Upgrade and improve Troops by leveling them with Souls or Ascending them with extra copies of that card.
There are two main ways to improve Troops to become more powerful when using their Spells in Gems of War: leveling (Souls) and Ascension (using extra copies of the same card). Upgrades including leveling, Ascending, or Traiting a Troop are applied to all copies of that card - so be careful if you Disenchant a Troop as you will lose its traits as well! Troops can also be Traited to give them extra perks and abilities. Go here to learn about troop traits: Troop Traits
Benefits to upgrading Troops
Upgrading Troops can make lower Rarity Troops - such as Commons or Rares - as powerful as Troops of higher Rarity. As Skills increase, the power of the Troop's Spells and their durability increases also, such as:
- Magic - Higher damage or power in Spells
- Life - Troops are less likely to die quickly
- Armor - Troops withstand more damage before taking health
- Attack - Troops can deal more Skull Damage when used in the first position or more Attack Damage if the Spell does Attack Damage.
Level Troops to increase Skills
Spend Souls to Level-up a Troop and increase its Skills (Attack, Life, Armor, and Magic). The maximum level you can upgrade your Troop to depends on their Rarity. The Soul cost to Level-up increases the higher the Troop's base Rarity is along with the Level of the upgrade.
Maximum Troop Levels
| Current Rarity | Maximum Level |
| Common | 15 |
| Rare | 16 |
| Ultra-Rare | 17 |
| Epic | 18 |
| Legendary | 19 |
| Mythic | 20 |
Using the Level-up menu
The Level up menu is preset for the Maximum level (levels your Troop to the maximum level of that Rarity) or Highest affordable level (the highest level you can afford with your total amount of Souls). Use the left and right green arrows to adjust the exact Level you wish to purchase.
Ascend Troops for increased maximum Skills
Use extra copies of a Troop card to Ascend a Troop the next Rarity. This will enable the Troop's maximum Level - and therefore Skills - to be increased also.
Why can't I ascend my Troop?
If the game shows "You have x25" but the ascension screen is greyed out, this means you need an additional card to Ascend the Troop. For example, Ascending Alchemist to Legendary requires a total of 26 cards but costs 25 so that you are left with a card to use the Troop in battle. Once you have x26 Alchemists you can then make it Legendary.
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