Spiral Knights - Which weapons to get for tier 2?

Which weapons to get for tier 2?

7 replies [Last post]

Sun, 09/25/2011 - 21:35

Availn

Hi, I'm rather new to the game, and was wondering which 2 star weapons I should be getting. I definitely intend to end up with a Glacius, so I've gotten a Brandish. I've also been told that a Leviathan is essential, so I've been making a heap of Caliburs, and selling them off, hoping to find a good UV. Is there anything I should get in terms of bombs and guns? I've heard the Nitronome and Shivermist Buster is good, are they worth working towards? And I have no idea which gun to get at the moment; maybe the Cryotech/Shadowtech Alchemer, or a Pulsar?

Also, what is the most efficient way to get a UV? Craft a heap of the lowest tier version of the weapon (I've been trying this with the Calibur), or create a 5 star version of the weapon, and get a heap of tickets?

Sun, 09/25/2011 - 23:15

Sol-Xii

Those pesky Devilites

Good thing you're not crafting Devilite killers.

Glacius is a pretty good choice, I'm working toward one myself.
Levi is too.
Shivermist is awesome for making mobs stay in place, just enough time for you to charge your Glacius and re-freeze them!
I think that Nitro is only good for soloing, and if you have full Bomber gear. Otherwise, stick with Shiver.
PULSAR FTW! If you think you're good enough to do the twins, definitely get it. If not, Shadowtech Alchemer or Catalyzer. (No Cryo though. The ricochet in later stages will break its own ice XP)

Right now, I think the most efficient way is to farm those Caliburs like there's no tomorrow. (ASI and CTR are the most valuable you'll get)
You only use a heap of tickets right now if you buy CE with $ and sell it, or do millions of Snarby runs.
And if you;re wondering about armor, full Wolver is the way to go.

Mon, 09/26/2011 - 06:00

Stavrosg

Pulsar.

The Polaris line is an excellent sidearm for a swordman, but it tends to get really annoying in groups because of the knockback and the size of the animation. It's fun, too, if everyone in the groups has one, stand in line and start spamming shots. You'll create an impenetrable wall of death for the mobs. XD

Nitronome is also very good if solo, not good in groups. So aim for a Shivermist Buster first.

Mon, 09/26/2011 - 06:40

Bopp

piercing, elemental, shadow

If I could use any one sword, but only that one sword, then it would be Leviathan. But if I could use any three swords, then none of them would be Leviathan.

If you haven't already, read the Spiral Knights wiki page on "Damage", and learn the vulnerabilities and susceptibilities of the monsters. All monsters are neutral to normal damage. Thus normal damage weapons are general-purpose, not specialized. A knight who is seriously into swords carries two or three non-normal swords, and switches among them to exploit monsters' vulnerabilities. The same thing goes for guns. The same thing does not quite go for bombs, which are a bit more idiosyncratic.

Glacius is nice; I currently prefer it to my Divine Avenger, even though the latter has great UVs. Shivermist Buster is my favorite weapon, period. (It used to be even stronger; the designers weakened it a couple of months ago.) Nitronome and Polaris are both great, although both suffer from irritating animation and knockback.

Your current thoughts on weapons involve a lot of elemental damage (Glacius, Polaris, Shivermist). If you carry only elemental, then you'll have serious trouble against gremlins and beasts. Sol-Xii remarked that you aren't crafting any Devilite killer; she or he meant piercing. Do you see how to bring considerations of damage type into your planning?

Tue, 09/27/2011 - 00:30

Availn

So...

I've read about damage types, but how significant are they? I'm guessing it would a 1.5 or 2x multiplier? Anyways, I can see how using many damage types would work if you use only guns or only guns. But if you use a sword and a gun, would that work as well, as you would have to use melee attacks on some enemies, but ranged attacks on others, right?

Either way, I'm definitely getting a Glacius, so as a second damage weapon (I'm assuming that you don't use the Shivermist Buster to kill), the Polaris wouldn't be such a great choice? Perhaps the Callahan, Umbra Driver, or Blitz Needle, as they are shadow/piercing?

Tue, 09/27/2011 - 01:07

Tadician

if u r getting a Glacius

if u r getting a Glacius which is an elemental damage sword, it will do more damage on Constructs and Undeads coz they r weak to elemental damage, u will do normal damage on slimes and fiends coz they r neutral to elemental damage, but u will do less damage on beasts and gremlins and then u will have a problem especially when u encounter alpha wolvers
damage tables link: http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Damage

so going for an other elemental damage weapon is not a good choice, Polaris is a great gun but since its elemental damage u should go Supernova, Supernova is same as Polaris but has normal damage and and cant cause shock status

but theres an other solution, u can get both Glacius and Polaris, and get additional weapon slots to carry other weapons, u can carry up to 4 weapons at the same time and switch between them and use them in the clockworks, so u can get Glacius Polaris Shivermist and a shadow/piercing weapon, maybe Blitz Needle or Barbarous Thorn Blade or a Final Flourish

Tue, 09/27/2011 - 03:22

Fradow

If you are going for only 2

If you are going for only 2 weapons and it is a sword and a gun, Glacius is a terrible choice, because you'll do nothing to wolvers and gremlin. Well, you could take a Magnus as a side-arm, but I would not really advise it : it won't be the best setup.

As Bopp said, if you want to use only one sword, it should probably be a Leviathan. As a side-arm, Polaris is beast (well, it can currently considered as OP), and will take care of everything you don't want to get close to (any turret, lumbers, retrodes ...).

Another less popular sword + gun setup is Snarble Barb line + Polaris. You lose the awesome Leviathan attack and you have to use your gun against Slimes and Construct, but Fiends and Wolvers become way easier.

@Vencint No, Supernova is a bad option. Just because it is normal damage doesn't mean you can use effectively this gun against any mob. Wolvers and Fiends will still dodge like crazy (it can even be very dangerous for T3 wolvers), and Gremlins are a pain.

Tue, 09/27/2011 - 08:53

Bopp

significance of damage types

Availn, you asked how significant the damage types are. To understand this, look at the damage table for a 5-star pure weapon such as Final Flourish. (There is some argument about how "pure" the damage is, but that's not important right now.) Final Flourish has numbers like 340, 258, and 55 for the monsters that are vulnerable to it, neutral to it, and resistant to it. So vulnerability is about a 1/3 bonus, whereas resistance is about a 4/5 penalty. You'd like to use weapons to which monsters are vulnerable, but you'd REALLY like to avoid using weapons to which monsters are resistant. This is why it's crucial not to carry only elemental damage, unless you are sure that you'll encounter no beasts or gremlins.

Yes, it certainly works to carry a sword and gun, although if they are of different non-normal damage types then you have to use your sword on some enemies and your gun on other enemies, just as you said. This is doable, but other considerations arise. For example, in a sword/gun combo it's nice for the gun to be not piercing. Why? Because a gun is really useful when you enter a field of gun puppies surrounded by spikes. For these, you'd like an elemental gun; a shadow or normal gun is also fine; a piercing gun is terrible. This is why Fradow recommends Polaris. Another possibility is Valiance --- especially if you're not really into guns, and just want one general-purpose gun. So if you have Glacius and Valiance, then what do you use on Wolvers? They resist Glacius, and they may dodge too quickly for Valiance (?).

Of course, a third weapon slot would give you much greater flexibility. A 30-day upgrade costs 250 CE, which can be earned in two days if you farm the Royal Jelly Palace, and it's often available from other players for cheaper than that. Consider it.

All of the equipment that you're talking about is good. Eventually you will own all of it, and mix and match it in various ways, depending on the stratum that you're entering.

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Which weapons to get for tier 2?