Yes—but guns do not gain ordinary character levels. To increase a weapon’s base damage, make it Proficient, then use Expertise in the Tinkering interface to raise its Grade. You’ll need materials, and your account’s Expertise level limits how many Grade upgrades the weapon can receive.
How to increase a gun’s base damage
- Build Proficiency. Use the weapon in combat or contribute resources to its research. Proficiency is progression tied to an item; it is separate from your account-wide Expertise level. Ubisoft’s Expertise feature article describes both methods.
- Reach maximum Proficiency rank. Ubisoft’s launch-era explanation says an item must be Proficient before its Grade can be raised.
- Open Expertise in the Tinkering interface. Spend the required materials to increase the weapon’s Grade. A weapon’s Grade is its individual Expertise upgrade rank; the number of upgrades it can receive cannot exceed your current Expertise level, according to Ubisoft’s launch-era description.
Ubisoft’s November 30, 2021 feature article described each weapon Grade as adding 1% base damage, but also said its values were works in progress and could change with balancing and PTS feedback. Treat that percentage as historical, not a guaranteed current value. The retrieved official updates do not establish today’s per-Grade increase, maximum Grade, or material costs; check the live Tinkering screen.
Which upgrade system matches your goal?
| Your goal | System | What it changes | Key condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Increase a weapon’s base damage | Expertise Grade | The proficient weapon’s base damage | Requires maximum Proficiency rank, materials, and available player Expertise level. |
| Improve an existing attribute roll | Optimization | Raises a selected attribute toward its maximum | Ubisoft’s published feature guidance specifies level 40 High-end, Gear Set, and Exotic items and weapons; confirm current eligibility and costs in game. |
| Replace an attribute or talent | Recalibration | Transfers an attribute or talent from another item | Ubisoft’s published explanation says the donor item is consumed, along with required resources. |
Ubisoft combined Recalibration and Optimization into a single Tinkering screen in its February 2024 announcement. They remain different actions from raising a weapon’s Expertise Grade. The older Optimization guidance predates that interface change, so use the live game menu to confirm an item’s eligibility and the current material requirement. Optimization materials can be crafted at the Crafting Bench under Ubisoft’s published guidance.
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What Proficiency and Expertise mean
- Proficiency is progress on an item, brand, or gear set, earned through use or resource investment. A weapon must reach maximum Proficiency rank before its Grade can be upgraded.
- Expertise level is account-wide progression gained by accumulating proficiencies. It sets the maximum number of Grade upgrades available for an individual item.
- Grade is the Expertise upgrade rank of a particular item. It is not the same as the weapon’s ordinary character-level requirement.
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