Revision 1

Overview

The Artisan is an NPC located at the camp in Blight: Survival who handles weapon and armor upgrades. Rather than simply replacing old gear with better gear, the Artisan uses a modular component system where individual parts of a weapon or piece of armor can be swapped, upgraded, or replaced independently.

Modular weapon system

Weapons in Blight: Survival are not single items. They are assembled from modular components. A sword, for example, consists of separate parts: hilt, crossguard, blade, and scabbard. Each component affects the weapon's stats, visual appearance, and sometimes its moveset. The Artisan is the NPC who performs these modifications, combining components that the player has gathered from runs into No Man's Land.

This component-based approach means two players using "swords" might be wielding very different weapons in practice. One might have a heavy blade on a short hilt for close-range power, while another might have a lighter blade on a longer hilt for reach and speed. The visual differences reflect the mechanical ones: you can often gauge what kind of build another player is running just by looking at their weapon.

Material costs

Upgrades and modifications require materials gathered during runs. This creates a direct connection between the extraction gameplay loop and character progression. Players venture into No Man's Land, fight enemies, gather materials, extract safely, and then bring those materials to the Artisan for upgrades. Dying during a run means losing those materials, raising the stakes of every extraction decision.

The material economy adds weight to decisions during runs. Players must weigh the value of pushing deeper into dangerous territory for rarer materials against the risk of losing everything on a failed extraction. The Artisan's services are only valuable if you bring the materials home.

Armor modifications

The Artisan also handles armor customization. Like weapons, armor uses a modular system where individual pieces can be swapped or upgraded. The armor system includes visual customization options like color and crest changes alongside functional modifications that affect stats, weight, and noise levels (relevant for stealth gameplay).

Camp role

Within the camp, the Artisan is one of several NPCs that players interact with between runs. The camp serves as the hub where players prepare for their next mission, and the Artisan's workshop is where gear progression happens. The Artisan's crafting system is separate from the Remedies crafting system, which handles consumable items like bandages and potions.