Obsidian Knight Obsidian Orb Upgrade Priority
The verified use of Obsidian Orbs is upgrading collected Skill Cards. Public community threads repeatedly favor Skill Card upgrades before paid Fortification rolls, but card effects, costs, and Fortification spending can change between versions.
Do not follow a fixed card tier list. Choose by whether the card appeared in your last three runs, whether it addresses the current failure, and whether you can compare the result after upgrading.
The three-step answer
- Record the Skill Cards actually selected in the last three runs.
- Choose one connected group: a trigger, its payoff, or reusable survival support.
- Upgrade one item and retry the same mode three times.
Delay cards whose role is unclear, cards already removed from the choice pool, and cards that do not connect to the current build.
Check the current screen first
Check | Where | Decision |
|---|---|---|
Orb balance | Currency display | Do not empty the full balance at once |
Cards that can be upgraded | Skill Card upgrade screen | Compare only targets with an available action |
Before-and-after description | Selected card details | Record the displayed change |
Actual usage | Notes from three recent runs | Delay cards you do not select |
Fortification cost | Current roll or upgrade screen | Compare it only when Orb spending is displayed |
If an upgrade button is missing, do not assume the card is permanently finished. Check the current description and unlock route because progression requirements and later updates can change what is available.
Sort cards by role
1. Trigger
Crit, Dodge, Potion use, and Stun are examples of events that can activate connected effects. If the build struggles to start, shortlist a trigger card that you repeatedly select.
2. Payoff
These cards turn the trigger into damage, survival, or recovery. Improving a trigger alone does not stabilize a run when its connected payoff rarely forms.
3. Reusable survival support
These cards reduce early deaths or Potion depletion across several builds. Do not prioritize survival alone when the actual failure is a time limit.
4. Isolated or unclear cards
Delay cards that did not appear in recent builds, have no known connection, or cannot be explained. Displayed rarity alone is not a priority rule.
Skill Cards versus Fortifications
Multiple community threads recommend finishing useful Skill Card upgrades before redirecting Orbs to Fortification rolls. This is a community decision pattern, not an official universal order. Apply it through the conditions below.
Situation | Compare first | Reason |
|---|---|---|
Frequently used cards still have upgrades | Skill Cards | Their role can be tested across repeated runs |
The build fails to form consistently | Trigger and payoff cards | Fortifications do not create the missing card chain |
You cannot explain the next card upgrade | Save the Orbs | Do not spread currency across unclear targets |
Needed card upgrades are complete | Current Fortification screen | Compare only when the current screen shows the cost and result |
Free Fortification opportunities remain | Free rolls first | Learn the result range before paid rolls |
This guide does not fix Fortification roll costs, star levels, merge counts, or a final tier. Use the Fortification decision guide to compare the current screen.
Match the upgrade to the failure
You die early
Check whether low damage is extending exposure as well as whether survival is insufficient. If Potion depletion repeats across three runs, compare a Potion-trigger chain and reusable survival support.
You reach a time limit
Prioritize the trigger for the main attack and its connected damage payoff. More defense cannot be measured against a damage-timer failure when survival is already stable.
You stop at a boss
Check whether the build is complete before reaching the boss. Before upgrading a card that looks boss-specific, confirm that its trigger and payoff appear together often enough.
Results vary heavily between runs
Before adding more upgrade targets, check unwanted-card control and whether one trigger can anchor the build. See Skill Card selection.
Pre-spending checklist
Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
Did you select it in the last three runs? | Keep it as a candidate | Delay it |
Can you explain its trigger or payoff? | Check the connection | Save |
Does it address the current failure? | Upgrade one item | Diagnose another cause |
Did you record the before-and-after display? | Start the test | Record it first |
Will enough Orbs remain for the next comparison? | Spend only what is needed | Avoid emptying the balance |
Run the same test three times
- Record the card text, Orb balance, and current failure before upgrading.
- Upgrade one card or one connected role.
- Retry the same mode and difficulty three times.
- Compare selection frequency, chain completion, and the first failure point.
- If the symptom does not change, diagnose the run before spending more on the same type.
Changing several cards and Fortifications together hides which upgrade mattered.
Values this guide does not fix
- Per-card upgrade values and Orb costs
- One universal ranking for every Skill Card
- Fortification roll costs, star levels, and merge counts
- Maximum Skill Card rank and later unlock requirements
- Fixed daily Orb income, drop rates, or one best farming route
- A claim that exchanging Rubies for Orbs is always efficient
If the current display differs, follow the current game screen.