- Melt All The Ice best upgrades start with Melt Power, then Freeze Resistance for deeper zones.
- Movement Speed lets you outrun collapsing ice walls and reach warm zones safely.
- Backpacks raise item capacity from 4 to 8 slots, so you can carry only high-value loot.
- Potions (Melt, Cash, Luck) sell out fast and restock every 10 minutes — buy them when available.
- Weapons matter more than anything else: better tools unlock better item drops in later areas.
Upgrade System Overview
In Melt All The Ice, progression runs on two currencies: Coins earned by selling melted loot to Mr. Ghost, and Medals earned by clearing ice walls, which you spend at the upgrade station. Knowing which upgrade to buy at each stage is the difference between struggling through the early zones and cruising into double-digit stages within a few sessions.
Video Highlights:
- Early run shows how a basic Match clears the first ice wall and drops shards, pearls, and fish.
- Medals are spent on Melt Power, Freeze Time, and Movement Speed upgrades.
- Progression runs Match to Candle, Lighter, Torch, Lantern, Flamethrower, and beyond.
- Potions provide temporary Melt, Cash, and Luck boosts that roughly double farming output.
The upgrade station offers four core upgrade tracks, and each one solves a different bottleneck as the zones get colder and the walls get thicker.
Melt Power
- Top priority for most of the game
- Determines which ice walls you can break
- Each area shows a recommended melt power value
Freeze Resistance / Freeze Time
- Extends how long you survive in cold zones
- Required for stage 10+ exploration
- Cheaper than melt power early on
Movement Speed
- Helps you outrun the melting wall
- Critical for reaching warm-up zones in time
- Great value after melt power is covered
Backpack Capacity
- Raises inventory from 4 to 6 to 8 slots
- Lets you skip cheap items for expensive ones
- Priciest upgrade track, but pays for itself
If an area's recommended melt power is higher than yours, buy melt power first. If you can break the wall but keep freezing before reaching the warm zone, buy freeze resistance instead. Match the upgrade to the actual bottleneck stopping your run.
Weapon Progression Rankings
Weapons are the single biggest power spike in the game. Each tier multiplies your melting output, and higher-tier tools also appear to influence the quality of items that drop in advanced zones. Below is the observed weapon ladder with approximate costs from in-game runs.
| Tier | Weapon | Approx. Cost | Melting Power | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Match | Starter | Low | Clears stage 1 walls slowly |
| 2 | Candle | ~200 | ~2x match | Same size, double melt power |
| 3 | Lighter | ~4.4K | Moderate | Handles stage 2-3 comfortably |
| 4 | Torch | ~17.5K | Good | Skippable if you can save for Lantern |
| 5 | Lantern | ~17.5K+ | Good+ | Better value than Torch at similar price |
| 6 | Flamethrower | ~2.4M | Strong | Makes early stages trivial |
| 7 | Hair Dryer | ~25K (mid-ladder) | 2x previous | Solid mid-game stepping stone |
| 8 | Solar Gear / Supernova | 25M+ | Very strong | Unlocks stage 9-11 farming |
| 9 | Aurora Prism / Phoenix | 300M+ | Top tier | Endgame melting for secret hunting |
If your coins are close to a weapon two tiers ahead, skip the intermediate purchase. Players who jumped straight from the Lantern to the Flamethrower saved significant grinding, since older weapons quickly become obsolete.
A few weapons deserve special mention:
- Lantern: The best early-mid value. If you can farm a bit longer before buying, skip the Torch entirely.
- Flamethrower: The defining mid-game purchase. Once acquired, stages 1-5 melt almost instantly, letting you teleport past them and farm deeper areas.
- Aurora Prism: The endgame target. With 300M+ in coins from legendary drops like Flaming Sun Relics and Glacier Pearls, this weapon trivializes even stage 11 walls.
Upgrade Priority by Game Phase
Your upgrade order should change as you progress. What works in the first 15 minutes will waste medals an hour later. Use this phase table to guide your spending.
| Phase | Stage Range | Top Upgrade | Second Upgrade | Skip For Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early | 1-3 | Melt Power | Freeze Time | Backpacks |
| Early-Mid | 4-6 | Melt Power | Movement Speed | Freeze Resistance |
| Mid | 6-8 | Weapons | Backpack (8 slots) | Speed |
| Late-Mid | 8-10 | Freeze Resistance | Melt Power | Backpacks |
| Endgame | 10-11 | Melt Power + Freeze | Teleports | — |
Open With Melt Power
Spend your first medals purely on melt power. Early zones have low freeze pressure, so raw wall-breaking speed is the fastest path to more medals and coins.
