Most Deep Sky: Tracers players know that higher Network Tier is good. Fewer players know exactly why, or when upgrading is the right decision versus when it is a trap.
Network Tier is one of the core tempo systems in the game. It determines which glitch cost bands appear in your shop, and it directly contributes to hero damage after combat. Upgrading at the right time accelerates your board. Upgrading at the wrong time leaves you weak when you needed strength.
This guide explains what tier controls, how the math works, and how to think about the tradeoff between investing now and waiting for a better moment.
[PICTURE OF THE NETWORK TIER PANEL SHOWING CURRENT TIER, UPGRADE COST, AND DISCOUNT]
What Network Tier actually controls
Network Tier does two things:
1. Shop access. Your tier determines the maximum glitch cost that can appear in your shop offers. At tier 1, you only see cost-1 and cost-2 glitches. At tier 3, you can see up to cost-4. At tier 6, cost-7 legendaries become available. Higher tier means access to stronger, more specialized pieces that can carry your board into the late game.
2. Hero damage multiplier. When you win a combat, the damage dealt to the opposing hero includes your Network Tier as a base component. The full formula is: your Network Tier + the total cost of your surviving units (each clamped 1-6). A tier-5 win with four survivors deals significantly more than a tier-2 win with the same board.
[PICTURE OF TIER PROGRESSION TABLE: TIER 1 THROUGH 6 WITH MAX GLITCH COST PER TIER]
Board capacity, by contrast, grows by turn count — not by tier. You get 2 slots on turn 1, 4 on turn 2, 5 on turn 3, and 6 on turn 4 onward. Upgrading tier does not give you more slots. It gives you better pieces to put in them.
The cost of upgrading now vs later
Tier upgrades are expensive. The base costs scale: 4 / 6 / 8 / 10 / 12 CR from tier 1→2 through tier 5→6.
Those credits come from the same pool you use for everything else — buying glitches, buying chips, SCANning, and saving for carry-over. On a turn where you receive 10 CR (turn 3), spending 6 CR on a tier upgrade leaves you with only 4 CR for everything else. That might mean no new units, no chip, no reroll.
The tradeoff is always: immediate board strength vs future shop quality.
If you upgrade and your board is too weak to survive the next combat, you lose HP you might not recover. If you delay and stay at a low tier too long, your shop keeps offering pieces your board has already outgrown, and your opponent's board scales past you.
[PICTURE OF A CREDIT BREAKDOWN: 10 CR TURN WITH TIER UPGRADE VS BUYING TWO UNITS AND A CHIP]
Neither direction is always correct. The answer depends on your board state, your HP, and whether the next tier actually offers pieces your composition needs.
Discount logic and timing windows
Here is where tier decisions get interesting. Deep Sky: Tracers has a built-in discount system for tier upgrades.
If you skip a tier upgrade on a given turn, you accumulate a 1 CR discount on the next upgrade. This stacks up to 2 CR maximum. The discount resets to zero after you upgrade.
That means:
- A tier 2→3 upgrade normally costs 6 CR. If you skipped upgrading on two previous turns, it costs 4 CR.
- A tier 3→4 upgrade normally costs 8 CR. With full discount, it costs 6 CR.
This creates natural timing windows. If you can afford to wait one or two turns, the discount makes the upgrade significantly cheaper. But if you wait too long, you fall behind on shop access while your opponent climbs ahead.
The practical read: plan your upgrade turns in advance. If you know you want to hit tier 3 on turn 3, check whether skipping tier on turn 2 gives you a meaningful discount. Sometimes the cleanest play is buying units on turn 2, accumulating discount, and upgrading cheaply on turn 3 with carry-over credits.
[PICTURE OF THE DISCOUNT INDICATOR SHOWING +1 OR +2 DISCOUNT ACCUMULATED]
What strong players look for before upgrading
Experienced players do not upgrade on a fixed schedule. They evaluate three things:
Can my board survive one more combat at this tier? If your board is fragile and you are low on HP, upgrading might cost you the game before the better shop access pays off. Stabilize first, then invest.
Does the next tier unlock pieces my composition actually wants? If your board is built around cost-2 and cost-3 units with strong synergies, rushing to tier 5 for cost-6 glitches might not help. Upgrade when the next cost band matches your direction.
Do I have enough credits left after upgrading to actually use the better shop? Upgrading and then having 0 CR to buy anything is a wasted turn. The ideal upgrade turn leaves you with enough credits to also buy the improved pieces you just unlocked access to — or enough carry-over to start the next turn strong.
[PICTURE OF A MID-GAME DECISION: TIER UP NOW WITH 2 CR LEFT VS WAIT AND BUY TWO STRONG UNITS]
The best upgrade turns are the ones where you do not feel like you sacrificed your current board to get there. If upgrading leaves you weaker right now, ask whether the future payoff is worth the risk — and whether your HP can absorb a possible loss this turn.
Common tiering mistakes
Upgrading every turn as soon as you can afford it. This drains your economy and leaves your board hollow. You end up at high tier with no units, no chips, and no credits. Tier without board strength is a number, not an advantage.
Never upgrading because it feels expensive. The opposite problem. If you stay at tier 2 until turn 5, your shop is still offering cost-2 glitches while your opponent is shopping for cost-5 and cost-6 pieces. Eventually the quality gap becomes unrecoverable.
Ignoring the discount system. Players who always upgrade the first turn they can afford it are paying full price every time. Players who plan one turn of delay often save 1-2 CR — enough for an extra SCAN or chip.
Upgrading without checking what the next tier unlocks. If your board direction does not need higher-cost pieces, the upgrade is not adding value to your composition. Check what cost bands the next tier opens before you spend.
Network Tier is not a race. It is a timing puzzle. The players who get the most from it are the ones who treat it as one more decision to make intentionally, not a box to check as fast as possible.
Want the full economy picture? Read the economy guide. For shared pool and drafting strategy, check out the shared pool article.