Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Weapon and Armor Progression
Pendragxn
Member
When it comes to weapon and armor progression, I’m particularly drawn to a quality or enchantment system that uses a tiered structure—something like a 5-star system, where gear moves through ranks like bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and diamond. It feels satisfying to see that clear progression, and the idea of using rare materials to upgrade weapons and armor adds depth to the experience. I think a system where gear not only levels up but also gains specialization through experience, as seen in games like Throne and Liberty (T&L), would really enhance that progression even further.
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Big F’ing Sword ***** (e.g Enchant Level 5)
Damage:
Atk Speed:
Range:
Weapon Skill:
Weapon Stats: +5 Str (Example)
Weapon Affinity: Fire (Example)
Glyph or Gem Slot or Socket 1: Water Gem (Example)
Glyph or Gem Slot or Socket 2: Phy Res (Example)
Glyph or Gem Slot or Socket 3: Atk Speed (Example)
——————————
Obviously all of the above is an example you could also have Glyphs that have a purpose or are different to gem slots and sockets.
Elemental Enchantment
I’d love to see elemental abilities tied to weapons and armor through a slotting mechanic, like gemstones or inscriptions. For example, fire could boost damage, frost might slow enemies, lightning could enhance stun or increase attack speed, wind could improve armor-piercing capabilities, and earth could provide resistance. Games like Monster Hunter or Final Fantasy do a great job with their glyphs and materia systems, and I’d love something similar here. Additionally, having elemental affinities that counter certain monsters or creatures based on their own affinity would be an interesting layer of strategy.
Status Effect Traits
Beyond the usual elemental enchantments, I think it’s important to include status effects like poison, sleep, paralysis, bleeding, and burn. These non-elemental traits really add a lot of depth to combat and progression. Monster Hunter and Final Fantasy already handle this beautifully, providing inspiration for how such effects can be incorporated.
Stat Traits
This is a more straightforward concept—gear that boosts key stats like strength, defense, or speed. It’s the foundation of any RPG, but I’d like to see it balanced with other, more complex traits.
Trait Transfer
I think trait transfer systems are a great addition, but they often end up bloated. In Throne and Liberty, for instance, you can extract or swap traits on gear, but the process feels overly complicated. Simplifying this while retaining the essence of customization would make it far more accessible.
Armor Types
While the standard light, medium, and heavy armor categories work well, I’m interested in seeing more specialization. New World does this nicely by allowing players to mix and match different armor pieces to fit within certain weight classes, giving more flexibility to playstyles. It would be great to have more nuanced options, where the combination of armor pieces influences perks and abilities.
When it comes to armor types, I think there’s more potential than just the typical light, medium, and heavy categories. It would be interesting to see different subtypes of light armor, for example, light chain mail, heavy cloth, or even lighter plate armor. This way, “light armor” wouldn’t just be tied to things like cloth or leather—it could be more flexible. For instance, something like lighter plate armor could offer a balance between mobility and defense, while still staying within the light category.
It raises the question of how we classify something like dragon scales. Are they inherently “heavy” because of their high resistance, or could there be lighter variants depending on the creature? Just because a dragon’s scales are resistant doesn’t necessarily mean they’re cumbersome. It could be possible to craft light, high-resistance gear from them, depending on the dragon’s species or the parts used.
Armor and Weapon Variants
Another idea I love is using different parts of creatures, like dragons, to create variants of weapons and armor. For instance, you could use a dragon’s wing membrane to craft a lightweight, durable cloth for robes or hoods, or its hide to make leather armor with high flexibility and resistance. Scales, on the other hand, could be forged into sturdy plate armor. These kinds of systems would add more depth and variety to crafting, and let players customize their gear not only in terms of looks but also function. Each part of a monster could offer unique crafting properties that lead to different types of gear. You might even end up with specialized weapons that incorporate dragon bones or claws for more exotic designs and abilities.
