How to upgrade gear in Forspoken, including Cloaks, Necklaces and Nails explained
Better gear will help you survive
Gear in Forspoken is an important part of your time in Athia. Having the right Gear equipped can help make your time battling foes that bit easier.
Each Gear item can have its own perks that include boosts for Stamina, Health, Defense, and Healing. Using Cloaks, Necklaces, and Nails are some of the best way to adjust Frey's abilities to how you want them to be.
Upgrading gear in Forspoken is also important. Some items can be picked up with a few strong stats, but most of the time it's better for you to upgrade an item, especially if you're fond of it. Here, we're going to explain what Gear is, how to upgrade all types of it, and where you can find more.
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Cloaks in Forspoken explained
Your first piece of gear, a hooded cloak, is given to you after you meet a character called Auden in Cipal. After this, you'll have unlocked 'Cloaks' which is one of the three types of gear you can collect.
Cloaks each have abilities and perks that can be extremely useful in helping your survive your time battling foes throughout Athia.
How to equip Cloaks
To equip a Cloak, head to your 'Gear' menu. This can be found on the same screen as your Map, Inventory, and Resources (as well as others).
When you are on the screen shown above, select the 'Cloak' option. Then, you will be taken to a screen that shows you the Cloaks you have in your inventory and the one that you have equipped (if you have one).
On this screen, hover over the Cloak you want to use to see its stats and perks on the left of the screen. This is important to pay attention to if you want to boost specific parts of Frey's abilities and strength.
Then, when you are ready, highlight the Cloak you want to use and press the prompted command to equip it to Frey.
Necklaces in Forspoken explained
Necklaces are another item of gear that can be equipped to Frey to boost certain stats and abilities. Different Necklaces have different stats and boosts, so it's worth collecting a few.
How to equip Necklaces
To equip a new Necklace in Forspoken, you need to head to your 'Gear' menu. This is the same menu you use to equip Cloaks.
When you are on your 'Gear' screen, select the 'Necklace' option on the right. This will open up another screen that shows you all of the Necklaces you have in your inventory, including the one you have equipped.
Hover over each Necklace to see its stats appear on the left of the screen. Once you have decided which one you want to use, highlight it and use the prompted command to equip it to Frey.
Nails in Forspoken explained
Nails are unlocked when you enter the Guild to look for Auden's father's journals.
Nails are a piece of gear that can enhance Frey's abilities. Tanta's are said to paint symbols on their nails from their own blood to enhance their powers, and Cuff figured out that Frey can do the same from collecting Break Shards.
How to apply Nails
You can access your Nails by entering the sub-menu 'Nails' in the menu that includes the map, your inventory, and more. Open the 'Nails' menu and you will see a screen like this:
Here, you can see which Nails you have currently equipped. You can have different designs on your right and left hands, or you can choose to apply the same design to both.
To apply or change your Nails, click on which hand you want to equip the design to and you'll end up on this screen:
At the bottom of your screen, you'll see which designs you can use. Hover over a design and the list of materials you need for it will appear to the left of the screen. A description of the design and what it does will appear on the right.
Simply click on the design you want to use, and follow the prompted command to apply it to that hand.
Note: Nails cannot be upgraded.
Forspoken has arrived and we have boss strategies to help you defeat Tanta Sila, Tanta Prav, the Senseless Savant and the final boss. Before facing these bosses, however, you may want to learn how to craft, upgrade your gear and find all of the Founts of Blessings. Meanwhile, understanding fast travel and clearing Monuments will also help you in Fray's journey across Athia.
How to find more Gear in Forspoken
You can find new gear in Forspoken in a number of ways, but the fastest is by visiting a Trader. They're scattered across settlements in Athia and you can trade Poppets (small wooden collectable dolls) for any items they are carrying.
You can also find more gear, such as Nails, by exploring the landscape around you. Venturing into Ruins, Labyrinths, and simply having a look around the area you are in can give you more gear for your collection.
How to upgrade Gear in Forspoken
To upgrade your gear in Forspoken, you need to visit a Crafting Bench or set up a Camp. The easiest way to find a Crafting Bench is to visit a Pilgrims Refuge.
When you're at a Crafting Bench or Camp, you will see two options. Click on 'Upgrade' to start the process of upgrading your gear. This can be for gear that's currently equipped and gear that is stored away.
Select which item you want to upgrade, a Cloak or a Necklace. All you need to do now is select an upgrade slot to put the upgrade in, then choose which upgrade you want to apply to it. You'll be able to choose this once you click on an upgrade slot.
Once you've chosen your upgrade, follow the prompted command to apply it to that slot. Then, you should see the stats for that piece of gear alter in line with the upgrade.
Gear upgrade limitations
There are a limited amount of upgrade slots for each piece of gear.
If you want to upgrade a piece of gear that has full upgrade slots, you'll need to remove one of the existing upgrades and add your new one in. You can do this by clicking on upgrade in the slot that you want to replace, then using the upgrade menu to select the one you want to replace it with.
If you have the right amount of materials, then the new upgrade will replace the old one in that slot.
The more you explore, the more gear you will find. Enjoy hunting around Athia for more!