Shoebox's Gear Recommendations!

People seem to be asking this kind of question a lot, so I'm going to cover a few things then get right down to business.
Choosing items
It seems simple on the surface, but choosing the right items can be a tricky affair.
There's a trick to it though.
If you can pick a role you would like to play or prefer to play, then that puts you in a good advantage.
If there's a specific kind of weapon you like to use, that is an even bigger advantage.
Not all decisions are that clear cut, though.
Some come down to simple differences in bonuses offered.
So here's a handy guide to remember when picking items:
- Damage Type: The type of damage you deal with a weapon is a very influential factor. It can turn the bonuses that look amazing on the surface into terrible wastes of space. Choosing items with damage types that compliment each other is even more important, as being able to cover all three 'exotic' damage types (Piercing, Elemental and Shadow) will allow you to crawl through the clockworks with relative ease. This chart shows you what damages are effective to which monsters.
- Status Effect/Special Charge Attack: The next factor and second most important factor in choosing a weapon, is what special effect it has. Co-ordination of damage types as well as special effects can make your time in the clockworks that much easier. Some weapons, that appear mundane on the surface, can have great special effects. Used in conjunction with other weapons, these special effects can become even more deadly. Status effects are also important to have, as they can turn the tide of battle just as easily. Watch out for these when you're choosing weapons.
- Bonuses: These can be amazing on the right weapons, but for the most part they're not the sole reason you should acquire a weapon. Most of the time they are on weapons with damage types that are resistant to the monster they're meant to deal extra damage to, or don't even effect anything in the slightest. They are important, but they shouldn't be the primary reason you buy a weapon.
- Stats: A weapon's stats are almost entirely irrelevant to actual performance. It's almost beneficial to completely ignore them, as what they tell you just doesn't help at all. They're a good indicator for comparing some weapons, but don't drop one weapon and pick another one just because of the stats.
So, for example, if you only want to use swords:
Swords don't have any piercing damage options, which means beasts and fiends will be a bit more difficult to deal with.
But it also gives you a slot to fill with a weapon you might otherwise pass up.
- Dread Venom Striker: This gives you poison support, it deals good damage and doles it out quite quickly. It's charge attack can hold enemies in place while it deals damage and because it deals Normal Type damage, it's effective on all monsters.
- Final Flourish: The only weakness swords used to have, is now gone. Thankfully the tiny hole they needed to patch up was filled with long, thin blade that can destroy everything weak to piercing in a couple of whacks. Thank you, broken game designs!
- Gran Faust: This gives you Curse Support. Being the only weapon in the game that can curse, it is highly recommended for anybody. It also deals Normal Damage, but it is dual typed with Shadow Damage, making it more effective against slimes and gremlins. It can curse you when you use it's charge attack, but you'll probably never use it so it doesn't matter anyway.
- Divine Avenger: Another slow weapon, this one doesn't have a status effect. Instead, it gives type coverage with Normal/Elemental typing and it's Charge Attack, which shoots out three sword shaped bullets that deal high damage. It gives you the range of a gun with the damage of a sword, while also being super effective against Constructs and Undead. Another 'E for Everyone' sword.
Now, because two out of four of those weapons are 'slow 2-hit swords', wearing full Vog Cub is preferable. You can wear any Normal/Elemental Shield you like with it. Or an Omega Shell/Volcanic Plate Shield.
It offers all three avenues of items, utility, mobility and versatility in a fairly well rounded manner.
Giving you the best statuses, best damage, best range and widest type coverage that swords can offer.
Now some people don't like using all Swords, this changes things up quite a lot.
Maybe, for example, somebody wants to use Swords and Guns.
- Cold Iron Vanquisher/Leviathan Blade: The sword itself comes down to preference, but the reasons why are the same. It's fast, reliable damage, with reliable knockback and a good charge attack. It's normal damage is nothing to snort at.
- Gran Faust: Using this again, for the shadow damage. It's also the fastest two-hit sword in the game. It's better than the only shadow damage option for guns by a long shot.
- Magma/Storm/Hail Driver: The choice comes down to status effect preference. But it's pure elemental damage and ricochet bullets make it a worthwhile purchase.
