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Create weapons and items

There are two practical ways to create an item with RuneSchema. Copy an existing item when the game already has the behavior and art you need. Use a PAK when the item needs new art, a new Blueprint, or a fully cooked item asset.

Choose the simplest route

Use a RuneSchema item copy for:

  • a new name or description;
  • different durability, weight, or power;
  • a new recipe using existing art;
  • an armor or weapon variant that keeps an existing equipment family;
  • an item that grants a verified existing effect.

Use a PAK for:

  • a new mesh or texture;
  • a new icon or sound;
  • a new held-weapon Blueprint;
  • a new animation or attack Blueprint;
  • a new cooked ItemData asset.

New art does not automatically require new combat behavior. The most dependable first release uses a known weapon family and changes its art, item data, balance, and recipe.

Copy an existing item

Helpy can inspect a working item, export a starter file, and generate a new persistence ID. Select the closest source item so the copy inherits valid equipment behavior.

A basic item copy looks like this:

{
  "/Game/RuneSchema/GoldenArsenal/Items/ITEM_GoldenSpear.ITEM_GoldenSpear": {
    "$Clone": "/Game/Gameplay/Items/Weapons/EXACT_SOURCE.EXACT_SOURCE",
    "InternalName": "golden_arsenal_spear",
    "PersistenceID": "PASTE_THE_ID_GENERATED_BY_HELPY",
    "Name": "Golden Spear",
    "FlavourText": "A balanced spear made for the long road."
  }
}

Replace the source path with a path copied from the running game. Replace the persistence ID with the valid ID generated for this item. Do not release the placeholder text above.

Only override values you intend to change. Inherited fields are often what keep the item's equip, animation, repair, and interaction behavior working.

Connect a cooked weapon

If the PAK already contains the item:

{
  "/GoldenArsenal/Items/ITEM_GoldenSpear.ITEM_GoldenSpear": {}
}

This tells RuneSchema to load the exact item. You may add supported adjustments inside the braces, but the cooked asset should already have its required class, type, internal name, and permanent identity.

Keep the weapon family consistent

A weapon normally connects several pieces:

  • item data;
  • held or equipped actor;
  • mesh and materials;
  • icon;
  • weapon family and animation pose;
  • attacks and damage behavior;
  • crafting and repair information.

Start with one working family, such as an existing spear, bow, shield, or staff. Mixing a spear item with a sword actor and an unrelated animation set can produce an item that appears in the inventory but fails when equipped or attacked with.

Add custom attacks carefully

Dragonwilds uses different authorities for melee attacks, ranged attacks, combat magic, utility magic, and equipment effects. A weapon appearing in the item list does not prove that its attack or spell path is usable.

Physical melee attacks

  1. Cook the item, held-equipment data, animation references, and every custom attack class into the mod's PAK. Use a known weapon family as the template.
  2. Connect the item to the cooked equipment/attack collection in its own data.
  3. If the game's native path does not enroll the class collection, list the complete, correctly ordered classes under MeleeAttackClasses in the mod-owned cooked registry declaration. Enable the specific melee fallback only when the mod calls for it.
  4. Check the live class order, every combo step, and multiplayer behavior. A partial or wrong-class collection must be fixed in the PAK, not padded with placeholder entries.

Bows, crossbows, and other ranged weapons

  1. Cook and register the weapon's item data; cook the HeldEquipmentData it references.
  2. Keep its RangedAttackCollection reference intact. That collection needs both QuickAttackData and FullAttackData pointing to valid cooked player attack classes.
  3. If the normal item-owned path needs the optional RuneSchema fallback, use the ranged-equipment switch. Do not put shot/projectile implementation classes into RangedAttackClasses; that field is not a global ranged registry.
  4. Verify equip, firing, ammo use, damage, and re-equip separately from item registration.

Combat and utility magic

  1. Cook spell data and its effect, projectile, animation, and presentation dependencies into the mod's PAK.
  2. Declare persistent spell assets in CombatSpells or UtilitySpells in the cooked registry asset. Keep the equipped weapon's MagicAttackCollection link to the intended spells.
  3. Verify that the live spell registry accepts the data and that the weapon's cast path invokes it. Registering a spell does not create a new cast input, animation, or network behavior.

The cooked registry guide gives the exact declaration fields, while combat fallback settings explains which optional switches affect attack collections.

The melee class lane is guarded and must resolve completely before RuneSchema changes the process-scoped component default. A component that was already constructed in the first gameplay world may receive the same complete plan once; later worlds inherit the default. AI attack collection registration is not offered by the current cooked declaration.

For a cooked content mod, the shared registry bridge PAK walkthrough shows how to ship one mod-owned registry declaration without thousands of loose pointer files.

Custom attacks are still more demanding than a new mesh or balance change. Test:

  • the first attack and every combo step;
  • short and long combo endings;
  • stamina use;
  • hit detection and damage;
  • blocking, interruption, and unequip behavior;
  • host and client use;
  • world exit and re-entry.

If a new attack family is not recognized, keep the weapon on a known attack family for the public release and continue the custom behavior as an experimental option.

Add a crafting recipe

{
  "RECIPE_GoldenSpear": {
    "AddTo": [
      {
        "Table": "DT_CraftingStationsDataTable",
        "Row": "MysticForge",
        "Category": "Weapons"
      }
    ],
    "Properties": {
      "ItemsConsumed": [
        {
          "ItemData": "/Game/Gameplay/Items/Resources/EXACT_MATERIAL.EXACT_MATERIAL",
          "Count": 10
        }
      ],
      "ItemsCreated": [
        {
          "ItemData": "/GoldenArsenal/Items/ITEM_GoldenSpear.ITEM_GoldenSpear",
          "Count": 1
        }
      ],
      "ExtraItemsCreated": [],
      "bIgnoreNotification": true
    }
  }
}

Copy the exact native station row and material path from working content. A recipe path is not a guessable display name.

Item release checklist

  • The PAK mounts from the enabled mod folder.
  • The item path loads.
  • The item appears in the item registration summary.
  • The internal name and persistence ID are unique.
  • The icon appears in every relevant menu.
  • The item equips and unequips.
  • Every attack, block, tool, or use action works.
  • The recipe consumes the correct amount and creates the correct item.
  • The item survives save, menu return, re-entry, and full restart.
  • Host and client see the same item.
  • Removing the mod from a backup save removes only the missing item reference.