Core Links are one of the most important late-game enhancement systems in RF Online Next, directly boosting your character's combat power through randomized stat upgrades. This guide breaks down what Core Links are, how the strengthening process works, and the most efficient ways to gather enhancement materials for every Core Link part.
What Is a Core Link?
Core Link is an enhancement element that, when successfully upgraded using an enhancement kit, randomly increases your character's stats. It is made up of six individual parts: the Armor Expansion Panel, Fusion Reactor, Predictive Computing Module, Boost Controller, Synthetic Nerve Fiber, and Core Processor. Each part can be enhanced independently and contributes its own set of stat bonuses.
Optional effects are added as you raise the level of each Core Link part.
Your stats grow steadily as you increase the level of a Core Link part. At levels 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 you receive an additional bonus in the form of an enhanced option effect, making these milestone levels especially valuable enhancement targets.
How to Strengthen Core Links
Strengthening a Core Link part follows a simple loop: gather the required enhancement material, apply it to increase the level, and keep going until you either hit level 42 or accumulate too many failures.
- 1 Gather enhancement materials for the part you want to upgrade. Each upgrade attempt requires only one material, and the amount needed does not increase as the level rises. Materials can come from monster drops, crafting, or the in-game market.
- 2 Use the enhancement kit on the Core Link part. The success rate starts at 100% but decreases as the level increases, all the way up to the maximum level of 42.
- 3 Continue enhancing until you reach level 42, or until you accumulate 5 failed attempts, whichever comes first.
- 4 If you reach the 5-failure limit before hitting level 42, the enhancement process ends for that part unless you reset and start over.
Resetting When You Hit the Failure Limit
Every failed enhancement attempt adds to a hidden limit counter. Once that counter reaches 5 failures, you can no longer enhance that Core Link part. To try for a higher level afterward, you must press Reset and start the enhancement process over from the beginning.
Stat Growth and the Mythic Grade
Stats increase randomly as you enhance, but unlike combat part stats, there's no strong need to carefully select or reset for specific rolls. Once a stat's grade indicator reaches Mythic (red) in the upper-right corner, the system shifts to increasing a different stat instead. Reaching a Mythic-grade stat does not lower your enhancement success rate; success rate is purely level-based, while the appearance rate of stat increases is allocated toward stats that still have room to grow.
Using Two Presets Effectively
Core Link supports two separate presets: Preset 1 and Preset 2. A common strategy is to fully upgrade Preset 1 first, then switch to working on Preset 2. Since resetting significantly lowers your combat power, alternating between presets lets you always have one Core Link configuration ready to equip while the other recovers from a reset.
Resetting a Core Link part consumes an Enhancement Reset Chip. If you don't have one available, you can alternatively spend 500 Diamonds to perform the reset.
Enhancement Status by Part
Each of the six Core Link parts boosts a different combination of stats as it levels up.
| Part | Increased Stats |
|---|---|
| Armor Expansion Panel | DEF, PVP Damage Mitigation, Skill Dmg Reduction, Crit Resistance, Critical Hit Damage, ACC, Fixed Skill Damage |
| Fusion Reactor | ATK, Weapon ATK, HP Injury Recovery, Critical Hit Rate, Fixed Skill Damage Resistance, Fixed Damage Resistance, Max HP |
| Predictive Computing Module | Fixed Min Damage, DEF Pierce, Debuff Hit Rate, Critical Damage Boost, Evasion, Max ATK Resistance, HP Regeneration |
| Boost Controller | Weapon ATK Resistance, Debuff Resistance, Skill Damage Boost, Critical Damage Reduction, Fixed Damage, Max ATK HR, FP Regeneration |
| Synthetic Nerve Fiber | DEF, Crit Resistance, Skill Damage Boost, Max ATK HR, ACC, Fixed Skill Damage Resistance, Max HP |
| Core Processor | ATK, Critical Hit Rate, DEF Pierce, Skill Damage Reduction, Max ATK Resistance, Evasion, Fixed Skill Damage |
Because each part affects a different stat spread, prioritize the parts that complement your build, whether that's a damage-focused setup or a more defensive, survival-oriented one.
How to Obtain Enhancement Materials
Each Core Link part uses its own dedicated enhancement kit, and the best way to obtain each one varies.
| Part / Kit | How to Obtain |
|---|---|
| Armor Expansion Panel Reinforcement Kit | Monster hunting (level 75+), some boxes, market |
| Fusion Reactor Enhancement Kit | Crafting (Epic grade equipment), some boxes, market |
| Predictive Computing Module Enhancement Kit | Crafting (Arcane Nodes), some boxes, market |
| Boost Controller Enhancement Kit | Monster hunting (level 72+), crafting (Baerer Credit Notes), some boxes, market |
| Synthetic Nerve Fiber Reinforcement Kit | Crafting only |
| Core Processor Enhancement Kit | Shop purchase (Diamond cost) |
Crafting Material Requirements
Crafting your own enhancement kits can save you from relying entirely on monster drops or the market, but the material costs add up quickly.
| Kit | Crafting Materials Required |
|---|---|
| Fusion Reactor Enhancement Kit | 4x Epic Equipment (Tier 1), 16x Epic Equipment (Tier 2) |
| Predictive Computing Module Enhancement Kit | 500 Arcane Nodes (up to 50 crafts/day), 800 Arcane Nodes after the daily limit |
| Boost Controller Enhancement Kit | 800 Baerer Credit Notes |
| Synthetic Nerve Fiber Reinforcement Kit | 5x Armor Expansion Panel Enhancement Kit, 5x Fusion Reactor Enhancement Kit, 1x Predictive Computing Module Enhancement Kit, 5x Boost Controller Enhancement Kit |
- Since crafting consumes large quantities of materials, it's best used when you already have a surplus, while steadily restocking through monster hunting and market purchases.
- The Predictive Computing Module Enhancement Kit can be crafted for 500 Arcane Nodes up to 50 times per day; any crafts beyond that limit cost 800 Arcane Nodes instead.
- If you plan on crafting a large number of enhancement kits, spreading the crafting out over several days helps you stay within the cheaper 500 Arcane Node rate.