- Callahan: This gun is excellent. It deals pure piercing damage and it's charge attack has the longest range of anything ever. It also stuns. The downside is the charge attack can also stun you. But from the range you'll be using it at, Stun is even less of an issue than it usually is. You can snipe monsters that like to dodge, like Wolvers and Devilites, without them ever having a chance to dance out of the way.
The armour I would use with this:
Deadshot Chapeau
Deadshot Mantle
Grey Owlite Shield
Changed up this set. Deadshot Set adds Curse Resistance for the Faust Charge attack as well as give you extra damage to undead, it also lets you resist almost all melee attack damage, bar a few. The Grey Owlite Shield is for blocking projectiles and flame jets, as well as giving you some lee-way for blocking melee attacks if you need to.
You get full type coverage with the weapons, excellent status support and a well rounded set of items.
Two out of the four items are double edged on a charge attack, but Stun is the least annoying status in the game compared to the other things you can get inflicted with.
I'll add more as people request them, Sword and Sword/Gun seem to be the most popular combinations.

Excellent, thanks!
I would like to see some ideas about bombs in combinations with swords
A second vote for bombs with swords. Or at least, one sword. I'm not sure which armor/shield would best fit for someone who wants to wield Khorovod effectively, but also use bombs effectively.
You wanted bombs and swords, eh? Well let's look at things this way.
Bombs require a full charge attack to be useful, right? However, while charging, you run slower, and during set-down and pick-up of a bomb, your movement is ALMOST a standstill (I think it's 90% reduction or something during pick-up and set-down. Don't believe me? Equip a bomb, and spam attack button as if you were using a sword, see how slow you walk). Bombs are naturally slow, you don't want to use them on enemies that rush you easily (Adult Wolvers, those annoying moth things, Oilers for examples), or things that can overwhelm you with attacks (Cannon/Missile Pups, Flamethrower Kobolds)
Because of this, UV is a little more important on bombs, because you almost always want Charge Time Reduction (now referenced as CTR) of some sort. Otherwise, your bombs are unwieldy and slow. Some people only use bombs for the myriad of status effects they can do (poison and freeze mentionably).
Good news is: You have Demo Armor trees to support this. They provide Normal and Elemental resist, and offer CTR for bombs. 5* Ones start getting kinda crazy, with Mad Bomber giving you the most CTR for bombs AND most damage in return for being extremely susceptible to status effects, Volcanic offering you fire resist, and bombastic offering you bomb damage.
Let's breakdown a couple mixups.
- Calibur series sword -- why? It deals a good amount of normal damage (effective on everything), and the charge attack knocks enemies back quite a bit, buying you more room to lay bombs down. Charge is a little slow though.
- Damage Bomb: (For slight details on each bomb, visit my post here) Let's say you pick Nitronome: Good base damage bomb, huge range, and innate CTR. Good choice. If you can nab a UV of more CTR, it will stack with itself.
- Status Bomb: Let's say you pick Venom Veiler: Poison stops annoying menders and silkwings from healing enemies, increases the damage you do, and also reduces the damage enemies put out. The damage on the bomb itself is kind of weak, but it's great to start off with and refresh on mobs.
That's a very basic, 3 weapon build. So what do you use as a fourth? A gun isn't a bad choice so you can hit switches, or deal with Cannon Pups without having to get in close. A second sword wouldn't be a bad choice either, especially Khorovod or Gran Faust for the status effects they can offer that bombs DON'T. Eligible choices are:
Dread Venom Striker (Poison): Using this means you can use another status bomb like Shivermist Buster, but keep in mind that the poison off this blade is stronger, although it has less chance of being applied. Don't expect to see it every swing.
Khorovod (Stun): The ability to stun is INSANELY useful when bombing-- the slower enemies are, the more time you have to set up.
Gran Faust (Curse): Never, EVER charge attack with this. Cursing yourself isn't worth it.
Divine Avenger: Like Khorovod, it's regular swings have knockback. It doesn't have stun, but does extra damage on constructs, if you want to get in their face.
Voltech Driver: Potentially the best gun on constructs. Generall in tier 3, getting in close to one cannon pup means there's at least 4-5 more at other angles spraying the screen, ending in your doom. Give them a taste of their own pewpewpew and laugh as you walk between bullets.What armor do you use? Don't necessarily default to Demo Armor, unless you intend to either solo, or mostly use damaging bombs.
