- Begin with the equipped-versus-drop DPS comparison, then read class compatibility, required level, attack-family bonuses and the unique effect. Rarity or a high enhancement number alone does not prove the replacement is better.
- Weapon DPS, damage per hit, weapon speed and your complete build’s damage are different comparisons. A proc or conditional affix can change the result on your usual node.
- Keep both weapons until the replacement works. Temporarily retain the relevant rarity when auto-selling removes every candidate; do not sacrifice the old baseline before the comparison.
Read the candidate in an order that avoids wasted upgrades
Check whether the character can use it
Read the class line and required level before comparing a large damage value. A weapon displayed in a build guide may be incompatible with your hero.
Compare the base weapon lines
Record DPS, damage and speed for both items. Note item level and enhancement separately so the compared state is clear.
Match the attack family
Read Basic, Strong, Special and elemental modifiers against the four abilities actually equipped.
Read conditions and the unique effect
Check what triggers the bonus: Basic casts, a target state, a channel, distance or another named ability.
Keep the baseline and test the replacement
Use the same repeated map, talents and recovery settings. Compare clear time and interruptions before selling the rejected item.
Evidence: Wikily — Gilded Recurve Bow · Wikily — Raincaller Bow · Wikily — Forged Warhammer
Apollo’s launch example describes a player stalled with a +6 Common weapon while Uncommon drops were automatically sold. Retaining that rarity exposed a better bow. It is an argument for inspecting new base weapons when progress stalls, not a rule that every Uncommon beats every enhanced Common. Change the filter only enough to see candidates and keep useful inventory space available.
Evidence: ApolloTrail — launch-week beginner setup
DPS and a single hit answer different questions
The Wikily item model makes a slower weapon hit harder for the same DPS. A simplified example illustrates the distinction: a 100-DPS weapon delivering 0.8 attacks per second corresponds to 125 damage per attack, while a 100-DPS weapon delivering 1.2 corresponds to about 83.3. These are invented arithmetic inputs to explain units, not actual Deskrawl item rolls or a complete ability-damage formula.
Evidence: Wikily — Gilded Recurve Bow
A Basic loop responds to attack frequency; a named ability that scales from weapon damage can care about the per-hit value and its own casting conditions. Wikily also distinguishes Basic timers from Strong and Special cooldowns and their shared global cooldown. Faster weapon speed alone therefore does not establish more casts of a cooldown-limited Special. Compare the actual anchor rather than assuming every family turns DPS into damage identically.
Evidence: Wikily — ability slots and automatic casting
| Tooltip line | Useful meaning | Incomplete inference to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon DPS | A starting weapon-output comparison | The entire four-slot build deals this exact number each second. |
| Weapon damage | The per-hit quantity used by weapon-damage coefficients | The highest single hit is the fastest complete node. |
| Weapon speed / Attack Speed | Relevant to Basic attack opportunities | All Strong and Special cooldowns become equally faster. |
| Basic / Strong / Special bonus | Supports its named family | Any damage bonus applies to every ability. |
| Damage vs a condition | Requires the actual enemy condition | Its full value is permanent or active against every target. |
Evidence: Wikily — ability slots and automatic casting · Wikily — Gilded Recurve Bow
Compare equal item levels, not color alone
| Item level | Rare Gilded Recurve DPS | Legendary Raincaller DPS | What the ranges show |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | 82.4–112.7 | 88.0–120.2 | The ranges overlap; inspect the individual roll and unique effect. |
| 500 | 133.3–181.7 | 142.3–193.7 | Higher rarity is not proof that every possible roll beats the other item. |
| 700 | 184.4–250.7 | 196.6–267.3 | A late item still needs build-compatible attributes. |
Evidence: Wikily — Gilded Recurve Bow · Wikily — Raincaller Bow
These are source tables for unenhanced items. They are not the comparison between your +6 bow and a newly dropped +0 bow, and the reference warns that online loot is decided by the server. Do not mix a minimum from one item with a maximum from another and call it your expected gain. The individual tooltip is the relevant input for an equip decision.
Evidence: Wikily — Gilded Recurve Bow · Wikily — Raincaller Bow
The captured records derive required level from item level divided by ten, within the stated level range. They also report random weapon sockets from item level 300 upward. A source range or a possible socket count is not proof that the particular drop has those sockets. Read the candidate’s actual level requirement and sockets rather than budgeting gems against a theoretical maximum.
Evidence: Wikily — Gilded Recurve Bow
Affixes and named effects can explain a lower-DPS choice
| Property or item | Source-reported condition | Build question |
|---|---|---|
| Raincaller Bow | 10% chance on Basic cast to cast Arcane Arrowstorm for free | Does your build provide frequent eligible Basic casts and useful Arcane support? |
| Gilded Recurve Bow affix pool | Includes Basic, Strong, Special, Physical, Poison and Arcane properties | Which rolled properties match the ability and element used? |
| Violet Skybow in official i | +170% Damage vs Injured changed to +170% Damage vs Distant | Does the usual engagement meet the new condition? |
| Life on Hit / Life on Kill / Mana on Kill | Distinct recovery/resource affix names | Does the bottleneck happen during a boss fight or after ordinary kills? |
Evidence: Wikily — Raincaller Bow · Wikily — Gilded Recurve Bow · Official patch 1.0.0i — announced 3 October 2026
Raincaller’s proc is specifically tied to a Basic cast. The item description is not a measured proc rate per second, and a free cast is not evidence that every talent counter counts it as the hero’s own eligible cast. The h announcement explicitly changes cast-counter talents to exclude repeats and minion or summon attacks. Keep trigger wording exact rather than joining several unrelated proc descriptions into an assumed infinite loop.
