- Pay Your Debts hammer tier list: Prioritizes upgrades that improve damage, safety, and build consistency.
- S Tier choices: Select these when they directly strengthen your main attack pattern.
- A Tier choices: Strong upgrades with excellent value but slightly narrower requirements.
- B Tier choices: Useful when your current build needs coverage, range, or defensive comfort.
- Reroll rule: Do not take a weaker upgrade just because it appears early in a run.
Pay Your Debts hammer tier list overview
The Pay Your Debts hammer tier list is most useful when treated as a priority guide rather than a fixed answer for every run. A hammer upgrade can look powerful in isolation but perform poorly if it conflicts with your weapon’s range, attack rhythm, resource costs, or current boon setup.
The strongest choices usually do at least one of three things: improve the weapon’s primary damage loop, remove a significant weakness, or create reliable scaling for later encounters. Upgrades that only add flashy effects without improving consistency should receive more caution.
Overall ranking framework
| Tier | Upgrade profile | When to choose |
|---|---|---|
| S Tier | Major damage increase, strong safety, or build-defining effect | Take when it supports your main attack pattern |
| A Tier | High-value improvement with a small condition or limitation | Choose when S Tier options do not fit |
| B Tier | Helpful utility, range, defense, or situational damage | Use to repair a weak build or cover a matchup |
| C Tier | Narrow effect with limited scaling or awkward execution | Consider only when alternatives are worse |
| D Tier | Minimal impact or direct conflict with your build | Usually skip unless no better option exists |
A strong player should also separate power from fit. A high-damage upgrade may be less valuable than a moderate defensive option if your current setup already has excellent damage but struggles to survive. Likewise, a range increase may outperform a damage increase when close combat creates unnecessary risk.
Damage First
Choose upgrades that increase hit frequency, attack coverage, or reliable damage against priority targets.
Build Fit
Favor effects that reinforce your current weapon pattern instead of forcing an unfamiliar playstyle.
Run Stability
Value upgrades that remain useful across rooms, elite encounters, and boss phases.
Compare each hammer option with your current build, not with an imaginary perfect build. Consistency often beats a higher theoretical ceiling.
How to rank hammer upgrades by impact
The most reliable way to rank hammer upgrades is to examine their effect on your complete combat loop. Ask whether the upgrade improves your attack, special, charged action, mobility, or resource management. Then check whether the benefit appears immediately or requires several additional pieces before it becomes worthwhile.
The five evaluation factors
| Factor | High-value result | Lower-value result |
|---|---|---|
| Damage | More consistent damage against groups and priority targets | Bonus damage that requires rare positioning |
| Coverage | Reaches multiple targets or improves awkward angles | Only affects a narrow area |
| Safety | Adds range, mobility, blocking, or safer attack windows | Encourages extended exposure without protection |
| Economy | Improves resource use or reduces downtime | Adds a cost that your build cannot sustain |
| Scaling | Remains valuable as enemies become tougher | Falls behind after early encounters |
Attack consistency should normally receive the greatest weight. If an upgrade makes your main attack easier to land, faster to repeat, or safer to use, its value extends through the entire run. A smaller numerical bonus can outperform a larger one when it increases the number of successful attacks.
Coverage is especially important when enemies approach from multiple directions. A wider attack, additional projectile, bouncing effect, or improved area pattern can reduce the time spent handling minor targets. This also gives you more freedom to focus on movement and positioning.
Safety becomes more valuable when your weapon requires charging, standing still, or fighting at short range. A hammer upgrade that lets you maintain damage while moving may be preferable to a purely offensive effect that leaves you exposed.
Resource economy should be judged against your actual rotation. If an upgrade consumes more of a limited resource, confirm that the extra output justifies the cost. Strong burst is less useful when it leaves you unable to use the rest of your kit.
Do not rank an upgrade as S Tier solely because its damage description is large. If the effect is difficult to trigger, the practical value may fall to A or B Tier.
Practical scoring guide
| Question | Strong answer | Weak answer |
|---|---|---|
| Does it improve your main action? | It strengthens the move used most often | It improves an action you rarely use |
| Does it work immediately? | No extra setup is needed | Several specific effects are required |
| Does it help bosses? | It remains useful during long single-target fights | It works mainly against minor enemies |
| Does it protect your tempo? | You can keep attacking while repositioning | You must stop attacking frequently |
| Does it suit your resources? | The cost fits your normal rotation | It creates repeated resource shortages |
S Tier and A Tier hammer priorities
S Tier upgrades are the options that improve a run with minimal compromise. They usually strengthen the weapon’s defining action, solve a major weakness, or offer value in nearly every encounter. A Tier upgrades remain excellent, but they may depend more heavily on weapon choice, enemy spacing, or supporting effects.
S Tier priority types
| Priority type | Why it ranks highly | Best use case |
|---|---|---|
| Core attack enhancement | Improves the action you perform most often | Builds centered on repeated basic attacks |
| Reliable multi-target effect | Clears groups while preserving movement | Encounters with frequent enemy waves |
| Safe range improvement | Adds damage opportunities without extra exposure | Short-range weapons or fragile builds |
| Strong charged-action upgrade | Raises burst potential without excessive downtime | Builds with reliable resource generation |
| Universal utility effect | Helps damage, positioning, or survivability together | Flexible runs with uncertain future rewards |
S Tier does not mean every player should select the same option. A core attack enhancement is usually the safest choice when your build already has supporting damage effects. A range improvement can be better when the weapon feels difficult to use safely. A multi-target effect becomes especially attractive when rooms are crowded and your current clear speed is falling behind.
