As a bit of a history and metallurgy geek I’m sort of annoyed that the CE metallurgy path doesn’t include bronze.
So I’d like to suggest introducing bronze into the game. My suggestion is as follows.
- Bronze tools and weapons are unlocked with the same feats which unlock stone tools and weapons.
- Bronze armor are unlocked with all the other armors.
- Any recipes using iron (except making steel) should have a bronze Equivalent. Iron Pick = Bronze Pick in all stats, you can make the pick itself look bronze colored.
- Sell a cosmetic dlc which makes the bronze tools, weapons and armor look epic.
- Bronze bars are crafted in any fire which cooks food using 5 copper ore and 1 tin ore.
- Copper ore should be evenly spread around the entire map, all biomes except the volcano. It should be relatively rare, available everywhere but in small amounts.
- Tin ore should be very rare, like silver or gold ore. Put it in places where there is little traffic on the map.
- Tin ore should also be dropped by NPCs of the Exiles faction, but rarely.
- Hallowed (or Corrupted or Reinforced) Bronze should be craftable at level 60 and have stats similar to star metal creating star metal equivalent weapons and tools but made from: Hallowed (religious harvest + bronze + star metal = 2 hallowed bronze): Corrupted (demon blood + ichor + bronze + star metal = 2 corrupted bronze): Reinforced (5 hardened steel + 1 bronze + 1 star metal = 2 reinforced bronze) pick on or all. Similar to the star metal versions of the iron weapons the dlc gives us.
The idea here is that with some grinding you can craft bronze weapons, tools and armors in the n00b river oasis area, but not necessarily the full set. One of the most enjoyable periods I had in this game was during the starmetalpocalypse when I could only farm star metal ore from killing the silent legion skeletons in he black keep. Getting 20 star metal bars that was was an accomplishment. Then I raided somebody for 100 bars and then the starmetalpocallypse ended. But still it was fun.
I think bronze could work this way and add more content without breaking the game.
This also allows bronze artifacts for crafters, builders and rp players.
I think it would be fun, I think it could be done almost completely by the art department (not interfering with bug hunting) and I think it would add a fun dimension to the game and add new content in the early game.