Evidence: Wikily — Raincaller Bow · Official patch 1.0.0h — announced 1 October 2026
Conditional percentages are particularly easy to overcount. Official i replaces Violet Skybow’s Injured affix with Distant; the two conditions are not simultaneous bonuses. The announcement does not supply a distance threshold, so this guide does not invent one. Inspect the current condition in the tooltip and observe whether the usual enemy spacing supports it.
Enhancement is an investment in this item
Wikily’s weapon entries describe upgrade steps cycling through weapon speed, weapon damage and then tooltip attributes. A +6 label is therefore not a universal “all damage plus thirty percent” statement. The existing item’s actual comparison values matter more than counting the upgrade symbol. Keep a replacement decision separate from whether the previous gold was well spent.
Evidence: Wikily — Gilded Recurve Bow · Wikily — Forged Warhammer
The source gold model is 3×(current upgrade level + 1)²×item level, with rarity-specific materials and additional rules. For an ordinary item-level-500 weapon moving from +5 to +6, that calculation gives 3×6²×500 = 54,000 gold before any special multiplier. It is a budget example over the reported model, not a current shop quote or proof of success. The captured records say success chance falls as upgrade level rises.
Evidence: Wikily — Gilded Recurve Bow · Wikily — Forged Warhammer
Compare the actual candidate first. Paying for another step on a familiar weapon is not automatically preferable to retaining a stronger base drop. Inspect current gold, material cost and success chance in the upgrade interface before committing.
A practical decision when the numbers disagree
| Situation | Check | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Higher DPS item cannot equip | Class and required level | Keep it only for an appropriate future use; do not call it a present upgrade. |
| Lower DPS item has a named proc | Trigger and current ability slots | Observe the same node rather than adding an assumed proc DPS. |
| Kills improve but mana gaps worsen | Lost sustain or increased casting demand | Compare the resource affixes and active family. |
| A weapon swap increases deaths | Lost recovery or conditional uptime | Restore the baseline and identify the removed support. |
| Only old enhanced gear is visible | Carriage filter and auto-sell settings | Retain one relevant rarity temporarily for inspection. |
| Every new item is already sold | Candidate lock and inventory rules | Protect the old weapon and intended test item before the next return. |
Evidence: Wikily — Gilded Recurve Bow · Wikily — Raincaller Bow · ApolloTrail — launch-week beginner setup
Q: Should I always equip the highest displayed DPS?
Use it as the first comparison. Class restrictions, attack-family properties, unique conditions and recovery can still determine whether it is usable.
Q: Does a Legendary always beat a Rare?
The captured equal-item-level DPS ranges overlap. Compare the actual roll and the effect that fits your build.
Q: Can I use a Monk guide’s Soulrender recommendation?
Check the item’s class line rather than the recommendation alone. The retained weapon directory lists Soulrender for Warrior/Sorcerer; this page does not certify a Monk exception.
Q: What proves the new weapon improved farming?
A comparable complete run with the same map and other settings is stronger evidence than a larger tooltip or one critical hit.
Evidence: Deskrawl Idle ARPG community wiki — weapon compatibility
Official interface reference
Sources and scope
Source-reviewed guide for Deskrawl: Idle ARPG, Steam app 4623570. Named mechanics and figures are attributed to retained community references or dated official patch announcements. The editorial pass reread the cited source bodies and recorded excerpts and hashes. Publisher independence is not established for community data mirrors. No installed-client test, measured best build, or live game-version confirmation has been performed.
- Review status
- verified
- Game version
- Community snapshots collected 2026-10-04/05; official 1.0.0h and 1.0.0i are used only for their announced changes.
- Checked
- Method
- Bounded first-release dossier review, including source roles, preserved conflicts and explicit limits. Recomputed retained source hashes, exact excerpts and line ranges and signed reader content. No installed-client or live-server verification.
- Wikily — Gilded Recurve Bow community
Hunter-only Rare weapon, source-reported unenhanced item-level DPS ranges, stat pools, upgrade behavior and required-level/socket rules. Offline loot rules do not certify online drops.
Checked
- Wikily — Raincaller Bow community
Hunter Legendary weapon: Basic-cast Arcane Arrowstorm proc, item-level ranges, primary/secondary affix pools and upgrade sequence. No measured proc uptime.
Checked
- Wikily — Forged Warhammer community
Warrior/Sorcerer/Monk compatibility, Uncommon item-level ranges, speed/damage relationship, affix pool and upgrade-cost model.
Checked
- Wikily — ability slots and automatic casting community
Community-reported four-slot order, mana and cooldown requirements, Basic versus Strong/Special timing, and target restrictions.
Checked
- Official patch 1.0.0h — announced 1 October 2026 first-party
Official announced Hunter coefficients, Monk Chain Force and Mirror Steps changes, own-cast counter rule, and Sorcerer fixes. Intended changes, not a reproduced client test.
Checked
- Official patch 1.0.0i — announced 3 October 2026 first-party
Official announced Monk Basic Attack coefficients, Sacred Orbs radius change, mana warning presentation, and Violet Skybow conditional-stat replacement.
Checked
- ApolloTrail — launch-week beginner setup secondary
Launch-era operation and player reports: combat settings, the 75% HP suggestion, first Life Skills prices, buff interruptions and the enhanced Common weapon anecdote. Stack-size and automation-timing statements conflict with newer community data and are not treated as universal rules.
Checked
- Deskrawl Idle ARPG community wiki — weapon compatibility community
Named weapon directory with class compatibility, including Soulrender for Warrior/Sorcerer, The Grandmother for Warrior/Sorcerer/Monk and Violet Skybow for Hunter. No measured ranking.
Checked
- Official Steam retail promotional screenshots first-party
The attributed promotional figure only; capture date and client build are not established, and it is not a current gameplay test.
Checked