New World tool upgrades: how to get higher-tier tools in New World
How to craft higher-tier versions of your New World tools and weapons
How can you upgrade tools in New World? Tools and weapons in New World can come in various different qualities, as reflected by their tier. Technically in this game you don't upgrade your tools — in as much as you don't use a lower-tier item as a base for a higher-tier upgrade. But there are ways of ensuring you craft a higher-tier tool, and you can do that regardless of whether you have a lower-tier version in hand or not; so in effect this system works more or less like tool upgrades in other games, but with a step removed.
In this guide, we'll explain how to increase your tool and weapon tiers through better crafting in New World.
How to craft better tools and weapons in New World
There are a number of factors involved in your character's ability to craft in New World. Available crafting recipes are determined by your character's various Trade Skills, the crafting stations they have access to, and the quality of the resources they have in their inventory.
For crafting tools and weapons, you'll want to focus on your character's Weaponsmithing and Engineering skills. Arcana is also vital for crafting magical weapons, but the other two skills cover every non-magical weapon and gathering tool between them.
Crafting stations are tied to the settlement they're in. You can improve the tier of a crafting station (and therefore open up more crafting options) by completing relevant Town Projects.
However, once you have the ability to craft a tool or weapon, its recipe stays the same. Therefore, the materials you use are a key factor in determining the item's tier. To improve the resources you have access to, you'll need to increase the relevant gathering and refining skills as well. Since many weapons require Iron, for example, increasing your character's Mining and Smelting skills allows them to use Steel Ingots in future crafting projects. Tools crafted with simple Iron will be Tier II, while tools crafted with Steel Ingots will be Tier III.
In short, the way to craft better tools is to hone in on the relevant skills and continue to practice them, levelling up your character to the point where they can craft the "upgraded" (higher-tier) versions of tools and weapons.
Now that you're familiar with how to improve your tool and weapon tiers in New World, take a look at our Factions and Companies guide to get you started on pledging your allegiances to the game's various player groups which — strange though it sounds — is a really important step towards getting those Town Projects done to upgrade your Crafting Stations. Or if you're wondering how to tailor your character to suit your playstyle, see our guide to the best character builds in New World.