Upgradable equipment

The Upgradable equipment is a fan term referring to a specific type of optional endgame gear that represents the pinnacle of obtainable gear. Their distinctive feature is that they can be upgraded to be even more powerful, and each piece of equipment comes in 4 stages with each increasing in power.

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

The upgradable equipment make their first appearance in this game and are the best weapons and armours that can be found. The weapons can only be found in a Rank 10 Chest at 1% in the Treasure map Grottos when the armour can be dropped at 2% in different bosses of the Treasure map Grottos.

When found, they can be upgraded with the Krak Pot in the Quester's Rest inn multiple time. The first upgrade for any equipment require an Agate of Evolution and an Orb only dropped by the Legacy Bosses, the second upgrade require 3 Agate of Evolution and 3 Orb of the same colours. A third upgrade making the equipment even stronger is only accessible with a Alchemiracle when doing the second upgrade. If it doesn't succeed, a Reset stone can be combine with the equipment obtained to send it back to the first stage and start again.

Weapons

Axes (): Bad axe → Maxi axe → Climaxe / Galaxy axe

Boomerang (): Meteorang → Asterang → Stellarang / Galaxarang

Bow (): Angel's bow → Archangel's bow → Aeon's bow / Seraph's bow

Claws (): Dragonlord claws → Dragovian claws → Dragovian lord claws / Xenlon claws

Fan (): Critical fan → Overcritical fan → Hypercritical fan / Dire critical fan

Hammer (): Groundbreaker → Earthsplitter → Moonmasher / Starsmasher

Knive (): Deft dagger → Darting dagger → Dashing dagger / Dynamo dagger

Spear (): Poker → Stud poker → Split-pot poker / Red-hot poker

Staff (): Knockout rod → Senseless stick → Catatonic cosh / Coma cudgel

Sword (): Stardust sword → Nebula sword → Supernova sword / Hypernova sword

Wand (): Bright staff → Shining staff → Brilliant staff / Aurora staff

Whip (): Gringham whip → Mega gringham whip → Giga gringham whip / Über gringham whip

Armours

Shield (): Brain drainer → Psyche swiper → Devilry drinker / Soul sucker

Armor 1 (): Victorious armour → Glorious armour → Mythical armour / Legendary armour

Armor 2 (): Tropotoga → Stratotoga → Mesotoga / Exotoga

Armor 3 (): Angel's robe: → Archangel's robe → Aeon's robe / Seraph's robe

Headwear 1 (): Hallowed helm → Blessed helm → Wonder helm / Heavenly helm

Headwear 2 (): : Spring breeze hat → Summer cloud hat → Autumn shower hat → Winter sky hat

Handwear 1 (): Vesta gauntlets → Diana gauntlets → Tempestes gauntlets / Sol Invictus gauntlets

Handwear 2 (): Apprentice's gloves → Master's gloves → Grandmaster's gloves / Godly gloves

Leg armour (): Invincible trousers → Immortal trousers → Eternity trousers / Infinity trousers

Footwear 1 (): Hero's boots → Basilic boots → Emperor's boots / Boots of beatitude

Footwear 2 (): Sensible sandals → Sagacious sandals → Sapient sandals / Sentient sandals

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

The Upgradable equipment make another appearance in this game with few changes. The weapons are the only equipment who can be upgraded and only each one of them are found in the game.

The weapons can be collected at various points in second act while three Forge manuals for upgrade them are found in act 3. The first is found in the Tower of Lost Time, the second in the Sage's Trial of the Drustan's labyrinth and the last is won with a wish from Drustan.

Weapons

Sword (chest in Fortress of Fear or First Forest Whale way station): Stardust sword → Nebula sword → Supernova sword → Hypernova sword

Knive (65 Mini medals): Deft dagger → Darting dagger → Dashing dagger → Dynamo dagger

Boomerang (chest in The Manglegrove, Whale Way Station) Meteorang → Asterang → Stellarang → Galaxarang

Heavy wand (Wheel of Harma third trial, 15 turns or less): Bright staff → Shining staff → Brilliant staff → Aurora staff

Whip (Octagonia casino, second act): Gringham whip → Mega gringham whip → Giga gringham whip → Über gringham whip

Spear (Chest in Fortress of Fear or First Forest Whale way station) Poker → Straight poker → Stud poker → Split-pot poker

Claws (Wheel of Harma third trial, 20 turns or less): Beastmaster claws → Dragonlord claws → Dragovian lord claws → Xenlon claws

Axe (Chest in the Battleground): Bad axe → Maxi axe → Climaxe → Galaxy axe

Trivia

• Some equipments, the Angel's robe and the Gringham whip, existed in previous games but Dragon Quest IX is the first game who make these equipment upgradable.
• The Red-hot poker exist only in Dragon Quest IX, be replacing by the Straight poker who become the second version in Dragon Quest XI while moving other weapons in the ligne, the Stud poker moves from second to third versions and the Split-pot poker move from the third place to final version.
• The first three versions of the weapons in Dragon Quest XI can't have any refinement, only the final version can.
• The Spring breeze hat ligne in Dragon Quest IX is the only one who only require 1 Agate of Evolution and 1 Orb for each upgrade and don't have Alchemiracle to reach the last version.