24.3.9 Artifact Upgrades

(see also HELP ARTIFACTS and HELP TRADEINS)

Artifacts may be upgraded, by the owner only, to a higher level artifact -of the same type- for only the difference in the cost of the artifact. Artifacts that can be upgraded are only those artifacts which have varying levels of effectiveness. For example, you can upgrade the Pixie's Boots (level 1 dexterity) to Ethereal Boots (level 3 dexterity) for the different in price between the two (2000 credits). You cannot upgrade a level 1 longsword to a level 2 scimitar, even if the price difference would be the same. This upgrade process allows you to avoid any loss due to the 2/3rds tradein value of all artifacts.


ASP ON WEAPONS WILL TRANSFER
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If you've purchased the asp ability on a weapon, the asp ability will also be transferred over to your new, upgraded weapon.


Commands:
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The upgrade process is mostly automatic. If you encounter any problems, please ISSUE yourself.

ARTIFACT UPGRADE <item> TO <new artifact type> [CONFIRM]

- This will wipe your existing artifact and create a new one of the
  specified type. While the new artifact may have the same number as
  the previous artifact, -it is an entirely new item-. The item will
  not actually upgrade the artifact unless you append the CONFIRM to
  the end of the command. By leaving the CONFIRM off, you can verify
  the proper price for upgrading your artifact.

Examples:
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Janus really wants a Whip of Nemesis' fury. Unfortunately, such a puissant item is unavailable to him right now, as he only has 400 credits. So, Janus sadly purchases a Bladed whip for 300 credits, leaving him with 100 credits. But, hope is on the horizon, for Janus knows that his rich grandmother will be sending him some money for his birthday. Once grandma's money comes in, Janus purchases another 1000 credits, leaving him with 1100 credits. Janus then enters this command in Imperian:

ARTIFACT UPGRADE WHIP123456 TO 45

Whip123456 is the unique identifier of his whip, while 45 is the entry in the artifact system for the Whip of Nemesis' Fury. After entering that command, Janus sees:

You are about to trade in artifact #123456 (a bladed whip) to upgrade to artifact type #45 (a Whip of Nemesis' Fury) for 1100 credits. To complete this upgrade, enter: ARTIFACT UPGRADE WHIP123456 TO 45 CONFIRM.

Then, he enters:

ARTIFACT UPGRADE WHIP123456 TO 45 CONFIRM

This command takes his 1100 credits, and gives him a brand new level 3 artifact whip.


ORBS OF AMBIENCE
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Upgrading your orb of ambience will remove the ambient messages on the orb.


UPGRADE TOKENS
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Artifact upgrade tokens can be used in place of credits to upgrade existing artifacts.

Each token is worth 50 credits toward an upgrade, and can be combined with credits to reach the total cost of the upgrade.

As an example, you can use these tokens to upgrade a level 1 longsword to a level 2 longsword in the following ways:

A level 1 longsword will take 450 credits to upgrade to level 2.
 - In order to upgrade the longsword you will need 9 upgrade tokens.
 - You can also upgrade with a combination of bound credits and 
   upgrade tokens. For example, I could use 5 tokens (worth a total 
   of 250 credits) and 200 bound credits to upgrade my longsword.