Source 2 (Source)

Each week, Q-3PO started a thread for you to share game tips with fellow players. Tuesday Tips will continue on. Have a little known command you use all the time, a cool place to visit, a trick (non-exploit) to getting more out of the game? Share it here. To get things started:

Weapon Decay

Weapons decay with usage; each time you use it, the item decays. When the condition of the weapon reaches 25% of the item's maximum total condition, the weapon’s minimum and maximum damage starts to decay. The item reaches a decay threshold at the 25% mark.

For every 1% below the 25% condition threshold, the weapon’s minimum and maximum damage is decreased by 1%. This usage decay will drop a weapon's effectiveness down to 0.

What you can do when your weapon reaches 25% is to "roll the dice" and try to repair your weapon. It's a long shot, but it is a chance to get your weapon repaired. A weapon repair kit is an old fashioned dice roll chance to repair your weapon. If you "get a good dice roll" and repair a weapon (or have it repaired for you) back above the 25% threshold, the weapon’s initial min/max damage is restored. For smugglers, slicing in no way effects the rate at which a weapon decays, but a sliced weapon will make the weapon repair even chancier than it already is. Weaponsmiths have a slightly greater chance of repairing a weapon than other professions. Additionally, trying to repair a weapon with less than 25% gets more and more risky with each percentage point and will probably destroy the weapon outright.