Armor Unbreaking durability loss scaling is inconsistent and unintuitive compared to tools

Description:
In Minecraft Java Edition (latest version and many prior versions), the Unbreaking enchantment on armor uses a fundamentally different durability loss formula compared to tools and weapons. This difference causes armor to lose durability far more frequently than players expect, even at very high Unbreaking levels.

The armor durability loss chance per damage instance follows this formula:
60% + (40% ÷ (Unbreaking Level + 1))

In contrast, tools and weapons use the formula:
Unbreaking Level ÷ (Unbreaking Level + 1) chance to ignore durability loss.

Player expectations and discovery:
When using Unbreaking on armor, I always assumed it worked the same way as tools, giving better durability-saving effects at higher levels. However, after discussing with experienced players who work with datapacks and manage servers, I found out that armor actually loses durability much more often than tools because of this different formula. Before, I thought armor was just breaking quickly due to its low durability or because mobs deal high damage. Now I realize the real cause is the way Unbreaking works differently on armor.

Why this feels unintended:

• Players expect Unbreaking to function consistently across armor, tools, and weapons, with higher levels providing better durability protection.

• Because of this hidden formula difference, armor loses durability much faster than players think, even with high Unbreaking levels.

• This behavior feels unintuitive and off, as it doesn’t match what is expected from the enchantment’s purpose.

• Players may not realize that their armor is degrading quickly because Unbreaking is not scaling effectively, leading to confusion and frustration.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Equip armor with different Unbreaking levels (e.g., 0, 1, 3, 10).

2. Take damage to trigger durability loss.

3. Compare how often armor loses durability versus tools with the same Unbreaking level.

4. Confirm that armor durability loss matches the formula above.

Expected result:
Armor’s Unbreaking enchantment should reduce durability loss frequency similar to tools and weapons, scaling proportionally with enchantment level.

Actual result:
Armor loses durability significantly more often due to a fundamentally different, less effective formula, leading to armor breaking faster than players expect even at high Unbreaking levels.

Additional information:

• This behavior occurs in unmodified vanilla Minecraft without any mods.

• The issue has existed for many versions but has not been reported because players generally assumed Unbreaking worked the same way for armor as for tools.

• Because of this difference, armor durability is reduced much faster than intended, affecting gameplay balance and player experience.

Impact:
The limited durability saving on armor makes Unbreaking feel unintuitive and inconsistent with how the enchantment works on tools, reducing its usefulness and value on armor. This affects gameplay balance and leads to armor breaking faster than players reasonably expect.

Thank you for reviewing this issue.