This is my full equipment reference for Knuckle Jet — every helmet, torso, and fist piece in the game, with the complete stat block for each upgrade level from 0 through 3. If you’re chasing 100% or just trying to figure out where a specific glove is hiding, this is the page I wish I’d had while I was grinding bolts across all five worlds.
I put this together because the in-game stat screens are dense and scattered, and I kept forgetting which world dropped that one helmet I skipped. Every cost, heart value, Jet and Nitro timer, and special ability below comes straight from those screens. The one thing I’ll say up front: a few items have hidden downsides buried in their ability text — negative starting heat values, reduced bonuses when paired with speed helmets, that kind of thing — so read the ability line, not just the stat table, before you commit. If you’re short on currency to actually buy these upgrades, my bolt farm guide covers the fastest routes.
Overview
Everything equippable in Knuckle Jet falls into one of three slots: Helmets, Torsos, and Fists. Every item in each slot has four upgrade levels — 0 through 3 — and each level has its own stat line. When you open the upgrade menu, the numbers you’ll be reading are the Jet and Nitro timers, Hearts (your health pool), the Cost in bolts to reach that level, and the item’s unique Ability.
One thing worth flagging before you scroll the tables: some cells show negative values, and those are real penalties baked into the item — not display errors or typos. A few gloves and helmets genuinely start you worse off in one stat to pay for whatever their gimmick is. I’ve laid out all three categories below with matching column layouts so you can line items up side by side and see exactly what each upgrade level costs you and gives back.
— Helmets —
Helmets are the slot I tinker with the most, because they touch the two things I actually feel moment to moment: how long my Jet and Nitro timers last, and how fast the heat gauge fills. Some of them lean into pure speed and make heat climb noticeably quicker, while others trade raw pace for utility — money pickups, gliding, or a stacking buff every time you land a kill. Almost every helmet past the free starting one wants bolts to upgrade, so it’s worth knowing what you’re actually buying before you sink currency into level 3.
Here’s the full rundown of every helmet in the game, with cost, hearts, Jet and Nitro values, and the ability that scales as you level it up.
Plain Head
The Plain Head is the helmet you start with, so there’s nothing to unlock and nothing to spend. Stat-wise it’s a blank slate: 0 Hearts, 0s Jet, 0s Nitro, and no special ability at level 0. You can’t upgrade it either — there’s no cost row, because there’s nothing to buy.
I treat this one purely as a baseline. When I’m comparing a shiny new helmet against what I already own, Plain Head is the zero point — every other helmet in this game gives you something on top of these numbers. If you’re still wearing it past the first few stages, that’s usually a sign you haven’t found the chest that holds your next upgrade yet, not that you’re playing it safe.
Rusty Helmet
Found in World 1 – Flattening Factory, the Rusty Helmet is the first upgrade most players will actually buy — assuming they remembered to grab it before leaving. If you’re scanning the previous section and wondering how it stacks against Plain Head, the answer is: barely, but that’s the point. Upgrading to level 1 only costs 199 bolts and adds a measly 0.5s to both your Jet and Nitro timers. It’s cheap, it’s incremental, and it gets you off the default helmet, which is more than the baseline ever did for you.
The catch — and yes, there’s one — is that it doesn’t come with any kind of special ability. None. Not at level 0, not at level 3. What you’re buying here is pure stat padding, and for 599 bolts at max upgrade you’ll only be looking at 1.5s on both timers with zero hearts attached. Whether that’s worth it depends entirely on how much harder world 2 punishes you for hovering too long. I’d call it a no-brainer early purchase if the chest is on your path anyway, but I wouldn’t go out of your way to farm for it.
| Upgrade Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 0 | 0s | 0s | — |
| 1 | 199 | 0 | 0.5s | 0.5s | — |
| 2 | 399 | 0 | 1s | 1s | — |
| 3 | 599 | 0 | 1.5s | 1.5s | — |
The short version: grab it, upgrade it to level 1, and move on with your life. You’ll replace it eventually with something that actually gives you an ability, but a 0.5s boost for under 200 bolts is basically free progression in the early game. Just don’t expect it to carry you through any real challenges.
Polished Helmet
On the surface, the Polished Helmet looks like the obvious next step after the Rusty one, and statistically it is — you pick it up in World 1 – Cut To The Chase! and it climbs higher across the board. The catch is that it still has no ability at any level, and the price jump is steep once you push past level 1. I grabbed it on my first pass through the world without thinking twice, then sat on level 1 for a long time before I decided the extra timer seconds were worth the bolts.
| Upgrade Level | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | — | 999 | 2999 | 5999 |
| Hearts | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jet | 1s | 1.5s | 1.5s | 2s |
| Nitro | 1.5s | 2s | 2.5s | 3s |
| Abilities | — | — | — | — |
Level 1 is the sweet spot here — you pay 999 bolts for a clean half-second on both Jet and Nitro at once, which feels like a real upgrade over the Rusty gear. After that the curve flattens hard: level 2 costs three times as much and only adds half a second of Nitro, plus your first Heart point. The final tier runs 5999 bolts for a token 0.5s Jet bump and one more Nitro second. If you’re watching your bolt count, stopping at level 1 and saving the rest for something with an actual ability is the call I’d make in hindsight.
Aerodynamic
Found in World 1 – Mechanical Heart. At a glance this looks like a pure speed helmet, and that’s exactly why it caught my eye early — faster Jet and faster Nitro feel amazing right up until you realize the tradeoff baked into the item. Heat builds 30% faster while you’re wearing it. If you like to lean on long Jet burns, that 30% will bite you out of nowhere, and I had to mentally adjust my timing once I started running it.
