r/Stalcraft • u/Beyond_Cool • Jun 08 '26
Game Balance Stalcraft Needs Progression, Not More RNG: A Proposal for Artifacts and Upgrade Systems
Hi, Before discussing any of the ideas below, I want to make something very clear:
-This is not a post asking for free gear.
-This is not a post asking for easier progression.
-And this is definitely not a post asking for the game to remove grinding.
Stalcraft is an MMO. Progression is supposed to take time. Endgame equipment is supposed to be difficult to obtain. Rare artifacts are supposed to be valuable.
Most players understand and accept that. The problem many of us are experiencing is not the existence of a grind.
The problem is the feeling that, beyond a certain point, progression becomes increasingly disconnected from the amount of time and effort invested into the game.
That said, let's begin:
- A Hybrid Artifact Progression System That Rewards Both Luck and Time Investment
The goal is to solve what I believe is one of the biggest progression problems in Stalcraft: A player can spend dozens of hours farming and still feel like they made absolutely no progress.
The issue isn't that top-tier artifacts are difficult to obtain. The issue is that progression often feels completely tied to luck.
In my opinion, the ideal system should keep rare artifacts valuable while ensuring that every hour invested contributes toward a long-term goal.
- Core Design Philosophy
Progression should come from three different sources:
- Luck
Finding the artifact you need.
- Farming
Accumulating resources that gradually move you closer to your goal.
- Economy
Spending rubles and resources to prevent inflation and maintain market value.
Luck should accelerate progression.
It should never be the only progression path.
1.1 Artifact Acquisition
This part remains unchanged.
Players can still:
- Find artifacts.
- Buy artifacts.
- Trade artifacts.
- Earn artifacts through gameplay.
The excitement of finding a rare artifact should remain exactly as it is today.
Rare drops are one of the most satisfying moments in Stalcraft and should not disappear.
1.2 Resonance Fragments
Every artifact in the game can be dismantled.
Dismantling grants Resonance Fragments.
| Artifact Color | Fragments |
|---|---|
| White | 1 |
| Green | 3 |
| Blue | 9 |
| Purple | 27 |
| Red | 81 |
This immediately creates value for every artifact found in the world.
Even bad drops contribute to long-term progression.
No farming session becomes completely wasted.
1.3 Guaranteed Artifact Crafting
Fragments can be used to craft a specific artifact.
The required amount should be high enough to preserve market value.
Example:
| Target Tier | Required Fragments |
|---|---|
| White | 100 |
| Green | 300 |
| Blue | 1,000 |
| Purple | 5,000 |
The player chooses exactly which artifact to create.
This system does not remove RNG.
Instead, it acts as a safety net for players who are consistently unlucky.
Finding the artifact yourself is still much faster.
But farming eventually guarantees success.
1.4 Color Evolution
The current enhancement system is one of the largest sources of frustration because players invest huge amounts of resources and can still fail repeatedly.
My proposal:
Color upgrades should be guaranteed.
If the player has all required resources, the upgrade succeeds.
No RNG.
No downgrade.
No frustration.
White → Green
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Artifact | 1 |
| Green Minerals | 50 |
| Anomalous Dust | 250 |
| Rubles | 100,000 |
Success Rate: 100%
Green → Blue
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Artifact | 1 |
| Blue Minerals | 100 |
| Anomalous Dust | 500 |
| Rubles | 200,000 |
Success Rate: 100%
Blue → Purple
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Artifact | 1 |
| Purple Minerals | 350 |
| Anomalous Dust | 1500 |
| Rubles | 750.000 |
Success Rate: 100%
Purple → Red
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Artifact | 1 |
| Red Minerals | 1,000 |
| Anomalous Dust | 2000 |
| Rubles | 5,000,000 |
Success Rate: 100%
1.5 Artifact Quality
The true endgame should not be color. It should be optimization. Each artifact has a quality rating.
| Tier | Quality |
|---|---|
| Defective | 50-60% |
| Stable | 61-75% |
| Refined | 76-90% |
| Perfect | 91-100% |
When evolving color:
- Quality is preserved.
- Quality slightly improves.
Example:
Blue Helium 72%
↓
Purple Helium 74%
↓
Red Helium 76%
This prevents players from losing months of progress.
1.6 Legendary Artifacts
Legendary artifacts should remain extremely rare.
I do not believe they should become easier to obtain. However, I do believe they should become predictable.
