Guide / Den upgrades
There is no single best order to build the Den. This page turns the 74 collected upgrade records into the question that actually has an answer: what should you upgrade next, given the squad you field, the problems you keep hitting and the systems you actually use.
How this page labels certainty · game version 1.1
Exact effect → game data. Recommended priority → strategy guidance. The two are always labelled separately, and no upgrade on this page is given a cost score.
Pick the problem that is actually costing you missions. Each answer is a short upgrade path, not a global order.
Your squads win fights but slowly
Combat power is two different purchases: something that lifts the whole roster, and something that lifts the weapon family your squad actually carries. Take the roster-wide upgrade first — it is the only one that cannot miss.
Combat Readiness IStrong if relevant
The squad begins each combat with 1 Advantage. (This bonus stacks with +Advantage effects gained during tactical missions)
Your builds have something useful to spend Advantage on in the opening turn.
Focus Point IStrong if relevant
All Operators gain +2 Focus Points.
Focus Points are the bottleneck on more than one Operator.
Additional Weapon Mod SlotStrong if relevant
All Operators gain an additional Weapon Mod Slot.
You already own Mods you cannot fit.
Additional Utility SlotStrong if relevant
All Operators gain an additional Utility Item Slot.
You already own Utilities you cannot carry.
Teamwork Assist Damage ISituational
Increases Assist Damage.
Your team triggers Assists often.
Grenade Throw DistanceSituational
Increases Grenade Throw Distance by +2.0m.
Your plans depend on where a grenade can land.
After the roster-wide layer, the weapon question is a coverage question, not a damage question — the family upgrade table further down counts how many Operators each branch actually reaches.
These are the upgrades whose effect is roster-wide or fires in every combat, which means they cannot miss. They are the safest first purchases whenever you cannot name a more specific bottleneck.
Additional Weapon Mod SlotBroad value
All Operators gain an additional Weapon Mod Slot.
Who benefits
All Operators
Less urgent when
Additional Weapon Mod Slot✓ Game value
All Operators gain an additional Weapon Mod Slot.
Additional Utility SlotBroad value
All Operators gain an additional Utility Item Slot.
Who benefits
All Operators
Less urgent when
Additional Utility Slot✓ Game value
All Operators gain an additional Utility Item Slot.
Combat ReadinessBroad value
The squad begins each combat with 1 Advantage. (This bonus stacks with +Advantage effects gained during tactical missions)
Who benefits
All Operators, every combat
Less urgent when
Combat Readiness I✓ Game value
The squad begins each combat with 1 Advantage. (This bonus stacks with +Advantage effects gained during tactical missions)
Combat Readiness II✓ Game value
The squad begins each combat with 2 Advantage. (This bonus stacks with +Advantage effects gained during tactical missions)
Combat Readiness III✓ Game value
The squad begins each combat with 3 Advantage. (This bonus stacks with +Advantage effects gained during tactical missions)
Focus PointsBroad value
All Operators gain +2 Focus Points.
Who benefits
All Operators, including the bench
Less urgent when
Focus Point I✓ Game value
All Operators gain +2 Focus Points.
Focus Point II✓ Game value
All Operators gain an additional +3 Focus Points.
Focus Point III✓ Game value
All Operators gain an additional +4 Focus Points.
Tiered lines often print the same sentence twice because the game resolves the amount at runtime and the collected string keeps the unresolved amount. Where that happens, this page groups the tiers instead of duplicating the sentence.
Same dataset as the selector above, with the reasoning in full. Every effect line here is the exact game string; the priority tag next to it is this site's recommendation.
Combat power is two different purchases: something that lifts the whole roster, and something that lifts the weapon family your squad actually carries. Take the roster-wide upgrade first — it is the only one that cannot miss.
Combat Readiness IStrong if relevant
The squad begins each combat with 1 Advantage. (This bonus stacks with +Advantage effects gained during tactical missions)
Your builds have something useful to spend Advantage on in the opening turn.
Focus Point IStrong if relevant
All Operators gain +2 Focus Points.
Focus Points are the bottleneck on more than one Operator.
Additional Weapon Mod SlotStrong if relevant
All Operators gain an additional Weapon Mod Slot.
You already own Mods you cannot fit.
Additional Utility SlotStrong if relevant
All Operators gain an additional Utility Item Slot.
You already own Utilities you cannot carry.
Teamwork Assist Damage ISituational
Increases Assist Damage.
