Feedback on Upgrade System

I’m in the “death loop” as we’ve all come to know it. All my gear is broken, I can’t find materials to make food and I can’t kill enemies to go to new areas to farm. I finally managed to get enough stuff together to upgrade my equipment thinking it would return to me repaired… but it doesn’t. It also has no indicator of what will happen when you do upgrade the armor. SO now I have all broken but upgraded gear!