Economy Balance Reference¶
Purpose¶
This document is a design-facing reference for tuning the game economy at launch. It defines target coin/hour rates by activity type, reward calibration tables, difficulty tuning guidance, and inflation guard thresholds. It is not displayed to players — it is the internal spec that developer and balance work should validate against.
Target Coin Per Hour by Activity¶
All rates assume a typical player completing expeditions with appropriate skill bands for the content. "Hour" means real-world hours of play time, accounting for expedition submission and settlement tick cadence.
| Activity Type | Target Range (coin/hr) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic caravan delivery (open routes, no combat) | 40–80 | Entry-level. Accessible to new players. No combat requirement. |
| Frontline creature hunt (grade D, solo) | 60–100 | Standard early content. Drop value + contract reward. |
| Fishing (river stretch, Practiced) | 50–90 | Yield value at market rate. Seasonal variance ±30%. |
| Harvesting (herbs, ore, standard zones) | 70–120 | Material at market rate. Supply band dependent. |
| Caravan delivery (elevated risk routes) | 120–200 | Accounts for risk flag, supply demand multiplier. |
| Grade C creature hunt (solo or duo) | 100–160 | Mid-tier content. Requires appropriate loadout. |
| Grade B creature hunt (3-person party) | 160–260 | Requires role coverage. Drop quality increases. |
| Crafting (Fine quality output, selling at market) | 150–300 | Highly skill-dependent. Requires workshop access. |
| Grade A elite hunt (full party) | 250–400 | Rare contracts. High material drop value. |
| Boss contract (full party, Tier S) | 400–700 (one-time event) | Named drops dominate value. Not a repeatable hourly rate. |
| Caravan escort (NPC convoy, high-value) | 80–150 | Group content. Lower solo ceiling. |
Design principle: No activity should be dramatically dominant at more than 2× the median rate for its accessibility tier. If any single activity becomes the obvious min-max path, it will be tuned down or have diminishing returns added.
Starting Coin and Early Progression Calibration¶
Starting coin: 100 coin.
Early essential costs (first 2–3 days):
| Purchase | Expected Cost | Can Be Skipped? |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Fishing Rod | 15 coin | Yes (if not fishing) |
| Standard Rations (3-day expedition) | 12 coin | No |
| Simple Weapon (Common) | 25–35 coin | Starter gear often covers this |
| Common Armor piece | 20–30 coin | Yes (risk tolerance) |
| First NPC instruction session | 30 coin | Yes (self-train at slower rate) |
A new player who spends cautiously can take 2–3 expeditions before their starting coin is depleted if they are not equipping heavily. The intent is for starting coin to provide a genuine buffer — roughly 4–5 expeditions of supply costs — before the player needs to be self-sustaining.
First incapacitation cost: Under Beginner Protection, equipped gear is returned and coin loss is capped at 50. A new player can recover from their first death without being set back to zero.
Reward Calibration by Contract Tier¶
Contract rewards should land within the following coin ranges:
| Hall Tier | Contract Coin Reward | Expected Drop Value | Total Session Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| F (Beginner) | 15–30 coin | 5–20 coin | 20–50 coin |
| E | 30–60 coin | 20–50 coin | 50–110 coin |
| D | 60–120 coin | 50–100 coin | 110–220 coin |
| C | 120–250 coin | 100–200 coin | 220–450 coin |
| B | 250–500 coin | 200–400 coin | 450–900 coin |
| A | 500–1,000 coin | 400–800 coin | 900–1,800 coin |
| S (Boss) | 1,000–2,500 coin | Named drop (market value 2,000–10,000 coin) | Event-tier; not calibrated to hourly rate |
Drop value figures are market rate for materials under Stable supply conditions. Supply band fluctuations will shift material values above and below these calibrations.