Your team triggers Assists often.
Grenade Throw DistanceSituational
Increases Grenade Throw Distance by +2.0m.
Your plans depend on where a grenade can land.
After the roster-wide layer, the weapon question is a coverage question, not a damage question — the family upgrade table further down counts how many Operators each branch actually reaches.
Medbay capacity and injury prevention are separate purchases. Capacity decides how many Operators recover at once; prevention decides how often anybody needs the Medbay at all.
Medical Bed IIStrong if relevant
The Medbay gains a 2nd Bed allowing you to remove Injuries from up to 2 Operators at the same time.
You routinely have two Operators injured at once.
Cautionary IntelStrong if relevant
Reduces the chance of Injuries on Dangerous Operations by 20%
Dangerous Operations are where your injuries come from.
Cheaper Medical Supplies IStrong if relevant
Reduces the cost of assigning an Operator to a Bed or the Bacta Tank by 150 Credits.
Healing is eating the Credits you wanted for equipment.
Medical Bed IIISituational
The Medbay gains a 3rd Bed allowing you to remove Injuries from up to 3 Operators at the same time.
Three simultaneous injuries actually happen in your run.
Droid Repair BaySystem unlockSituational
Interact with the Astromech in the Pit to unlock this upgrade. Unlocks recruiting Droids at Recruitment and repairing Injured Droids at the Medbay.
You field Droids — otherwise this does nothing for the Medbay you have.
Players disagree about this branch more than any other. The disagreement is real: a squad that rarely takes injuries should delay the Medbay, and a squad that lives in Dangerous Operations should build it early.
Injury rules and Dangerous Operations →Best squad →Credits sources →
Roster size is the shortest upgrade line in the Den, and the only one that changes how many Operators can be unavailable at the same time.
Increased Crew Quarters IStrong if relevant
Increases maximum Operators on your roster by 1.
You recruit Custom Operators, or injuries bite into your core four.
Increased Crew Quarters IIStrong if relevant
Increases maximum Operators on your roster by 1.
The first one already filled up.
Medical Bed IISituational
The Medbay gains a 2nd Bed allowing you to remove Injuries from up to 2 Operators at the same time.
The real problem is recovery speed, not roster size.
Droid Repair BaySystem unlockSituational
Interact with the Astromech in the Pit to unlock this upgrade. Unlocks recruiting Droids at Recruitment and repairing Injured Droids at the Medbay.
Droids are part of how you plan to widen the roster.
Four Operators deploy at a time, so a bigger roster is flexibility rather than raw power — it buys you the option to leave somebody at the Den and still field a full squad.
When builds feel capped, the fix is usually capacity rather than damage: a slot, a point, or the ability to use both specializations you already bought.
Additional Weapon Mod SlotStrong if relevant
All Operators gain an additional Weapon Mod Slot.
You own Weapon Mods that are sitting unused.
Additional Utility SlotStrong if relevant
All Operators gain an additional Utility Item Slot.
You own Utility Items that are sitting unused.
Focus Point IStrong if relevant
All Operators gain +2 Focus Points.
Your builds stop before the ability you actually wanted.
Teamwork Assist Damage ISituational
Increases Assist Damage.
The build is built around Assists.
A slot is worth nothing until you own something to put in it. Check the Mod and Utility databases before spending an upgrade on capacity.
The Lounge is the only Den upgrade that pays out while an Operator is not deployed, which makes it a Bonds purchase rather than a combat one.
Unlock LoungeSystem unlockStrong if relevant
Unlocks the Lounge. Operators remaining at the Den during a mission gain +5 Bond XP.
You leave Operators at the Den, or you rotate a wide roster.
Improved LoungeStrong if relevant
Operators remaining at the Den during a mission gain an additional +5 Bond XP.
The Lounge is already built and you still want Bond XP.
If your A-team never leaves the squad, a Bond upgrade adds nothing: no Operator is sitting at the Den to receive it.
Intel comes from completing Missions, so the only Den upgrade that changes the rate is the one that pays on completion.
Rumor GatheringStrong if relevant
Completing Missions provides an additional +5 Intel.
You are always short of Intel.
Cautionary IntelSituational
Reduces the chance of Injuries on Dangerous Operations by 20%
The Intel problem is really a Dangerous Operations problem.
Persuasion ISituational
Placing a Contact provides +2 Influence
You already place Contacts often and want Influence instead.
