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How to upgrade, strengthen, and fully understand the Flame Altar
In Enshrouded, the Flame Altar is far more than just a fast-travel point. It directly controls base size, Shroud survival, and long-term progression.
Many players upgrade the Flame Altar without realizing there are actually two separate systems at work:
- Upgrading the Flame Altar (base expansion)
- Strengthening the Flame (permanent campaign bonuses)
This guide explains exactly how both work, what materials you need, and why this system is critical to your progress.
What Does the Flame Altar Do in Enshrouded?
The Flame Altar serves multiple roles at once:
- Acts as a fast travel point
- Defines your base build radius
- Allows skill respecs
- Unlocks progression systems tied to the Flame
- Limits how many bases you can place
Upgrading and strengthening the altar is not optional — it’s required to safely explore deeper Shroud zones and expand your base properly.
Flame Altar Upgrades vs Strengthening the Flame (Important Difference)
This is where many players get confused.
🔹 Flame Altar Upgrades
- Increase your base build area
- Allow larger and more complex bases
- Require Shroud Cores
- Affect one specific altar
🔥 Strengthening the Flame
- Grants permanent bonuses to your character and world
- Increases Shroud survival time
- Allows placement of additional Flame Altars
- Raises your Flame Level, which gates future upgrades
- Affects your entire campaign
Both systems are accessed from the Flame Altar — but they do very different things.
How to Upgrade the Flame Altar (Increase Base Size)
Upgrading the Flame Altar expands the build radius around that altar, giving you more space to construct buildings, storage, and crafting stations.
Required Item: Shroud Core
Each upgrade requires Shroud Cores, which are obtained in two ways:
Early Game – Looting Shroud Cores
- Dropped by minibosses in Elixir Wells
- The first guaranteed Shroud Core comes from the Fell Thunderbrute
- Elixir Wells are found in Shroud-covered regions
Mid to Late Game – Crafting Shroud Cores
After rescuing the Alchemist NPC, you can craft Shroud Cores using:
- 10× Shroud Spores
- 10× Shroud Liquid
Crafting becomes the more reliable option once Shroud areas are easier to farm.
How to Strengthen the Flame (Permanent Campaign Boosts)
Strengthening the Flame is where the real power progression happens.
Each time you strengthen it, you gain:
- Longer Shroud timer
- Ability to place more Flame Altars
- Increased Flame Level
- Access to future upgrades and regions
This system affects every base and altar, not just one.
Materials Needed for the First Flame Strengthening
To strengthen the Flame for the first time, you must offer the following materials:
- 5× Resin
Dropped occasionally from trees when chopping wood - 5× Red Mushrooms
Found growing in grassy and forested areas - 5× Bones
Dropped by animals and hostile humanoid enemies - 5× Animal Fur
Dropped by animals - 5× Shroud Liquid
Harvested from corrupted bulb growths inside the Shroud - 1× Spark
Found in Flame Sanctums and Flame Shrines
Many of these locations become visible after completing the Ancient Spire main quest
Once all materials are offered, the Flame permanently grows stronger.
Why Strengthening the Flame Is So Important
If you’re struggling with:
- Running out of time in the Shroud
- Not being able to place another base
- Being blocked from upgrading your altar further
Then your Flame Level is too low.
Strengthening the Flame is a hard progression gate, not an optional bonus system.
Best Progression Tips for Flame Altar Upgrades
- Upgrade base radius only when you need space
- Strengthen the Flame as soon as materials allow
- Don’t hoard Sparks — they exist to be used
- Craft Shroud Cores once the Alchemist is unlocked
- Plan multiple bases instead of over-expanding one early
Final Thoughts
Upgrading and strengthening the Flame Altar is one of the most important progression systems in Enshrouded. It controls how far you can build, how long you can survive corrupted zones, and how flexible your exploration becomes.
Ignore it, and the game becomes punishing.
Understand it, and the world opens up.
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