Economy Design
Locked in session 2026-04-14.
The economy is the backbone of everything. If credits come too easily, gear is meaningless. If materials are too scarce, crafting dies. Every number in this document is a calibration target - the actual DB values will be tuned from these baselines.
Philosophy
The player should always feel like they're building toward something.
- Every session should produce measurable progress toward the next gear tier
- No session should allow a player to skip a tier
- Playing smarter (missions + trade + crafting) should be visibly more efficient than brainless grinding
Credits are not the only currency. Time is.
- A new gear tier should cost 10–20 hours of active play at the appropriate OL range
- That's 1–2 weeks of casual play (1–2 hrs/day) per tier - enough to feel like a milestone, short enough to not feel like a wall
Interdependence is the economy.
- Combat players generate materials
- Crafters convert materials into gear
- Traders move goods and earn route bonuses
- All three tracks matter; a solo player can do all three, but a group doing all three is faster than any single player
Mobs do not drop credits. Credits come from missions, trade routes, and selling materials/items. This prevents pure kill-for-gold grinding loops and forces players into the activity systems.
The Credit Scale
Target Income by OL Tier (active play, 1 hour)
| OL Range | Activities | Target Income/hr |
|---|---|---|
| OL 1–20 | Missions + material sales | 800–2,000 cr |
| OL 21–40 | Missions + trade contracts + crafting | 3,000–8,000 cr |
| OL 41–60 | Missions + trade routes + rare materials | 10,000–25,000 cr |
| OL 61–75 | Endgame missions + trade chains + elite drops | 30,000–65,000 cr |
| OL 76–90 | Endgame content + Tier 5 trade + boss loot | 60,000–150,000 cr |
These ranges reflect smart play - someone engaging missions AND trade AND selling materials. Combat-only or trade-only play should earn roughly 60–70% of this. The hybrid player earns more.
Target Cost of a New Gear Tier
| Tier | OL Range | Crafted Cost | Boss Drop Value | Hours to Afford |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier I | 1–20 | 3,000–8,000 cr | 15,000–30,000 cr | 3–6 hrs |
| Tier II | 21–40 | 20,000–50,000 cr | 80,000–150,000 cr | 8–14 hrs |
| Tier III | 41–60 | 100,000–250,000 cr | 400,000–700,000 cr | 12–20 hrs |
| Tier IV | 61–75 | 400,000–900,000 cr | 1,500,000–3,000,000 cr | 15–22 hrs |
| Tier V | 76–90 | 1,500,000–4,000,000 cr | 6,000,000–12,000,000 cr | 25–45 hrs |
Crafted items are the realistic endgame for most players. Boss drops are aspirational - meaningfully better, not gamebreaking. The gap: roughly 3–4× the credit value, or ~15–20% stat advantage.
Credit Sources (Faucets)
1. Missions (Primary Source)
Missions are the main credit faucet. They're designed to be repeatable but not brainless - each mission requires actively going somewhere and doing something.
| Tier | OL Range | Avg Time | Credit Reward | XP Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1–20 | 10–15 min | 400–1,200 cr | 200–600 xp |
| 2 | 21–40 | 15–20 min | 1,500–4,000 cr | 800–2,000 xp |
| 3 | 41–60 | 20–25 min | 6,000–15,000 cr | 2,500–6,000 xp |
| 4 | 61–75 | 25–30 min | 20,000–50,000 cr | 7,000–15,000 xp |
| 5 | 76–90 | 30–40 min | 60,000–140,000 cr | 20,000–45,000 xp |
Difficulty multipliers (applied to base payout):
- Easy: 1.0×
- Medium: 1.8×
- Hard: 3.5×
Hard missions don't take proportionally longer - they're just riskier. A hard Tier 3 mission should pay 21,000–52,500 cr in ~30 minutes. Worth the risk.
Group bonus: Each additional group member adds 20% to the reward (capped at 4 players = 1.6× base). This makes grouping feel economically meaningful.
