In V Rising, before players embark on their journeys as newly awakened vampires in hopes of becoming the next Dracula in Vardoran, it's imperative to understand the game's gear progression system.

For those looking to fully optimize their characters and build them to their liking, here's a breakdown of the Gear Level progression system in V Rising.

How Does Gear Progression Work in V Rising?

A concept seen in other similar titles like Destiny 2, V Rising's progression system revolves around Gear Level, a number determined by the sum of the strength of all the items a player is currently using in the game.

Players can find their characters' Gear Level listed in the Equipment screen. As one might notice, Gear Levels will change as they equip and unequip certain items.

To upgrade Gear Level in V Rising, players must complete quests and use their Blood Altars to track down and defeat bosses as they are the main sources of higher-powered gear to equip.

At the time of publication, the game's Gear Level caps off at Level 80.

Ultimately, Gear Level isn't relevant when it comes to PvP combat.

For PvE, however, Gear Level more or less decides who will win the fight.

NPC Characters with a red health bar are likely too difficult to take on at one's current Gear Level, while challenging those with a Skull next to their health bar will unquestionably lead to death.

V Rising is available now via early access for Windows PC on Steam. For more on the game, feel free to check out our guides on how to get Stone Dust, and how to get leather.