Backpack Guide: Upgrades, Costs and Angelic Backpacks (2026)

Short answer: Backpacks on Complex Gaming (hub.mc-complex.com) are offhand items that automatically collect drops in each game mode's PvE area: Skull Island on Prison, Pharaoh's Tomb and the Dungeon on Skyblock, the Dragon's Dojo on Survival, and the Lightzone and Darkzone on Factions. A backpack holds 500 items at level 1 and gains 250 more per level, and you upgrade it with Gold Shards. PvE backpacks also add +3% loot per level. Prison backpacks cap at level 200, while Skyblock, Survival and Factions backpacks have no level cap.

What are backpacks and how to use them?​

Backpacks are offhand items that automatically collect drops obtained in a server's PvE area. Only one backpack can be equipped at a time.
Unlike normal storage items, backpacks can't be filled by hand. They only store eligible drops collected automatically while equipped. Open the backpack menu with Shift + Right Click to see what's stored, or sell the sellable contents with /sellall.
Where to get a starter backpack:

• Prison: the Skull Backpack, 64 Gold Shards at the Skull Armory (/skullarmory).
• Skyblock: the Tomb Backpack, 2,048 Gold Shards at the Tomb Armory or the T2 and T3 Shard Merchants.
• Survival: the standard Dojo Backpack only drops in the Dragon's Dojo.
• Factions: 1,104 to 1,472 Gold Shards at the Golden Merchant.

There are also other backpack variants: Seasonal Crate backpacks, timed backpacks from PvE drops or rewards, and vKit backpacks that come with a vKit voucher from the store. Each type is covered in its game mode's section below.

How to upgrade a backpack?​

A backpack's capacity is upgraded with Gold Shards on every server, but upgrade costs differ by server. Prison backpacks, for example, use a different price per level than the PvE backpacks on other servers.

1. Open the backpack menu (Shift + Right Click) and select the upgrade option.
2. Left click to upgrade by one level, or right click to bulk upgrade with all the Gold Shards in your inventory.

• Gold Shards stored inside shulker boxes in your inventory can also be used for upgrades.
• Backpacks can't be upgraded while you are combat tagged.
• At level 1 a backpack holds 500 items, and each upgrade adds 250 more.
• Upgrading a PvE backpack also adds +3% loot per level in that server's PvE area. Non-default backpacks, such as seasonal or event variants, get a 1.25x multiplier on this bonus. The exceptions are covered in each server's section.

Full tables of capacity, loot bonus and shard costs for every level up to 100 are in the Backpack upgrade costs section.

Prison backpacks​

Backpacks are one of the most important tools on Prison, alongside your pickaxe. There are two main types: Mining Backpacks and PvE (Skull Island) Backpacks.
Restrictions:

• Both types can only hold minable and farmable drops plus tokens, keys, pouches, shards and dynamite, not gear or consumables.
• You can't use them interchangeably: a Mining Backpack won't pick up Skull Island loot, and a Skull Backpack won't pick up mined blocks.

Mining Backpacks

• Store blocks mined with your pickaxe.
• Mined blocks go to your inventory first unless Backpack Pickup Priority is enabled.
• Upgrading a Mining Backpack increases its storage capacity.
• One of the pickaxe Auto Sell upgrades also auto-sells items from your backpack.
• Types: the Standard Mining Backpack from the Starter Kit you get when you first join, timed Angelic Mining Backpacks that can come from Skull Island Treasure Chests, and Seasonal Crate exclusive Mining Backpacks (check /warp infuser for the crates).

Skull Island (PvE) Backpacks

• Automatically collect eligible drops before they enter your inventory.
• Upgrading a Skull Backpack increases both its storage capacity and its bonus loot percentage, so higher levels are much more rewarding on Skull Island.
• Skull Backpack: the default one, 64 Gold Shards from the Skull Armory NPC at Prison spawn (/skullarmory).
• Angelic Backpacks: rare drops from Skull Island mobs. They are timed items that last 9 to 72 hours and come with one random seasonal crate backpack rune. Your Angelic upgrades are saved to you, not the backpack, so every Angelic Backpack you carry uses your saved level (up to level 200). Once the timer runs out, the backpack can't be used or upgraded anymore, only emptied.
• Seasonal Crate Skull Backpacks: exclusive to seasonal crates (check /warp infuser for the crates).

