Moonlight Peaks drops players into a cozy vampire farming sim with a full set of rusty tools and not much else. The gap between that starting kit and the gear you actually need to progress is real, and the upgrade path runs through a single blacksmith in town. Knowing what each tier costs before you start grinding saves a lot of backtracking.
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The one NPC who handles everything
Ridge at the Howling Hammer shop is your only upgrade source in Moonlight Peaks. The shop sits in town and runs Monday through Friday only, so weekend players will have to wait it out. To reach the upgrades, speak to Ridge, select Shop, choose I want to buy something, then scroll right twice. The tool upgrades are tucked away in that third tab.
All six tools follow the same basic progression: Rusty to Copper, Copper to Iron, Iron to Gold. The exception is the Fishing Rod, which jumps straight to a single Premium tier upgrade. Every upgrade costs coins and requires the previous version of the tool plus 3 bars of the corresponding metal.
Axe, pickaxe, and shovel tiers
These three tools share identical pricing across all three tiers. Each Copper upgrade costs 1,000 coins plus 3 Copper Bars. Iron upgrades run 2,000 coins plus 3 Iron Bars. Gold upgrades hit 3,500 coins and require 3 Gold Bars.
The practical difference matters more than the price tag. A better axe reduces swing count on trees and opens up stronger wood types. A better shovel expands what you can dig. The pickaxe, though, is the one tool that directly gates your ability to farm upgrade materials in the first place.
Scythe and watering can
The Scythe only goes to Iron tier, not Gold. Copper Scythe costs 1,000 coins and 3 Copper Bars. Iron Scythe runs 2,500 coins and 3 Iron Bars. That 500-coin premium over the standard Iron tier is a minor quirk worth noting if you're budgeting.
The Watering Can follows the standard three-tier pricing (1,000 / 2,000 / 3,500 coins) and each upgrade reduces water consumption per crop tile. For anyone running a serious farm, this compounds quickly, so it earns a spot fairly high on the priority list after the pickaxe.
The fishing rod is its own thing
The Fishing Rod skips the multi-tier progression entirely. There's one upgrade available: the Premium Fishing Rod, which costs 3,500 coins and 3 Gold Bars. It improves fishing efficiency and lets you catch larger fish. Because it requires Gold Bars, you won't be touching it until the mid-to-late game anyway.
Where the ore actually comes from
All of the metal ore you need runs through the Cave of Echoes, located at the bottom-left of the map in the Misty Shores biome. The cave unlocks more material types as the story progresses, which is why the upgrade path is naturally gated rather than something you can rush. You're not missing a trick if early copper feels scarce; the game is pacing you.
Moonlight Peaks launched today on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. If you enjoy progression systems built around crafting and resource loops, the Moonfrost crafting and Frost Tool guide covers similar territory in a different cozy title worth checking out. For more tool and weapon upgrade breakdowns across other games, the full gaming guides library has you covered.
The upgrade system in Moonlight Peaks is deliberately paced, but once you understand the order of operations, the path forward is clear. Get the pickaxe to Gold tier first, keep the Cave of Echoes stocked, and the rest of the upgrade queue opens up naturally. Check back as the community maps out the fastest ore farming routes in the weeks ahead.
