In this article you will learn more about how the crafting system works in 9dragons, the new martial arts MMO from Acclaim and Persistent Worlds. 9Dragons is a mixture of Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and for you more mature gamers a touch of Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master

In the game you start out as a lowly beggar. Then through expert Kung Fu training, and the development of your inner Chi, you may rise to become a Master of martial arts.

If this article sparks your interest, find out more by visiting our websites, www.9dragonsgame.com for the American site or www.9dragonsonline.com for the European site.

Along your journey there will be many people to meet and many dangers to face. There will also be many items to collect. You can use these common items, along with other things you may encounter, to craft beautiful, unique and valuable items that you might even decide to sell or trade in-game. So let’s explore how the 9Dragons crafting system works…

In 9Dragons there are four distinct types of crafting: Item Enhancements; Weapon Refining; Enhancement Crafting; and Item Enchanting. Lets start with item enhancements.

The above four screenshots should be viewed in sequence. They show the crafting UI from 9 Dragons and the process of building a sword.

Item Enhancement
First, you should know that in 9Dragons your clothes have pockets. These are not for picking, they’re for putting things in (unless you happen to be a disciple of The Brotherhood of Thieves). As well as pockets in clothes there are also a range of hooks and loops on most items, which is very oriental indeed! What are they for? They are ideal for hanging things on. So, for example, if you find a sash that improves a sword’s balance, you simply attach it to your sword’s hook. Then the weapons balance is enhanced and it can do more damage. Be warned, though, when purchasing an item you will not be informed by the merchant how many hooks and loops it has. There’s a little bit of random luck in here! Still, that means that when you are trading with other players, some of your items will be worth even more!

Enhancement Crafting
Right, now you’ve got your item, but you’re thinking you’d like to enhance it. First, you’ll need something to enhance it with. You can purchase certain enhancers from shops, but the good stuff comes from either hunting or completing a quest. Next step is to find an enhancing tool. Don’t worry, these can be easily found at a shop. Next, you’ll double click the tool and a window will appear. Place both the item you wish to enhance, and the enhancing tool into the window. Then click the combining button and presto… you’ve just enhanced your item.

Weapon Refining System
Obviously, the more powerful your weapon, the stronger you are in combat. However, weapon refinement is not a risk-free endeavor. While refining your weapon may make it more powerful, it could also destroy it. So, you have to decide how desperate you are to enhance your favorite battle-axe or sword. Those weapons that have been enhanced are always of greatest value, as they have undertaken the risk of enhancement and survived.

To refine your weapon you must visit the duel arena. There you will find a master craftsman (master craftswoman in this case). She can refine all sorts of weapons (common, precious, and masterpiece) provided that you give her the correct raw ingredients. Note however that rare artifacts cannot be refined, as they are too delicate, and already powerful enough.

Weapon Enhancement
Enhancing a weapon is a nine-stage process, and in each step, raw materials need to be sourced. These materials can be purchased from shops, earned on quests, or found while hunting. Blood Essence is often a main component and this is attained through either the killing of monsters, or other players (PvP areas are a great place for this).

Having acquired the necessary Blood Essence and other materials, the master craftswoman will tell you how much gold she wants for her work. Obviously, this is dependent upon the level of refinement required. This is a health warning - the greater the amount of refinement required, the lower the success rate will be. If the refining is successful you will get back your weapon with more attacking power. However, if the refinement fails your weapon will be destroyed. Don’t go crying to a GM if that happens!

A final note to leave you on regards elixirs. If consumed, they will permanently change your statistics (up or down). A player consumes an elixir at his or her own risk. High-level elixirs can only be found during the conquest of monster-filled dungeons. For example, should a player successfully consume all five levels of Strength Elixir, then his/her strength points would increase by 20, making their Kung Fu something to behold.

To sum up, whether you’re refining weapons, or consuming elixirs, you can become more or less powerful. But games without risk wouldn’t be worth playing, would they?

If you would like to find out more about the game, and register for our upcoming beta test, please visit www.9dragonsgame.com for the American site or www.9dragonsonline.com for the European site.

Look forward to sharing more about 9Dragons with you in the coming weeks.

“Without a knowledge of words there is no understanding men.” - The Sayings of Confucius.

- Ken Johnson, Persistent Worlds

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