Introducing... Gems. In BELOW HEAVEN, characters do level, however that only affects their HP and known skills. The only way to improve the rest of your party's stats is through equipment. In addition to the pieces of armor and accessories you can find around the world, there is one more way you can build characters to your liking: gems.
Every piece of equipment, from your weapons to the three other pieces of armor that can be equipped on the user's Head, Body, or Feet, has a number of slots for these magical stones which grant a variety of additional buffs. Thus, choosing the right equipment is not simply a matter of which has the best stats, but how many gem slots it has in order to further upgrade it.
Each character's weapon is a personal item and as such, you won't be replacing them. However, your weapons and equipment can be upgraded over the course of the game for better stats and, of course, more gem slots.
Huge thanks to programmer Qwarq for developing this system and the new equipment screen so flawlessly.