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What 30 levels buy you
Every level raises two numbers: attack and break power. Neither is optional, and neither plateaus early.
Set levels also hand over new moves and traits. At some point the blade stops being a damage line and starts reshaping how you approach a fight.
That last part is why a weapon can feel wrong at level 1 and right at level 15. The handling changes with the level, not with the drop.
Four materials, four different jobs
| Material | What it pays for | Tiers |
|---|---|---|
| Mind dust | Every level, Phantom Edge upgrades, ability training | Single item |
| Metal | Every level from the start | Tiered |
| Solvent | Every level from the start | Tiered |
| Reverse-refining talisman | Every level above 10 | Single item |
Mind dust is the only one you spend in three separate systems. That makes it the real currency of the game’s growth track, not the metal.
Metal and Solvent both run in tiers, and later stages reject the cheap tier. Two metal items are named so far: Cast Metal and Long-Plate Metal. Higher upgrade stages want the higher grade.
Hoarding low-tier metal does nothing for a level 25 blade. Convert the habit early: bank the grade you need next, not the grade you find most often.
The wall at eleven
Levels 1 to 10 run on the three base materials. From 11 upward, the upgrade also demands a reverse-refining talisman.
Nothing published prices that item yet. Plan around the gate, not around a number.
The gate changes how you spend, not whether you upgrade. Ten levels is enough to learn a moveset, and ten is exactly where the bill jumps.
Why the reset is the real feature
A reset returns the whole investment: mind dust, metal, solvent, reverse-refining talismans. The blade drops back to its base state and you spend the refund somewhere else.
That single rule removes the fear from upgrading. You cannot brick a weapon, and you cannot waste a rare tier by testing a blade you end up disliking.
Treat the reset as a tool rather than a rescue. Level a blade you are unsure about to 10, run it through three fights, then refund if the moveset does not fit your hands.
The same freedom applies to Phantom Edges. They share the ceiling and the materials, so a wrong pick there costs time as well.
Mind dust competes with ability training
Mind dust spent on a weapon is mind dust you cannot spend on abilities. That is the only real scarcity in the growth system.
Ability training holds 32 abilities: three rows of 8 and two rows of 4. Each full row of 8 adds 10% to one stat: Sha-Chi cap, max HP, or attack and break power. The two short rows also want Banyan Heart.
Those rows reset for free as well, so no mind dust is trapped there.
One order survives a reset:
- Level the blade you like most to 10, then stop. The reverse-refining talisman gate starts at 11.
- Run three fights with it. If the moveset still grates, reset and take the refund.
- Once a blade sticks, bank the reverse-refining talisman and cross the gate.
- Move leftover mind dust into the ability rows your build leans on: Sha-Chi cap, max HP, or attack and break power.
The purple tier nobody has confirmed
Equipment screens show a purple icon on some weapon levels. It is widely read as a special upgrade track, and that reading is still unconfirmed.
Do not build a plan on it. Level what you can confirm, keep a reserve of high-tier metal, and revisit the purple icon when the game ships.
FAQ
Do Phantom Edges follow the same rules? Yes. Same 30-level ceiling, same base materials.
Can a reset lose materials? No. The refund is complete, talismans included.
What does the purple icon do? Unconfirmed. It appears on weapon levels in the equipment screen.
Should you rush level 30? No. Past level 10 the reverse-refining talisman sets the pace.
Is Metal or mind dust the bottleneck? Mind dust. It is the only material three systems share.
Last checked 23 Oct 2026.