Introduction
Upgrading or transferring gear in Lost Ark cannot result in the item breaking or downgrading! It is however the only way to progress your character to higher endgame content in Lost Ark. Let's go more into detail about how to upgrade Gear using the Honing System and what to look out for when doing so to avoid potential mistakes.
Gear Honing Steps
1. Visit the Gear Honing NPC
Upgrading your gear can be done by visiting the Gear Honing NPC, displayed as a hammer icon on the minimap and found in any major city in the game.
2. Fill your Gear XP
To initiate the upgrading process select an item of your choice and fill the XP Gauge of that item. This is done by paying a cost of Silver and Harmony Shards. Once filled, you can proceed to upgrading. The experience bar needs to be filled only once per enhancement level.
3. Upgrade Priority
All items have a 100% upgrade chance until +6 and start to reduce in success rate past this point. Different gear slots have higher damage and defensive bonuses compared to others. When going past +6, prioritize items in this order as they provide the highest benefits for your character:
Damage Dealers
- Weapon
- Gloves
- Shoulders
- Helm
- Pants
- Chest
Supports
- Chest
- Pants
- Helm
- Shoulders
- Gloves
- Weapon
4. Upgrade your Item
When upgrading, every attempt costs you a set amount of materials and Gold. This cost depends on the level of your item and doesn't change until successfully upgraded.
Before upgrading you have the option to increase the odds of success by using a Star's Breaths, this item can be found through various activities like Field Bosses, Ghost Ship, Secret Maps, Cube and many more. Save these materials for upgrading your weapon, since it's your highest cost and value gear slot.
If you succeed, your item becomes 1 level higher, your accumulated Artisan's Energy gets restored to 0%, and you have to refill the XP Gauge once more to upgrade further.
If you fail, you are given a higher success rate for all subsequent upgrade attempts (up to a maximum limit). In addition, you start receiving Artisan's Energy.
For a detailed success rate & upgrade cost per level, check out the Upgrade Chart down below.
Artisan's Energy
Think of this as a pity system. Each failed upgrade attempt grants you a percentage of Artisan's Energy, in our example this is displayed as +13.49%. This number increases for all subsequent upgrade attempts (up to a maximum limit) until it reaches 100%, at which point your next upgrade is guaranteed to succeed.
Things to note here:
- Artisan's Energy has no influence on your success rate prior to reaching 100%.
- The use of additional materials like Star's Breath increase the amount of Artisan's Energy gained for failed attempts.
- Higher item stages reward less Artisan's Energy per failed attempt than lower ones.
- A successful upgrade resets your Artisan's Energy back to 0%.
Fusion Materials
In Tier 2 & 3, upgrades past +6 require a new ingredient: Caldarr Fusion Material. This material can only be created in your Stronghold when reaching item level 802. Research one of three recipe types depending on which Life Skill path you've chosen to pursue: Foraging, Excavation or Fishing. Once researched, this can be crafted in the Workshop "Special" tab.
Fusion Research Requirements
- Reach item level 802
- Go to your Stronghold by using the Song of Hearth and Home (F2)
- Press Ctrl+1 and choose the Lab tab
- Under Crafting Recipe Addition, search for "Craft method: Caldarr Fusion Material" (Life skill type)
- Wait for its research and start crafting!
Gear Transfer
Items you find or craft that are more powerful than your current gear don't have to be upgraded from scratch. Using the Gear Transfer Tab at the Honing NPC, choose the item you want to transfer onto, select the current item you're wearing from the Material Gear listing and click Gear Transfer. This process retains all upgrade levels you've obtained so far without the chance of breaking or deleveling the item. Gear transfer only costs Silver.
Gear Transfer can also be used to transfer higher quality grade weapons & armors over your existing ones for more defensive or offensive stat bonuses.
