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Quick Answer
Finish a useful equipment set before treating refinement or iconic upgrades as automatic next steps. Refinement pursues a special talent; iconic progression adds another equipment improvement using its own resources. They solve different problems and should be compared separately.
The first question is whether the item will stay in the march. An expensive improvement on a temporary piece can delay the permanent replacement you really wanted.
What Changes When You Improve Equipment?
| Improvement | What you are buying | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Forge a missing piece | The item's ordinary stats/effect | Troop fit, materials and the item it replaces |
| Pursue a special talent through refinement | Better value when the commander matches the talent | Current progress, required materials and the matching tree |
| Add or raise iconic progression | The iconic attributes/effects displayed for that item and tier | Crystals, gold, season scaling and permanence |
Early iconic guidance described base-attribute additions, season differences and additional value with a matching special talent. The system later gained tiers, so a launch-era article that talks about only one upgrade is incomplete. The current comparison reference covers that distinction; use the item's actual upgrade preview for the tier you are buying.
Do Not Refine by Colour Alone
A legendary piece can still be the wrong next project. Ask what a refinement would improve on the commander wearing it, how likely or guaranteed the next step is under the current progress system, and what the same materials could forge elsewhere.
If the primary does not match the special talent, the expected benefit is not the same. Check the actual tree match rather than choosing a label because it resembles the troop type in the march's name.
When Iconic Investment Makes Sense
Start with equipment you expect to keep. Inspect which base attribute or effect the next tier grants and whether it benefits your main activity. A field player and a rally lead can reasonably value the same item differently.
The earliest iconic system already warned that dismantling did not return the iconic materials. Do not assume later purchases are freely reversible. Read the current confirmation before committing crystals to something you intend to dismantle. The original iconic reference also documents season-sensitive attributes.
A Practical Budget Comparison
Imagine your main infantry march has five useful pieces and one weak temporary item. You can improve that weak slot, refine an existing permanent piece, or spend crystals on iconic progression. List the incremental stats/effects from each option, using the prices on your account.
Fixing the weak slot often deserves the first comparison because it changes the base set. Refinement may make sense when the piece is permanent and the next result is valuable. Iconic investment may be a separate affordable improvement if the required resources do not compete with the material bottleneck. There is no need to force all three currencies into a single “always do this first” rule.
Before You Confirm
Save the existing item and preset details. Check the commander match, intended season, current progress and the exact resources consumed. Afterward, inspect the equipped result rather than assuming an item sitting in the inventory improves a march.
Should every accessory receive crystals before every armour piece?
No blanket order is reliable across item tiers, effects and account roles. Compare the actual next-tier benefit on permanent items. A familiar old priority list is a starting question, not a reason to ignore the current preview.
Sources and Review
Source review: 9 September 2026. Game mechanics are drawn from the references below; spending priorities and play examples are editorial recommendations. This is source-reviewed guidance, not a claim of independent in-game testing.