Instance System

The Instance System lets a party tackle a private copy of a dungeon, separate from every other party on the server. When you start an instance, the game creates a personal version of those maps just for your group, so the monsters, bosses and rewards are yours alone: no competition, no kill-stealing.

This page explains how instances work on Vortex Legends: how to enter them, the rules your party must meet, the recovery penalties that apply inside, and links to the deeper mechanics and the list of available content.

What is an instance

An instance is a temporary, party-owned dungeon. Key points:

It is created for one party and cannot be entered by outsiders.
It has a time limit: once it expires, the instance closes. Some instances also close after being left idle for too long.
The party leader is normally the owner and controls creating or destroying it.
Progress (cleared rooms, bosses, checkpoints) is tracked inside that single copy.

Instances vs Raids

Vortex Legends splits this content into two sizes, based on how many players the encounter is built for:

Instance: designed for a small group, typically around 3–6 players. These are the standard group dungeons.
Raid: designed for a larger group, typically around 6–12 players. Raids are tougher, demand more coordination and a fuller team composition, and are meant as the next step up from instances.

Both work the same way under the hood (a private copy for your party); the difference is the party size the content is balanced around. Each instance or raid states its own exact party-size range on its own page: see Available instances.

Difficulty modes

Every instance offers at least two difficulty modes, which you choose when starting the run:

Normal: the standard version of the encounter.
Heroic: a tougher version with stronger monsters and a higher recommended level, for better-geared parties looking for more challenge.

A third mode, Mythic, also exists but is reserved for events and special occasions: it is not always available.

Important things to know about difficulties:

Each difficulty has its own level requirements and may change how the encounter behaves.
Each difficulty has its own separate cooldown. After you clear a difficulty, that difficulty goes on cooldown before you can run it again: but the cooldowns are tracked independently, so a Normal cooldown does not stop you from running Heroic, and vice versa. Exact cooldowns are listed on each instance's own page.
The recovery penalty can differ between difficulties, so a harder mode may also limit your healing more.

Entering an instance

You enter through the instance's entrance NPC together with your party. Before you are allowed in, the server runs a few entry checks. If your party does not meet them, entry is blocked and you are told why. These checks exist to keep instance runs fair and to stop people from clearing group content alone with multiple clients.

Entry restrictions

Depending on the instance, one or more of the following restrictions can be active:

Duplicate login by IP: entry is blocked when too many party members are connected from the same IP address. This prevents a single person from filling a party with their own characters.
Duplicate login by device: entry is blocked when too many members are using the same device. This check is tied to Vortex Shield, which identifies each device, and reinforces the one device, one client rule.
No AFK members: entry is blocked if any party member is flagged as AFK (away from keyboard). Everyone must be actively present to start the run.

Not every instance uses every restriction: each instance enables the checks that fit its difficulty and purpose.

Recovery penalties inside instances

To keep instances challenging, your recovery is reduced while you are inside many of them:

Healing skills restore less HP than they would outside.
Recovery items are less effective: potions and similar items restore less HP and SP.

A few things to keep in mind:

The penalty applies only while you are inside the instance. It ends as soon as you leave.
The exact strength of the penalty depends on the instance (and its difficulty), so some instances are harsher than others.
It affects how much you recover, nothing else: you do not lose items, and your maximum HP is not reduced.

Plan ahead: bring more supplies than usual and rely on your party's Healer and Support roles.

Core mechanics

Two systems shape how nearly every instance plays. Each has its own page:

⚔️ Battle Roles

Tank, Healer, DPS and Support: how roles are assigned, the team compositions instances require, and how your role changes the way enemies react to you.

🚩 Checkpoints

The save-point system: respawn inside the instance, recover from a party wipe, and use the Save Point NPC to regroup your team between fights.

Available instances

The content is split into Instances (small-group dungeons) and Raids (larger-group content). Each one has its own page with its summary, difficulty modes, recommended level range, cooldown and time limit.