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'''Mastery''' is your skill level in each StepHarvest activity. Everything you do levels up the matching skill, and higher mastery makes that activity cheaper and more rewarding. Each mastery levels up on its own, so the work you put into one never slows another.

== The four masteries ==
There is one mastery for each main activity.

{| class="wikitable"
! Mastery !! What it covers
|-
| [[Farming]] || Planting, watering, and harvesting crops.
|-
| [[Mining]] || Exploring the mines and breaking ore and gems.
|-
| [[Fishing]] || Casting at the pier and catching fish.
|-
| [[Foraging]] || Gathering in the Whispering Woods.
|}

== Earning mastery XP ==
You earn mastery XP just by playing. Every action adds to the matching skill.

{| class="wikitable"
! Mastery !! How you earn XP
|-
| [[Farming]] || Planting, watering, and harvesting crops.
|-
| [[Mining]] || Each mine run, with deeper levels worth more.
|-
| [[Fishing]] || Every cast, with bonuses for catches and rare or legendary fish.
|-
| [[Foraging]] || Each foraging trip, with a bonus for rare finds.
|}

Even a missed fishing cast earns a little XP, and rarer catches and finds are worth far more than common ones.

== Leveling up ==
Each mastery goes up to '''level 10'''. The first few levels come quickly, level 4 is the first big jump in what each level needs, and levels 8 to 10 are a long-term grind. Every level you gain brings three rewards.

=== Cheaper actions ===
Higher mastery lowers the steps each action costs. [[Farming]] reaches roughly 50% off by level 10, and [[Mining]], [[Fishing]], and [[Foraging]] all get steady reductions too. Your tool tier stacks on top of this, so a high mastery and a good tool together make actions much cheaper. Actions never become completely free: there is always a small step cost to pay.

=== Better item quality ===
Items drop in four tiers:

{{Quality|regular}} {{Quality|silver}} {{Quality|gold}} {{Quality|pristine}}

As your mastery rises, the odds shift toward the higher tiers. At low levels almost everything is {{Quality|regular}}; by level 10 most of what you gather is {{Quality|gold}} or {{Quality|pristine}}. Because higher tiers sell for more (see [[Marketplace]]), climbing a mastery directly raises your income.

=== Unlocking the mines ===
[[Mining]] depth is gated by your Mining mastery. Each new level of the mines opens up as your skill grows.

{| class="wikitable"
! Mine !! Mining mastery required
|-
| [[Mining#Upper Mines|Upper Mines]] || 1
|-
| [[Mining#Iron Depths|Iron Depths]] || 2
|-
| [[Mining#Golden Tunnels|Golden Tunnels]] || 4
|-
| [[Mining#Crystal Caverns|Crystal Caverns]] || 6
|-
| [[Mining#Sonorite Depths|Sonorite Depths]] || 8
|}

Deeper levels carry richer ore and rarer gems, so leveling Mining pays off twice: cheaper runs and better finds.

== See also ==
* [[Getting Started]]: how steps and banking work.
* [[Marketplace]]: how item quality turns into gold.

[[Category:Mastery| ]]