I have recently read in some threads that it is not worth having the one Leviathen blade in Tier 3.
This worries me as I have used the calibur up to 4 star
I was thinking that if I get the Glacius and the Dark thorn blade, This would mean I cover everything other than Jelly's and gremlins (With Storm Driver as my gun).
If I were to use this, would it be good for tier 3?
Should I get a Shadow Sword/Gun to cover all grounds?
Or should I Switch to a Piercing gun?
First, the problem is not Tier 3 : if you have 2 swords or more, it's not worth having Leviathan in most cases, because specialized swords will do more damage (bonus against 4/6 families if you carry 2 swords, on all families if you carry 3 swords). There are 2 notable exceptions : if you use Leviathan for its charge, mainly in solo, and against Vanaduke Mask (which resist everything save normal).
The Glacius and Dark Thorn Blade is a good combo, but you could replace the Glacius by an Acheron to have a weapon of each type, assuming you also carry your gun all the time. Or you could make both and switch according the strata.
I wouldn't advise a Shadow or Piercing gun for general use if you are not a gunslinger, as most enemies weak to shadow/piercing are best dealt with a sword (here again, the notable exception is Blitz Needle for FSC, but that's another topic).
We all agree.
Glacius and Barbarous Thorn Blade/Final Flourish is a great combination; I use it regularly. You are strong against everything but slimes and gremlins. But BTB/FF is surprisingly good against gremlins (almost as much damage per second as a shadow sword, good reach, good speed), and Glacius is fine against slimes, so everything's fine.
I regularly play with only swords; a gun is definitely not necessary. But if you're going to carry a gun, then an elemental one is disproportionately useful, and Storm Driver is a solid elemental gun. Fradow raises a good point, that an elemental sword and an elemental gun are a bit redundant. A good three-weapon setup for you is BTB/FF, Storm Driver, and Acheron/GF.
Bopp, i'm your fan! I ever read your posts and i agree about this sword combination.
Many people don't understand how good are the piercing swords !!! When used with a elemental gun (and shadow sword), you will cover all damage types.
Glacius is a good elemental sword, but the widespread use of Shivermist make it redundant .... i prefer Combuster.
Thanks for your kind words, Monocelha. You have emboldened me to point out to the original poster that I have written an entire sword planning guide, as an alternative to the Swordmaster article. Really I wrote it because I was tired of all the "which is better?" questions, but maybe it's relevant in this thread.
I'm kinda speechless..
If there were a thanks button, I's be spamming it now with alt accounts.
The guide toswords really helped and I have decided this:
Barborous thorn blade (main)
Silent night blade (as may not use much so not getting 5 star)
Divine avenger (I already have avenger)
Polaris
Im also going for Sinister skelly/vog cub armour, Skolver cap/Seraphic helm
For switching between stratum.
Yeah your loadout seems fine. However upgrading all the way up to Acheron is pretty crucial. A shadow weapon is actually pretty useful, so you may leave it as the last weapon to upgrade but make sure you do. Also sinister skelly may not be the best armor for shadow protection - due to it's fire penalty and all. It's useful neither in FSC nor UFSC. Therefore, you may consider getting vog cub/skolver first, then move onto Snarbolax (join a big guild when you hit 5* and then pay 200-300 CE as entrance fee).
Bzzts, I'm very glad that you found that guide useful. Your sword choices are great, and the elemental gun is a nice touch.
I agree with Jonathansiu that Skelly/Seraphic may not be your best bet, because the Snarbolax armor overpowers it (for swordsmen). Depending on when you try Rabid Snarbolax, this might be a long wait to get any shadow armor, however. So consider getting one piece of either Skelly or Fallen/Valkyrie, so that you have a bit of shadow protection. These also protect against poison, which is useful on your first Rabid Snarbolax trip.
I'd say use some sort of elemental gun (Storm Driver is fine, although you may want to change to a Polaris or Nova Driver later on). Elemental damage is the only one that's extra powerful on non-dodging enemies. Shadow has dodging gremlins, Piercing has dodging beasts AND fiends :/ Elemental damage is good against constructs (some use a shield) and undead which don't dodge your shots.
On the note of which sword you get, I'd advise piercing and/or shadow. I assume you prefer having a gun/sword loadout, so you'd want to get swords with a different damage type than your other weapons.
If you go piercing, go with the Barbarous Thorn Blade of Final Flourish, the only difference is in the charge attack.
If you go shadow, it's a choice between an Acheron (3-strike, more defensive due to quicker shielding ability) vs. Gran Faust (2-strike more offensive due to wide attack spread and slower shielding ability, also inflicts curse). IMO they're equally effective in the right hands, I have both, and I prefer the Acheron because I'd rather kill a bit slower and be safer :P
If you're going to do Vanaduke runs, a Blitz Needle is a great piercing gun for taking him (and Trojans) down, but sadly not much else.