In demo armor, with bombs, and solo, you can pretty much clear any arena. Lay down your status bomb, then switch to your damage bomb, and use it's explosion to push enemies away. Don't let yourself get boxed in-- enemies will mostly just walk at you, get hit via explosion, fly away, and try again. Patience is the key to bombing. Demo Armor provides enough normal resistance for those times when you have to get down and dirty with a sword, and piercing defence shouldn't be a worry if you block at appropriate times.
Soloing:
Mad Bomber Helm / Bombastic
Mad Bomber Armor / Bombastic
Aegis / Dread Skelly Shield / Omega Shell / Horned Owlite Shield(Keep in mind that if you run Mad Bomber you will be very susceptible to status effects, and that shields do NOT stack with armor. Shield defence and resistances are only applied when you are actively guarding. Horned Owlite and Dread Skelly effectively bring your resistances back to normal, but ONLY WHEN GUARDING. Aegis makes up for a lack of piercing defence in armor, and Omega Shell is just standard).
If you want to use bombs as a complimentary weapon (via equipping 2 status bombs, let's say, or Gravitron and a status bomb), demo armor isn't such a necessity. Status bombs may have a slightly long charge time, but the time between set-down and detonation is rather short. You can choose to run 1 piece demo armor to support the bombs, but it comes down to personal preference. If you run full Vog Cub you'll basically be running swords, with bombs to supplement status as applicable, but if you hybridize into say one Vog Cub and one Volcanic, then you'll attack a little slower for the sake of your bomb speed.
Bombs as Complements:
Volcanic Demo Helm / Vog Cub
Vog Cub Suit
Shield of Choice (Aegis / Volcanic Plate / ?)Demo armor offers elemental resist, so you should use something like Aegis / Volcanic Plate to supplement other defences you lack.
Phew. That's just my take on bombing. Just remember that you have to be patient as any style bomber. Their playstyle tends to slow you down, but does make things more manageable.
Since this post I've learned a few things.
Bombs remind me of dealing with heavy 2-hitting swords: slower than other swords, but with more damage yield (as well as status effects in the case of the Vaporizers, or strange effects like the Graviton bombs). It's not terribly difficult to deal with adult wolvers using only bombs—in fact, it's quite a good idea to use a bomb because wolvers are far less likely to dodge them and you an avoid melee by running away. I've killed greavers by pre-setting the first in a knockback bomb chain, and then doing the rest as quickly as possible down a corridor (though I often fall back on Kamarin to knock them back when they mob). I have cleared entire levels of wolvers with only a Fiery Vaporizer II, which is a good soloing bomb as constant damage is nice, and my reflexes suck rocks. Phantoms, gun puppies, and flame throwers are rather more problematic, and I haven't been able to handle those with bombs. But in the case of the latter two this is mostly, I think, because I haven't used the Crystal Bomb line often enough; range helps a lot with the slow charge problem, plus this line of bombs naturally takes less time to charge. And gremlins are easily interrupted in groups.
Plus... you don't run terribly much slower with a charging bomb once you are actually running (spam attacking doesn't give an accurate view of how fast you are mid-run). It's as fast as kiting with a charging Calibur, and works on somewhat similar principles. The exception would be the Graviton bomb, which reduces you to half-speed, but on the other hand, it appears to be an awesome bomb with an unusual effect and useful.
I guess if one is handling the Khorovod line all the time, one is used to planning as much as possible in terms of position and ambush. Of course, unlike slow swords, you can run the heck away, which is another element to the planning (space to get away, hallways to keep enemies funneled into the bomb damage), reducing your damage taken by melee and, if you're quick enough, shifting damage almost entirely to projectiles. Projectiles tend towards elemental damage, so the demo armor complements this nicely.
Freezing Vaporizer (at least II and above) is much better for parties, although never underestimate the joy of setting lumber or silkwings on fire in any given situation.
I've since this post switched to a set-up involving Kamarin (the gods willing, may I be able to upgrade this to Khorovod some day), Deconstructor or Crystal Bomb as appropriate, Freezing/Fiery/Poison Vaporizer depending on situation, and Tempered Calibur (may it someday become Leviathan Blade, as it already has a UV undead damage bonus). Tempered gets replaced with Freezing Vaporizer in parties. I've still got the Dusker set for armor, but mostly because it's the one I've leveled the most and thus currently has the most health; and I've not yet gotten my hands on 3-star and above demo armor. And a good elemental damage shield rarely goes wrong; I use Firebreak (UV against shadow) or Horned Owlite (nice all-around shield against shock, a nasty nasty status as far as I'm concerned).

