Shards

Each shard type boosts a different aspect of gameplay: Echo Shards increase experience gain, Gilt Shards boost scrap income, Vein Shards improve material drop rates, Signal Shards increase equipment drop chances, and Hunter Shards raise the odds of encountering elite enemies. The same five types appear in both consumable shards and the rings and amulets they forge into.

Shards come in eight tiers, weakest to strongest: Rough, Cut, Polished, Refined, Brilliant, Radiant, Apex, and Transcendent. Each tier raises both the bonus magnitude and the duration when consumed. Transcendent shards give a 2.5x multiplier to the base bonus over 250 battles.

Shards are crafted through Gem Resonance. Higher Gem Resonance levels unlock stronger tiers. Rough at level 1, Cut at 6, Polished at 10, Refined at 18, Brilliant at 25, Radiant at 35, Apex at 48, and Transcendent at 60. Each recipe consumes tiered signal data plus a side material.

Consuming a shard gives a powerful temporary burst. Best for boss fights and short focused sessions. Forging a shard into jewelry sacrifices that burst but grants the bonus permanently while equipped. A typical build keeps a stockpile for boss runs and forges duplicates into rings and amulets to lock in passive income.

Only one consumed shard effect of each type can be active at once. Breaking a new Echo Shard while one is already active will replace the existing effect. Equipped jewelry passives stack with consumed effects. Wearing an Echo ring gives you the bonus permanently, and consuming an Echo shard adds even more on top temporarily.