I've noticed that armor use skill rather than your adventure level is the
primary limiting factor on what armor you can wear. If for example, you're in Spiritist and you want to play as a pure Spiritist because that's the one class you want to play as then you will never have enough armor use skill to wear
plain cloth armor that fits your current adventure level.
Let me break that down:
- Several schools only get 8 armor use per level
- All armor above T1 requires 10 armor use per level
Kenaf cloth requires: 210 armor use and level 21 at a minimum (10/level)
Padded kenaf cloth requires 310 armor use and level 31 at a minimum (10/level)
...
Ironsilk cloth requires: 810 armor use and level 81 at a minimum (10/level)
Padded ironsilk cloth requires 910 armor use and level 91 at a minimum (10/level)
This pattern is the same for every armor type, not just cloth - At level 100, someone in a school that gives 8/level can't wear t5 armor of any type
- At level 100, this FORCES anyone who plays a class that gives 8 armor use/level to level a school that gives 9/level up to 90 just to wear the BARE MINIMUM of armor for their tier.
- This also FORCES anyone who plays a class that gives 9 armor use/level to level school that gies 10/level up to 91 to wear any armor from a looted form (The best armor they are capable of wearing in that class)
- The only schools that give 10/level are Warrior, Mage, Scout, Guardian, Monk, Spearman, Elemental Archer, and Berserker
- At best, anyone who does not level one of the above classes is forced to wear the armor type pertaining to their class that is the worse of two options... due to as little as two points of armor use in t2 armor and a paltry difference of 10 armor use in t5.
Is there any benefit to 1000 armor use? No. None whatsoever, the armor you can wear is already limited by your school, and t5 platemail only needs 910 armor use. So why is it that 10 armor use per level is so heavily focused on? Shouldn't your adventure level already give you enough skill to equip the bare minimum for your tier? Is there any reason why a level 81 Battle Mage (who is supposed to be able to wear platemail) cannot wear level 81
plain cloth armor while a level 81 Mage can?
This system forces players to level classes they might not even want just to be able to wear armor that fits their tier. True, that would be fine in most cases: mystic classes would probably want mage as a base school, melee classes would probably want warrior as a base school, bow classes would probably want scout as a base school, disciples would probably want monk as a base.... but mystic classes wouldn't necessarily want Guardian as their base school. In fact I can't think of a reason why you WOULD want a prestige class.... as your base class.
TL;DR:
Armor use should not limit what armor you can wear, that's already limited by your level and your school. Armor from looted forms is also limited by how easily you can find the forms and/or someone willing to craft them for you.
You should be able to wear level 81 armor for your class at level 81.