Skyblock backpacks​

Skyblock has two areas where backpacks work: Pharaoh's Tomb and the Dungeon. Backpacks give a different bonus in each:

• Pharaoh's Tomb: backpacks work like Prison's Skull Island backpacks, with +3% loot and more capacity per level, and they automatically collect eligible loot dropped in the Tomb.
• Dungeon: backpacks give +1% Dungeon Coins per tier, so a Tier 10 backpack gives the max bonus of +10%.

Skyblock backpack types:

• Tomb Backpack: the default one. It drops from mobs in Pharaoh's Tomb, costs 2,048 Gold Shards at the Tomb Armory or the T2 and T3 Shard Merchants, and you get one free for clearing the first Tomb Expedition.
• Seasonal Crate Backpacks: come from seasonal crates. See /warp infuser for the current rotation and details.
• Angelic Backpacks: rare timed backpacks that drop in the Tomb or can be bought in the Dungeon Shop. Like the Prison version, they expire when their timer runs out.

Unlike Tomb backpacks, the Dungeon bonus comes from the backpack's tier, not its level. Upgrading the level only adds storage and does not raise the Dungeon Coin bonus.
Dungeon Coins go straight to you and are not stored in the backpack. The backpack only collects eligible item drops inside the Dungeon.

Survival backpacks​

On Survival, backpacks work in the Dragon's Dojo.

• Dojo backpacks have the standard PvE bonuses: +3% loot and more capacity per level. They automatically collect eligible loot dropped in the Dojo.
• Standard Dojo Backpack: a rare mob drop in the Dojo.
• Angelic Backpacks (timed): buy one from the Dungeon Shop. The Random Angelic Piece (30,000 Dungeon Coins, dungeon level 10) can roll an Angelic Backpack, and the Specific Angelic Piece (40,000 Dungeon Coins, dungeon level 15) lets you pick one. Warzone Domination wins can also give one. They expire when their timer runs out.
• Seasonal Crate Backpacks: the main source of Survival backpacks (see /warp infuser).

Factions backpacks​

Factions has two areas where backpacks work: the Lightzone and the Darkzone. Each has its own timed backpack:

• Angelic Backpack: a timed contraband backpack that drops from Lightzone mobs and also comes from Daily Warzone rewards. On Factions its loot bonus is half that of other backpacks (+1.875% per level). Its upgrades are saved to you, starting at level 5, so every Angelic Backpack you carry keeps your level.
• Corrupted Backpack: the Darkzone counterpart. Angelic and Corrupted Backpacks each get one random seasonal rune when they drop.

The other Factions backpacks:

• Darkzone Backpack: the default backpack (not the Corrupted one). It is permanent, never expires and drops from mobs more often than the others.
• vKit Backpacks: blue and red variants that come with vKit vouchers on our store, and they have a small chance to drop in the Lightzone.
• Seasonal Crate Backpacks: exclusive to seasonal crates on every server (rune details at /warp infuser).

Backpack upgrade costs​

The tables below show every level from 1 to 100: the capacity, the loot bonus and the Gold Shards each level costs, with the running total. Prison columns are for Prison backpacks, and PvE columns are for Skyblock and Survival PvE backpacks.
Prison:

• Prison has a hard cap on backpack upgrades at level 200. The tables go up to level 100, and Prison shard costs are different from the other servers.
• Levels 1 to 30 have a 25% Gold Shard discount. From level 31 the standard price applies.
• The loot bonus only applies to Skull Island backpacks, not Mining Backpacks.
• Skull Backpacks cost 40% of the shard costs shown.

Skyblock, Survival and Factions:

• Factions backpacks cost half of the PvE shard costs shown.
• There is no upgrade level cap, so in theory you can upgrade forever. Unlike Prison, there are no discounts at any level, and the cost keeps climbing as you upgrade.
• Crate backpacks also give +1% Dungeon Coins per tier on every server with Dungeons (on Prison, only Skull backpacks). That bonus comes from the tier, not the level, so it isn't in these tables.

Backpack FAQ​

How do backpacks work on Complex Gaming?​

How do I open my backpack?​

How do I upgrade my backpack?​

What is the max backpack level?​

Where do I get a backpack?​

Do backpacks give a loot bonus?​

What is an Angelic Backpack?​

How do I sell the items in my backpack?​