Permanent upgrades are the backbone of every long Ratatan run, because gear and party power only carry you so far before the harder boss phases of Episode 3 and Dark Ratatan encounters start punishing every unspent token. Version 1.0 lifted the weapon level cap from 90 to 100 through a fourth limit break stage, and that single change made the choice of where to pour resources more punishing than ever. This guide walks through the actual currency map, what to upgrade first, and how to turn a thin wallet into a genuine power spike.
Understanding the Ratatan Currency Map
Ratatan runs on layered currencies, and confusing them is the most common reason a save file stalls at Episode 2. Before you decide what to upgrade first, you need to know which token pays for what, because mixing them up burns hours of farming for nothing.
Core Currency Types in Version 1.0
The Version 1.0 update reshuffled several reward pools, and the community has since catalogued the main spendable resources into five distinct buckets. Each one feeds a different upgrade track, and none of them substitute for each other at the shop interface.
| Currency | Primary Use | Earned From | Resets? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Weapon crafting, base upgrades, shop consumables | Stage clears, mini-boss drops, gambling minigame | No |
| Beads | Ratakaruta leveling and duo unlocks | Story missions, Ratakaruta reward tracks | No |
| Upgrade Tokens | Mythic limit breaks, tier-4 cap unlocks | Boss drops, Episode 3+ reward pools, Upgrade Material Set | No |
| Decorune Shards | Accessory slot upgrades and rerolls | Daily stages, accessory farming nodes | Daily cap |
| Event Medals | Limited shop rotations, cosmetic + consumable bundles | Event missions, seasonal objectives | Per event |
Gold and Beads feel interchangeable in the early game, but the moment you try to push a Mythic weapon past level 90 the system starts demanding Upgrade Tokens that Gold cannot replace. Players who keep one universal wallet for everything end up with five maxed rusty weapons and a Mythic sitting at level 60.
How Tokens Differ from Gold
The single most common mistake new players make in Ratatan is treating Upgrade Tokens like a secondary version of Gold. They look similar in the inventory icon, and the shop groups them in adjacent tabs, so the assumption writes itself. The systems behave nothing alike. Gold has soft infinite supply because every stage clear drops a small amount, and the gambling minigame in the Hub can multiply a single run's haul by 3-4x. Upgrade Tokens are gated behind boss kills, Mythic material drops, and the rare reward pools in Episode 3 and later, which means each token has real opportunity cost.
This matters because the shop in Version 1.0 surfaces a permanent upgrade called Mythic Limit Break that costs exactly 8 Upgrade Tokens per stage. The same shop sells a Gold-only consumable bundle for 12,000 Gold. Players who burned tokens on cosmetic rerolls or accidentally sold them through the bulk-sell shortcut have posted on the the Ratatan subreddit community asking how to recover, and the honest answer is that you cannot buy them back with Gold.
Token Farming Routes and Drop Sources
Knowing what to upgrade first is meaningless without a reliable pipeline feeding your wallet. The Version 1.0 token economy tightened several drop rates that Early Access players had farmed freely, so routes that worked during the 0.5.5 to 0.7 window are no longer optimal.
Best Token Farming Activities
| Activity | Token Yield (per run) | Time Cost | Recommended Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard Boss replay | 2-3 Upgrade Tokens | 8-12 min | Until first Mythic limit break |
| Episode 3 mid-boss sweep | 1-2 Upgrade Tokens | 4-6 min | Steady income through 1.0 |
| Gambling minigame (high roll) | 0-1 Token + bonus Gold | 3 min | When Gold stockpile > 20k |
| Daily accessory run | Decorune Shards only | 5 min | Daily reset |
| Upgrade Material Set (real-money DLC) | Variable, not farmable | Instant | When walling on Mythic mats |
The Hard Boss replay route is the cleanest token farm in the current patch because each clear guarantees at least 2 Upgrade Tokens plus a chance at a third, and the run time is short enough to chain three per hour. Players who skip Hard Boss replays in favor of pushing story content often hit a wall at the Episode 3 mid-bosses, where weapon level 90 simply cannot clear without a Mythic limit break.
Reading Drop-Rate Reports Correctly
Community drop-rate data should always be read as ranges, not promises. The Steam Community guides index lists farming routes whose numbers were last updated during Early Access, and several of those thresholds shifted when Version 1.0 went live. A report that says "Hard Boss drops 3 tokens on average" was true in patch 0.7, but the 1.0 balance pass brought the average closer to 2.3 with a wider variance tail. Treat any pre-October 2026 farming guide as approximate and re-verify before committing a session to one route.
What to Upgrade First: A Tiered Priority List
Deciding what to spend tokens on first is the actual decision this guide exists to answer. The wrong priority burns resources on flashy upgrades that do not move your clear time, while the right priority delivers a 20-30% power spike in the first session of focused spending.
