Overview
Crafting in Of Peaks and Tides follows a "craft without limits" design philosophy. Rather than relying on fixed recipes, the system allows players to fuse nearly any combination of items and materials to produce tools, weapons, structures, and utility devices. This approach draws comparisons to the freeform crafting seen in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
Fusing System
The core mechanic is item fusion. Players select two or more items from their inventory or the environment and combine them. The resulting product depends on the materials used, their properties, and the combination method.
For example, combining a rock with a stick produces a basic melee weapon. Swapping the stone for a berry produces an entirely new creation. The system rewards experimentation and allows players to discover combinations on their own.
The system is not limited to small items. Players can fuse large objects like tree trunks, metal beams, and stone slabs to build bridges, barricades, and siege equipment. The physics engine governs the resulting object's weight, durability, and behavior.
What Can Be Crafted
Category | Examples |
|---|---|
Weapons | Swords, hammers, spears, improvised melee weapons, explosive launchers |
Tools | Pickaxes, fishing rods, gliders, grappling hooks |
Structures | Walls, bridges, watchtowers, siege towers, ziplines |
Utility devices | Water pumps, fire extinguishers, wind-powered generators |
Vehicles | Rafts, carts, gliders, catapults |
Siege equipment | A huge driving siege tower built from planks and gathered materials |
Landscape devices | Terrain shapers, dam builders, canal diggers |
Building progression
Crafting follows a natural progression from simple to complex. Players start with a stone axe to fell trees, then build palisades from the timber. They can stack stones into walls and eventually raise full strongholds. Each step opens up new capabilities for Base Building and defense. Players can build shelters, villages, houses, and entire settlements over time.
Landscape-Changing Devices
A distinctive feature of the crafting system is the ability to build special devices that reshape the environment. These devices can create large pillars to serve as bridges or smash through boulders to open new paths. Dam-building tools can redirect rivers, earthmoving devices can flatten terrain for base construction, and canal systems can create irrigation for farming. These changes are persistent and interact with the Physics System and weather systems.
Siege Equipment
Players can construct large-scale siege weapons including catapults, battering rams, and mobile towers. These are used both in combat against powerful enemies and for traversal across difficult terrain. Building a siege tower during a wind calamity can launch players to otherwise unreachable areas.
Material Properties
Materials have properties like weight, flammability, conductivity, and durability that affect crafted items. These properties interact with the Physics System. A weapon made from metal conducts electricity during a thunder calamity. A wooden structure burns during a firestorm. Heavier materials produce slower but more damaging weapons.