A Tier priority types
A Tier choices often have a higher ceiling than S Tier options but require better execution. They may reward precise positioning, repeated use of a particular move, or a specific resource strategy. These upgrades are strong when their conditions match your build.
- Choose a charged-action upgrade when you can create safe windows to charge.
- Choose a special-focused upgrade when your special is already a central part of your rotation.
- Choose a mobility-linked upgrade when you regularly attack while repositioning.
- Choose an armor-breaking or elite-focused effect when tougher targets are slowing your progress.
- Choose a projectile modification when it improves both reach and target coverage.
Take an A Tier upgrade over an S Tier option when it directly supports your weapon pattern and the S Tier choice would force an awkward rotation.
B Tier choices, rerolls, and matchup value
B Tier upgrades are not automatically bad. They are often the correct selection when your run needs a specific fix. A defensive option can stabilize a fragile build, while a range or area effect can compensate for poor room control. The key is to identify the problem your build is currently facing.
When B Tier becomes the right pick
| Current problem | Upgrade direction | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| You take damage while attacking | Range, mobility, or interruption protection | Creates safer attack windows |
| Groups surround you | Area coverage or returning projectiles | Reduces pressure from multiple angles |
| Boss damage is too slow | Single-target scaling or charged burst | Improves performance in long fights |
| Resources disappear too quickly | Cost reduction or regeneration support | Keeps the rotation active |
| Minor enemies consume too much time | Faster clear or wider attacks | Preserves health and momentum |
A B Tier upgrade should be selected with a purpose. If it solves the exact issue preventing your run from progressing, its practical value can exceed a general-purpose A Tier effect. This is particularly true when your build already has enough damage but lacks control or survivability.
When to pass on an upgrade
Use the following checks before committing:
- The upgrade improves an action you rarely press.
- Its bonus requires positioning that conflicts with your usual movement.
- It increases resource consumption without adding reliable output.
- It replaces a dependable attack pattern with a slower sequence.
- It offers room-clearing value but does little against elite or boss targets.
- It duplicates a benefit you already have while leaving your main weakness untouched.
Identify the run’s main win condition
Decide whether your current build wins through repeated attacks, specials, charged actions, mobility, or resource-heavy burst. Rank upgrades that strengthen that plan first.
Check the immediate downside
Look for reduced range, slower execution, higher resource costs, limited targeting, or a requirement to remain in danger. Move an option down if the drawback affects every encounter.
Compare room and boss value
Ask whether the upgrade helps both crowd control and single-target damage. If it only excels in one situation, treat it as a matchup pick.
Choose the option that preserves flexibility
When two upgrades are close, select the one that works with more future rewards and does not lock your build into a narrow rotation.
Use a reroll when the available choices fail to improve your core loop, but do not spend every reroll chasing one specific upgrade.
Build checklist and final ranking rules
A tier list becomes more useful when it leads to repeatable decisions. Before selecting a hammer upgrade, review your weapon’s strongest action, your current resource position, and the encounters still ahead. This prevents impulse picks that look impressive but create a fragile build.
Before Choosing a Hammer Upgrade:
- Confirm which attack, special, or charged action deals most of your damage
- Check whether the upgrade improves room clear, boss damage, or both
- Review resource costs and confirm the effect fits your normal rotation
- Consider whether the upgrade increases safety during difficult encounters
- Choose build synergy over raw description damage when the options are close
Final decision table
| Situation | Recommended priority | Tier adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Your main attack already feels strong | Safety, range, or coverage | Utility can outrank raw damage |
| Your build lacks damage | Core attack or charged burst | Favor immediate output |
| Your special is central to the build | Special enhancement or resource support | A narrow special effect may become S Tier |
| You struggle against groups | Area coverage or multi-target effects | Clear-speed upgrades gain value |
| You struggle against bosses | Reliable single-target scaling | Avoid effects limited to minor enemies |
| Your resource loop is unstable | Economy and regeneration support | Resource upgrades move up one tier |
The best hammer choice is the one that improves the next several encounters, not merely the next room. Strong upgrades preserve your tempo, reduce the number of dangerous situations, and remain useful when enemy health and attack pressure increase.
For most runs, use this order of operations:
- Strengthen the action your build already uses successfully.
- Fix the weakness that is costing health, time, or resources.
- Prefer upgrades that work in both rooms and boss encounters.
- Avoid effects that require several future rewards before becoming useful.
- Reassess your tier priorities whenever your weapon pattern changes.
When choices are close, choose the hammer upgrade that makes your build easier to execute under pressure. Reliable damage is easier to convert into a clear.
Q: What is the best choice in the Pay Your Debts hammer tier list?
The best choice is usually the upgrade that strengthens your primary damage action while improving consistency or safety. There is no single universal pick for every weapon and build.
Q: Should I always choose an S Tier hammer upgrade?
No. An A or B Tier option can be better when it directly fixes your build’s weakness or supports the rotation you already use.
Q: How should I rank defensive hammer upgrades?
Rank them by how much danger they remove without severely reducing damage. Range, mobility, interruption protection, and safer attack windows can be highly valuable.
Q: When should I reroll a hammer upgrade?
Reroll when every available option conflicts with your weapon pattern, creates an unsustainable resource cost, or fails to address your run’s most important weakness.