Tier 1: Always-First Purchases
These upgrades are non-negotiable for any save that plans to clear Episode 3 and reach the Dark Ratatan boss. They are listed in the order they should be purchased, because some of them unlock others.
| Priority | Upgrade | Cost | Why It's First |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First Mythic limit break | 8 Upgrade Tokens | Lifts cap from 90 to 100, no other upgrade matters until this lands |
| 2 | Second Ratatan party slot | 5 Beads + 3 Upgrade Tokens | Doubles command economy, lets you combo without gaps |
| 3 | Rally timing window +0.15s | 4 Beads | Forgiving input buffer, huge QoL for mobile commanders |
| 4 | Boss damage passive (tier 1) | 6 Upgrade Tokens | Permanent +12% damage to boss HP bars |
The first Mythic limit break is the single most important permanent upgrade in the game right now, because the Version 1.0 cap raise means every weapon without it is effectively capped one tier below the content curve. If you only have 8 tokens in your account, spend them here and nowhere else, even if the shop is showing a discounted Bead bundle that looks tempting. Beads are easier to farm; the cap raise is permanent and irreversible for that weapon.
Tier 2: Mid-Game Power Spike
Once your Mythic weapon is sitting at level 95+ and your party slot is unlocked, the next round of tokens should target the upgrades that compound with what you already own. These purchases assume a healthy wallet and a clear Episode 2.
| Priority | Upgrade | Cost | Synergizes With |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Boss damage passive (tier 2) | 8 Upgrade Tokens | Tier 1 passive, stacks additively |
| 6 | Auto-revive token (1 charge) | 10 Beads | Hard Boss replays, Dark Ratatan attempts |
| 7 | Decorune slot +1 | 4 Decorune Shards per day for 5 days | Accessory build, see decorune guide |
| 8 | Gambling minigame payout +5% | 3 Upgrade Tokens | Gold economy, all future crafting |
The Boss damage passive track is the cleanest mid-game spike because it stacks additively with your weapon's base damage and any party-wide buffs, which means a fully stacked tier 2 passive adds roughly 24% boss damage on top of whatever your Mythic already does. That alone clears several walls that feel impossible at level 90 with no passives.
Tier 3: Late-Game and QoL
These are the purchases that turn a competent build into an optimized one, and they are worth chasing only after Tier 1 and Tier 2 are fully funded. Skipping them in favor of cosmetics or limited event bundles is the most common reason high-level players feel stuck at the same clear time week after week.
| Priority | Upgrade | Cost | When to Pull the Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Third Mythic limit break (cap 100 final) | 12 Upgrade Tokens | When main Mythic is at level 98+ |
| 10 | Rally input buffer +0.30s (cumulative) | 4 Beads | Already bought tier 3? Skip; this is the final stack |
| 11 | Gold find +10% (passive) | 6 Upgrade Tokens | After gambling payout is maxed |
| 12 | Auto-revive token (2nd charge) | 12 Beads | When attempting Dark Ratatan consistently |
The third Mythic limit break is what actually puts a weapon at the absolute level 100 ceiling that the 1.0 update introduced, and it costs more than the first two combined. Players who hit this upgrade without a steady token pipeline often end up stalled for a week, which is why we recommend it only when the main Mythic is already at 98+ to avoid wasted investment on a weapon you might replace.
The Shop Guide: Reading Rotations and Avoiding Traps
The Ratatan shop is not a static menu. It rotates daily, and the items on the front page are not always the best deals. Reading the rotation correctly is a separate skill from knowing what to upgrade, and skipping that skill is how players end up buying three Decorune reroll tokens and zero Mythic mats.
Daily Shop Priority Table
| Slot | Common Bait | Correct Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Front page discount bundle | Looks like a deal, usually Beads + Gold | Skip unless Bead stockpile is zero |
| Decorune Shard bundle | 4-6 shards for Gold | Buy only if saving toward slot unlock |
| Mythic material bundle | 1-2 mats for Upgrade Tokens | Always buy if tokens > 12 |
| Limited cosmetic | No mechanical value | Skip until Tier 2 is fully funded |
| Reset token | Rerolls accessory stats | Buy only after Decorune slot is unlocked |
The Mythic material bundle is the only daily slot that almost always deserves a purchase regardless of your current wallet, because Mythic limit break materials are the rarest currency in the game and even a 1-mat bundle is worth more than any Gold-only deal. The front page discount bundle is the most common trap, because it is positioned first and uses large numbers to look attractive, but the per-unit value is almost always worse than buying the underlying currencies directly.
Reading the Bonus Track
Every few days, the shop rolls a bonus track that multiplies a specific currency's drop rate for 24 hours. The bonus is announced on the loading screen and confirmed at the Hub bulletin board. Players who ignore the bonus track and farm normally during a Bead bonus are leaving roughly 30% more Beads on the table per stage clear, which compounds over a full farming session. The bonus track is also a good signal of what the developers consider scarce that week, so a Mythic material bonus track is the ideal time to push token farming routes.
Players who want a deeper breakdown of how the upgrade material economy ties into Mythic crafting should read our Ratatan weapon crafting guide, which covers the full limit break pipeline and how to plan token spending around cap raises.