This is a rate upgrade: it multiplies how many Missions you finish, not how good you are at finishing them. If your bottleneck is finishing operations, fix that first.
Influence upgrades pay out immediately, which makes them a threshold question: five Influence is decisive if it crosses a reward line and nearly pointless if it does not.
Persuasion IStrong if relevant
Placing a Contact provides +2 Influence
You place Contacts regularly.
Core Influence IStrong if relevant
Immediately grants +5 Influence in Core Zones.
Your campaign is concentrated in Core Zones.
Mid Influence IStrong if relevant
Immediately grants +5 Influence in Mid Zones
Mid Zones are where your remaining rewards sit.
Outer Influence ISituational
Immediately grants +5 Influence in Outer Zones
Your route runs through the Outer Zones.
Check your current standing before buying: the effect is a fixed +5 Influence in one zone band, and the verified data does not resolve the reward thresholds it is meant to cross.
The Black Market is three decisions wearing one name: whether to open it, whether you shop often enough to want more shelf space, and whether it is where your equipment really comes from.
Unlock Black MarketSystem unlockStrong if relevant
Unlocks the Black Market at the Armory allowing you to purchase Weapon Mods and Utility Items.
You want to buy Weapon Mods and Utility Items at all.
Increased Market Inventory IStrong if relevant
The Black Market gains +1 item available for purchase.
You check the shop every cycle and it is always too thin.
Expedited DeliverySystem unlockStrong if relevant
Adds the ability to refresh available items in the Black Market
You want to refresh the stock on your own schedule.
Cheaper RefreshSituational
Reduces the cost to refresh the Black Market by 50%.
You refresh often and the refresh itself is the cost.
Better Black Market DealsSituational
Reduces the Black Market prices by 15%
The Black Market is one of your main equipment sources.
Quality Goods ISituational
Increases the Chance of Higher Quality Items being available at the Black Market.
You are hunting high-quality Mods, not just more of them.
Invest deeper only if you actually use the Black Market. A player who buys two items per campaign should stop after the unlock.
Nothing here is a stat: one upgrade decides whether Droids exist in your campaign at all.
Droid Repair BaySystem unlockStrong if relevant
Interact with the Astromech in the Pit to unlock this upgrade. Unlocks recruiting Droids at Recruitment and repairing Injured Droids at the Medbay.
You want to recruit or repair Droids at all.
Medical Bed IISituational
The Medbay gains a 2nd Bed allowing you to remove Injuries from up to 2 Operators at the same time.
You already field a Droid and it keeps needing repairs.
If you have no intention of running Droids, leave this branch alone. That is not a verdict on the upgrade — it is a verdict on the upgrade for your run.
Crew upgrades are where the roster-wide effects live. They cover the whole company, so they are the closest thing the Den has to a default purchase.
Crew Combat
Grenade Throw DistanceCrew Combat
Increases Grenade Throw Distance by +2.0m.
Additional Weapon Mod SlotCrew Combat
All Operators gain an additional Weapon Mod Slot.
Additional Utility SlotCrew Combat
All Operators gain an additional Utility Item Slot.
Combat Readiness
Combat Readiness ICombat Readiness
The squad begins each combat with 1 Advantage. (This bonus stacks with +Advantage effects gained during tactical missions)
Combat Readiness IICombat Readiness
The squad begins each combat with 2 Advantage. (This bonus stacks with +Advantage effects gained during tactical missions)
Combat Readiness IIICombat Readiness
The squad begins each combat with 3 Advantage. (This bonus stacks with +Advantage effects gained during tactical missions)
Focus Points
Focus Point IFocus Points
All Operators gain +2 Focus Points.
Focus Point IIFocus Points
All Operators gain an additional +3 Focus Points.
Focus Point IIIFocus Points
All Operators gain an additional +4 Focus Points.
Lounge
Unlock LoungeUnlocks a new capabilityLounge
Unlocks the Lounge. Operators remaining at the Den during a mission gain +5 Bond XP.
Unlocks next: Improved Lounge · Improved Lounge
Improved LoungeLounge
Operators remaining at the Den during a mission gain an additional +5 Bond XP.
Teamwork Assist Damage ILounge
Increases Assist Damage.
Teamwork Assist Damage IILounge
Increases Assist Damage.
Crew Quarters
Increased Crew Quarters ICrew Quarters
Increases maximum Operators on your roster by 1.
