STAGE · Gear and the sea
Loot rarity
Draft — Draft: checked against the game source, not yet read through end to endUnlocks at character level 4Rarity tiers, materials, item lines and sets, introduced by The Smith's Secrets.
This page is further along your path. Read ahead if you’re curious; you can return when you reach this stage.
The rarity ladder
The ladder contains seven tiers. The middle three are generated by the rarity system; the other tiers have distinct sources and should not be read as another random drop rank.
| Tier | What the tier means |
|---|---|
| Common | Plain gear without the rarity ladder's added affixes. |
| Magic | One or two added affixes, or Daggerfall's own magic item. |
| Rare | Three or four affixes, a generated name and a catalogue enchantment. |
| Legendary | A fixed named record with its signature affixes and enchantment. |
| Aetheric | Set gear from its designated boss or the Sigil Broker; not rolled by the rarity ladder. |
| Artifact | Daggerfall's own artifacts. |
| Gilded | A fixed, unique spoil; not a random rarity roll. |
Affixes add readable effects such as damage, armour, attributes, resistance, skills or carrying capacity. The item card shows these lines when identified. Some magic effects work before identification, but the added lines remain hidden until you identify the item.
Material and rarity are different
Online, Loot Rarity and Unleveled Loot both affect what you find. Loot Rarity determines the item's tier and added lines. Unleveled Loot determines the material of random weapons and armour from factors such as Luck, shop quality and dungeon kind; it does not use your character level to select the material. The online lane holds this mod to its shipped defaults. A material name therefore does not tell you an item's rarity, and a rarity label does not determine its material.
Finding and reading a piece
Check the tier label and item card before you compare gear. Rare and Legendary pieces can arrive unidentified; use an Identify service to reveal their rolled lines. Online, the Reforge is available through the Mages Guild's Identify service. It handles socket work and later improvements too; see Sockets and reforging.
The Smith's Secrets introduction opens at character level 4. Its steps require Loot Rarity to be on; online the port forces that feature on. It introduces the system rather than unlocking the first rarity drop. See the questline ladder for its giver and other gates.
Common mistakes
Treating material as an item tier. Material and rarity are separate rolls.
Expecting all seven tiers to be random drops. Only Magic, Rare and Legendary are rolled by the ladder.
Selling an unidentified piece by its name alone. Identify it to read its added lines before deciding what it is worth to you.
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Sources & checked facts
src/systems/online/onlineLane.js:ONLINE_ROOM_MOD_KEYS,ONLINE_WHOLE_MODS(PCAAO/loot and Unleveled Loot online scope)src/systems/features.js:lootRarityfeature declaration and online policysrc/systems/loot/lootRarity.js:RARITY_ORDER,RARITIES,rarityOf,rarityLines,lootRarityOnsrc/systems/rarityTier.js:ROLLED_TIERSsrc/systems/unleveledLoot.js: material selection;src/systems/modSettings.js: Unleveled Loot defaultssrc/systems/questlines/qlLines.js:introGear/ The Smith's Secrets gateResearch note:
handbook/research/P3.md; online-lane check:handbook/research/M.md