Gear Upgrade System

The Gear Upgrade window. The top bar indicates the accumulated tech points and the bottom one shows the "Quality Improvement Chance". The latter chance can be increased by using better (or special) Tech Upgrades or by using consumable boosts from the C-Store or from some special mission rewards.

The Gear Upgrade System enables players to improve the quality of their gear items by increasing their mark and quality, i.e. rarity or "color". It was added to the game with the release of Delta Rising and can be accessed through a button on the bottom-left of the inventory window, or via the right-click menu of upgradable items while they are not equipped.

To be upgraded, an item needs to accumulate Technology Points. Once these reach the required amount, the upgrade process can begin. Accumulating Tech Points requires dilithium and Tech Upgrade tokens, which are obtained mainly through the R&D system, but also as a reward from some missions.

Tech Upgrade Tokens

Tech Upgrade Tokens don’t require dilithium to purchase or craft, but applying one does cost dilithium. Tech Upgrade Tokens come in different grades, with the better tokens providing more tech points and being more dilithium-efficient:

• Basic Tech Upgrade: Exchange, R&D level 5, Earth Spacedock/First City vendors
  • Production cost: One of each common component in the appropriate R&D school + 2,500
  • Application cost: 700
  • Application result: 2,000 Tech Points (ca. 2.86 points/dilithium)
• Improved Tech Upgrade: Exchange, R&D level 10
  • Production Cost: One of each uncommon component in the appropriate R&D school + 7,500
  • Application cost: 950
  • Application result: 5,000 Tech Points (ca. 5.26 points/dilithium)
• Superior Tech Upgrade: Exchange, R&D level 15
  • Production Requirements: One of each rare component in the appropriate R&D school + one very rare material (depending on the school) + 15,000
  • Application cost: 1,075
  • Application result: 12,800 Tech Points (ca. 11.9 points/dilithium)

• Superior Experimental Tech Upgrade: Exchange, R&D level 15
  • Production Requirements: One of each rare component in the appropriate R&D school + one very rare material (depending on the school) + Salvaged Technology (guaranteed drop from Elite PvE queues) + 15,000
  • Application cost: 1,885
  • Application result: 12,800 Tech Points (ca. 11.9 points/dilithium), doubled item Quality Improvement Chance

Aside from their grade, there are also different types of Tech Upgrade Tokens. Most tokens, such as those crafted in the R&D System or some handed out during special events, work only on a specific "school", i.e. category, of items. Universal Tech Upgrades on the other hand, are appicable to any item and are available as mission rewards from some Kobali Prime and The Delta Quadrant story-line missions.

Upgrade Accelerators

Accelerators are consumable items that can be used in conjunction with an upgrade token. Tech point accelerators improve the amount of Tech Points rewarded from a Tech Upgrade, while research point accelerators increase the "Quality Improvement Chance". Both come in three grades, minor, standard, and major, and are mainly obtained as part of crafting packs from the C-Store or as rewards from some special missions.

Upgrade process and results

The upgrade process itself can be started once an item received the required amount of Tech Points from upgrade tokens. Depending on the item level and quality, the process takes some time, from minutes to hours (or even days), but it does not require any additional resources. Note that items are not available for use and disappear from the inventory during the upgrade process! It can be accelerated to finish immediately by spending an appropriate amount of dilithium that depends on the remaining time to completion, much like for R&D projects. Additionally, the system provides three slots for upgrading up to three itmes at a time. Finally, be advised that upgrading parts of a gear set may break its set bonuses due to different marks of the various set pieces, but not due to different qualities.

The gear upgrade process always results in an improved gear mark as long as the mark can be upgraded (i.e., up to Mk XIV). Additionally, there is a (typically small) chance that the upgrade process will improve the rarity of the gear (up to Epic). This chance is denoted by the Quality Improvement Chance bar on the upgrade window. It can be increased by using high-quality Tech Upgrades or by using the appropriate Upgrade Accelerators. Beyond improving the specs of the gear, rarity improvement also adds special (additional) mods to the gear, such as the [Dm/Ac] mod that improves both accuracy and damage.

External link

• Official STO Dev Blog - The Gear Upgrade System