So, as everyone at this point knows, there are a big handful of tools and items that literally no one uses. Whether they be too expensive for their worth or them being completely overshadowed by others. So, here is a quick list that I have compiled, along with my recommendations on how each item could be balanced so it has a fair shot to be considered viable.
Survival Tab:
Healing Salve:
Ever since the release of Wortox, practically every healing item in the game became useless. The Healing salve is the biggest loss because it heals as much as one soul. Also, butterfly wings exist, so unless you're doing a Winter-Only world, you don't have a reason to craft something that heals 20 HP, since you can easily get 5+ butterfly wings during 1 day of hanging around flowers.
Recommendation: Raise the HP healed to 30.
Honey Poultice:
This is in the same boat as the Healing Salve, ie overshadowed by Wortox, and butterfly wings to an extent.
Recommendation: Raise the HP healed to 40.
Piggyback:
It's a great idea on paper, and is actually okay as an item. However, it's severely underused.
Recommendation: Increase the Piggyback's inventory space to match the Krampus Sack, and keep the movement speed nerf.
Insulated Pack:
It's an item that requires you to kill a boss monster (that doesn't spawn until 1 full year has passed, mind you) so it doesn't have any real reason to *not* be an upgrade to the normal backpack.
Recommendation: Increase the Insulated Pack's inventory space to match the backpack.
Fight Tab:
Tail o' Three Cats:
It has an interesting concept, however no one ever uses this because it's gimmick of removing aggro is a tad wonky, coupled with the fact that it only has 150 durability, despite it's high cost to craft.
Recommendation:
-Increase durability to 400
-Increase chance to de-aggro mobs to 75% chance per hit.
All Darts:
Darts, at the moment, are a complete waste of resources to craft because they only deal 100 damage each, which sounds a lot but keep in mind that it only takes 3 spear hits to do the same amount.
Recommendation: Increase the amount of Darts made per craft to 3.
Magic Tab:
Night Light:
It's cost to craft compared to it's usage is absolute garbage. At the moment, it's basically just a garbage bin for nightmare fuel, and even that isn't effective because said nightmare fuel doesn't even fuel it for that long.
Recommendation: Allow it to be used as a late-game firepit.
-1 nightmarefuel fuels it for 1 day (8 minutes)
-Allow the ability to cook on it.
Night Armor:
It breaks too easily, given it's cost.
Recommendation:
-Increase it's durability much higher than a log suit / football helmet (ex: 900-1000?)
-Increase the sanity drained when attacked (a hound, for example, only takes away 1 sanity per hit, perhaps we can make this something like 5 or 10?
Bat Bat:
It's durability is 75, and considering it's cost, that's so doo doo. Granted, you can regain a massive amount of HP with it so buffing it's durability might not be the best option, so the clear option is to lower it's cost.
Recommendation: Change the Recipe to [2 Bat Wings / 2 Living Log] (from 5 Bat Wings / 2 Living Logs / 1 Purple Gem)
Dress Tab:
Rain Hat:
Right now, the meta against the rain is umbrella + football helmet, which provides 100% protection. This discourages the use of *any* other wetness protection item in the game. No one even bothers using this for lightning protection as the Eyebrella can do that.
Recommendation: Increase the Rain Hat's wetness resistance to 90%.
Rain Coat:
It's in the exact same boat as the rain hat. Doubly so because it requires 2 tentacle spots to craft, for some reason.
Recommendation:
-Change the recipe to [2 Moleworms, 2 rope, 2 bone shard.] (from 2 Tentacle Spots, 2 rope, 2 bone shard)-Change the wetness resistance to 90%. (I did a goof and didn't know it is currently 100%.)
Dapper Vest:
No one ever even thinks about crafting this, save for when you need it to craft the Hibearnation vest. How do we fix this? Make it a discount Tam-O-Shanter.
Recommendation: Increase the Sanity gain to match the Tam-O-Shanter.
Ancient Tab:
Pick/Axe:
It's only problem is it's relatively low durability. The only time you'd use this is if you find it in a chest. If the durability was buffed, it could very well be the go-to tool for everyday tasks during late-game.
Recommendation: Greatly increase the durability (750?)
Thulecite Club:
It's more expensive than a Dark Sword, but it's also worse than a Dark sword. It costs 3 living logs, 4 thulecite, and 4 nightmare fuel to craft, as opposed to the simple 1 living log and 5 nightmare fuel of the dark sword. If we were to look at the crafting recipes, then the Club should practically be an upgrade to the Dark Sword.
Recommendation:
-Increase it's melee damage to match the Dark Sword (leave the shadow tentacle damage unchanged)
-Increase it's Durability to 250 (from 150)
Houndius Shootius:
Winona was made for the sole reason to provide an early-game Shootius. However, if we think about this, that just makes this structure entirely useless.
Recommendation: Increase the Houndius Shootius' damage to 150 (able to 1-shot hounds.)
If I missed anything, tell me below and I'll throw them into the spoiler below.
nothing here yet lmao