Interestingly (and with no small amount of risk), the team will never offer usable weapons or armor as loot from monsters. Any equipment you get from monsters will come in a broken state and will require a tradesman to repair them. Immediate gratification for warriors comes in the form of small gems dropped by the monsters. These can be socketed in to weapons and armor for neat little benefits. But the team is completely committed to the idea that "tradesmen ought to be relevant to the gameplay experience." Since everything you get is busted, you'll need these tradesmen to get the most out of your treasure.