Bombs are easily the most tactics heavy utilities.
This makes them rather niche in terms of use when paired with swords, since there are few situations you would forgo using a sword to start charging a bomb, bar slow moving monster crowd control or status distribution.
This is an unfortunate fact of bombs, using all bombs is not a viable strategy in this game, they are purely utilities.
While bombs like the Fiery Vaporizer deal excellent group DPS and normal damage bombs like the Nitronome or Irontech Destroyer can deal sword levels of damage to whole crowds, their inability to deliver instant damage to monsters like Gun Puppies makes them quite difficult to use outside of group play.
Using them with swords is more of a way to supplement their inherent weakness rather than improve your effectiveness.
For these reasons, I will only recommend a few bombs to be used in conjunction with swords:
- Venom Veiler/Shivermist Buster: Tremendously useful status distributors. They can change the tide of unfavourable fights. Venom Veilers are particular useful against pesky groups of Gremlins, while the Shivermist Buster can deliver ungodly amounts of Crowd Control. While you will rarely need both at once, having them there is usually a good idea.
- Graviton Vortex: This thing is just plain cool. Using it in Danger Rooms is also, the single greatest thing you can do with it. Especially ones with jellies. Using this in conjunction with a Venom Veiler will give you Crowd Control and Status Distribution, while simultaneously allowing you to put the hurt on jellies that like to heal via status effects. You can also combo it with Khorovod or Iron Slug to deliver big damage and stun to groups of any monster.
- Crystal Bomb: This and it's variants, the Ionized Salt Bomb and Radiant Sun Shards, are the best single target damage bombs have to offer. Lure anything on top of one of them and there's a pretty good chance it's going to die. That said, using them is difficult and in a group, it will be nigh impossible to shoot all 8 shards into one monster. Not to mention, charging anything in close proximity to any monster is just a horrible idea. The plus side is, they have Piercing Damage, which helps with Swords, since no sword deals Piercing.
Now you might be thinking, where are the Normal Damage bombs? What about the Ash of Agni?
Bombs don't interrupt attacks. This means monsters that don't get knocked back very far, like Lumbers, can still land a hit on you if you're not fast enough. Bomb damage might be fairly high, but since it's equal to one sword swing, in most cases having a bomb for damage is just for people who want to use all bombs. Swords apply damage much better, they apply it more consistently and at a close range, some of them can interrupt attacks.
As for the Ash of Agni, using it in Tier 3 just isn't recommended. Most monsters are immune to fire. Lets not forget that in some of the best places to use the Ash of Agni, like Danger Rooms and Arenas, Oilers are likely to spawn. And if you have that Ash of Agni charged up and they pop out, you just doomed yourself and your whole party. It's a risky weapon to use at this time. Basically, it's an excellent bomb, just not right now.
I don't think I really need to spell out what weapons to use, as your choices when it comes to Sword/Bomb are pretty limited.
- Divine Avenger: Elemental/Normal. Long range charge attack.
- Gran Faust/Graviton Bomb: Shadow damage. Choice between massive damage and curse support or awesome CC.
- Ionized Salt Bomb/Radiant Sun Shards: Piercing damage, massive damage when used properly. Great for kiting.
- Venom Veiler/Shivermist Buster: Status Distribution. As for which status, just pick what you hate more, getting swamped by monsters or healers.
You'll probably wear full Vog Cub or Vog Cub + Volcanic Demo with a Grey Owlite Shield/Omega Shell.
This is as good as it gets for Sword/Bomb combos.
It's not exactly a fun or exciting set, but it is what it is.
Besides, if you wanted to have fun, you wouldn't be in Tier 3, because Tier 3 is explicitly and implicitly a No Fun Zone.
Ask Magnus.
Hi. Well I have been playing this game for only 2 days now ^^, got all materials for my t2 already - just need some energy now. But, I was thinking of going for some blast bombs on tier 3, and I was wandering is all bomb build the best choise here ? Or there are other valuable choises too , is there any other weapon that combines good with blast bombs?
