You're staring at the draft screen in Blue Prince, your heart hammering because you finally found one. That small, glowing circle of data. An Upgrade Disk.
Most players treat these things like standard loot. They grab them, run to the nearest terminal in the Office or Security, and just click "Confirm" on whatever looks coolest. Honestly? That is how you ruin a perfect run.
Blue Prince isn't just about surviving the night or reaching the Antechamber. It is about architecture. It’s about building a house that works for you, and these disks are the only way to permanently rewrite the rules of the estate. If you’ve ever wondered why some players seem to have infinite gems or never run out of steps, it’s because they didn't just find the disks—they knew exactly which ones to hunt and how to use them.
The Truth About Where They Hide
Let’s get one thing straight: Blue Prince upgrade disks do not just spawn in random crates. They aren't common loot. Each one has a "home," and if you aren't drafting the right rooms, you’re never going to see them.
You’ve probably found the easy one. It’s sitting right there in the Office on the desk, practically begging to be picked up. But the others? They require some real legwork.
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- The Garage Trunk: You need the Car Keys. Don't leave them in the Lost and Found. Once you have them, draft the Garage, pop the trunk, and there it is.
- The Freezer Secret: This one is a nightmare if you don't know the trick. You have to draft the Freezer right next to a powered-up Furnace or a Sauna. The heat melts a hidden ice wall at the back, revealing a disk and a letter from Denny Revane.
- The Tomb Candelabras: Right as you walk into the main chamber, look left. There are two ruby-socketed candles. Light them both. The wall moves, and the disk is yours along with some ivory dice.
- The Foundation Elevator: You have to actually activate the elevator first. Go down to the very bottom, and you'll find it sitting on a stack of cardboard boxes.
There are 16 of these in total. While most are one-time finds that "complete" your version of the mansion, there is a way to get more.
The Trading Post Loop
Kinda weirdly, the Trading Post is the only place where these disks can effectively become a "renewable" resource. If you’ve already found the one hidden behind the dynamite wall (use a Burning Glass for that, by the way), you can actually trade for more.
The trader wants the high-end stuff. We’re talking the Emerald Bracelet, the Master Key, or the Cursed Effigy. It’s a steep price, but it’s the only way to get a disk once the fixed locations are empty.
Why You Shouldn't Just Click "Upgrade"
Here is the part most people get wrong. When you put a disk into a terminal, the game gives you a choice. Usually, it's a selection of three different room types.
You might think, "Oh, I'll just upgrade the Hallway to look nicer."
Don't.
The goal with Blue Prince upgrade disks is to create resource loops. For example, upgrading the Nook into a Breakfast Nook or the Kitchen can lead to the Morning Room upgrade. Why does that matter? Because the Morning Room is one of the best ways to get huge step boosts early in a day.
Then there’s the Electric Eel Aquarium. This is basically a pre-activated Boiler Room. If you can snag this upgrade, you suddenly have power in areas that used to be dead zones. It changes the entire geometry of how you draft your path to the North.
The Reroll Strategy
Did you make a mistake? Did you pick an upgrade for the Billiards Room that actually makes the puzzles harder?
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It happens.
There is a workaround that seasoned players use. Once you have found all 16 disks, the disks you get from the Trading Post change their behavior. Instead of offering a new room to upgrade, they allow you to reroll an existing room.
It’s an expensive hobby. You’ll be burning Master Keys just for a chance at a better perk, but when you’re trying to optimize a "Master Architect" run, it is the only way to fix a messy floorplan.
Missing Disks and RNG Frustration
A lot of the community on Reddit and Discord gets stuck at 15 disks. They swear the 16th doesn't exist.
Usually, it's the Morning Room or the Vault.
With the Vault, you can't just walk in. You need Vault Keys and you have to open specific deposit boxes. It’s a literal lottery. And the Morning Room? It won't even show up in your draft pool unless you've eaten Bacon & Eggs that day. It's those little hidden "triggers" that make finding every disk so satisfying—and so incredibly annoying.
How to Optimize Your Mansion Right Now
If you are holding a disk and standing at a terminal, stop. Look at your current "meta" progress.
- Prioritize Steps: Anything that adds steps (like the Cloister of Joya upgrade) should be your first pick. You can't solve puzzles if you're dead on the floor.
- Focus on Gems: The Gemstone Cavern is a permanent upgrade, but using disks to add gem-generating perks to rooms like the Courtyard or Greenhouse is how you afford the expensive stuff.
- Draft for Terminals: You can't use a disk if you can't find a terminal. If you haven't unlocked Blackbridge Grotto yet, make that your priority so you can access terminals even when you haven't drafted an Office.
Basically, treat your disks like a long-term investment. The mansion is going to shift and change every single day, but the power you bake into those floorplans stays forever.
Once you’ve secured the Great Hall disk and the one in Her Ladyship’s Chamber (it’s on the dresser, but only if you draft the room on the far-west side of the map), you’ll be well on your way to mastering the estate.
Stop looking for "better items" and start looking for the disks. The items break, they get lost, or you run out of uses. A disk? That's a permanent change to the world itself.
Go back to the Garage. Check that trunk. You probably missed it.
Next Steps for Your Run
- Check your Inventory: If you have a Shovel, head to the Patio and dig in front of the BBQ. It gives you a File Cabinet Key for the Archives, which houses another disk.
- Power the Boiler: You can't melt the ice in the Freezer without heat, so make sure your energy routing is set up before you waste a draft on the cold storage room.
- Save Your Gems: Keep at least 15 gems on hand for the Commissary. It’s a guaranteed disk purchase, but only if you’ve already bought out the other special items like the Sledgehammer.