Final Swarm Best Upgrades - What to Grab During a Run

What are the best upgrades in Final Swarm?

For early runs, prioritize damage scaling: Multi-shot, Attack Speed and Projectile Count. They multiply together — more projectiles fired faster clears the swarm before it reaches you. Health and Defense come online later, mainly for the boss waves around wave 8.

Which upgrades should I take in the early waves?

Upgrade	Why it’s strong early
Multi-shot	Fires more projectiles to clear groups fast — the single best early pick
Attack Speed	Stacks with extra projectiles; faster swarm clearing
Projectile Count	Pairs with Multi-shot and Attack Speed to scale total damage

These three are the foundation of every strong early build. Take them whenever they appear.

When should I switch to survival upgrades?

Around the boss waves (roughly wave 8 and beyond), damage alone stops being enough. Add Health to survive longer and keep building, and Defense to cut incoming damage. The exact timing depends on your run — if you’re dying while waves are still clearable, you switched too early; if you’re taking heavy hits with plenty of time left, switch earlier.

What’s the best upgrade strategy overall?

The community consensus: take damage upgrades early to end waves faster, then shift to survival when the bosses arrive. Never skip Multi-shot or Projectile Count when offered in the first few waves — they compound over the whole run. See our skill tree spending order for how to invest your Keys between runs.