I think it's a good idea, even though I don't really care if an armor is upgraded or not.
Atleast you gotta spend more time for it searching for the ressources/crafting it.
Thats bad, because it has different stats, other resistance and AC...
I cant agree with you STONEBALLS. What both of you are suggesting is to make armors even more ridiculously unavailable.
Armors should be reworked. I agree just up to that point. LA and LAmk2 are a waste of time to craft... they wont protect you from marauders or any humanoids or PKrs and yet you have to fight 6 golden geckos which are 12 when you think of HP increase (46-104?) Youll spend a mass of bullets for useless armor
Lvl2 armorer - 1 visit to the unguarded mine - 5 GMPs - 1 MAmk2 -20 min cooldown and even if youre killed once or 2 youre more better off than trying to do the tiresome LA quest...
All in all, encounters were strenghtened, low tier armors made unavailable, the same for MA which is not some end-game armor to be fully crafted from Hq Iron, LA ineffectivess (due to badass enc crits) and decreased significantly the armor weilding by players
Why do you want to fuck it up even more? Pre-wipe you could at least shot somebody for his armor in the wastes, now its all bluesuit party