Ever see an Item set that you LOVE the 5 piece set bonus of, but it's hindered by Item Set Bonuses 2 through 4?

Elder Scrolls has grown since it's inception and a system designed around specific purposes for item weights has changed significantly. Heavy armor sets aren't always about defense anymore. Medium armor sets don't always influence stamina stat allocation, and the same for light armor and magicka.

With the standardization of bonuses and buffs in game, I think it could be considered to have a method in game where you could modify specific lines of Item Sets (2-4 bonuses) to tailor any given set to your specific playstyle. This could be done with a new currency similar to transmutation gems.

This would open up a lot of sets that have rather specific set bonuses (4% healing done) and let you customize it to the specific item bonus that benefits your build and playstyle.

Balance wise , every set in the game follows the same rule of power thresholds. 129 weapon/spell damage is balanced against 1487 penetration to provide comparable thresholds. So changing any one set bonus wouldn't have a game break effecting on balance.

Additionally stacking all into one stat has been possible due to the combinations of item sets available in game. Alleviating the fear that would cause easier stacking of a specific stat.

What this will do however is open up numerous sets to various play styles and create a true sense of play the way you want. Every 5 piece bonus would be accessible to any build creating a significant amount of diversity in game.