| Not sure if anyone has this idea as I have not been able to read all suggestions, so I apologize in advance.
What about a system that NPC vendors sell all basic items for crafting but the price is set based on how much grey vendor trash is sold to them. For example:
Cooking: Level 1-30 of 300
Spider meat cost 1 silver each until people start selling the damaged/broken legs they loot. As the vendor receives more loot the price is driven down till say the cost is similar to the farm time to collect said legs to level cooking to 30.
Vendor at happy state is buying legs for 5 copper and selling meat for 3 copper. Using quests to guide players there to kill and collect spiders for use by vendors. Collecting them to sell for silk production to make cloth and so on. This system would have to be monitored based on the population as to not discourage new people that start a few months down the road and do not have the support of guilds and friends.
I know this is really just farming and some will say screw that I do not want to kill spiders which is fine kill humans for broken/rusty weapons that vendors will smelt for weapon and armor smiths. The coin dropped and collected from selling the items will let you buy what you need to level trade skills.
The rare items that drop can be used in crafting without messing with the vendor system and just be an additional slot added during the crafting process. Killing a weapon master he drops a perfect pommel that can add + damage or a dot to the weapon.
Now I do not have a clue if this would be possible or how huge a undertaking it would be to code. I have never done any coding. This is just an idea I have had for a while about making gray trash meaningful. | 