Gear and Purification in Crimson Moon
Why the Rare sword you carried home is sitting in your Collection at Common — and how to actually raise it.
Purification permanently unlocks the item, not the quality you found it at. Any gear you bring back to Sanctus Clypeus is purified automatically and added to your Collection at Common, however good it was during the run. That is working as intended, not a bug and not a loss: the Rare version belonged to that run. The only thing that raises an item’s permanent quality is a permanent upgrade from Gajov, which sets a new minimum that every future copy of that item starts from.
- When it happens
- Automatically, on returning to the hub
- Quality unlocked at
- Common, always
- Covers
- Carried gear and stash
- After dying
- Still purifies what you brought back
- Raises the floor
- A Gajov upgrade, nothing else
- Temporary Boons kept
- No
The four rules
| Rule | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Purifying an item permanently unlocks it at Common quality. | This is the one that surprises people. The unlock is of the item, not of the quality. |
| Finding gear at higher quality during a run does not raise its permanent quality. | A Rare drop is Rare for that run. It does not carry its rarity home with it. |
| Upgrading an item with Gajov permanently raises its minimum quality everywhere. | This is the only way the permanent floor moves, and it applies to every future version of that item. |
| Some Boons are innate to gear; others are temporary and last one run. | An innate Boon survives Purification because it belongs to the item. A temporary one does not. |
How Purification works
You never choose to purify anything. It happens on arrival at Sanctus Clypeus, and it takes everything eligible you have with you — what you are carrying and what is in your stash. It applies equally when you come back after dying, which is the detail worth holding on to: a run that collapses in mission two still leaves you permanently richer than you started, as long as you got back.
What arrives in your Collection is the item. The quality it had during the run does not travel with it. If you find a Rare version of a sword you already own at Common, you get a Rare sword for that run and your Collection entry stays where it was.
The whole system in four steps
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Find | You find a Rare Sword and can use it at Rare quality for the current run. |
| 2. Return to Sanctus Clypeus | The Sword is purified automatically on arrival and added to your Collection permanently — at Common. |
| 3. Upgrade with Gajov | You spend to raise it. The Sword's permanent minimum quality becomes Uncommon. |
| 4. Next loadout | You pick the Sword at the Loadout Station and start the run with an Uncommon Sword. |
Raising the floor with Gajov
Gajov Resnyk permanently upgrades an item you have already purified. The upgrade sets a new minimum quality rather than a fixed one: a sword upgraded to Uncommon will appear at Uncommon or better from then on, and can still be found at higher quality during a run.
Which tiers he can reach is itself a level unlock: Rare upgrades open at level 4 and Epic at level 12. What an upgrade costs is not documented anywhere available, so this guide does not quote a price.
Which Boons survive it
An innate Boon belongs to the piece of equipment, so it comes through Purification with the item and is there in every future run. Temporary Boons are applied to gear during a run and end with it.
The game does not currently make that distinction clear in its own UI, and the developers have said they are working on it — so if you cannot tell which kind you are looking at in game, that is the game rather than you.
Common questions about Purification
Why did my Rare weapon become Common in Crimson Moon?
Nothing has gone wrong. Purification permanently unlocks the item itself, not the quality you found it at. A Rare sword you carry back to Sanctus Clypeus is added to your Collection at Common, because the Rare quality belonged to that particular run's version of it. To raise the permanent quality you upgrade the item with Gajov, which sets a new minimum.
How do you purify gear in Crimson Moon?
You do not do anything. Purification happens automatically when you return to Sanctus Clypeus, and it covers everything you bring back — gear you are carrying and gear in your stash. It also applies when you return to the hub after dying during a run, so a run that goes badly still adds to your Collection.
Do you lose gear if you die in Crimson Moon?
Not the gear you carried back. Returning to the hub after dying still purifies eligible equipment into your Collection permanently. What you lose is the run-only progress: temporary Boons, and anything you did not bring back.
What does Gajov do in Crimson Moon?
Gajov Resnyk permanently upgrades an item you have already purified, raising its minimum quality everywhere. Upgrade a sword to Uncommon and every future version of that sword appears at Uncommon or higher. The upgrade tiers he offers are themselves unlocked by levelling — Rare at level 4, Epic at level 12.
What is the difference between innate and temporary Boons?
An innate Boon is part of the equipment itself and stays on it between runs. A temporary Boon is applied during a run and lasts only for that run. The game does not currently distinguish the two clearly in its UI, and the developers have said they are working on it.