Nightmare 317 / Systems / Upgrading

Upgrading & Shards

This is the engine that drives progression. Done right, upgrades are reversible and efficient. Done wrong, you waste time and shards.

Safe rule

Keep one copy of anything you might need later. Deconstruct duplicates.

The upgrade loop

Farm drops.
Deconstruct duplicates → gain shards.
Use the item you want to upgrade on the Constructor at ::home.
Upgrade until the item is relevant for your current content.
When you move on, use shard return to reclaim shards and reinvest.

Shard types

Nightmare Shards: Tier 1 → 20
Power Shards: Tier 21 → 35

Shard return system

Reclaim shards when an item is no longer part of your active setup.
View everything you’ve upgraded via ::showupgradeditems (critical for cleanup).

Auras & sigils (duplicate combining)

Many items upgrade by combining the same item into itself:

Use a duplicate aura/sigil on the same aura/sigil.
Both are consumed; you get a stronger version of the same type.

Aura & Sigil reference

See Aura & Sigil List for the full ladder and a consolidated list of known aura/sigil types.

Duplicate combining recipes (quick reference)

A lot of Nightmare's progression is just combining duplicates. Most chains are 2 → 1, but a few are 10 → 1 or 5 → 1.

General rule (auras, sigils, gems)

Rule	Example
2× the same item/tier → 1× the next tier	2× Common Aura of Magic → 1× Uncommon Aura of Magic

Fire Cape chain

Combine	Result
2× Fire Cape	Fire Cape I
2× Fire Cape I	Fire Cape II
2× Fire Cape II	Fire Cape III
2× Fire Cape III	Fire Cape IV
2× Fire Cape IV	Fire Cape V
2× Fire Cape V	Fire Cape VI
2× Fire Cape VI	Fire Cape VII
2× Fire Cape VII	Fire Cape VIII
2× Fire Cape VIII	Fire Cape X

Infernal Cape chain

Combine	Result
2× Infernal Cape	Infernal Cape I
2× Infernal Cape I	Infernal Cape II
2× Infernal Cape II	Infernal Cape III
2× Infernal Cape III	Infernal Cape IV
2× Infernal Cape IV	Infernal Cape V
2× Infernal Cape V	Infernal Cape VI
2× Infernal Cape VI	Infernal Cape VII
2× Infernal Cape VII	Infernal Cape VIII
2× Infernal Cape VIII	Infernal Cape X

Poke gem chains

Each gem line upgrades in the same tier ladder: Weak → Common → Uncommon → Rare → Very Rare → Ultra Rare. Combining is always 2 → 1 at each step.

Gem line	Weak	Common	Uncommon	Rare	Very Rare	Ultra Rare
Fury	Weak Poke Fury Gem	Common Poke Fury Gem	Uncommon Poke Fury Gem	Rare Poke Fury Gem	Very Rare Poke Fury Gem	Ultra Rare Poke Fury Gem
Double Hit	Weak Poke Double Hit Gem	Common Poke Double Hit Gem	Uncommon Poke Double Hit Gem	Rare Poke Double Hit Gem	Very Rare Poke Double Hit Gem	Ultra Rare Poke Double Hit Gem
Attack Speed	Weak Poke Attack Speed Gem	Common Poke Attack Speed Gem	Uncommon Poke Attack Speed Gem	Rare Poke Attack Speed Gem	Very Rare Poke Attack Speed Gem	Ultra Rare Poke Attack Speed Gem
Poison Damage	Weak Poke Poison Damage Gem	Common Poke Poison Damage Gem	Uncommon Poke Poison Damage Gem	Rare Poke Poison Damage Gem	Very Rare Poke Poison Damage Gem	Ultra Rare Poke Poison Damage Gem
Fire Damage	Weak Poke Fire Damage Gem	Common Poke Fire Damage Gem	Uncommon Poke Fire Damage Gem	Rare Poke Fire Damage Gem	Very Rare Poke Fire Damage Gem	Ultra Rare Poke Fire Damage Gem
Ice Damage	Weak Poke Ice Damage Gem	Common Poke Ice Damage Gem	Uncommon Poke Ice Damage Gem	Rare Poke Ice Damage Gem	Very Rare Poke Ice Damage Gem	Ultra Rare Poke Ice Damage Gem
EXP	Weak Poke EXP Gem	Common Poke EXP Gem	Uncommon Poke EXP Gem	Rare Poke EXP Gem	Very Rare Poke EXP Gem	Ultra Rare Poke EXP Gem

Void upgrades (bulk combining)

Recipe	Notes
10× Void Mage Hood → Void Mage Hood (Upgraded)	Bulk combine (10 → 1)
10× Void Ranger Hood → Void Ranger Hood (Upgraded)	Bulk combine (10 → 1)
10× Void Melee Hood → Void Melee Hood (Upgraded)	Bulk combine (10 → 1)
10× Void Robe Top → Void Robe Top (Upgraded)	Bulk combine (10 → 1)
10× Void Robe Bottoms → Void Robe Bottoms (Upgraded)	Bulk combine (10 → 1)
10× Void Robe Gloves → Void Robe Gloves (Upgraded)	Bulk combine (10 → 1)
5× Void Mage Hood (Upgraded) → Void Mage Hood (Superior)	Bulk combine (5 → 1)
5× Void Ranger Hood (Upgraded) → Void Ranger Hood (Superior)	Bulk combine (5 → 1)
5× Void Melee Hood (Upgraded) → Void Melee Hood (Superior)	Bulk combine (5 → 1)
5× Void Robe Top (Upgraded) → Void Robe Top (Superior)	Bulk combine (5 → 1)
5× Void Robe Bottoms (Upgraded) → Void Robe Bottoms (Superior)	Bulk combine (5 → 1)
5× Void Robe Gloves (Upgraded) → Void Robe Gloves (Superior)	Bulk combine (5 → 1)

Extended upgrading (examples)

Base	Use	Result
`Empty Poke-Thrower`	`Poke-Thrower Cartridge`	Charged thrower
`Pwner Cape`	`Nightmare Totem`	`Nightmare Cape`
`Reapers Necklace`	`Wanderer's Skull`	`Bound Reapers Necklace`
`Anubis Bow`	`Bone Marrow Poison`	`Toxic Anubis Bow`