5 Reasons Why Armor Breaking Doesn't Make Sense and Should be Removed from ESO

GrumpyDuckling

1) Armor breaking does not provide a "realistic" experience for players. If that was the goal, then weapons would break too.

2) Armor becomes damaged even if a player doesn't get touched by enemies - it becomes damaged when a player gains experience.

3) Armor breaking inconveniences players. Not many players get excited about having to stock armor repair kits or frequently visit vendors to repair armor.

4) Broken armor slows group content. When groups (especially random groups) are struggling in a dungeon, armor starts breaking and if a player doesn't have repair kits, then things get uglier and it hurts the group.

5) Broken armor only detracts from a player's build and experience. Drinking potions, keeping weapons enchanted, and consuming food and drink all offer boosts to a character without negative consequence - making them justifiably useful elements in the game. Broken armor only serves to harm.

Note: If anyone wants to argue in favor of armor breaking as a necessary and contributing gold sink to balance the game's economy, then I'd like to offer the preemptive counterargument that there are better ways to balance the game's economy (such as offering less gold rewards, for example).

BruhItsOver9000

It's a gold sink, chill.

Axoinus

Agreed. 'Nough said.

GrumpyDuckling

BruhItsOver9000 wrote: »

It's a gold sink, chill.

Not a good reason to justify it being in the game.

MerkzM8

Wouldn't want everyone at zenimax to go poor now, would you. Don't you know they make all they're money off crown store repair kits?

UltimaJoe777

1) Armor in reality DOES wear down, whether bashed upon or simply rusting away.

2) They COULD give Weapons Durability too, but can you imagine your Weapon breaking in the middle of a boss fight or big PvP brawl? And if Armor lost Durability with every hit repairs would be needed even MORE! Durability is legit but I personally dislike it lol

3) Yes, but it's immersive. Least broken Armor doesn't disappear forever...

4) Writs to the rescue!

5) As it should, but at least the Base Armor Stat doesn't slowly deplete as it wears down like it used to.

Gold sink or not, Durability mechanics are legit. Some games have it way worse though!

bebynnag

weapons may not be effected by durability, but your weapon's enchant does deplete and poisons are consumed.

alexkdd99

So since weapons don't have to be repaired it is not realistic for armor to be repaired?

And the enchantment or poisons are weapons equivalent of being repaired

You should always join dungeons prepared, and I suggest carrying extra repair kits and selling them to your group members of they need them. At cost of course no need in trying to make a profit on repair kits.

GrumpyDuckling

puffytheslayer wrote: »

weapons may not be effected by durability, but your weapon's enchant does deplete and poisons are consumed.

Both of those effects, enchants and poisons, are additive to your weapon. If they run out your weapon still does damage and you're not significantly hampered.

GrumpyDuckling

alexkdd99 wrote: »

So since weapons don't have to be repaired it is not realistic for armor to be repaired?

And the enchantment or poisons are weapons equivalent of being repaired

You should always join dungeons prepared, and I suggest carrying extra repair kits and selling them to your group members of they need them. At cost of course no need in trying to make a profit on repair kits.

So since armor has to be repaired it is realistic that weapons don't have to be repaired?

Weapon enchants and poisons are not the equivalent of armor repairs. Enchants and poisons enhance your character and won't significantly cripple your character if they run out.

You're right about needing to carry extra repair kits for unprepared teammates - learned that the hard way during my first few random dungeons.

bebynnag

GrumpyDuckling wrote: »

puffytheslayer wrote: »

weapons may not be effected by durability, but your weapon's enchant does deplete and poisons are consumed.

Both of those effects, enchants and poisons, are additive to your weapon. If they run out your weapon still does damage and you're not significantly hampered.

my enchantments increase my weapon & spell damage, my enchantment running out can made a world of difference in vMA

susmitds

You say weapons need repairing?

If I shoot a guy wearing Kevlar armor with an AK-47, which would need repairing, the gun or the armor?

GrumpyDuckling

puffytheslayer wrote: »

GrumpyDuckling wrote: »

puffytheslayer wrote: »

weapons may not be effected by durability, but your weapon's enchant does deplete and poisons are consumed.

