Item permanence is antithetical to a healthy gear crafting economy in the mid to long term.
I propose that the crafting system be revitalized by introducing a new tier of crafted gear that can not be repaired that is a higher gear score than obtainable anywhere else in game:
- This gear’s durability should degrade at a rate that balances healthy item production and resource consumption
- This gear should have fully selectable modification slots for all slots
- This gear should be guaranteed craftable at maximum gear score with the maximum bonuses: food, trophies, Armor, town buff.
- Other in game systems such as crafting material drop rates should also be adjusted accordingly to promote the necessary consumption and production of non-permanent crafted gear.
A more wholistic and elegant solution is to completely abandon all gear item permanence retroactively applied to all gear in game now. And introduce accompanying changes to all levels of the crafting system such that it is deterministic instead of probabilistic in nature.
In essence: All gear should break eventually and become permanently destroyed. All crafting should be deterministic in nature instead of random low probability for desirable outcomes. The highest tier of gear should only be obtainable through crafting.
End game activities may reward gold in sufficient quantities as necessary to facilitate the purchase of the highest tier of crafted gear from auction.