Monster Hunter Wilds Armor Spheres: Farming and Max Costs

The fastest way to upgrade armor in Monster Hunter Wilds is to repeat quests that guarantee armor spheres, then switch to Tempered 7 and 8 star hunts once you hit HR 41, since those are the main source of Heavy Armor Spheres (5,000 upgrade points each). Use a Lucky Voucher on the hunts you farm to raise the number of spheres, and smelt spare materials at the Smelting Foundry. With patch 1.041.02.00 the base game is complete, and Armor Transcendence at HR 100 now raises every High Rank armor cap, which is where most spheres go. This guide lists every sphere tier, the best sources for each, and exactly how many points it takes to max a set.

Checked against the Fextralife armor sphere and Armor Transcendence pages and patch 1.041.02.00 on November 12, 2026.

Drop chances come from the Monster Hunter Wiki's item data, and quest rewards and point values come from Fextralife. Where a value is not listed on either wiki it is left out rather than estimated.

What are the armor sphere types in Monster Hunter Wilds?

There are five armor sphere tiers. Each one adds upgrade points to a piece of armor at the Smithy, and higher tiers add far more.

One Heavy sphere equals five Hard spheres, so in the late game every Tempered hunt that drops a Heavy sphere is worth several normal quest rewards.

How many armor spheres does it take to max armor?

A lot more than the story suggests. Title Update 1 raised the upgrade limit for Rarity 5 and higher armor, and Title Update 4's Armor Transcendence raised it again at HR 100.

That is per armor piece. A full five-piece Rarity 8 set from level 0 to transcended max is 575,000 points, or 115 Heavy spheres. The wiki's Rarity 7 total does not match its own sphere counts, so check that one in game.

Transcending costs a Hunter Symbol (I for Rarity 5, II for Rarity 6, III for Rarity 7 and 8), the monster's "S" certificate, a rare monster item and Zenny. You do it through Gemma at any Base Camp. For the full endgame context, see the Monster Hunter Wilds endgame guide.

Where do you farm Heavy Armor Spheres?

Tempered 7 and 8 star monsters, which appear after HR 41, are the main source. They are not guaranteed, but a Lucky Voucher at the start of the quest increases how many you get. The Monster Hunter Wiki lists these High Rank extra reward chances from Tempered hunts:

Quests that reward Heavy spheres include A Silent Flash, The Shining Storm Rages, These Roots Run Deep, The Daunting Downpour, Hungry for Ore?, The White Wonder and Special Assignment: Slay Gogmazios. The 8-star event quest "Endless Sky, Endless Sea" also lists Heavy Armor Spheres among its rewards.

Where do you farm Hard Armor Spheres?

Hard spheres drop much more often than Heavy ones, so they are the steady income while you farm Tempered monsters. Chances listed for High Rank Tempered hunts:

Event quests that guarantee Hard spheres include "Eldrich Enigma" (6 stars, Tempered Xu Wu) and "Shining Blades against the Dull Wasteland" (6 stars, Seregios).

Which quests give armor spheres you can repeat?

Title Update 3 made four sphere and ore quests permanent: Tongue-Tied, Wreaking Havoc in Wyveria, Chemicus Nocturnus and Careening Out of Control. Ver. 1.041 then made 29 equipment-material event quests permanent and playable offline, so most of the old sphere events are back in rotation.

• Early spheres: optional quests are the most reliable source of Armor Sphere+. The wiki names A Vow to Remain, Time to Exorcise, Vespoid Capriccio and Dream Eaters, each of which guarantees a sphere.
• Advanced spheres: the 5-star event quests "Ballet in the Rain" (Tempered Lala Barina) and "Sand-Scarred Soul" (Doshaguma) reward Advanced Armor Spheres.
• Careening Out of Control gives Armor Sphere and Armor Sphere+, so it is mainly useful in Low Rank and early High Rank.

Event quests are repeatable while they are active, and story assignments are one time only, so plan your farming around event and optional quests.

Is Armor Transcendence worth the spheres on Rarity 5 and 6 armor?

Often yes, because Rarity 5 and 6 pieces get better decoration slots as well as a higher level cap, while Rarity 7 and 8 pieces only get the higher cap. Transcending a Rarity 5 piece upgrades all three of its decoration slots, and a Rarity 6 piece gets two slots upgraded. Slots that are already Level 3 stay as they are.

The sphere bill is also smaller on low-rarity pieces: 16,000 points to go from base max to transcended max on Rarity 5, against 40,000 on Rarity 8. If a Rarity 5 or 6 piece carries a set bonus or skill you want, transcend it before you decide to replace it.

Where do you get basic Armor Spheres early on?

Basic Armor Spheres come from story quests and from Tempered monster extra rewards. The Monster Hunter Wiki lists a 22% High Rank extra reward chance from Tempered Uth Duna, Rompopolo, Rey Dau, Nerscylla, Hirabami and Ajarakan, and quests such as Beyond the Deluge and The Eye of the Storm among its sources. You will collect plenty without trying, so do not farm them on purpose once Hard spheres are available.

How does the Smelting Foundry work for armor spheres?

The Smelting Foundry turns stored materials into armor spheres. It unlocks after Chapter 2-4, "A Disquieting Dawn," and sits near the Base Camp in the Oilwell Basin. The quality and number of spheres depend on the smelting points from the materials you put in.

• Smelt low-value monster parts you will never use again, such as Low Rank leftovers and duplicates from monsters whose gear you finished.
• Keep anything you still need for Artian reinforcement. Smelting also produces Oricalcite and other ores used to reinforce Artian weapons, so the two systems compete for the same materials.
• Skip the Gawdygog trade. He offers two spheres for five Ancient Wyvern Coins, limited to two trades, and the wiki calls it inefficient because those coins buy Gold Relic Tickets for Artian parts.

What is the fastest way to upgrade armor in Monster Hunter Wilds?

Spend Hard and Heavy spheres only on the armor you will keep, and farm the hunts that drop both at high rates.

1. Before HR 41: clear optional quests and active event quests for Armor Sphere+ and Advanced spheres. Upgrade only the set you use right now.
2. From HR 41: farm Tempered Jin Dahaad, Arkveld and Zoh Shia with a Lucky Voucher. They have the best combined Hard and Heavy chances on the wiki's lists, and they also drop Artian parts.
3. Use the permanent quests: repeat the Title Update 3 sphere and ore quests between Tempered hunts.
4. Save Heavy spheres: the wiki recommends keeping them for High Rank or endgame armor, not story gear.
5. At HR 100: transcend first, then upgrade. A Rarity 5 or 6 piece with a strong set bonus gets better decoration slots from Transcendence, which can make it cheaper to max than a Rarity 8 replacement.

Related guides

• Monster Hunter Wilds endgame guide: Artian, Gogma and Arch-Tempered hunts
• Monster Hunter Wilds best weapon for beginners
• Monster Hunter Wilds hub