Loot & Progression

How to purify gear in Crimson Moon

Follow a drop from the ground to a Reserve slot, through a Nexus Gate, into the Armory, and back out as a future starting Loadout.

Updated September 30, 2026 Official Loadout and Purification rules checked September 6

Equip a drop or Store it in a Reserve slot, then carry it through a Nexus Gate or finish the Mission. That secures the item. Returning to Sanctus Clypeus adds its purified version to your permanent Armory; a newly unlocked item starts at Common quality.

Find the rule you need

Why did my rare item become Common?
Why can I not change my starting Loadout at the hub?
What happens to my gear if I fail?

Equip, Store, Secure, Purify, and Loadout

Term	What it means
Equip	Put the ground item into its active slot immediately. The previous active item drops onto the ground.
Store	Place an unequipped item into a limited Reserve or Bag slot so it can be carried to a checkpoint.
Secured Gear	Equipped or Stored Gear that has crossed a Nexus Gate, or reached Mission completion.
Purification	Add the recovered item permanently to the Armory. The official Wiki says the first Armory copy is Common Tier.
Armory	The permanent collection of purified Weapons, Armor, and Trinkets.
Loadout	The starting selection drawn from the Armory before a new Run. It does not mirror every temporary item or Boon carried in the active Run.
Blacksmith upgrade	A separate permanent upgrade that raises an Armory item's Quality and its future minimum drop Tier.

The Complete Gear Lifecycle

Find a Weapon, Armor piece, or Trinket during a Mission.
Choose Equip for immediate power, or Store to keep it off the active build.
Pass through a Nexus Gate. Gear acquired or Stored by that point becomes secured.
Finish the Mission or return after failure. Secured Gear is Purified at the hub.
Open the Armory. A Common Tier version of a newly purified item is now part of the permanent collection.
Spend Gold at the Blacksmith to improve its permanent Quality when the relevant Character Level is unlocked.
Select the upgraded Armory item when preparing the Loadout for a later Run.

A final boss clear is not required for Gate-secured Gear

The launch Support article says Gear acquired or Stored when crossing a Nexus Gate survives a later Mission failure in a weaker, purified form.

Gear flow: equip or store, secure at a Nexus Gate or Mission completion, return, then unlock the Common Armory copy. — Our diagram of the published gear rules. A checkpoint secures the item; purification and permanent upgrades are separate steps. Official gear retention rules · Further official explanation

When to Equip and When to Store

Equip when the new item improves the current Run enough to justify dropping the active piece. Store when the item belongs to a future build, has a Weapon Art you want to unlock, or would weaken the build you need to survive the current Mission.

Situation	Safer choice
The drop completes the current status or survival plan.	Equip it and use the power now.
The item is new, but its current stats or effects break the active build.	Store it for Purification.
The item is already in the Armory and adds no useful Run-only effect.	Leave it unless its current Tier is a clear upgrade.
Reserve slots are nearly full before a Gate.	Keep space for a genuinely new item or a future build anchor.

There is no traditional mid-Mission inventory screen. Field footage also shows that a Stored item can occupy its Reserve slot until the player returns to the hub, with no reliable way to replace it inside that segment. Character Levels 4 and 7 each add two Bag slots according to the official level table.

The official inventory wording is incomplete

One Support page says field Gear is meant to be used rather than stored, while the failure and completion pages explicitly refer to Stored Loot and the official level table grants Bag slots. The release UI and several field tests confirm a Store action, so this guide treats it as limited Reserve storage rather than a traditional inventory.

What Survives a Failed Mission

Kept	Lost
Collected XP, gained Levels, and permanent unlocks	Bonus completion XP
A portion of Souls earned from enemies	Some enemy Souls and all bonus completion Souls
Gear acquired or Stored when crossing a Nexus Gate	Gear that never reached a Nexus Gate or Mission completion
Collected Lore Scrolls	Consumables found during the Mission, excluding starting Consumables

There is no corpse marker and no return trip for unsecured Gear.

Official Gold guidance conflicts

An earlier official Beginner's Guide says earned Gold survives failure. The newer launch Support failure checklist does not list Gold under either kept or lost resources. Until retail behavior or an updated official rule resolves the gap, Gold stays out of both columns.

