The quick answer
Judge gear by its tier, useful attributes and set effects within your build. Enhance equipment slots for persistent improvement, then investigate item-specific tuning and attunement. Later systems such as Relaying and Modulating have eligibility rules: read their previews before converting or consuming a piece.
On this page
Make your first gear change deliberately
Open Develop → Gear. Select an equipped slot, then inspect a candidate replacement. The item panel describes the piece; Enhance describes the slot’s development. You can make a useful early equipment change without understanding every later tuning option.
- Select the slot you intend to improve and note the currently equipped piece.
- Read the new piece’s requirements, relevant attributes and set membership.
- Check whether replacing the old piece would change an active set bonus.
- Equip the candidate only if the overall change helps your current setup.
- Keep the old piece while comparing the result, then inspect the other weapon and armour slots.
If you were awarded a chest rather than a gear item, open it in Bag first. Receiving a reward and wearing the resulting item are separate steps.
Separate the equipment layers
| Layer | Purpose | First check |
|---|---|---|
| Equipped gear | Provides the item’s stats and set contribution | Does the piece fit the role and current tier? |
| Slot enhancement | Improves the slot occupied by gear | Has a frequently used slot fallen behind? |
| Tuning and retuning | Develops or changes item attributes | Which outcomes are useful for the build? |
| Attunement | Adds specialised gear development | Are you editing the intended normal or Arena setup? |
| Arsenal | Uses stored gear for additional bonuses | Is a spare piece useful there? |
Compare the whole equipped result
A higher item score is a reason to inspect a drop, not a complete decision. Compare the attributes you use, the set effect you would gain or lose, and any development already attached to the existing item. Keep the previous piece while testing a close decision.
Our recommendation for early progression is to replace obvious weak links and keep slots developed before chasing an ideal roll. The more likely you are to replace the item soon, the clearer the benefit should be before spending limited optimisation materials on it.
Make tuning a targeted decision
Choose the attributes you want before starting. Inspect the outcome library where a preview is available, then set a resource budget. A reroll can improve the item without producing the particular attribute you hoped for; stop and reassess rather than treating previous spending as a reason to continue.
Normal and Arena attunement are separate considerations in the gear development system. Check which one an operation affects. A setup prepared for open-world use should not be assumed to describe the exact competitive configuration.
Understand Relaying and Modulating before confirming
Relaying is an inheritance conversion, not an ordinary reroll. In the April rules for Tier 91, Relaid Gear used Modulating instead of Tuning or Retuning, and its inherited attributes had a fixed ceiling below standard Tier 91 gear. Converting an eligible same-tier item could remove values above that ceiling. These are historical tier-specific rules, not a current cap table.
The Hidden Mountain introduction later added Modulating Stones obtained from spare Legendary gear. This gives some surplus equipment another possible use. Compare recycling, Arsenal storage, another build and any eligible development operation before consuming a valuable piece.
Before converting, compare the preview’s attribute types, final values, future upgrade route and material consumption. Cancel if a valuable line falls or the converted item loses the development route you wanted. Preserving a familiar set is useful only if the resulting piece still serves the build.
Use a keep, compare, then recycle routine
- Protect equipped pieces and plausible alternatives for your other roles.
- Check whether a saved build or the Arsenal uses the item.
- Compare set effects and relevant attributes, not only rarity.
- Preview any conversion or transfer before committing.
- Recycle confirmed surplus after the useful pieces are protected.
Be conservative when first configuring automatic recycling. Test the filter on a small batch and inspect what it selects. A filter that is convenient for an established build can discard useful alternatives while you are still learning which attributes matter.
Practical guides
Enhance a slot and verify what carries forward
- From Gear, open Enhance and select a slot.
- Compare its current and next enhancement values.
- Read the material and Coin cost, including any character requirement.
- Enhance the chosen slot when the benefit fits your current budget.
- Return to the gear overview and confirm that slot’s enhancement level.
Slot enhancement remains with the slot when you replace its equipment. That makes it a different decision from investing in one item’s particular attributes. Check both weapon slots: developing the one you notice most does not automatically develop the other.
Example: the higher-scoring item breaks your set
Imagine a candidate piece has stronger individual attributes but replacing the old piece removes a set effect you regularly use. Compare the whole equipped result, including that lost effect. A larger item number does not answer whether your actual attacks or healing improve.
For an obvious early upgrade, equip it and continue. For a close decision, keep both pieces and compare a familiar encounter with consistent starting conditions. You do not need perfect endgame rolls to progress through the story; you do need to know which piece is doing which job.
A beginner order for the many gear buttons
| Stage | Learn this operation | Success check |
|---|---|---|
| Equip | Replace a weak item while preserving useful set effects. | The intended slot shows the new piece. |
| Enhance | Improve a slot independently of its current item. | The slot enhancement level rises. |
| Store / compare | Check useful spares and Arsenal needs. | Surplus gear is distinguished from alternatives you still use. |
| Tune / retune | Develop an item for a specific attribute goal. | You understand which line changed and what it cost. |
| Attune / relay / modulate | Read the specific preview and eligibility. | You can explain the resulting item and what the operation consumes. |
This is our learning order, not a claim that later systems never matter. Open a later operation when you have a concrete reason to use it. Cancel a preview you do not understand and read the focused guide before confirming.
What to read next
Common questions
Should I keep every Legendary item?
No, but inspect its uses before recycling it. A spare may support another build, the Arsenal or a development system. Once those possibilities are ruled out, keeping it indefinitely only makes inventory decisions harder.
Sources & verification
Source research is separate from in-game testing. Recommendations are identified as editorial advice.
- Official: April 30 gear development overview
Relaying changes the development route; eligible same-tier conversion can cut over-cap values. Tier 91 numbers are explicitly historical.
- Official: Hidden Mountain introduction