Increased Crew Quarters IICrew Quarters
Increases maximum Operators on your roster by 1.
Increased Crew Quarters IIICrew Quarters
Increases maximum Operators on your roster by 2.
Increased Crew Quarters IVCrew Quarters
Increases maximum Operators on your roster by 2.
Facility upgrades change what the Den can do — heal more Operators at once, sell you more items, or move a region. Each one is only as good as the system it improves, so read the question next to it, not a rank.
Medbay
Medical Bed IIMedbay
The Medbay gains a 2nd Bed allowing you to remove Injuries from up to 2 Operators at the same time.
Medical Bed IIIMedbay
The Medbay gains a 3rd Bed allowing you to remove Injuries from up to 3 Operators at the same time.
Medical Bed IVMedbay
The Medbay gains a 4th Bed allowing you to remove Injuries from up to 4 Operators at the same time.
Cheaper Medical Supplies IMedbay
Reduces the cost of assigning an Operator to a Bed or the Bacta Tank by 150 Credits.
Cheaper Medical Supplies IIMedbay
Reduces the cost of assigning an Operator to a Bed or the Bacta Tank by 150 Credits.
Droid Repair BayUnlocks a new capabilityMedbay
Interact with the Astromech in the Pit to unlock this upgrade. Unlocks recruiting Droids at Recruitment and repairing Injured Droids at the Medbay.
Black Market
Unlock Black MarketUnlocks a new capabilityBlack Market
Unlocks the Black Market at the Armory allowing you to purchase Weapon Mods and Utility Items.
Unlocks next: Increased Market Inventory I · Expedited Delivery · Better Black Market Deals · Quality Goods I
Cheaper RefreshBlack Market
Reduces the cost to refresh the Black Market by 50%.
Increased Market Inventory IBlack Market
The Black Market gains +1 item available for purchase.
Increased Market Inventory IIBlack Market
The Black Market gains +1 item available for purchase.
Expedited DeliveryUnlocks a new capabilityBlack Market
Adds the ability to refresh available items in the Black Market
Black Market Quality
Better Black Market DealsBlack Market Quality
Reduces the Black Market prices by 15%
Quality Goods IBlack Market Quality
Increases the Chance of Higher Quality Items being available at the Black Market.
Quality Goods IIBlack Market Quality
Further increases the Chance of Higher Quality Items being available at the Black Market.
Networking
Persuasion INetworking
Placing a Contact provides +2 Influence
Persuasion IINetworking
Placing a Contact provides an additional +3 Influence
Rumor GatheringNetworking
Completing Missions provides an additional +5 Intel.
Cautionary IntelNetworking
Reduces the chance of Injuries on Dangerous Operations by 20%
Region Influence
Core Influence IRegion Influence
Immediately grants +5 Influence in Core Zones.
Core Influence IIRegion Influence
Immediately grants +5 Influence in Core Zones.
Mid Influence IRegion Influence
Immediately grants +5 Influence in Mid Zones
Mid Influence IIRegion Influence
Immediately grants +5 Influence in Mid Zones
Outer Influence IRegion Influence
Immediately grants +5 Influence in Outer Zones
Outer Influence IIRegion Influence
Immediately grants +5 Influence in Outer Zones
The Black Market is not one investment. It is three decisions in a row, and the right place to stop depends on how often you actually open the shop.
Stage 1 — Access
Do you want to buy Weapon Mods and Utility Items at all?
One upgrade, and the shop exists. Everything else in this branch is an optimisation of a system you have already opted into.
Unlock Black MarketUnlocks a new capabilityBlack Market
Unlocks the Black Market at the Armory allowing you to purchase Weapon Mods and Utility Items.
Unlocks next: Increased Market Inventory I · Expedited Delivery · Better Black Market Deals · Quality Goods I
Players who never buy from the shop get nothing from stage 2 or 3, and that is a legitimate way to play: the credits go into the Den instead.
Stage 2 — Better shopping
Do you open and refresh the shop often?
Shelf space and refresh control. These only pay out at the rate you visit the shop.
Increased Market Inventory IBlack Market
The Black Market gains +1 item available for purchase.
Increased Market Inventory IIBlack Market
The Black Market gains +1 item available for purchase.
Expedited DeliveryUnlocks a new capabilityBlack Market
Adds the ability to refresh available items in the Black Market
Cheaper RefreshBlack Market
Reduces the cost to refresh the Black Market by 50%.