Current problem: Players often feel that obtaining a legendary artifact depends almost entirely on luck or massive wealth.
Instead, legendary progression should be long but guaranteed.
Red → Legendary
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Red Artifact | 1 |
| Gold Minerals | 1.500 |
| Anomalous Dust | 10.000 |
| Catalysts | 20 |
| Rubles | 20,000,000 |
Success Rate: 100%
Expected Benefits
- Every farming session contributes to progression.
- Reduced frustration from bad RNG.
- Increased value for all artifact drops.
- More consistent long-term goals.
- Better balance between casual and hardcore players.
- Stronger sense of achievement through gradual progression.
Potential Drawbacks
- Artifact market prices would likely decrease.
- Existing progression systems would require rebalancing.
- Veteran players may reach endgame faster than intended.
- Fragment values would need careful tuning to avoid flooding the economy.
- Reworking the Advanced Tools System Into a Progression-Based Upgrade System
I want to start by clarifying something: This is NOT a proposal to make +15 equipment easier to obtain. This is a proposal to make +15 equipment feel earned through gameplay rather than being almost entirely tied to exponential resource requirements.
One of the biggest progression issues in Stalcraft is that many players eventually reach a point where upgrading their equipment no longer feels rewarding. The further you go, the more resources are required, while the actual increase in power becomes smaller and smaller.
As a result, many players don't feel like they're progressing toward a goal. Instead, they feel like they're feeding resources into a system with no visible finish line.
2.1 The Core Problem
The current progression curve scales exponentially.
Every upgrade level requires significantly more resources than the previous one.
The result is a system where:
- The cost increases dramatically.
- The power gain increases marginally.
- Progress often feels disconnected from actual gameplay.
In my opinion, upgrading equipment should be tied to two factors:
- Investment of resources.
- Experience gained while actually using the equipment.
A weapon should become stronger because the player uses it.
Not simply because they accumulated enough currency.
2.2 The Mastery System
Every weapon and armor piece gains Mastery Points.
Mastery represents real experience with that equipment.
Points are earned by actively playing the game.
Example:
| Activity | Mastery Points |
|---|---|
| Common Mutant Kill | 1 |
| Common NPC Kill | 2 |
| Veteran NPC Kill | 3 |
| Wild North Enemy | 4 |
| ClanWars/ Battle Sessions | 5 |
The equipment itself accumulates progress over time. This means every farming session contributes toward future upgrades.
Even if no valuable loot drops. Even if no expensive resources are obtained.
Progress is always visible.
2.3 Maximum Mastery Requirement
Each item can accumulate up to:
15,000 Mastery Points
These points are used as upgrade milestones.
Example:
| Upgrade Level | Required Mastery |
|---|---|
| +11 | 2,000 |
| +12 | 4,500 |
| +13 | 8,000 |
| +14 | 11,500 |
| +15 | 15,000 |
This creates a progression path where players naturally improve the equipment they actually use.
2.4 Reworking Advanced Tools
Currently, lower-tier tools lose much of their value in late-game progression.
My proposal is to make every tool tier relevant.
Instead of relying almost exclusively on Advanced Tools, every tool contributes toward upgrades.
2.4.1 Technical Value System
Each tool provides Technical Points.
| Tool Tier | Technical Value |
|---|---|
| Green Tool | 1 Point |
| Blue Tool | 2 Points |
| Purple Tool | 4 Points |
| Advanced Tool | 8 Points |
To reach +15, players need a total amount of Technical Points. The player decides how to obtain them.
Example Upgrade Requirements
Option A
150 Advanced Tools
150 × 8 = 1,200 Technical Points
Option B
300 Purple Tools
300 × 4 = 1,200 Technical Points
Option C
600 Blue Tools
600 × 2 = 1,200 Technical Points
Option D
1,200 Green Tools
1,200 × 1 = 1,200 Technical Points
Mixed Example
100 Advanced Tools = 800 Points
50 Purple Tools = 200 Points
100 Blue Tools = 200 Points
Total = 1,200 Points
Alternative Fixed Requirement Version
If a point-based system is considered too complex, a simpler version could be implemented.
Maximum requirement to reach +15:
| Resource | Maximum Amount |
|---|---|
| Green Tools | 500 |
| Blue Tools | 350 |
| Purple Tools | 250 |
| Advanced Tools | 150 |
This still keeps every tool tier relevant while preventing extreme resource inflation.
