Big changes to item damage rules?

[Draccus]

I've noticed some major differences in when items take permanent damage since Update 1. Is it just coincidence or has anyone else noticed the change.

The first change is that my main character, who has very few non-bound items, has started taking damage almost every time I repair, even if the repairs are low and not as a result of a death.

Case in point: I've had my bloodstone for about 8 months. It has never taken permanent damage. Right after Update 1, however, I ran one of the new quests and repaired afterwards. The total repair bill was about 1100 gold (a repair after a death is usually 7000 gold) so it was fairly minor. My Bloodstone took its first permanent damage. Ouch!

On the next quest, with no deaths, I repaired and it took permanent damage again. Two in a row after 7 months without permanent damage? Man, I shoulda bound this thing!

Next, I've noticed that my new FvS is taking HUGE amounts of permanent damage. He never, ever dies (strength based melee spec FvS = easy peasy lemon squeezy) but takes damage to 4-8 items EVERY REPAIR.

I have a brand new Holy LS of Pure Good that he started using at level 10. I'm about 70% of the way to level 11 and the thing is already 20% permanent damage. The identical sword in the other hand is about 10% permanent damage. My +5 Mithril Chain Shirt, which I started wearing at level 8, is 50% gone. Again, I'm not taking these down to broken, I'm repairing them after every quest.

On top of all this, my rogue's Air-Air greensteel returning throwing dagger has damage but cannot be repaired as it doesn't show up on the repair list at a vendor.

Strange stuff. Is it just me?

[Visty]

oen thing as you keep repeating that:
damage done by death does NOT cause perma dmg

[Draccus]

oen thing as you keep repeating that:
damage done by death does NOT cause perma dmg

Agreed, and I wasn't implying that it did. What I thought was that the more damaged an item is, the more chance it has to take permanent damage. Since deaths cause more damage, in general, than not dying, repairs after multiple deaths have a higher chance of causing permanent damage.

[sirgog]

oen thing as you keep repeating that:
damage done by death does NOT cause perma dmg

Yep, that's important. If your gear is badly beat up because you died a lot it should repair with few or no permadamage ticks. If it's beat up because of heavy use but no deaths - expect permadings.

If you are using items with low minimum levels and fighting high CR foes, you seem to suffer more item damage. Epic difficulty quests, with the CRs of ~33 to ~40, are the worst offenders.

Another point: If you are not beating DR, you will suffer a LOT of item damage.

[voidholder]

Wonder how the permanent damage is calculated and does repairing often lead to same results than repairing more rarely..?

Anyway I think upping permanent damage is a good thing since it takes powerful items out of circulation by forcing to bind them or eventually breaking them useless.

[Talcyndl]

Wonder how the permanent damage is calculated and does repairing often lead to same results than repairing more rarely..?

I'm not gonna try and find it, but a Dev confirmed that when/how often you repair doesn't effect the chance of permanent damage.

[Healemup]

The way it has been described to work is that:

Death damage in now way contributes to permanent item damage.
Damage dealt by either using the item against a mob or received as a result of the actions of a mob (i.e. unfriendly spells or attacks) contribute to the chance that an item will receive permenant damage during the repair process.

During the repair process, the amount of current damage done to the item (not as a result of deaths) increases the percentage chance that the item will receive permanent damage.

So by repairing more often, you decrease the percentage chance that the item will receive permanent damage, but increase the number of times you have to check.

Conversely, the less often you repair, the percentage chance that the item will receive permanent damage increases, but you lower the number of times you check.