Where to Find Upgrade Materials

Find upgrade materials through exploration, rewards and unlocked merchants, then match them to the equipment category shown in the upgrade menu. Main weapons, Phantom Edges, accessories and medicines do not all consume the same resources. If you already have a material but cannot use it, the missing step may be the relevant NPC service rather than another item pickup.

Separate the material categories

The collected upgrade guide distinguishes Forged Metal for one-handed weapons, Broadplate Metal for two-handed weapons and Twinned Metal for dual-wielded weapons. Phantom Edges have their own material needs according to their type. Use the cost displayed for the item you want to upgrade rather than assuming that any metal in your inventory will work.

Accessories instead use polishing crystals, while medicine uses different tiers of Healer's Memory. Soul Tempering is another separate operation based on a specific item associated with the weapon. These categories explain why a full inventory of general resources can still leave one particular enhancement unavailable.

Unlock the services as you progress

Forge introduces weapon and Phantom Edge enhancement at the Outpost. Jewel in the Village of Lu introduces accessory polishing, Myst in Pangzhen introduces Soul Tempering, and the Green Serpent House provides medicine improvement. After the relevant introduction, the service becomes available through Bells, reducing the need to travel back for every upgrade.

Check whether you have completed the introduction before searching for a workaround to a missing menu option. Collecting a later-use material early is part of normal progression. It does not mean that every upgrade service should be available from the first Bell in the game.

Explore and use the appropriate merchant

The collected IGN guidance highlights Quick Hand Zhang as an additional source of upgrade materials after his rescue. His initial cage encounter is in the Crimson Forest near the Trail of Cages route, and helping him is different from merely passing through the area. Complete the interaction while it is available and inspect the actual stock rather than assuming every material is sold without limit.

Earlier barriers can also hide resources that become accessible after you acquire new traversal tools. Record those obstacles and return with the relevant Phantom Edge instead of repeatedly clearing the same ordinary enemies. The standard game does not provide a universal Bell-rest respawn loop for farming every type of upgrade material.

Read the material category before farming or spending

A material's presence in the inventory does not mean it can improve the item currently selected. Main weapons, Phantom Edges and accessories have different enhancement rules, with accessory polishing also carrying its own permanence warning. Compare the required category and the next preview before deciding that you need more of a similarly named resource.

Plan upgrades around an effect you intend to use, especially when a recommendation depends on an unlocked action. Reaching that relevant enhancement can matter more than spreading materials across several unused alternatives. Check the reversion terms before experimenting so that a refundable weapon change is not confused with a permanent accessory investment.

Upgrade the move set you actually use

Forge introduces equipment upgrades at the Outpost in Weeping Creek Valley. After that introduction, the upgrade function is available from Bells, so you do not need to travel back to her whenever you obtain another material. Main weapons and Phantom Edges use their own material categories; possession of a large pile of one material does not mean it can upgrade every item.

An upgrade can unlock an action or a passive effect, not just increase a displayed attack value. Check the equipment's advanced information and the next upgrade preview before deciding whether another level will change the way you fight. A recommendation that relies on an unlocked ability can perform very differently when you try it with the base weapon.

Weapons can be reverted to recover their investment, but later upgrade thresholds introduce reforge-talisman requirements. Read the refund screen before confirming, particularly when comparing a main weapon with a Phantom Edge, because they do not use the same reforge item. Do not extend this refund rule to accessory polishing: that is a separate system with different costs.

Choose accessories before spending polishing materials

Accessory polishing becomes available after meeting Jewel in the Village of Lu. Once unlocked, it can be accessed through Bells, making it part of your regular preparation rather than a reason to revisit her shop before every fight. Polishing consumes Remnant Dust and the appropriate crystal, and the preview tells you how the particular accessory changes.

The useful question is whether the effect helps your current loadout often enough to justify an equipped slot. A bonus tied to one weapon category is less consistent if you keep switching into a different category, while a resistance accessory can be excellent for one encounter without becoming a permanent choice. Read the conditions as carefully as the displayed percentage.

Accessory slots expand through ability upgrades, but offensive, defensive and support equipment still have category limits. Do not copy a full late-game loadout onto a character that has not unlocked the required capacity. More importantly, do not assume that polishing can be refunded like ordinary weapon enhancement; the collected accessory guidance warns that the material investment is permanent.

Return when your traversal tools change

A blocked route often means you need a later tool, not that you overlooked a nearby key. The Feather Bow can interact with certain hanging objects, Flaming Mane clears damp brambles, and the Tiger Cannon breaks the rock barriers associated with it. Their discovery order is part of the exploration structure, so an early map can legitimately contain a passage you cannot open yet.

The Illusory Pipa is another important example because its repair spans multiple regions. Once restored, it clears specified mist and wind barriers and opens access to further exploration, including the Mountain of Imprisonment route. Keep the name of the obstacle and the nearest Bell together in your notes so you can return with the right tool.

Opening a physical route and preserving a quest are separate concerns. A new Phantom Edge may let you revisit a chest later, while a story event can already have changed the NPC who would have given you a reward. Before advancing a major quest, check the journal and the relevant missable conditions instead of assuming that fast travel makes every unfinished objective recoverable.