Add Freeze Time For Stage 3+
Once walls take longer to melt, you will freeze mid-run. A single freeze time upgrade (starting at 10%) buys you the seconds needed to reach warm zones.
Buy Speed After Weapons
After securing the Lighter or Lantern, invest in movement speed. Faster runs through old zones mean more farming cycles per potion window.
Max Backpack Before Deep Zones
Deeper areas drop 100K+ items consistently. Eight slots let you grab everything instead of leaving expensive loot behind when full.
Stack Freeze Resistance For Stage 10+
Stage 11 can freeze an underprepared player in seconds. Stack multiple antifreeze upgrades before attempting the final zones.
Once unlocked, medal-based teleports let you warp directly to stage 6, 7, or beyond. Teleporting past rookie levels is the fastest way to cycle high-value loot runs when potions are active.
Potions, Luck, and Farming Strategy
Potions are temporary but powerful multipliers sold at the in-game shop. Stock is limited and restocks roughly every 10 minutes, so timing your purchases around farming sessions matters.
| Potion | Effect | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Melt Potion / Mega Melt | Boosts melting power (Mega doubles it) | Breaking into a new stage above your gear level |
| Cash Potion / Big Cash | +20% to double sell value | Activate right before a big sell to Mr. Ghost |
| Luck Potion | Improves rare/epic drop chances | Deep-zone runs hunting secrets and legendaries |
Key farming principles that separate efficient runs from wasted time:
- Fill your backpack with the most expensive items only. With limited slots, a 300K legendary beats four 3K rocks every time.
- Sell before the potion timer ends. A cash potion active during the sell is the difference between 11M and 22M per run.
- Warm up before entering cold zones. Entering stage 9 or 11 without full warmth is the most common way players lose valuable loot.
- One-way zones exist. Once you cross into certain areas, you cannot walk back — plan your escape around teleports.
A full backpack prevents picking up any new items, and there is no reliable drop function. If you are hunting secrets, leave at least one slot open before entering a new area.
The item index tracks your discoveries out of 144 total items, including secrets worth tens of millions. Higher-tier weapons correlate with noticeably better drops, so upgrade your tool before grinding for index completion.
Progression Checklist and Common Mistakes
Use this checklist to keep your account on the fastest upgrade path during each session.
Session Goals:
- Spend all medals on melt power before logging off
- Check potion shop stock at session start
- Warm up fully before entering any stage 5+ zone
- Sell loot while a cash potion is active
- Leave one backpack slot open when hunting secrets
Common mistakes that slow progression:
- Buying every weapon tier. Skipping from Lantern directly to Flamethrower-tier gear saves millions in wasted purchases.
- Ignoring freeze resistance. Players with 600K+ melt power still fail stage 11 because they never stacked antifreeze upgrades.
- Hoarding cheap items. Early shards, fish, and copper are worth picking up only until better zones unlock.
- Wasting potion windows. A 10-minute mega melt potion should cover two or three full teleport-farm-sell cycles, not one slow walk through old stages.
FAQ
Q: What are the best upgrades in Melt All The Ice?
Melt Power is the best upgrade for most of the game because it gates access to new areas. Freeze Resistance becomes equally important from stage 8 onward, and Movement Speed offers great value once your weapon can already break the walls you face.
Q: Should I upgrade my backpack or buy a better weapon first?
Buy the weapon first whenever it unlocks a new farming area, since better tools also improve drop quality. Upgrade the backpack when you find yourself leaving expensive items behind because your slots are full.
Q: Why can't I pick up items anymore?
Your backpack is full. There is no practical way to drop items mid-run, so plan your pickups around item value and leave a slot open if you are hunting rare or secret drops.
Q: How do potions work and when should I use them?
Potions give temporary boosts: Melt increases melting power, Cash boosts sell value by 20% to double, and Luck improves rare drop odds. Stock is limited and restocks about every 10 minutes. Activate them right before a farming run and sell before the timer expires.