Rate of Durability Loss

Note: This post does not account for the recent updates (Chapter 8 pt. 1 - Bad Behavior [V. 1.33]). It seems the new durability loss is affected by the difficulty of the stage you play and how high of a tier your equipment is.

At first I thought durability loss was directly proportional to the time one spends in a battle; however, with several experiments I determined that loss of durability, in general, is caused by how many load screens you encounter in a battle.  For example: the battle called "Beginning of the Memory" (boss: Meperdu) has three stages, and thus three load screens, which include the load screen from the dock to the first stage of the battle.

Here's a summary of my findings through 18 load screens without repairing:

Item Type	Durability Loss Per Load Screen
Boots (feet)	2.00
Gloves (hands)	1.50
Leggings (legs)	1.67
Helm (head)	1.39
Tunic (chest)	1.78
Weapon (main hand)	1.89
Shield (off hand)*	1.50
Accessories**	0.94

Note:
*Shields were played through only six total load screens, so the durability loss rate is likely a bit higher than 1.5
**Accessories include: belts (waist), earrings, necklaces, and rings (finger). Charms and spell books were not tested, but I assume they will exhibit similar durability loss as other accessories do.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Armor type is not a factor for durability loss; both cloth and plate armor lose durability at the same rate.
• Items lose durability right after a stage is loaded (if you must ragequit, do so before a load screen).

Advice:

Because not all the durability loss rates are equal, you can determine the most cost-efficient way to run battles.  For example, if you must bring one piece of armor, bring a good helm since it has the lowest durability loss per load screen.  Sorry to say, that it seems like Fiona's repairs will be greater on average due to the need for both a weapon and a shield.

Also to minimize repair costs, you may consider which battles to do.  Raids are especially nice since they usually have one or two load screens.  If you're farming for scrolls, I think Blood Prince on Hero Mode is great because there's essentially just ONE load screen, and a four bosses.  At this location, you may find enchant scrolls like Stone, Resurgence, Prideful, and Maelstrom.

I would appreciate it if someone could test out the durability loss of charms and spell books. If you do, feel free to leave a comment or send an email!

As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.

Updated: 7/30/11