Underkeep Equipment: Weapons, Armor and Upgrades
Underkeep equipment explained: weapon types per class, armor slots, how armor and sharpness change damage, which tools share the budget, and when to upgrade.
Underkeep equipment is built around class weapon locks, four armor slots, and a shared gold pool. The right purchase is the one that unlocks a skill or fixes the stat your party is failing, not the item with the biggest number.
Which weapon should each class use?
| Class | Weapon | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Sword, mace, axe, or two-handed | Each unlocks a different attack skill |
| Paladin | One-handed weapon and shield | Shield skills and armor passives |
| Thief | Dagger or sword | Backstab and Shadow Lunge require dagger |
| Ranger | Bow or ranged weapon | All ranged skills require a ranged weapon |
| Wizard | None | Spells do not use weapons |
| Voidcaller | None | Spells do not use weapons |
| Blood Mage | None | Blood magic does not use weapons |
The weapon lock is the most common build mistake. A Warrior who buys an axe but learned Flurry Thrust has a dead skill. Decide the weapon line before you spend the level, then buy the weapon that matches.
Reach matters too. Melee attacks normally require the front row, but a weapon with Reach can hit from the back. If you want a melee backliner, Reach is the property to look for.
How does armor change damage?
Physical damage is base damage minus the target's armor, plus the weapon's Sharpness. That makes armor a flat reduction, not a percentage, so many small hits are punished harder than one big hit.
Armor comes from the body slot, helmet, gloves, boots, and shields. A shield also enables Shield Bash and its passive armor bonus, which makes it a double upgrade for a Paladin or Warrior.
| Slot | Who should upgrade it first |
|---|---|
| Body | Front row, every time |
| Shield | Paladin, then shield Warrior |
| Helmet | Whoever takes elemental damage |
| Gloves | DEX heroes and crit builds |
| Boots | Anyone who keeps getting outrun |
Do not armor the Wizard before the Warrior. A backliner with armor still dies to a boss that reaches the back row; a frontliner with armor stops the boss from reaching anyone.
When should you upgrade?
Upgrade after every dungeon, not during it. Prices in the village are stable, and carrying gold into a dungeon only risks losing tempo when you could have bought food or cures.
The order that works:
- Food and cures to a safe reserve.
- A weapon that unlocks a skill for your main damage dealer.
- Body armor for both frontliners.
- A shield if you use shield skills.
- Utility tools: pickaxe, shovel, lockpicks, Golden Chisel.
- Alchemy ingredients and recipe components.
Sell spare gems, ore, and duplicate gear. Keep one spare weapon only if you are experimenting with a second weapon line; otherwise the gold is better in armor.
Are tools part of the equipment budget?
Yes, and they compete directly with armor. The pickaxe and shovel are mandatory because they open routes and graves. The Golden Chisel and lockpicks are optional, but each one pays for itself the first time it opens a vein or chest.
Carry the Mortar and Pestle at all times. It weighs nothing meaningful and turns otherwise wasted ingredients into potions.
A locked chest or gold vein does not wait for you to come back with the right tool. If you can afford it and you are about to enter a new area, buy it.
What should you not buy?
Do not buy duplicate weapons for the same hero, armor for a class that never gets hit, or potions you can craft. Do not spend the revival reserve on gear either: keep enough gold to revive at the statue, because a wipe without that reserve costs a reload.
Resist the urge to equip every hero with the best item you find. A +damage item on the Wizard is worth less than the same item on the Warrior, because the Warrior attacks every round and the Wizard may be casting utility.
How do you know an upgrade is real?
Compare the stat that drives your damage, not the item level. For a Warrior, that is weapon damage and STR. For a Ranger, it is DEX and ranged crit. For a Wizard, it is WIS and mana. A higher-level item with the wrong stat can be a downgrade.
The best build page→ lists the stat priority for each class. The combat page→ explains how armor, sharpness, and crit combine into final damage.
FAQ
Can any class use any weapon?
Any class can equip a weapon, but skills are locked to weapon types. A Wizard holding a sword still cannot use Warrior skills.
What is Sharpness?
Sharpness is a weapon property added after armor is subtracted. It helps against armored enemies, where raw damage is reduced.
Should you sell old gear?
Yes, unless it is a spare for a second weapon line. Gold is more useful in armor, food, and tools.
Official source: Underkeep store page ↗
Community source: Steam community player guide ↗
Official source: Rake in Grass Underkeep page ↗
More Underkeep Guides
All seven Underkeep classes explained: main stat, resource, front or back row, weapon requirements, and the race that fits each one.
How Underkeep combat works: one action per hero, free actions, damage and armor math, crit and evasion formulas, status effects, and turn order.
What is confirmed about Underkeep endings: multiple outcomes, the quests that matter, why special dialogue is not always best, and how to save for branches.
How Underkeep exploration works: which tools open which obstacles, how to search walls and graves, food and resting, and Waystone fast travel.
The Underkeep first party for a blind run: four heroes, race picks, early skills, gear priorities, and the first purchases that keep the run alive.
How Underkeep front row and back row positioning works: who can melee, when Reach bypasses the rule, what swapping costs, and the safest four-hero layout.
What to do when the four gargoyles get stuck in Underkeep Gravewood Crypt, why there is no reset lever yet, and how to recover without losing the run.
A spoiler-light Underkeep guide hub: what to do in the first hours, which systems matter, and which of our 25 pages answers your question.