IntermediateProgression

Unit Upgrade Priority

Which units to upgrade first and why. Optimize your gem investment for maximum power in Universal Tower Defense.

6 min readData checked: 2026-07-06

Data Source:Unit names and baseline stats use Likely canonical unit records checked on 2026-07-06. Trait rates use mixed canonical trait records checked on 2026-07-06; relic caps use Likely canonical relic records checked on 2026-07-06. Priority order, E-level value, and unmapped aliases such as Kyito/Sakuya remain guide-model notes until current run data confirms them.

Core Upgrade Principles

Economy First

Fastcart is the first economy investment to review.

Etherealize Dupes

Keep duplicate Mythics until you know whether their passives matter for your route.

Focus Resources

Max out one carry before spreading resources thin.

Stat Point Allocation

DPS Units (Sun Jin Wu, Kenpachi, Ace)

Priority: Cooldown > Damage

Cooldown reduction gives the biggest DPS increase for skill-based units.

Support Units (Virtual Idol, Admiral)

Priority: Range > Cooldown

Larger range means more units get buffed.

Upgrade Priority List

🛒

Fastcart

Economy

Fastcart is the governed economy unit record. Prioritize it early because in-battle income controls upgrade timing.

Etherealize Priority:High - economy passives need current review

Suggested Traits:

Fortunate (1%)Economy utility

🔥

Jinoo (Monarch)

Secret carry

Strong carry in the legacy priority model; exact overall rank depends on mode, traits, relics, and current run evidence.

Etherealize Priority:High - summon scaling notes need review

Suggested Traits:

Ruler (0.1%)Sacred (0.3%)Damage boost

⚔️

Berserker (Enraged)

Armor check

Useful when a mode rewards high armor pressure and debuff utility; legacy ranking language should be verified against current content.

Etherealize Priority:High - passive scaling needs review

Suggested Traits:

Ruler (0.1%)Sacred (0.3%)Duelist (0.8%)

♠️

Spade (Donut)

DOT carry

Good DOT-focused investment candidate in guide logic; exact E-level and armor-bypass behavior should stay review-labeled.

Etherealize Priority:High - DOT passives need review

Suggested Traits:

Ruler (0.1%)Wizard (0.5%)

🎤

Virtual Idol (Superstar)

Support

High-priority support when your team depends on buff coverage. Treat exact buff potency and uptime as current-test items.

Etherealize Priority:High - buff scaling needs review

Suggested Traits:

Range boosting traitsCooldown reduction

⚡

Kyito (legacy alias)

VR legacy pick

Kept for search intent and legacy Virtual Realm notes, but the exact canonical unit mapping still needs confirmation.

Etherealize Priority:Medium - mapping needed before hard ranking

Suggested Traits:

Duelist (0.8%)Crit boosting

⚓

Admiral (Magma)

Support

Useful support candidate in challenge content when boss control or damage amplification is needed.

Etherealize Priority:Medium

Suggested Traits:

Support/utility traits

🔪

Sakuya (legacy notes)

Support/Hybrid

Time-stop utility can be valuable, but this row needs canonical unit mapping before publishing exact stats or rankings.

Etherealize Priority:Medium - mapping needed

Suggested Traits:

Damage/utility traits

Relic Priority by Unit Type

Unit Type	Priority Relic	Value
Kyito	Crit Rate / Crit Damage	+120%
Ace	DOT Damage	+75%
Virtual Idol	Buff Potency	+45%
Kenpachi	Hyper Armor Damage	+100%
General DPS	Cooldown / Damage	-22.5% CD / +60% DMG

Next Steps

Complete Trait Guide

Understanding trait probabilities

Gem Farming Guide

Get resources faster