Cathedral Upgrade Priority — Best Path by Class
Cathedral System Overview
The Cathedral is Arms of God's permanent progression system. Upgrades purchased here persist across all runs (including NG+). Each upgrade costs gold and sometimes requires a Cathedral Token.
Gold Cost by Upgrade Tier
| Tier | Gold Cost | Token Cost | Effect |
| ------ | ----------- | ------------ | -------- |
| 1 | 300 | 0 | +5% HP, +3% Damage |
| 2 | 500 | 1 | +8% HP, +5% Damage |
| 3 | 800 | 2 | +12% HP, +8% Damage |
| 4 | 1200 | 3 | +15% HP, +10% Damage, +1 Passive Point |
Best First Upgrades by Class
Paladin: Divine Armor (HP) first. Your biggest advantage is survivability — amplify it. Then Holy Strike (damage). Your damage is low baseline, so percentage increases matter more.
Assassin: Shadow Step upgrade first (reduces cooldown by 2 seconds). Mobility is everything for Assassin. Then crit damage upgrade.
Mage: Mana Pool upgrade first (+20% mana). Running out of mana mid-fight is a death sentence. Then spell power.
Sniper: Precision upgrade (+10% headshot damage). Then movement speed (Sniper's biggest weakness is positioning speed).
Cathedral Token Farming
Cathedral Tokens are limited. You get:
- 1 per act completion (4 per full run)
- 1 from the Lich King mini-boss (Act 4)
- 1 from the hidden Archive Vault (Act 4)
- 2 from Forge of Souls optional zone (Act 4)
- 1 from the Sanctum of Trials (Act 4 optional)
Total per run: Up to 9 tokens if you clear all optional content.
Hidden Cathedral Upgrade
After bringing the Lich King's Phylactery to the Cathedral altar, a hidden upgrade unlocks:
Ancient Ward (Cost: 800 gold + 1 token)
Effect: +20% resistance to all elements
This is arguably the best value upgrade in the game. The only reason not to rush it is the opportunity cost of other Tier 3 upgrades.
Recommended Order (Neutral)
1. Tier 1 upgrades (300 gold each) — best value in the game
2. Ancient Ward (if you have the phylactery)
3. Class-specific priority upgrade
4. Tier 2 upgrades
5. Save tokens for Tier 4 (the +1 passive point is game-changing)
Complete Cathedral calculator tool at armsofgodgame.com.