sold at outposts; a Tier 2 sidearm better than the flintlock pistol.
Taylor and Shaw Revolver Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (October) at 2:05:00 (opens in a new tab)
After Tier 1, outposts become more specialized.
Outpost Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 1:03:02 (opens in a new tab)
Purchasable at a central Tier 2 outpost vendor.
Kiln Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 4:16:16 (opens in a new tab)
Purchasable at a Tier 2 outpost.
Mine Entrance Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 4:16:16 (opens in a new tab)
Needs a Tier 2 axe; logs taken to a lumber mill yield even more of the special wood.
Ancient Tree Video: Jeff Kaplan + Esfand Play The Legend of California Alpha at 2:07:49 (opens in a new tab)
Challenges seen
Tier 2 objectives include placing a bed and discovering other outposts.
Company Goals Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (October) at 3:25:49 (opens in a new tab)
Looting camp supplies counts toward the Tier 2 challenges.
Company Goals Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 1:41:37 (opens in a new tab)
Tier 2 challenge: kill 20 desperados, kill 10 animals, loot 10 small chests and 3 camp supplies.
Into the Red Video: Jeff Kaplan + Esfand Play The Legend of California Alpha at 44:48 (opens in a new tab)
Tier 3
Syndicate enemies hit hard enough to one-shot Tier 2 armor. Upgrade first, then farm hideouts and construction piles.
What changes
Fought as the Tier 3 enemy group.
Syndicate Video: Even New Strongholds Have a Past at 0:52 (opens in a new tab)
Tier 3 humans use lever-action rifles, double-action revolvers and shotguns instead of the Tier 2 weapons.
Tier 3 Video: Jeff Kaplan + Tim Ford Play 10 MORE HOURS of The Legend of California at 6:37:27 (opens in a new tab)
Tier 3 shotgun enemy can one-shot players in Tier 2 armor within about 15 to 20 meters.
Tier 3 Video: Jeff Kaplan + Tim Ford Play 10 MORE HOURS of The Legend of California at 6:37:27 (opens in a new tab)
A Tier 3 large stronghold spawns around 75 enemies; Tier 4 adds a few more including snipers.
Large Stronghold Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (July) at 27:05 (opens in a new tab)
Where to farm
Hideouts give high ammo density for the number of kills, a good bootstrap on a new tier.
Hideout Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (August) at 4:17:55 (opens in a new tab)
Looting a construction pile in a Tier 3 stronghold gave five brackets.
Bracket Video: Jeff Kaplan + Tim Ford Play 10 MORE HOURS of The Legend of California at 9:22:05 (opens in a new tab)
Gear
Right-clicking a Great Bison horn teaches the recipe, and the horn is not consumed.
Iron Bison Video: Jeff Kaplan + Esfand Play The Legend of California Alpha at 1:55:22 (opens in a new tab)
The recipe also needs a gold bar, which is the hardest part to obtain.
Iron Bison Video: Jeff Kaplan + Esfand Play The Legend of California Alpha at 1:53:08 (opens in a new tab)
Available from Tier 3 and costs 200 gold; groups often buy several.
Research Station Video: Dev Livestream: End Game Doomsday Bunker at 3:52 (opens in a new tab)
One research run takes 2 hours.
Research Station Video: Dev Livestream: End Game Doomsday Bunker at 3:20 (opens in a new tab)
Challenges seen
Looting it is required to finish the red Tier 3 challenge.
Outlaw Strongbox Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (August) at 3:57:16 (opens in a new tab)
Tier 4
Snipers, rare ingredients and better-quality gear. Sangre Élite invasions lead to the Doomsday Bunker, the endgame.
What changes
Tier 4 enemy faction: an evil military unit living in exile.
Legión Sangre Steam post: Dev Update: Work in Progress (opens in a new tab)
Tier 4 strongholds put snipers in towers.
Tier 4 Video: Jeff Kaplan + Tim Ford Play 10 MORE HOURS of The Legend of California at 8:24:26 (opens in a new tab)
Tier 4 has rare ingredients that are only useful for Tier 4 gear.
Tier 4 Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (July) at 1:46:16 (opens in a new tab)
Gear quality
Added in Alpha 4 for certain items from Tier 4 onward.
Item Quality Steam post: Alpha 4 Patch Notes (opens in a new tab)
In Alpha 5 higher-quality recipes drop directly and there is no upgrade path from common to uncommon.
Item Quality Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (October) at 1:37:42 (opens in a new tab)
Endgame
In Alpha 4 invasions start about 24 hours after a server reset.
Sangre Élite Invasion Video: Alpha Weekend Livestream - Jeff & Tim Play on Dread Rock (PvP server) at 2:06:00 (opens in a new tab)
About five invasions are active at once; they are the best reward source at Tier 4.
Sangre Élite Invasion Video: Alpha Weekend Livestream - Jeff & Tim Play on Dread Rock (PvP server) at 54:26 (opens in a new tab)
Reward for beating them is higher-quality gear.
Sangre Élite Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (August) at 29:55 (opens in a new tab)
A company that gathers three intel learns where its Doomsday Bunker is.
Legión Sangre Intel Video: Dev Livestream: End Game Doomsday Bunker at 6:45 (opens in a new tab)
After it is revealed, the company has 48 real-time hours to reach it.
Doomsday Bunker Video: Dev Livestream: End Game Doomsday Bunker at 20:58 (opens in a new tab)
The whole party shares four respawns; when they run out the run fails.
Doomsday Bunker Video: Dev Livestream: End Game Doomsday Bunker at 31:36 (opens in a new tab)
The objective is to plant three blast charges so the bunker can be blown up.
Doomsday Bunker Video: Dev Livestream: End Game Doomsday Bunker at 43:32 (opens in a new tab)
Challenges seen
Challenges needed for Tier 4 included killing deer, fishing, felling trees, building a workshop, upgrading the stamp mill and completing jobs.
Tier 4 Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (August) at 4:07:38 (opens in a new tab)
Has upgrades that each need a bracket; a Tier 4 progression task is building and upgrading it.
Stamp Mill Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (August) at 4:28:46 (opens in a new tab)
Tier 4 ranch progress requires jobs and challenges completed by the company.
Ranch Video: Alpha Weekend Livestream - Jeff & Tim Play on Dread Rock (PvP server) at 0:57 (opens in a new tab)
After Tier 4
Finishing Tier 4 is the intended end of a cycle, and few players get there.
Progression runs through tiers; reaching Tier 5 in Alpha 3 was a bug, but fully completing Tier 4 is intended.
Tiers Steam post: Dev Update: Peak California (opens in a new tab)
Completing every challenge gives an extra 100 percent completion reward.
Company Goals Video: The Legend of California Dev Livestream (June) at 58:06 (opens in a new tab)
In Alpha 3 only 5.9% of players reached Tier 3 and 2.8% reached Tier 4.
Tiers Steam post: Dev Update: Peak California (opens in a new tab)
Median playtime was about 8 hours for Tier 2 players, 28.7 for Tier 4 and 39.5 for Tier 5.
Tiers Steam post: Dev Update: Peak California (opens in a new tab)
Most players will only reach Tier 2 in a month-long cycle, according to the developers.
Player Progression Video: Alpha Weekend Livestream - Jeff & Tim Play on Dread Rock (PvP server) at 2:06:37 (opens in a new tab)
Related pages
Each page has all of its facts, not just the ones above.
- Tiers Mechanic
- Company Goals Mechanic
- Company Mechanic
- Ranch Mechanic
- Persistence Reset Mechanic
- Legacy Rewards Mechanic
- Player Progression Mechanic
- Jobs Mechanic
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