Gear Softcap
To be eligible for progressing into future Tiers, characters in Lost Ark have to reach certain Item Level thresholds before they are allowed to advance. This point is what determines the minimum Honing Level you have to reach for your gear before transitioning into Tier 2 or 3. For Tier 1 this point is reached at Item Level 600 (+15 average).
Going Past +15
While going past +15 is still possible, it is not required to upgrade past this point to proceed into further tiers. The level cap of Tier 1 and 2 which is 725 and 1225 (+20 average) will get replaced immediately with free Item Level 802 gear in Tier 2 and 1302 gear in Tier 3, rendering any progress you've made past the Softcap meaningless.
Because of this DO NOT upgrade past +15 in Tier 1 and 2. While there are benefits of doing it in Tier 3, we strongly advise to only use character bound materials to do so. Distribute unbound versions of these materials to your alt characters, or sell them on the Auction House for profit.
- Destruction Stone Crystal (Bound)
- Guardian Stone Crystal (Bound)
- Honor Leap Stone (Bound)
Cost & Success Rate
Tier 1 Cost & Success Rate
Weapon
Armor
Item Level | Honing Level | Success Rate | Weapon Material Cost |
302 | +0 (base) | N/A | N/A |
320 | +1 | 100% | 150 150 2 |
340 | +2 | 100% | 150 150 2 |
360 | +3 | 100% | 150 150 2 |
380 | +4 | 100% | 225 300 4 |
400 | +5 | 100% | 225 300 4 |
420 | +6 | 100% | 225 300 4 |
440 | +7 | 90% | 350 400 6 |
460 | +8 | 90% | 350 400 6 |
480 | +9 | 80% | 475 700 9 |
500 | +10 | 80% | 475 700 9 |
520 | +11 | 70% | 600 1000 12 |
540 | +12 | 70% | 600 1000 12 10 |
560 | +13 | 60% | 750 1300 15 10 |
580 | +14 | 50% | 850 1600 15 10 |
600 | +15 | 40% | 1000 2000 21 10 |
625 | +16 | 30% | 1500 3600 30 15 |
650 | +17 | 20% | 2100 6000 42 15 |
675 | +18 | 15% | 3000 9000 56 20 |
700 | +19 | 10% | 4000 12000 72 20 |
725 | +20 | 5% | 5000 16000 90 30 |
Item Level | Honing Level | Success Rate | Armor Material Cost |
302 | +0 (base) | N/A | N/A |
320 | +1 | 100% | 90 90 2 |
340 | +2 | 100% | 90 90 2 |
360 | +3 | 100% | 90 90 2 |
380 | +4 | 100% | 135 180 3 |
400 | +5 | 100% | 135 180 3 |
420 | +6 | 100% | 135 180 3 |
440 | +7 | 90% | 210 240 4 |
460 | +8 | 90% | 210 240 4 |
480 | +9 | 80% | 285 420 6 |
500 | +10 | 80% | 285 420 6 |
520 | +11 | 70% | 360 600 8 |
540 | +12 | 70% | 360 600 8 5 |
560 | +13 | 60% | 450 780 9 5 |
580 | +14 | 50% | 510 960 9 5 |
600 | +15 | 40% | 600 1200 13 5 |
625 | +16 | 30% | 900 2160 18 7 |
650 | +17 | 20% | 1260 3600 26 7 |
675 | +18 | 15% | 1800 5400 34 10 |
700 | +19 | 10% | 2400 7200 44 10 |
