Part of the Research & Upgrades Series:
- Research Priorities: Compare equipment with other permanent upgrades.
- Chief Talents: Choose Economy, training and combat allocations.
Quick Answer
Chief Gear upgrades piece by piece. Its six slots also produce qualifying three-piece and six-piece set bonuses. A cost shown for one piece is not the price of upgrading the entire set, and a piece's troop-stat value is not the set bonus.
The classic unlocks are HQ 22 for Chief Gear and HQ 25 for Chief Badges. Gear and badges improve different combat attributes, so compare the next affordable upgrade in each system instead of assuming one must be finished before the other.
Which Piece Improves Which Troops?
| Troop type | Chief Gear pieces | What to compare |
|---|---|---|
| Infantry | Helmet and Boots | Their next attack/defense increase and any set threshold |
| Hunters | Communicator and Kneepads | Benefit to the damage troops you actually field |
| Riders | Weapon and Chest Armor | Benefit to the rider contribution in your formation |
Chief Gear primarily supplies attack and defense, while Chief Badges supply health and lethality. Hero Gear is a separate system, explained in the Hero Gear and Tempest Arms guide.
The slot relationship tells you where an upgrade applies. It does not establish that one troop type should receive every material forever. Your rally role, troop composition and the next set threshold all matter.
Individual Progress Versus Set Bonuses
Open an individual piece to see its current level, next stats and required materials. Then inspect the set-bonus panel to see how many qualifying pieces you have. Upgrading a piece and completing a set threshold can happen in the same action, but they are separate benefits.
For example, if two pieces already qualify for your next three-piece bonus, bringing a third eligible piece to the threshold may improve that piece and activate the additional bonus. Pushing one of the original two further may improve only that piece. Compare both outcomes before deciding.
Do not multiply a single piece's displayed percentage by six and call it the set bonus. Similarly, six pieces at different levels do not necessarily cost six times the cost of the piece currently selected.
Later gear names and refinement steps extend beyond old ladders ending at Dominator. Use the visible next upgrade for a cost decision; an old last-row table is not evidence of today's maximum.
Build a Cost Sheet From Your Next Upgrade
Record the costs for the actual pieces you intend to upgrade. Add them by material, then subtract your existing inventory.
| Planned action | Alloy | Adhesive | Gear Tools | Tactical Gear Designs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Next Helmet step | Enter preview | Enter preview | Enter preview | Enter preview |
| Next Boots step | Enter preview | Enter preview | Enter preview | Enter preview |
| Piece needed for a set threshold | Enter preview | Enter preview | Enter preview | Enter preview |
| Total shortfall | Total minus owned | Total minus owned | Total minus owned | Total minus owned |
This avoids a common mistake: farming the material with the largest-looking number while a small shortage of designs still blocks every planned action. The bottleneck depends on your current pieces and stockpile, not simply on whether someone calls your account “mid-game.”
Where to Look for Materials
Availability and quantities rotate, so inspect the current reward or store listing before committing event currency.
| Material | Documented acquisition routes to check | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Alloy | Infected Horde, Plague Zones, eligible infected rewards, alliance and event stores | An alloy source does not automatically give adhesive |
| Adhesive | Infected Horde, eligible stores and crates, Supply Convoy | Do not assume Plague Zones or wild infected provide it |
| Chief Gear Tools | Eligible Intel rewards, Honor/Showdown stores, crates and events | Inspect the exact item rather than a generic gear icon |
| Tactical Gear Designs | Reservoir Raid and World Event stores, eligible event rewards and packs | Free acquisition is not limited to leaderboard placement |
| Badge materials | Applicable badge events, rewards and stores | They do not substitute for Hero Badges used in hero ranks |
Use Supply Convoy when its eligible material and request cap fit your shortfall. Use the Reservoir Raid guide to plan participation before earmarking its currency for a store purchase.
Chief Badges and Upgrade Priorities
The classic layout has six badges for each of the three troop types, totaling 18. Badge forms and later progression should not be added together as if every historical rank were another equipment slot.
Compare the increase from a badge upgrade, not the total stats displayed after it. A move from an illustrative +8% to +10% contributes two percentage points; it does not add another ten. The same principle applies when comparing the value of two different gear steps.
For a frontline shortage, inspect infantry survivability improvements and actual battle losses. For a damage target, inspect the troop type delivering that damage and the event's applicable bonuses. A rally joiner should first confirm which personal bonuses that mode uses through the rally roles guide.
Gear Score Is Not Automatically Event Points
Some tasks score an increase in equipment or badge score. Others score named materials used. Neither means every finished piece awards its full displayed score again.
Suppose a qualifying upgrade raises an equipment score from 1,000 to 1,300, and an event awards 20 points per score gained. The event return is 300 × 20 = 6,000 points, not 26,000. These are example values; use the coefficient and scoring rule in your event.
The SotF guide separates score increases, material use and milestone planning. Holding an optional upgrade for a nearby eligible stage can help. Delaying a needed combat improvement indefinitely is a different tradeoff.
Gear is one contribution to Battle Power. Use relevant stats and battle performance to judge an upgrade rather than the power increase alone.
Choose Event Materials Against the Actual Shortfall
Arms Race selection crates can supply different equipment inputs. Check all requirements on the intended piece before choosing: more adhesive does not solve a simultaneous shortage of Tactical Gear Designs, and Hero Gear Designs belong to a separate system.
FAQ
Do I upgrade Chief Gear as a complete set? No. You upgrade individual pieces. Meeting the requirements across several pieces can activate an additional set bonus.
What do Helmet and Boots improve? They are the Infantry Chief Gear pieces. Communicator and Kneepads serve Hunters; Weapon and Chest Armor serve Riders.
Can free players obtain Tactical Gear Designs without ranking highly? Yes. Documented routes include eligible event stores and rewards, including Reservoir Raid and World Event stores. Check the current listing.
Are Chief Badges the same as Hero Badges? No. Chief Badges are equipment-related troop improvements. Hero Badges are materials used in classic hero rank progression.
Should I upgrade all six pieces evenly? Compare the next set threshold with the next useful troop-specific improvement. Even upgrades are a possible route to a set bonus, not a universal rule.
Key Takeaways
- Budget individual pieces and evaluate set bonuses separately.
- Farm the missing material, using its actual acquisition routes.
- Calculate event rewards from the task's score increase or material-use rule.