How the Arsenal Works in Xterium — Details, Upgrades, and Overclocking

On this page

Parts, drawings, and upgrades—the three building blocks
Slots: 8 at once, plus a few more
Upgrades cannot be changed during combat
Upgrade Progress: You May Lose Your Progress
Overlocking: A Permanent Bonus at the Cost of Losing a Level
Where to get parts
How to Apply This
Frequently Asked Questions
What to Read Next

The Arsenal is a workshop where you can enhance your fleet and defenses with permanent bonuses. Using parts found in battles, you assemble upgrades (permanent improvements), level them up, and, if you wish, put them into “overclocking”—a special mode that squeezes even more out of the upgrade. Let’s break down the system step by step—all the numbers are taken directly from the game’s code, with no guesswork involved.

Where do these numbers come from? All values are taken from the game’s upgrade and parts data and in-game text. Explanations in plain language and tactical advice come from the player community (wiki, forum thread, authors Storm22073, Shataev, Kara). See the “Arsenal” section for upgrade and component cards.

Parts, drawings, and upgrades—the three building blocks

The arsenal is divided into three parts:

Components are consumables. They are used to assemble upgrades and pay for their improvements. In the game, there are 16 "craftable" types, plus special ones: Class I/II/III Cores and Stabilizers.
Blueprints — allow you to unlock a new upgrade. Each upgrade has its own blueprint.
Upgrades are items you place in slots to receive a permanent bonus. There are 44 upgrades in total, divided into three sectors: Barbarians, Pirates, and Ravagers.

Each upgrade has its own effect. For example, the “Photon Generator” enhances laser weapons, “Carbon Reinforcement” enhances light armor, and the “Shield Stabilizer” enhances light shields. The upgrade’s bonus is listed for the maximum level (as stated directly in the game).

Slots: 8 at once, plus a few more

Upgrades are placed in slots. The game states that you can have up to 13 slots in total. Eight basic slots are available for purchase right away, and three more slots unlock after you defeat the highest-level enemy (Level 5) in the “Hostile” sector.

There aren't many slots, but there are plenty of upgrades—so you have to tailor your setup to the task at hand: some for attack, others for defense, and still others for fleet speed.

Upgrades cannot be changed during combat

An important rule that's easy to overlook. The game has a strict prohibition:

"You cannot change upgrades during active combat missions."

This means that once you've assembled your fleet and selected your upgrades, you won't be able to change the upgrades while your fleet is in battle or on a combat mission. Therefore, you need to plan your upgrades in advance, before sending out your fleet, rather than at the last minute.

Upgrade Progress: You May Lose Your Progress

Upgrades are improved in stages using parts. But upgrading can be risky—the game features several modes with different consequences if you fail:

Standard upgrade: If the upgrade attempt fails, the item will be destroyed (you will get the Stabilizers back when it is destroyed).
Stable Improvement — consumes Stabilizers, but is safer: if the attempt fails, the level isn't reset to zero but is reduced (by 3 or 1, depending on the situation).

So you have a choice: cheaper and riskier (“Normal”) or more expensive and more reliable (“Stable”). Stabilizers are actually obtained when old upgrades are destroyed—the system is self-contained.

Overlocking: A Permanent Bonus at the Cost of Losing a Level

Overlocking (referred to in the game as “level sharpening”) is the reason experienced players grind for parts. When an upgrade reaches the overlocking stage, three things happen (exactly as described in the game):

Permanent bonus — the upgrade receives a bonus that remains with it permanently.
The level has been reset to 1—all progress on this level has been reset to zero; you'll have to start over.
The price of upgrades has increased—each subsequent level costs more.

Here's how it works in terms of numbers (from the code): Each upgrade has 5 available overclocking slots (resets). The cost of a single reset in Star Ore depends on the upgrade sector:

Barbarian upgrades — 50 Star Ore per reset;
Pirate upgrades — 100 Star Ore per reset;
Devastator upgrades — 200 Star Ore per reset.

After a reset, the cost of upgrading parts increases by about 3 times, while the cost of upgrading Cores increases by 1.5 times, and each overlock adds 5 base levels to the cost. Simply put: overclocking is “resetting and paying extra to become permanently stronger.” It’s worth doing for upgrades that you actually keep in your slots all the time.

Where to get parts

All upgrade parts are obtained in the "Hostail" sector—these are combat missions against mobs from three factions. From the game code (part descriptions):

Common Parts (Reactor, Condenser, Distributor, Supercharger, and others) drop during flights against Barbarians, Pirates, and Ravagers—each faction has its own parts and its own drop probability (high / medium / low).
Class I Core — from the Barbarian Boss and from the Barbarian Container.
Class II Core — from the Pirate Boss and from the Pirate Container.
Class III Core — from the Ravagers' Boss and from the Ravagers' container.
Stabilizers — obtained when upgrades are destroyed (that is, during risky leveling).

For more information about sectors and bosses, see the article “Hostail Sectors and Bosses”. To find out where to mine Star Ore for overclocking, see the guide “How to Mine Star Ore”.

How to Apply This

First, decide which upgrades you want to keep permanently, and only overclock those—overclocking is expensive and lowers your performance level.
Build up your set before the battle. You can't change your upgrades during the battle or while in flight—it'll be too late.
If you're short on Stabilizers, use "Stable" only for important upgrades; use "Normal" for the rest (but be aware of the risk of loss).
Save your cores—they only drop from bosses, and they're the rarest crafting resource in the arsenal.

Where to Start Leveling Up Your Arsenal — in the guide “How to Level Up Your Arsenal”].

Frequently Asked Questions

How many upgrades does Xterium have in its arsenal? The game code includes 44 upgrades, divided into three sectors: Barbarians, Pirates, and Ravagers. Their cards can be found in the “Arsenal” section

What is overlocking, and why is it needed? Overclocking grants the upgrade a permanent bonus, but resets its level to 1 and increases the cost of further upgrades. Each upgrade has 5 overlocking slots; the cost of one is 50 / 100 / 200 Star Ore, depending on the sector (Barbarians / Pirates / Ravagers).

Can you change upgrades during combat? No. The game explicitly prohibits it: you cannot change upgrades during active combat missions. You need to assemble your set in advance.

Where can I get parts for upgrades? In the "Hostile" sector: standard parts come from Barbarians, Pirates, and Ravagers; Class I/II/III Cores come from the bosses of the corresponding factions; Stabilizers are obtained when upgrades are destroyed.