2. Trade Routes (Reliable, Skill-Based)
Trade routes are the most reliable credit source - you know what you're going to earn before you start. The risk is cargo loss from interdiction, not random drops.
| Tier | Time Investment | Payout Range | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20–30 min | 800–2,500 cr | Minimal |
| 2 | 25–40 min | 3,000–8,000 cr | Light (Tier 2–3 sectors) |
| 3 | 35–50 min | 12,000–30,000 cr | Moderate (interdiction possible) |
| 4 | 45–70 min | 45,000–110,000 cr | Significant (warp interdiction zones) |
| 5 | 60–90 min | 130,000–350,000 cr | High (endgame sectors, Vrael events) |
Early bonus: Completing with >50% time remaining = +10% payout. Players who know fast nav routes earn more.
Late penalty: Completed after deadline = −10% payout. Not a failure, just less rewarding.
Broker class bonus: +20% on all trade route payouts. This is the class's economic identity.
3. Material Sales
Players who mine or kill elites generate materials. Selling materials is a secondary income stream, not a primary one. It should supplement mission income, not replace it.
| Material Tier | Sources | Vendor Price | Market Price (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | All mobs, basic mining | 40–80 cr each | 60–150 cr |
| Standard | Elite mobs, mid-tier mining | 150–350 cr each | 250–600 cr |
| Rare | Boss mobs, elite mining zones, event rewards | 800–2,000 cr each | 1,500–4,000 cr |
| Exotic | Endgame boss mobs, Vrael event rewards, Ancient sites | 6,000–15,000 cr each | 12,000–35,000 cr |
"Vendor price" = what a station NPC will pay. "Market price" = what other players will pay. Crafters will almost always outbid the vendor - which is why selling to the market is better, and why the market stays healthy.
Mining yield per node (5–8 min of mining):
| Mining Zone | OL Range | Materials per Node | Material Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic field (safe zone) | 1–20 | 4–7 common | Common |
| Contested field | 21–45 | 6–10 standard, 0–1 rare | Standard |
| Hazard zone mining | 41–65 | 5–9 standard, 1–3 rare | Rare |
| Elite zone (boss/event area) | 61–90 | 4–8 rare, 0–2 exotic | Rare/Exotic |
Mining a full node cycle (10 nodes in a session) at Tier III contested field: ~70–90 standard materials = ~17,000–54,000 cr at market price. That's solid secondary income alongside missions.
4. Crafted Item Sales
Crafters who invest in Crafting Level can produce items and sell them. The profit margin is the incentive.
| Tier | Material Cost | Credit Fee | Total Cost to Craft | Market Sale Price | Profit Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 5–8 common (~500 cr) | 200 cr | ~700 cr | 3,000–6,000 cr | ~4× |
| II | 8–12 standard (~3,500 cr) | 800 cr | ~4,300 cr | 18,000–35,000 cr | ~5× |
| III | 10–15 rare (~18,000 cr) | 3,000 cr | ~21,000 cr | 90,000–180,000 cr | ~5–6× |
| IV | 12–18 rare/exotic (~80,000 cr) | 12,000 cr | ~92,000 cr | 350,000–700,000 cr | ~5× |
| V | 15–25 exotic (~250,000 cr) | 50,000 cr | ~300,000 cr | 1,200,000–2,500,000 cr | ~5–6× |
Roughly 5× return on a crafted item. This is the Crafter's premium - they take the risk of materials not selling, they invest Crafting Level, and they earn the markup.
Broker class bonus: Crafted items sell for 15% more. Their crafted Tier III item market price: ~103,000–207,000 cr. That's real money.
Credit Sinks (Drains)
The economy only works if credits have somewhere to go. Every sink should feel like a choice, not a punishment.
1. Repair (Passive Tax)
Repair should cost roughly 8–12% of a session's income. Noticeable but not painful.
| OL Range | Repair Cost (full hull) | % of 2-hr Session Income |
|---|---|---|
| 1–20 | 150–400 cr | ~10% |
| 21–40 | 800–2,000 cr | ~8% |
| 41–60 | 3,000–7,000 cr | ~9% |
| 61–75 | 10,000–22,000 cr | ~10% |
| 76–90 | 25,000–55,000 cr | ~10% |
Already implemented and scales with OL + hull tier. These numbers should map to the existing scaling curve.
