Tank Upgrades are the system by which the Edelweiss and later the Shamrock can be customised and improved in Valkyria Chronicles. Upgrades are purchased in the R&D section of Headquarters, gradually becoming available as the campaign is played. Three special parts are held by enemy Tank Aces.
Basics of the system[]
A tank has two types of upgrade; general upgrades, and parts. General upgrades are essentially a tank's equivalent of infantry levels; the Edelweiss has upgrades to the body, armour and gun in this category, while the Shamrock has body, armour and three seperate turrets which are upgraded individually. The Edelweiss has three "final" upgrades to the gun, body and armour; only one of these can be fitted at a time, though all three need to be purchased at least once if the player wants to unlock the "Excellence in Technology" Medal.
The second type of upgrade is the optional part system. Each of the two tanks has a grid assigned to parts accessed via the "Outfit Tanks" option on the R&D Facility menu, and each part takes up a set number of squares on the grid. Generally, the more potent the part is, the larger it will be. Any number of parts can be taken provided they fit into the grid. Parts cannot be interchanged between tanks; each has a seperate set, with parts for the Shamrock tending to be larger than parts for the Edelweiss with the same effect, and also more expensive.
Block sizes are given as width x height. Edelweiss starts with a 4 x 3 upgrade grid, increasing to 5 x 4 when the upgrade Reinforced Body is purchased. Shamrock's upgrade grid is always 3 x 4.
Edelweiss Upgrades[]
Upgraded Edelweiss
The order below is the same as the order of the columns on the upgrade menu.
Gun Upgrades[]
These variously upgrade each of the Edelweiss' primary weapons, typically also changing the name of the weapon on the outfit screen.
- Barrel Protector:
Effect: Main gun range +200, Mortar range +100
Cost: 1,500
- Anti-Armour Rounds:
Effect: Main gun +60 vsPers, +200 vsArmour
Cost: 4,200 - Increased Payload:
Effect: Mortar +120 vsPers, +50 vsArmour, +10 Blast
Cost: 7,700
- Enhanced Gun:
Effect: Machine gun +13 vsPers, +9 vsArmour
Cost: 11,700 - Reinforced Barrel:
Effect: Main gun range +200, Mortar range +100
Cost: 16,300 - Heavy Tank Gun:
Effect: Machine gun +12 vsPers, +7 vsArmour
Cost: 21,300 - Piercing Rounds:
Effect: Main gun +60 vsPers, +200 vsArmour
Cost: 26,800 - Improved Shrapnel:
Effect: Mortar +130 vsPers, +50 vsArmour, +20 Blast
Cost: 32,600 - Ragnite Rounds:
Effect: Main gun +60 vsPers, +300 vsArmour
Cost: 38,800 - Extended Barrel (final upgrade):
Effect: Main gun range +100, Mortar range +50
Cost: 45,300
Body Upgrades[]
General upgrades to the body, improving hitpoints and tread defence. Defence is subtracted from the damage of all incoming attacks before any hitpoints are deducted; if the total defence rating is higher than the damage dealt, the attack deals no damage to hitpoints at all. For example, if the Edelweiss' tread defence is 150 and it is hit by three attacks dealing 150 damage, it will lose no tread hitpoints; if it is hit by three attacks dealing 151 damage, it will only lose 3 tread hitpoints.
- Additional Armour:
Effect: Body HP +300, Tread HP +200, Tread Def +50
Cost: 1,700 - Rivet Construction:
Effect: Body HP +100
Cost: 7,100 - Reinforced Body:
Effect: Body HP +300, Tread HP +200, Tread Def +50, AP +100, part grid enlarged to 5 x 4
Cost: 13,800 - Point Soldering:
Effect: Body HP +100
Cost:21,400 - Plane Soldering:
Effect: Body HP +100
Cost:29,600 - Reinforced Armour (final upgrade):
Effect: Body HP +300, Tread HP +200, Tread Def +50
Cost: 34,000
Reinforced Body is the Edelweiss' equivalent of the Level 11 "elite" status for infantry, providing an AP increase, enlarging the part grid and changing the tank's entire hull. After this upgrade is purchased, the Outfit Tanks screen will refer to the tank as "Edelweiss II."
Reinforced Armour is probably the best all-around upgrade of the three "final" upgrades; +100 range isn't really worth the cost (for reference, the range of a hand grenade is 90), and it would take ten separate hits for body def +30 to save 300 HP of damage. In addition, the side skirts added by Reinforced Armour are not just cosmetic, they actually change the Edelweiss' hitbox, with any shot that hits them counting as a hit to the body rather than the treads.
Armour Upgrades[]
Upgrades to the body's defence rating.