725 | +20 | 5% | 3000 9600 54 15 |
Weapon
Armor
Item Level | Honing Level | Success Rate | Weapon Material Cost |
802 | +0 (base) | N/A | N/A |
820 | +1 | 100% | 225 200 5 |
840 | +2 | 100% | 225 200 5 |
860 | +3 | 100% | 225 200 5 |
880 | +4 | 100% | 338 400 9 |
900 | +5 | 100% | 338 400 9 |
920 | +6 | 100% | 338 400 9 |
940 | +7 | 90% | 525 600 13 2 10 |
960 | +8 | 90% | 525 600 13 2 10 |
980 | +9 | 80% | 713 1000 18 3 10 |
1000 | +10 | 80% | 713 1000 18 3 10 |
1020 | +11 | 70% | 900 1500 25 5 15 |
1040 | +12 | 70% | 900 1500 25 5 15 |
1060 | +13 | 60% | 1125 2000 32 7 20 |
1080 | +14 | 50% | 1275 2500 38 7 20 |
1100 | +15 | 40% | 1500 3400 45 10 25 |
1125 | +16 | 30% | 2250 5400 57 15 30 |
1150 | +17 | 20% | 3150 9000 80 20 30 |
1175 | +18 | 15% | 4500 13500 112 25 40 |
1200 | +19 | 10% | 6000 18000 135 30 40 |
1225 | +20 | 5% | 7500 13500 156 35 50 |
Item Level | Honing Level | Success Rate | Armor Material Cost |
802 | +0 (base) | N/A | N/A |
820 | +1 | 100% | 135 120 3 |
840 | +2 | 100% | 135 120 3 |
860 | +3 | 100% | 135 120 3 |
880 | +4 | 100% | 202 240 6 |
900 | +5 | 100% | 202 240 6 |
920 | +6 | 100% | 202 240 6 |
940 | +7 | 90% | 315 360 8 1 5 |
960 | +8 | 90% | 315 360 8 1 5 |
980 | +9 | 80% | 427 600 11 2 5 |
1000 | +10 | 80% | 427 600 11 2 5 |
1020 | +11 | 70% | 540 900 15 3 7 |
1040 | +12 | 70% | 540 900 15 3 7 |
1060 | +13 | 60% | 675 1200 20 5 10 |
1080 | +14 | 50% | 765 1500 23 5 10 |
1100 | +15 | 40% | 900 2040 27 7 12 |
1125 | +16 | 30% | 1350 3240 35 10 15 |
1150 | +17 | 20% | 1890 5400 48 12 15 |
1175 | +18 | 15% | 2700 8100 68 15 20 |
1200 | +19 | 10% | 3600 10800 81 20 20 |
1225 | +20 | 5% | 4500 14400 94 25 25 |
Weapon
Armor
Item Level | Honing Level | Success Rate | Weapon Material Cost |
1302 | +0 (base) | N/A | N/A |
1304 | +1 | 100% | 138 32 4 15860 |
1307 | +2 | 100% | 138 32 4 16240 |
1310 | +3 | 100% | 198 32 6 16640 |
1315 | +4 | 100% | 198 46 6 2 17040 |
1320 | +5 | 100% | 198 46 6 2 17460 |
1325 | +6 | 100% | 198 46 6 2 17900 |
1330 | +7 | 60% | 258 60 8 4 18320 120 |
1335 | +8 | 45% | 258 60 8 4 18780 120 |
1340 | +9 | 30% | 258 60 8 4 19240 120 |
1345 | +10 | 30% | 320 74 10 4 19720 120 |
1350 | +11 | 30% | 320 74 10 4 20200 120 |
1355 | +12 | 15% | 320 74 10 4 20700 120 |
1360 | +13 | 15% | 380 88 10 6 21200 120 |
1365 | +14 | 15% | 380 88 12 6 21720 120 |
1370 | +15 | 10% | 380 88 12 6 22260 120 |
Item Level | Honing Level | Success Rate | Armor Material Cost |
1302 | +0 (base) | N/A | N/A |
1304 | +1 | 100% | 82 22 2 11100 |
1307 | +2 | 100% | 82 22 2 11380 |
1310 | +3 | 100% | 82 22 4 11660 |
1315 | +4 | 100% | 120 32 4 2 11960 |