2. Crafting Fees (Meaningful Investment)
The credit fee per craft (table above) goes directly to the economy sink. This is the "factory cost" - the material cost goes to other players (materials were bought/traded), the fee goes nowhere. This prevents infinite crafting profit.
3. Respec (Deliberate Choice)
Skill respec should cost enough to be a real decision, not so much it feels punishing.
| Respec Type | Cost | Cooldown |
|---|---|---|
| Single skill reset | 2,000 cr × OL | 24 hr |
| Full tree reset | 8,000 cr × OL | 7 days |
At OL 50: single skill = 100,000 cr. Full reset = 400,000 cr. That's serious money - 4–10 hours of income - but not so much that it prevents experimentation. At OL 10: 20,000 cr / 80,000 cr - affordable, still meaningful.
4. Consumables (Tactical Spend)
One-time use items bought from vendors. Should feel like an upgrade for hard content, not required for normal play.
| Consumable | Effect | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Shield Charge (T1–T3) | Instant shield restore | 200 / 800 / 2,500 cr |
| Speed Stim (T1–T3) | Speed boost | 150 / 600 / 2,000 cr |
| Mining Booster | +50% yield for 10 min | 300 / 1,200 / 4,000 cr |
| Repair Patch (T1–T3) | Instant hull repair | 250 / 1,000 / 3,000 cr |
| Energy Cell (T1–T3) | Energy restore | 100 / 400 / 1,500 cr |
Stack cost: running consumables on a hard boss attempt at OL 60: maybe 5,000–12,000 cr. Worth it. Not required for survival.
5. Guild Amenities (Long-Term Investment)
Guild amenities consume credits via the amenity point system (funded by guild level → amenity points). The underlying cost is the guild leader's investment of guild credits (donation system, TBD).
Large but distributed across a guild - not a single-player sink. Adds up to millions of credits over a guild's lifetime.
6. Ship Upgrades (Milestone Purchases)
Hull tier upgrades are auto-granted at OL milestones (currently implemented). Future: cosmetic ship variants from vendors - significant credit sinks for appearance customization. Not yet designed.
Material System
The Five Material Tiers
| Tier | Name | Sources | Used For | Approx Credit Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Common | Standard mobs, basic mining, salvage crates | Tier I crafting, vendor sale | 40–150 cr |
| 2 | Standard | Elite mobs, mid-zone mining, mission rewards | Tier II–III crafting | 150–600 cr |
| 3 | Rare | Boss mobs, elite zones, deep mining, events | Tier III–IV crafting | 800–4,000 cr |
| 4 | Exotic | Endgame bosses, Vrael events, Ancient sites | Tier IV–V crafting | 6,000–35,000 cr |
| 5 | Legendary | Conflict Zone, endgame world events, rare boss | Tier V quality crafting | 50,000–200,000 cr |
Legendary materials are rare enough that finding one is an event. A single Legendary material should be worth a few hours of income. They're not farmed - they're found.
Material Drop Rates by Mob Type
| Mob Type | OL Range | Drop Rate | Quantity | Material Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common mob | 1–30 | 65% | 1–3 | Common |
| Common mob | 31–60 | 65% | 1–3 | Standard |
| Common mob | 61–90 | 65% | 1–3 | Rare |
| Elite mob | Any | 90% | 2–5 | One tier above common for that OL |
| Boss mob | Any | 100% | 3–7 | Two tiers above common for that OL |
| Raid boss / world boss | Any | 100% | 5–10 | Rare/Exotic mix + 1 guaranteed Legendary |
Rule: Material tier tracks OL tier, not mob tier. An Elite mob in OL 10–20 content drops Common materials at better rates. An Elite mob in OL 60–75 drops Rare materials. The mob tier (elite/boss) determines how many and how reliably, not what tier.
What Drops Complete Items
| Source | Chance | Item Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Common mob | Never | - |
| Elite mob (matching OL range) | 5–8% | Mid-tier complete item (current tier) |
| Boss mob | 100% | Tier-appropriate item, slightly above best craftable |
| World boss (event) | 100% | 2–3 items, guaranteed above craftable ceiling |
| Conflict Zone chest | 15–25% | Tier-appropriate or above, depending on zone depth |
Drops are personal loot - each player who participated in a kill has their own roll. No loot competition in open world (PvE), unless you're in Conflict Zone (player-competitive).
