DOOM: The Dark Ages – Full Equipment Upgrade Guide (Gold, Rubies, Wraithstones & More)
Wondering how to upgrade your weapons, Shield Saw, and Runes in DOOM: The Dark Ages? Here’s a complete breakdown of every upgrade material, where to find them, and what to prioritize first.
Upgrading weapons in DOOM: The Dark Ages is key to surviving the increasingly intense encounters you’ll face. The system is pretty straightforward, but collecting all the Gold, Rubies, and Wraithstones needed to max everything out can be tricky—especially if you’re aiming for those mastery challenges and cosmetic rewards.
Here’s everything you need to know about how upgrades work, where to find every material, and which gear is worth upgrading first. Also read Weapon Tier List.
🛠️ How to Upgrade Equipment in DOOM: The Dark Ages
You’ll do all your upgrading at Sentinel Shrines, which start showing up in Chapter 2. Every weapon and piece of gear (aside from one unupgradable exception) follows a simple upgrade path:
🔹 How it works:
- Gold is required for early-tier upgrades.
- Rubies and a Wraithstone are used for the final tiers.
- Some upgrades offer a choice between two abilities, and the best part? You can freely swap between them at any time—no shrine or extra cost required.
You can upgrade:
- All 15 primary weapons
- The Shield Saw
- All four Shield Runes
- The Slayer’s three melee weapons
💰 Where to Find Gold, Rubies & Wraithstones
Gold
- Found throughout the world
- Earned by completing challenges (available from Chapter 4 onward)
Rubies
- Some found in the environment
- A few tied to specific challenges
- Rare but essential—used in final upgrades
Wraithstones
- Found at statues in specific chapters
- Each weapon or piece of gear that hits Tier 4 needs one
📍 Upgrade Material Breakdown by Chapter
| Chapter | Gold | Rubies | Wraithstones |
| 1 | — | — | — |
| 2 | 210 | — | — |
| 3 | — | — | — |
| 4 | 212 | 2 | — |
| 5 | 240 | 2 | — |
| 6 | 513 | 4 | — |
| 7 | 183 | 2 | — |
| 8 | 250 | 2 | — |
| 9 | 230 | 2 | ✅ 1 |
| 10 | 230 | 3 | ✅ 1 |
| 11 | 85 | — | — |
| 12 | 177 | 1 | ✅ 1 |
| 13 | — | — | — |
| 14 | 359 | 3 | ✅ 2 |
| 15 | 182 | 2 | ✅ 1 |
| 16 | 188 | 1 | ✅ 1 |
| 17 | 194 | 2 | ✅ 1 |
| 18 | 153 | 1 | — |
| 19 | 294 | 1 | ✅ 1 |
| 20 | 392 | 3 | ✅ 1 |
| 21 | — | — | — |
| 22 | 335 | 3 | ✅ 1 |
✅ TOTALS: 4 Wraithstones are needed to fully upgrade the gear that requires them. If you’ve collected everything, you’ll still end up with 602 Gold and 5 Rubies left over—potentially useful if DLC content or new gear is introduced later.
🧭 Which Equipment Should You Upgrade First?
Upgrades are linear—you can’t skip tiers—but not every piece of gear is equally valuable early on. Here’s how to prioritize:
🔝 Top Priorities:
🔹 Shield Saw (Chapter 2)
Always in your loadout, and insanely useful. Great synergy with several weapons (like the Shredder, Ravager, and Grenade Launcher). Early upgrades like Power Surge and Retaliation drastically increase your survivability and control.
🔹 Combat Shotgun (Chapter 1)
It’s your first gun, but with upgrades like Flare-Up and Eat This!, it stays viable even late-game. Armor farming and burst damage make it a go-to throughout your playthrough.
🔹 Flail (Chapter 6)
Arguably the best melee weapon. Ignite and Engulf give you a steady armor stream, and it’s perfect when paired with the Impaler.
💥 Also Worth Prioritizing:
🔹 Ravager (Chapter 12)
Once unlocked, this becomes your damage-dealing king. Vampirism gives back health, and Supplier feeds you Skullcrusher ammo. Worth every resource.
🔹 Impaler (Chapter 4)
High-skill but rewarding. With Chronospike and headshot upgrades, it’s a beast when mastered.
🔹 Accelerator (Chapter 2)
Its Heatblast and Overload upgrades turn it into a crowd-clearing machine. Ammo self-generation is a huge bonus.
⚖️ Ammo Type Considerations
If you’re juggling weapons that share the same ammo pool, consider focusing on just one from each pair until you’ve got more upgrade materials:
| Ammo Type | Weapon Pair |
| Shotgun Shells | Combat Shotgun / Super Shotgun |
| Blade Ammo | Shredder / Impaler |
| Plasma Ammo | Accelerator / Cycler |
| Skullcrusher | Pulverizer / Ravager |
| Explosive | Grenade Launcher / Rocket Launcher |
🎯 Mastery Challenges
Don’t forget: you can’t start a weapon’s mastery challenge until it’s fully upgraded. So if you’re gunning for that gold skin, go all-in on one weapon at a time.
🛡️ What About Runes & Melee?
🗡️ Melee Weapons
- Power Gauntlet (Chapter 1)
- Flail (Chapter 6)
- Dreadmace (Chapter 15)
These are spread out nicely and won’t become obsolete fast, so feel free to invest.
🔮 Shield Runes
- Ground Fissure (Chapter 9) – Great for faltering enemies
- Heaven Splitter (Chapter 14) – Strong stun & AoE
- Holy Swarm (Chapter 11) – High raw damage
- Auto Turret (Chapter 12) – Good for healing setups
📌 Ground Fissure and Heaven Splitter are generally the most useful across all difficulties.
🔁 Upgrade Priority Recap (Recommended Order)
- Shield Saw
- Combat Shotgun
- Flail
- Ground Fissure Rune
- Ravager
- Impaler
- Accelerator
- Heaven Splitter Rune
Upgrading gear in DOOM: The Dark Ages is a satisfying loop that rewards exploration and smart resource use. If you’re thorough, you’ll end up with more than enough to fully upgrade your entire arsenal—and even have some left in the bank. Just remember to plan around your favorite weapons and make sure you’re not overcommitting to ammo-sharing combos early.
Related Article:
- All Health, Armor & Ammo Upgrade Locations
- Full Weapon Guide with Locations & Upgrades
- Beginner Tips to Help You Rip and Tear Like a Pro
- The Dark Ages – Controls, Unlocks, and Tips
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