Upgrade Path
Each stage needs the matching piece plus its full material turn-in. The Stolen Imperium legacy route jumps straight to Improved.
Start
Paneleon
Badges 500
no set bonus
Stage 2
Paneleon Spec
Badges 1,000
no set bonus
Stage 3
Adjusted
Badges 2,000
7pc · 10%
Stage 4
Improved
Badges 2,500
7pc · 15%
Stage 5
Modified
Badges 3,000
7pc · 20%
Stage 6
Augmented
Badges 3,500
7pc · 20% +1% crit
Peak
Perfected
Badges 4,000
7pc · 20% +1% crit
01
Acquisition & Gating
Where it starts
Imperium is a faction-gated chain, not a looted set you simply upgrade. Progress unlocks by accumulating A.R.C. Faction Badges, each tier demanding a higher count — from 500 at Paneleon up to 4,000 at Augmented.
The starting A.R.C. Guardian pieces are looted from Old Paneleon (and tougher Paneleon variants). Every upgrade is then handled by Zedmore "Zed" Fontaine on the 3rd floor of the HUB.
The Stolen Imperium shortcut
Hold a full bound set of Stolen Imperium? The Stolen Armor Trader converts it straight to Improved — needing 2,500 A.R.C. Badges plus a full set of Stolen Imperium + a full set of B.E. Pilot armor and bulk materials (7× the single-piece Improved cost).
Everyone else climbs the tiers in order.
02
Tiers · Protection & Materials
protection per piece · turn-ins ×7 for a full setStart
Paneleon Imperium
badge gate
500
500
Protection · per piece
Burn41
Cut12
Impact12
Stab12
Durability3,000
No set bonus at this tier
Turn-in · per piece
- A.R.C. Guardian Armor Piece×1
- Zekkonian Relic×3
- Tail Tip×25
- Crystal Pollen×25
- Ozpyn Filters×25
- Bonding Liquid×25
- Zorn Star Ingot×35
- Animal Oil Residue×100
- Paneleon Pristine Element×1
Stage 2
Paneleon Spec
badge gate
1,000
1,000
Protection · per piece
Burn25
Cut17
Impact50
Durability3,000
No set bonus at this tier
Turn-in · per piece
- Paneleon Imperium Piece (matching)×1
- A.R.C. Guardian Piece (matching)×1
- Zekkonian Relic×3
- Ozpyn Matrix×25
- Cyrene Mission Tokens×25
- Olerin Ingot×35
- Lesser Claw×35
- Animal Oil Residue×200
- Tide Claw Pristine Element×1
Stage 3
Adjusted Imperium
badge gate
2,000
2,000
Protection · per piece
Acid25
Burn8
Cold12
Cut14
Electric12
Impact14
Penetration8
Stab14
Durability3,000
Increased Evade Chance · 7pc 10%
Increased Crit Damage reduction · 7pc 10%
Increased Crit Damage reduction · 7pc 10%
Turn-in · per piece
- Paneleon Spec Piece×1
- Imperium Key Cube×20
- Collectible: Imperium Pilot×1
- Aquatic Gland×10
- Big Bird Wing×10
- Nosi Ingot×25
- Scrap Iron×25
- Animal Oil Residue×400
- Stalkerbot Pristine Element×1
Stage 4
Improved Imperium
badge gate
2,500
2,500
Protection · per piece
Acid25
Burn8
Cold12
Cut19
Electric12
Impact19
Penetration8
Stab19
Durability3,800
Increased Evade Chance · 7pc 15%
Increased Crit Damage reduction · 7pc 15%
Increased Crit Damage reduction · 7pc 15%
Turn-in · per piece
- Adjusted Imperium Piece×1
- B.E. Pilot Armor Piece×1
- Cyrenium Ingot×10
- Medium Power Cell×10
- Collectible: A.R.C. Soldier×1
- Flesh×10
- Partial Eye Remains×25
- Sothorite Ingot×25
- Animal Oil Residue×600
- Acidic Jelly Pristine Element×1
Stage 5
Modified Imperium
badge gate
3,000
3,000
Protection · per piece
Acid25
Burn8
Cold24
Cut24
Electric12
Impact24
Penetration8
Stab24
Durability4,100
Increased Evade Chance · 7pc 20%
Increased Crit Damage reduction · 7pc 20%
Increased Crit Damage reduction · 7pc 20%
Turn-in · per piece
- Improved Imperium Piece×1
- A.R.C. Inaugurates Piece×1
- Jade Fragment×10
- High Grade Power Supply×10
- Collectible: Fenris Wolf×1
- Pure Body Oil×25
- Leethiz Ingot×25
- Terrestrial Hormone×25
- Animal Oil Residue×800
- Wiles Pristine Element×1
Stage 6
Augmented Imperium
badge gate
3,500
3,500
Protection · per piece
Acid25
Burn8
Cold24
Cut29
Electric12
Impact29
Penetration8
Stab29
Durability4,500
Increased Evade Chance · 7pc 20%
Increased Crit Damage reduction · 7pc 20%
Increased Critical Hit · 7pc 1%
Increased Crit Damage reduction · 7pc 20%
Increased Critical Hit · 7pc 1%
Turn-in · per piece
- Modified Imperium Piece×1
- A.R.C. Patrol Piece×1
- Blood Fragment×10
- Imperium Servo×10
- Collectible: Molten Golem×1
- Red Molten Crystal×10
- Wiley Ingot×10
- Weak Sinew×1
- Animal Oil Residue×1,000
- Golem Pristine Element×1
Peak
Perfected Imperium
badge gate
4,000
4,000
Protection · per piece
Acid25
Burn8
Cold24
Cut36
Electric12
Impact36
Penetration8
Stab36
Durability5,200
Increased Evade Chance · 7pc 20%
Increased Crit Damage reduction · 7pc 20%
Increased Critical Hit · 7pc 1%
Increased Crit Damage reduction · 7pc 20%
Increased Critical Hit · 7pc 1%
Turn-in · per piece
- Augmented Imperium Piece×1
- A.R.C. Commander Piece×1
- Cobalt Fragment×10
- Heavy Power Cell×2
- Collectible: Rhino Beetle×1
- Blue Icy Crystal×10
- Ycy Ingot×10
- Strong Sinew×1
- Animal Oil Residue×1,200
- Byd Byrd Pristine Element×1
The top of the chain. Highest protection and durability of any Imperium tier — 5,200 durability per piece.
Animal Oil Residue is the throttle on the whole chain: 100 → 200 → 400 → 600 → 800 → 1,000 → 1,200 per piece, climbing every tier. Across all 7 pieces, the final Perfected step alone is 8,400 Animal Oil Residue.
03
Set Bonuses
evade + crit-damage reduction · by pieces worn| Tier | Increased Evade & Crit-Damage Reduction | Increased Critical Hit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3pc | 5pc | 7pc | 3pc | 5pc | 7pc | |
| Paneleon | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Paneleon Spec | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Adjusted | 2% | 5% | 10% | — | — | — |
| Improved | 3% | 8% | 15% | — | — | — |
| Modified | 5% | 10% | 20% | — | — | — |
| Augmented | 5% | 10% | 20% | TBD | TBD | 1% |
| Perfected | 5% | 10% | 20% | TBD | TBD | 1% |
Each tier sets a ceiling (the 7-piece value), and the number of matching pieces decides how much of it you unlock. The two defensive effects — Increased Evade Chance and Increased Critical Damage reduction — always move together at the same percentage. From Modified up, the split is fixed at 5% / 10% / 20%, and the top two tiers add a small Increased Critical Hit bonus (1% at 7-piece).