Reduce crafting time

[ruisu128]

I want to share some feedback from the perspective of both a long-time sandbox player and someone who genuinely appreciates Haven & Hearth’s vision of deep, persistent worlds.

For a permadeath, full-loot PvP game, the current time cost to reach combat viability can feel exclusionary, especially for new or casual players. The game’s slow progression and time-gated production cycles create a huge disparity between veterans and newcomers—not necessarily because of strategy or mastery, but because of sheer time investment.

To illustrate:
Making one piece of leather requires around 60 real-time hours, factoring in drying and tanning. While realism and immersion are important, this kind of delay often stops players from ever engaging with the more meaningful layers of the game—combat, exploration, and player-driven politics.
The issue is compounded by the constant threat of theft and being killed. Players can lose not only their gear but weeks of progress overnight. In a world where your hard-earned resources and even your life can be taken at any moment, waiting literal days for a single crafting step feels punishing rather than rewarding.
If the intent is to gate power without a level cap, it’s worth considering whether the barrier enhances strategic depth or simply delays fun. Long timers don’t necessarily create richer gameplay—they often just limit participation and make the world feel less dynamic.

Possible directions to consider:
Shorten time gates for essential early materials like leather and metal, while keeping higher-tier processes slower and more complex.
Add skill-based or discovery-based systems to replace raw time sinks (e.g., improving efficiency through mastery, trade, or rare recipes).
Implement an “accelerated early game” curve for new characters, so they can become relevant participants in the world faster—without undermining long-term progression.

Players shouldn’t need to spend dozens of hours before they can meaningfully interact with the core PvP and survival elements—especially in a world where death and loss are constant risks. Reducing unnecessary friction early on could make the world more alive, competitive, and accessible, without compromising the game’s hardcore spirit.

Thank you for reading and for continuing to build such a unique and ambitious game.