SpiritValeEquipment upgrading through the refining system is the primary way to increase your combat power in SpiritVale. Every point of Atk on your weapon and Def on your armor translates directly into damage output and survivability. But refining carries real risk — failure at higher levels can decrease your refine level, potentially undoing hours of material farming and gold investment. This guide explains the complete refining system, when to use Save Upgrade, where to find the Blacksmith, how to farm materials efficiently, and the upgrade priority that maximizes your power per gold spent.
The Refining System Explained
Refining is performed at the Blacksmith NPC in Nevaris. You select a piece of equipment, choose your upgrade materials, and attempt to increase its refine level by 1. Each successful refine increases the item's base stats.
What Refining Does
| Equipment Type | Stat Increased | Per-Refine Bonus (Est.) |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Atk (physical) or Matk (magical) | +2-5 per level |
| Chest Armor | Def | +2-4 per level |
| Shield | Def | +1-3 per level |
| Headgear | Def | +1-2 per level |
| Legwear | Def | +1-2 per level |
| Shoes | Def | +1-2 per level |
| Accessory | Varies by item | Special effects per refine |
Note: Exact per-refine bonus values vary by item tier and have not been officially published. The estimates above are based on community observations and may differ for specific equipment pieces.
Refine Level Cap and Display
Equipment refine levels are displayed as +N next to the item name (e.g., "Steel Sword +5"). The maximum refine level has not been officially confirmed but community reports suggest it may extend to +15 or higher for high-tier gear. Each refine level is increasingly expensive in both materials and gold.
Success Rates and Failure Penalties
The refining system follows a risk escalation model where higher refine levels have lower success rates and harsher penalties for failure.
Approximate Success Rate Curve
| Refine Level | Success Rate (Est.) | Failure Penalty | Recommended Approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| +1 | ~95% | No penalty | Standard refine |
| +2 | ~90% | No penalty | Standard refine |
| +3 | ~80% | No penalty | Standard refine |
| +4 | ~60% | Refine level -1 | Use Save Upgrade |
| +5 | ~50% | Refine level -1 | Use Save Upgrade |
| +6 | ~40% | Refine level -1 | Use Save Upgrade |
| +7 | ~30% | Refine level -1 | Use Save Upgrade |
| +8+ | ~20% or lower | Refine level -1 | Use Save Upgrade + caution |
Disclaimer: These success rates are community estimates based on aggregated player reports. Baikun Interactive has not published official refine rate tables. Treat these as rough guidelines, not guaranteed probabilities.
The +3 Safety Zone
The most important threshold in the refining system is +3. At +1 through +3:
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Success rates are high (80%+)
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Failure carries no penalty — the item simply stays at its current level
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Materials are cheap and readily available
This makes +3 the universal minimum for any equipment you plan to use long-term. Pushing beyond +3 should be a deliberate decision based on your build goals and material budget.
Save Upgrade — Insurance for High-Level Refining
Save Upgrade is the mechanic that prevents refine level loss on failure. Instead of using standard materials, you use higher-quality materials that guarantee the item will not downgrade if the refine attempt fails.
How Save Upgrade Works
When you speak to the Blacksmith and select the Save Upgrade option:
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The material cost is significantly higher than standard refining (typically 3-5x more materials)
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The gold cost is also increased
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On success: the item gains +1 refine level as normal
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On failure: the item stays at its current refine level instead of losing a level
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The materials are consumed regardless of outcome
When to Use Save Upgrade
| Refine Level | Use Save Upgrade? | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| +1 to +3 | No | No penalty on failure, standard materials sufficient |
| +4 to +6 | Yes, always | Failure penalty applies, and the cost of losing levels exceeds the Save Upgrade material premium |
| +7+ | Yes, absolutely | Each lost level represents enormous prior investment — the risk of cascading failures without Save Upgrade is devastating |
Economic analysis: The cost of Save Upgrade materials is always less than the expected cost of recovering from a failure. At +5 with a 50% success rate, failing without Save Upgrade means you lose the +5 level and must earn it back — requiring another +5 attempt plus the +4, +3, etc. that you already paid for. Save Upgrade is an insurance policy that pays for itself over time.
Material Farming and the Blacksmith
Refining requires two categories of materials: upgrade materials (consumed per attempt) and Save Upgrade materials (consumed per Save attempt).