Also I was wandering if there is any penalty if you are going for example swords first 3 tiers , and then you just decide to change your playstyle at t4 and decide to go for some guns?
You're awesome for all the helpful to noobs posts you make, they've helped me a good deal.
Second, whats the mechanics of playing all guns? I picked up a cryotech alchy last night with the last of my energy for the day and got to test it out a bit today (based off another of your posts in here, recommending that and the shadow/pierce gun for a two-gun set up) and it just seems pretty inefficient when compared to my Calibur, is that just the price you pay for being ranged? What kind of armor setup would one be best advised wearing for gun/gun setups?
Thanks!

Copied from my post here: http://forums.spiralknights.com/en/node/2252#comment-13535
Just for the benefit of those who haven't read it yet.
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For close range attacks, fights in tight spaces or against monsters who randomly dodge, an Autogun type weapon can replace your sword. It doesn't stop monsters from dodging, but at close range, theres no way they can get out of the way of your bullets. I'm not sure how the Volcanic Pepperbox is in it's current incarnation, but it should still be an excellent weapon for straight up ranged DPS. Since it deals Normal Damage it's equally effective on all monsters as well. You could use the Valiance for Normal Damage, but it's very plain. Using Normal Damage isn't recommended most of the time anyway, only as a last resort. The Volcanic Pepperbox makes a much better last resort weapon than the Valiance in all situations that would require it, anyway.
For elemental attacks, you have a lot of choice. The Firotech Alchemer, Voltech Alchemer, Cryotech Alchemer and Prismatech Alchemer all deal Elemental Damage amazingly well. While the Alchemers that deal a status effect can be less desirable during certain situations, like Oilers and Quicksilvers, the Prismatech Alchemer is neutral, in that it doesn't deal a status effect. This can also be a downside, as you're using one slot purely just to deal with two kinds of enemies (Constructs and Undead). I would recommend any of them, as Shadow damage is strong against Slimes and won't set any of their special effects off by accident.
The Shadowtech Alchemer is currently the only gun in the game that deals pure Shadow Damage. The Sentenza deals Shadow and Piercing damage, which makes it less effective against Slimes (but still effective on Gremlins), however because it is so fast and spammable, some people prefer it to having two Alchemers. Although I don't recommend it.
The last gun you'll need is the Callahan, which deals pure piercing damage and has an extraordinary range. Using it from long range means monsters won't dodge your charge attack bullet, this makes it very easy to take out Wolvers and Devilites. This gun's big brother, the Iron Slug, is also an excellent gun, however it deals normal damage instead of piercing. It explodes in an area of effect on hit, making it good for controlling monsters, but it also hits stationary monsters like Gun Puppies twice on a charge attack. They both stun, which slows monsters down considerably. The only real downside is that occasionally, the charge attack can stun you as well.
There is another possible set, though.
Mainly, swapping the Volcanic Pepperbox for a Blitz Needle and having the Iron Slug for normal damage instead.
Since the Blitz Needle counters Wolver and Devilite dodging quite expertly, you can use it purely to wipe them out on sight.
Keeping the Iron Slug to execute monsters from outside of their range of attack.
Either way, it's still relatively balanced.
So the best loadout for all Guns currently is:
- Volcanic Pepperbox: Normal Damage, High DPS weapon. Chance to inflict Fire.
- Hail Driver: Elemental Damage. Crowd Control, monster abilities can't accidentally triggered by the Freeze Status.
- Umbra Driver: Only gun in the game that deals pure Shadow Damage.
- Callahan: Deals the highest Piercing Damage out of all Handguns. Extreme long range attack. Chance to stun monsters.
It gives a good balance. All monster types are covered. You get three status effects, Fire, Freeze and Stun. Every range of attack is covered, from Short to Extreme Long range. There aren't any compromises, bar the chance for stun from the Callahan. But Stun is by far the least troublesome status, since you can still block while stunned and you can cure it with a Remedy pill.
Personally, I would use:
- Iron Slug
- Blitz Needle
- Sentenza
- Storm Driver
If I were to play using all guns.
Just because those weapons all look awesome and still do an excellent job of annihilating everything in your way.
