Revision 1

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, attaching a rock to a stick produces a hammer, while binding a flammable material to an arrow creates a fire arrow.

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

Landscape-changing devices

A distinctive feature of the crafting system is the ability to build devices that reshape the environment. 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 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.