Crafting · Concept

Catalyst and essences

Quality is rolled, not bought. The catalyst is the one exception : it lets you sacrifice tools to push another one toward a higher quality, provided you sacrifice enough.

In short

A vessel of value, filled with what you destroy.

An essence is a vessel of value. You charge it by destroying tools into it, and its charge is exactly the net worth of what was destroyed : nothing is lost and nothing is gained at charging time.

The bet is placed at application. Each target rarity has a threshold, expressed as a multiple of the target tool's value : ×0,50 for uncommon, ×1,25 for rare, ×2,50 for epic, ×5,00 for legendary. The charge divided by the threshold gives the probability, which never exceeds certainty.

The consequence is that aiming high on an expensive tool is ruinous, and aiming high on a cheap one is nearly free. That is deliberate : an essence exists to save a modest tool at the right level, not to mass-produce endgame legendaries.

Some essences cannot be charged : they arrive by mail with a guaranteed rarity already written on them. That guarantee beats any roll, and such an essence can no longer be charged.

1

The charge

What >catalyst charge shows : the tools poured into the crucible and the points they bring. Destruction is final and comes with no rarity preview.

Sacrificed tools
Gold Pickaxe Rare · temper 3
+184 000
Iron Axe Uncommon · temper 0
+41 000
Mithril Shovel Epic · temper 5
+920 000
Total charge of the essence 1 145 000
→Charge
Charged essence

1 145 000 points

  • An essence can be recharged several times : the points add up until it is applied.
2

The application

Once the target tool is chosen, the four probabilities read at a glance. Here the target is worth 760 000 and the essence carries 1 145 000 points.

Uncommon 100 %
Rare 100 %
Epic 60 %
Legendary 30 %
Uncommon 380 kRare 950 kEpic 1,9 MLegendary 3,8 M
The three refusals
  • ✕Target already at maximum : a legendary tool has nothing left to gain.
  • ✕Not an upgrade : aiming at a rarity equal to or below the tool's own is refused before the essence burns.
  • ✕Rarity out of reach : the charge is nil against the threshold, the operation is not offered.
  • A guaranteed essence received by mail skips this table entirely : the written rarity is applied, subject to the three refusals above.
  • The threshold is computed on the target's value, not on the sacrificed tools'. Upgrading a starter pickaxe costs a handful of points, upgrading an adamantite one costs millions : same percentage, applied to objects that have nothing in common.

The commands

>catalyst
>catalyseur

Essence reforge

Also applydistillview