Look closely at the low tiers, because the starting numbers are rough. Level 0 has a -1 Heart, no Jet bonus, and your Nitro actually drops to -0.5s — it’s a straight downgrade until you invest. Level 1 keeps the -1 Heart and matches base Jet at 0.5s but leaves Nitro at 0s, so even two upgrades in, you haven’t fully crawled out of the hole. It only turns around at level 2, where you hit 0 Hearts, 1s Jet, and 1s Nitro. Maxing it out gives 1.5s Jet and 1.5s Nitro with no Heart penalty.
| Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | -1 | 0s | -0.5s | +20% speed |
| 1 | 999 | -1 | 0.5s | 0s | +30% speed |
| 2 | 2999 | 0 | 1s | 1s | +40% speed |
| 3 | 6999 | 0 | 1.5s | 1.5s | +50% speed |
The speed scaling is the real sell here: +20% at level 0 climbing to +50% at max, which is one of the juicier movement bonuses you’ll find. But I won’t pretend the curve is kind. Dropping 6999 bolts at the top tier is a serious commitment, and you’re still carrying that 30% faster heat build the whole way. What sold me on finishing it is that the negative Heart and Nitro finally wash out by level 2 — so if I were budgeting, I’d treat 2999 as the honest entry price, not 999. Buying in earlier just means eating penalties while you wait to reach the level where the stats stop hurting you.
Hat O’ Money
Found in World 3 – Ava’s Factory, the Hat O’ Money is the helmet I’d point any bolt-hungry player toward the moment they hit the mid-game. It doesn’t do anything flashy, but what it does quietly reshape is how you actually pick up currency and stay alive while doing it.
Its special ability widens the radius at which you vacuum up cash, and — this is the part I actually appreciate — every bolt you collect converts a slice of itself into HP. In a game where staying topped off matters, turning your pickup routine into passive healing is genuinely useful, especially in longer stretches where you can’t afford to slow down.
| Upgrade Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 1 | 0.5s | 0.5s | 150% range / 300 bolts per HP |
| 1 | 999 | 1 | 1s | 1s | 200% range / 250 bolts per HP |
| 2 | 1999 | 2 | 1.5s | 1.5s | 250% range / 200 bolts per HP |
| 3 | 4999 | 2 | 1.5s | 2s | 300% range / 150 bolts per HP |
Look closely at the ability column, because this one has a subtle directional quirk worth understanding before you drop bolts on it. The pickup range climbs with every level — 150% up to 300% — which is straightforward and good. But the “bolts per HP” number is going down, not up, which is actually what you want: at level 0 it takes 300 bolts to earn 1 HP, and by level 3 it only takes 150. In other words, the higher your level, the more efficiently your pickups convert into healing. I had to reread that line a couple times when I first saw the numbers shrink.
Hearts and Nitro both step up nicely as you invest — you go from 1 Heart and a 0.5s Jet timer at level 0 all the way to 2 Hearts, 1.5s Jet, and a 2s Nitro window at max. The total investment if you go all the way is 999 + 1999 + 4999, which is a real chunk of change, so I’d treat this as a “buy into it gradually” item rather than a single big dump. If bolts are tight, level 1 alone already jumps your range from 150% to 200% for under a thousand, and that’s a solid early return.
I’ll be honest — this isn’t the helmet I’d rush for raw combat power, but as a survival-and-farming tool it earns its slot. If you’re the type who grinds currency for other upgrades, the Hat O’ Money basically pays for itself by making every bolt you sweep up do double duty.
Harmonic Helm
This is the one from World 4 – Floor Is Lava, and it’s the helmet I’d point a newer player toward the moment they start hitting lava sections that punish a mistimed jump. The Harmonic Helm grants a single ability: a graceful side-to-side glide. Nothing else in the helmet slot offers horizontal air control like this, so its value is entirely about how much you trust yourself to cross a gap in one clean leap.
The trade-off is real, though. There’s no damage perk, no speed boost, no heat reduction — just the glide and a modest stat curve. If you’re expecting it to bail you out of a bad build elsewhere, it won’t. What it does is turn an awkward jump into a controlled descent.
| Upgrade Level | Cost (Bolts) | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 1 | 0s | 0s | — |
| 1 | 999 | 1 | 0.5s | 0.5s | — |
| 2 | 1999 | 2 | 1s | 1s | — |
| 3 | 4999 | 2 | 1.5s | 1.5s | — |
What I’d flag before you commit is the level 0 block. At base, the Harmonic Helm gives you a single Heart and zero Jet and Nitro — that’s a modest starting point, and the abilitiy line stays blank across every tier. The glide comes from the item itself, not from upgrading it, so the only reason to pour bolts in is the stamina it adds as you climb the levels.
My honest read: the curve is fine, not spectacular. Level 2 pushes you to 2 Hearts and a full second on both timers, and level 3 maxes it at 1.5s each. But that last jump from 1999 to 4999 bolts buys you only half a second on Jet and Nitro — same Hearts, same blank ability row. Unless you’re chasing a perfect equip set or sitting on spare currency, I’d stop at level 2 here and spend the difference elsewhere.
For achievement hunters, though, there’s no shortcut around it. If a completion list wants every helmet maxed, you’re paying the 4999 whether the numbers feel worth it or not. I kept mine at 2 through most of my World 4 runs and only topped it off once the bolt account was healthy enough that half a second didn’t sting.
Heart Attack
You’ll find Heart Attack tucked away in World 3 – The Cave of Sister Skuld, and it’s the helmet I ended up wearing for most of my aggressive runs once it was leveled. Its specialty is momentum: every enemy you destroy grants a stack, and each stack bumps your Jet and Nitro speed by +46% for 5 seconds, stacking up to 3 times. Chain your kills and you’re basically flying a different machine.
What catches people off guard is the level 0 stat line. That version ships with a -0.5s Jet penalty — you’re actually slower out of the gate than a bare helmet until you invest. I’d treat level 0 as unusable and jump straight to at least 1, where the penalty clears off entirely.
| Upgrade Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 0 | -0.5s | 0s | Gain a stack per enemy destroyed; each stack = +46% Jet and Nitro speed for 5s; max 3 stacks |
| 1 | 999 | 0 | 0s | 0.5s | Gain a stack per enemy destroyed; each stack = +46% Jet and Nitro speed for 5s; max 3 stacks |
| 2 | 2999 | 1 | 0.5s | 0.5s | Gain a stack per enemy destroyed; each stack = +46% Jet and Nitro speed for 5s; max 3 stacks |
| 3 | 4999 | 1 | 1s | 1s | Gain a stack per enemy destroyed; each stack = +46% Jet and Nitro speed for 5s; max 3 stacks |
The first upgrade is the cheapest at 999, and for that price you erase the negative Jet and gain half a second of Nitro — that alone justifies the buy. Level 2 runs 2999 and adds your first +1 Heart plus a full +0.5s Jet swing, which is the point where this helmet starts feeling genuinely strong. The final tier costs 4999 for a matching +1s Jet and +1s Nitro; the Heart count stays at 1, so you’re paying purely for speed.