Legendary Weapons
I’m on the fence about the idea of legendary weapons being limited to just one or a few players on a server. While it can make those weapons feel special, it also restricts player agency. I’d prefer something more along the lines of divine blessings, where multiple players can gain access to these weapons temporarily, perhaps tied to certain in-game events or religious nodes. Ultimately, though, I like the idea that players should have the freedom to craft and customize their own powerful weapons, rather than chasing exclusive legendary items.
——————————
Big F’ing Sword ***** (e.g Enchant Level 5)
Damage:
Atk Speed:
Range:
Weapon Skill:
Weapon Stats: +5 Str (Example)
Weapon Affinity: Fire (Example)
Glyph or Gem Slot or Socket 1: Water Gem (Example)
Glyph or Gem Slot or Socket 2: Phy Res (Example)
Glyph or Gem Slot or Socket 3: Atk Speed (Example)
——————————
Obviously all of the above is an example you could also have Glyphs that have a purpose or are different to gem slots and sockets.
Elemental Enchantment
I’d love to see elemental abilities tied to weapons and armor through a slotting mechanic, like gemstones or inscriptions. For example, fire could boost damage, frost might slow enemies, lightning could enhance stun or increase attack speed, wind could improve armor-piercing capabilities, and earth could provide resistance. Games like Monster Hunter or Final Fantasy do a great job with their glyphs and materia systems, and I’d love something similar here. Additionally, having elemental affinities that counter certain monsters or creatures based on their own affinity would be an interesting layer of strategy.
Status Effect Traits
Beyond the usual elemental enchantments, I think it’s important to include status effects like poison, sleep, paralysis, bleeding, and burn. These non-elemental traits really add a lot of depth to combat and progression. Monster Hunter and Final Fantasy already handle this beautifully, providing inspiration for how such effects can be incorporated.
Stat Traits
This is a more straightforward concept—gear that boosts key stats like strength, defense, or speed. It’s the foundation of any RPG, but I’d like to see it balanced with other, more complex traits.
Trait Transfer
I think trait transfer systems are a great addition, but they often end up bloated. In Throne and Liberty, for instance, you can extract or swap traits on gear, but the process feels overly complicated. Simplifying this while retaining the essence of customization would make it far more accessible.
Armor Types
While the standard light, medium, and heavy armor categories work well, I’m interested in seeing more specialization. New World does this nicely by allowing players to mix and match different armor pieces to fit within certain weight classes, giving more flexibility to playstyles. It would be great to have more nuanced options, where the combination of armor pieces influences perks and abilities.
When it comes to armor types, I think there’s more potential than just the typical light, medium, and heavy categories. It would be interesting to see different subtypes of light armor, for example, light chain mail, heavy cloth, or even lighter plate armor. This way, “light armor” wouldn’t just be tied to things like cloth or leather—it could be more flexible. For instance, something like lighter plate armor could offer a balance between mobility and defense, while still staying within the light category.
It raises the question of how we classify something like dragon scales. Are they inherently “heavy” because of their high resistance, or could there be lighter variants depending on the creature? Just because a dragon’s scales are resistant doesn’t necessarily mean they’re cumbersome. It could be possible to craft light, high-resistance gear from them, depending on the dragon’s species or the parts used.
Armor and Weapon Variants
Another idea I love is using different parts of creatures, like dragons, to create variants of weapons and armor. For instance, you could use a dragon’s wing membrane to craft a lightweight, durable cloth for robes or hoods, or its hide to make leather armor with high flexibility and resistance. Scales, on the other hand, could be forged into sturdy plate armor. These kinds of systems would add more depth and variety to crafting, and let players customize their gear not only in terms of looks but also function. Each part of a monster could offer unique crafting properties that lead to different types of gear. You might even end up with specialized weapons that incorporate dragon bones or claws for more exotic designs and abilities.
Legendary Weapons
I’m on the fence about the idea of legendary weapons being limited to just one or a few players on a server. While it can make those weapons feel special, it also restricts player agency. I’d prefer something more along the lines of divine blessings, where multiple players can gain access to these weapons temporarily, perhaps tied to certain in-game events or religious nodes. Ultimately, though, I like the idea that players should have the freedom to craft and customize their own powerful weapons, rather than chasing exclusive legendary items.
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