While the Envoy in Avowed does have an actual level, a large component of their strength lies in the gear they have equipped. Part of the reason for this is because of the way Avowed's attributes function: they are incremental in nature. A few extra points in strength to boost damage is nice, but it pales in comparison to gear quality when looked at it in of raw power increases. As such, gear is an important piece in the power progression puzzle of Avowed.

Gear in Avowed takes a similar approach to its of weapon quality: common, fine, exceptional, superb, and legendary. With so many avenues of acquisition and so many types of weapons and armor available, it can be difficult to know if it's worth it to upgrade common weapons or armor. While the power of gear has been tuned down in Avowed's launch day patch, upgrading gear is still essential, with some important caveats.

What Happens When You Upgrade Common Weapons

Stats And More Are On Display In Avowed

Gear progression in Avowed functions within a relatively simple system. Within each of the five aforementioned tiers, there are three levels of quality. For instance, a weapon can be common, common +1, common +2, or common +3. These levels apply to each quality tier, such as fine or exceptional, with both having three individual levels as well. Each overall quality level is tied to one of Avowed's zones, with common upgrade materials being found in Dawnshore, the game's first zone.

With the way that gear scaling works in Avowed, you are expected to continue upgrading pieces of gear. If you're near the end of Dawnshore with an unupgraded weapon, you will certainly feel a power-imbalance. Upgrading increases the chosen weapon or armor stats quite significantly.

For example, take a common Arquebues; at +0, it does 41 damage. While at common +3, it deals more than double its original amount, sitting at 103 damage. Upgrading armor is similar, largely increasing "additional damage reduction," a stat which reduces a flat amount of incoming damage.

Going between tiers of quality is much the same. There isn't a dramatic increase upon going from common to fine; it follows the same general boost in power as increasing a weapon's level. The only exception is that weapons will generally see an increase in the amount of stun they inflict.

What Happens If You Break Down Common Weapons

An Extremely Valuable Option For Getting Materials

Upgrading requires crafting materials. As mentioned, these materials are typically locked to particular zones. For instance, common materials are found within Dawnshore, while fine materials are found within the Emerald Stair.

Besides finding these items through exploration, or paying the absurd cost that merchants sell them for, you can acquire these materials by breaking down items at the workbench. The materials acquired depend on the quality of the item. An unupgraded common sword will give one iron chunk, whereas a +3 one will give 13 iron chunks and 12 paradisan ladders.

This also applies to fine weapons, which, instead of iron chunks and paradisan ladder, will give steel chunks and hylea's talon, with the number of each once again depending on its level. There is one exception to this general rule, however. Any unique items require adra, a rare resource, to upgrade between tiers of quality level. As such, breaking down unique items will also reward you with adra, along with its corresponding herb and metal quality.

Another amazing avenue for acquiring materials is through this essential ranger skill, which increases the amount of looted materials received.

As a rule of thumb, sell any unupgraded weapons or armor. Iron chunks can be bought for 6 gold at merchants, whereas the item itself will likely sell for around 30. However, even with a singular upgrade, breaking down is far better, with the gap increasing nearly exponentially for every level. Paradisan ladder sells for 173 gold. Even a plus one weapon, which will reward two iron chunks and two paradisan ladder, turns into mats worth hundreds of gold more over the 60 gold worth of the item itself.

Why You Should Choose To Upgrade In Avowed

Stay Ahead Of The Curve For Power Scaling

Upgrading is how your envoy scales in power. It's extremely important to keep your gear on par with the zone and enemies your encountering. Fortunately too, it's relatively easy to upgrade, and not particularly punishing either. As breaking down is an effective option to gain a large chunk of materials back, you should upgrade whenever a particular weapon or armor is compelling to you, and especially if you start noticing skulls appear the left of enemy healthbars.

While upgrading armor is equally essential, I'd recommend upgrading weapons first, otherwise, fights can drag on for quite a while.

Of course, unique items are often strictly better than their general-use counterparts, and besides the adra cost for going between tiers, they cost the same to upgrade as any other item. Therefore, it is technically best to wait for a unique variant of your weapon or armor of choice, with many powerful options to be found in Dawnshore alone. Do note though, that not every item type has a unique variant within Dawnshore. For players desperately awaiting a unique arquebus in Avowed's first zone, you'll be better off upgrading a standard version, and there's nothing wrong with that.