Crafting Material Requirements by Tier
Tier I Items (OL 1–20)
Crafting Level required: 1–3
| Quality | Common Materials | Credit Fee | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 5–6 | 150 cr | ~600–850 cr |
| Quality 2 | 8–10 | 300 cr | ~1,000–1,300 cr |
| Quality 3 | 12–15 | 600 cr | ~1,500–2,100 cr |
Tier II Items (OL 21–40)
Crafting Level required: 5–8
| Quality | Standard Materials | Common Materials | Credit Fee | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 6–8 | 4–5 | 600 cr | ~3,500–5,700 cr |
| Quality 2 | 9–12 | 6–8 | 1,200 cr | ~5,400–9,600 cr |
| Quality 3 | 13–17 | 8–10 | 2,500 cr | ~8,000–14,000 cr |
Tier III Items (OL 41–60)
Crafting Level required: 12–16
| Quality | Rare Materials | Standard Materials | Credit Fee | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 4–6 | 8–12 | 2,000 cr | ~8,000–17,000 cr |
| Quality 2 | 6–9 | 10–15 | 5,000 cr | ~14,000–27,000 cr |
| Quality 3 | 9–13 | 14–20 | 10,000 cr | ~22,000–42,000 cr |
Tier IV Items (OL 61–75)
Crafting Level required: 20–25
| Quality | Exotic Materials | Rare Materials | Credit Fee | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 3–5 | 10–14 | 10,000 cr | ~50,000–80,000 cr |
| Quality 2 | 5–7 | 14–18 | 20,000 cr | ~80,000–130,000 cr |
| Quality 3 | 7–10 | 18–24 | 40,000 cr | ~130,000–210,000 cr |
Tier V Items (OL 76–90)
Crafting Level required: 26–30
| Quality | Exotic Materials | Exotic Materials (alt) | Credit Fee | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 8–12 | 5–8 rare | 40,000 cr | ~180,000–280,000 cr |
| Quality 2 | 12–17 | 8–12 rare | 80,000 cr | ~280,000–450,000 cr |
| Quality 3 | 17–25 | 12–18 rare | 150,000 cr | ~450,000–750,000 cr |
Tier V Legendary Quality (the ceiling - requires 1 Legendary material):
- 20–28 Exotic + 1 Legendary + 200,000 cr fee = ~750,000–1,500,000 total cost
- Best craftable item in the game. A meaningful achievement.
Tempest class bonus: −25% material cost on weapons and armor. A Tempest crafting Tier V Standard quality: saves ~50,000 cr in materials. Real money.
Event Economy (ESO/Rift Design Principles)
Philosophy
Events serve two goals:
- Draw players together organically - an event announces itself, players converge without coordination, everyone contributes, everyone benefits
- Parallel progression track - events offer rewards that missions and trade don't, keeping high-level players engaged beyond gear
Event Reward Structure
Event Marks - the event currency. Earned by participating in world events, spent at faction Event Vendors.
| Event Type | Marks per Completion | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic exploration (derelict, anomaly) | 5–15 | Solo, quick |
| Sector wave event (small) | 25–50 | Group, 10–20 min |
| Sector wave event (full) | 50–100 | Group, 20–40 min |
| World boss kill | 150–300 | Open world group |
| Conflict Zone objective | 100–250 | PvP/PvE mixed |
| Named boss (boss encounter system) | 200–400 | Boss events, rare spawns |
Weekly cap: 2,000 Marks. Prevents grinding; incentivizes consistent play.
What Event Marks Buy
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Common material (×10) | 50 Marks | Catch-up mechanic for new crafters |
| Standard material (×5) | 75 Marks | |
| Rare material (×1) | 120 Marks | Not efficient vs. drops, but reliable |
| Exotic material (×1) | 800 Marks | Approximately 4 weeks of capped play - aspirational |
| Tier II–III gear (specific slot) | 400–800 Marks | Alt catch-up gear |
| Cosmetic ship skin | 500–1,500 Marks | Pure cosmetic - guilt-free spend |
| Special consumable (event-only) | 50–200 Marks | Minor buffs not available elsewhere |
Event Marks cannot be traded between players. They're a personal progression track.
