Every year I have to get on the roof and clean out debris, mostly pine needles from the gutters surrounding our roof. I didn't go up on the highest 2nd floor roof for safety reasons, so those gutters never got cleaned for years. Last winter, these gutters got so heavy from all the accumulated debris that the long gutter screws came out and I had to bring them down.
The 2nd floor roof has gutters on only one side now. The missing gutter does not seem to be exposing that side of the house to more moisture. The rain just comes down evenly over the sidewalk and garden below. In fact, the roses are blooming from the constant moisture which we formerly had to apply by hand.
Do the gutters provide any protective function or are they only there to route moisture to a particular path? Is there any risk that some of the moisture will get into the soffit and fascia and rot them over time?