So i've got the newest guns the gunner update has to offer. All of them at tier 4 with max heat. My question is this: What is better in terms of base damage? Max tier 4 or tier 5 with heat level 1?
The reason i ask is because i don't think i will be heating up my tier 5 gear as fast as i want to so that means i'll be stuck with low heat *5 gears for a considerable time. And if *4 weapons with max heat out damage *5, at what heat level do *5 surpass them?
Anyone?
Lvl 1 5* would always deal greater damage on T1 and T2 areas.
However, once you get to T3 areas, the weapons begin to separate.
I did some comparisons of raw damage comparisons [before armor is applied] in a suggestion thread for how I think it should be changed.
If you continue playing the grind I mean game then at some point you'll get enough fire crystals and all will be well. Until then just use 4* weapons.
Like Skepticraven said, they'll be better pretty much everywhere except where you need them to be most (D26 and beyond, D19-D25 are basically useless) so my recommendation would be to avoid crafting them up to 5* if you plan to use them in that specific area or enjoy the idea of charge time reduction: med more than whatever the 5* version has to offer.
I'd also recommend not buying radiant fire crystals with energy or even with crowns from the auction house. Doing so means that you are accepting what was likely just an error on the part of the developers as a means of monetizing the game in a relatively negative way. Instead, use your crowns to roll Punch on your 4* weapons if you feel the urge to improve your gear. Great UVs can go a long way towards making great gear and even overcoming the whole radiant fire crystal issue for yourself- getting CTR/ASI med is for many weapons just as good as getting them to 5*, and you can always upgrade at some point in addition to rolling.
Just stick with lvl 10 4* weapons till you get enough rads for the 5* items.
^ unless it's a support bomb, in which case area is worth more than charge time in most cases.
If the weapon is not a support bomb, as long as the 5* version has a better charge it's actually a pretty decent idea to upgrade as soon as you have enough rads for level 5, which is actually not that much. At that point you'll have a decent chunk of your damage back and a better charge with only a slight drawback in charge speed.
First, you mean "4-star vs. 5-star", not "Tier 4 vs. Tier 5". That will help with this next part...
Second, here is a Google search that reveals many threads about this topic: 4-star heat level 10 5-star site:forums.spiralknights.com.
Third, the wiki page Heat doesn't cover this issue well, so I'll try to work on that.
Edit: I've added some text to the relevant wiki section, here.