On average, the lower the boost the item grants, the easier it is to maintain. It is only after the item has existed for a while that they tend to need the really regular repairs. Given peoples attitude right now they certainly DO represent some ones wealth and stature, since only the wealthy are apparently keen to spend the money to own the item, and they would need to have a few damn good advies to repair them. Mind you this ISN'T what is required, but as it seems to be the general opinion of the player base it is about the same thing.
I don't think any such balancing is necessary. Some items should just be
better than others, and allowing the items that people actually want to decay faster defeats the whole purpose.
I don't really think that most people see them as the same thing? My least prestigious, least famous, and least wealthy noble has owned the most unique items in the family. I didn't get any recognition nor did I feel that it spoke to the
character's abilities, but rather to my own ignorance about how worthless the items were.
Yeah, no they also gain in their skill boost, if anyone can even be bothered to sort that out. Seriously people need to stop posting when they have so little experience with the system.
I have never seen a unique item with a skill boost, which makes them worthless 90% of the time. If it is only the exceptions, not the rule, that you can argue to, then maybe your argument (or the game mechanics) should be reworked.
I have little experience with it because in all but very few circumstances (and in those circumstances, the item apparently dies
faster...) I do not see any pragmatic gain to actually trying to get them.
