Upgrading adventurers in Monster Hunter Outlanders mostly comes down to leveling them up with Dew and raising their level cap through Ascension with Amber. This guide covers the materials each one needs, how to farm them, how Buddies level up, and which upgrades to prioritize. Information as of October 31, 2026.
Upgrade Priorities
Here are the main ways to strengthen your adventurers, ranked by priority. Gear and levels raise your stats the most, so start there. Leveling only needs materials that are easy to get from Hunt Requests, making it the simplest upgrade to keep maxed out.
| Upgrade | Priority | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Gear crafting and upgrades | ★★★★★ | Raises defense and adds skills to your adventurer. Crafted gear can be upgraded further. |
| Level-ups and Ascension | ★★★★★ | Raises base stats such as HP and attack. Uses EXP materials and Ascension materials, which come from Hunt Requests and more. |
| Buddies | ★★★★☆ | Boosts stats such as elemental attack. Buddies also need EXP and Ascension materials, which come from Hunt Requests and more. |
| Visages | ★★★☆☆ | Raise base stats, and their Core Effects and Set Effects strengthen your adventurer. |
| Insights | ★★☆☆☆ | Add skills up to your cost limit. You get more by getting duplicate copies of the adventurer, such as through recruitment. |
| Proof of Mastery | ★★☆☆☆ | Raises your adventurers' attack, damage dealt, and more. It levels up as you clear quests. |
Weapon Crafting / Buddy Tier List / Visage Guide / How to Raise Adventurer Rank
Upgrades Raise Your Hunting Power
Each adventurer has a hunting power that rises with their level and gear. On some stages, such as Hunt Requests and expeditions, you can skip the hunt with a quick hunt if your hunting power is above the recommended power. Temporary boosts such as meals don't count toward hunting power.
How to Level Up Adventurers
Level-Up Materials: Dew
Leveling up an adventurer takes Dew materials such as Verdant Dew and Aqua Dew, plus Zenny. There are three kinds, and each color gives a different amount of EXP.
| Material | EXP |
|---|---|
| Verdant Dew | 100 |
| Aqua Dew | 500 |
| Mystic Dew | 2,000 |
How to Level Up
Open Adventurers from the menu to see the adventurers you own. Pick one and tap the Keepsake upgrade button at the bottom of the screen to level them up.
Ascension Raises the Level Cap
Adventurers start with a level cap of 20. Each Ascension raises the cap by 10, up to level 70. How far you can ascend depends on your ecology level, so raise your ecology level to keep raising the cap.
How to Ascend Adventurers (Limit Break)
Once an adventurer reaches the level cap, Ascension raises it. Ascension takes Amber materials and Zenny. There are three kinds of Amber, and the one you need depends on the adventurer's level.
| Material | Used for |
|---|---|
| Clear Amber | Lv 20 → 30 / Lv 30 → 40 |
| Gleam Amber | Lv 40 → 50 / Lv 50 → 60 |
| Shimmer Amber | Lv 60 → 70 |
How to Ascend
Open Adventurers from the menu and pick an adventurer. Open the upgrade tab at the top of the screen, check the materials, and ascend.
Reach the Current Level Cap First
You can only ascend an adventurer after leveling them up to their current level cap. To raise how far Ascension can go, you need to raise your ecology level.
How to Farm Upgrade Materials
Both Dew and Amber come mainly from Hunt Requests. Here's where to get each, ranked by priority.