Both of those effects, enchants and poisons, are additive to your weapon. If they run out your weapon still does damage and you're not significantly hampered.

my enchantments increase my weapon & spell damage, my enchantment running out can made a world of difference in vMA

I agree with you. But you can still complete the content if you know what you're doing. Try doing VMA with broken armor, which has a much more substantial effect on your player.

Weapon enchants are positive additions to your weapons - it's not like your weapons stop working when the enchant runs out. Armor delves deeply into the negatives when it runs out.

Totalitarian

susmitds wrote: »

You say weapons need repairing?

If I shoot a guy wearing Kevlar armor with an AK-47, which would need repairing, the gun or the armor?

90% sure you could throw an AK into the Sun and it'd be fine.

It's up there with Nokias, Twinkies, and cockroaches in terms of surivability and durability.

Asata

Yeah, #2 is total BS. If you start actually grinding something (zombies for instance), in a few minutes your armor is completely broken, even if nothing touched you. That's just stupid. Incredibly stupid.

Ch4mpTW

To be honest, outside of being a means for players to burn gold (like having to spend gold on mount improvements daily, instead of it being account-wide) — I honestly don't see its use in this game. Unlike most games where as if you don't "fix" your gear, and keep it properly maintained — you lose it completely? This game simply just makes the gear you're wearing lose its armor benefits, as well as a few other minuscule losses. It's there for nuisance purposes at best. Honestly.

menedhyn

GrumpyDuckling wrote: »

1) Armor breaking does not provide a "realistic" experience for players. If that was the goal, then weapons would break too.

But, having to repair or tend to your armour is realistic. The fact that weapons don't need attention in the same way is mildly disappointing and I agree that they should function, deteriorate or 'weaken' in some way, assuming that was the goal.

GrumpyDuckling wrote: »

2) Armor becomes damaged even if a player doesn't get touched by enemies - it becomes damaged when a player gains experience.

I completely agree, this doesn't make sense.

GrumpyDuckling wrote: »

3) Armor breaking inconveniences players. Not many players get excited about having to stock armor repair kits or frequently visit vendors to repair amor.

Yes, and I for one like the inconvenience. And yes, I know i'm probably in the minority here! As with many crafting features of the game that touch on historical and/or practical matters, spending time looking for and travelling to, say, a blacksmith workshop in a town, settlement or camp is part and parcel of owning and using such gear (in my mind, anyway). Repair kits are a cute and convenient in-game alternative (or even a necessity in some situations).

GrumpyDuckling wrote: »

4) Broken armor slows group content. When groups (especially random groups) are struggling in a dungeon, armor starts breaking and if a player doesn't have repair kits, then things get uglier and it hurts the group.

5) Broken armor only detracts from a player's build and experience. Drinking potions, keeping weapons enchanted, and consuming food and drink all offer boosts to a character without negative consequence - making them justifiably useful elements in the game. Broken armor only serves to harm.

I can understand how this can be annoying, despite my nod of appreciation towards historical accuracy elsewhere, and I have had a couple of slightly embarrassing scenarios as a result. It must be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to find a fair balance between factual, fantastical and practical. Maybe some of the difference lies with what works with solo content and group content? Maybe it also depends on whether, like me, you crave the little details that lend themselves to role-play? I guess i'm trying to say that I much prefer to see things improved, developed and function better rather than done away with.

Mind you, the list of things I would tweak would probably result in a game that nobody else but me wanted to play...

Gargath

1) For me it provides realistic experience. I know I have to repair my armor by those 2 clicks on a frequest basis and really it's not a problem. Also doing a lot of random dungeons I have a lot of soul gems so it's also not an issue to charge weapons even depleted in 30-40%, because my weapons also need love . I have nothing against breaking weapons mechanics, if that would be a new feature.

2) Sure, it would be too easy to just make ranged attacks and have no damage at all, too easy and not immersive enough imho. It's a good and acceptable way to spend some coins on repairs. In fact when we go grinding we earn not only a lot of money but also we get a lot of gears and mats, which can be sold to gain money for repairs. This way or another we usually get enough money in our pocket even when spending some on repairs. I personally like such economy very much - cause and effect.