Version 1.0 Changes That Reshuffled Priorities
The 1.0 update did not just add content. It quietly rebalanced several upgrade tracks that Early Access players had optimized around, and ignoring those changes is the easiest way to waste tokens in the current patch. The most important shifts are summarized below.
| System | Pre-1.0 Behavior | 1.0 Behavior | Impact on Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon level cap | 90 | 100 (via tier-4 limit break) | Mythic mats are now mandatory, not optional |
| Mythic drop rate | ~3% from boss pool | ~5% with pity counter | Farming bosses is more rewarding, but tokens still gate the cap |
| Bead sources | 4 main routes | 5 routes, one tied to duo unlocks | Beads are slightly easier, tokens are slightly harder |
| Decorune Shard daily cap | 6 | 4 | Slower accessory upgrades, plan around 5-day slot unlock |
| Gambling minigame | Flat payout | Tiered payout with +5% passive unlock | Gold economy got a real ceiling for the first time |
The pity counter on Mythic drops is the change players feel most directly, because it means a long boss farming session will eventually pay off even if the first 20 runs drop nothing. Combined with the 1.0 token economy, the practical implication is that a focused two-week farming plan can realistically push a Mythic to level 100 if the player follows the Tier 1 priority list without deviation. Players who spread tokens across cosmetics, Bead bulk buys, and reroll tokens during the same window typically end up with one Mythic at level 92 and a half-finished accessory build.
The full Upgrade Material Set on Steam is the only real-money way to shortcut the Mythic material grind, and the store page is clear that the bundle is a supplement rather than a replacement for actual boss runs. Treat it as an emergency tool for the last 10% of a cap push, not as a substitute for the farming routes outlined above.
Common Mistakes When Spending Tokens
Even experienced players slip on token spending, because the shop's UI nudges toward bulk purchases that look efficient in the moment but leave the wallet dry when a Mythic cap push needs funding. The five mistakes below account for the majority of stalled save files in the current patch.
| Mistake | Why It Hurts | Better Choice |
|---|---|---|
| Spending tokens on cosmetic rerolls | Tokens cannot be bought back with Gold | Hold tokens, use Gold for cosmetics |
| Buying Bead bulk bundles with tokens | Beads are easier to farm than tokens | Farm Beads from Ratakaruta tracks |
| Skipping first Mythic limit break for passives | Cap raise gates all other weapon upgrades | Always first priority |
| Ignoring the bonus track | Wastes 30% more currency per stage | Match farming route to active bonus |
| Pulling on limited event bundles | Event medals are not reusable | Wait until Tier 1+2 are funded |
The first mistake is by far the most expensive, because a single cosmetic reroll can cost 2-3 tokens and the equivalent visual change is achievable through Gold-only shop rotations. The second mistake feels rational because Bead bundles are positioned as a discount, but the per-unit Bead value is almost always worse than farming Ratakaruta reward tracks, which have a higher Bead yield per minute of play.
For a wider view of how the token economy fits into a full build, our Ratatan best build guide walks through how permanent upgrade choices interact with Ratakaruta pairings and party composition, which is where the Tier 1 priority list starts paying off in clear times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I upgrade first in Ratatan?
The first Mythic limit break, which costs 8 Upgrade Tokens and lifts the weapon level cap from 90 to 100. No other upgrade matters until this lands, because every weapon without it is effectively capped one tier below the current content curve. After that, prioritize the second party slot, the rally timing window, and tier 1 boss damage passive.
How do I get tokens in Ratatan?
The most reliable token source is Hard Boss replay, which yields 2-3 Upgrade Tokens per 8-12 minute run. Episode 3 mid-boss sweeps add 1-2 tokens per clear, and the gambling minigame occasionally drops a token on a high roll. Avoid the pre-1.0 farming guides in the Steam Community index, because several drop rates were rebalanced when Version 1.0 went live.
Is the Upgrade Material Set worth buying?
The Upgrade Material Set on Steam is worth buying only when you are walling on the last 10% of a Mythic cap push. The store page describes it as a supplement rather than a replacement for boss runs, and the in-game gold cost of a Mythic limit break is unchanged whether or not you own the bundle. Treat it as an emergency tool, not a core farming strategy.
Can I respec my token spending?
No. Token purchases are permanent, which is why the priority list above is structured to front-load the upgrades that gate everything else. If you have already spent tokens on cosmetic rerolls or Bead bundles, the recovery path is to switch to Gold-only cosmetic routes and refocus on token farming until your Mythic cap push is funded.
What is the difference between Gold and Upgrade Tokens?
Gold is the soft currency used for weapon crafting, shop consumables, and the gambling minigame, with effectively infinite supply from stage clears. Upgrade Tokens are a hard currency used exclusively for Mythic limit breaks and the tiered boss damage passives, gated behind boss kills and Episode 3+ reward pools. They cannot be substituted for each other at the shop.