Where to Find the Blacksmith
The Blacksmith NPC is located in the central crafting district of Nevaris. Nearby vendors sell basic refining materials at fixed prices, but these are generally more expensive than farming the materials yourself from monster drops.
Material Sources
| Material Type | Source | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|
| Common upgrade materials | Monster drops (all zones) | Moderate — drops from every mob kill |
| Rare upgrade materials | Elite monsters, boss drops | Low drop rate but high per-item value |
| Save Upgrade materials | Boss drops, high-level zones | Expensive but essential |
| Gold for refining fees | All sources | Earned passively through normal play |
Material Farming Strategy
The most efficient approach is to farm materials passively while doing other activities:
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Grind in zones that drop both EXP and your needed materials
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Always pick up upgrade material drops — they stack and every piece counts
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Boss kills provide rare materials as bonus drops alongside their card and equipment loot
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Purchase materials from vending stalls only when you are close to a refine attempt and short on a specific type
Upgrade Priority — What to Refine First
Not all equipment slots are equally valuable to refine. Your upgrade order significantly impacts your combat efficiency per gold spent.
Recommended Upgrade Order
| Priority | Equipment Slot | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weapon | Atk/Matk directly increases kill speed, which improves all aspects of gameplay |
| 2 | Chest Armor | Def provides the largest survivability increase per refine |
| 3 | Shield (if applicable) | Additional Def for Knight/Paladin builds |
| 4 | Accessory | Per-refine effects on cards can be very powerful |
| 5 | Headgear | Small Def increase, lower priority |
| 6 | Legwear / Shoes | Minimal Def increase, lowest priority |
Weapon first is a nearly universal principle in SpiritVale because faster kills mean faster gold, faster materials, and faster leveling. The exceptions are full tank builds (Paladin) that may benefit more from early chest armor refining, and support builds (Priest) whose healing is not directly affected by weapon Atk.
Slotted vs Non-Slotted Priority
A crucial upgrading principle: only refine slotted equipment. Refining a non-slotted Purple item to +5 is wasteful because you will eventually replace it with a slotted Blue item that accepts cards. The card bonuses from slotted gear far exceed the stat difference between Blue and Purple tiers.
Exception: If you have no slotted gear in a slot and will not obtain one for a long time, a moderate refine (+2 or +3) on a non-slotted item provides temporary value. Never push non-slotted gear past +3.
Per-Refine Card Scaling Interaction
Many cards in SpiritVale scale their effects per refine level of the equipment they are socketed into. This creates a powerful synergy where refining an item amplifies both its base stats and the card's bonus simultaneously.
Example: Shadow Wyvern Card in a Refined Weapon
The Shadow Wyvern card provides +1% Atk per refine level on the weapon. Combined with the weapon's innate Atk increase per refine:
| Refine Level | Weapon Atk Bonus | Shadow Wyvern Atk Bonus | Total Atk Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| +0 | Base | +0% | Base |
| +3 | +9-15 | +3% | Moderate |
| +5 | +15-25 | +5% | Significant |
| +10 | +30-50 | +10% | Massive |
This is why high-refine slotted weapons are the most valuable items in the game — the combination of base stats and card scaling creates exponential returns. For more card-scaling details, see the card system guide.
FAQ
What happens when refining fails at +4 or higher?
When a refine attempt fails at +4 or above, the equipment's refine level decreases by 1. For example, a +5 weapon that fails a +6 attempt drops to +4. This penalty can cascade — failing twice in a row from +5 could drop you to +3. Using Save Upgrade prevents this penalty entirely, making it essential for any high-level refining.
Is it worth refining common (White tier) equipment?
Generally no. White tier equipment has no card slots and low base stats, making any refining investment a waste because you will replace it quickly. The only exception is your very first weapon if you have absolutely nothing else — even then, limit your investment to +2 or +3 maximum and switch to slotted gear as soon as possible.
Where is the Blacksmith NPC located?
The Blacksmith NPC is in the central crafting district of Nevaris, the hub city. The exact location is near the equipment vendors and other crafting NPCs. Surrounding the Blacksmith are material vendors who sell basic refining materials at fixed prices — useful for emergency upgrades but more expensive per unit than farming materials from monsters.
Can refining destroy my equipment?
As of the current Early Access version, refining failure reduces the refine level but does not destroy the equipment. Your item remains intact even after multiple failures. This is different from some Ragnarok Online-derived systems where extreme failure could break items. However, game mechanics may change during Early Access, so always verify current behavior before risking valuable gear.