Guide to Upgrading Items
With the release of the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion, New World saw some huge changes in the way gear is upgraded. With high watermark and Expertise a thing of the distant past, this guide will help you make sense of the new Item Upgrade system. We’ll look at which items can be upgraded, how to upgrade Named items, and how to upgrade Artifacts.
Which items can be upgraded?
This is the thing that confuses most people, as in the past upgrading was linked to gear score. This is no longer the case. Instead, there is a list of specific named items that can be upgraded from any gear score directly to 700GS.
Since upgrading is limited to accounts that have the expansion, it makes sense that if an item is 626GS or above, then it’s probably upgradeable. However, there are exceptions, and some Upgradeable Named items can drop below 626GS, such as Riptide or Syncretic. Additionally, some Named items above 625GS are not Upgradeable, primarily Quest items and Crafting gear. So it’s worth understanding a little bit more about the groups of items that can be upgraded.
The first criteria is, of course, that the item is Named. This is indicated by the card being shiny, and the word Named appearing under the item’s name, along with the rarity. All items that can be upgraded are Epic or Legendary (apart from shields which are Rare or Epic).
Then, there are two families of open-world drops per high-end zone, expedition drops in each of the level 60+ expeditions, plus named items in caches from certain activities. There are also some Open-World named items that drop in Elysian Wilds, named items that drop from Events, starting with Legacy of Crassus in 2024, and PVP Track named items.
Zone-based Named items
- Brimstone Sands – Syncretic and Keratin
- Ebonscale Reach – Taiyi and YuanqiÂ
- Edengrove – Woodgrain and Lifering
- Elysian Wilds – Sporelight and Tanglevine
- Reekwater – Riptide and Deepriver
- Shattered Mountain – Corrupt Progenitor and Soul Shroud
Cache-based Named items
- Invasion Cache – Encroaching Corruption
- Corruption Major Breach Cache – Daemon
- OPR Cache – Commandant’s
- War Spoils – Lieutenant’s
PVP Track Named Items
Not every item that appears on the PVP track can be upgraded, only the Named items. There is one of each weapon, each type of armour in each weight, and each piece of jewelry. You can view the list here.
Open-world Elysian Wilds Named items
As well as the families of Zone-based Open-world Named items listed above, there are unique named items that can be upgraded. These only drop in Elysian Wilds and are difficult to filter for in the database so we have provided a list at the end of this article. These items fall into two broad categories:
- Drops from specific enemies. Some were bugged at the launch of Season 3 but have since been fixed
- Artemis Boon Drops. These items only drop when under the influence of a Boon of Artemis potion and standing in a spore cloud.Â
Expedition-based Named items
The easiest way to see these is to go to the Gypsum Kiln. All upgradeable named items that drop in expeditions are also available to be crafted using dense materia. They craft at 700GS with a random third perk. You can also view a list of Upgradeable Named Items that drop in Expeditions here.
How do I upgrade items?
To upgrade an item, you take it to the Gypsum Kiln and scroll down to the very bottom of the menu until you see Named Item Crafting. Any upgradable items you have on you will appear here. As well as increasing the Gear Score to 700, upgrading allows you to customise the final perk by adding a craft mod. If you don’t add a craft mod, the final perk will be random
It is important to note that your item is being used as an ingredient in a recipe, and as such will be consumed and a new item produced. Any gems or skins you had applied to the item will be removed.
How much does it cost?
- The Named Item – any gear score
- 1 Matrix – Weapon, Armor, or Jewelry depending on the item type
- 250 Dark Matter
- 1 Gypsum Orb
- 3 Chromatic Seals
- 1 Craft mod for the new perk (optional)
As you can see, upgrading is quite expensive. Chromatic Seals are a Bind on Pickup (non-tradeable) item purchased from the Faction vendor for 5000 gold on a daily cooldown. So it will take you 3 days and 15k gold to get the Seals you need for one upgrade.Â
What if I got a 700GS drop but don't like the third perk?
As long as the item is on the Upgradeable list, you can take it to the kiln and change the perk using the same process as outlined above. The gear score of the original item is irrelevant, it is simply used as an ingredient in a recipe to make a 700GS version of the item.
What if my item dropped with three perfect perks but is less than 700GS?
The same process for upgrading applies and you cannot keep your third perfect perk unless you apply the corresponding craft mod or get very lucky with a random roll.
Can I upgrade an item if it is lower than 650GS?
Yes! As long as the item is on the Upgradeable list as described above, you can upgrade it. This even applies to items that are below 600GS, such as the Riptide Rapier in my example.
I believe the misconception may be due to the display of a 650GS version of the item when you hover it on the left side menu. However, this is not a representation of any requirement, but an arbitrary display choice to show the item is not yet upgraded.
You can see in the recipe list that the item requirement is fulfilled and the resulting craft will be 700GS. The item used for the upgrade screenshot was this 598GS Riptide Rapier:
My item doesn't appear in the kiln. Can I upgrade it?
Probably not. If you have the item on you or in the local settlement storage, it will appear in the kiln menu if you can upgrade it. Make sure that it is unequipped and not in any gear sets.
Randomly generated drops with good perks cannot be upgraded at all. Either use it with the gear score it rolled as, or salvage. I don’t even read the perks on items that are under 690GS any more, so I don’t get depressed about not being able to upgrade them!
Can I upgrade crafted items?
