The best upgrades in Sir Parry are always those that create a powerful feedback loop between your parry and your Riposte. While many options can see you through the early floors of the Shattered Spire, the truly dominant runs are built on game-changing synergies. The undisputed top-tier combination is pairing the Parry Augment Kinetic Rebound with the Riposte Augment Echoing Riposte, turning your defense into an overwhelming, screen-clearing offense that trivializes even the final encounter with the Silent King.
This guide moves beyond simple lists to explain why certain upgrades are superior, how they synergize, and which specific builds can carry you to victory. We'll break down the must-pick S-Tier boons, solid A-Tier choices, and the powerful Relics that define a run.
Understanding the Upgrade Tiers
Not all boons offered by the spirits of the Spire are created equal. To make sense of the dozens of potential upgrades, we've sorted them into a simple tier list. This isn't just about raw power; it's about consistency, synergy potential, and how much an upgrade can single-handedly transform your run.
- S-Tier: Run-defining upgrades. Finding one of these early should immediately shape your build strategy. They are powerful on their own and form the backbone of the most dominant synergies.
- A-Tier: Consistently strong picks. These are almost always a good choice, providing significant power or utility without requiring a specific combo to be effective.
- B-Tier: Solid and dependable. Good role-players that can fill out a build but won't define it. They often have more specialized uses.
- C-Tier: Highly situational. These can be useful in niche builds or to counter specific enemy types (like the Phantoms of the Ossuary), but are often a dead pick.
- D-Tier: Traps and underperformers. These upgrades often sound good on paper but are mechanically weak, promote a risky playstyle with little reward, or are simply outclassed by other options.
The golden rule of any run is synergy. An A-Tier upgrade that completes a powerful combo is always better than a lone S-Tier upgrade that fights against your existing build. Always consider what you have before choosing what's next.
S-Tier: The Run-Winners
These are the upgrades you pray to see. They are powerful enough to build your entire strategy around and can make a difficult run feel like a victory lap. If you see one of these, especially in the first few chambers, take it.
Kinetic Rebound (Parry Augment)
This is, without a doubt, the strongest Parry Augment in the game. A successful parry normally just deflects a melee attack or negates a projectile. With Kinetic Rebound, a perfect parry not only reflects projectiles back at the sender with 150% increased damage, but it also unleashes a 360-degree shockwave. This shockwave staggers nearby enemies and destroys other weak projectiles in the vicinity. Against swarms like the skeletal archers in the Gargoyle Rookery or the floating mages in the Archive, this provides both immense offensive pressure and unparalleled defensive coverage. It turns the most frantic rooms into a source of power, clearing space and filling your Riposte Gauge at an incredible rate.
Sir Parry in-game screenshot
Echoing Riposte (Riposte Augment)
Echoing Riposte causes your full-gauge Riposte attack to trigger a second time 1.5 seconds later for 50% of its initial damage. This seems simple, but it effectively multiplies the value of every other upgrade that buffs your Riposte. Paired with a high-damage Riposte like Baleful Strike, it can melt a boss's health bar. Combined with the Temporal Shift Riposte, it extends the duration of your time-slowing effect, giving you even more room to operate. Its true power is doubling the effect of any on-hit properties, making it the ultimate damage multiplier.
Soul Siphon (Parry Augment)
For consistency and survivability, nothing comes close to Soul Siphon. Each successful parry heals you for 5% of your missing health. This scaling recovery is crucial. Early on, it negates chip damage. In the later stages, like the punishing Crimson Halls where single mistakes can cost you half your health, it provides the sustain needed to survive a war of attrition. It allows for a more aggressive playstyle, as you can confidently engage enemies to parry and heal back any damage taken. It single-handedly removes the need to spend precious gold at the blacksmith for health refills, saving your resources for crucial damage upgrades.
Glass Cannon (Cursed Relic)
This Cursed Relic is the definition of high-risk, high-reward. You gain a staggering +100% to all damage dealt, but your health is locked to a single point—any hit means death. This relic fundamentally changes the game, forcing you into a flawless dance of parries and dodges. It's not for every player, but for those who have mastered the parry timing, it enables the fastest and most destructive runs possible. It has incredible synergy with defensive Parry Augments like Kinetic Rebound or Aegis Burst, as they help prevent the single mistake that would end your run. Finding this relic after already securing a top-tier defensive parry is often a sign of a guaranteed win.
A-Tier: Always a Strong Choice
These upgrades might not have the run-defining power of the S-Tier, but they are always a welcome sight. They provide a significant boost and fit into almost any build.
- Temporal Shift (Riposte Augment): Upon activating your Riposte, time is slowed for all enemies and projectiles for 3 seconds. This is an incredible utility tool, giving you a breather to reposition, line up your next attack, or simply assess a chaotic battlefield. It's especially potent against fast-moving bosses like the Spire Warden, whose attack flurries can be overwhelming otherwise.
- Aegis Burst (Parry Augment): Increases your parry window by a generous 15% and grants a temporary shield that can absorb one hit after a successful parry. For players still mastering enemy attack patterns, this is the best training-wheels upgrade in the game. The larger window makes parrying more consistent, and the shield provides a safety net against follow-up attacks.
