Noncraftable Upgrade Blueprints as PB Loot

[Cutch]

Until the flood of gold upgrades from sealed bottles, gold Powder Monkeys and Marines were some of the highest forms of currency in the game. Several other noncraftable upgrades were also highly valued. It used to take (at least on average) months of combat experience to get those items. It was a reward for PVP. Now, you can sail around for a few days without engaging a single opponent and get the same reward. The value of these highly regarded noncraftable modules has already plunged significantly. And it kind of sucks seeing a lucky 1 week old players with better upgrades than rear admiral veterans of 100 port battles 

 

The role-play justification for some of the non-craftables modules used to be that modules requiring people cant be crafted because you cant craft people. But now we can hire crew and officers in any port. Additionally, in the past few patches, several other upgrades have been added that don't involve people (fireship, extra staysais, studded sails, etc).

 

I suggest a mechanic that allows blueprints for these items to be earned by players, but not in the same way as ship blueprints. Instead of unlocking via crafting, I think it would be appropriate for them to be unlocked via successful regional capital port conquest. That would keep the modules as a premium item and would add some more end-game content for captains to strive for. The drops should be pretty rare - maybe a 25% chance for 1 captain in the battle to get the drop?

 

The build requirements should also be pretty high and including the cost of a lot of crew and a significant amount of labor hours, That way the price floor for the modules stays high for those that find them the old fashioned way. With high labor requirements, it ensures that the recipient can't just gear up an entire clan without there being a tradeoff. Maybe 2-3 notes per quality level?

 

I think it would be a fun new mechanic and restore a bit more motivation to conquest and adds some more end-game depth. What's everyone think?

[SheepDip]

Wow !  I won purple powder monkeys and gold marines very early in my career , I think during the lieutenant days , I am commodore now .

I have never even checked to see if they could be crafted , all I ever craft are reinforced rudders LOL !  good info though ,  Thanx !

[CaptVonGunn]

Any People based upgrades should only be craftable if at all as Grey... then slowly upgrade via use in combat

[jnovotny6]

Are Boarding parties one of these uncraftable upgrades? I don't do a lot of boarding but I see them mentioned in boarding guides