Privacy
CYGNAL is playable offline. Character saves and video/display options are stored locally on your device under %LOCALAPPDATA%\CygnalARPG\and are never uploaded automatically. The client can optionally check the latest release version when online.
The cygnalstudios.com website itself does not use analytics, advertising trackers, or third-party social widgets. Viewing public pages (wiki, classes, lore, catalogs, leaderboards) requires no account. The hosting provider may process connection metadata, including IP addresses, to deliver pages, maintain security, and prevent abuse.
Telemetry choices
Starting with v0.5.6.1, the Windows release offers two separate, optional choices in Options → Privacy, both off until you turn them on: sharing gameplay analytics and sharing crash diagnostics. Nothing is uploaded unless you opt in. Declining does not change gameplay, saves, rewards, or optional leaderboards, and you can change either choice at any time.
Gameplay analytics are pseudonymous. They include a random installation identifier, a derived character pseudonym (never the character name), session state, class, level, Amp and venue, build snapshots (skill ranks and equipped item types and stats), progression and economy events such as fame, levels, loot drops, crafting and material changes, encounter damage summaries, and coarse performance windows (frame-time histograms, memory and garbage collection counts, operating system, processor architecture, display resolution, and graphics settings). Crash diagnostics contain sanitized error fingerprints only. Character names, full save files, save passphrases, leaderboard credentials, your Windows username, machine name, and memory dumps are never included.
Before upload, events are held in an encrypted local queue protected by Windows per-user encryption, bounded to 20 MiB and seven days. Uploads go to telemetry.cygnalstudios.com, hosted on Cloudflare (Workers, Queues, and D1), which processes connection metadata such as IP addresses to deliver requests and limit abuse; IP addresses are not stored in telemetry records. Uploaded telemetry is retained for up to 12 months and is viewable only by the developer.
Turning a choice off stops collection and discards that category’s locally queued events. Deleting previously uploaded data is a separate action: use “Delete stored telemetry” in Options → Privacy to request authenticated deletion of your uploaded records from the telemetry database. Hosting-provider operational logs and backups expire on their own schedules.
Global Leaderboards are optional. When you choose to submit a run, the service receives your chosen display name, a pseudonymous account identifier, board/run details, score, duration, class, mode, character level, game version, and submission timestamps. Display name and result fields appear publicly in the standings. CYGNAL does not send your Windows username, machine name, hardware identifiers, or full save files for leaderboard submission.
Leaderboard entries are community, client-reported results and are marked unverified; submission authentication and timestamps reduce abuse but do not prove local gameplay was honest. The service uses minimal request and identity rate limits to resist abuse. Connection metadata may also be processed by the hosting provider. Do not use personal information as a display name.
Leaderboard credentials currently remain local to your device and are not included in character saves or submitted as public profile data. Credential protection, account recovery, and a formal retention/deletion policy are still being developed; avoid treating the leaderboard identity as a durable account or a secure storage service.
Donations are handled entirely by PayPal under PayPal’s own privacy policy — this site does not process or store payment information.