We are going with a system where depending on which weapon you have will deteremne the skill you can use. I think guild wars did something like this, not sure but thats how we are going for now. So if your not sure heres how ours will work.
Every weapon will have up to 4 attack skills and one harvest skill (Ill go into those later). Weapon skills range from basic attacks to special attacks. Most of the basic weapons you find have 2 skills. Equipping the weapon will put the skills on your skill bar at the bottom of the screen. Shields also have up to four skills and they have no harvest skills.
Harvest skills allow you to harvest different resources around the world. In our game most weapons can harvest something. You dont just need a skinning knife to skin and gut, you can use any sharp object, with lower chances of getting good cuts or skin. Any axe can be used to get wood, and some even stone.
Special weapons and shields can be found, created, or earned in a quest. These items have rune slots which you can upgrade at a rune blacksmith, or if you have that skin you can attach them. Runes can add fire damage and other effects to weapons and shields. Side note, if you gut with a item with a fire rune it will cook the meat at the same time, also gut with a poison rune item and it will poison the meat. Later in the games development you will be able to use poison meat to.... well poison animals and people.
Last class of weapons are legendary items. These items have been created with dark magic and have souls binded to them. They have thier own levels and skills. They start off with one skill but as you use them they grow powerful. They are rare but are undestroyable and have skills only found on them.
Last thing is every weapon and shield has its own hitpoints besides legendary. If you allow weapon to reach 0 its destroyed for good. You will get some fragments which you can use to make a new weapon but all your runes are gone.
