That increased survivability is increased survivability. Your argument, taken to the extreme would result in everyone in a battle to just say "whatever" and stab themselves because nothing could protect them from every potential death so they might as well just get it over with.

Sorry, most people's attitudes don't work that way, and I suspect neither do yours. In a conflict situation I am going to take every resonable advantage I can lay my hands on "..to make the other dumb son of a bitch die for his." as Patton supposedly said. C armor is just one more (relatively) simple way to help make that happen.

I hope some sort of C armor makes an appearance in the final story even if it is just Egwene changing Gawyn's shield on the eve of battle with the customary "Oh, I should have thought of this earlier." that we have seen other times.