How to Increase Your Gear Score in Nightingale

Your Gear Score represents how strong your equipment is in Nightingale. Raising this rating is vital to unlock the Antiquarian Site of Power and progress through the game. Here, I’ll cover how to increase your Gear Score in Nightingale.

How Does Gear Score Work in Nightingale?

Your Nightingale Gear Score is used throughout the game to determine access to certain areas, such as Bastilles of Might or Sites of Power. To progress through the main story or fully explore an area, you’ll need to meet or exceed the requirement to enter. Some quests show the number you need to achieve, while Bastilles block your path without specifying a number to aim for.

In short, instead of having a character level in Nightingale, you have a Gear Score. To see your rating, go to your inventory. It’s found at the top of your equipped items column. The game calculates the total from the strength of your main hand weapon and armor. This means that your score can change drastically depending on what you have currently selected, from your Mining Pick to Crossbow. It’s a number that’s constantly being calculated as you change items.

How to Improve Your Gear Score in Nightingale

Though it fluctuates while playing, there are easy ways to improve your Gear Score in Nightingale. Essentially, you must craft higher-tier weapons or upgrade your current tools. When the new item is equipped, you’ll see your score rise. You’ll also notice this when you finish upgrading an item.

However, sometimes you won’t see an increase. This can happen if you upgrade two items versus all of your equipment. The total calculation of the two items may not be enough to change the total Gear Score, whereas upgrading everything will impact it.

My strategy when playing is to equip myself with a full set of high-tiered items before venturing to an area that requires a high Gear Score. For instance, you need a rating of 20 to get into the Antiquarian Site of Power. This ensures my score is high enough to enter. And my chance of survival against Bound mods and bosses is much more in my favor.

That’s how to increase your Gear Score in Nightingale. For resource locations, how to clear the Antiquarian Site of Power, or how to repair structures in your base, head to our guides vault.