If you check the stock once every few cycles, buy the unlock and stop.
Stage 3 — Economy and quality
Is the Black Market one of your main equipment sources?
Lower prices and a better roll on what appears. Worth it once the shop is where your Mods and Utilities come from.
Better Black Market DealsBlack Market Quality
Reduces the Black Market prices by 15%
Quality Goods IBlack Market Quality
Increases the Chance of Higher Quality Items being available at the Black Market.
Quality Goods IIBlack Market Quality
Further increases the Chance of Higher Quality Items being available at the Black Market.
This is the deepest branch in the Den, so it is the easiest one to over-invest in early.
Why players disagree
Players who invest here point at high-quality Mods and Utilities, and at the fact that the price cut and the quality roll stack on the same shelf.
Players who skip it early argue the same Credits should go into the Den first, and several report buying almost nothing across a whole campaign.
Invest deeper only if you actually use the Black Market. It is not a mandatory branch — it is a branch with a usage condition.
The gate is the first purchase: see what Unlock Black Market would let you buy →
Three separate lines live in the Medbay branch, and they answer different questions. Capacity decides how many Operators can recover at once. Cheaper supplies decide what recovery costs. Cautionary Intel decides how often you need either.
Capacity — simultaneous recovery
Medical Bed II2 Operators at once
The Medbay gains a 2nd Bed allowing you to remove Injuries from up to 2 Operators at the same time.
Medical Bed III2 Operators at once
The Medbay gains a 3rd Bed allowing you to remove Injuries from up to 3 Operators at the same time.
Medical Bed IV2 Operators at once
The Medbay gains a 4th Bed allowing you to remove Injuries from up to 4 Operators at the same time.
Cost and prevention
Cheaper Medical Supplies I · II✓ Game value
Reduces the cost of assigning an Operator to a Bed or the Bacta Tank by 150 Credits.
2 tiers share this sentence · the amount is resolved by the game, not by the data
Cautionary IntelReduces the chance of Injuries on Dangerous Operations by 20%
Injury risk recorded in the game configuration
Medbay Beds take a cycle to heal an Operator. The Bacta Tank heals Operators instantly but costs more. You can add more at the Upgrade Facility.
| If this is your situation | Buy this first |
|---|---|
| Frequent tactical injuries? | Bed capacity and cheaper supplies. |
| Injuries from Dangerous Operations? | Cautionary Intel first — fewer injuries, fewer beds needed. |
| Barely injured? | Delay the whole branch. It is not a tax you have to pay. |
Every tier adds Operators to the maximum roster size. That is flexibility: more Operators available, and more ways to leave somebody at the Den without weakening the squad you field.
Increased Crew Quarters I · II✓ Game value
Increases maximum Operators on your roster by 1.
2 tiers share this sentence · the amount is resolved by the game, not by the data
Increased Crew Quarters III · IV✓ Game value
Increases maximum Operators on your roster by 2.
2 tiers share this sentence · the amount is resolved by the game, not by the data
Ask yourself
No, no, no and this line drops down your list. Yes, yes, yes and it moves above most combat upgrades.
Unlocking it grants +5 Bond XP to Operators left at the Den during a mission. That makes it a Bonds purchase, and its value scales with how often you rotate.
Unlock Lounge✓ Game value
Unlocks the Lounge. Operators remaining at the Den during a mission gain +5 Bond XP.
Improved Lounge✓ Game value
Operators remaining at the Den during a mission gain an additional +5 Bond XP.
Large rotating roster?
High relevance — somebody is always at the Den.
You leave important Operators behind?
High relevance — the XP lands on Operators you care about.
You want Bond and Cross Training progression?
High relevance — it runs in the background.
One fixed A-team, always deployed?
Lower relevance — nobody stays behind to collect it.
Most upgrades make something you already do slightly better. This one changes what is possible: recruiting Droids at Recruitment, and repairing injured Droids at the Medbay.
Droid Repair BayUnlocks a new capability
Interact with the Astromech in the Pit to unlock this upgrade. Unlocks recruiting Droids at Recruitment and repairing Injured Droids at the Medbay.
The effect text names its own unlock condition: interact with the Astromech in the Pit.
You plan to run Droids.
Extremely important — without it the playthrough does not exist.
You have no intention of running Droids.
No short-term value. That is the whole story for this upgrade.
Four upgrades, four different problems. Pick the one that matches the resource you are short of.
