Use an Ascension Core at the Mystic Forge to upgrade an eligible weapon in RuneScape: Dragonwilds. Each upgrade increases its Power Level by one, helping a favorite weapon remain useful as enemies become stronger. Check eligibility before gathering materials: ordinary weapons such as the Mithril Sword cannot use this upgrade path.
How to upgrade a weapon
Ascension Shards are ingredients for crafting Ascension Cores. The core is the item used to raise a weapon’s Power Level. According to GameRant’s upgrade guide, core recipes come from quest rewards or certain powerful enemies.
Follow these steps:
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Unlock the Mystic Forge. A YouTube upgrade walkthrough identifies collecting your first Bronze Bar as the unlock trigger.
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Build the forge and check your weapon. Open its upgrade tab to see which equipment you can select.
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Check the required core. Use the recipe shown for that upgrade to identify the materials you need.
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Gather the appropriate Ascension Shards. Farm enemies or activities that award the relevant tier.
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Craft the core and upgrade the weapon. Return to the upgrade tab and apply the available upgrade.
Eligibility descriptions differ slightly. GameRant describes the system as restricted to Masterwork gear, while the YouTube walkthrough also mentions weapons learned from relics and certain special equipment. The practical check is whether your weapon appears as an available upgrade at the forge.
Where to get Ascension Shards and Cores
Dragons and other powerful enemies are the main shard sources described by GameRant. The YouTube walkthrough gives more specific targets, including an activity that awards a core directly.
| Upgrade material | Acquisition reported in the YouTube walkthrough |
|---|---|
| Tier 4 Ascension Shards | The first boss, the Abyssal Demon in Bloodblight Swamp, and the Garou King in Stormtouched Highlands |
| Tier 5 Ascension Shards | Green dragons and Zogres in Fellhollow |
| Tier 6 Ascension Shards | Blue dragons and agility-course reward bundles earned with silver or gold completion times |
| Tier 7 Ascension Core | Completing the Nightmare Crucible in Umbral Sands |
| Tier 8 Ascension Shards | Black dragons in the endgame raid |
The Nightmare Crucible route requires an Engram to enter, according to that walkthrough. It describes Engrams as rare drops from enemies in Umbral Sands and recommends preparing for enemies comparable to bosses inside the activity.
For Tier 6 materials, agility courses provide another route alongside dragon encounters. This is useful when the dragon fights described in the walkthrough are unavailable because of their timing restrictions.
Check the forge before committing to a farming session. A material’s tier alone does not tell you which upgrade your particular weapon currently requires.
Which weapon should get your first core?
Prioritize an eligible weapon you already use successfully. Attack speed, damage types, ammunition restrictions, and durability all affect its value after ascension.
GGWTB’s weapon comparison and a YouTube ascension analysis highlight these candidates:
| Weapon | Reason to consider upgrading | Tradeoff to weigh |
|---|---|---|
| Zombie Axe | Broad melee usefulness; the video analysis highlights its slash and crush damage | Most valuable when melee is your regular fighting style |
| Dorgeshuun Crossbow | Fast shooting helps preserve its usefulness beyond its starting tier | Restricted to bone bolts |
| Necromancer Staff | Favored for direct magic damage | Lower durability increases upkeep |
| Staff of Light | A durable alternative for players comfortable with its handling | The video analysis places its damage below the Necromancer Staff |
These are conditional recommendations. A weapon that consistently lands attacks can be a better investment than one whose stronger hits are frequently interrupted. GGWTB makes this distinction when comparing the slow Granite Maul with other heavy weapons.
Treat the two whips separately. The YouTube ascension analysis distinguishes the Power Level 4 Abysmal Whip from the Power Level 7 Masterwork Abyssal Whip. It reports that the earlier weapon becomes an ingredient for the later one in Umbral Sands. If you intend to follow that crafting route, saving cores for the completed Masterwork weapon avoids investing heavily in an intermediate item.
FAQ
Can ordinary weapons use Ascension Cores?
Ordinary equipment such as the Ash Battlestaff and Mithril Sword is excluded in the YouTube walkthrough. For equipment outside the ascension system, progression means crafting a stronger replacement. The Dragonwilds Wiki weapon list shows early examples progressing from stone weapons at Power Level 1 to bone at 2 and bronze at 3.
Does repairing a weapon increase its Power Level?
Repairing restores durability lost through use. The Dragonwilds Wiki states that weapons can be repaired at their crafting facility. Increasing an eligible weapon’s Power Level requires ascension.
Can every weapon ascend to Power Level 9?
That has not been officially confirmed. The YouTube walkthrough reports an ascension cap of 8, while GGWTB lists some weapons at Power Level 9. Those claims describe different things: the existence of a higher-tier weapon does not establish that every eligible weapon can ascend to that tier. Check the upgrades available at your Mystic Forge.
