Upgrade Items in Trailborn RPG
Upgrading items is one of the fastest ways to increase your power - but it also comes with risk. This guide explains how upgrading works, when to take risks, and how to protect your best gear.
How to Upgrade an Item
Only weapons, armor, and amulets can be upgraded. Other item types cannot be upgraded.
- -Open your inventory with
/inventoryor!inventory - -Press the Upgrade button and select the item you want to upgrade
The upgrade screen shows you the current and next level stats, the success rate, the upgrade cost, and the risk level.
Upgrade Costs
Every upgrade requires Golden Coins (scales with item value) plus one rune matched to the item's rarity. Runes are collected from monster drops:
| Rarity | Rune Required |
|---|---|
| Common | Ashen Rune |
| Uncommon | Blood Rune |
| Rare | Soul Rune |
| Epic | Void Rune |
| Legendary | Abyssal Rune |
| Mythic | Eldritch Rune |
Normal vs Safe Upgrade
Normal Upgrade uses Golden Coins and one rune, is available up to +10, and carries increasing risk as you climb higher:
| Level Range | Fail Outcome |
|---|---|
| +0 to +3 | No downgrade on fail |
| +4 to +5 | Level decreases on fail |
| +6 to +10 | Item destroyed on fail |
Safe Upgrade unlocks at +3 and uses Golden Coins, a rune, and an Anchor Rune. Anchor Runes are purchased with Gems through the premium shop with /shop or !shop. Gems are acquired in the Ko-Fi shop. On a failed attempt the item stays unchanged - no downgrade, no destruction.
Upgrading Weapons and Armor
- -Damage / Defense increase (+4.8% per level)
- -Hit rate +1%
- -Crit rate +0.5%
- -Block rate +0.5%
- -Value increased by 3.8%
These bonuses boost your basic attacks and skill damage directly, since skills scale off your stats.
Upgrading Amulets
Amulets work differently from weapons and armor. Each successful upgrade increases the amulet's main stat based on the level reached, and the amulet's value is increased by 3.8% per upgrade:
| Upgrade Level | Main Stat Increase |
|---|---|
| +1 to +5 | +1 per upgrade |
| +6 to +9 | +2 per upgrade |
| +10 | +3 |
Important Mechanics
- -Maximum upgrade level is +10
- -A pity system improves your success chance after consecutive failed attempts - this resets if the item drops a level on failure
- -Each item tracks its own upgrade attempts separately
- -Higher levels carry higher risk - plan accordingly
When to Use Safe Upgrade
- -The item is hard to replace
- -You can't afford to lose it
- -You've already invested multiple upgrades into it
Upgrade Strategy
| Range | Recommended Approach |
|---|---|
| +0 to +3 | Normal Upgrade - no risk of downgrade |
| +4 to +5 | Weigh risk vs value before deciding |
| +6 and above | Safe Upgrade for any gear you can't afford to lose |
Don't gamble items you can't afford to lose.
Common Mistakes
- -Upgrading weak gear instead of replacing it
- -Risking destruction without backup gear equipped
- -Ignoring the success rate display
- -Wasting Anchor Runes on low-value items