- Upgrade equipment at the forge by combining duplicate gear plus Scrap Metal to raise item level.
- Upgrade weapons first for your two damage dealers, then armor for the frontline hero.
- Never reroll blue or lower gear — save Cursed Essence for rare+ items with a good base.
- Salvage white/green gear for materials instead of selling, since selling yields almost nothing.
- Check the Steam Market before salvaging tradeable endgame drops — some have real value.
Undealt Upgrade Equipment: How the Forge Works
In Undealt, the free corner-screen idle RPG from Tail House on Steam, the forge is where your loot loop comes together. Your four heroes battle automatically, but the difference between stalling and pushing stages is almost always the quality of their gear — and how smartly you upgrade it. Upgrading equipment is not about pumping materials into every drop; it is about choosing the right base items, farming the right materials, and spending your scarce crafting resources where they multiply your whole party's power.
The forge handles three core jobs: raising item levels, rerolling secondary affixes, and converting salvage into materials. Each job uses different resources, and each has a different priority depending on where you are in the game.
| Forge Function | Materials Needed | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gear Upgrading | Duplicate gear + Scrap Metal | On weapons and armor you will keep for many stages |
| Affix Rerolling | Cursed Essence | Only on rare+ items with a good base |
| Salvaging | None (consumes item) | White/green gear and wrong-stat blue/purple gear |
Scrap Metal is used in nearly every early forge recipe. Never sell it — salvage white and green gear to build a healthy stockpile before you start heavy upgrading.
Material Sources & Farming Priorities
Every upgrade in Undealt is gated by materials, and the two most important ones behave very differently. Scrap Metal flows constantly from idle stages and salvaged low-rarity gear, while Cursed Essence only drops from elite enemies and boss kills, making it your true bottleneck for high-tier crafts.
| Material | Main Source | Drop Rate | Priority Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scrap Metal | Idle stages, salvaged white/green gear | Common | Stockpile freely; used in nearly every early recipe |
| Cursed Essence | Elite enemies, boss kills | Rare | Reserve for high-tier crafts only |
| Duplicates | Stage drops, elite drops | Varies | Feed into upgrades of same-slot gear |
Because Undealt keeps progressing while closed, your offline setup directly feeds your upgrade economy. Before logging off, park your party on a stage they clear reliably rather than one where they die repeatedly — dead heroes generate no materials, and offline rewards are calculated from your highest reliably reachable stage.
Do not spend Cursed Essence on low-level rerolls. Players who reroll early blue gear burn through their rarest material and stall at the exact stage where high-tier crafts matter most.
Upgrade Priority: What to Upgrade First
With four heroes and limited materials, upgrade order matters more than upgrade volume. The general rule in Undealt: damage first, durability second, utility last. Clearing stages faster increases every income stream in the game — gold, materials, and market drops.
1. DPS Weapons
- Highest priority
- Flat damage boosts every build
- Faster clears = more income per hour
- Forge for both damage dealers first
2. Frontline Armor
- Second priority
- Keeps the tank alive on harder stages
- Prioritize once damage output stalls
- Max HP and Block affixes shine here
3. Support Gear
- Last priority
- Upgrade after every hero has a baseline set
- Buff-scaling gear pays off most in late game
- Spread forges evenly only at this point
This priority ladder matches the heroes' power curves. Your Main DPS hero carries stage progression at every phase and deserves the first weapon forges, while the Frontline Tank is underrated early but becomes essential as stages hit harder — armor forging for the tank is usually what unblocks a wall.
| Game Phase | Upgrade Focus | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Early | DPS weapons | Raw damage pushes stages fastest |
| Mid | Tank armor | Enemies hit harder; survival gates progress |
| Late | Support + full-set upgrades | Buffs multiply whole-party power |
If your clear speed dropped but nobody is dying, forge weapons. If heroes are dying before waves end, forge armor. Match your upgrades to whatever is actually breaking your auto-battle loop.
Affixes, Rerolling & Loot Decisions
Not every drop deserves an upgrade slot. Before spending materials, evaluate each piece against your build. In Undealt, gear affixes are the long-term value of an item — a lower item level with the right affixes often outperforms a higher level with wrong stats.
Loot handling by rarity:
| Gear Rarity | Source | Best Action |
|---|---|---|
| White / Green | Standard stage drops | Salvage for materials — selling yields almost nothing |
| Blue / Purple | Elite enemy drops | Keep only correct main-stat pieces; salvage the rest |
| Tradeable drops | Endgame bosses | Check Steam Market prices before salvaging |
When rerolling, follow three rules:
- Only reroll rare or higher items — never blue or lower
- Only reroll gear with a good base item level you will keep long-term
- Reroll toward affixes that match your build's core stats, such as Critical Chance for the Gunslinger's crit stacking build or Poison Damage for the Alchemist
Some endgame boss drops are tradeable on the real Steam Community Market. Before salvaging anything with the tradeable icon, check current prices at the Steam Community Market — certain drops sell for real value that far exceeds their salvage materials.
Step-by-Step: Upgrading a Gear Set
Follow this workflow every time you return from an idle session with a backlog of drops. It takes minutes and keeps your upgrade economy efficient.
Sort Your Loot
Separate drops into three piles: upgrades for current heroes, salvage fodder (white/green and wrong-stat pieces), and tradeable items to price-check on the market.
Salvage the Fodder
Convert all white and green gear into Scrap Metal. Reserve any Cursed Essence earned from elites — do not spend it yet.
Upgrade DPS Weapons
Combine duplicate weapons plus Scrap Metal to raise item level on both damage dealers' weapons first.
Upgrade Frontline Armor
If heroes are dying on your farm stage, raise the tank's armor item level next to stabilize the auto-battle loop.
Reroll Only If Warranted
On rare+ pieces with a good base, spend Cursed Essence to reroll secondary affixes toward your build's core stats.
Equipment Milestones:
- Fully upgraded weapon on your main DPS
- Baseline upgraded gear set on all four heroes
- Frontline armor keeping tank alive on farm stage
- Stockpile of Scrap Metal for future recipes
- First successful affix reroll on a rare+ item
FAQ
Q: Should I upgrade equipment in Undealt or wait for better drops?
Upgrade weapons early and often. Flat damage from higher item-level weapons boosts every build and speeds up all income. Only delay upgrades on armor pieces where a replacement drop is likely within a few stages.
Q: What is the best use of Cursed Essence?
Reserve Cursed Essence for high-tier crafts and affix rerolls on rare or higher items with a good base. Spending it on low-level rerolls is the most common way players waste their rarest forge material.
Q: Is it better to sell or salvage low-rarity gear?
Salvage. White and green gear sells for almost nothing, while salvaging produces Scrap Metal that feeds nearly every early forge recipe — including all of your equipment upgrades.
Q: Which hero's gear should I upgrade first?
Start with weapons for your two damage dealers, since clearing stages faster increases every income stream. Follow with armor for your frontline tank, then support gear once every hero has a solid baseline set.