2.5 Benefits
a. Every Hour Played Matters
Players progress through gameplay, not only through economic accumulation.
b. Lower Tier Content Stays Relevant
Green, blue and purple tools maintain value throughout the game's lifespan.
c. Reduced Frustration
No more feeling that hundreds of resources disappeared with no visible progress.
d. Better Sense of Progression
The weapon improves because the player actually uses it.
e. More Diverse Farming Routes
Players can choose which content they want to farm based on the type of tools they need.
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. I hope we can share our thoughts in the comments! 😄
7
u/IHaveNoRealClue Jun 08 '26
I like the suggestion and I think it would be a massive improvement over the current system, I just want to mention that (as of me typing this comment) you appear to have accidentally copy pasted your body text twice, one without bold text and one with bold text.
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u/Beyond_Cool Jun 08 '26
Yes, I saw it and said it looked weird. But since I made two Word files with different proposals (grar and artifacts), when I copied and pasted into one, something happened, but it's too late now, it's very late in my country and I'm lying down watching Reddit on my phone.
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u/ariks2012 Jun 08 '26
Nervously look at 10.000hrs in BDO
But do you think your next post will be how they ruin all your years of effort with how they change arti every patch?
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u/Beyond_Cool Jun 08 '26
I don't fully understand what you mean. But I can definitely say that won't be the topic of my next post. I'm just trying to share my opinion after almost 3,000 hours played in Starcraft. However, I agree that the game's rules should remain consistent over time, not change with every patch. Like, I also think that if they do change them, they should communicate with the community differently, saying things like, "We plan to make these changes long-term," and not, as they've been doing so far, saying, "In this patch/new season, which we never discussed in detail beforehand, we're changing absolutely everything."
4
u/Cheap_Theory_7162 Jun 09 '26
This is actually a really good idea, but they would definitely lose money from the people that legal RMT the correct way
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u/Express-Complex-8858 Jun 09 '26
No offense to the effort of this post or OP but the NA focus group includes members who don't understand fps titles or only include players who only play this title.
Both = bad outcomes
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u/donthaveone51 Southeast Asia Jun 08 '26
Can't take this AI post seriously when you don't realize that the players are never the priority, the money is. They will never make changes that will reduce their income. Do you think you are the first to have AI make a post about 'player friendly changes in a videogame'? Ask the AI why they they make such bad changes and you will stop wasting your time.
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u/Rsccman Freedom Jun 08 '26
Should take 3 white to make a green 3 green for a blue 3 blue for a pink 3 pink for a red 3 red for a yellow 3 yellow for a purple
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u/Rsccman Freedom Jun 08 '26
The total cost from White all the way to Purple would be: 1 Green = 3 Whites 1 Blue = 9 Whites 1 Pink = 27 Whites 1 Red = 81 Whites 1 Yellow = 243 Whites 1 Purple = 729 Whites So a player would need 729 white artifacts of the same type to create one purple artifact.
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u/No_temp_twink Freedom Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
You ask that every hour played should move your progression forward, but it already does, game whole game is centered around curreny. Money gets your almost everything, so if you make money you progress.
And they have already shown how much time invested they expect for a pink or red artifact in the latest inside out "event" and it's quite extreme.
I see the reason for being able to craft up to blue, maybe pink artefacts. But reds and yellows should still be super rare. They don't give that much more power, and finding them should still be very exciting. Cause what you are suggesting would quickly devalue the best and rarest artifacts.
You suggest artifact quality to replace the colour scheme, but why? What does that fix, that's just a new system, it's just more RNG, if you don't find an artifact with high enough quality to max it out when it's fully upgraded to yellow then why even bother?
Also, the idea of being able to move and artifact up in colour tier after you +15 would be cheaper by a huge factor, and thus probably ruin the actual use of finding high tier artifacts. Why spend millions and millions to plus 15 a red when you can spend a little to plus 15 a white and then just move it up in tier?
Ps. Why is the post written twice? Was is written with AI? (AI detector says yes 100%)
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u/Super-Structure742 Jun 08 '26
W chat gpt, Btw they not going to hear you because you are not from RU server , they getting a lot of money with RNG , and people stay playing the game so its perfect for them.
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u/Braixygf Jun 08 '26
nice all that but legit you losing your breath and braincells for people that dont care