Recently, I've been trying to get certain items with certain UV's, but then someone told me that UV's aren't worth it, as they're hardly noticeable. I asked him how & he responded that he bought a Leviathan with Medium CTR, but said it was a waste because he didn't notice the difference between the original & the UV Counterpart that much.
Are UV's really that useful or are they just minor buffs?
The bonuses from UVs are generally pretty minor. You'll probably start to notice a difference at high UV, but you can certainly do any content without them. Given the exorbitant prices that high-max UVs go for, I'd say you're almost certainly better off selling one of those items if you get one rather than using it yourself.
The only exception to that is if you want to throw a lot of RL money at the game or have already completed everything that the game has to offer.
Resistance UVs on helmet and armor are pretty noticeable. Just a medium UV can reduce valuable seconds of status effects.
Every level of UV is about a 5% improvement. So a bomb with a medium damage bonus against slimes will do 10% more damage per explosion to jellies and lichens. I think it's nice to have, so I'm always happy to get one on my gear, but I'm not a person who believes every piece of equipment needs a Very High UV.
That said, a high or better increased defense, especially of a type not already on the armor (like shadow defense on a demo suit) will help you survive an extra hit or two from monsters that do that type of damage. So, some UVs will help more than others. Every time I see tier 3 greavers I wish my demo suit had very high shadow defense...
a non UV item at lvl 10 heat has a 3 second charge time. A UV CTR VERY High item at lvl 10 heat has a 1.5 second charge time. The difference is not minimal. thats a 50% difference. In the case of charge attack heavy items such as Divine Avenger, Calibur series, and bombs, CTR UVs will determine whether u get mobbed and killed or you can continually knocking enemies back. This becomes especially noticeable in arenas, danger rooms, and difficult T3 maps. Status Effect UV bonuses are also very important because shock levels will obliterate you with chain shocks and fire status will burn 3-4 bars of hp per tick for 6-8 seconds, which essentially kills you. So yes UVs are very important. If you are a super casual player and want to get carried by ur teammates then thats not so important.
I have majority most likely 99.9% of my gear with Uv's on them. I find them very useful on armors, helms, and shields. As for weapons it really matters on the weapon itself:
For Example:
Lets say you have a graun faust: with a Uv Very High Damage vs Gremlins --- its pretty useful since the sword already deals high damage to Gremlins it will boost the attack against them by 20+ hits.
Gun: Charge time reduction --- is pretty noticeable
Most uv items on the Ah are pretty cheap so I do not see the harm of spending crowns on Uv's they dont cost much for even a minor uv so it is worth it in my view. They are a small boost which can end up making a already good weapon into a BEASTLY weapon or shield or gun or etc.
They are there, and are almost noticeable, but not much. For example, a Very High normal defense on a shield will get you one, maybe two more blocks before it blocks against normal attacks. CTR and IAS both seem to be percentage base, topping out at maybe a 20% decrease, at best. Unless you're really playing well, and using every second of play, you may not notice the UVs at all.
That being said, they are there, and they do provide benefit. In the end, the real question is what that minor buff is worth to you. You can play to end game without UVs (I have) but having them will likely make it just a little easier.