Tier System

Overview

The CHIPS tier system rewards consistent, high-quality work. As your Reputation grows, you unlock higher-value projects, lower commitment deposits, and more concurrent claims.

There are five tiers, inspired by loot-tier progression:

Fresh

Your starting point. Every new designer begins here.

• Commitment Deposit: 0% (no deposit required)
• Max Active Claims: 1 project at a time
• Value Cap: Projects up to 100 CHIPS
• Account Minimum: 0 CHIPS

Fresh is a supervised onboarding period. Complete 5 successful projects to graduate to Common. A 3-strike policy applies: 3 failures within 30 days results in removal from the platform.

Common

You have graduated. You are building your track record.

• Reputation Range: 0 -- 29
• Commitment Deposit: 30%
• Max Active Claims: 2 projects
• Value Cap: Projects up to 250 CHIPS
• Account Minimum: 0 CHIPS

At Common, you start locking Commitment Deposits on claims. Deliver consistently to grow your Reputation and move to Rare.

Rare

Rising through the ranks. Your reputation is growing.

• Reputation Range: 30 -- 59
• Commitment Deposit: 25%
• Max Active Claims: 3 projects
• Value Cap: Projects up to 499 CHIPS
• Account Minimum: 0 CHIPS

Rare designers see higher-value projects and can juggle more concurrent work. Your Trust Discount kicks in with a lower deposit percentage.

Epic

Trusted professional. Clients see you first.

• Reputation Range: 60 -- 84
• Commitment Deposit: 20%
• Max Active Claims: 5 projects
• Value Cap: Uncapped
• Account Minimum: 100 CHIPS

Epic designers get priority access to new projects (10-minute head start over lower tiers). You can take on uncapped project values and handle more work simultaneously.

Legendary

Maximum earning power. The top tier.

• Reputation Range: 85 -- 100
• Commitment Deposit: 10%
• Max Active Claims: 7 projects
• Value Cap: Uncapped
• Account Minimum: 200 CHIPS
• Review Panel Eligible: Yes

Legendary designers get immediate access to all projects, the lowest commitment deposits, the most concurrent claims, and eligibility to serve on the Review Panel (dispute resolution).

How Reputation Works

Your Reputation is a score from 0 to 100, calculated from:

Your score grows gradually. It reaches full formula weight after 20 approved projects, so early consistency matters.

Inactivity decay: If you do not complete any projects for 30 days, your Reputation decays at -0.1 per day. Stay active to maintain your tier.

Diminishing Returns

To keep the marketplace healthy, working with the same client repeatedly has diminishing returns on your Reputation:

Diversify your client base to maximize your Reputation growth.

Leveling Up

There is no application process to change tiers. Your tier is determined automatically by your Reputation score. Hit the threshold, and you level up immediately. Drop below it, and you move down.

The one exception is Fresh: you must complete 5 supervised projects to graduate, regardless of your Reputation score.