Where to Get Dew
| Source | Priority |
|---|---|
| Hunt Request: Keepsake Upgrade | ★★★★★ |
| Adventurer Rank Rewards | ★★★☆☆ |
| Quest Rewards | ★★★☆☆ |
| Events and the shop | ★★☆☆☆ |
Where to Get Amber
| Source | Priority |
|---|---|
| Hunt Request: Keepsake Ascension | ★★★★★ |
| Crafting | ★★★★☆ |
| Adventurer Rank Rewards | ★★★★☆ |
| Proof of Mastery Rewards | ★★★★☆ |
| Rumbling Furnace | ★★★★☆ |
| Season rank rewards | ★★★☆☆ |
| Co-op Exchange | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Events | ★★☆☆☆ |
Hunt Requests
Both materials come from Hunt Requests: Dew from Hunt Request: Keepsake Upgrade and Amber from Hunt Request: Keepsake Ascension. Hunt Requests cost energy, so you can only run so many per day, but a quick hunt makes them easy to clear. Higher difficulties give rarer materials, and new difficulties unlock as you raise your ecology level.
Crafting
You can also craft Amber. Lower-tier Amber stops being useful as your adventurers level up, so combine it into higher-tier Amber: 3 lower-tier pieces make 1 higher-tier piece.
Adventurer Rank Rewards
Adventurer Rank rewards also include Dew and Amber, and the higher your rank, the rarer the materials. Remember to collect them every time you rank up.
Proof of Mastery Rewards
Proof of Mastery rewards also include Amber. Raising your Proof of Mastery also strengthens your adventurers through its stage bonuses, so it's worth prioritizing.
Rumbling Furnace
The Rumbling Furnace (the battle pass) also gives Amber, including on the free track, so complete its missions regularly. If you want more rewards, you can also buy the paid upgrade.
Season Rank Rewards
Season rank rewards also include Amber. Your season rank goes up as you complete weekly and season quests, and you get rewards at each rank.
Co-op Exchange
The Co-op Exchange in the shop offers Verdant Dew, Clear Amber, Dewberry, and Tasty Acorn. They unlock at Adventurer Rank 16, so raise your Adventurer Rank first if you haven't reached it.
Quests and Events
Some quests, mostly while you progress the story, reward upgrade materials. Events and the shop also hand out Dew and Amber. Event rewards vary, so check the events running now to see whether they give materials.
Refill Energy to Upgrade Faster
If you want to upgrade faster, you can refill energy with an Energy Bottle or Rutacoin and run more Hunt Requests. Rutacoin is also used for recruitment, though, so it's better not to spend it unless you really need to.
Buddy Level-Ups and Ascension
Buddies have levels and Ascension too. Their materials are as easy to gather as adventurer ones, so level up your Buddies right after your adventurers.
Buddy Level-Ups
Buddies level up with Dewberry, which you get from Hunt Request: Buddy Upgrade. Higher levels raise the Buddy's stats.
Buddies Need Ascension Too
Buddies have Ascension just like adventurers. The unlock conditions are the same; only the materials differ. Buddies use acorns such as Tasty Acorn, Premium Acorn, and Prized Acorn, which you get from Hunt Request: Buddy Ascension. Ascension also strengthens the Buddy's Ultimate.
Buddy Tier List / Best SR Buddies
Tips for Upgrading Efficiently
Focus on One Party of Four
A party has four adventurers. Upgrading takes a lot of different materials, so early on, focus on those four and build one strong party first.
Best Teams / Best SR Adventurers
Upgrade the Adventurer You Control First
Among those four, upgrade the adventurer you control first. If you control an attacker, progress gets much smoother, so start with easy upgrades such as leveling.
Expand to Eight for the Monster Challenge
The later stages of the Monster Challenge need two parties. Once you have materials to spare, expand your upgrades to eight adventurers.
Cover Different Elements
Adventurers who match a monster's elemental weakness deal more damage. When you choose who to upgrade, avoid stacking a single element. Once you have energy to spare, upgrade adventurers of each element. If you mainly play the main character, preparing weapons of every element makes hunts much easier.
Stuck? Craft New Gear
If you feel short on damage or survivability, craft and upgrade higher-rarity weapons and armor. Monster materials come from hunting that monster in a Free Hunt or in the field. Upgrade your visages at the same time, and if you haven't activated any Set Effects yet, equip visages with a set that suits your adventurer.
Best Builds / Weapon Crafting / Visage Guide
The screenshots are from the Japanese version of the game.