No, crafted items cannot be upgraded. You can, however, craft an item to be exactly what you want, at some considerable expense. Have a look at our Armor Crafting guide to understand end-game crafting.
Upgrading Artifacts
Upgrading Artifacts is a little different to Named items. They start at 700GS but require you to complete a series of objectives to unlock each perk. One of these objectives is to Upgrade the item at a Gypsum Kiln.
You can only have ten artifact quests active at a time and you need to complete the upgrade as well as the other objectives for the quest to be removed from your Journal. You cannot equip a new Artifact if you have ten active quests, unless you abandon one of them. If you abandon an artifact quest, you lose any progress you had made on it, as well as the associated perks.
So, it is worth saving your Dark Matter and Chromatic Seals to finish off Artifact quests and make room for new ones.
Here’s a video recorded by CV Turner on release of the expansion, explaining how to upgrade an Artifact:
How much does it cost?
- 1 Matrix – Weapon, Armor, or Jewelry depending on the item type
- The Artifact
- 500 Dark Matter
- 5 Gypsum Orbs
- 1 Chromatic Seal
- 1 Craft mod for the new perk (optional)
Like Named Items, Artifacts will lose any applied Gem or Appearance on being upgraded.
Note: Shields require a Weapon Matrix to upgrade but count as an Armor Artifact. Confusing much?
Open-world Elysian Wilds Named items list
Elysian Wilds Open World Drops
- Abyss Walker
- Acorn
- Ares’ Will
- Black Talons
- Blade of the Leaf
- Brace Under Fall
- Bruiser’s Axe
- Bulwark
- Bunyan’s Axe
- Calming Rage
- Cantilever
- Crack
- Dragon’s Tail
- Drown Drown Drown
- Eagle’s Beak
- Enflamed Chaos
- Flashpowder
- Flower Petal
- Frozen Fire
- Fury
- Gemma’s Ear Pebble
- Hades’ Fury
- Haphestus’ Ingenuity
- Havoc
- Heat of the Moment
- Hero of the Hills
- Hesperian Gardener
- Hoof and Tusk
- Immolation
- Kain’s Ring
- Kernel
- Lockdown
- Missed Buckshot
- Nemesis
- Our Destiny
- Pin-Hole Blower
- Pokey
- Reputation
- Short Stick
- Splitter
- Steel Six Draw
- Strange Tooth
- Sundrop
- Swipe
- Teacup
- Thanatos’ Will
- The Dueler
- The Rat King
- Totemic Power
- Voidblast
- Warcry of the Sentry
- Well of Souls
- Whiplash
- Windbite
- Wrecker
Boon of Artemis potion Drops
- Agamemnon
- Agar’s Least
- Amalgamation
- Blaze
- Bolt Barker
- Curse of the Descending Sun
- Dark Scream of the Sage
- Draught of Death
- Firing Line of the Ranger
- Frostclaw
- Frozen Federfechter
- Hunter’s Claw
- Hunter’s Eye
- Leaf and Stem
- Left Hand of Deceit
- Legion’s Left Hand
- Moltmasher
- Olympian
- Pillar of Winter
- Primordial Flame
- Red Nose of Doom
- Rhinestone
- Right Hand of Frost
- Riposte
- Roman Discipline
- Root
- Sharp Eyes
- Snowdrift
- Spinning Wheel
- Spirit
- Stubborn Oak
- The Band of Set
- The Hard Way
- The Ring
- Thorn
- Tidings of Good Fortune
- Tooth and Claw
- Unbearable
- Vine of the Barbarian
- Weight of the Mighty
- Worn Upon Stone
- You’re a Beast
10 Comments
[…] we no longer need to make Gypsum casts to upgrade our expertise, we do still use Gypsum Orbs to upgrade our gear and to make the Matrix that is used in Golden Scarab crafting, completing Artifacts, and upgrading […]
[…] each Checkpoint, you’re given the option of 3 rewards. These include weapons and armor, some Named, some random; PVP specific craft mods and potions; coin; tokens; gypsum orbs; emotes; and […]
[…] so that you can buy the top-tier items from the Faction shop. Chromatic Seals are essential for upgrading Named items and Artifacts, and while they may be available seasonally from Events, the top level Faction vendor is the only […]
Nice info – How did you get the list of items that the Artemis potion drops?
Nice info – How did you get the list of items that the Artemis potion drops???
I painstakingly went through nwdb.info and wrote them out! If they had a filter, I would have just linked with that 😛 But, I do like having the list so it was worth the effort.
[…] watermark/expertise system was replaced with a new, simpler way to Upgrade – the Gear Score of the item transfers directly to your Gear Score with no […]
[…] gear score to 700. This is a general rule, but there are an appalling number of exceptions. See this great article for all the complexities. At the gypsum kiln, you can also add the last perk to an artifact, or […]
[…] equip an Artifact, the quest will appear in your Journal. Completing all the objectives, including upgrading the Artifact at the Gypsum kiln, will remove the quest from your Journal. You can only have 10 active Artifact […]
[…] The only way to upgrade items now is via the gypsum kiln, and this is restricted to specific items only. These are mostly new Named items that can be found across all the high level zones and in expeditions. They can drop at a range of Gear Score levels and can be boosted to 700 by adding or changing the final perk. You’ll need a Matrix, 250 Dark Matter, 1 Gypsum Orb, and 3 Chromatic Seals, plus the perk craft mod. We have a more in depth guide to upgrading items here. […]