Gloomhaven Enhancement Calculator: Optimize Every Ability Card
⚔️ Gloomhaven Enhancement Calculator
Calculate exact gold costs for enhancing ability cards using official Gloomhaven rules
⚡ Quick Presets
🧮 Enhancement Settings
⚔ Enhancement Cost Results
📊 Enhancement Quick Reference
30g
Move +1 Base
50g
Attack +1 Base
100g
Element Icon
75g
Condition Base
200g
AoE Hex Add
+75g
Per Prior Enhance
+25g
Per Card Level
x2
Multi-Target Mult.
📋 Enhancement Base Costs by Type
| Enhancement Type | Base Cost (Gold) | Applies To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| +1 Move | 30g | Move abilities | Most common enhancement |
| +1 Range | 30g | Range abilities | Good value for ranged classes |
| +1 Push / Pull | 30g | Push/Pull abilities | Positional utility |
| +1 Pierce | 30g | Pierce abilities | Ignores shields |
| +1 Attack | 50g | Attack abilities | High impact upgrade |
| +1 Shield | 100g | Shield abilities | Persistent shield value |
| +1 Retaliate | 100g | Retaliate abilities | Defensive upgrade |
| +1 Heal | 30g | Heal abilities | Support value |
| +1 Target | 50g | Attack abilities | Multiplies damage output |
| Element Icon (any) | 100g | Any ability | Enables element combos |
| Specific Element | 150g | Any ability | One specific element |
| Poison Condition | 75g | Attack abilities | Doubles attack on target |
| Wound Condition | 75g | Attack abilities | 1 HP/round damage |
| Muddle Condition | 50g | Attack abilities | Disadvantage on attacks |
| Immobilize Condition | 100g | Attack abilities | Stops movement |
| Stun Condition | 200g | Attack abilities | Skip entire turn |
| Disarm Condition | 150g | Attack abilities | Stops attacks |
| Curse Condition | 150g | Attack abilities | Shuffles curse into deck |
| Summon HP +1 | 50g | Summon abilities | Increases summon HP |
| Summon Atk +1 | 100g | Summon abilities | Increases summon attack |
| Summon Move +1 | 100g | Summon abilities | Increases summon movement |
| Summon Range +1 | 50g | Summon abilities | Range for ranged summons |
| Add Attack Hex | 200g | AoE Attack | Adds one hex to AoE shape |
| Jump | 50g | Move abilities | Ignore difficult terrain |
🎮 Card Level Cost Modifier
| Card Level | Level Modifier | Example: Atk +1 | Example: Element |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 (Base) | +0g | 50g | 100g |
| Level 2 | +25g | 75g | 125g |
| Level 3 | +50g | 100g | 150g |
| Level 4 | +75g | 125g | 175g |
| Level 5 | +100g | 150g | 200g |
| Level 6 | +125g | 175g | 225g |
| Level 7 | +150g | 200g | 250g |
| Level 8 | +175g | 225g | 275g |
| Level 9 | +200g | 250g | 300g |
🧙 Character Class Starting Hand Sizes
| Class | Hand Size | HP at L1 | Enhance Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brute | 10 | 10 | Attack, Move |
| Tinkerer | 12 | 8 | Summons, Heal |
| Spellweaver | 8 | 6 | Elements, AoE |
| Scoundrel | 9 | 8 | Conditions, Move |
| Cragheart | 11 | 10 | AoE, Move |
| Mindthief | 9 | 6 | Conditions, Attack |
| Sunkeeper | 10 | 10 | Shield, Heal |
| Quartermaster | 12 | 10 | Attack, Items |
| Summoner | 8 | 7 | Summon Stats |
| Nightshroud | 9 | 8 | Conditions, Curse |
💡 Enhancement Tips
💰 Prior Enhancement Stacking: Each additional enhancement already on a card adds +75g to the cost of the next one. A card with 3 existing enhancements costs +225g extra on any new enhancement you add — plan your enhancement order carefully to save gold.
⚠️ Multi-Target Doubling Rule: If an ability targets multiple enemies (e.g. AoE attacks), the cost of most numeric enhancements is doubled. Adding +1 Attack to a multi-target attack costs 100g instead of 50g. Elements and conditions are NOT doubled — only +1 numeric values.
Improvements form an important part in Gloomhaven. The game allows players to use gold to strengthen their cards of special skills. This system appears in the whole series of Gloomhaven, also in Jaws of the Lion and Frosthaven.
These are team games about tactical combat where the players struggle against monsters and progress to their own targets in a world that changes during many sessions. Along the way they grow their skills through experience and got treasure, and also strip fresh areas for exploration.
Improvements in Gloomhaven: Rules and Costs
Before it is possible to do any Enhancement it is needed to open the achievement called “The Power of Enhancement“. Some teams manage that fairly soon, while others need more time. Simply keep playing, and in the end it will open itself.
Here is how the costs work. First decide about the kind of basic Enhancement and start from its basic gold price. Later double this basic amount, if the Enhancement deals with a skill that reaches several targets.
However the doubling does not count for Enhancement of attack hexes. Even when a skill only reaches several targets after use of an element or meeting of some other condition, it still costs double amount. That marks a change from the first release of Gloomhaven.
The Enhancement Wild Element well shows, how expensive costs can become. For a single level card the amount of 150 golds commonly seems too high for many gruops.
The spots for Enhancement are those blank marks beside some skills on the cards. Stickers deserve to go only here, and the type of kind depends on the skill itself. Like this a move skill can not simply receive any sticker laid on it.
There is a limit on the amount of cards that can be improved. The whole number of improved cards in the class deck must not pass the city prosperity level. For instance in prosperity four the Scoundrel limits to fully four improved cards.
Although several spots on one card, and whether up or below, one counts it as only won card. After stickers are laid, they stay forever here. Enhancement must be lasting, so one does not remove them.
Adding curse to attacks with several targets is a mighty strategy. Truly it can be costly, but because monsters use one same modifier deck, the profit grows highly. Avoid too early improving many single level cards, because the prosperity limit counts for the whole deck.
The players deserve to visit the city fully before the remaining money goes. It covers selling of items and Enhancement. In the digital version the development team tries to bring in lasting improvements for the retirement system.
That would be an optional toggle, that lets the soldier keep Enhancement after retirement. Enhancement remembers its buyprice, so that selling happens at 75 percent of the original payment.
