Why BedWars Armor Tiers Drop on Death (and What Each Costs)

In BedWars, the gear you buy with emeralds is not safe forever. Die once and your best armor or sword slips down a tier. Swords bought with iron work differently, and knowing the difference helps you decide what to buy and when.

This guide covers how the armor and sword tiles climb up in the Item Shop, what every tier costs, what death takes from you, and which kits change the rules.

One tile, many tiers

There isn't a separate tile for every armor set or sword. The Item Shop has one armor tile and one sword tile. After you buy a tier, that same tile moves on to the next tier. So you keep clicking the same spot to climb.

1. Stand near the Item Shop NPC and press F to open it.
2. Check your Iron and Emerald counts at the top right of the shop.
3. Click the armor tile or sword tile under Combat. This only selects it.
4. Click the green Purchase button at the bottom of the left panel.
5. The tile now shows the next tier. Click Purchase again if you can afford it.
6. Stop when the button turns grey or red (see below).

Armor path: Leather to Emerald

Armor costs Iron for the first two tiers, then Emerald for the top two.

1. Leather Armor: 50 Iron
2. Iron Armor: 120 Iron
3. Diamond Armor: 8 Emerald
4. Emerald Armor: 40 Emerald

That's 170 Iron to reach Iron Armor, then 48 Emerald more to reach Emerald Armor. Iron comes from your team generator. Emeralds come from the generators on the mid island, so the top tiers mean leaving your base.

Sword path: Stone to Emerald

Swords follow the same pattern but cost less.

1. Stone Sword: 20 Iron
2. Iron Sword: 70 Iron
3. Diamond Sword: 4 Emerald
4. Emerald Sword: 20 Emerald

The sword is the cheaper emerald upgrade. A Diamond Sword is only 4 Emerald, while Diamond Armor is 8.

What you lose when you die

This is the rule that catches new players out.

• Emerald-cost gear drops one tier when you die. That covers Diamond and Emerald armor and swords.
• Diamond Sword drops to Iron Sword.
• Emerald Sword drops to Diamond Sword.
• Swords bought with iron never downgrade. Stone Sword and Iron Sword stay with you. The shop even marks them "Doesn't downgrade".

So your Iron Sword is a safe floor. Once you own it, death can never push your sword below it. Emerald gear is a bigger risk. Every death costs you one tier, and you'll need more emeralds to climb back.

Remember that once your bed is gone, one death knocks you out of the match anyway. Guard your bed if you've spent a lot on gear.

Grey 'Purchased' and red 'Not Enough'

The Purchase button tells you where you stand:

• Grey 'Purchased': you already own that tier.
• Red 'Not Enough': you can't afford it yet. Clicking again won't help, so go and collect more Iron or Emerald.
• Green 'Purchase': you can buy it now.

How much damage do swords deal?

In my tests the Stone Sword hit for about 25 per hit. The Emerald Sword showed about 9 per hit on the outdoor dummies and about 14 against the armored dummy. These numbers look odd, and they change with the target, so test them yourself before you trust them.

Practice mode is the free way to check:

1. In the lobby, click PLAY, then PRACTICE.
2. Wait for "Entering Training Room!". You get 999 Iron, Diamond and Emerald.
3. Buy a sword in the Item Shop.
4. Hit a dummy and read Total Damage and Damage Per Second at the top right.
5. Press STOP DPS to reset, then try the next sword.

Kits that change the tier path

Some kits change how swords or armor work:

• Barbarian: builds rage by damaging enemies. Your sword upgrades at max rage instead of being bought. You lose half your rage when you die. The Emerald Sword is replaced by the Rageblade.
• Freiya: the Emerald Sword is replaced by the Ice Sword, which works with her Frost passive.
• Yuzi: swords are replaced by Dao Swords. Hold attack to do a forward dash attack.
• Eldertree: can't buy armor at all. It grows bigger and gets more max HP from tree orbs instead.

If you're using one of these kits, the normal ladder above won't fully apply.

A sensible buying order

1. Start with Leather Armor (50 Iron) and a Stone Sword (20 Iron), plus wool for bridging.
2. Save up for the Iron Sword (70 Iron). It never downgrades, so it's a safe buy.
3. Save for Iron Armor (120 Iron).
4. Once you have emeralds, a Diamond Sword (4 Emerald) is the cheapest top-tier upgrade.
5. Only aim for Emerald gear if you can stay alive, because each death takes a tier.

For the full shop list, see BedWars Item Shop Prices: Every Weapon, Armor and Block. For diamond upgrades like Damage and Armor, see BedWars Team Upgrades: Every Upgrade Shop Tier and What to Buy First.

Frequently asked questions

Item Shop/Combat

More BedWars guides

• How to Defend Your Bed in BedWars: Block Layers, Traps and Recall
• BedWars Beginner Walkthrough: Protect Your Bed, Break Theirs
• What Everything Costs in the BedWars Item and Upgrade Shops
• Spending Diamonds in BedWars: 7 Team Upgrades by Tier