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Items and Binding

Document: Game Design – Gameplay – Items and Binding
Status: Exploratory
Last updated: 2026-01-12

1. Purpose

This document defines how items work in Atherion, with a focus on:

  • progression without player levels
  • meaningful loot without power creep
  • supporting companies and crafting
  • limiting RMT and smuggling
  • preserving long-term economy health

Items are a core pillar of identity, progression, and cooperation — not disposable stat sticks.

2. Item Philosophy

2.1. Items Represent Opportunity, Not Raw Power

In Atherion:

  • power does not scale infinitely
  • items unlock options, build paths, and execution depth
  • no item trivializes content on its own

Player skill, coordination, and encounter knowledge remain primary.

2.2. Items Are Designed for Longevity

Items should:

  • remain relevant across multiple content tiers
  • support different playstyles
  • encourage horizontal progression

Older items may lose optimality, but not usability.

3. Item Categories

3.1. Equipment

  • Weapons
  • Armor
  • Accessories

Equipment provides:

  • base stats (bounded)
  • modifiers (conditional, situational)
  • synergy hooks (traits, skills, reactions)

3.2. Crafting Materials

  • Common materials
  • Refined materials
  • Rare / legendary components

Materials are always tradable unless otherwise specified.

3.3. Blueprints and Schematics

Blueprints unlock:

  • new crafting recipes
  • unique item effects
  • legendary item creation paths

Blueprints are never fully tradable (see Binding).

3.4. Consumables

  • Potions
  • Buff foods
  • Utility items

Consumables provide temporary advantages, never permanent progression.

4. Binding Types

Binding defines who can use, trade, or move an item.

4.1. Unbound

  • Fully tradable
  • Can be sold on trading posts
  • Can be mailed or handed over

Used primarily for:

  • raw materials
  • common items
  • basic consumables

4.2. Account-Bound

  • Usable by any character on the same account
  • Cannot be traded externally
  • Can be moved freely between characters

Used for:

  • progression-critical items
  • unique rewards
  • non-tradable blueprints

4.3. Soul-Bound (Character-Bound)

  • Bound permanently to the character that equips or earns it
  • Cannot be traded or mailed

Used for:

  • high-end equipment
  • personal achievements
  • execution-based rewards

4.4. Company-Bound

  • Bound to a specific company
  • Tradable only within that company
  • Binding activates after a cooldown (anti-abuse)

Used for:

  • company-crafted items
  • legendary crafting projects
  • internal logistics and support

5. Binding Triggers

5.1. Bind on Acquire

Item becomes bound immediately upon receiving it.

Used for:

  • blueprints
  • rank promotion rewards
  • story-critical items

5.2. Bind on Equip

Item remains tradable until equipped.

Used for:

  • most equipment
  • market-driven items

5.3. Bind on Upgrade

Item binds when:

  • upgraded beyond a threshold
  • infused with rare components
  • attuned to a build path

This allows early trading, but prevents endgame smuggling.

6. High-End Content Rewards

6.1. Strikes and Raids (Example)

Clearing an Everspire Strike may grant:

  • crafting materials (unbound or account-bound)
  • blueprint fragments (account-bound)
  • company project progress
  • cosmetic tokens

Direct legendary items do not drop fully formed.

6.2. Blueprint-Based Progression

Legendary items require:

  • blueprint acquisition
  • company collaboration
  • crafting specialization
  • multiple content clears

This ensures:

  • long-term goals
  • social dependency
  • economic stability

7. Crafting and Binding Interaction

7.1. Who Crafts What

  • Low / mid-tier items: any qualified crafter
  • High-tier items: specialized crafters
  • Legendary items: company-backed crafting

7.2. Company Crafting Requests

Players may:

  • request items from company crafters
  • contribute materials
  • track project progress

Crafted items may be:

  • company-bound initially
  • soul-bound on final attunement

8. Anti-RMT and Smuggling Measures

8.1. No Direct Player-to-Player Trading (High-End)

High-value items:

  • cannot be freely traded
  • require company association or account binding

8.2. Company Cooldowns

  • Joining a company activates a cooldown before accessing company-bound items
  • Prevents rapid RMT cycling
  • Cooldown length scales with item value

8.3. No Gold-for-Power Exchange

Premium currency:

  • cannot directly purchase high-end items
  • cannot bypass binding rules

9. Inventory and Storage

9.1. Inventory Limits

  • Players have limited personal inventory
  • Capacity can be expanded via:
    • bags
    • storage upgrades
    • company vault access

9.2. Company Vaults

  • Shared storage for company members
  • Permission-based access
  • Logs for transparency

Encourages:

  • trust
  • internal economy
  • logistics gameplay

10. Solo Players and Items

Solo players:

  • can fully progress without companies
  • access all content (with more effort)
  • rely more on account-bound and soul-bound items

Companies provide efficiency, not exclusivity.

11. Why This System Exists

This item and binding model ensures:

  • no pay-to-win
  • no infinite power scaling
  • meaningful crafting roles
  • strong social incentives
  • long-term item relevance

Items support the journey — they do not replace it.

12. Open Questions

  • Should company-bound items ever become soul-bound?
  • Should some legendary items require personal execution milestones?
  • How visible should binding types be in UI?
  • Should failed crafting attempts consume rare components?

These will be refined through playtesting.

End of document.

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