====== Gear upgrading ======
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**Gear upgrading** refers to the process of upgrading [[:weapons]], [[:tools]], or [[:armor]] in order to improve their stats and usefulness to the player. This is the main way of increasing the players strength to allow entry into new, more difficult areas.

===== Notes =====
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  * Upgrades are done by the [[:npcs:blacksmith|Blacksmith]].
  * [[:mechanics:item_rarity|Item rarities]] influence both the quantity and quality of possible upgrades.
  * Each upgradable item has these possible components:
    * Rarity
    * List of base stats
    * List of active/passive skills
    * Material list (or recipe)
  * Not all skills are unlocked at base level.
  * Gear upgrades will gradually unlock the skills for a given item and also improve base stats.
  * Items of differing rarities will have a different max gear level (e.g. level 5).
  * Base stats are upgraded at every level.
  * Skills are unlocked at specific levels.
  * Some skills are not active until its appropriate task is completed (kill 10 enemies).
  * In order to upgrade, the recipe is used as the cost to upgrade.
  * The cost increases subsequently after each upgrade.
  * Skills have an associated material with them, which is factored in to the cost when upgrading.