Need Intel
Rumor Gathering
Completing Missions provides an additional +5 Intel.
Every completed Mission pays more Intel.
Playing around Contacts
Persuasion I
Placing a Contact provides +2 Influence
Placing a Contact is worth more Influence, in every zone.
Contacts is your main Influence source
Persuasion II
Placing a Contact provides an additional +3 Influence
Stacks on the first tier.
Dangerous Operations injure your squad
Cautionary Intel
Reduces the chance of Injuries on Dangerous Operations by 20%
Fewer injuries on Dangerous Operations, before the Medbay is involved.
Each influence upgrade grants a fixed +5 Influence immediately, in one zone band. Whether that is worth an upgrade slot depends entirely on where your standing sits relative to the next regional reward.
Core Zones
Core Influence I · II✓ Game value
Immediately grants +5 Influence in Core Zones.
2 tiers share this sentence · the amount is resolved by the game, not by the data
Mid Zones
Mid Influence I · II✓ Game value
Immediately grants +5 Influence in Mid Zones
2 tiers share this sentence · the amount is resolved by the game, not by the data
Outer Zones
Outer Influence I · II✓ Game value
Immediately grants +5 Influence in Outer Zones
2 tiers share this sentence · the amount is resolved by the game, not by the data
The verified data resolves the reward text for the regions but not the Influence thresholds each reward sits behind, so this page shows the decision, not the numbers.
There is no best weapon upgrade in isolation. There is the weapon family your squad actually carries, and the number of Operators that family reaches.
Rifle upgradesUpgrade reach
Hawks, Jae Mordant, Kabb Uppercut
Published squads that field at least one Rifle user: 4 of 4. The most any single published squad fields: 2 of 4 slots.
Rifle Movement I · II✓ Game value
Increases First Movement Distance for Operators armed with Rifles.
2 tiers share this sentence · the amount is resolved by the game, not by the data
Rifle Range I✓ Game value
Reduces Chance-To-Hit penalties from Range by 5% and increases Max Overwatch Range for Operators armed with Rifles.
Rifle Range II✓ Game value
Reduces Chance-To-Hit penalties from Range by an additional 5% and increases Max Overwatch Range for Operators armed with Rifle.
Rifle Damage I · II · III✓ Game value
Increases Damage and Critical Damage for Rifles.
3 tiers share this sentence · the amount is resolved by the game, not by the data
That count is the whole comparison. A Rifle upgrade reaches three roster members and four of the four published squads; a Longarm upgrade reaches one. Neither is objectively better — but for most squads they are not equally urgent either.
This page does not use S, A, B and F tiers, because a Den upgrade's value depends on a system you may not use. Four labels replace them.
Broad value
Helps most squads because the effect is roster-wide or triggers constantly.
Additional Weapon Mod SlotIt changes every Operator at once, so it cannot miss.
Strong if relevant
Excellent for the goal named below, and close to worthless if that goal is not yours.
Medical Bed IIExcellent if injuries are your bottleneck, close to worthless if they are not.
Situational
Depends on a system or a mission type you may not use in this run.
Persuasion IOnly pays out at the rate you place Contacts.
Low priority for this goal
Not weak — just not what your stated problem needs first.
Droid Repair BayNot weak — just irrelevant to a run that does not field Droids.
These are recommendation frames rather than game rules. They describe what tends to matter at each point, not a schedule you have to keep.
Early campaign
Unlock systems and lift the roster.
Mid campaign
Amplify the builds you actually run.
Late campaign
Finish branches instead of starting them.
Community strategy◇ Player reports
Many players try to keep a useful Den upgrade under construction whenever Credits and build slots allow, because construction consumes campaign time and the Den does not queue itself.
That is a habit, not a rule. The page does not tell you to buy an upgrade every cycle: a Den that builds the wrong branch quickly is worse than one that builds nothing for a cycle.
Game version 1.1▲ Patch note
Patch 1.1 corrected how the interface reports construction progress when a multi-cycle upgrade is cancelled: the progress reset is now shown correctly.
You are rarely choosing one upgrade. You are committing to a branch. Tiers below are ordered by the game's own numbering inside each line.
Crew branches
Two tiers each, and the second tier is meaningless without the first.
Unlock Lounge→Improved Lounge
Teamwork Assist Damage I→Teamwork Assist Damage II
Combat Readiness I→Combat Readiness II→Combat Readiness III
Focus Point I→Focus Point II→Focus Point III
Increased Crew Quarters I→Increased Crew Quarters II→Increased Crew Quarters III→Increased Crew Quarters IV
Facility branches
The Medbay lines are independent of each other — capacity and cost are separate purchases.
