Economy

Work in progress: this page documents live economy systems first, then planned economy ideas. Planned items are not live unless they appear in-game.

DarkWind's economy is built from coins, banks, player markets, auctions, professions, corpse ash, and player-owned businesses. Most players interact with it by banking money, buying from shops, selling useful gear, gathering profession materials, burning corpses into ash, and visiting player-run pubs and inns.

Quick Start

• Keep spare coins in the bank
• Use the market for player-priced goods
• Use auctions for valuable one-off items
• Use professions to gather, craft, and supply other players
• Visit pubs and inns for healing food and drink
• Burn corpses into ash and process that ash for coin
• Check business listings before bidding on a pub or inn

See DarkWind City Services for the beginner bank, shop, donation, and inn loop.

Money And Banks

Coins carried on your character are convenient, but banks keep money safer and power several economy systems.

Banked money is used for item auctions, business bids, and multichar account sharing. Auction bids place a temporary lien on banked coins until the auction ends or another player outbids you.

Money on your character and in the bank persists through reboot. Bank storage and multichar banking are covered in Multichars.

Markets

The world market is a player-driven listing system. Sellers set their own prices, and buyers browse the available goods.

Items are listed from city markets, usually near a main shop. Buyers can purchase from market rooms, and high-level players gain remote market buying through leveling.

Useful market commands:

Item Auctions

Item auctions are global, system-managed auctions for valuable items. Only one item auction runs at a time.

Useful auction commands:

Auction rules:

• Starting bid begins at 1,000 coins or more
• Later bids increase by at least 250 coins
• The auctioneer keeps 10% of the starting bid
• Your bid is secured by a bank lien
• Cash on hand is not counted for item auction bids
• Worn, wielded, kept, temporary, living, and no-drop items are not valid auction goods
• Auctions with no bids expire after a short time

Business Auctions

Pubs, inns, and similar establishments are handled through business auctions. These auctions use Bid with a capital B, which is separate from the normal item auction command.

Useful business commands:

Business auction notes:

• Bids are made with your primary character
• Bids are backed by banked coins and coins carried on you
• The current bid must be raised by about 100,000 coins
• A bank lien secures the bid until the auction ends or another player outbids you
• Business listings are worth reading before placing a bid

Lottery

The DarkWind lottery is a raffle-style coin sink with a shared prize pot. Players buy tickets for the active drawing, and each ticket adds another chance to win.

Useful lottery commands:

Lottery notes:

• Tickets cost 1,000 coins each
• Each player can buy up to 75 tickets per drawing
• Tickets are bought with coins carried on you
• The prize pot grows as players buy tickets
• Drawings run on the boot cycle, with warnings before a winner is chosen
• Drawings without a winner roll their prize forward

Player-Owned Pubs And Inns

Player-owned pubs and inns are part shop, part healing stop, and part long-term business project. Owners set the name, description, menu, pricing, staff, and operating status.

Pubs sell drinks, jugs, and kegs. Inns sell servings, snacks, and meals. Menu items restore HP, SP, or both, with higher healing values costing more.

Customer commands:

Owner commands:

Owning a business means keeping the account funded, keeping the menu useful, watching sales, and adjusting prices. Rent, staff, and menu choices all affect profit.

Business owners also receive a ceremonial owner key with owner-channel commands:

Corpse Ash

Corpse ash is a small economy of its own. A corpse burner stores ash from burned corpses, and ash processors pay coin for the ash you bring in.

Getting started:

• Find an ash processor
• press button or push button to receive a corpse burner
• Carry the burner while adventuring
• Use burn corpse or burn all corpse after fights
• Use check burner to see stored ash
• Return to an ash processor and use process all ash

Ash commands:

Ash color comes from where the corpse was made. Grey ash is common around Darkwind. Red and blue ash come from other parts of the world and pay according to the current ash rates.

Professions And Crafted Goods

Professions are a major part of the player economy. Gathering professions bring in raw resources, manufacturing professions turn those resources into usable goods, and fishing creates meals for later use.

Economy uses for professions:

• Gather herbs, ore, hides, cloth, fish, and reagents
• Craft armor, potions, bags, food, and utility goods
• Sell materials to other crafters
• List finished goods on the market
• Auction rare or high-value crafted items
• Supply guildmates, clans, and player businesses

Everyday Spending

Not every economy interaction is a major trade. Small spending adds up over a character's life.

Common money uses:

• Shop purchases
• Repairs and replacement gear
• Food, drink, and healing goods
• Profession tools and materials
• Market purchases
• Auction bids
• Business bids
• Travel services
• Storage and bank use
• Donations, tips, and player-to-player trades

New And Upcoming

These are planned economy directions for future development.

Player Housing

Player housing gives characters a long-term place in the world.

Housing features:

• Purchasable rooms, homes, apartments, ships, towers, crypts, or domain-themed retreats
• Guest lists and access controls
• Decoration and furniture
• Storage with limits and upkeep
• Display spaces for trophies, rare gear, books, and crafted objects
• Neighborhoods tied to cities, guilds, islands, or remote domains

Player Shops And Stalls

Player shops expand the market into more personal storefronts.

Shop features:

• Stocked shelves and price tags
• Consignment sales
• Crafted goods displays
• Limited stock specials
• Owner-written shop descriptions
• Domain markets with local flavor

Work Orders

Work orders let players ask for specific goods or services.

Examples:

• A smith requests rare ore
• An alchemist requests herbs and reagent drops
• A ranger requests hides
• A clan requests food and potions before a raid
• A business owner requests ash or menu supplies
• A player posts a reward for a specific crafted item

Shipping And Caravan Jobs

Regional economies work better when goods move across the world.

Future shipping jobs:

• Carry trade goods between cities
• Escort caravans
• Deliver supplies to remote domains
• Move ash, ore, herbs, and crafted goods
• Take higher-risk routes for better pay
• Tie rewards to distance, danger, and cargo value

Business Upgrades

Owned pubs and inns can grow beyond menus and margins.

Upgrade ideas:

• Better servers
• More menu slots
• Local advertising
• Specialty house items
• Ash processor improvements
• Owner rooms
• Private event spaces
• Decorations that change the room
• Loyalty rewards for regular customers

Contracts And Commissions

Contracts create player-to-player jobs without requiring both players to be online at the same time.

Contract ideas:

• Crafting commissions
• Resource bounties
• Escort jobs
• Delivery jobs
• Rare item finder's fees
• Guild supply requests
• Clan treasury jobs

Regional Trade

Each domain has its own materials, dangers, and travel costs. Regional trade gives those differences economic weight.

Regional trade ideas:

• Local commodities with changing demand
• Better prices for goods far from their source
• Domain-specific crafting ingredients
• Festival markets and temporary trade fairs
• Smuggling and customs hooks where they fit the area
• Merchant reputation by city or domain