All currency is digital, stored via:
• Bastion banking networks
• Corporate sub-ledgers
• Mercenary Contract Board escrow
• Enclave encrypted terminals
• Portable ledger chips (outside the Bastion)
Physical cash does not exist in meaningful volume.
Copper equivalent.
Used for:
• Street food
• Basic ammo
• Low-grade repairs
• Cheap lodging
• Frag-Zone gambling
1 Crown = 100 Shards
1 Shard = 100 Sparks
1 Crown = 10,000 Sparks
Spark is the currency of daily survival.
Silver equivalent.
Used for:
• Weapon maintenance
• Mid-tier equipment
• Rent
• Transport fees
• Bribes
• Enclave trade deals
Shard is the functional working currency.
Gold equivalent.
Used for:
• Corporate contracts
• Frame maintenance
• High-end weapons
• Property acquisition
• MCB payouts
• Bulk resource deals
Crown is strategic currency.
Entry-level technician:
• 45–70 SHD per week
(~0.5–0.7 Crown weekly)
Mid-tier professional:
• 1–2 CRN per week
Senior corporate staff:
• 5–12 CRN per week
Executives:
• 25+ CRN weekly (plus stock leverage)
Rent inside Bastion:
• 30–80 SHD weekly for small apartment
• 2–4 CRN for premium vertical housing
Food:
• 5–10 SHD weekly
Bastion citizens live comfortably — not luxuriously — unless high tier.
Standard UDF Soldier:
• 1 CRN weekly
Hazard bonus:
• +0.5–2 CRN per high-risk deployment
Frame-certified operator:
• 3–5 CRN weekly
UDF benefits include:
• Housing subsidy
• Food credit
• Medical priority
They are stable, not wealthy.
Unaligned civilian:
• 20–40 SHD weekly (inconsistent)
Gang-affiliated member:
• 0.5–2 CRN weekly (volatile)
Warborn Blooded:
• 2–5 CRN weekly equivalent (loot + influence)
Freedocks smuggler:
• 3–10 CRN per successful run
Income is unstable but scalable.
Riders do not draw salary.
Guildhalls provide:
• Ammo
• Equipment
• Food
• Repair access
Some Riders take MCB contracts.
Typical Duskrider income:
• 3–15 CRN monthly depending on activity
They are not rich.
They are sustained.
Street meal: 3–5 SPK
Mid-tier meal: 10–20 SPK
Bastion restaurant: 1–3 SHD
Cheap lodging (outside walls): 10–25 SPK per night
Bastion apartment (weekly): 40–80 SHD
Basic Pistol (salvaged): 15–30 SHD
Ares mid-tier pistol: 1–2 CRN
Hades premium pistol: 4–8 CRN
SMG (standard): 2–4 CRN
Rifle (military grade): 5–12 CRN
Shotgun (breach spec): 3–7 CRN
Heavy Weapon: 15–40 CRN
Melee weapon (functional): 5–20 SHD
High-end blade: 2–6 CRN
Light armor: 20–50 SHD
Mid armor: 1–4 CRN
Heavy armor: 5–15 CRN
Frame repair (minor): 3–10 CRN
Full Frame overhaul: 20–50 CRN
New Frame (Bastion only):
200–600 CRN depending on model
Outside Bastion:
Frames are salvaged and priceless.
Ammo (standard magazine): 5–15 SPK
Specialized ammo: 1–5 SHD per mag
Incendiary charge: 2 SHD
Breach explosive: 5–10 SHD
Medical kit: 2–6 SHD
Advanced medkit (Tao): 1–3 CRN
The MCB standardizes risk pricing.
Contracts are tiered:
Tasks:
• Courier runs
• Light escort
• Low-density sweep
Payout:
• 10–25 SHD
Often taken by rookies.
Tasks:
• Mid-density infected clearing
• Frag-Zone enforcement
• Target elimination
Payout:
• 1–3 CRN
Common bread-and-butter work.
Tasks:
• Tyrant elimination
• Corridor stabilization
• Strategic asset recovery
Payout:
• 5–15 CRN
Professional-level contracts.
Tasks:
• Multi-block swarm purge
• High-value corporate extraction
• High-density sector breach
Payout:
• 25–75 CRN
Rare.
Tasks:
• Mass convergence break
• Anchor collapse
• City-altering intervention
Payout:
• 100–300+ CRN
Few operators survive multiple S-Tiers.
To contextualize:
1 CRN = roughly a week of stable Bastion survival.
10 CRN = significant personal upgrade.
100 CRN = small property purchase.
500+ CRN = faction-level capital.
Inside the Bastion:
Structured capitalism with risk buffering.
Outside:
Leverage economy driven by:
• Violence
• Salvage
• Smuggling
• Reputation
Every district recognizes Credits.
But outside the walls:
Respect is often more valuable.