Nothing lasts forever. Entropy creeps in around the edges at all times. Your favorite new shirt will develop fraying, then holes; your favorite book will become creased and worn; your new computer will start to develop issues and ultimately fail. Such is the way of all things. Even in Shroud of the Avatar with today’s major patch release, as it turns out, since the game is adding in a certain amount of fixed item decay that ensures that even your top-end crafted equipment will eventually wear down and need to be replaced.
The stated rationale for these changes is simply a matter of keeping the economy focused on crafting, since otherwise there would be no demand for high-end crafted equipment if it never decayed. Players can also take advantage of a new iteration on the game’s targeting system which brings back target cycling and target selection along with the last release’s major target changes. Combine that with a new masterwork system for dedicated crafters and the opportunity to fully move through the Path of Courage, and players should have plenty to do with this patch. Even though there will be more than a few nicks in the armor along the way.