- Frontal Armour:
Effect: Body Def +30
Cost: 1,200 - Rolled Steel:
Effect: Body Def +20
Cost: 3,300 - Turret Armour:
Effect: Body Def +30
Cost: 8,600 - Carbon-Coat Steel:
Effect: Body Def +20
Cost: 11,800 - Ragnite Alloy:
Effect: Body Def +20
Cost: 19,100 - Hardened Ragnite:
Effect: Body Def +25
Cost: 27,200 - Gun Barrel Armour (final upgrade):
Effect: Body Def +30
Cost: 31,600
Edelweiss Parts[]
Tread HP (red)[]
Edelweiss' tread HP is 650, plus any bonuses from body upgrades, plus the effect of these parts.
- Spare Belt:
Effect: Tread HP +50
Block size: 1 x 1
Cost: 1,000 - Spare Idler:
Effect: Tread HP +75
Block size: 1 x 2
Cost: 2,900 - Spare Tread Set:
Effect: Tread HP +125
Block size: 1 x 3
Cost: 9,200 - Spare Drive Parts:
Effect: Tread HP +225
Block size: 2 x 3
Cost: 12,000 - Enhanced Block Pin:
Effect: Tread HP +400
Block size: 3 x 3
Cost: 0 - Acquired by defeating enemy Medium Tank Ace Yosnoa the Hound in Chapter 12: The Fight for Bruhl
Tread Defence (yellow)[]
Edelweiss' tread defence is 100, plus any bonuses from body upgrades, plus the effect of these parts.
- Leaf Spring:
Effect: Tread Def +10
Block size: 1 x 1
Cost: 1,000 - Coil Spring:
Effect: Tread Def +15
Block size: 2 x 1
Cost: 2,500 - Reinforced Leaf:
Effect: Tread Def +25
Block size: 3 x 1
Cost: 4,300 - Reinforced Coil:
Effect: Tread Def +35
Block size: 4 x 1
Cost: 6,000 - Carbon-Coat Leaf:
Effect: Tread Def +45
Block size: 2 x 2
Cost: 8,000 - Double Coil:
Effect: Tread Def +70
Block size: 3 x 2
Cost: 10,000 - Torsion Bar:
Effect: Tread Def +100
Block size: 3 x 2
Cost: 12,000 - Reinforced Torsion Bar:
Effect: Tread Def +150
Block size: 4 x 2
Cost: 15,000
Critical Defence (green)[]
The Edelweiss' critical hit rating is 10 minus the effect of these parts divided by one hundred. The resulting number is the multiplier applied to damage to the tank's radiator; the minimum is 1, at which point a radiator hit deals the same damage as a body hit.
- Hardened Plate:
Effect: Critical Def +50
Block size: 1 x 1
Cost: 1,000 - Steel Alloy Plate:
Effect: Critical Def +70
Block size: 2 x 1
Cost: 2,900 - Hard Steel Plate:
Effect: Critical Def +130
Block size: 3 x 1
Cost: 5,200 - Carbon-Coat Plate:
Effect: Critical Def +200
Block size: 2 x 2
Cost: 8,000 - Ragnite-Coat Plate:
Effect: Critical Def +300
Block size: 3 x 2
Cost: 11,200 - Ragnite Plate:
Effect: Critical Def +450
Block size: 3 x 3
Cost: 14,700
Sight Parts (blue)[]
The Edelweiss' Innate Accuracy is 6 plus the total effect of these parts.
- Bulletproof Visor:
Effect: Accuracy +5
Block size: 1 x 1
Cost: 1,000 - Periscope:
Effect: Accuracy +7
Block size: 2 x 1
Cost: 2,900 - Monocle Sight:
Effect: Accuracy +12
Block size: 2 x 2
Cost: 5,200 - Rotating Periscope:
Effect: Accuracy +16
Block size: 3 x 2
Cost: 8,000 - Stereoscopic Sight:
Effect: Accuracy +25
Block size: 4 x 2
Cost: 11,200 - Firing Calculator:
Effect: Accuracy +20
Block size: 4 x 1
Cost: 0 - Acquired by defeating enemy Tank Destroyer Ace Matz the Cleaner in Chapter 15: Citadel Ghirlandaio (Pt.1)
Firing Calculator renders Stereoscopic Sight redundant, since Firing Calculator + Periscope + Bulletproof Visor fit into the same space with one block spare, while providing +32% accuracy instead of +25%. It's readily possible for the Edelweiss to fit Bulletproof Visor + Periscope + Monocle Sight + Rotating Periscope + Firing Calculator into the 5 x 4 grid, for a +60% accuracy bonus with three blocks remaining; Extra Magazine and one of the 1x1 parts will fit into these gaps.
Magazine (purple)[]
The Edelweiss' mortar round ammunition is 1 plus the effect of these parts. Ammunition parts do not effect the number of smoke rounds available.