1320 | +5 | 100% | 120 32 4 2 12240 |
1325 | +6 | 100% | 120 32 4 2 12540 |
1330 | +7 | 60% | 156 42 4 2 12840 70 |
1335 | +8 | 45% | 156 42 4 2 13160 70 |
1340 | +9 | 30% | 156 42 4 2 13480 70 |
1345 | +10 | 30% | 192 50 6 4 13820 70 |
1350 | +11 | 30% | 192 50 6 4 14140 70 |
1355 | +12 | 15% | 192 50 6 4 14500 70 |
1360 | +13 | 15% | 228 60 6 4 14860 70 |
1365 | +14 | 15% | 228 60 8 4 15220 70 |
1370 | +15 | 10% | 228 60 8 4 15600 70 |
Weapon
Armor
Item Level | Honing Level | Success Rate | Weapon Material Cost |
1340 | +0 (base) | N/A | N/A |
1345 | +1 | 100% | 358 84 6 4 27600 300 |
1350 | +2 | 100% | 358 84 8 4 28280 300 |
1355 | +3 | 100% | 358 84 8 4 28980 300 |
1360 | +4 | 100% | 516 120 10 6 29680 300 |
1365 | +5 | 100% | 516 120 10 6 30420 300 |
1370 | +6 | 100% | 516 120 12 6 31160 320 |
1375 | +7 | 60% | 672 156 12 6 31920 320 |
1380 | +8 | 45% | 672 156 14 6 32700 320 |
1385 | +9 | 30% | 672 156 14 8 33520 320 |
1390 | +10 | 30% | 830 192 16 8 34340 320 |
1395 | +11 | 30% | 830 192 16 8 35180 330 |
1400 | +12 | 15% | 830 192 18 8 36040 330 |
1405 | +13 | 15% | 968 228 18 10 36940 330 |
1410 | +14 | 15% | 968 228 20 10 37840 330 |
1415 | +15 | 10% | 968 228 20 10 38760 330 |
1430 | +16 | 10% | 1144 310 22 12 39720 410 |
1445 | +17 | 10% | 1144 422 24 14 40580 480 |
1460 | +18 | 5% | 1144 572 28 16 41460 540 |
1475 | +19 | 5% | 1300 776 30 18 42360 640 |
1490 | +20 | 3% | 1300 1054 32 20 43260 730 |
Item Level | Honing Level | Success Rate | Armor Material Cost |
1340 | +0 (base) | N/A | N/A |
1345 | +1 | 100% | 216 58 4 4 19320 160 |
1350 | +2 | 100% | 216 58 6 4 19800 160 |
1355 | +3 | 100% | 216 58 6 4 20300 170 |
1360 | +4 | 100% | 310 82 6 4 20800 170 |
1365 | +5 | 100% | 310 82 6 4 21300 170 |
1370 | +6 | 100% | 310 82 8 4 21820 170 |
1375 | +7 | 60% | 404 108 8 6 22380 170 |
1380 | +8 | 45% | 404 108 10 6 22920 170 |
1385 | +9 | 30% | 404 108 10 6 23480 170 |
1390 | +10 | 30% | 498 132 10 8 24040 170 |
1395 | +11 | 30% | 498 132 10 8 24640 170 |
1400 | +12 | 15% | 498 132 12 8 25240 170 |
1405 | +13 | 15% | 592 158 12 8 25860 170 |
1410 | +14 | 15% | 592 158 12 8 26500 170 |
1415 | +15 | 10% | 592 158 12 8 27160 180 |
1430 | +16 | 10% | 686 216 14 10 27820 210 |
1445 | +17 | 10% | 686 292 16 10 28420 250 |
1460 | +18 | 5% | 686 396 16 12 29040 280 |
1475 | +19 | 5% | 780 536 18 14 29660 320 |
1490 | +20 | 3% | 780 728 20 14 30320 350 |
Item Level | Honing Level | Success Rate | Weapon Cost | Armor Cost |
802 | +0 (base) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
820 | +1 | 100% | 225 200 5 | 135 120 3 |