3) I never stock repair kits, since their costs is higher than repairs at merchants. Also most of activities, which I start in fully repaired armor, simply must end before armor is completely broken. If the acitivity lasts longer, usually that means it's somethign wrong and already this activity starts to annoy, probably it's about killing the same monsters on multiple approaches. I had such situation maybe once when my group was trying HRC veteran trial and we died too much because we were inexperienced - before our armors were completely broken we were already so much bored most of people just left and soon the rest of us. But still I think the armor breaking is a cool feature, because we need to consider it happens and frequently check all armor parts for damage.

4) That's another way to either show how much experienced you are in game or find a new friends. If you see someone is good enough but he just forgot his repair kits or forgot to rapair his armor after last run, you can share yours. Also you can refuse to share if you see the player is really bad tank, healer, dps, a complete noob and not only have destroyed armor, no kits, but also don't want to learn - enough reasons to kick from group and bring better replacement.
We can also ask some friends out of our actual activity, to buy us some kits and send by email. If the kits are not bound, then no problem here, just another way to find solution that brings personal satisfaction .

5) It's also an important part of the game, just like to remember about eating food or drinking drinks before group activity to avoiding fighting boss without extra resources. The more we need to think about, the more interesting and complex the game is, in my opinion.

Note: Imo the game economy is based on how much you play, but every time you do something you get some coins. Armor repairs is just a minor issue when it comes to economy, because we earn much more on activities, than we must spend on repairs. In fact I never considered repairs as a major part of the economy. This is just something that must be done from time to time, and there is always enough money for this goal.

ADarklore

Asata wrote: »

Yeah, #2 is total BS. If you start actually grinding something (zombies for instance), in a few minutes your armor is completely broken, even if nothing touched you. That's just stupid. Incredibly stupid.

Really? Since I play a ton of alts, I tend to do a lot of grinding, and if 15-20 minutes or more of intense grinding to you is 'a few minutes' I wonder what you think the time in doing quests? Because typically my armor doesn't get to the point of being fairly useless until it hits about 20-25%... and that takes, when grinding zombies in Coldharbour, about 15-20 minutes with level 44 gear.

Also, you have to realize that ZOS sells repair kits, so they wanted to add something to the game that gave them a chance to make money; ZOS is a 'for profit' company and they are running ESO 'like a business'.

Lokryn

This is a non-issue. Having the need to repair armor has been part of gaming, even MMOs, for a long time. Suck it up.

Shogunami

I agree fully.

The way the system works now is quite dumb. I wouldn't mind armors and weapons breaking, even to the point of actually breaking completely and have to be reforged.

Let us repair our own gear with materials, make it meaningful.
How come an alchemist or a generic cook can repair my leather and plate armor when I, a master crafter, cannot?

Enchants should be drained and have to be refilled, this makes complete sense. Armor breaking from nothing and you by yourelf can't do anything about it doesn't make any sense.


For me, causal-serious player, there are absolutely no needs whatsoever for any kind of gold sink in this game except for the bag merchants (which is also stupid). I spend all time online grinding gold and selling stuff so that I can experiment with gear - gold sinks only kill the fun.
But then again grinding gold to craft gear is what ESO is all about, and nothing else, so I might be the wrong person entirely to speak about this.

bertenburnyb16_ESO

alot of things dont make sense in this game..... cuz magic
ur point?

jircris11

GrumpyDuckling wrote: »

1) Armor breaking does not provide a "realistic" experience for players. If that was the goal, then weapons would break too.

2) Armor becomes damaged even if a player doesn't get touched by enemies - it becomes damaged when a player gains experience.

3) Armor breaking inconveniences players. Not many players get excited about having to stock armor repair kits or frequently visit vendors to repair armor.

4) Broken armor slows group content. When groups (especially random groups) are struggling in a dungeon, armor starts breaking and if a player doesn't have repair kits, then things get uglier and it hurts the group.

5) Broken armor only detracts from a player's build and experience. Drinking potions, keeping weapons enchanted, and consuming food and drink all offer boosts to a character without negative consequence - making them justifiably useful elements in the game. Broken armor only serves to harm.

