Board Thread:Suggestions forum/@comment-116.14.197.217-20180905231636

Quite some time ago, when different types of weapons were added to the game, they did not make much sense, where swords and daggers had the same attack speed and reach, where a mithril dagger for 8 damage then was more attractive than a mithril sword, with 1 more ingot for 1 more damage. The re-working of weapons made each one of them have their own pros and cons, where you would have to trade speed, reach and knockback for the optimal weapon.

While that has been improved on, I feel that faction armor now still needs to be improved on. Lets say you were a good-aligned player with positive Lindon and Durin's Folk alignment, and had to choose between their gear. While both Dwarven and Elven armor are made from their respective steels, made from alloying iron and coal in each faction's forge, elven armor, has less armor protection than dwarven armor, making it less ideal, unless you have stacks of elven steel to burn on trying to make the armor have a higher rating, unless someone is roleplaying or just likes the armor design. It also makes no sense that Elves who have been seasoned warriors for hundreds of years have poorer armor than Uruks or Orcs, and the Rohirrim are unable to defend their borders properly as their gear is just too shitty. Thus, I feel that the armor system can be re-worked such that each faction's sets have their own pros and cons.

While it might need more re-working, the system would divide armors into three categories, light, medium and heavy armors, and like Wood-Elven Scout armor, having a full set of one faction's armor would give additional status effects to the user.

Light armor would include armors like Elven, Rohirric(soldier variant), Ranger and Galadrim armor. While they offer less protection, a full set will give the user speed and haste, giving players and units added mobility and attack speed. Mithril and Gondolinian armor would also fall under this category. This would make elven armor having one of the highest defences in this category more sensible as the elves have hundreds of years of experience and that they make incompetent armor would be laughable. This would also make Gondolinian armor more valuable and impressive as it is both defensive and mobile even before reforging.

Medium armor would include regular crafting-table armors, like iron and bronze armor. A full set will not give any buffs, but will also not offer any nerfs.

Heavy armor would include Dwarven, all Orcish, Rohirric Marshal and Gondorian armor. A full set would provide resistance, allowing wearers to take additional punishment, but would also add slowness and mining fatigue to the user, lowering attack speed and mobility. While these armors provide more protection, the user has to trade mobility for protection. Riding on horseback or wargs, however, should negate the speed reduction, allowing users to still traverse the lands of Middle Earth freely. I also feel that some armors, like Gondorian and Dol-Amroth need to be buffed, as Swan Knights, as Gondor's elite, should be able to hold their own against Black Uruks, as Mordor's Elite, making both viable choices as elite units for both factions.

Only a full set will give each armor their bonuses, and mixing sets will yield no buffs or nerfs. (Another more complicated solution would be to incorporate an armor weight system into the mod where if the armor exceeds a certain threshold would yield different status effects.)

I feel that such a system would not only balance out player armor, but also give units with lighter armor a fighting chance against other units, as 1v1 is no longer just about who has higher health and defense, but also dependent on agility and dps. 