840 | +2 | 100% | 225 200 5 | 135 120 3 |
860 | +3 | 100% | 225 200 5 | 135 120 3 |
880 | +4 | 100% | 338 400 9 | 202 240 6 |
900 | +5 | 100% | 338 400 9 | 202 240 6 |
920 | +6 | 100% | 338 400 9 | 202 240 6 |
940 | +7 | 90% | 525 600 13 2 10 | 315 360 8 1 5 |
960 | +8 | 90% | 525 600 13 2 10 | 315 360 8 1 5 |
980 | +9 | 80% | 713 1000 18 3 10 | 427 600 11 2 5 |
1000 | +10 | 80% | 713 1000 18 3 10 | 427 600 11 2 5 |
1020 | +11 | 70% | 900 1500 25 5 15 | 540 900 15 3 7 |
1040 | +12 | 70% | 900 1500 25 5 15 | 540 900 15 3 7 |
1060 | +13 | 60% | 1125 2000 32 7 20 | 675 1200 20 5 10 |
1080 | +14 | 50% | 1275 2500 38 7 20 | 765 1500 23 5 10 |
1100 | +15 | 40% | 1500 3400 45 10 25 | 900 2040 27 7 12 |
1125 | +16 | 30% | 2250 5400 57 15 30 | 1350 3240 35 10 15 |
1150 | +17 | 20% | 3150 9000 80 20 30 | 1890 5400 48 12 15 |
1175 | +18 | 15% | 4500 13500 112 25 40 | 2700 8100 68 15 20 |
1200 | +19 | 10% | 6000 18000 135 30 40 | 3600 10800 81 20 20 |
1225 | +20 | 5% | 7500 24000 156 35 50 | 4500 14400 94 25 25 |
802 ➜ +20 ➜5%
Weapon: 7500 24000 156 35 50
Armor: 4500 14400 94 25 25
advgb/tab
Item Level | Honing Level | Success Rate | Material Cost Weapon | Material Cost (Armor) |
1302 | +0 (base) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
1304 | +1 | 100% | 150 150 2 | 90 90 2 |
1307 | +2 | 100% | 150 150 2 | 90 90 2 |
1310 | +3 | 100% | 150 150 2 | 90 90 2 |
1315 | +4 | 100% | 225 300 4 | 135 180 3 |
1320 | +5 | 100% | 225 300 4 | 135 180 3 |
1325 | +6 | 100% | 225 300 4 | 135 180 3 |
1330 | +7 | 90% | 350 400 6 | 210 240 4 |
1335 | +8 | 90% | 350 400 6 | 210 240 4 |
1340 | +9 | 80% | 475 700 9 | 285 420 6 |
1345 | +10 | 80% | 475 700 9 | 285 420 6 |
1350 | +11 | 70% | 600 1000 12 | 360 600 8 |
1355 | +12 | 70% | 600 1000 12 10 | 360 600 8 5 |
1360 | +13 | 60% | 750 1300 15 10 | 450 780 9 5 |
1365 | +14 | 50% | 850 1600 15 10 | 510 960 9 5 |
1370 | +15 | 40% | 1000 2000 21 10 | 600 1200 13 5 |
1375 | +16 | 30% | 1500 3600 30 15 | 900 2160 18 7 |
1380 | +17 | 20% | 2100 6000 42 15 | 1260 3600 26 7 |
1385 | +18 | 15% | 3000 9000 56 20 | 1800 5400 34 10 |
1390 | +19 | 10% | 4000 12000 72 20 | 2400 7200 44 10 |
1395 | +20 | 5% | 5000 16000 90 30 | 3000 9600 54 15 |
1400 | +21 | 3% | ||
1405 | +22 | 1% | ||
1410 | +23 | 1% | ||
1415 | +24 | 0.5% | ||
1430 | +25 | 0.5% |
Weapon
Armor
Item Level | Honing Level | Success Rate | Weapon Material Cost |
1302 | +0 (base) | N/A | N/A |
1304 | +1 | 100% | 138 32 4 15860 |
1307 | +2 | 100% | 138 32 4 15860 |
1310 | +3 | 100% | 138 32 4 15860 |
1315 | +4 | 100% | 338 400 9 |
1320 | +5 | 100% | 338 400 9 |
1325 | +6 | 100% | 338 400 9 |
