Update September 29, 2025 – Crafting!

[p][/p][h3]Crafting[/h3]

[p]The Crafting bench is now available for all players, starting from Level 1.[/p]
[p]Crafting allows you to upgrade, add, modify, randomize, and remove item stats.[/p]
[p]Crafting uses materials that can be obtained on missions, or by salvaging unwanted loot.
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[h3]Crafting Blueprints[/h3]

[p]Upgrade Item – upgrades item stats. Stats that got major upgrades become Starred.[/p]
[p]Randomize Item Stats – randomizes all non-Starred item stats.[/p]
[p]Reroll Stat Values – rerolls the numeric values of all non-Starred item stats.[/p]
[p]Remove Random Stat – removes a random non-Starred item stat.[/p]
[p]Add Random Stat – adds a random stat to an empty stat slot.[/p]
[p]Increase Item Rarity – increases item rarity by adding a new random stat.[/p]
[p]Duplicate Item – duplicates an item (useful for item backups before risky crafting).[/p]
[p]Finalize Item – applies a major stat increase but locks the item from further modifications.
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[h3]Upgrade Levels and Tiers[/h3]

[p]Each equippable item now has an Upgrade Level and an Upgrade Tier (indicated by the number of stars). They are displayed in the lower-right corner of the item tooltip.[/p]
[p]Upgrade Level and Tier of an item can be increased via the Upgrade Item crafting blueprint.[/p]
[p]Each Upgrade Level increases the value of each item stat by 5%.[/p]
[p]When an item reaches an Upgrade Tier (awarded at Upgrade Levels 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20; shown as a star) one of its stats (chosen randomly) is increased by 20%, after which it becomes Starred – this means that the stat can no longer be modified, replaced, rerolled, or removed from the item via crafting blueprints. However, its numeric value can still be upgraded.
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[h3]Loot Drop Changes[/h3]

[p]Loot items that drop from chests and enemies on missions can now have upgrades already in place. Higher-difficulty missions have a higher chance to drop upgraded loot.[/p]
[p]Crafting materials now drop on missions. Higher-difficulty missions drop higher-rarity materials.
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[h3]UI Changes[/h3]

[p]The Discard buttons in Inventory have been changed to Salvage buttons. They disassemble items into crafting materials, instead of simply discarding the items.
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[h3]Balance Notes[/h3]

[p]Due to the fact that players can now upgrade item stats beyond their original ranges, and to the fact that items can now drop with such upgrades already in place, player power has been increased.[/p]
[p]We did not make any changes in enemy hit points or damage to compensate for this increase.[/p]
[p]As a result, players who craft their items or obtain upgraded items by playing on higher-difficulty missions will now have higher player power, on average. Early-game players will not see much changes balance-wise, because they haven't had the time to upgrade their gear or obtain upgraded gear on missions.
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[hr][/hr][p]Crafting can provide a significant increase in player power – and you don't even have to actively use it because items can now drop in an already upgraded state. So grab the update, give it a try, and let us know what you think!

Thank you!
Combat Complex team.[/p]