Jonric: Is there a system for building or upgrading weapons, how does it work, and what kinds of improvements are possible? And will there be any rare or unique items?

Carsten Strehse: If the engineering skill of a character is high enough, he can build his own weapons or upgrades for weapons. The higher the skill the more complex stuff can be build. The same for armors. Collect some steel-plates and some leather bonds out of the dump from a village, and you have made the first step on the way to being protected against smaller weapons. Of course, the game has also some armors that can't be built on your own because they're too heavy or complex.