Advancing through the different areas of Potion Permit is fun, but it’s made that much easier with each tool upgrade you spring for. With much of your work as Moonbury’s chemist based on resource gathering, you’ll want to prioritize being able to do that as easily as possible.

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Not only does upgrading your tools make it easier to harvest resources, but it also reduces the amount of stamina each swing depletes. Each new improvement allows you to harvest easier and expend less energy in the process. In this guide, we’ll tell you all about your tools, how to upgrade them, and how to upgrade the shop that elevates them.

Tools, Combat, And You

The good thing about Potion Permit is that you don’t need to buy your tools to begin the game. Though they’re of the lowest quality, you’ll start with three unique tools at your disposal. They are:

• An axe for chopping trees
• A hammer for smashing rocks
• A scythe for harvesting plants

Your tools are also your weapons. You’ll come across several enemies that grow increasingly tougher as you progress through the game and grow the town of Moonbury, and you’ll need a way to keep yourself safe as you’re out gathering.

Enemies That Require Specific Tools

You’ll encounter enemies who can be hit by any tool, as well as ones who only take damage if hit with one tool specifically. Many of the armored enemies are seen in the later stages of the game, specifically after unlocking Glaze Iceberg and Barren Wasteland, but the game will alert you the first time you meet one.

Though it doesn’t hit as hard, the scythe is typically the best weapon for enemies without extra armor requiring the axe or hammer. While it doesn’t hit as hard, it does swing faster, which negates the lesser damage.

Enemies who require specific tools to fight will have symbols above their heads. If you see a shield, you’ll want to use your axe, while a little rock symbol means your hammer will do the trick.

The Hearts And Sparks Blacksmith Shop

Moonbury is served by a mother-daughter pair of blacksmiths. Opalheart, the elder, is a legendary blacksmith with a back-catalog of fabrication requests due to her high status, while Runeheart, her daughter, is learning her mother’s trade.

The two craftswomen run Hearts and Sparks Shop together, which is open every day except Fridays from 10 am to 6 pm. When you first move to town, they can upgrade all three of your tools, give you a bigger health bar, and increase the capacity of your cauldron. These upgrades will also be necessary as you progress through the game, but we'll be focusing on the tools for this guide.

When you first begin the game, you can only upgrade each tool once until you upgrade the blacksmith’s workshop. The shop can be upgraded twice throughout the game, with each new upgrade unlocking once you reach the other areas. Level 2 is triggered the day after you access Glaze Iceberg for the first time, and Level 3 comes after unlocking the Barren Wasteland.

When an upgrade is available, the message board will have the <!> symbol above it, similar to other quests and friendship moments. You need to go to Hearts and Sparks while it’s open to formally begin the upgrade quests.

Each blacksmith upgrade allows you to enhance your tools one level further, but you’ll need the gold and the materials first. Each is more expensive and requires more materials than the last, so plan ahead. We've got you covered if you need some advice on the best ways to make gold in the game.

Your tools all have three upgrades each. Your first upgrade brings you to iron tools, the second gives you steel tools, and the last level is mythril tools. Naturally, mythril is the strongest but requires the most time and resources.

How To Upgrade The Axe

With wood as valuable a resource as it is for upgrades and building quests, you’ll be using your axe quite often to cut down trees in the wilderness. You’ll notice that the trees all have different thicknesses, with the thicker ones requiring more hits no matter what quality your tools are.

Additionally, the axe is great for combat, especially once you get to the Barren Wasteland. Here, you’ll encounter Shielded Monsters, who, as their name suggest, have shields. Hit them enough with the axe to break their shields, then go to town, dealing as much damage as you can before they put the shield back up.

Both tasks are made more accessible by the axe upgrades. Here are the materials and gold required to upgrade your axe:

Axe Upgrade Material And Gold Requirements

To fully upgrade your axe, you’ll need a total of 1,430 wood and 1,170 stone, and 7,350 gold.

How To Upgrade The Hammer

You’ve noticed the rocks of varying sizes lying around the wild areas of Moonbury, and if you want to smash them open for the rock or resources, your hammer will crack them for you. Not only can you receive actual rock from the stones, but you can also find various kinds of ore.

Available ore gets more valuable as you progress through the game. You won’t be finding gold ore until much later in the Barren Wasteland.

Additionally, your hammer is how you’ll deal with Armored Monsters. You primarily see them in Glaze Iceberg and Meadow Range. The most common variants are bugs, who turn onto their backs for easy smashing after dealing enough damage from the hammer.

Hammer Upgrade Material And Gold Requirements

To fully upgrade your hammer, you’ll need a total of 1,625 wood and 1,300 stone, as well as 7,600 gold.

How To Upgrade The Sickle

The sickle is used to cut down the plants and flowers around the wilderness outside Moonbury. Additionally, as we mentioned above, it’s also a top choice for weaponry for non-Shielded or un-Armored combat. Use the speed to your advantage.

Sickle Upgrade Material And Gold Requirements

To fully upgrade your sickle, you’ll need a total of 1,560 wood and 1,170 stone, as well as 6,300 gold.

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