What Purification Keeps and Removes

Purification keeps the item in the permanent collection, but it does not copy the exact field drop into the Armory. The official Wiki says a newly purified item appears there at Common Tier. The official Armory article classifies mid-Hunt Boons and buffs as Run-only.

A Weapon, Armor piece, or Trinket becomes a permanent Armory option.
The field item's higher Tier does not become the first permanent Tier. The first Armory version is Common.
Temporary field Boons and buffs should not be assumed to survive the Run.
Named Trinkets are a documented exception in a different sense: the official catalog defines each Trinket by the Boon it grants.

Player footage consistently shows powerful multi-effect field Gear returning as a simpler version. The exact treatment of every random affix, Armor-set effect, Ring, and Amulet still needs a release-build comparison.

Armory Upgrades and Future Drop Tiers

Purification and upgrading solve different problems. Purification unlocks the item permanently. A Blacksmith upgrade raises the Armory item's Quality and sets a higher floor for future copies found during Runs.

Character Level	Permanent upgrade unlocked
2	Uncommon
4	Rare
12	Epic

One pre-launch result conflicts with the official rule

A two-player review showed an Uncommon Moon Halberd after the Armory version had reportedly been upgraded to Rare. The official Wiki says future versions should respect the upgraded minimum Tier. The review used a pre-launch build, and the item identity cannot be independently checked, so the official rule remains primary while the mismatch stays flagged for retail testing.

The level milestones show when these upgrade options and additional Bag slots unlock.

Why the Loadout Is Locked Mid-Run

The Loadout is your starting kit for a new Run. The developer confirmed on September 2 that the Loadout Station stays unavailable while that Run is active, even after you complete a Mission and return to Sanctus Clypeus.

During the active Run	Before the next new Run
Equip drops found in the field.	Select any available purified Armory Gear.
Buy Gear that the vendor immediately equips.	Build the complete starting Loadout at the portal.
Upgrade permanent Armory items for later use.	Choose the starting Angel and Consumables.
Continue with the current Run's Boons and carried Gear.	Begin without the previous Run's temporary Boons.

The lock is part of the Run rules

The September 2 clarification replaces the earlier AMA wording. Complete the full Run or reach True Death before choosing a fresh starting Loadout.

Safe Return Checklist

Check whether the item is new to the Armory before using a Reserve slot.
Equip only when the drop improves the current Run or protects a more valuable find.
Store future build pieces before the next Nexus Gate.
Confirm the desired Gear has crossed a Gate before taking a high-risk fight.
At the hub, check that the item appears in the Armory and note its Common starting Tier.
Upgrade the few items central to a planned Loadout, then equip them before the next new Run.

Choose permanent upgrades around a setup you will use, such as the Frost target equipment. For when the current Run actually ends, see the three-Mission and boss sequence.

Normal reset or a progress bug?

What happened	Next check
Loadout is unavailable between Missions	This is expected during an active Run; check when it unlocks.
Field-quality item returns at Common quality	Compare its purified version and permanent upgrades; this is not the same as losing the item.
Some effects are missing from the purified version	Check which effects purification keeps before treating this as lost progress.
Character levels or permanent collection disappear	Use the save-loss checklist.
Guest cannot pick up a Lore Scroll	Check the developer-confirmed co-op issue.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which items can be purified?

Weapons, Armor, and Trinkets are explicitly confirmed.

Can Stored items be purified?

Yes. Unequipped Gear in a Reserve slot is secured when it passes through a Nexus Gate or reaches Mission completion.

Can I replace a Stored item during a Mission?

Field tests show the occupied Reserve slot staying locked until the player returns to the hub. The official Support pages do not document a replacement control.

Does Purification keep the Tier and every Boon?

No. A newly purified item appears in the Armory at Common Tier, and mid-Hunt Boons and buffs are described as Run-only. Named Trinkets can grant their own documented Boon.

Can I change my full Loadout between Districts?

No. The developer confirms that the station stays locked during the active Run. You can still use field drops and available vendor gear, then choose a new starting Loadout once the Run ends.

Is upgrading with Gajov the same as Purification?

No. Purification adds Gear to the permanent collection. Blacksmith upgrades raise the Quality of an item already in the Armory.

Sources and Evidence

Official sources explain the rules. Third-party gameplay reports are identified by author and describe the version or session shown; they are not our own tests.