How to improve Gear Score in Nightingale

Your character’s Gear Score in Nightingale shows their overall power in their realm. Many creatures and objects in your realm will also have power levels, and if you’re too low, it’s easy for them to overwhelm you.

There are multiple ways for you to increase Gear Score. It all comes down to progression. If you’re struggling to become stronger, it doesn’t hurt to set up a base and begin crafting everything you can to improve your equipment, armor, and tools. Here’s what you need to know about the best way to improve your character’s Gear Score in Nightingale.

Nightingale Gear Score, explained

Your Gear Score in Nightingale is a character’s power, and it’s based on what items your character holds and what clothes they’re wearing. This includes any tools they’re using. If your character has standard equipment at level 10 and they hold a level three pickaxe their score will go down, but it goes up when they hold a level six pickaxe—even if you’re only using it to collect resources. Hopefully, you’re not having trouble splitting stacks like I was.

How to increase Gear Score in Nightingale

There’s several easy ways to increase your Gear Score in Nightingale. Before you set out in Nightingale, set up a camp and craft starting work benches. These should unlock access to the more helpful tools, such as the Simple Mining Pick or the Simple Wood Axe. These are level 20, which are considerably better than the starting tools you first create.

After this, improve the equipment you’re wearing, including everything from your top, bottom, and gloves to your shoes and gear. These slots add up to your Gear Score and create an average. If one of these slots is lower than the others, it will bring the overall power down, making some enemies too strong to tackle. I recommend doing this before attempting to take on a Site of Power. These are great to conquer in multiplayer games.

You might not be able to unlock new gear immediately, either. Instead, you may need to progress the story of Nightingale or seek out traders as you explore your world to see what crafting recipes they can offer you. These varying crafting recipes are exceptionally helpful in unlocking far better equipment, giving you access to stronger tools, equipment, and weapons.

If you’re stuck on your low Gear Score for some time, take a break from the main quest and try exploring. You might be able to find new materials you can bring back to your base in Nightingale, and use them at your crafting benches.