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Five inputs, and only one of them is universal
Weapon upgrading draws on a small list, and it is worth knowing which entry does what before you spend anything.
| Input | Role | Tiered | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mind dust | Base currency of the whole growth track | Yes — see below | Every weapon level, every Phantom Edge level, and ability training |
| Cast metal | Weapon metal, one of two named types | Yes, by category and grade | Levels on weapons that name it |
| Long-plate metal | Weapon metal, the other named type | Yes, by category and grade | Levels on weapons that name it |
| Solvent | Weapon fluid, the third base material | Yes, by grade | Every weapon level |
| Reverse-refining talisman | Gate item | No | Every level above 10 |
Nothing on this list is a shop exclusive as far as anything published states, and no drop rates exist yet. What is documented is the structure: four materials feed the level curve, and the fifth turns on at a specific level.
The metal is per weapon, not per player
This is the detail most likely to cost you a farming session.
Cast metal and long-plate metal are not two grades of the same thing — they are two separate materials, each with its own page. And individual weapon records name one or the other as their upgrade input: the remnant steel blade lists cast metal, solvent, and dust; the drunkard’s broken sword lists cast metal and solvent; the red-robed ghost slash lists long-plate metal and solvent.
So the correct question is not “how much metal do I need” but “which metal does this blade eat”. Buying the wrong one is not a discount, it is a dead stack.
Both metal types are described as tiered by category and grade, and the higher the upgrade step, the higher the grade required. A low-grade stack stops being accepted partway up the curve.
Level 11 is the real gate
Levels one through ten run on the three base inputs. From eleven upward, the same upgrade also demands a reverse-refining talisman.
Two consequences follow, and they shape the whole budget.
First, the first ten levels are cheap and reversible, which makes them a testing window. Push a blade to ten, play it, and decide.
Second, the talisman is the item nobody can plan around yet: no price, no drop rate, no source is published. All that is confirmed is that it is required past level ten and that its own acquisition method is unlisted.
Treat the gate as a decision point rather than a wall. The blade that felt wrong at level four may be the one worth a talisman at eleven — but only if you actually ran it first.
What a full 1-to-30 budget looks like, structurally
Exact per-level quantities are not published. What can be said is the shape.
- Levels 1–10: dust, one metal type, solvent. Every level, no exceptions, no gate item. This is the cheap third of the climb.
- Levels 11–30: the same three inputs plus a talisman per level. The talisman is the constraint, not the metal.
- Steps of five: levels 1–30 come in five-level tiers, and each tier unlocks a new ability or trait — at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30. Gates are counted per tier; materials are paid per level.
- Grade escalation: because metal and solvent are tiered, the later levels reject the early grades. Hoarding the starting tier does nothing for a level 25 blade.
- The shared cost: mind dust is also the currency for ability training, which spreads 32 abilities over five rows. Every point of dust in a weapon is dust not in the tree.
That fifth point is the only real scarcity in the system. Metal and solvent come in grades you either have or do not; mind dust is the number you are actually trading against your build.
The reset changes how you should think about all of this
A reset returns the full investment — dust, metal, solvent, and talismans — and the weapon drops back to its base state.
That has a practical consequence people miss: because nothing is consumed permanently, the correct strategy is to test wide and commit late. There is no penalty for levelling a blade you end up disliking, and no reason to hoard out of fear.
The only thing a reset cannot return is the time spent farming, which is why the metal-type trap above matters more than the level curve.
Where the numbers stop
Being explicit about the gaps:
- No per-level material quantities.
- No drop rates and no vendor prices.
- No confirmation of whether higher grades drop or are crafted.
- No talisman source.
Any table with exact costs at this stage is fabricated. The structure above is not — it comes from the upgrade rules, the two metal pages, and the individual weapon records that name their own inputs.
A separate special upgrade shows up in the equipment menu as a purple icon tier. It is unconfirmed, and it is not counted in this budget.
FAQ
Do primary weapons and Phantom Edges share materials? Yes. The same bench, the same inputs, the same level-11 gate.
Can I buy materials? No vendor information is published.
Should I upgrade one weapon or spread it? Test at ten, commit past eleven. The talisman makes the difference.
Does a reset refund talismans? The reset returns the investment in full, talismans included.
What about accessories and potions? They have no upgrade path. They scale through drops and slots.
Last checked 23 Oct 2026.