It's by no means an ideal set, but if I'm going to be playing for weeks to get weapons, I want them to at least be as cool as I am.
If I had to use only two guns...
I'd use the Sentenza and Hail Driver.
Sentenza for spamming down health and the Hail Driver for crowd control.
Your armour doesn't really matter. Guns are fairly slow, so just using a Swiftstrike Buckler with some Gun Charge Time Reduction armour or Increased Gun Damage armour will do wonders. Trinkets are even better. If you want a shield that offers better defense, you won't suffer for not having high attack speed, though.
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Guns generally do less damage, due to the fact with the right amount of kiting and positioning it's entirely possible to never be hit by an enemy.
The Cryotech Alchemer makes not getting hit even easier by freezing monsters.
Once you upgrade it you'll see that, for the most part, it is one of the best guns you can get.
As for armour, all the best bonuses for gunners only appear at 5-star.
This means that in the long run, having more defensive gear will be much more useful than leveling up useless gear that offers up terrible defenses (Gunslinger).
Which, if you were going to do so, there are really only two choices:
Deadshot and Nameless.
Although, going all Gun, while it's feasible, you would be much better off using swords like the Divine Avenger and Gran Faust if you're only going to use two slots.
There aren't any weapons better than those two in the entire game.
fantastic breakdown. sticky request!
seeing as how im going for a full Vog, it would be smarter to stop making owlite shields and go for Aegis instead as the Vog has elemental?
I cannot decide what sword to go for, a sealed sword or Lev, im abandoning my vile striker as I want more damage output and only using it for JK runs
I can't decide whether to go for a bomb or gun as a secondary wep, i have a magnus but hate the slow firing rate so i was thinking of a Antigua and running around with a bomb seems slow
Ok, I'm going for a Gunslinger build myself; and I've got my first 2* item, a Cryotech Alchemer that I have yet to take into the dungeons.
I'm debating between a _bunch_ of items for my sheild/helm/armour. Note, I want defenses more than I want offenses. I can play very conservatively and have no problem falling back and shelling an area. I earned my first 100 CE doing a bunch of proto-gun spamming in the first 2-3 days. I can kill stuff, I just want defenses against stuff that I can't really "shield" against.
For Shield, probably my next gear upgrade; I've got the folliwing that I'm contemplating.
-Skelly Shield looks good for base defense, shadow def, poison and freeze
-Owlight shield for Elemental, Fire, Shock
Things that I don't really understand
-Why the Aegis line of shields for a gunslinger? Is Piercing def that useful?
Right now, for Armour.... nothing really stands out, either for helms or body.
I've thought about going for the Gunslinger stuff, and 3* stuff is pricy, but it would mean less upgrading later on. Also, the Magic Cloth stuff looks interesting for its defenses.
Currently, I'm thinking of going for gungslinger (justifier) hat plus, but really, I'm not sure what else to fit into my gear slots. Not being able to change in the field is a big deal; as I'm the sort of person who _does_ carry gear into the field in real life in order to be prepared.
Also, what is reccomended for someone interested in Guns, Bombs with Swords as a backup?
what do you think of the new brandish series swords?
Wow, this guide is really useful. It definitely made it easier for me to decide on what I have to equip. Thank you, Shoebox!

@Evie91: I think the Firebrand and Blizzbrand swords are quite useful weapons in their own ways, but the Nightblade is still outclassed heavily by the Faust. I would really only recommend the Nightblade if you need some cheap and easy Shadow Damage, don't want to farm Jelly King or you don't want to get gear for Attack Speed.
I also need to update that swords only section, since now there are swords that deal Piercing Damage.
A note on your all-sword setup in the first post: if you're not a big fan of the Cutter family (aka me and a few others), it could easily be dubbed out for a Levi blade. Solid damage and a ballin' charge attack make it about on-par with the Dread Vile Striker, in my eyes.
Oh, also on the sword-gun setup, you could theoretically trade Callahan for Argent Peacemaker if you so wanted. Making Wolvers easier is probably the main draw of Callahan in this setup, though; it all depends on which you prefer.
This was super helpful for sure, I see I am basically on what is considered the right track with weapons and gear. This makes me realize however that with so much variety around, it seems that there is distinctively a right and wrong choice when it comes to all this. It's kind of terrible that all 5 star gear is not considered equal.