I’ve been thinking about ways to make Elyra, our gold-loving merchant follower, a bit more exciting and useful beyond just passive gold farming. Right now, she’s kinda niche for early-game economy, but what if we gave her the ability to forge keys? It fits her theme perfectly—like turning her into a master craftsman who uses her resources to unlock better loot opportunities. Keys are already a big part of the game (from diamond down to wooden), so this could tie right into chest grinding without breaking the balance.
Basic Idea
Unlock a new “Forge Keys” tab in her follower menu, with different keys being added as her rarity gets higher. She’d craft keys over time (say, a few hours per batch, with queuing for multiple), using resources we already farm a ton of. To keep it fair, there could be two paths:
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Basic Path: Use everyday stuff like gold and ore. This would give you standard keys, but maybe in smaller quantities or lower tiers like wooden, iron, gold, to avoid flooding the market. Great for new players dumping excess resources without much investment—keeps it accessible and ties into her gold bonuses.
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Premium Path: Throw in some Elyra follower crystals on top of the basics. This ramps up the power: better yields, higher-tier keys. Diamonds would be the toughest to get here, probably requiring crystals to make them viable at all, so they’re still rare and exciting.
For rubies and diamonds outputs could include a guaranteed key plus a random one, with a small chance for an extra key drop to add some thrill and make the gem cost associated with these feel more warranted.
Why This Unlocks Her True Potential
- Thematic Win: Elyra’s all about gold and trade, so forging keys from surplus feels natural. It encourages upgrading her (faster crafts at higher levels) and synergizes with other followers like miners for ore.
Balance Flex: Petty resources for “good enough” keys (wooden, iron, gold), crystals for the OP stuff (Ruby and Diamond). Both options mean casuals aren’t left out, but dedicated players get rewarded. No need to overcomplicate with failures—keep it reliable but gated.
- Game Impact: Boosts her from low-tier to must-have for building keys. Creates vital gold and ore sinks so players have something to spend their capped resources on.