Gear and rarity
In KEKRUNE, what you wear is what everyone sees. Put on a hat and every frog who passes sees that hat, drawn on you from every side. Gear is how you get stronger, and it's also how the world can tell you've been somewhere.
Your slots
Press [I] for your inventory. Around your portrait are eleven equipment slots: head, neck, cloak, back, body, main hand, off hand, legs, feet, ring and ammunition. Your backpack sits in the back slot, and its contents fill the grid.
- Empty clothing slots (head, cloak, back) show the outfit you picked in the Frog Tailor.
- Empty hands show nothing. You can't look armed when you aren't.
- Options > Gameplay > Hide my helmet stops your helmet from being drawn, both for you and for everyone else. You still wear it and still get its protection.
Hover over any item to see its tooltip. It lists every stat, the level you need (in red if you aren't there yet), and how it compares with what you're wearing in that slot.
Weight
Every item has a weight, and every frog has a carrying capacity that grows with each level. Knights grow it fastest and Mages slowest (see Classes and levelling). Once you're over it, you can't pick up, loot or accept anything more until you lighten your load. You can still walk, though, so you're never stuck.
Tiers: what you can wear, and when
Level requirements are firm. Below the level, you can't wear the piece.
| Tier | Level | Who may wear it | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 1 | Anyone | What you wake in, and the shops |
| Tier 1 | 5 | Anyone | Honest iron, leather and wool from the shops, or a drop |
| Tier 2 | 12 | One class only | Made by craftsfolk in towns, or found |
| Tier 3 | 20 | One class only | Found, earned or traded between players. Never sold in a shop. |
| Prestige | 20 | As the piece says | Tier 3 strength with a look all its own. It's about the story, not more power. Never sold. |
Rings, amulets, ammunition and bags can be worn by any class at any tier.
What drops depends on who drops it. A creature up to level 11 only drops starter and tier 1 gear. Up to level 19, tier 2 can drop as well. Only creatures above that can drop tier 3 and prestige pieces. Low-level hunting grounds won't hand you top-tier gear, so don't go looking for it there.
The five rarities
Every wearable has a rarity. It shows as the colour of the item's slot frame, the colour of its name in tooltips and loot lines and, for rare and better, in chat and as a glint when it lies on the ground. The better the rarity, the more the piece shows on you:
| Rarity | Colour | How it looks when worn |
|---|---|---|
| Common | plain | The item as it is |
| Uncommon | green | Crisper trim, a cleaner edge |
| Rare | blue | Now and then, a glint runs along its edge |
| Epic | amber | Glowing accents (runes, gems, clasps) that breathe slowly, and faint motes rising |
| Legendary | radiant gold | A soft golden aura around you, its own warm light at night, and sparkles trailing behind you as you move |
You won't find purple gear. Purple belongs to the Hushed (see The shared world).
Where each rarity comes from
| Rarity | Where you find it |
|---|---|
| Common | The shops: Mabry's cart, Quill on the West Road, Hobb's mill. Everyday creatures drop a piece now and then too. |
| Uncommon | Ordinary creatures, about one kill in a dozen. Some quests give one, and a few dearer shop pieces are uncommon. |
| Rare | Tougher creatures and night hunts, and some quest choices. Expect an hour or so of hunting. The big beasts of a place drop one about one time in three. |
| Epic | The rare kinds and the bosses of each place, and a few hidden secrets. |
| Legendary | One boss or one world secret each. When someone finds one, the whole world hears about it. |
Bad luck doesn't last forever. Every time a boss drops nothing special for you, your chance for its best piece grows a little, up to double. Once you get it, the count starts again.
Rare and better pieces show their colour in chat ("You take a rare..."), so everyone nearby knows you've had a good day.
Legendary gear in a fight
Epic and legendary gear changes how your fighting looks:
- Epic adds amber accents to your impacts.
- Legendary runs radiant gold through your class colour. Arcs and bursts get bigger, gold motes trail behind, the light is stronger, and every legendary piece adds its own flourish.
The numbers don't change, though. A legendary sword hits as hard as its stats say, not one point harder because it sparkles. The show is for you and everyone who sees it.
The first five legendary pieces are a crown that anyone can wear and one antler-tine weapon for each class. All five need level 20. How you come by them is for you to discover.
Anyone who turns on Reduce flashing or Reduce motion in Options sees calmer versions of all these effects.
Selling and trading gear
- A merchant buys common gear back for about a third of its shop price.
- No merchant buys rare gear or better. Keep it, trade it to another frog, or post it on the market board (see Trading and coin).
- Tier 3 pieces can be traded and sold between players, but never bought from a shop.
- Bound pieces stay with you. They can't be traded or mailed, and they never fall from you when you die.
When you die
From level 8, death can cost you some of what's in your bags, but the gear you're wearing is safe. The exception is a frog with a red or black skull: they drop everything, worn gear included. See Death and PvP.