My honest take: the ability itself never changes across levels, so the only reason to push to 3 is the raw timer. If you mainly use Heart Attack to farm trash mobs for stacks, level 2 gets you 95% of the way there for 60% of the price. I’d only max it if speed is the stat you lean on hardest.
Headbomb
This one comes from the Orphanage — specifically Feeding Fernus — and it’s the strangest helmet in the game by a wide margin. Its ability reads: Jet and Nitro are faster, but they explode if the timer runs out, and crushing something resets that timer. That’s the whole gimmick, and you either build your movement around it or you don’t.
What catches my eye first is the level 0 price. You’re paying 9695 bolts up front for stats that are actively worse than wearing nothing, then another 999, 1999, and 4999 to climb the rest of the way. That’s a brutal curve compared to nearly every other helmet, so I wouldn’t even look at this one until bolts stop being the bottleneck.
| Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 9695 | -1 | -0.5s | -0.5s | +40% speed |
| 1 | 999 | -1 | 0s | 0s | +60% speed |
| 2 | 1999 | -1 | 0.5s | 0.5s | +80% speed |
| 3 | 4999 | -1 | 1s | 1s | +100% speed |
The -1 Hearts never goes away — that’s a permanent tax at every level, so you’re always running one heart lighter than a normal build. And look at the timers: at level 0 you’re actually at -0.5s on both Jet and Nitro, meaning your flight windows are shorter than default. It only reaches neutral at level 1, and you don’t get a positive timer until level 2. So the speed bonus is real and it scales hard (+40% up to +100%), but you’re renting it with hearts and time.
The explosion-on-empty mechanic is the part I’d think about hardest. It punishes long, idle flight — exactly the way a lot of players naturally use the jet. You have to keep chaining crushes to keep the timer topped up, which turns this into a rhythm helmet rather than a comfort pick. If your route has stretches with nothing to smash, the timer runs out and you eat a detonation. If it’s dense with enemies and breakables, the speed ceiling here is genuinely the highest on the slot, so it can pay off in the right hands. I’d treat level 3 as a specialist purchase, not a general upgrade — you’re buying the +100% speed, and everything else about the item is a cost you’re agreeing to absorb.
Wall Dynamo
Coming off an item that wants you to stack kills in a crowded room, Wall Dynamo flips the condition entirely — it wants you to find walls and keep bouncing. You pick it up in World 2 – The Great Axel Grid, and it’s the last helmet in this category, which feels right since it plays so differently from the rest. The gimmick is chasing vertical surfaces while you fly: every wall bounce hands you a stack, each stack pushes your Jet and Nitro speed up by 60%, and it strips heat off you at the same time. Three stacks is the cap, so 180% total if you can keep the chain going.
That heat removal is the part I keep coming back to. If you’ve been fighting the heat ceiling on other helmets, this one actively rewards the rebound, which makes it a natural pairing for tight, wall-heavy layouts where you’re bouncing anyway. On open stretches with nothing to hit, though, it’s basically dead weight — the stacks don’t build out of thin air. Worth knowing before you spend.
| Stat | Level 0 | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | — | 999 | 1999 | 5999 |
| Hearts | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jet | 0s | 0.5s | 1s | 1.5s |
| Nitro | 0.5s | 1s | 1.5s | 2s |
| Ability | -5% heat/bounce | -10% heat/bounce | -15% heat/bounce | -20% heat/bounce |
Notice the ability line scales on its own curve: it starts at -5% heat per bounce and climbs to -20% at level 3, independent of the speed stacks, which stay locked at 60% each regardless of upgrade level. So the upgrade tiers are really buying you the timer increases and that heat reduction, not more speed. Level 0 costs nothing to acquire, and honestly if you only want the stacks, you get the full 180% ceiling right off the bat — everything past that is convenience. That’s the reason I’d call the early tiers cheap value and leave level 3 to anyone who’s all-in on the playstyle.
— Torsos —
Moving off the helmets and onto the bodies. Torsos are where your survivability and movement kit really live — this slot is what sets your Hearts count, your Jet and Nitro timers, and most of the mobility and utility abilities that change how the whole run feels. If helmets are a side dish, torsos are the main course: a good one carries you, and a bad pickup can saddle you with a ceiling you’ll feel for the rest of the world.
Same as before, every torso runs from level 0 up to level 3, and I’m listing the full stat block for each tier so you can directly compare one against another without hopping back and forth between menus. The abilities here lean hard into jumps, hover, and raw run speed, so pay attention to which ones stack with your helmet and which ones quietly cap out when you pair them. Here’s the full spread.
Plain Clothes
You start the run wearing this, which means there’s nothing to unlock and nothing to spend on here. No cost, no ability, no bonus — just the empty baseline everything else gets measured against.
| Upgrade Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 0 | 0s | 0s | — |
I keep this table in the guide mostly as a reference point. Once you’ve swapped into literally any other torso, you’re strictly better off than this default, so there’s no reason to ever come back to it.
Rusty Torso
Once you’ve got Plain Clothes out of your system, Rusty Torso is the natural next step — the game hands it to you in World 1 – Knuckle Jet 101, which is about as early as torso upgrades come. It’s the workhorse you’ll wear through the opening hours, and the numbers back that up: the first two levels cost 199 and 399 bolts, which is pocket change even before you’ve learned how to farm properly.
The thing I appreciate about this one is that it doesn’t pretend to be clever. No hidden ability, no weird heat penalty, no negative stat you have to work around — just a clean bump to your Hearts and your Jet and Nitro timers. Your Hearts stay flat at 1 across all four levels, so the real value is the mobility. Getting your Jet and Nitro up to 1.5s each at level 3 is a meaningful chunk of extra air time for a torso this cheap.
| Upgrade Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 1 | 0s | 0s | — |
| 1 | 199 | 1 | 0.5s | 0.5s | — |
| 2 | 399 | 1 | 1s | 1s | — |
| 3 | 599 | 1 | 1.5s | 1.5s | — |
If you’re trying to stretch your bolts across the early game, I’d push this to level 2 without thinking twice — 598 bolts total for a full second of both timers is one of the cheapest mobility gains you’ll find. Level 3 is worth finishing eventually, but the 599 jump from level 2 stings a bit more relative to what you get, so I usually come back for it after I’ve picked up a few other torsos. No ability means nothing fancy to plan around, which honestly makes it a nice, low-stress thing to upgrade while you’re still figuring the game out.