Medical Bed II→Medical Bed III→Medical Bed IV
Cheaper Medical Supplies I→Cheaper Medical Supplies II
Persuasion I→Persuasion II
Black Market branch
The unlock is the gate; everything else is optional depth behind it.
Unlock Black MarketUnlocks the Black Market at the Armory allowing you to purchase Weapon Mods and Utility Items.Unlocks next: Increased Market Inventory I · Expedited Delivery · Better Black Market Deals · Quality Goods I
Quality Goods I→Quality Goods II
Increased Market Inventory I→Increased Market Inventory II
Influence branches
Three zone bands, two tiers each, and they do not depend on one another.
Core Influence I→Core Influence II
Mid Influence I→Mid Influence II
Outer Influence I→Outer Influence II
Weapon branches
Each family has its own line per stat, and families never share progress.
Rifle Movement I→Rifle Movement II
Rifle Range I→Rifle Range II
Rifle Damage I→Rifle Damage II→Rifle Damage III
Pistol Critical Chance I→Pistol Critical Chance II
Pistol Damage I→Pistol Damage II
Pistol Movement I→Pistol Movement II→Pistol Movement III
Repeater Movement I→Repeater Movement II
Repeater Damage I→Repeater Damage II
Repeater Overwatch I→Repeater Overwatch II→Repeater Overwatch III
Longarm Critical Chance I→Longarm Critical Chance II→Longarm Critical Chance III
Longarm Damage I→Longarm Damage II
Longarm Range and Overwatch I→Longarm Range and Overwatch II
A tier number and a shared line are exact. Whether every tier enforces the tier below it as a prerequisite is not resolved by the verified data, so treat the arrow as the branch you are buying into rather than a hard gate.
Six questions, no model: this is a rule engine over the same records the rest of the page uses. Change an answer and the shortlist changes with it.
High relevance · 6
Additional Utility Slot
You already own Utilities you cannot carry.
Additional Weapon Mod Slot
You already own Mods you cannot fit.
Combat Readiness I
Your builds have something useful to spend Advantage on in the opening turn.
Focus Point I
Focus Points are the bottleneck on more than one Operator.
Rifle Damage I
Rifle upgrades reach 3 roster members (Hawks, Jae Mordant, Kabb Uppercut), and 4 of the 4 published squads field one.
Unlock Black Market
You buy sometimes, so the shop needs to exist.
Medium · 9
Better Black Market Deals
A price cut is the safest upgrade if you buy occasionally.
Price cuts pay better once the shop is your main source.
Cautionary Intel
Worth it if your injuries trace back to Dangerous Operations.
Grenade Throw Distance
Your plans depend on where a grenade can land.
Increased Market Inventory I
Shelf space pays out at the rate you visit.
Medical Bed II
An occasional second injury is what a second bed is for.
Rifle Movement I
Rifle upgrades reach 3 roster members (Hawks, Jae Mordant, Kabb Uppercut), and 4 of the 4 published squads field one.
Rifle Range I
Rifle upgrades reach 3 roster members (Hawks, Jae Mordant, Kabb Uppercut), and 4 of the 4 published squads field one.
Teamwork Assist Damage I
Your team triggers Assists often.
Unlock Lounge
Early on, the Lounge starts banking Bond XP while your roster is still wide.
Low for your current run · 2
Droid Repair Bay
You said you do not use Droids, so this unlocks nothing you need.
Quality Goods I
Quality rolls are a later purchase, not a first Den upgrade.
Every line above traces to a rule in this page: a problem you named, an answer you gave, or a coverage count from the roster this site ships. Nothing is generated, and no upgrade is scored by Credits.
We do not use a single S–F tier list, and we do not price upgrades against each other. These are the inputs.
Who benefits?
All Operators, three of eight, the bench, Droids only, injured Operators, one weapon family.
How often does it trigger?
Every combat, every mission, every shop visit, or only when a specific situation appears.
Does it unlock a new system?
A capability is not a percentage: the Lounge, the Black Market and the Droid Repair Bay change what is possible.
Does it solve your stated bottleneck?
The goal selector and the advisor both start from your problem, not from a global order.
Does your squad use it?