- Fractured Crown (Relic): This relic grants you a second charge for your Riposte Gauge, allowing you to store two full Ripostes. The downside is that the gauge takes 25% longer to fill. This is a fantastic trade-off, as it lets you save a powerful Riposte for a boss while still using one to clear a tough elite enemy in the preceding room. It gives you immense tactical flexibility.
- Haste Rune (Aura Glyph): A simple but effective passive buff that increases your movement and attack speed by 20%. Mobility is life in Sir Parry, and the extra speed makes dodging and repositioning far easier. The attack speed boost also means you can get more quick sword strikes in during enemy cooldowns, filling your gauge faster through offense.
Building for Synergy: Three Killer Combos
The true art of a Sir Parry run is combining upgrades into a cohesive build that is far more than the sum of its parts. Here are three powerful archetypes to aim for.
1. The Untouchable Ghost
This build prioritizes survival above all else, turning you into an unkillable tank who wins through sheer attrition.
- Core Upgrades: Soul Siphon (Parry), Aegis Burst (Parry), Guardian's Will (Relic).
- How it Works: This is a layered defense. You start with Aegis Burst, which gives you a more forgiving parry window and a one-hit shield on success. Then you add Soul Siphon, so every successful parry not only grants you a shield but also heals you. The capstone is the Guardian's Will relic, which makes any shields you gain 50% stronger and last longer. You can make countless mistakes, parry to heal back the damage, and always have a shield ready for the next hit. It’s slow, but it's the most reliable way to conquer the treacherous final floors.
Sir Parry in-game screenshot
2. The Glass Artillery
For players who live on the edge, this build embraces the Glass Cannon relic to output obscene amounts of damage from a safe distance.
- Core Upgrades: Glass Cannon (Relic), Kinetic Rebound (Parry), Far-Sight Lens (Relic).
- How it Works: The strategy is to never be in melee range. Glass Cannon doubles your damage, but one hit will kill you. Kinetic Rebound is your engine—it turns enemy projectiles into your own high-powered ammunition and keeps melee mobs at bay with its shockwave. The Far-Sight Lens relic doubles the speed and range of your reflected projectiles, ensuring they can cross the entire screen to eliminate their source. This build turns rooms full of archers and mages into a joke, but it can struggle against aggressive, melee-only bosses like the First Knight.
Sir Parry in-game screenshot
3. The Time Lord
This combo focuses on manipulating the flow of combat, giving you all the time in the world to dismantle your foes.
- Core Upgrades: Temporal Shift (Riposte), Echoing Riposte (Riposte), Chrono-Coil (Aura Glyph).
- How it Works: Temporal Shift is your opener, slowing time for 3 seconds after a Riposte. The Chrono-Coil glyph enhances this, making your sword strikes extend the duration of any active slow effects. The real magic comes from Echoing Riposte. Because the second Riposte triggers 1.5 seconds after the first, it re-applies the time slow just as the first one is about to wear off, effectively doubling its duration. You can lock entire rooms and bosses in a near-permanent state of slow-motion, allowing you to attack with impunity.
Which Upgrades Should You Avoid?
Just as important as knowing what to take is knowing what to leave behind. Some upgrades are actively detrimental or simply a waste of a slot.
- Vengeful Spirit (D-Tier Relic): Deals a small amount of damage to enemies when you get hit. This encourages a losing strategy. The goal is to avoid getting hit, not to be rewarded for it. The damage is pitiful and not worth the health loss.
- Leaden Boots (D-Tier Aura Glyph): Grants immunity to knockback but reduces movement speed by 25%. A terrible trade. Mobility is the most important defensive tool in the game, and giving it up for knockback immunity—which can be avoided with a well-timed dodge—is a run-ending mistake.
- Payback (C-Tier Riposte): Your next attack after a Riposte deals bonus damage based on how much health you've lost recently. This is too conditional. It requires you to have taken significant damage to be effective, and by then, you're likely in a bad position anyway. Builds based on consistently winning engagements are far superior.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the single best upgrade for a beginner?
Aegis Burst. The 15% larger parry window is incredibly forgiving and helps you learn enemy timing. The free one-hit shield from a successful parry provides a crucial safety net that prevents you from being punished by multi-hit combos.
Can you stack multiple Parry or Riposte augments?
No. You can only have one active Parry Augment and one active Riposte Augment at a time. Picking a new one will replace your current one. However, you can stack as many passive Aura Glyphs and Relics as you can find.
How do you unlock Cursed Relics like Glass Cannon?
You must first defeat the Silent King and complete a run at least once. After that, you will begin to find Shattered Chests on subsequent runs. These chests require you to sacrifice a portion of your max HP to open, and they are the only source for the powerful Cursed Relics.
Is it better to focus on Parry or Riposte upgrades?
Focus on your Parry upgrade first. A strong Parry Augment like Kinetic Rebound or Soul Siphon provides immediate, consistent value on every single parry. Riposte upgrades are powerful, but they only trigger when your gauge is full. The best builds enhance both, using a consistent Parry Augment to quickly fill the gauge for a devastating Riposte Augment.
The Final Parry
Ultimately, the strongest builds in Sir Parry are not about finding one single powerful upgrade, but about understanding the elegant combat system and choosing augments that feed into each other. Focus on your parry, use it to fuel your Riposte, and select Relics and Glyphs that amplify that core loop. Whether you prefer to be an unkillable phantom, a fragile cannon, or a master of time, the Spire provides the tools. Now go show the Silent King what a perfect parry looks like.