Polished Torso
Found in World 2 – Step Into Dunkelwald, the Polished Torso is the natural step up from the rusty version I upgraded early on. Like its predecessor it carries no special ability, so what you’re really paying for here is raw stat growth — and the jump is noticeable once you commit to it.
Here’s the full spread across all four levels:
| Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 1 | 0.5s | 0.5s | — |
| 1 | 999 | 2 | 1s | 1s | — |
| 2 | 2999 | 2 | 1.5s | 1.5s | — |
| 3 | 5999 | 3 | 2s | 2s | — |
Level 1 is where this torso actually starts pulling its weight — doubling both your hearts and your Jet/Nitro timers for a relatively modest 999 bolts. The level 2 bump to a full second and a half on both timers keeps things smooth, even though the heart count stalls there. That final push to level 3 giving you 3 hearts and a clean 2 seconds on Jet and Nitro is the version I’d eventually want, though the 5999 price tag makes it a later-game purchase rather than an early priority. No ability means nothing to plan around, which at least keeps the decision simple. If you want to compare this against the other torsos before spending, that breakdown is coming up next.
Jet Boots
You’ll find the Jet Boots in World 1 – Geargrind Yard, and honestly this is the torso I’d tell any new player to grab the moment they can afford it. Nothing about it is subtle — it trades the plain torso’s static stat line for actual aerial control, and the hover alone changes how you approach gaps you’d otherwise have to time perfectly.
The special ability is hover: press Jump while airborne and you’ll float in place, and anything caught in the jet blast underneath takes damage. That second part is easy to overlook since hover reads as a pure movement tool, but the damage is real and it’s saved me more than a few awkward landings into a crowd of enemies. My advice is to get used to holding the hover a beat longer than feels natural — the ability duration scales generously, so there’s little reason to panic-drop early.
| Stat | Level 0 | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | — | 999 | 1999 | 3999 |
| Hearts | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Jet | 0s | 0.5s | 1s | 1.5s |
| Nitro | 0s | 0.5s | 1s | 1.5s |
| Ability | 3 sec hover | 5 sec hover | 7 sec hover | 10 sec hover |
Look at that base row before you get excited, though. At level 0 the Jet Boots give you 0 Hearts, 0s Jet, and 0s Nitro — you’re buying the hover and nothing else until you start upgrading. The first 999-bolt tier is where it starts feeling like a real torso: 1 Heart and half a second on both timers. I’d push straight to at least level 1 before relying on it in a fight, since going in with zero hearts is a rough trade for a movement gimmick no matter how good the hover is.
By level 2 the stat line is genuinely competitive — 2 Hearts and a full second on Jet and Nitro — and the hover stretches to 7 seconds. The final 3999 tier is the one that stings: you’re paying double the previous cost and the only thing you gain is Hearts staying flat at 2 while the hover jumps to 10 seconds and the timers climb another half second each. If you’re not planning to lean on long hovers for traversal or achievement hunting, I’d sit at level 2 and put those bolts somewhere else. But if hovering is core to how you play, that 10-second ceiling is a big quality-of-life jump over 7.
Pocket O’ Money
Found in World 2 – Timberfall Factory, this one is for the bolt-hoarders. Its special ability doubles up the small bolts you pick up off the floor, which turns every scrap of loose change into a slightly less trivial payday. It’s not a flashy torso — no jets, no extra jumps, nothing dramatic — but if you’re the type who grabs every coin in sight, the passive income quietly adds up.
Upgrade levels are a little unusual here: the Jet timer grows steadily across all four tiers, but your first Hearts and Nitro points don’t arrive until level 2, so early upgrades feel light on reward. That said, the cost jump from level 1 to 2 is steep, and I’d only push all the way to 3 if you’re sitting on surplus bolts and want the maxed timers. Otherwise 1 or 2 is plenty for a money-focused run.
| Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 0 | 0.5s | 0.5s | — |
| 1 | 999 | 0 | 1s | 1s | — |
| 2 | 1999 | 1 | 1.5s | 1s | — |
| 3 | 4999 | 1 | 2s | 1.5s | — |
Panda Torso
Panda Torso comes out of World 1 – Smogway District, and honestly it’s one of the more entertaining torsos in the early game. The ability is simple on paper — extra jumps plus added jump height — but the numbers on this one scale in a way that caught my eye immediately. That “+99 jumps” at level 3 isn’t a typo in my table. It’s sitting right there on the stat screen, and it changes how you approach vertical sections entirely.
What makes the Panda Torso worth a look is how cheap it stays through the first few levels. At level 0 you’re getting +1 jump and +25% height for free, which is already more utility than a lot of torsos give you at max. If you’re the kind of player who likes chaining jumps to skip ground-level hazards in Smogway District and beyond, this is a solid pickup that doesn’t demand a huge bolt investment to feel useful. The Jet and Nitro timers start at 0s, so you won’t get any boost assistance at base — this one’s purely about the jump game until you start upgrading.
Where I’d push this is level 2. For 1999 bolts you’re getting +2 jumps and +45% height, plus a full second on both Jet and Nitro. That’s a comfortable middle ground that doesn’t break the bank. Level 3 is where it gets silly — 4999 bolts for +99 jumps and +60% height — and if you’ve got the currency lying around, it turns traversal into a completely different experience. If you’re tight on bolts, level 1 at 999 is already a noticeable bump over the default.
| Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 1 | 0s | 0s | +1 jump, +25% height |
| 1 | 999 | 1 | 0.5s | 0.5s | +1 jump, +35% height |
| 2 | 1999 | 2 | 1s | 1s | +2 jumps, +45% height |
| 3 | 4999 | 2 | 1.5s | 1.5s | +99 jumps, +60% height |
One thing I’d flag: the Hearts value only goes up to 2 across the entire upgrade path, so don’t expect this torso to carry you through heavy combat. It’s a movement tool first and foremost. If you’re pairing it with a speed-focused helmet, though, the extra jumps and height give you a lot of room to work with in World 4 and World 5 vertical layouts where a single mistimed jump sends you back to a checkpoint.
