Don't judge weapons in this game based on their lower star levels, a lot of weapons are pretty mediocre at 3* and below. Look at where weapons will be at 4*/5* cause you won't be working with those lower stars forever..

Cryo gets FAR better than what you're working with now at 2*, in fact the Alchemer line is the best choice of guns for any gunslinger (it's also good for swordie) as it's damage potential is higher than any other gun besides Blitz Needle. As soon as you upgrade it to 4* it starts feeling powerful as it ricochets more often and it's charge attack begins to have the capability of one-shotting enemies with proper placement. It also freezes, which is something you do like, that is absent on other guns at the moment (except for a Pulsar and Magnus on the test server, but those aren't going to be released yet as far as I know).

To like Alchemers, you'll need to learn how to properly use ricochets (and also upgrade it to 4*). Hit the far right (your right) part of an enemy when you shoot. And when I mean right, I mean the enemy's left. If that's confusing, this image I dug up explains it in a pretty simplified and easy to understand fashion. You're the blue dot, the enemy is the red square, and the orange area is where shots can ricochet.

You're working with a great weapon, one of the best actually, but at the star level it's at it's understandable to find it underwhelming. Try to upgrade it to 3* Lv 5, then 4*and continue heating from there, but work on your other gear as well.

I agree that the alchemers are very powerful at the 5-star level, but kind of underwhelming at lower star levels. They are also underwhelming until you learn to use the ricochets. The ricochets nearly double your damage output. I also agree that you might want to wait for the gunner update, before making long-term plans.

When I was a less experienced player, I loved freeze (because it helped me control fights), and I expected Hail Driver to be my favorite weapon ever. I was disappointed. On regular shots, the rate of freeze is low enough that you have to shoot frequently. But then, once you freeze the monsters, your next shot or ricochet often unfreezes them. The charge shots have a higher chance of freeze, so they're pretty usable, but overall I find Hail Driver frustrating. The other status drivers (Storm, Magma) and damage drivers (Nova, Umbra) do not have this defect, and are some of my favorite weapons in the game.

Additionally, I like freeze much less than I used to, in general. Yes, it helps lock down the monsters. But it also hinders kiting, knock back, and shield bumping. In party play, the monsters often get unfrozen by a teammate soon anyway --- almost always before the thaw damage takes effect. Nowadays I find shock, stun, and vortices much more valuable in controlling crowds. So don't be surprised if your opinions change over time.

Your attitude about "living at each star level" is sensible and even admirable. I wish more players were patient like you, and not in a race to get to 5 stars.

You mentioned that you play for free. Free-to-play players have to scrimp and save for everything, right? Thus, they really don't want to make unnecessary items, that turn out not to be what they wanted. In contrast, pay-to-play players have so much energy that they can afford to make tons of mistakes. My point is: The advice you're getting here, to plan in terms of 5-star items, is more important for free-to-play players, than it is for pay-to-play players.

But another important thing is to have fun. And in this game, weapons offer differing play styles that can be lots of fun. So do try out a variety of weapons.

By the way, here's how I advise beginning players: Do the rank missions. Practice dodging while charging your sword. If you're good at dodging and use only charge attacks, then almost nothing can hurt you. Whenever a mission gives you a weapon or armor that is better than what you're currently using, then switch to it. Do this until you get Calibur, Blaster, and Cobalt (2-star gear). Then continue working through the missions, dodging and charging, while you do research on which gear you actually want.

...I think I took about 2 months for me to get to 5* with paying for the pass cause the game was so darn fun, lol.

But anyway, if that's your mentality, which is perfectly cool cause there is definitely no rush, then just keep going along with the Blaster cause it's the best at the lower stars. But do go try out other weapons as well, that's the most fun part of the game besides exploring. Another gun I could recommend out there is an Antigua, which you can get from the Royal Jelly Palace in T2 when you get there; it's a fast 6 shooter that deals piercing at 3* and splits into elemental and shadow further on the line.

As for armor, you can go to Gunslinger at 3* which it's good for guns since it gives attack speed for guns. But if you like swords more, you can go to Wolver at 2* which is good for swords since it gives damage for swords. The only thing I recommend not keeping along for usability is the Cobalt set. It does nothing for you that other armors can't do.

Do savor the journey while you can. :)

Except a Freeze Antigua is rather redundant because you click so much, your second bullet will shatter the first's freeze.