Basic Trope: A piece of equipment is upgraded to make it more effective.
- Straight: In Tales of Troperia XII, weapons and armor can be upgraded at a Blacksmith for fee. For example, the Steel Longsword becomes a Quality Steel Longsword.
- Exaggerated: Standard weapons can be upgraded in this fashion until they are even better than than the Infinity +1 Sword.
- Downplayed: Upgraded equipment is only slightly better than the original, like a single point of extra damage or single point of added protection.
- Justified:
- Your character starts off as a basic soldier in the army and gets the most basic equipment as a result. Completing missions enables you to upgrade your equipment as you rise in rank and importance.
- The equipment is old. Your not so much upgrading it as removing the flaws that have developed. (EG: Upgrading a Blunted Steel Longsword to a Resharpened Steel Longsword)
- Inverted: Basic equipment is actually better than upgraded equipment.
- Subverted: Equipment can be upgraded at the Blacksmith, but due to a plot point, the metals used are flawed and actually make the equipment worse.
- Double Subverted: ...but a sidequest allows you to solve the metal crisis, making the upgrades effective once again.
- Parodied: You take a simple steel longsword to the Blacksmith, who turns it into a gigantic black katana that glows.
- Zig-Zagged: Equipment can be upgraded at a Blacksmith, but due to a plot point, the metals used are flawed and actually make the "upgraded" equipment worse. You can sold the crisis through a sidequest, making the upgrades work appropriately once again...but even the upgraded equipment is easily outclassed by the unique weapons you get as quest rewards.
- Averted: Equipment cannot be upgraded in any way.
- Enforced: The game is based on a book in which the hero has his sword upgraded in this fashion right before a key battle, so it is implemented in the game this way as well.
- Lampshaded: Party member Quirby comments upon upgrading equipment for the first time "damn, why don't they just make them that way to start?"
- Exploited:
- Defied:
- Discussed:
- Conversed:
- Deconstructed: Resource management is part of the game and by upgrading the equipment of your main party, it leaves less material to provide equipment for your nation's army. Upgrade your party too much, and many more of your generic soldiers will die due to poor equipment.
- Reconstructed:
- Played for Laughs:
- Played for Drama:
