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It's commonly asked about how binding works, or how many bind levels an item will have, etc. To hopefully forever end this issue, here is a comprehensive explanation of the bind level system.
It is first important to understand the possible states of an item, though going into detail about these states is beyond the scope of this thread.
Here is a list of every possible general state an item can have:
For our purposes, we are only looking at #1 and #3 in this thread. Items labelled like in #3 are formerly tradable equipment items that have become bound. Any item labelled like in #2 that binds will become like #4 immediately, so bind levels do not apply to them.
To quickly cover the non-equipment items, these scenarios cause a material to bind to you like in #4:
Needless to say, equipment has its own entirely different set of rules. Aside from the Kitty Necklaces, Kitty Brooches, Redeemers Brooches, and Gold Bracelets, equipment will not bind under any conditions until certain criteria are met. The listed items above bind like in #4 the first time they are moved to another character, by any means, in exactly the same way as composite and awakening materials do. Leather/Copper/Silver Bracelets also immediately bind on purchase, but as they have remaining unbind counts, it will bind like #3.
Without getting into numbers yet, here is a list for reference of every criteria that can cause an item to bind:
If an item meets any of these criteria, it will be bound to you immediately. An unbound item that still meets any of these criteria will bind to the receiving character. Even within the same account.
Each time you unbind an item, the "remaining unbind count" decreases by 1. This number starts at 3 for items that can be unbound (Equipment bound as #1 or #3 ONLY).
When the remaining unbind count is at 1, the item is said to be on its last unbind. Once it's unbound again, the unbind text will change to say "This item can no longer be unbound." Whoever next receives the item will have it forever.
There are such items as "Additional Unbinding Coupons" that increase the remaining unbind count of an item by 1, but you CANNOT use them on items that state that they can no longer be bound. Additionally, you cannot raise the remaining unbind count of an item to higher than 3. These coupons only come from events, and you only have a limited amount of time to use them once you obtain them. Do not ever make gear plans or trading plans based on "restoring" unbinds, as these coupons are extremely rare.
You might wonder, "What determines the Bind Level of an item? Is it random?" There is actually a rigid system in place that calculates the Bind Level of an item, and it is also actually quite simple to understand, once you know how it counts.
First, every item has a "base" Bind Level, let's say. This base value determines the lowest Bind Level the item can have, and is the starting number for counting the end Bind Level of an item. It is determined completely by the level requirement of the item, and nothing else. These base Bind Levels are as follows:
So now you have your starting point, and that was actually the hardest step of this process. Congrats, you made it this far! For the next step, let's take another look at most of the list from above, of the criteria that make an item bind. This time, with just some slight adjustments:
For each criteria that your item meets on this list, add 1 to the base Bind Level. If the item has two ES within these criteria, such as Righteous Judgment, add 1 for each ES. It might look odd that enhancement and enchantment are listed multiple times. Each of these adds a separate +1; so for the case of a +20 accessory, that enhancement is contributing 5 bind levels.
...And with that, you now know all there is to know about Bind Level calculation!
As mentioned above in the list of criteria for an item binding, one of them was that event given items can be bound without meeting any usual criteria. These items have a Bind Level exactly identical to their base Bind Level. Once you unbind them, they will not bind again until they meet a normal bind criteria, such as having an r9 or higher enchant.
The Heart Antenna Headbands from a previous event are a good historical case of this. They are level 1, and were bound with text like shown in #3. They had 3 unbinds remaining, and a Bind Level of 2. You could unbind them, reducing their count to 2, and sell them over the MP or send them to an alt, however you wanted to get rid of them. Whoever next received them would receive them tradable like in #1, with 2 unbinds remaining. They would not bind.
Let's say you have a +15 4* Righteous Judgment Terminus Sentinel Scythe. It is fused to a Regina Scythe visually. What Bind Level will it have, without looking at the tooltip?
Starting with the base Bind Level, we can see the item is Level 70 or higher, so we start with 5.
It is enchanted with Righteous, an r7, so we add 1. 5 + 1 = 6
It is enchanted with Judgment, an r7, so we add 1. 6 + 1 = 7
It is 4*, so the quality does not affect its bind level.
It is fused to another weapon, so we add 1. 7 + 1 = 8
It is enhanced past 8, so we add 1. 8 + 1 = 9
It is enhanced past 14, so we add 1. 9 + 1 = 10
It will be Bind Level 10. Be aware that Bind Level does not cap, so if the scythe was 5*, it actually could achieve Bind Level 11. There is no known maximum yet.
Did I miss any aspects of the binding system that you would like me to cover, or did I not properly explain anything? If so, leave a post here and I will reply.
The Basics
Trade States
It is first important to understand the possible states of an item, though going into detail about these states is beyond the scope of this thread.
Here is a list of every possible general state an item can have:
- 1. "Can use all forms of trade" (no restrictions)
- 2. Can be mailed, or shared storage, or MP, or within account, or some combination of these.
- 3. "This item is bound to the character. (Bind Level : #)"
- 4. "This item is bound to this character." OR "This item cannot be traded."
For our purposes, we are only looking at #1 and #3 in this thread. Items labelled like in #3 are formerly tradable equipment items that have become bound. Any item labelled like in #2 that binds will become like #4 immediately, so bind levels do not apply to them.
What makes an item bind?
To quickly cover the non-equipment items, these scenarios cause a material to bind to you like in #4:
- Purchasing a material off the Marketplace (Dye Ampoules bind like #2).
- Receiving a Lv.90 composite material or skill awakening material via the Marketplace, Mailbox, Shared Storage, or Guild Storage. Even within your own account.
- Purchasing the material from the Supply Shop with seals.
- (Usually) being sent any item via Mailbox by a Nexon GM, even if it is equipment. (Any type of event prize or compensation). EXCEPTION: Mailed items that bind like in #2 will usually remain like #2.
Binding Mechanics
Needless to say, equipment has its own entirely different set of rules. Aside from the Kitty Necklaces, Kitty Brooches, Redeemers Brooches, and Gold Bracelets, equipment will not bind under any conditions until certain criteria are met. The listed items above bind like in #4 the first time they are moved to another character, by any means, in exactly the same way as composite and awakening materials do. Leather/Copper/Silver Bracelets also immediately bind on purchase, but as they have remaining unbind counts, it will bind like #3.
Without getting into numbers yet, here is a list for reference of every criteria that can cause an item to bind:
- The item has an enhancement level of 9 or higher.
- The item has a rank 9 or higher (lower number) enchant on it.
- The item has a quality rating of 5 stars. EXCEPTION: If you obtain a drop of a 5* item, such as 5* Madness, they will not bind to you.
- The item has been visually fused to another item.
- Some events give you equipment that binds to you, even without meeting any of these criteria. These items will not rebind once unbound, until they meet one of the above criteria.
- Performing Material Synthesis on a Composite item
- Socketing a gem into a Bracelet.
- Crafting a piece of equipment via expertise using at least one material that is bound to you.
- Trading a piece of gear that can be dismantled through any means other than Shared Storage or Guild Storage.
- Some event items, cash items, and Exchange Shop items can bind an item when used on it, regularly or permanently, as a cost of using them. Always read the description (and ask in Discord if concerned, since most text ingame is wrong).
If an item meets any of these criteria, it will be bound to you immediately. An unbound item that still meets any of these criteria will bind to the receiving character. Even within the same account.
Each time you unbind an item, the "remaining unbind count" decreases by 1. This number starts at 3 for items that can be unbound (Equipment bound as #1 or #3 ONLY).
When the remaining unbind count is at 1, the item is said to be on its last unbind. Once it's unbound again, the unbind text will change to say "This item can no longer be unbound." Whoever next receives the item will have it forever.
There are such items as "Additional Unbinding Coupons" that increase the remaining unbind count of an item by 1, but you CANNOT use them on items that state that they can no longer be bound. Additionally, you cannot raise the remaining unbind count of an item to higher than 3. These coupons only come from events, and you only have a limited amount of time to use them once you obtain them. Do not ever make gear plans or trading plans based on "restoring" unbinds, as these coupons are extremely rare.
Bind Levels
You might wonder, "What determines the Bind Level of an item? Is it random?" There is actually a rigid system in place that calculates the Bind Level of an item, and it is also actually quite simple to understand, once you know how it counts.
First, every item has a "base" Bind Level, let's say. This base value determines the lowest Bind Level the item can have, and is the starting number for counting the end Bind Level of an item. It is determined completely by the level requirement of the item, and nothing else. These base Bind Levels are as follows:
- Level 1-49: Bind Level 2
- Level 50 to 69: Bind Level 3
- Level 70 and up: Bind Level 5
So now you have your starting point, and that was actually the hardest step of this process. Congrats, you made it this far! For the next step, let's take another look at most of the list from above, of the criteria that make an item bind. This time, with just some slight adjustments:
- The item has an enhancement level of 9 or higher.
- The item has an enhancement level of 14 or higher.
- The item has an enhancement level of 17 or higher.
- The item has an enhancement level of 19 or higher.
- The item has an enhancement level of 20.
- The item has a rank 9 or higher enchant applied.
- The item has a rank 5 or higher enchant applied.
- The item has a quality rating of 5 stars.
- The item has been visually fused to another item.
For each criteria that your item meets on this list, add 1 to the base Bind Level. If the item has two ES within these criteria, such as Righteous Judgment, add 1 for each ES. It might look odd that enhancement and enchantment are listed multiple times. Each of these adds a separate +1; so for the case of a +20 accessory, that enhancement is contributing 5 bind levels.
...And with that, you now know all there is to know about Bind Level calculation!
Event Items
As mentioned above in the list of criteria for an item binding, one of them was that event given items can be bound without meeting any usual criteria. These items have a Bind Level exactly identical to their base Bind Level. Once you unbind them, they will not bind again until they meet a normal bind criteria, such as having an r9 or higher enchant.
The Heart Antenna Headbands from a previous event are a good historical case of this. They are level 1, and were bound with text like shown in #3. They had 3 unbinds remaining, and a Bind Level of 2. You could unbind them, reducing their count to 2, and sell them over the MP or send them to an alt, however you wanted to get rid of them. Whoever next received them would receive them tradable like in #1, with 2 unbinds remaining. They would not bind.
An Example of Bind Level Counting
Let's say you have a +15 4* Righteous Judgment Terminus Sentinel Scythe. It is fused to a Regina Scythe visually. What Bind Level will it have, without looking at the tooltip?
Starting with the base Bind Level, we can see the item is Level 70 or higher, so we start with 5.
It is enchanted with Righteous, an r7, so we add 1. 5 + 1 = 6
It is enchanted with Judgment, an r7, so we add 1. 6 + 1 = 7
It is 4*, so the quality does not affect its bind level.
It is fused to another weapon, so we add 1. 7 + 1 = 8
It is enhanced past 8, so we add 1. 8 + 1 = 9
It is enhanced past 14, so we add 1. 9 + 1 = 10
It will be Bind Level 10. Be aware that Bind Level does not cap, so if the scythe was 5*, it actually could achieve Bind Level 11. There is no known maximum yet.
Did I miss any aspects of the binding system that you would like me to cover, or did I not properly explain anything? If so, leave a post here and I will reply.
Last edited by Shippuu on Wed Sep 22, 2021 10:45 pm; edited 2 times in total
