How to upgrade your armor in Monster Hunter Wilds

Upgrading your armor in Monster Hunter Wilds lets you improve the defense of every piece of armor you forge. You can upgrade anything you’ve forged at the smithy by cashing in a special item, armor spheres, that you earn from hunts.

Our Monster Hunter Wilds guide will tell you all about upgrading your armor, including when it unlocks and how the process works.

When can you upgrade armor in Monster Hunter Wilds?

You’ll get your first armor spheres — the items you need to upgrade armor — when you go looking for Maki during Chapter 2-1 “Toward Fervent Fields.” That’s the main story mission where you hunt down your first Rompopolo shortly after arriving in Azuz.

When you return from the hunt, Gemma will call you over to the smithy and start to tell you about upgrading your armor using armor spheres.

How to upgrade armor in Monster Hunter Wilds

Once you have your first armor spheres, you can start upgrading your armor. At the smithy, select forge/upgrade armor. You’ll see the same menu you’re been using all along. Now, though, when you click on something you have already made — the red chest icon in the lower right means you’ve made it and it’s stored, and the yellow check means you’re wearing it now — you’ll get a new popup. Select upgrade.

You’ll get a new menu to work with next. On the left, you’ll see the armor spheres you’ve got, how many points they’re worth, and the quantity you have. In the middle, you’ll see the piece you’re upgrading, how many levels it is currently upgraded and its max upgrade level, and how many points you need to upgrade to the next level. And, on the right, you’ll see the stats of the armor as it upgrades.

Basically, this menu lets you convert armor spheres to points so a piece of armor hits its upgrade thresholds and levels up. Regular armor spheres are worth 10 points, armor spheres+ are worth 50 points, and advanced armor spheres are worth 200. As you upgrade a piece into its higher levels, the points required per level will increase.

Upgrading armor doesn’t change its skills or its resistances. All you’re upgrading is the overall defense.

Should you spend or save your armor spheres?

Like Gemma says when she introduces you to armor spheres, “If you’re fainting left and right, [upgrade] your armor.” The short answer is: Armor spheres are there to be spent and upgrading your armor will only help you.

That said, for most of the game, you’re unlocking a new set of armor with just about every hunt you go on. If you’re really struggling, drop a few armor spheres to get your defense up enough to survive the next hunt. But maybe hold off on maxing out every piece of an entire set until you’re most of the way through the game.

To also help you understand Monster Hunter Wilds, we explain how to change weapons, how to get armor spheres, provide some Seikret tips, and teach you how fishing and layered armor works.