Every hero in DragonSword: Awakening starts as a work in progress. The game gives you four distinct upgrade systems to develop them, and none of them share resources. Leveling pushes base stats higher, Breakthrough removes the level ceiling, Karma reshapes how a hero's weapon functions, and Awakening rewrites parts of their kit entirely. Knowing which system to feed first, and what each one actually demands from you, is the difference between a team that clears content and one that stalls out at a wall.
What are the four hero upgrade systems?
Before spending a single resource, get a clear picture of what each system does and where its materials come from. The four tracks run independently, so a hero can be level 80 with underpowered skills, or carry strong Karma while still stuck behind a Breakthrough cap.
All four upgrade tracks at a glance
How do leveling and Breakthrough work?
Leveling is the most direct path to a stronger hero. Feed a hero Combat Texts, collected from quests and chests throughout normal play, and their base stats climb steadily. Early on, this happens fast.
The problem is the level cap. Growth stops at level 20, and no amount of Combat Texts will push past it until you complete a Breakthrough. Each Breakthrough requires its own set of grinding materials, separate from Combat Texts entirely. Clear one and the level bar unlocks again. There are five caps total to work through, and clearing all of them brings a hero to the maximum level of 80.
If a hero stops accepting Combat Texts, that is almost always the sign: you have hit a cap and the Breakthrough for it is still pending.
Breakthrough unlocks the next level cap
How do hero skills get stronger?
Each hero's abilities define how they actually perform in a fight. Upgrading them increases their effectiveness and opens up more advanced options within that hero's kit. The resource you need is Record of Battle.
The most consistent source is Hunts, which unlock after you finish the early portion of the game. Hunts require a team of at least Level 20 heroes to enter, and completing them rewards Record of Battle every run. There is no hard cap on how many times you can repeat them, so skill upgrades are largely a matter of grinding Hunts until you have what you need.
What does Karma actually do, and how do you get it?
Karma is the most interesting layer of hero customization the game offers. Every hero uses a signature weapon, and the Karma slotted into that weapon determines how it actually behaves in combat. Swapping Karma changes the weapon's traits and its exclusive effect, which can shift a hero's entire playstyle rather than just nudging a number upward.
There are two types of Karma to work with:
- General Karma works across multiple heroes. Upgrading it costs Fragment of Memory, which drops from the Tower of Trials and Treasure Chests.
- Exclusive Karma is locked to a specific hero and requires dedicated resources. Those come from Hero Quests, or through transportation by visiting Shanoa.
General Karma is easier to build early because Fragment of Memory comes from content you are already running. Exclusive Karma takes more targeted effort but pays off with effects tailored precisely to that hero.
How does Awakening change a hero?
Awakening is the deepest upgrade system in the game and the one that demands the most patience. Each hero has six Awakening levels, and progressing through them adjusts that hero's playstyle along with their strengths and weaknesses. Theresia, for example, gains The Mace of Branding at Awakening level 1, which immediately changes how she operates.
The material required is Stigma Awakened Stone. Each stone costs 200 Fragments of Sacred Light, and those Fragments drop from completing Sudden Missions. Fragments become plentiful once you are past the early game, which is exactly why Awakening is designed as a mid-game project.
What order should you upgrade in?
After testing the progression across multiple heroes, the most efficient sequence for early players looks like this:
- Leveling and Breakthrough on your main damage dealer first. Keeping them viable clears content faster, which feeds every other resource stream.
- Skill upgrades from Hunts once you hit Level 20. Record of Battle is farmable, so this can run in parallel with Breakthrough grinding.
- Karma to lock in the weapon effect that fits how you want that hero to play.
- Awakening once you are solidly in the mid-game and Fragments of Sacred Light are no longer scarce.
The logic behind this order is simple: Leveling and Breakthrough gate your access to Hunts, Hunts gate skill upgrades, and Awakening is genuinely expensive enough that rushing it early means neglecting the rest of your team.
For more strategy on building the strongest possible roster, the DragonSword: Awakening guides collection covers tier lists, team composition, and content-specific tips to complement every upgrade decision you make here. If you are newer to adventure games in general, the pacing here follows a familiar pattern: early investment in fundamentals pays off far more than chasing the flashiest system first.