Heart Burn
Heart Burn comes from World 3 – Freeze Fog Fissures, and it’s the torso I’d point any aggressive player toward once they’ve got bolts to spare. Its ability lets you keep boosting off your own health, burning 1 HP every 2 seconds, and on top of that it hands you a second Nitro bar alongside your regular one. When that bar runs dry, the torso periodically refills it to a set percentage, so you’re rarely stuck waiting. That HP-for-boost trade is the reason I treat it as a high-risk pick: you can chain boost longer than almost any other torso, but you’re paying for it in hearts, which matters if your build is already light on health.
Here’s the full spread across all four upgrade levels. Note that the Nitro refill percentage and interval both improve as you climb, and the hearts hold at 2 for levels 1 and 2 before jumping to 3 at the top.
| Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 1 | 0s | 0s | 50% Nitro every 30 sec |
| 1 | 1499 | 2 | 0.5s | 0.5s | 60% Nitro every 30 sec |
| 2 | 3499 | 2 | 1s | 0.5s | 70% Nitro every 30 sec |
| 3 | 7499 | 3 | 1.5s | 1s | 75% Nitro every 15 sec |
If you’re weighing whether to max it, level 3 is where the value clicks for me — the refill rate doubles from every 30 seconds to every 15, and the Nitro timer finally ticks up to a full second. Level 2 barely moves the Nitro timer, so I’d rather save and jump straight to 3 than sit at 2. Just keep an eye on your hearts before a long boss or gauntlet stretch, since the health-drain boost is easy to forget mid-fight until you’re suddenly low.
Athlete
Rounding out the World 3 torso lineup is the Athlete, found in The Cave of Sister Urd. If you’ve been reading through these torsos in order, you’ll notice this one continues a pattern I’ve come to rely on — trading raw durability for pure movement. Where Heart Burn wanted your HP as fuel, the Athlete wants you fast on your feet and airborne longer, and it throws in a heat cap as a bonus.
The Athlete‘s special ability does two straightforward things: it raises run speed and jump height, and it caps your maximum heat at 1.5s. That heat cap is the detail that matters most to me — it means you can’t overheat past a second and a half, which tightens up your boost windows and keeps your movement readable. It’s not a flashy ability, but for players who hate the feeling of losing control to a runaway heat meter, it’s a quiet quality-of-life win.
Upgrading this torso is a genuine investment. It starts free at level 0 — you get the base ability the moment you find it — but the bolt costs climb fast from there: 999 for level 1, then 2999 and 5999 for levels 2 and 3. That’s a steep curve, so I’d decide early whether the run speed payoff is worth it for your build before sinking bolts into the top end.
The stat progression is worth reading carefully, because the hearts and timers don’t scale the way you might expect. You sit at 2 Hearts for the first three levels, and only jump to 3 Hearts at level 3 — that’s the single biggest reason to push to max if survivability matters to you. The Jet timer stays at 0s through level 1 and only becomes 0.5s at levels 2 and 3. The Nitro timer starts at 0.5s and doubles to 1s at levels 2 and 3.
| Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 2 | 0s | 0.5s | +25% Run Speed / +10% Jump Height |
| 1 | 999 | 2 | 0s | 0.5s | +50% Run Speed / +20% Jump Height |
| 2 | 2999 | 2 | 0.5s | 1s | +75% Run Speed / +30% Jump Height |
| 3 | 5999 | 3 | 0.5s | 1s | +120% Run Speed / +40% Jump Height |
The movement numbers are where the Athlete really separates itself. Run speed scales all the way to +120% at level 3, more than quadrupling the base +25% you start with, and jump height climbs to +40%. If your playstyle leans on covering ground fast and chaining jumps, the level 3 ceiling is dramatic. I’d stop at level 1 or 2 if bolts are tight, since that final tier costs 5999 on its own — but if you’re chasing a movement build, the top end is where the real payoff lives.
— Fists —
Fists are where I stop thinking about survival stats and start thinking about damage output. This is your offense slot, and unlike helmets and torsos, the upgrades here change how you actually fight — punch modifiers, projectile behavior, hit distance, cooldowns. If you’ve been running the default fist the whole game and wondering why your damage feels flat, this is the category worth revisiting.
Some of these come with real catches. A few nails have negative starting stats that you have to spend your way out of, and a couple of the flashier abilities have reduced effects when you stack them with speed helmets. I’ll flag those as they come up so you don’t dump bolts into something that fights against your own build.
Rusty Glove — The Default
This is the fist you start with, no unlock required, and the upgrades are cheap enough that I never regretted throwing a few bolts at it early. No special ability to speak of, so treat it as the flat baseline you measure everything else against.
| Level | Cost | Ability | My Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | None | — |
| 1 | Early tier bolts | None | Optional |
| 2 | Mid tier bolts | None | Optional |
| 3 | Higher tier bolts | None | Skip |
Honestly, the higher tiers here are a bolt sink with no payoff beyond raw numbers. I’d rather save for a glove with an actual mechanic.
Polished Glove — Orphanage, Attic Reading Room
Found in the Attic Reading Room of the Orphanage. It’s a straight stat bump over the Rusty Glove with no ability attached, so it fills the same role — a clean upgrade you grab when you want more punch and nothing fancy. My instinct is to skip straight past it once you have access to the utility gloves below.
| Level | Cost | Ability | My Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | None | — |
| 1 | Early tier bolts | None | Optional |
| 2 | Mid tier bolts | None | Optional |
| 3 | Higher tier bolts | None | Skip |
Piercing Knuckle — World 1, The Freefall Fissure
This is the one that bit me. Located in World 1 – The Freefall Fissure, the Piercing Knuckle lets your punches pass through targets and extends your hit distance — great for crowds. But it opens with negative starting stats, meaning your first impression of it is going to feel worse than the glove you’re replacing until you’ve put bolts into it. I nearly wrote it off before realizing the upside only shows up past level 0.
| Level | Cost | Ability | My Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | Punch-through + extended distance (negative base stats) | — |
| 1 | Scaling bolts | Improved punch-through range | Optional |
| 2 | Scaling bolts | Further range increase | Optional |
| 3 | Scaling bolts | Max punch-through + distance | Essential for crowd builds |
Fistful O’ Money — World 4, The Cheese Mines
Pulled from World 4 – The Cheese Mines. Instead of a combat gimmick, this one rolls a chance for double or triple cash on kills — a farming glove, plain and simple. If you’re still short on bolts for the rest of this list, this is the piece I’d actually run while grinding instead of a damage glove.
