Spotlight on Van Helsing II Part 2 – Runecrafting Video and Screens – February 28, 2014
Spotlight on Van Helsing II – The Chimera Video & Screens – January 23, 2014
News: Spotlight on Van Helsing II #1 – The Chimera – January 23, 2014

In this series, features from The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II will be examined in detail. With this Q&A, Neocore shines its spotlight on crafting runes and magical items.

What is Runecrafting?
An additional in-game crafting method that supplements the already existing Forging option. Through this process players can create many different kinds of items, even ones that did not exist before.

Why do we need an additional crafting method?
Because difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor strengthens the body (Seneca for Hunters Vol.1.)? But seriously, we wanted to keep crafting viable throughout the endgame content, something that keeps the most dedicated gamers busy.

Could you tell us something about the basics of the crafting?
The system will use fragments. You gain fragments when you take apart an item, which is for free, by the way. The rarity of the item and its additional features determine the exact number of fragments you’ll get. The fragments you get this way will be stored on a separate tab.

Is that it? I collect fragments and get cool stuff?
Dream on, friend. There are two basic types of fragments for each item: a base fragment (the quality depends on the rarity) and an enchantment fragment (based on the items enchantment, the very thing that gave it power: the nice + properties we all like so much). You will need to collect 10 pieces of each type of Fragment, in order to turn them into either an Enchantment or a Master Rune.

Can I turn Fragments into Runes for free?
No, it’s a material world, and you’re a material Hunter who made a ton of gold hacking and slashing. Time to put that gold to use.

This sounds awfully complicated. How will I not get lost in-game?
There will be a user-friendly interface with short tooltips that detail the process step to step.

Ok, I have the Runes. What’s next?
You grab an item and place a Master Rune on the lucky thing. The Master Rune will unlock the available enchantment slots. You can also unlock additional slots for critical hits, increased essence capacity and other useful features. There is more to that, of course, much more, but for now this might give you the basic idea. The crafting system is very exact and will turn your items into something unique.

Can I use the same Runes for additional effects?
Naturally. If you don’t want to test your luck, you can use the same type of runes to max out the enchantment bonus (i.e. critical hit).

I’m not cut out for this. Is this whole Runecrafting mandatory?
Of course not! It’s all optional. The system is available for those who complete a particular quest, and later there will be a specific character – a certain mechano-magician dwarf – who will let you access these options. But we hope you will give it a shot, because it’s worth it.