The three upgrade stages
Every weapon and armor piece has an upgrade level shown after its name, such as Excellent Legendary Armor +1. Each level raises the item's stats, and higher levels also change how it glows. Different Jewels are used depending on how high the item already is:
| Levels | Method | Success | On failure |
|---|---|---|---|
| +1 ~ +6 | 1 Jewel of Bless per level | 100% | Cannot fail |
| +7 ~ +9 | 1 Jewel of Soul per level (Soul also works from +0) | 50% (75% with Luck) | Up to +7: drops 1 level. At +8 and +9: back to +0 |
| +10 ~ +15 | Combination at the Chaos Goblin | Usually 40%–70% (older guide) | The item is lost |
For +10 the Chaos Goblin needs 1 Jewel of Chaos, 1 Jewel of Bless and 1 Jewel of Soul. Each step after that adds one more Bless and one more Soul, so +15 takes 1 Chaos, 6 Bless and 6 Soul. In the older guides each level from +10 also added 5% to final defense.
Glow by level
| Level | Look |
|---|---|
| +3 ~ +4 | Dark red tint |
| +5 ~ +6 | Dark blue tint |
| +7 ~ +8 | Slight glow, usually in the item's own color |
| +9 | Stronger glow |
| +10 ~ +15 | A new, flashier light effect every 2 levels |
Luck and the item option
- Luck cannot be upgraded or added. An item with Luck gets +25% success on its upgrades, and each Luck item you wear adds 5% critical hit chance. The guides advise against upgrading items without Luck.
- The normal option (HP regeneration, damage/defense or defense rate) is raised with a Jewel of Life at 50% success; a failure lowers the option by one step.
| Option | Current guide | 2013 guide |
|---|---|---|
| HP regeneration | +1 ~ +4 | +1 ~ +7 |
| Damage / defense | +4 ~ +16 | +4 ~ +28 |
| Defense rate | +5 ~ +20 | +5 ~ +35 |
Season 21 changes
Since Season 21In the third Season 21 update you can no longer upgrade gear by dragging a Jewel of Bless or Jewel of Soul onto it from the inventory; upgrades go through the upgrade combination. The Zen cost per level was raised for +1 to +9 and changed for +10 to +15:
| Upgrade to | Zen |
|---|---|
| +1 | 300,000 |
| +3 | 500,000 |
| +6 | 800,000 |
| +8 | 1,000,000 |
| +9 | 1,500,000 |
| +10 | 2,000,000 |
| +12 | 3,000,000 |
| +15 | 4,500,000 |
For the gear itself see Weapons & Armor and Excellent Items; other recent changes are in Season 19 to Season 21.
Sources
- MU Online Guide: Item Upgrade
- MU Online Guide (archived 2013): Item Upgrade
- MU Online Guide: Season 21-1
- MU Online Guide (archived): Talisman of Chaos Assembly
- MU Online Wiki (Fandom): MU Online
Game pictures: © Webzen Inc. · muonline.webzen.com