[2020] Why on earth is the Crucible unlocked at level 5 of Advanced Engineering?

Originally posted by Mr Rotch: Level 4 of Advanced Engineering allows you to "craft Forged Steel 25% faster" (Note: This is 1 level prior to when you unlock the Crucible, which is needed in order to actually CRAFT FORGED STEEL).

This is intended. You can find a crucible earlier, or get one from another player or trader, and still craft steel without level 5.

Originally posted by SylenThunder:

Originally posted by Mr Rotch: Level 4 of Advanced Engineering allows you to "craft Forged Steel 25% faster" (Note: This is 1 level prior to when you unlock the Crucible, which is needed in order to actually CRAFT FORGED STEEL).

This is intended. You can find a crucible earlier, or get one from another player or trader, and still craft steel without level 5.

Yeah; this. You can craft steel from the start of the game, the only thing preventing you from doing so is whether or not you have a crucible, which can be acquired from a number of different sources. One of those sources happens to be rank 5 of advanced engineering- But that is NOT the only way to get it.

Further, the +25% steel/electrical crafting speed is NOT the primary effect of the perk, but a secondary effect. The primary effect is the exp gain from electrical traps and the teaching of the recipes.

Much of the skill trees, book, and loot systems is about providing multiple paths to the same goal; You can learn the recipe from a book, or get it from your skill tree, or find the item in world, or buy it or the recipe from the trader.

Originally posted by Ming:

Originally posted by MechBFP: The fact of that matter is that it makes no sense for the crucible to unlock so late for a gameplay perspective. It is impossible to get one earlier unless you were lucky enough to put points in better barter or play multiplayer and can get one from someone else, because it doesn't come up in loot until like game stage 100 or something long after you already have one. It should show up rarely in the traders even without better barter at the very least.

If you have to go onto forums and learn how to do something, the game is failing a very basic design principle.

Fun fact, the loot system isn't done. Traders will be scaling to game stage soon. Meaning I don't think you will be able to get ahold of one period till game stage 100+ I bet if you don't take the perk. We will see how they balance it, but thats my prediction.

Well I guess thats not entirely true. They are doing game stage multipliers for desert, snow, and wasteland in a20. So you can probably loot one around GS 50 in snow or wasteland if they keep with the numbers they discussed in last live stream of a 2x multiplier for snow, and a 3x multiplier for wasteland. But wasteland will have radiation and you will be fighting enemies scaled to 3x your game stage so....

Some POI's will have a multiplier as well. Do note that the increase in gamestage for looting, also means an increase in gamestage for the zombies in the building as well. So doing a Shotgun messiah factory from day 1 might not give you stone tools, but with the increased difficulty you may take a couple of days to get through it. Preventing your ability to cheat your way to the rewards is being looked into as well.

a20 is going to be a real gamechanger in more ways than one, so you should mentally prepare yourself now for having to put actual work into getting the good stuff.