// SYSTEMS
Crafting
How to build equipment without paying a vendor twice what it's worth
Crafting is the bridge between raw economic activity (mining, combat loot, trade) and ship power. Every equipment tier from Mk I through Mk V can be crafted. Vendors stock Mk I and Mk II for players who don't want to engage with the system. Mk III and above are only available through crafting or rare drops.
The system is designed around two truths:
- Materials come from two sources: mining (ores, refined components) and combat (mob-drop components). Every recipe pulls from both.
- Build skills gate access. A Mk V recipe requires rank 7 in the relevant Build skill. You can't skip straight to endgame crafting no matter how much ore you have.
How To Craft
- Dock at a station. Crafting is station-only. Undocking mid-craft cancels and refunds.
- Open the Blueprint Browser. Shows every recipe you can see, with ingredient availability flagged ("Can craft: 3" if you have enough, grayed out otherwise).
- Select a recipe. The panel shows ingredients required, credit cost, craft time, and required skill level.
- Confirm. The server validates skill level, credits, ingredients. If anything's missing, the craft is rejected with a specific reason.
- Wait. Craft time scales with tier (5 seconds for Mk I, up to 10 minutes for Mk V). Progress visible in the Refining panel.
- Collect. On completion, the item lands in cargo with a "Crafted by [your name]" tag that stays with it through trades.
Recipe Tiers
Every crafted item follows the same tier structure, scaled to the item's Mk level.
| Tier | Level | Build Skill | Credit Cost | Craft Time | Ingredient Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mk I | 1 | 1 | 200 cr | 5s | 3 × basic ore + 2 × common component + 2 × mob drop |
| Mk II | 15 | 3 | 1,500 cr | 15s | 3 × mid ore + 3 × refined + 3 × tier-II drop |
| Mk III | 30 | 5 | 6,000 cr | 60s | 4 × refined + 3 × mid ore + 3 × tier-III drop |
| Mk IV | 45 | 6 | 25,000 cr | 3 min | 5 × rare ore + 4 × tier-IV component + 4 × drop |
| Mk V | 60 | 7 | 80,000 cr | 10 min | 7 × exotic + 5 × refined + 5 × tier-V drop |
Rule of thumb: the ingredient you find hardest to source is always the tier-matched mob drop. Ores accumulate passively while you're flying; mob drops require killing the right type of enemy at the right level.
Build Skills
Six Build skills cover the crafting system. Every class can learn at least some of them, but depth is gated by class.
| Skill | Covers | Max Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Build Weapons | Beam, missile, projectile launchers | 7 |
| Build Shields | Shield generators (all manufacturers) | 7 |
| Build Engines | Drives, warp cells | 7 |
| Build Reactors | Reactor cores, power cells | 7 |
| Build Components | Hull plating, structural modules | 7 |
| Build Devices | Scanners, targeting devices, cargo expanders | 7 |
Each rank unlocks a tier of crafting. Rank 1 = Mk I. Rank 3 = Mk II. Rank 5 = Mk III. Rank 6 = Mk IV. Rank 7 = Mk V.
A dedicated crafter typically invests in 2–3 Build skills and trades or commissions the rest. A Broker with Build Weapons 7 + Build Shields 7 is the most common "full crafter" build; trader classes get crafting-cost reductions baked in.
Ingredient Sources
From Mining
Every sector level produces tier-matched ores — see the Mining guide for the full catalog. Key refined components are built at stations from basic ore:
- Alloy Plate — Iron + Carbon
- Circuit Board — Silicon + Copper
- Magnetic Coil — Cobalt + wire
- Plasma Conduit — Tungsten + Plasma Crystal
- Quantum Lattice — Quantum Dust (endgame only)
From Mob Drops
Seven distinct mob-drop components power crafting. Each has five tiers (I–V) matched to mob level bands.
| Component | Source Mob Type | Used By |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon Housing | Any combat ship (pirates, military, mercenaries) | All weapons, hull plating |
| Guidance Core | Missile-equipped enemies | Missile launchers, scanners |
| Kinetic Slug | Armored/heavy-hull enemies (tanks, freighters) | Projectile weapons |
| Emitter Crystal | Energy/beam enemies (drones, Meridian warships) | Beam weapons |
| Shield Matrix | Defensive/high-shield enemies | Shield generators |
| Drive Coil | Fast/mobile enemies (scouts, interceptors) | Engines |
| Power Cell | High-energy enemies (capital ships, reactors) | Reactors |
Tier I drops at lv 1–14, Tier II at 15–29, Tier III at 30–44, Tier IV at 45–59, Tier V at 60+. Kill the right mob in the right sector band.
From Ancient Sites
Ancient Structures drop exotic crafting ingredients that can't be farmed any other way:
- Ancient Fragment — low-tier Ancient component, easy drop
- Ancient Data Core — requires Oracle Psionic Read to extract
- Ancient Lattice Component — very rare; required for some top-tier recipes
- Gate Seal Fragment — reserved for future sealed-sector content
See the Ancient Structures page for more.
Crafted Item Attribution
Every crafted item carries a permanent "Crafted by [PlayerName]" tag. The tag travels through trades, vendor sales, and loot drops. High-quality crafters build a reputation on their tags; an item marked "Crafted by someone with 10,000 known items in circulation" commands a price premium.
Common Gotchas
"Insufficient skill" — You haven't raised the relevant Build skill to the required rank. Invest a skill point, or find a crafter with the skill and commission the item.
"Insufficient ingredients" — Check the Blueprint Browser for what's missing. Sometimes it's the obvious ore; sometimes it's one Shield Matrix IV you don't have. The "Can craft: 0" flag hides under the recipe header.
Undocked mid-craft — Your craft is refunded (credits + ingredients return to cargo) but the session ends. You'll have to start over.
"No blueprint" — Unlike vendors, who always carry the same stock, some recipes are only accessible through faction standing, mission rewards, or drops. The Blueprint Browser shows what's unlocked to you specifically.
Crafter-tag shows wrong name — If you traded a crafted item, the tag preserves the original crafter. You did not craft it. This is working as intended.