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❥ hazel ︻デ═一@BluebriarArts · Aug 26, 2026

My personal thoughts on how to do good progression in an RPG (explanation in reply🧵)

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Summary

The author discusses RPG progression systems, arguing that sidegrade-based progression (giving players more diverse tools) is often better than extinction progression (making old gear obsolete). They provide examples like Library of Ruina's positive passive attribution system and Block Tales' limiting design, noting that extinction progression can still work in skill-based games like Deltarune.

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  1. #1

    My personal thoughts on how to do good progression in an RPG (explanation in reply🧵)

  2. #2

    A lot of RPGs have what I call "Extinction progression," where gear you acquire becomes deprecated as you gain new gear. "But Hazel," I hear you say, "isn't that a good way to incentivize the player to engage more?" Yes, but it's not always the best way...

  3. #3

    Some instead opt for giving the player sidegrades instead of upgrades, which I like more, and can be equally as engaging as the former, thanks to something called "emergent gameplay," where players are given more tools instead of better tools, increasing depth of play.

  4. #4

    Sidegrade-based progression (with direct upgrading used sparingly) lets the player get more mileage out of every new tool and system introduced, so you can keep using the things you like while not giving up on stuff you like.

  5. #5

    Good example: Library of Ruina's "Passive Attribution" system, which allows you to give passive abilities from previously obtained Key Pages (the game's equivalent of a class system) to new ones, allowing you to make powerful builds even with stuff you got in the early game.

  6. #6

    Bad example (in my opinion): Block Tales in general. Despite offering more options in the form of new swords, alternative weapons, and cards, you're still often tunneled into whatever is the most effective option for your party, either walling you or making the story a cakewalk.

  7. #7

    Extinction progression isn't always a bad thing either! In games like Deltarune, where most of the difficulty comes from skill-based gameplay, it's excusable since the system doesn't lend itself to equipment depth, as your party's roles are mostly fixed, and that's fine.

  8. #8

    Anyways, I'd like to hear your thoughts too! I love game design :D