1330 | +7 | 90% | 525 600 13 2 10 |
1335 | +8 | 90% | 525 600 13 2 10 |
1340 | +9 | 80% | 713 1000 18 3 10 |
1345 | +10 | 80% | 713 1000 18 3 10 |
1350 | +11 | 70% | 900 1500 25 5 15 |
1355 | +12 | 70% | 900 1500 25 5 15 |
1360 | +13 | 60% | 1125 2000 32 7 20 |
1365 | +14 | 50% | 1275 2500 38 7 20 |
1370 | +15 | 40% | 1500 3400 45 10 25 |
1375 | +16 | 30% | 2250 5400 57 15 30 |
1380 | +17 | 20% | 3150 9000 80 20 30 |
1385 | +18 | 15% | 4500 13500 112 25 40 |
1390 | +19 | 10% | 6000 18000 135 30 40 |
1395 | +20 | 5% | 7500 13500 156 35 50 |
1400 | +21 | 3% | |
1405 | +22 | 1% | |
1410 | +23 | 1% | |
1415 | +24 | 0.5% | |
1430 | +25 | 0.5% |
Item Level | Honing Level | Success Rate | Weapon Material Cost |
1302 | +0 (base) | N/A | N/A |
1304 | +1 | 100% | 225 200 5 |
1307 | +2 | 100% | 225 200 5 |
1310 | +3 | 100% | 225 200 5 |
1315 | +4 | 100% | 338 400 9 |
1320 | +5 | 100% | 338 400 9 |
1325 | +6 | 100% | 338 400 9 |
1330 | +7 | 90% | 525 600 13 2 10 |
1335 | +8 | 90% | 525 600 13 2 10 |
1340 | +9 | 80% | 713 1000 18 3 10 |
1345 | +10 | 80% | 713 1000 18 3 10 |
1350 | +11 | 70% | 900 1500 25 5 15 |
1355 | +12 | 70% | 900 1500 25 5 15 |
1360 | +13 | 60% | 1125 2000 32 7 20 |
1365 | +14 | 50% | 1275 2500 38 7 20 |
1370 | +15 | 40% | 1500 3400 45 10 25 |
1375 | +16 | 30% | 2250 5400 57 15 30 |
1380 | +17 | 20% | 3150 9000 80 20 30 |
1385 | +18 | 15% | 4500 13500 112 25 40 |
1390 | +19 | 10% | 6000 18000 135 30 40 |
1395 | +20 | 5% | 7500 13500 156 35 50 |
1400 | +21 | 3% | |
1405 | +22 | 1% | |
1410 | +23 | 1% | |
1415 | +24 | 0.5% | |
1430 | +25 | 0.5% |
Summary
Find the Gear Honing NPC in any major city in the game, choose the item you wish to upgrade and pray to the RNG gods that you are successful. Gear transfer can also be performed at the same NPC. Remember that:
- Items have a 100% upgrade chance until +6.
- Star's Breath can be used to further increase the success rate of your item.
- Failed attempts give you a higher success rate for all subsequent upgrade attempts (up to a maximum limit).
- Accumulating 100% Artisan's Energy on an item guarantees the next upgrade is successful.
- Transferring gear preserves your upgrade level without having a chance to break or delevel the item.
- Item Level 600(+15 average) is required to progress into Tier 2.
- Item Level 1100(+15 average) is required to progress into Tier 3.
- DO NOT upgrade past +15 in Tier 1 and 2.
- In Tier 3 only use bound materials to upgrade past +15, trade unbound materials to your alt characters or sell them on the Auction House for profit.
Credits
Written by Choilicious
Reviewed by Facefoot