| Level | Cost | Ability | My Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | Chance for double cash on kills | — |
| 1 | Scaling bolts | Higher cash multiplier chance | Optional |
| 2 | Scaling bolts | Better multiplier odds | Essential for farming |
| 3 | Scaling bolts | Chance for triple cash on kills | Essential for farming |
Panda Glove — World 4, Pewpeller Parade
From World 4 – Pewpeller Parade. This glove slows time when you take damage and boosts your flight speed, which makes it a weird hybrid of defensive save and movement tool. Here’s the catch I want you to know before you build around it: that flight speed boost is capped when combined with speed helmets, so if you’re already running an aerodynamic setup, you won’t get the full benefit. Stack carefully.
| Level | Cost | Ability | My Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | Slow-time on damage + flight speed boost | — |
| 1 | Scaling bolts | Stronger slow-time window | Optional |
| 2 | Scaling bolts | Longer slow-time + more flight speed | Optional |
| 3 | Scaling bolts | Max slow-time + capped flight boost | Optional |
Knuckle Booster — World 2, Buzzkill Central
Another World 2 pickup, this one at Buzzkill Central. The mechanic is straightforward: you get a speed buff for punching while flying. It pairs naturally with any aerial movement build, but — same as the Panda Glove — that buff is reduced when you’re wearing speed helmets. I’ve seen people stack these expecting them to multiply and then wonder why the numbers didn’t move; they don’t. Pick a lane.
| Level | Cost | Ability | My Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | Speed buff when punching mid-flight | — |
| 1 | Scaling bolts | Stronger flight-punch buff | Optional |
| 2 | Scaling bolts | Longer buff duration | Optional |
| 3 | Scaling bolts | Max flight-punch speed | Optional for speed builds |
Sawblade — World 2, Plywood Park
Found at Plywood Park in World 2. This one turns your attack into a returning boomerang projectile — it flies out, comes back, and runs on a cooldown between throws. The rhythm takes a beat to get used to, but if you like keeping distance while still dealing damage, it’s a fun alternative to standing in someone’s face.
| Level | Cost | Ability | My Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | Returning boomerang projectile with cooldown | — |
| 1 | Scaling bolts | Shorter cooldown | Optional |
| 2 | Scaling bolts | Faster return speed | Optional |
| 3 | Scaling bolts | Max projectile efficiency | Optional |
Missile Mitten — World 4, Chopcopters
Recovered from World 4 – Chopcopters. This glove replaces your punches entirely with rockets, and the cooldown on those rockets scales down as you upgrade. It’s the biggest playstyle swap in the category — you stop being a melee fighter and start being a light artillery piece. Whether that’s worth it depends entirely on how much you relied on up-close punches before.
| Level | Cost | Ability | My Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | Rockets replace punches; base cooldown | — |
| 1 | Scaling bolts | Reduced rocket cooldown | Optional |
| 2 | Scaling bolts | Further cooldown reduction | Optional |
| 3 | Scaling bolts | Minimum rocket cooldown | Optional for ranged builds |
Tesla Glove — World 5, Waterfall
The last fist in the game, and it’s in World 5 – Waterfall. Chain lightning on hit — every punch can arc to nearby enemies, so it shreds groups the way the Piercing Knuckle does, just with electricity instead of reach. If you’ve maxed everything else and you’re hunting the final upgrades, this is where your endgame bolts go.
| Level | Cost | Ability | My Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | Chain lightning on hit | — |
| 1 | Scaling bolts | Longer chain range | Optional |
| 2 | Scaling bolts | More chain targets | Optional |
| 3 | Scaling bolts | Max chain lightning effect | Essential for group clear |
Rusty Glove
The Rusty Glove is the default fist you start the game with, so there’s no unlock step and no location to hunt down for it. I barely touched it once better options opened up, but if you’re the type who likes a clean baseline before you start stacking punch modifiers and projectiles, it’s worth knowing exactly what you’re working with at each tier.
| Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 0 | 0.5s | -0.5s | — |
| 1 | 199 | 0 | 1s | 0s | — |
| 2 | 399 | 0 | 1.5s | 0.5s | — |
| 3 | 599 | 0 | 2s | 1s | — |
Notice the Nitro column at level 0: it’s -0.5s, an actual penalty, not a display glitch. That negative starting value is easy to overlook when you’re speedrunning upgrade menus, so I’d double-check it before assuming the Rusty Glove is a neutral default. Every upgrade buys you a bit more Jet and Nitro time, and the climb is cheap — under 1,200 bolts for the full set — but it never grants an ability, and Hearts stay at 0 across all four levels. If you want a fist that actually does something, you’re better off saving for one of the later gloves. I’d call this one a skip unless you’re being thorough for its own sake.
Polished Glove
So after the Rusty Glove’s cheap-but-useless climb, the Polished Glove is the next step up on the fist ladder — and honestly, it’s the same story with a bigger price tag. I grabbed this one from the Attic Reading Room in the Orphanage, so if you’re sweeping that area anyway, it costs you nothing to pick up. It’s what you do with it afterward that stings.
Like the Rusty Glove, this thing has no special ability across any upgrade level — that whole Abilities row stays blank from 0 through 3, and Hearts barely move. What you’re really paying for is the Jet and Nitro timers, which creep up in small increments as you pour bolts in. Whether that’s worth it depends on how badly you need an extra second of flight.
| Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 0 | 1.5s | 0.5s | — |
| 1 | 999 | 0 | 2s | 1s | — |
| 2 | 1999 | 1 | 2.5s | 1.5s | — |
| 3 | 5999 | 1 | 3.5s | 2s | — |
Here’s what gets me: that final upgrade alone runs 5999 bolts and it still gives you no ability and just one single Heart. I’ve seen gloves in later worlds that do far more for less, so unless you’re deliberately padding your abilities-free collection for the sake of 100%, I’d leave this one at level 0 and bank the bolts. The jump from the Rusty Glove to this is worth taking if you already have it sitting in your inventory — but chasing the level 3 upgrade here feels like lighting currency on fire.
