Gilding
Through the use of items and special npcs, the ability to “Gild” unique items and weapons, uncapping their level limits. Unlocking unique features depending on the item.
What does gilding do exactly?
Gilding an item uncaps its level, or more specifically just sets the new cap at the max level for the game itself (whether thats 250,300,500 etc doesn’t matter). It also adds a 10% boost to all offensive stats if its a weapon.
If you gild an armor piece a 50% boost to the stats given by the armor piece.
Gilded items are marked by a golden laurel on the item, and any unique attributes that come from the gilding. They also sparkle when held out.
This is consistent regardless of what item is gilded.
Depending on the item you gild, it can have any number of unique changes or effects.
For example:
The Gilded Dagger gains a new unique effect, and its ultimate move is changed. It also gains the aforementioned stat increases. Also despite being level 110, the level cap bar is much lower.
It might not seem impressive right now, but considering how much more it can be improved, its power will measure out.
Limitations
To prevent someone from just gilding everything, a player can only use 1 gilded weapon, and 1 gilded equipment (armor or accessory otherwise).
Only unique/boss weapons can be gilded. Stuff like the Vindicator, or the Thunderspear.
This is because many non-unique weapons have upgraded variations that are just superior stat clones of the lower tiers, like the old or bronze flintlocks.
How to Gild
Gilding is not an easy process, even if you trade for the item.
To Gild a weapon you must find the Gilded Leaf in gold chests. They are more likely to appear in gold chests dug up in treasure spots, especially rarer treasure map spots.
Once you have a gilded leaf, it remarks that the item is a fragment of pure potential. Potential only a Master Craftsman could utilize.
Master Craftsman will rarely spawn randomly anywhere on the map
Someone suggested that instead many master craftsman are set around the map that gild a set of specific items to choose from (i like that idea more)
when spoken to, they ask for 3 specific gemstones as a catalyst for the leaf to be applied to the specific item. The gemstones required are consistent to the item.
Once you get the gemstones, return to the Master craftsman and he will gild the weapon.
Gilded Effects.
Poison Tooth Dagger - Applies poison is replaced with Applies Neurotoxin. Neurotoxin is weaker than poison but its effects stack with every hit up to 15, which at that point the player is slowed down. Ultimate art - Python Surge is replaced with Ultimate Art - 2-Step Slicer (2-step snake is a nickname for the venomous Banded Krait snake)
Vermillion Bracelet - Allows Conjurers and Warlocks to imbue their weapons and fighting styles with Flare Magic. Does NOT allow mages or non-imbuers to use flare magic
Archon Quarts Amulet - Makes basic melee attacks always break objects like rocks, and gives them the natural property to clash with magic blasts, with its clash rate being equivalent with earth.
Its overwritten by imbuement. (Its meant to be the non-magic user counterpart to the vermillion bracelet) The user’s fighting style limbs and weapons glow a green color while the effect is active
Noble Thunderspear - The weapon Conducts lightning, if the user is hit by lightning in any form, the weapon is empowered and gains AoE and Power. The user is immune to natural lightning strike damage.
Spear Throw is replaced with Thunder fall - Thrown spears stay in the ground and are struck by natural lightning after 2 seconds, dealing an aoe burst, cooldown is increased slightly. (The lightning strikes from this do not hurt players, only trigger the AoE)
The user can also be “empowered” by these strikes.
Scimitars of Storm - The weapon conducts lightning if the user is hit by lightning in any form, the weapon is empowered and gains AoE and attack speed. The user is immune to natural lightning strike damage. (aka immune to weather lightning, NOT magic lightning)
Sword Draw: Mirrored River is replaced with, Sword Draw: Thunder Clap - The user jolts forward all that can be seen is a purple lightning bolt, Pressing the button again returns the user to their prior position with similar flair, putting the move on cooldown. The move enters cooldown if the button isn’t pressed again after 2 seconds.
The move applies the empowered effect to the weapon.
Stormcaller - The Weapons “arrows” fire purple lightning bolts. The lightning does slightly more damage than the arrow fired. Storm of Arrows is replaced by - Storm - Instead of a rain of arrows, its a rain of thunder strikes, these strikes look like natural lightning. however, The damage is still dependant on the arrows used.
Triasta of Bronze - The weapon is constantly imbued with aether lightning magic, including skills.
Conjurers, and warlords can stack this with another imbuement, the skill names are overwritten with the current imbuement. (eg. Aether impaling strike is replaced with Metal Impaling strike)
Silent Blades - The user makes no sound while the weapon is equipped. When charging a skill or guarding, the user is made invisible.
Vindicator - The weapon can reflect projectiles and blasts by swinging the hammer.
Devastate is replaced with Vindicate - The slam produces a barrier dome that absorbs long range attacks returning the energy to the user, the longer the charge is held the more damage the shield absorbs. It also stops grabs through the barrier while active.
Opponents can walk through the dome to attack the opponent with melee.
Sunken Sword - Basic attacks fire small water blasts, if imbued with fire to create steam it changes to hot air blasts, if imbued with ice/snow, ice blasts. The skills also produce spells, rising tide produces anwater explosion, and tiger rush if it connects, ends with a lure attack. The imbuement shift affects these too.
Commodore Kai’s Saber - The weapon is engulfed in a red aura. The weapons damage increases as the user loses health. Once the user is below 50% health, its aura allows the user to charge attacks 2x faster, and using stamina when you have none does half the damage it normally does.
Lion’s Halberd & Lance of Loyalty - The weapon grows as it is swung, increasing its range and power. The weapon shrinks gradually as you stop attacking. Skills increase in size and power the larger the weapon gets.
Why?
While the ideas here can be considered somewhat extravagant. The reason why I want the gilded system to exist is to prevent a boring stagnant meta.
The end game of these things tend to be pretty stagnant with 1 or 2 possible weapons and gear that are viable to use.
Considering how many weapons so far have outright unique skills or effects that are simply going to be power crept out especially since they can’t go past a certain level. I think there should be some way to equalize these weapons so people can bring these weapons to the endgame, and we can see more variety, and a much more diverse meta.
This idea is to eliminate power creep and give some weapons extra effects to equalize the built in differences between something like the sunken swords water imbuement, and poison tooth daggers mediocre effect.
The ideas here are complex, but its not like vetex hasn’t pursued complex ideas before.
Id much rather have people use a bunch of different weapons from all across the game depending on what they like instead of just a select few meta viable weapons that need to be used since your favorite weapon caps out at level 110.
