| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where | Upgrade NPC in the lobby |
| Resource | Gold (earned from clears and sold gear) |
| What it raises | Physical · Spell · Health stat fields on the item card |
| Persistence | Upgrades stay on the item across runs |
| Reported ceiling | Hundreds of ranks on endgame items (footage shows 1,000+) |
| Verified | August 2026 |
Where do I upgrade gear?
The upgrade NPC sits in the lobby, next to the dungeon selector. Bring the item, pay the Gold cost, and its stat fields rise — the change is written onto the item card permanently. Current footage shows endgame examples pushed to extreme ranks (one screenshot shows a sceptre at 1,404 upgrades with a Spell stat to match), so early ranks are only the beginning of an item's lifetime cost.
The counter-habit matters as much as the NPC: sell everything you are not keeping. Gear you do not upgrade is Gold you have not collected yet.
What should I upgrade first — weapon, armor, or abilities?
Upgrade the bottleneck, not the favorite slot:
| Symptom | Spend on | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Packs take forever but you rarely die | Weapon | Clear speed raises Gold and loot per hour |
| One-shot by elites or bosses | Armor | Survivability unlocks finishes first |
| Boss dies but rooms drain you | Primary ability | Your most-pressed skill multiplies the weapon |
| Everything feels fine | Weapon, then difficulty | Push the loop while it is cheap |
Match the dominant stat on the piece before spending — upgrading a physical sword's Spell field buys nothing. The armor page has the survivability side of this table; the classes page explains path matching.
When should I stop upgrading and wait for a better drop?
Stop when the next tier costs more than the problem it fixes:
- The piece is about to be replaced. Do not invest in scrap — a same-path drop that beats your card makes the upgrade wasted Gold.
- Wipes continue after the upgrade. One tier not fixing the run means the bottleneck is elsewhere (path, abilities, difficulty choice) — find it before the next purchase.
- Gold is needed for a bigger lever. A difficulty jump, an XP boost you will actually use, or the next map's entry gear usually outearns a marginal stat tier.
Community guides summarize it as one upgrade, then a clear: buy one meaningful tier, re-run the same dungeon and difficulty, and compare. If the timer or wipe rate did not improve, stop spending and change something else.
Power upgrades versus cosmetic spending
Gold buys three different kinds of things, and only one of them makes runs faster:
| Spend | Raises power? | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Gear upgrades at the NPC | Yes — stat fields on the card | First |
| XP boosts / shop items | Indirectly — only if you clear during the timer | Second, with a plan |
| Cosmetics and looks | No — visual only | After clears are stable |
Creator footage is blunt about the last row: cosmetic items (weapon looks, armor skins) change appearance only. Buy them when spare Gold exists, not before.
A Gold-spend decision for your next session
- Do01
Check the bottleneck
Deaths or slowness? Armor fixes deaths; weapons fix slowness.
- Do02
Buy one tier on that piece
The equipped, path-matched item — not the shiny drop in your bag.
- Do03
Re-run the same dungeon
Same difficulty, same route. Compare pace and wipes against the last session.
- Do04
Keep or cut
Improved? Repeat next session. Not improved? Stop upgrading and fix the build instead.
How much do upgrades cost?
Costs scale with rank and are not published — read the live NPC panel. The practical rule from community guides: keep enough Gold to upgrade the piece that fixes your current bottleneck after each farm session.
Can I undo an upgrade or move it to another item?
No transfer is confirmed. Upgrades are sunk into the specific item — one more reason to commit only to keepers and sell the rest.
What should I sell?
Off-path gear, duplicates with worse rolls, and anything you will not upgrade. If a trade offer beats the sale price — and the item is verified — the trading page covers how to compare safely.
Do upgrades interact with stat resets?
Stat resets affect skill points, not item upgrades. A Free Stat Resets gamepass is reported in current guides — check the live store; the VIP page tracks what is confirmed.