How Upgrading Works in Zenaria
On 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 an upgrade from +0 to +5, while Soul works from +6 to +8 with a chance and a risk of level down.
Luck on an item increases the Soul success chance. Above that, normal upgrading with jewels doesn't work: from +10 to +15, items are upgraded in the Chaos Machine.
That's the main thing to remember: first jewels, then from +10 to +15 only the Chaos Machine.
Chaos Machine Recipes: +10 → +15
All recipes are accepted by the 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: on 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 +20% to the chance, but the total caps at 75%. With Luck, transitions up to +13 give 75%, while +14 → +15 gives 70%. Excellent items, ancient items, and level 380 items get a -10% penalty; socketed items get -20%. Wings do not get a penalty.
Read more about jewels in the jewels guide.
Loss Protection and Talisman of Chaos Assembly
On failure, the item burns. Chaos weapons and level 1 wings lose a level instead.
Talisman of Chaos Assembly saves the item if the Chaos Machine fails.
It's insurance for expensive items, especially when attempting +13...+15.
Tips Before Upgrading
- There are no starter jewels, so you'll have to farm Bless and Soul in game or buy them on the market. Don't spend 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.
- Luck on an item raises the chance to 75%.
- Use Talisman of Chaos Assembly to avoid losing the item.
- Don't upgrade without spare jewels: on failure, jewels are consumed.
More about farming Zen and jewels: Zen and jewels guide.