No Rest for the Wicked: How to upgrade weapons? No Rest for the Wicked guide, tips
In No Rest for the Wicked, there are several ways to upgrade your favorite type of weaponry. On this page we will introduce you to the mechanics of gems, runes and enchantment.
Last update: 25 April 2024
In No Rest for the Wicked you will find a wide arsenal of various types of weapons. Once you have your weapon of choice, the next step you can take is to further improve it by Infusing it with a gem, installing a Rune, or Enchanting it. On this page of our guide, we explain all possible options when it comes to upgrading weapons and armor.
Where can I upgrade weapons?
In No Rest for the Wicked, the NPC responsible for weapon upgrades is Eleanor. You can find her stall in the marketplace, in the southwestern part of Sacrament, a city you reach after defeating the first boss of the game. Among the services provided by her, we have selling and buying rare items needed for upgrades, Enchanting weapons so they attain higher rarity, Infusing them with gems, and finally removing or placing runes in the item.
Later in the game, Eleanor will be one of your most visited destinations following her unique prowess in Enchanting. To use any of Eleanor's services, talk to the merchant, then choose the option that interests you.
How does Enchant work?
Items in No Rest for the Wicked have 4 levels of rarity. These are:
- Common - the most ordinary items with the least power, but with more customization options (additional slots for runes and gems);
- Rare - items of better power, albeit less customizable as there are fewer slots for runes and gems;
- Cursed - bonuses provided by them are really powerful, but this is at the cost of having to weather various severe debuffs;
- Unique - the rarest items. Such items cannot be crafted and can only be found as loot.
Enchanting services provided by Eleanor allow for transforming Common items into Rare or Cursed variety. However, the bonuses of the new items are random, so you need to be ready for a situation where an Enchant made the weapon less usable than it was before the process.
The Enchanting process is not free. Enchanting a Common item most of the time costs 1 silver coin. The randomness of the received bonuses and the lack of additional upgrade slots after rarity has been improved may point you toward other types of upgrades.
Just like other vendors, these ones also require gold.
How does Infuse work?
By selecting the "Infuse" option when talking to Eleanor, you'll be able to imbue an owned item with bonuses by combining it with a special gem.
Gems are special items found in the world or bought from traders (including Eleanor). After Infusing, the gem will take one of the slots and start providing additional bonuses. Interestingly, Gems can also be placed in armor items and shields, and these combinations result in various beneficial effects.
You can check how many slots an item has available by pointing the cursor to it in your inventory screen.
The Infuse action is also paid for with cash. Moreover, it is also irreversible. However, unlike the rather unpredictable enchanting, before infusing the gem, you can see what effect will be applied to the weapon.
How do runes work?
Runes apply special properties to chosen weapons. With new runes installed, the weapon receives special skills and attacks that however spend Focus points. You can view the skills a Rune provides for your current weapon in the bottom left corner of the screen, after pressing the appropriate button.
If you have a weapon in your inventory that you don't plan to use, a good idea would be to extract any runes that it may have out of it. To do this, go to the Rune tab when talking to Eleanor, choose the donor item, and then the rune you're interested in. Watch out, as during the process, the donor weapon will be irreversibly destroyed!
The received rune will be moved to your inventory, that you can then "equip" on a different item, and this is done in the same tab. To do this, choose the weapon you want to upgrade and place the rune in one of the available slots.