Hello again Devoted Rejects,
It’s time to talk more about itemization (a.k.a. crafting) and what players can expect. We’ve been reading your comments, your posts, your threads and your topics. One of the challenges for tackling Itemization was to propose a new experience to the players which felt authentic and natural within the actual live system. We did not want to rush this, as it was important to consider all the progress and time put in by current players of the game, too. Our goal is to improve player agency. We are putting the focus on giving players a clear path to get the weapons and gameplay they want. Part of this agency will be achieved by removing the locks on Blessings and Perks. The rest of the player agency will be achieved through the introduction of two new major systems for itemization: Mastery and Expertise (final names pending). These systems will make the players journey in the game more rewarding and customizable.Mastery
This is the core progression system that is tied to the weapon type / weapon family itself. As players use a specific weapon, they’ll gain more experience. This unlocks new blessings, perks, marks and a special weapon cosmetic along the way via the reward tracks. As players progress, the potential quality and stats of the weapon also increases. This system will merge all weapon types/families, meaning players will be able to freely switch between different marks of the same weapon type. For example, once you own an Infantry Lasgun, you have the potential to unlock all the possible marks for this weapon and switch from one mark to another. When viewing any weapon, it will show the weapon’s maximum potential stats. These stats will be randomly determined. It’s up to the players to decide if the weapon profile is interesting enough for them to commit and increase the stats until reaching this potential (which are then applied to the weapon through the Expertise system).
Expertise
While the Mastery system is where a player unlocks the potential for a weapon, the Expertise system is where the players apply those changes via crafting. This is when the players create an actual relationship with the weapon. Players will be able to configure the weapon, change the Blessings or Perks, and increase the stats. Players will no longer be locked after making two changes on Perks or Blessings. This is also when the player uses resources to make these changes happen.