Event Design Principles (ESO/Rift)
Make events visible from a distance. When a wave event starts in a sector, it should be hard to miss - red warning on the map, broadcast message, visual effect in the sector. Players should feel pulled toward it.
Scale to participants. 1 player shouldn't fail an event; 20 players shouldn't trivialize it. Scale mob count and health with participant count. Reward scales too - more participants means more drops from the final chest, not fewer per person.
No coordination required to participate. Any player in the sector can contribute. Damage dealt = credit earned (participation threshold). You don't need to be in a group. You don't need to know the other players. This is the Rift/ESO magic - strangers fight together, everyone wins.
Three event tiers:
| Tier | Frequency | Duration | Requirement | Reward Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spark | Every 20–30 min | 5–10 min | Solo-friendly | Marks + Standard materials |
| Flare | Every 45–90 min | 15–25 min | 3–6 players optimal | Marks + Rare materials + chance for item |
| Inferno | Every 3–4 hours | 30–50 min | 8–15 players to complete efficiently | Marks + guaranteed item + Exotic material chance |
"Inferno" events (the equivalent of ESO's world boss announcements) should feel like server-wide news. Everyone who can reach the sector should want to be there.
Faction event multipliers (like ESO event tickets during seasonal events):
- When a world event is active in a faction's home sector, that faction's missions pay 1.5× credits
- This draws players into the affected sector, creating the "everyone's converging" feeling
- Duration: 2–4 hours per activation, ~1 per day per sector
Calibration Principles
"Is the economy healthy?" - What to Watch
- Time to first gear tier: Should be ~3–6 hours. If new players are getting Tier I in 30 minutes, the economy is too loose.
- Repair as percentage of income: Should stay 8–12%. If repair costs more than 20% of session income, players feel punished.
- Crafting market activity: If nobody's buying crafted items, either drops are too generous or crafted items are overpriced. The market should have regular activity at all tiers.
- Credit accumulation vs. goal: A player who's been playing for 2 weeks at 2 hrs/day should have a full set of appropriate-tier gear with a moderate buffer. Not sitting on millions, not perpetually broke.
When to Adjust
If players are too rich too fast:
- Increase crafting material costs at higher tiers
- Reduce trade route payouts at the problematic tier
- Add a new sink (housing, ship cosmetics, more consumables)
If players feel credit-starved:
- Check if repair costs drifted too high (happens if mob density drops and combat income falls without missions filling the gap)
- Add a catch-up mission type with higher payouts and tighter time limits
- Reduce material required for entry-tier crafting
If the player market is dead:
- Usually means either drops are too generous (no need to buy) or crafting is too expensive (no profit margin)
- The 5× craft markup should hold - if market prices are at 2×, drop rates are too high
The Healthy Inflation Spiral (It's Fine)
As the game matures, prices naturally inflate. A player who's been playing 6 months will have millions of credits. That's fine - the new player experience doesn't change because:
- Tier I gear is priced for Tier I income
- New players don't interact with the Tier V market
- Each tier's economy is roughly self-contained
Only becomes a problem if veteran players can flood entry-tier markets with cheap gear, devaluing new player income. Solution (if needed later): bind-on-equip for items below a certain tier, or simply let it happen - cheap gear helps new players anyway.
Summary: Key Numbers at a Glance
| OL Range | Hourly Income | Gear Tier Cost | Repair per Session | Time per Gear Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–20 | 800–2,000 cr | 3,000–8,000 cr | 150–400 cr | 3–6 hrs |
| 21–40 | 3,000–8,000 cr | 20,000–50,000 cr | 800–2,000 cr | 8–14 hrs |
| 41–60 | 10,000–25,000 cr | 100,000–250,000 cr | 3,000–7,000 cr | 12–20 hrs |
| 61–75 | 30,000–65,000 cr | 400,000–900,000 cr | 10,000–22,000 cr | 15–22 hrs |
| 76–90 | 60,000–150,000 cr | 1,500,000–4,000,000 cr | 25,000–55,000 cr | 25–45 hrs |
Design session: 2026-04-14 These numbers are calibration targets, not final DB values. Initial implementation should use the midpoint of each range and adjust from playtesting.