Suggestion: Lodestone

[blaaaat]

Fair preface, I haven't played SW yet. Can't until February. But lodestone is an item I'd really like to see in SW and which I think could have a place in the current gameplay.

 

Lodestones are kind of awesome and have a long nautical history, so it'd be nice to see them in the game.

• Lodestone rocks in the water that attract your (more luxurious) boats and make travel nearby slower/more clunky. This could be combined with the lingering request for sirens/mermaids as mobs that, rather than sing, simply live around lodestone rocks and will attack once you get within range.
• Lodestone as a resource for metal/mineral detectors. I think this might be a nice addition to the treasure searching feel already in place.
• Lodestone as a resource for an electromagnetic crane for boats to acquire treasure from the ocean floor (marked on the surface one way or another). A claw crane could work too for this, but this is a lodestone post and not a claw post.
• Lodestone as a resource for base and portable forcefields in case of volcano fun. I know we will get sacrifices to keep that at bay, but I feel something as destructive as that should come with more ways to deal with it.

Another thing that could tie in with forcefields is, well, I'd really love an island that's only periodically accessible. A fairy island would be one option, but that might be a lot like a ghost ship and I'd rather have the ghost ship. Next option then is an island that comes and goes with eruptions/during volcano season. The thing with sacrifices is that it keeps the volcano calm rather than provide the player with a method to engage this gameplay aspect. The forcefield would be the method and the island a motivator.

 

And not related to lodestone at all, I'd love to see a (moving) raft-island be implemented that houses a small population of a new kind of hunchback mob. Like one that'd jump in the water to deal with sea hounds. And that maybe can be brought along for a bit with the right payment.