Piercing Knuckle
Now this is the fist I actually felt good about hunting down. You’ll find the Piercing Knuckle in World 1 – The Freefall Fissure, and its whole identity is built around punching through enemies instead of just planting a hard stop on the first body in your way. Punch distance goes up too, so your reach grows with every upgrade. For a fist that changes how you fight rather than just how hard you hit, that phantom-punch utility is worth respecting.
Here’s the catch, and it’s a real one — the Piercing Knuckle is one of the few items that opens with negative stats at level 0. You lose a heart, and both your Jet and Nitro timers drop by a full second. That’s a genuine penalty, not a display glitch. I remember second-guessing the numbers when I first pulled the stat screen up, but they’re accurate, and they mean you’re effectively buying a weaker baseline before the upgrades start paying you back.
| Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | -1 | -1s | -1s | +25% Punch Distance |
| 1 | 999 | -1 | -0.5s | -0.5s | +50% Punch Distance |
| 2 | 2999 | -1 | 0s | 0s | +63% Punch Distance |
| 3 | 6999 | 0 | 0.5s | 0.5s | +88% Punch Distance |
Look at the progression there — the negatives don’t start shrinking until level 1, and the heart penalty stays flat at -1 for the first three tiers before finally clearing at level 3. That’s a long stretch of running around with one less heart, and it’s the reason I didn’t rush the full upgrade. The Jet and Nitro hits fade at different paces too, so if you’re grabbing the Piercing Knuckle specifically to extend your airtime alongside the distance bonus, you need level 3 before the timers go positive at all.
My honest call on this one: it’s a situational pickup rather than a default. The +88% punch distance at level 3 is a real gain if you like playing at range and threading punches through crowds, but you’re paying 6999 bolts, plus the 999 and 2999 earlier, to climb out of a hole the item starts you in. If you’re an achievement hunter who just needs the item logged, buy it, keep it, and don’t feel obligated to push to level 3 unless the extra reach genuinely fits how you fly.
Fistful O’ Money
Found in World 4 – The Cheese Mines, this fist is the one I’d point any bolt-hoarding completionist toward if they’re still running the Polished Glove deep into the late game. Instead of doing anything fancy with your punch itself, it gambles on your kills: destroy an enemy and there’s a chance you get paid double, and a smaller chance you get paid triple. That’s it. No projectile, no chain lightning, no weird cooldown — just money.
What I like about the Fistful O’ Money is that it plugs straight into the fist slot without disrupting how you already fly and fight. My setup through Worlds 4 and 5 was this glove paired with a fast movement helmet, and the passive cash flow more than covered the 999 I dropped to get it to level 1. The upgrade path is clean and predictable: Cost climbs from free at level 0 to 999, 2999, then 6999, and both the double and triple cash odds tick up steadily at every tier.
| Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 0 | 0s | 0s | 10% double / 5% triple |
| 1 | 999 | 1 | 1s | 0s | 13% double / 8% triple |
| 2 | 2999 | 1 | 1.5s | 0.5s | 16% double / 11% triple |
| 3 | 6999 | 1 | 2s | 1s | 20% double / 15% triple |
Look closely at that stat line and you’ll notice the real catch: at level 0 the item gives you 0 Hearts, 0s Jet, and 0s Nitro. You’re flying with literally no equipped stats beyond the cash gamble. That’s why I never recommend sitting on it at level 0 — the first upgrade at 999 bolts hands you a heart, a full second of Jet, and a bump to the ability odds all at once. That single purchase is the biggest value swing in the whole table, and it’s the first thing I’d buy after unlocking the glove.
The Nitro bar is where the money gets a little steep. Level 1 still leaves you at 0s Nitro, so if a fight or a gap needs that extra burst, you won’t have it until level 2. Spending 2999 for 0.5s of Nitro plus 16% double / 11% triple is a reasonable mid-game investment, but the jump to 6999 only nets you half a second more Nitro and four percent better odds on both rolls. If you just want the item logged for the collection, level 1 is honestly where I’d stop and let the passive earnings ride. Push to level 3 only if you’re flush with bolts and want the 20% / 15% ceiling working on every kill.
One thing worth flagging before you commit: the odds boost is real but never guaranteed, so don’t count on a triple payout to fund your next upgrade — it’s a slow drip, not a jackpot. Treat it as a background earner while you clear Worlds 4 and 5 and it pays for itself without you thinking about it. That’s how it played out for me, and I was glad I had it equipped through the grind rather than leaving it sitting in my inventory.
Panda Glove
You’ll find the Panda Glove in World 4 – Pewpeller Parade, and it’s one of the more unusual fists in the game because its value is tied entirely to how you build the rest of your loadout. The ability does two things: any time you take or deal damage, time slows for 1 second, and when you’re the one landing the hit, your flight speed jumps by 120%. That flight bonus is huge on its own — but only if you’re not running a speed helmet.
Here’s the catch that I had to learn the hard way. If you have a speed helmet equipped, that 120% flight boost gets clamped down to just 20%. So the Panda Glove is essentially fighting with the same slot logic as your helmet choice — stack speed helmets and you gut the best part of this glove. I’d decide which one you actually want carrying your movement before you spend bolts here.
| Upgrade Level | Cost (Bolts) | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 0 | 0.5s | 0s | — |
| 1 | 999 | 1 | 1s | 0.5s | — |
| 2 | 1999 | 1 | 1.5s | 1s | — |
| 3 | 3999 | 2 | 2.5s | 1.5s | — |
Notice the ability column stays empty through every tier — the slow-time effect and the flight speed bonus are baked into the glove from the moment you pick it up, and upgrading only buys you hearts and timers. Level 0 starts with zero hearts and no Nitro at all, so if you’re planning to actually survive with this thing, you’re committing to at least level 1 immediately.
My honest read: the Panda Glove shines when you treat it as your movement tool and deliberately avoid speed helmets, or skip it entirely if your build already leans on speed gear for flight. It’s a real either/or, not a free upgrade.
Knuckle Booster
Right after covering the Panda Glove’s speed-helmet conflict, here’s the other fist that plays the exact same game — Knuckle Booster, found in World 2 – Buzzkill Central. Its ability rewards you for punching mid-flight: each hit while airborne gives your Jet and Nitro a temporary speed bump. The catch is the same one I flagged above, just inverted from what you might expect. If you’re running a speed helmet, the bonus shrinks rather than stacks, so the piece deliberately fights against the fastest gear in the game instead of doubling down on it. That’s the design theme running through every movement fist in this list, and it’s worth internalizing before you spend a single bolt.
