Iron buys your sword and armour, but diamonds buy upgrades that help your whole team. You spend them in the Upgrade Shop. This guide covers seven of its upgrades. Some make your generator faster, some make you tougher in fights and some protect your bed. Tier 1 of each of these costs between 2 and 5 diamonds, so even a small handful from the middle island is enough to buy one. Below you'll find what each upgrade does at every tier and which one to buy first.
Where to get diamonds
Upgrades only cost diamonds. These are the main places to get them:
- The mid islands. The middle island has a diamond generator on the left and an emerald generator on the right. Bridge out with wool and collect what spawns.
- The Team Crate. It sits at your Team Generator. Press F to open it, then click each item in the Chest grid to move it to your inventory. Match rewards like the Bed Playing Reward can put diamonds in here, so check it often. Your Personal Chest is worth checking too.
How to buy a team upgrade
- Walk to the Upgrade Shop NPC. It stands next to the Item Shop, near your bed.
- Press E when the 'Open Upgrade Shop' prompt shows. F may also work.
- Find a card you can afford.
- Click UPGRADE under that card.
- Look for a message in the feed saying you upgraded it to Tier 1.
If the button won't work, you probably don't have enough diamonds yet. Go and collect more instead of clicking again.
Generator upgrades: Diamond Gen and Team Gen
These two give your base more resources over time. The earlier you buy them, the more they pay back.
Diamond Gen (Tier 1: 3 diamonds) - Tier 1: your team generator starts spawning diamonds. - Tier 2: diamonds spawn 25% faster. - Tier 3: diamonds spawn 50% faster.
Team Gen (Tier 1: 4 diamonds) - Tier 1: the generator runs 50% faster. Its timer drops from about 0.9s to about 0.7s. - Tier 2: the generator runs 100% faster. - Tier 3: the generator starts spawning emeralds.
The generator pays off more and more as the match goes on. Diamond Gen means you don't have to fight over the middle island as often, and Team Gen means more iron for wool and gear.
Combat upgrades: Armor, Damage and Break Speed
Armor (Tier 1: 4 diamonds) - Tier 1: +10% armour. - Tier 2: +20% armour. - Tier 3: +30% armour.
Damage (Tier 1: 5 diamonds) - Tier 1: +5% damage. - Tier 2: +10% damage. - Tier 3: +20% damage.
Break Speed (Tier 1: 3 diamonds) - Tier 1: +25% break damage. - Tier 2: +50% break damage. - Tier 3: +75% break damage.
Armor gives you a lot for its price at Tier 1. Damage Tier 1 is tied with Bed Barrier as the most expensive upgrade and only adds 5%, so it usually works better later on. Break Speed helps you chew through block defences and beds faster.
Bed upgrades: Bed Alarm and Bed Barrier
Bed Alarm (2 diamonds) Alerts you when enemies are near your bed. It's the cheapest upgrade in this guide. It gives you time to press C and recall to base before your bed goes.
Bed Barrier (5 diamonds) Puts up an energy barrier that protects your base for 3 minutes. Save it for when an enemy team is getting ready to attack.
Remember that once your bed is gone, one death knocks you out. These two can save the whole match. For block layers and traps, see How to Defend Your Bed in BedWars (Best Blocks & Traps).
What to buy first
The best upgrade depends on what's happening in your match. Only the Tier 1 prices are listed here.
- You have 2 diamonds: buy Bed Alarm. It's cheap and warns you early.
- You have 3 diamonds and the match just started: buy Diamond Gen. It keeps giving your team diamonds for the rest of the game.
- Your team is rushing an enemy bed: buy Break Speed (3) so you get through their blocks before they respawn.
- You keep running out of iron: buy Team Gen (4) for a faster generator.
- You keep losing fights: buy Armor (4) before Damage (5).
- An enemy team is about to attack your base: buy Bed Barrier (5) for 3 minutes of protection.
A good plan for a normal Squads game is Diamond Gen first, then Team Gen or Armor, then whatever the match needs. Talk to your team so you don't all wait to buy the same thing. For gear prices, see BedWars Item Shop Prices: Every Weapon, Armor and Block.
Frequently asked questions
How do you open the Upgrade Shop in BedWars?
Walk to the Upgrade Shop NPC next to the Item Shop near your bed, then press E when 'Open Upgrade Shop' shows. F may also work.
What do BedWars team upgrades cost?
Tier 1 costs are: Bed Alarm 2, Diamond Gen 3, Break Speed 3, Team Gen 4, Armor 4, Damage 5 and Bed Barrier 5 diamonds.
What is the best first team upgrade in BedWars?
Diamond Gen at 3 diamonds is a strong early pick because your generator then makes diamonds all match. If your bed is under threat, Bed Alarm (2) is the cheapest way to get a warning.
How do you get diamonds for upgrades?
Collect them from the diamond generator on the middle island, or take them from the Team Crate at your generator (press F). Check your Personal Chest too.
What does Team Gen Tier 3 do?
Tier 3 makes your team generator spawn emeralds. Tier 1 makes it 50% faster and Tier 2 makes it 100% faster.
How long does Bed Barrier last?
Bed Barrier puts up an energy barrier that protects your base for 3 minutes.