Crimson Moon Gear Purification: Keep Items & Upgrade Quality
Purification unlocks an item for future loadouts; it does not preserve the rarity of the copy you found. Permanent quality upgrades are a separate Gold purchase at Gajov. A Rare item returning as Common can therefore be expected behavior.
From a new find to a future starting item
- Collect eligible equipment during a run and bring it back to Sanctus Clypeus.
- Purification happens automatically on return for eligible carried or stashed gear. Check the pause menu’s Purified Items panel for the permanent unlock and minimum quality.
- A newly purified item begins at Common in the permanent collection, regardless of its found rarity.
- At Gajov, select the permanent upgrade service and spend Gold to raise that item’s minimum quality. Character-level gates are 2 for Uncommon, 4 for Rare and 12 for Epic.
- Select the unlocked item at the Loadout Station before a new run. During an active run the station stays locked, even after a hub return.
The purification reference ↗ (external; new tab) documents these steps and gates; official support ↗ (external; new tab) confirms that Blacksmith upgrades persist between runs. We have not independently measured these in game.
Identify which thing changed
| Observation | Interpretation | Next check |
|---|---|---|
| Rare drop is Common in the collection | Finding quality and permanent quality are separate. | Check the permanent minimum, not just the run copy. |
| A purchased Epic item is not permanently Epic | Buying run gear unlocks the item at Common; it is not the same as a permanent upgrade. | Use the permanent upgrade panel if you want a higher floor. |
| A Boon disappeared after the run | An extra run-only effect is not preserved by purification. | Compare innate gear effects with temporary Boons. |
| Loadout Station cannot be used after a mission | A hub visit can be inside the same active run. | Continue at the War Table; see the run sequence. |
The gear progression reference ↗ (external; new tab) distinguishes purchased run copies, permanent quality and temporary effects. Once permanently upgraded, future copies cannot fall below that minimum. For example, upgrading to Uncommon sets an Uncommon floor; it does not guarantee Rare drops.
Does dying save every new item?
Do not assume every unbanked pickup is protected. The sources differ in how they describe this edge case. The current Wiki says purification also occurs on a return after death. The August 26 official failure guide ↗ (external; new tab) says equipment must have passed through a Nexus Gate or reached the end of the mission to be retained, and describes other looted equipment as lost.
Those statements do not prove that dying before the first gate preserves every item. For an important find, take the documented gate/completion route and check the permanent collection on return. That is our conservative reading of the conflicting descriptions, not a tested extraction guarantee.
When an item still looks missing
First separate a collection rule from an upgrade bug. Losing temporary run effects during purification is different from an equipped item unexpectedly losing its Boons immediately after an upgrade.
Record its exact name, whether you reached a Nexus Gate, the original rarity, the collection’s minimum quality and the game version. A rarity reset, missing temporary Boon and missing item unlock are three different issues. Report the last case to official support ↗ (external; new tab) with those details.
The official 1.0.2 release notes ↗ (external; new tab) list fixes for equipment losing Boons on upgrade, the Purified Items menu failing to switch tabs, and several unlock rewards not taking effect. If the menu cannot show the relevant category, do not conclude that the item was deleted. If the upgrade itself changes an effect, capture the before/after item and service rather than treating it as normal purification.
Continue with the named weapon index, innate versus temporary Boons and Gold versus Souls. This guide does not provide verified drop percentages or an optimal farming route.