Four Underworld Realms

Early Access Reap and Rush (地府有点忙) ships four distinct underworld maps at the July 22, 2026 launch — not three biomes as some pre-release previews suggested. Each map changes enemy families, duty event frequency, shop inventory bias, and boss gate pacing. Picking the wrong map for your first resonance test wastes Souls; picking the right one accelerates achievement routing. This guide summarizes every realm at launch and links to build tools once you know where you want to farm.

How map selection works

After choosing an Envoy and difficulty tier, you enter a map pool. Maps are not endless procedural noise — they are authored realms with fixed boss sequences and themed Yaoguai packs. You cannot swap maps mid-run; plan element tags and Paper Craft slots before committing. Higher Difficulty tiers apply the same map geometry with scaled stats — map knowledge still transfers.

Realm One — Reincarnation Hall

The tutorial-adjacent hall where paperwork spirits and low-tier Yaoguai introduce dodge-aim loops. Duty density is moderate: feeding events and simple escorts appear often enough to teach Underworld Duties without stalling kill pace. Boss gates emphasize wide telegraphs — ideal for Combat Basics practice. Water and Earth resonance builds feel safest here; Metal pierce shines once you read elite patterns.

Realm Two — Fox Spirit Gardens

Cultivation-themed courtyards with faster ranged enemies and fox duty chains tied to Zhong Kui’s disappearance storyline. Escort timers tighten; companions like Escort Heron jump a full tier on this map — see Companion Tier List. Shops skew toward Wood and Fire tag stones. Bring freeze or stagger crafts from Paper Craft Builds before the second gate boss.

Realm Three — Hungry Ghost Market

Dense melee packs and Soul magnet opportunities — high kill counts if you survive the opening minute. Soul Lantern companions and magnet Fate Stones outperform tier lists written for Realm One. Duty events include merchant negotiations with risk/reward soul payouts. Element spread is mixed; hybrid resonance learners should run this map third, not first.

Realm Four — Iron Seal Vaults

Late Early Access pressure: armored elites, shorter i-frame forgiveness on some attacks, and bosses that punish greedy craft spam. Metal and Fire builds with boss tech from How to Beat Bosses are the expected clears. Duty payouts are highest here — achievement hunters stack Earth duty bonuses before entering. Pets with auto-loot matter more because Fate Stone drops cluster during elite waves — Pets Guide.

Map vs difficulty — do not confuse them

Maps define layout and enemy theme; five difficulty tiers define numbers and timers. A Realm One run on the highest tier still teaches geometry; a Realm Four run on the lowest tier still hits vault armor checks. New players should pair Realm One + lowest tier for runs one through three per Getting Started.

Build and tier list cross-links

Once you know your target map, open Build Planner and lock element tags before the first shop. Compare envoy starters on Envoy Tier List — fox-heavy maps reward Fox Liaison duty bonuses; vault maps reward Blaze Warden burst. Track map-specific balance tweaks on Updates — launch week hotfixes often tune elite density per realm.

Launch week notes

Developer FAQ confirms four maps at EA launch with more realms planned post-roadmap. Demo players only saw one realm — expect new enemy tells in Realms Two through Four even if your muscle memory feels sharp. Saves do not transfer from demo; treat map discovery as fresh. Controller and Steam Deck players report readable telegraphs on all four maps with minor UI scale issues on Deck — details in Launch FAQ.

Additional context

Independent Reap and Rush wiki — not official. Verify realm names and enemy counts after patches via Steam Community Hub with version strings.