How upgrading works in Zenaria
In Zenaria, upgrading is split into two stages. From +0 to +8, items are upgraded with Jewel of Bless and Jewel of Soul right in your inventory. Bless guarantees a level up from +0 to +5, while Soul works from +6 to +8 with a chance and a risk of dropping a level.
Luck on an item increases the success chance of Soul. From +9 to +15, normal jewel upgrading doesn't work. After that you can use Jewel of Level for steps +9...+12, or Chaos Machine for all steps up to +15. For +13, +14, and +15 the only way is through Chaos Machine.
The main thing to remember: up to +8 jewels, from +9 to +12 you have a choice, from +13 to +15 only Chaos Machine.
Jewel of Level: an alternative for +9...+12
Jewel of Level raises an item from +9 to +12 by one level with a 50% chance. On failure, the item's level drops by 1. It's faster than gathering materials for Chaos Machine, but risky: you can roll back.
For +13, +14, and +15, Jewel of Level doesn't work. These levels are upgraded only through Chaos Machine. Chaos Machine requires more jewels and Zen, but with Luck it gives up to a 75% chance, while Jewel of Level is always 50%.
If your item is already +12 and you want +13, skip straight to the Chaos Machine recipes below.
Chaos Machine recipes: +10 → +15
All recipes are accepted by Chaos Goblin at the Chaos Machine. Each requires one item of the required level, Bless, Soul, Chaos jewels, and Zen. On success, the item goes up by +1 and is not consumed.
| Transition | Bless | Soul | Chaos | Zen | Base chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| +9 → +10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 000 000 | 60% |
| +10 → +11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 000 000 | 60% |
| +11 → +12 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 000 000 | 55% |
| +12 → +13 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 8 000 000 | 55% |
| +13 → +14 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 10 000 000 | 50% |
| +14 → +15 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 12 000 000 | 50% |
Note: at each step you always need exactly one Jewel of Chaos. The amount of Bless and Soul increases with each level.
Chances, Luck, and Excellent modifiers
The base chance depends on the recipe: 60% for +10 and +11, 55% for +12 and +13, 50% for +14 and +15. The maximum chance for any recipe does not exceed 75%.
Luck on an item adds +25% to the chance, but the total caps at 75%. An Excellent item gets a -10% penalty to the chance. So with Luck and without Excellent, all transitions, including +14 → +15, give exactly 75%. If the item is Excellent and without Luck, the chance will be 10 percentage points lower than the base.
You can add Luck to an item with a Jewel of Luck with a 70% chance, except rings and pendants. Read more about jewels in the jewels guide.
Loss protection and Talisman of Chaos Assembly
A failed combine in the Chaos Machine can lower the item's level or lose it. To protect the item from being lost, buy a Talisman of Chaos Assembly for 50 GP in the goblin shop.
If the Chaos Machine fails, the item stays with you. Goblin Points cannot be bought: they are only earned through playing, so you will have to earn the talisman.
It's cheap insurance for expensive items, especially when attempting +13...+15.
Tips before upgrading
- There are no starter jewels, so you will have to earn Bless and Soul in the game or buy them on the market. Don't spend the jewels right away, save them for upgrading your weapon.
- In total, for all six steps from +9 to +15 you need 21 Bless, 21 Soul, 6 Chaos, and 42M Zen if you never fail.
- Add Luck with Jewel of Luck at a 70% chance to raise the success chance to 75%.
- Buy a Talisman of Chaos Assembly for 50 GP to avoid losing your item.
- Don't upgrade without spare jewels: if you fail, you can roll back and spend more.
More about farming Zen and jewels: Zen and jewels guide.