Coin Sink Effectiveness¶
Coin sinks must drain coin at a rate that matches or exceeds coin generation across the player base. The primary sinks and their effectiveness rating:
| Sink | Estimated Monthly Drain per Active Player | Effectiveness | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NPC repair (full gear set, regular expeditions) | 500–1,500 coin | High | Death model makes this the largest single sink; all gear lost and replaced regularly |
| Expedition supplies (rations, consumables) | 200–600 coin | High | Non-negotiable; every expedition consumes supplies |
| NPC instruction sessions | 100–400 coin | Medium | One-time per band; diminishes as player progresses |
| Recipe instruction | 60–600 coin | Medium | One-time per recipe; market price for rare recipes can be very high |
| Workshop establishment | 600–2,000+ coin (one-time) | High | Significant investment; once built, ongoing costs are low |
| Market fees | 5–10% of all market transactions | Medium | Passive; scales with activity |
| Caravan Board wagon rental | 10 coin/tick while rented | Low | Only relevant for caravan players |
| Stable fees (multiple mounts) | 5–15 coin/week per additional mount | Low | Relevant only for mount collectors |
| Mount feed (Grain Bundle / Cured Meat) | ~60–180 coin/month per mount | Low–Medium | Ongoing for all mount owners; aurochs and bear cost more; scales with exotic species |
| NPC service fees (appraisal, processing) | 50–200 coin | Low | Optional; player alternatives exist |
| Infamy fines | 100 coin/point | Situational | High drain for active raiders; zero for law-abiding players |
Primary sink health check: If gear repair cost (death model) + expedition supply cost together do not exceed 60% of average player coin generation, the economy will inflate. The death model was designed specifically to keep repair demand high. Tuning should not weaken the death mechanic as an economic mechanism.
Inflation Guard Thresholds¶
The following metrics should be monitored at settlement level and trigger balance review if crossed:
| Metric | Alert Threshold | Intervention |
|---|---|---|
| Median market price of Common iron (per unit) | >30 coin | Check ore supply; mine cave-in event may be appropriate |
| Median market price of standard rations (per expedition pack) | >50 coin | Check food supply; Talmaes output and Arujoki imports |
| Average daily coin in circulation per active player | >5,000 coin | Review sink effectiveness; consider new sink options |
| NPC repair rates (modifier applied) | >3.0× base (supply modifier maxing out) | Check material supply chains; accelerated harvest contracts |
| Recipe parchment market prices (Fine-tier average) | >2,000 coin | Review boss and elite hunt drop rates; Fine recipes should not be hyper-scarce |
Deflation guard: If average daily coin in circulation per active player drops below 200, the economy risks gridlock. This most commonly occurs after a prolonged supply-critical period. Emergency interventions: settlement-level coin injection through civic contribution rewards or increased NPC contract payouts.
Difficulty Tuning Reference¶
Encounter difficulty is calibrated relative to the expected party composition for the contract tier. Tuning numbers to revisit before and after launch:
| Encounter Grade | Expected Party | Target Win Rate (Success+) | Target Incapacitation Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | Solo | 80–90% | <5% |
| C | Solo (skilled) or Duo | 70–80% | 5–10% |
| B | 2–3 persons | 65–75% | 10–15% |
| A (Elite) | 3–5 persons | 60–70% | 15–25% |
| S (Boss) | 5–6 persons, Hall rank B+ | 50–65% | 25–40% |
Win rates should be higher for appropriately matched parties (correct role coverage, correct elemental affinity) and lower for mismatched parties. A solo player attempting a Grade A encounter should have <30% success rate — the encounter is not intended for solo play.
Market Liquidity Notes¶
For the market to function, the following item categories need consistent sell-side presence:
- Iron ingots: Primary crafting material; if player miners are not posting regularly, NPC vendors must fill at premium
- Standard rations and water: Constant demand; village NPC production should not be allowed to go Critical without event trigger
- Common and Crafted weapons: New player replacement demand is constant (death model); Crafters Guild NPC vendor should stock these as a floor
- Antidotes and wound dressings: Combat-critical; Physician Kaisaarul NPC stocking should not depend entirely on player herb supply
The NPC vendor floor pricing should be set at approximately 1.3× the expected player market rate for the same item under Stable supply conditions. This ensures players undercut the NPC (driving market activity) while ensuring essential items are never completely unavailable.