^ This, sorry to butcher your whole post, but...yeah...just do this...eliminate the problem entirely
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With the new systems addded I would say perhaps do this.
Have repair NPCs only repair up to 50%.
When your gear is 51-75% you gain a 2x rate at spiritbonding while from 76-100% it's 3x rate.
This way there's an obvious reason to want it to get repaired by a player but if you can't find one or know of one your only handicap is it'll take longer to spiritbond the item.
I think a lot of this will remedy itself over the course of the next few months as the economy stabilizes. NPC prices for things are way down, leves and quests pay out less gil, but the long time crafters haven't really adjusted their rates yet. They simply have too much gil. With the required level on gear and other gil sinks going in, things should level out soon enough.
I miss the income from selling repair materials.
I never thought in a MILLION umbral eras that I'd say this... but if the only thing keeping gear damage legitimate is a death penalty? F**k it. EXP loss takes a little time and effort to get back (even though it sucks to do because it feels like you've lost something you're entitled to, something you've earned.) Gear Damage takes money - which you need to farm/craft/gather back - which will damage gear, which will need to be fixed, which will require money, which requires....blahblahblah. And on top of that, it takes the same amount of time (probably MORE than) a party would, which I could do for free, on my own class, without any other resources and an empty bank.
I HATE to say this.... EXP loss seems like the lesser evil ><
Screw EXP loss. No way in hell should that monstrosity ever return.
I don't see a problem with the current system.
Its like all of the sudden all the "easy mode" players are going crazy because they go out and dies a few time then "OMG" they have to take 2 minutes to repair there gear. Not to mention, everyones ideas here just take more and more away from the crafters.
You want easy mode repairs, level a craft. I don't understand how so many people are claiming it was or is so difficult to to get repairs. I garuntee you were the issue in that situation. I literally just stpped in a main traffic area, set my gaming laptop down, went to the restroom, returned, and everything was repaired. I never even offered money 1/2 the time, I always offered the repair item or dark matter for my fee. If it was a really really slow time of day, I simply send a shout. I may even send a tell for a particular craft. But who doesn't have 3 friends for every craft at 50 after a short time in game?
No need to attempt to make everyone suffer because your either incappable of making friends or aquantences in an MMO or are too lazy to level a craft.
My problem with exp loss is it does not account for DoLs and DoHs. If they get seen by a mob they can't fight it so they're gonna die and how is that fair or right? Why should they lose exp got by not killing mobs from being kill by a mob?