Upgrading in Devil May Cry is an essential aspect of the game, allowing Dante to become more powerful by unlocking new combos, abilities, and enhancements. Whether you’re a newcomer or a seasoned player looking for the best strategies, this guide will help you optimize your upgrades, make efficient purchases, and improve your overall gameplay.

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1. Understanding the Upgrade System

How Upgrades Work

• Dante earns upgrade points by defeating enemies, collected in the form of white orbs.
• Upgrade points are used to purchase new abilities, combos, and weapon enhancements.
• The more efficient and stylish your combat is, the faster you accumulate upgrade points.

When to Start Upgrading

• It’s recommended to wait until after Mission 2 before investing in upgrades.
• By Mission 2, you’ll have access to three weapons: Rebellion, Osiris, and the Arbiter axe, making upgrades more valuable.

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2. Prioritizing Upgrades: Best Abilities to Unlock First

Essential Movement & Evasion Skills

• Demon Evade (Level 1) – Grants a damage boost when dodging at the last second.
• Jump and Double Jump – Improves mobility and enables better enemy juggling.
• Evade – Helps avoid incoming attacks and sustain higher combo rankings.

Arbiter Axe: High-Damage Weapon Upgrades

• Trinity Smash – One of the best heavy-hitting attacks, delivering massive damage.
• Judgment (Optional) – Another powerful attack, but Trinity Smash is the better priority.

Maximizing Your Style Score

• Higher combos generate better style ranks, with SS and SSS giving extra rewards.
• Moves that hit multiple enemies or extend combos are excellent for ranking up quickly.

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3. The Importance of Items

While upgrades are important, items also play a crucial role in survival and performance.

Health Crosses & How to Use Them Wisely

• Health Crosses permanently increase your health bar.
• They are expensive, and each purchase increases their cost.
• Best Strategy:
  • Wait until you find Health Cross Fragments in secret missions and normal missions.
  • Only purchase a full Health Cross when absolutely necessary.
  • If you need one mid-mission, use a Divinity Statue—it will not affect your final mission score.

Devil Trigger Cross: Worth the Investment

• Increases your Devil Trigger bar permanently.
• When purchased, it also fully refills your Devil Trigger gauge.
• Like Health Crosses, they become more expensive over time, so buy them strategically.

Avoiding Score Penalties from Items

• Using items such as Vital Stars, Devil Trigger Stars, and Gold Orbs lowers your mission score.
• Gold Orbs respawn you exactly where you died, but they apply a 10,000-point penalty per use.
• If you’re aiming for high mission ranks, avoid using items unless necessary.

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4. Farming for Upgrades & Red Orbs

If you’re struggling in a mission or need more upgrades, replaying earlier levels can help.

Best Farming Strategies

1. Replay missions with lots of enemies to farm red orbs and white orbs for upgrades.
2. Secret Missions offer extra Health Cross Fragments and red orbs.
3. Prioritize high combo scores to maximize rewards at the end of a mission.
4. Use the Training Mode (Void Mode) to practice combos and improve efficiency in combat.

Why Farming is Important

• Some of the best abilities and upgrades require significant investment.
• If you’re struggling on a mission, replaying earlier levels can help you level up Dante before progressing.

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5. Final Thoughts: Optimizing Your Upgrade Path

Best Early Upgrades: ✅ Demon Evade (Level 1) – Improves survivability and damage output.
✅ Trinity Smash (Arbiter Axe) – High-damage attack, great for dealing with tougher enemies.
✅ Health Cross Fragments – Collect from secret missions instead of buying outright.
✅ Devil Trigger Cross – Extends your DT gauge and gives instant refills.
✅ Avoid Item Penalties – Only use items like Gold Orbs when absolutely necessary.

By following this upgrade strategy, you’ll ensure Dante remains powerful and effective throughout the game without unnecessary penalties.

Now get out there, start upgrading, and bring stylish destruction to your enemies!