If you're going to move away from things like durability, remove food as well, and drinks too I guess. No point there either. And plenty of other RP related mechanics that don't directly related to merchants, story, and combat...
Ah, but you see, if gear maintenance was anything like food, it'd actually be a good system.
Effect duration aside, food is a great form of optional management.
Preparing and managing your meals(and potions, it is done the same way after all) is a task that takes some effort to perform, but it is entirely optional when you don't want to go through the effort.
If you don't take the time to eat before every fight(which should really be "eat in between fights"), you don't get the benefits from that, but you can win fights without it.
The system is also usable at a minimum effort: just eat whatever you have mid-combat and hope for the best.
When you choose to interact with the food system, you gain benefits.
When you're forced to maintain your gear, you do it to avoid penalties.
If you look at it as a Penality. Maintaining an Weapon is like Maintaining your Character with food. Properly done it shouldn't be less funny than work with Food in an Game. Tha't why i'm also up to they should change Durability to Maintaing. The more you use it, the more it gets schredd, not so far that it is unlplayble, or weak, but so far that you benefit if you maintain it properly. Maybe even add an more complex core, so you have different ways to maintain it and the way you maintain it gives you different benefits. So like if you use that certain whetstone it holds longer until the maintainbar reaches 0 - if you use that certain whetstone it shredds normal, however its sharper so make slightly more damange - and so on.
Except some exceptions, where the whole Game is build so it works(like BotW), most of the Games out there have an pain in the Ass durability which adds nothing. Often there fall down this word "casual" and such, if you remove durability, but Hands down: In what way mit makes it more complex and challenging? Players who have the knowledge, there isn't any challengin nor depth/complexity in it. It slowly grows as an anoyance 'cause you know how it works. The only group who will find it "challenging" are the newcomers, and if you ask me, that is NOTHING which is fun to learn or where you feel rewarded afterwards, that you did it. Its not like an amazing Bossfight where you have to think, use tactics or (in case of Action RPG like Dark Souls) learn move pattern/polish your reflexes. That simply something which gets in your nerves after awhile - and it isn't even that realistic to begin with(if some people argue about Realism/Immersion). Like an Weapon would break SO FAST? Maintaning is in this Case more realistic and more immersive, and also beats the issues. In one Hand it's not forced down to the throat about people who don't care, in the other Hand (if properly done) it also can add a bit depth.
About this Streamlined/Mainstream argument:
The Question is, what Larian aims for. Which targed Audience they want to maintain. It might be only my Opinion, but from the Feeling which i've gotten from the first Game, they don't aim particiular only for the diehard dungeon and dragons Roleplay-Nerds, but want to deliever an Proper Pen & Paper similiar Feel with freedem and easy accessibility. If that wouldn't be they case, they wouldn't even begun this topic here to ask if they should get rid of it or if some people have suggestions for improvements/fixing.
Also this whole "Argument" of "Durability doesn't fit an Single-Player RPG":
Firstly: Now either most people are to young or don't have that much knowledge, but Durability isn't something which is introduced recently with MMORPG - but was an big Part of RPG way before this whole Multiplayerconcept was Popular. Thought i can't tell if in the origins of cRPGs - the Pen and Paper Games, durability was an thing.
Secondly: Even if that would be the Case, Divinity isn't exactly an Single-Player RPG. Often if some People here in this Forum(or Steam Forum) read about things like class-balancing and such, and dislike it because they mindlessly want stomp everything and blablabla and such, they tend to forget the uniqueness about Divinity Original Sin - and even more what Larian want to achieve with this Series. To draw this Pen & Paper feeling back to Videogames, and this with an 4-player-multiplayer-co-op. They seem really to focus on this Part, due their ideas like everyone have its own origin-stories which might cross with other quests of other storys, so you have to decide to do your own thing or stick together with people, which you play with. They even offer an Game-Master and Arena Mode. Divinity Original Sin 2- even if the SP crowed don't want to hear it, is clearly focused on this part. Obviously Larian tries also to please the SP Crowed due the origins of this Series, however they won't tradeoff SP for MP - and they shouldn't. For pure SP there are alot of ton other Games like Pillars of Eternity, Tyranny etc...