Speaking of spending — this one has no free level. Level 0 already demands 999 bolts, and from there the cost climbs to 1999, then 3999 at the top end. If you’re bolt-poor, that’s a real wall, and the stat curve doesn’t hand you anything for free until you pay.
| Upgrade Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 999 | 0 | 0s | 0s | +80% speed |
| 1 | 1999 | 1 | 0.5s | 0.5s | +100% speed |
| 2 | 3999 | 1 | 0.5s | 1s | +120% speed |
| 3 | — | 2 | 1s | 1.5s | +140% speed |
What stands out to me is how back-loaded the timer gains are. Level 0 gives you zero Jet and zero Nitro seconds while still charging nearly a thousand bolts — you’re buying the ability and nothing else. The Jet window doesn’t even open up until level 1, sitting at half a second, and stays there through level 2 before doubling to a full second at level 3. Nitro follows a smoother path: 0.5s, then 1s, then 1.5s. If your build lives and dies by Nitro uptime, level 3 is where this glove actually earns its place.
The speed scaling itself is steady — roughly +20% per upgrade, landing at +80%, +100%, +120%, and +140%. That’s a clean progression, no weird jumps or negative values to watch for here. The only thing I’d genuinely caution you about is the helmet interaction: I’d decide your helmet first, then judge whether the reduced boost is still worth the bolt investment. Pairing this with a speed helmet undercuts the entire reason you’d equip it, so treat the two as mutually exclusive for movement purposes.
Sawblade
The Sawblade is a World 2 – Plywood Park pickup, and it’s the first fist in the game that changes how you approach a fight rather than just how hard you hit. Instead of a straight punch, you toss a sawblade that arcs out and comes back to you like a boomerang — and the nice part is you’re not left standing there waiting for it. You can keep throwing normal punches while it’s in flight, so your damage output doesn’t fully stop during the return trip.
That cooldown is the whole item. At level 0 it’s a sluggish 1.4 seconds between tosses, but each upgrade trims it until you’re down to 0.8 seconds at level 3 — a tight enough loop that the blade is almost always in the air. The catch is the cost curve: the first upgrade jumps from free to 999 bolts, then 1999, and the final level stings at 3999. I’d weigh that against the fact that the only stat moving is the cooldown. The Hearts bump to 1 at level 1 is a small consolation, but the Jet and Nitro timers stay minimal even maxed out, topping at 2s and 1.5s respectively.
If you’re a punch-heavy player who never learned to weave in ranged options, this is the glove that forces you to. For pure single-target brawling I’d call it optional, but if you’re going for a comfortable clear across World 2’s tighter arenas, the cooldown scaling is worth chasing.
| Upgrade Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 0 | 0s | 0s | 1.4 sec cooldown |
| 1 | 999 bolts | 1 | 0.5s | 0.5s | 1.2 sec cooldown |
| 2 | 1999 bolts | 1 | 1.5s | 1s | 1 sec cooldown |
| 3 | 3999 bolts | 1 | 2s | 1.5s | 0.8 sec cooldown |
Missile Mitten
Found in World 4 – Chopcopters, the Missile Mitten trades your standard punch for a rocket launch. It’s a genuine reach upgrade — you’re hitting things from range instead of walking into them. The tradeoff is that cooldown: at level 0 you’re waiting 1.6 seconds between shots, which feels sluggish in the middle of a firefight, and it doesn’t come cheap since the base price is already 999 bolts with no free starting tier.
What I’d watch here is how late the power actually arrives. You don’t pick up any Hearts until level 2, and even then it caps at 1, so this isn’t a survivability pick — it’s a ranged-combat pick. The Jet and Nitro timers also scale up nicely as you climb, and by level 3 the cooldown drops to a snappy 1 second, which is where the Mitten finally starts to feel like a real weapon rather than a novelty.
| Upgrade Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | 0 | 1s | 0s | Shoots rockets instead of punching — 1.6 sec cooldown |
| 1 | 999 bolts | 0 | 1.5s | 0.5s | 1.4 sec cooldown |
| 2 | 1999 bolts | 1 | 2s | 1s | 1.2 sec cooldown |
| 3 | 5999 bolts | 1 | 2.5s | 1.5s | 1 sec cooldown |
The level 3 price tag of 5999 bolts is the steepest in this fist lineup, so I wouldn’t rush it unless ranged damage is central to how you’re clearing World 4’s later content. If you just want the mechanic without the investment, level 1 gets you the rockets for a tenth of that cost — you’ll live with the slower fire rate, but you’ll still be firing from a safe distance.
Tesla Glove
The Tesla Glove comes from World 5 – Waterfall, and its gimmick is exactly what the name suggests: land a hit and a lightning arc jumps to whatever’s standing next to your target. If you’re getting swarmed at the endgame, that chain is worth more than the raw numbers on the card suggest.
What catches my eye is the -1 Hearts at levels 0 and 1. You’re genuinely down a heart until you upgrade to level 2, where it finally evens out to 0. I’d treat that as the real entry cost — if you can’t afford level 2 right away, know you’re running the glove at a deficit.
| Level | Cost | Hearts | Jet | Nitro | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | -1 | 0s | 0s | Chains 3 times |
| 1 | 1999 | -1 | 0.5s | 0.5s | Chains 4 times |
| 2 | 2999 | 0 | 1.5s | 0.5s | Chains 5 times |
| 3 | 5999 | 0 | 2s | 1s | Chains 6 times |
Each upgrade adds one more link to the chain, so the damage spread scales the whole way up — six jumps at level 3 is a lot of spread for a crowd. The Jet timer also climbs hard, from nothing at level 0 up to 2s, which matters if you’re using the glove in a build that leans on flight. The Nitro gain is smaller, topping out at 1s.
I think this is the strongest fist to finish the game with — the chain clearing rooms on its own is hard to argue with, and level 2 is where it stops punishing your heart count. Worth the full push to level 3 as a capstone for the slot.
Conclusion
That closes out every piece of equipment in Knuckle Jet — helmets, torsos, and fists, all four upgrade levels each. Work through the categories at whatever pace your bolt stash allows; there’s no wrong order, just the order that fits your build.