Heat
From SpiralKnights
Using heat, equipment can be further improved from their base stats. This process is called leveling, as it increases the level of the equipment. All equipment starts at level 1 and can reach a maximum level of 10. In some cases, it is only after a piece of equipment is at max level that a player can further modify it via crafting. The higher star rated the equipment is, the more heat it requires to level up.
Contents
Embers
Heat is the resource that is used to level up equipment. It is acquired by collecting special consumables called embers. Embers are the small heat tokens that are found in The Clockworks by defeating monsters or exploring. Similar to crowns, they come in various sizes and values. Any time one is picked up by a player, its value is given to each knight in that player's team.
- Small Ember - Grants a small amount of heat to the party.
- Medium Ember - Grants a moderate amount of heat to the party.
- Large Ember - Grants a large amount of heat to the party.
Tracking Heat in the Clockworks
Your current heat is tracked on the heat meter, which is located on your HUD next to your health meter. The heat meter appears as a tiny flame that intensifies as heat is acquired. The size of the flame indicates how much heat the player has acquired on the current level.
Heat and Defeat
A player that dies in a level will lose 30% of the heat they had collected so far. Should a dead player be revived by another player, the lost 30% will be given to the rescuer.
A dead player's heat will also be lost entirely if the party goes to the elevator without them, though the player will continue with the party and be revived at the next level automatically with 3 health bars.
Using Heat
Upon successfully reaching the exit elevator of a gate level, your acquired heat is automatically distributed and applied to all of the equipment you are currently wearing. Your collected heat will show up at the top of a list of all non-level 10 equipment that you have equipped. An animation will show a bar decreasing along with the size of the heat meter shown as the equipment is leveled up.
The higher star rated the equipment is, the more heat it requires to level up. Each successive level requires more heat to reach the next level, so a level 1 3-star sword will take less heat to get to level 2 than it will take to get from level 9 to level 10.
Items that are already at level 10 do not gain heat; nor do items in costume slots. Therefore, the fastest way to level a single item is to ensure that all other equipped items are already at level 10.
Effects of Leveling on Equipment
The mouseover information for equipment in your arsenal will show the level of your equipment. The level bar also tracks your progress in gathering heat to reach the next equipment level.
Stats
When a piece of equipment is at level 1, some of its stats will show a darker blue bar beyond the light blue bar showing the current stats. This dark blue bar represents how high the stats will go when the item is completely leveled.
Leveling effects occur on stats bars only when a new level is reached. The effects are not incremental.
The following stats types do not change with leveling: speed, status resists, and shield health.
Bonuses
When weapons reach a certain level, an added bonus is given. Leveling also affects the health bonus of equipment. Leveling does not directly affect any other equipment bonuses.
| Equipment | Level 1 | Level 5 | Level 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| All weapons | No added bonus | Charge Time Reduction: Low | Charge Time Reduction: Medium |
| Armor or helmets with health bonuses* | No added bonus | Health Bonus +1 | Same as at level 5 |
- The Scarlet Shield's health bonus does not level.
- The 0-star Vitasuit health bonus does not level.