- Extra Magazine:
Effect: Ammo + 1
Block size: 1 x 2
Cost: 1,000 - Rear Magazine:
Effect: Ammo + 1
Block size: 1 x 3
Cost: 2,000 - Turret Magazine:
Effect: Ammo + 2
Block size: 2 x 3
Cost: 4,000
Shamrock Upgrades[]
Upgraded Shamrock
The order below is the same as the order of the columns in the upgrade menu.
Body Upgrades[]
The Shamrock's body upgrades only increase body HP, with no other bonus.
- Rivet Construction:
Effect: Body HP +100
Cost: 10,000 - Point Soldering:
Effect: Body HP +100
Cost: 26,400 - Plane Soldering:
Effect: Body HP +100
Cost: 36,000
Armour Upgrades[]
Upgrades to the body's defence rating.
- Rolled Steel:
Effect: Body Def +20
Cost: 7,500 - Carbon-Coat Steel:
Effect: Body Def +20
Cost: 18,500 - Ragnite Alloy:
Effect: Body Def +30
Cost: 31,300
Anti-Armour Turret Upgrades[]
Upgrades in this category improve the mortar and gun of the Shamrock's anti-armour turret, and also include improvements to the machine gun common to all three turrets. They typically also change the name of the weapon they upgrade on the outfit screen.
- Anti-Armour Rounds:
Effect: Main gun +40 vsPers, +150 vsArmour
Cost: 12,000 - Increased Payload:
Effect: Mortar +110 vsPers, +50 vsArmour, +10 Blast
Cost: 17,000 - Enhanced Gun:
Effect: Machine gun +13 vsPers, +6 vsArmour
Cost: 20,800 - Piercing Rounds:
Effect: Main gun +40 vsPers, +250 vsArmour
Cost: 24,000 - Improved Shrapnel:
Effect: Mortar +80 vsPers, +50 vsArmour, +10 Blast
Cost: 26,900
Machine Gun Turret Upgrades[]
Upgrades to the "Gatling gun" (machine gun) turret.
- Link Belt:
Effect: +5 vsPers, +2 vsArmour
Cost: 8,300 - Auto-Reload Device:
Effect: +10 vsPers, +2 vsArmour
Cost: 19,100
Flamethrower Turret Upgrades[]
Upgrades to the flamethrower turret.
- Flame Intensifier:
Effect: +150 vsPers, +5 vsArmour
Cost: 9,000 - High-Temp Fuel:
Effect: +110 vsPers, +5 vsArmour
Cost: 18,000
Shamrock Parts[]
Tread HP (red)[]
The Shamrock's tread HP is 650, plus the effect of these parts. The Shamrock never recieves any bonuses to tread HP from body upgrades.
- Spare Belt:
Effect: Tread HP +150
Block size: 1 x 3
Cost: 3,500 - Spare Idler:
Effect: Tread HP +300
Block size: 1 x 4
Cost: 7,000
Tread Defence (yellow)[]
The Shamrock's tread defence is 100, plus the effect of these parts. As with tread HP, body upgrades do not increase the Shamrock's tread defence.
- Leaf Spring:
Effect: Tread Def +25
Block size: 2 x 1
Cost: 3,500 - Reinforced Leaf:
Effect: Tread Def +65
Block size: 3 x 1
Cost: 10,000 - Carbon-Coat Leaf:
Effect: Tread Def +100
Block size: 3 x 2
Cost: 20,000
Critical Defence (green)[]
The Shamrock's critical hit rating is 10 minus the effect of these parts divided by one hundred. The resulting number is the multiplier applied to damage to the tank's radiator; the minimum possible for the Shamrock is 1.5.
- Steel Alloy Plate:
Effect: Critical Def +300
Block size: 2 x 2
Cost: 6,000 - Carbon-Coat Plate:
Effect: Critical Def +550
Block size: 2 x 2
Cost: 20,000
Sight Parts (blue)[]
The Shamrock's innate Accuracy is 10 plus the total effect of these parts.
- Periscope:
Effect: Accuracy + 5
Block size: 1 x 1
Cost: 6,000 - Monocle Sight:
Effect: Accuracy + 10
Block size: 2 x 1
Cost: 18,000 - Firing Calculator:
Effect: Accuracy + 15
Block size: 3 x 1
Cost: 0 - Acquired by defeating enemy Heavy Tank Ace Toyold the Bull in Flower of the Battlefield
Magazine (purple)[]
The Shamrock's mortar round ammunition is 1 plus the effect of these parts.
- Extra Magazine:
Effect: Ammo + 1
Block size: 1 x 3
Cost: 3,000 - Underside Magazine:
Effect: Ammo + 1
Block size: 1 x 2
Cost: 6,000