Early Access · reviewed September 11, 2026. Steam 1.0 is scheduled for October 15.
Spend your next runes on the equipment you actually use and the problem that currently stops your progress. A matching outfit is satisfying, but an affordable improvement to a weak slot can be more useful than saving indefinitely for a perfect set.
Which equipment can you improve?
Update 8 extended upgrades to armor, shields, wards, rings, and gathering tools. Item quality determines available upgrade levels, not the item's base stats. Armor, shields, wards, and rings can also be recycled.
Visit the survivor responsible for the equipment's combat class:
| Equipment category | Upgrade specialist |
|---|---|
| Warrior | Blacksmith |
| Ranger | Huntress |
| Mage | Alchemist |
If an upgrade seems unavailable, first check the survivor and the item selected in the menu. Then read the displayed resource cost and remaining upgrade opportunities. For missing survivor equipment or workshop prerequisites, use the crafting progression guide.
Compare three things before spending
Our recommendation: inspect current performance, the next upgrade, and the equipment's likely role in your next few sessions.
| Question | What to inspect | Practical decision |
|---|---|---|
| Is this an improvement today? | The stats and perks currently active | Do not treat a future upgrade as though you already own it |
| Does the next upgrade help my build? | Its preview and your usual weapon or activity | Prioritize effects you will use repeatedly |
| Is replacing the item straightforward? | Recipes or alternative equipment already available | Compare the replacement before investing heavily |
| Does this fill a weak slot? | Your whole equipped set | Avoid spending everything on a strong weapon while ignoring poor protection |
Compare items under the same conditions. Read their details while wearing the same other equipment and using the same food. If you change several bonuses between comparisons, it becomes difficult to tell what the new piece contributed.
Rarity is useful information, but it does not make every item appropriate for every character. A promising item whose perks suit a different weapon can wait in storage while you develop the equipment that supports your normal attacks.
A sensible upgrade order
This is our suggested decision order, rather than a universal damage ranking:
- Resolve the immediate weakness. If ordinary hits force repeated retreats, inspect your protection and health-related options. If fights are manageable but take too long, inspect the main weapon.
- Improve the item used most often. A reliable everyday weapon is usually a clearer first investment than a situational backup you rarely equip.
- Check the next useful perk. Look at what the next purchase changes rather than automatically buying every available level.
- Keep a working reserve. Leave enough flexibility to improve a replacement or adapt after discovering a different problem.
- Reassess after an outing. Notice whether you needed fewer healing items, finished fights more comfortably, or spent less time gathering.
For builders and frequent resource gatherers, include tools in that review. An expedition's purpose matters: the upgrade most helpful for a mining session may differ from the one you want for a difficult encounter.
If you are unsure which damage bonuses suit your usual attacks, read the starter build guide. Equipment and skill spending are easier to assess together than as separate shopping lists.
Where runes come from
Runes are obtained through sources including Fell enemies, loot chests, and dismantling weapons.
Our recommendation is to combine rune gathering with a useful objective: a quest, a needed resource, or a route you want to learn. Bring unwanted equipment home for review instead of stopping every few minutes to compare every item during an unfamiliar expedition.
At base, make three temporary groups:
- Equipped or ready to use: your active loadout and a practical replacement.
- Worth comparing: items that serve a different build, offer an interesting perk, or might suit a friend.
- Ready to recycle: items you have compared and decided you do not need.
Keep an unfamiliar item until you understand its role. Recycling is a resource decision; it is not a substitute for reading the item first.
World settings can change weapon-upgrade costs and how many invested runes recycling returns. Do not assume dismantling refunds the whole investment, or that a friend's quoted price applies to your world.
Legendary runes and waiting for perfect loot
Legendary Runes are a separate upgrade material associated with the final enhancement of legendary weapons and their gem access. They can come from powerful enemies and are also available through Blacksmith crafting. Inspect the actual enhancement requirement before converting or spending materials.
You do not need to postpone progression until a desired legendary weapon appears. Once a lore weapon is unlocked, corresponding recipes at later crafting tiers provide another way to fill an equipment gap.
Also avoid old farming routines that depend on immediately refilling chests by reloading. The water update changed chests to retain their looted state for in-game time.
Before the next session, choose one equipment target and write down the actual displayed cost in the adventure planner. Pair it with a sustainable food plan and check Flame progression if the route itself remains blocked. More guides are collected in the Enshrouded hub.