Note: If anyone wants to argue in favor of armor breaking as a necessary and contributing gold sink to balance the game's economy, then I'd like to offer the preemptive counterargument that there are better ways to balance the game's economy (such as offering less gold rewards, for example).

every mmo has something like this it is a gold sink but honestly it is not that bad. i repair every time i go to a merchent (thanks to an add on) and it does not cost me crap.

CasNation

Regarding #2, they can't make it based on the actual hits your armor takes. Imagine the cost disparity between tanks needing to repair their armor and their DPS counterparts. It would be an intrinsically unfair system.

Violynne

I will admit I found it rather surprising armor degrades but weapons do not, but I will have to disagree with the OP on a few points.

I do find it realistic, though I do agree the XP degradation is a bit ridiculous. Yes, it can get expense paying to have armor repaired, but it makes my play feel more genuine.

If anything, I wish weapons would also degrade, but I can see why they chose to omit it.

The amount of gold one can make in this game isn't realistic, and so it becomes another avenue for players to spend it. I have over 300k in my bank, and about 40k on my person and I never seem to run out (though starting a new character, paying for bag upgrades, then deleting it after a "whoopsie" can really eat up the gold).

I think the game is fine the way it is. Sure, some improvements can be made, but I wouldn't want the armor degradation removed from it. It's bad enough I feel OP as it is. Why make this feeling even worse?

ADarklore

Shogunami wrote: »

I agree fully.

The way the system works now is quite dumb. I wouldn't mind armors and weapons breaking, even to the point of actually breaking completely and have to be reforged.

Let us repair our own gear with materials, make it meaningful.
How come an alchemist or a generic cook can repair my leather and plate armor when I, a master crafter, cannot?

Enchants should be drained and have to be refilled, this makes complete sense. Armor breaking from nothing and you by yourelf can't do anything about it doesn't make any sense.


For me, causal-serious player, there are absolutely no needs whatsoever for any kind of gold sink in this game except for the bag merchants (which is also stupid). I spend all time online grinding gold and selling stuff so that I can experiment with gear - gold sinks only kill the fun.
But then again grinding gold to craft gear is what ESO is all about, and nothing else, so I might be the wrong person entirely to speak about this.

That's wrong... you can BUY the repair kits from the Crown store and repair armor yourself. Armor repair isn't JUST a 'gold sink' in ESO, it's also a money-maker for ZOS. This is also why they made merchant assistant unable to repair gear, so you'd either have to break off your questing/grinding to go find a merchant to repair OR buy repair kits from the Crown Store so you can repair and stay in the field.

I understand your point, BUT, it wouldn't make any money for ZOS. So making armor repair inconvenient and then 'selling' convenience DOES make ZOS money.

idk

BruhItsOver9000 wrote: »

It's a gold sink, chill.

This and it's common to MMOs. It's not very costly in this MMO to repair.

the_man_of_steal

It's much tougher to make gold consistently with AP being buffed along with writs not being worth it anymore. ZOS should scale back the durability costs in general.

Shadesofkin

I cannot imagine a world where you'd want number 4 to happen, so you do the very intelligent thing and NEVER PUG. Then, you always have a friend or guildmate who's got a ton of repair kits or remind you to grab a few.

Qbiken

#justpugthings
This isn´t an issue. It´s comperable to jumping into a lake and then complaining about getting wet.....

NewBlacksmurf

I honestly read the subject and thought naaaah this guy.....

BUT, #1 and #2 touch on things that create a valid point of view.


I'm not of a desire to have weapons break too so I'd think that if the enchants, charges, etc may be a better align with the games logic or lack of logic because WE CANT repair our own items that I actually crafted which has 0 logic.

It is an issue but many have gotten use to certain things but that doesn't mean it's not an issue.
Complaints are
-repair kits vs crafter repair kits
-assistants don't offer repairs
-charging some things and repairing others but not both
-having to stop during scheduled trials due to anything listed above
-early on.....not having enough soul gems or being able to buy repair kits (not usually an issue for players well into level 50 content)