A weapon upgrade is only worth its coverage — we count the Operators and the published squads behind it.
What does it lead to?
Some upgrades are one tier of a branch. The dependency section shows what you are committing to.
Data status
The collected recipes name which resource an upgrade consumes, but no record resolves an amount. That is why no recommendation on this page is derived from Credits per upgrade.
Exact effect✓ Game value· Recommended priority◇ Player reports
The upgrades with the widest reach are the ones that target every Operator: the additional Weapon Mod slot, the additional Utility slot, Combat Readiness and the Focus Point tiers. Everything else is strong for a specific problem, which is why this page sorts upgrades by the problem you have rather than printing one order.
Start with whichever of these three you are missing: a system you intend to use, a roster-wide upgrade, or the fix for the bottleneck that is currently costing you missions. If you cannot name a bottleneck, take a roster-wide upgrade — it cannot miss.
Early on, system unlocks have the highest ceiling, because they decide what your campaign can do for the rest of the run. A broad roster upgrade is the safe alternative when you already know which systems you will use.
The unlock is worth it if you want to buy Weapon Mods and Utility Items at all. The deeper tiers are only worth it if you visit the shop regularly — shelf space, refresh control and price cuts all pay out at the rate you shop. Players who buy almost nothing across a campaign should stop after the unlock.
Upgrade it when injuries are actually costing you missions. Bed capacity, cheaper supplies and injury prevention answer three different problems, and a squad that is rarely injured can delay all of them without falling behind.
It is worth it if you recruit Custom Operators, if injuries regularly remove core members, or if you want the freedom to leave Operators at the Den. If none of those is true, the roster cap is not what is holding your campaign back.
The Lounge grants Bond XP to Operators who stay at the Den during a mission, so its value is proportional to how often you leave somebody behind. A fixed A-team that always deploys together gets very little from it.
Combat Readiness gives the squad Advantage at the start of every combat, and the bonus stacks with Advantage gained during the mission. It is worth it when your builds have something useful to spend Advantage on in the opening turn, and much less important when they do not.
It applies to every Operator, so it is one of the safest Den purchases in the game. Its value depends on whether you own Mods that are currently sitting unused — check the Mod database before you buy capacity you will not fill.
Same logic as the Weapon Mod slot, on the Utility side. It is roster-wide, so it cannot miss, but it pays out only once you have Utility Items worth carrying.
Focus Point upgrades grant points to every Operator, including Operators on the bench. They unlock ability tiers that builds currently stop short of, which makes them a general progression purchase rather than a fix for one squad member.
Unlock it if you intend to recruit or repair Droids: the upgrade is what makes Droids playable, and its effect text names its own prerequisite, interacting with the Astromech in the Pit. If you are not running Droids, it has no short-term value for you.
The weapon upgrades that reach the most Operators. Rifle upgrades reach three Operators on the roster and three of the four published squads; Pistol, Repeater, Longarm and Melee reach one roster member each. The weapon table on this page counts the coverage per family so you can compare them against your own squad.
Compare how many Operators you actually field on each. On the roster this site ships, three Operators carry Rifles and one carries a Pistol, so a Rifle upgrade usually touches more of a squad — but if your own squad is built around a Pistol user, the answer inverts.
Rumor Gathering increases the Intel awarded for completing Missions. It is a rate upgrade: it rewards the missions you finish, not the way you play them, so it is strongest for a player whose Intel is always short.
There is exactly one Den upgrade that changes Intel income: Rumor Gathering in the Networking branch, which adds Intel per completed Mission. Intel does not have a second Den-level source.
They are threshold purchases. Each one grants +5 Influence immediately in one zone band, so it is decisive when +5 crosses the next regional reward threshold and modest when it does not. Check your standing before buying.
Credits and build slots are shared between the Den, the Medbay and the Black Market, so a single campaign is very unlikely to finish all 74 records. Treat the set as branches you choose between rather than a checklist.
Many players try to keep something under construction, because construction consumes campaign time and the Den does not queue itself. It is a habit rather than a rule: a Den that rushes the wrong branch is worse than one that waits a cycle.
Cancelling a multi-cycle upgrade resets the construction progress on it. Patch 1.1 corrected how the interface reports that reset, which is why this page records the game version it was checked against rather than describing the behaviour as permanent.
You know which upgrade to buy. These pages answer the questions that sit on either side of that decision.
/guides/best-den-upgrades · effects from game data, priorities from this guide · version 1.1