Elemental Forums
Those spear guys that you designed in the early game are somehow still going strong and have gained a few levels, but you can't upgrade them to use some chainmail or leather armour, not even a robe.
the only way you can currently upgrade units, is if you pick the autoupgrade armor/weapon options when originally designing a unit
To elaborate: Designing an unit you wish to upgrade later, when giving it armor don't click on(for example) 'leather chestpiece', click on the right-most icon looking like a shield(in the chest armor category). This tells the unit to use the best chestpiece available when it is built, and allows you to upgrade the chestpiece later after you research better armor.
On a related note, if you want the unit to upgrade to plate armor eventually, give it the strength trait(or a horse), otherwise you won't be able to upgrade the armor since it will be too heavy to wear for that unit.
This may be different than the OP's specific point, but to correct some error in the replies....
i never (or rarely) select the upgrade option when designing a unit. Yet i always have the option to upgrade, so long as the unit is within my borders, and so long as the unit has the strength to wield this new gear. It is my understanding that the upgrade option, just upgrades unit design. And has no bearing on previously built units being upgraded. For instance, if i select upgrade when arming a design with a level 1 Bow, when time comes that i have level 2 Bow, this unit design will automatically upgrade. i need not design a new unit, all my new units now have the new gear.
Is why i don't use it. i may name unit armed with level 1 Bow as simply "Bow". Then name units with level 2 Bow as "Longbow". By not selecting 'upgrade', i know that all my "Bow" named units, remain with L1 Bow and not armed with L2. i still can upgrade these units at any time of my choosing. Its just that the unit design itself, is not auto-upgraded. i have to manually make a new design. When i upgrade previously built units, i rename them to fit their new class. So by name, i know the capabilities of each of my units. i just like the efficiency of knowing what a units got by name. 6 to one, a half-dozen to another.
On closer examination it seems that even when a unit (a hammer and shield unit for example) should be able to upgrade to an armour like Chain Mail it will prefer to upgrade to a Monk's Robe instead and totally ignores the Wooden Shield that could be upgraded to a Round Shield at least.
I think there's some sort of encumbrance avoidance in there, probably for the AI's sake.
Yeah i get that Monk Robe upgrade perhaps everytime. Don't upgrade armor much as a result. Sucks that we can't pick and choose individual gear upgrades. Gotta take the whole mystery lot. The crystal cost is the only indicator for the robes. And as you say, your stuck with the robes even when just seeking to upgrade shield. Just went through this last game with Bucklers. My vet spears couldn't upgrade cuz i miser'd the limited crystal for bow buffs only. Is a weak mechanic. Kinda half-assed in my view. Mostly i just upgrade spears and bows.
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