Don't forget the faster you finish your combo/swing, the faster you can block again.

BUT ANYWHO - I bet I could just get both - Vog Cub and Skolver grant each of these bonuses and if I finish the entire set I can mix and match for the optimal boosts, yeah?

Optimal is not subjective, and optimal dictates pure Vog Cub unless you're already at the attack speed increase cap.

You always want the attack speed increase. The last hit in sword combos interrupt most monsters, and getting to it faster makes combat much easier/safer. Similarly, it takes less time to execute a single swing, so you can get your shield up faster. Any enemies that let you tear into them so much that Skolver results in more damage aren't troublesome enough to need the extra damage.

If your a RPG, RPG Andventure or Adventure Game Veteran like me and many many more, you will know that speed is not that important, the main thing is Power or strength and have Power full Armour or Equipment and sword, because at the end... the winner is not how fats your are but how hard you could hit or kill the Boss. if you think that bean fast will make you power full think again because the Boss will kill you with one punch or two.

It's the "something else" part that's the issue. The theory is that in certain cases, IAS is less effective than IAD for killing purposes. This is true for fast weapons in which reducing a minuscule delay is less effective than adding a bonus to damage to rapid hits. In almost all cases where you could argue "but with more IAS you block sooner!" I can show you a bad decision to attack when you should have blocked instead. Especially with lag being an issue sometimes.

@Deus

(Note: I use the Skolver Set but I have Vog cub as well)
I have to disagree with you on the getting your shield up faster part. Since all enemies in this game telegraph to all hell what they're doing and have very predictable patterns in what they do, you really don't need to worry about attack speed getting your shield up faster. If you're hacking away at a monster willy nilly to the point where you start attacking when they start telegraphing their attack, then you're doing something wrong. I run tier 3 stuff to Basil on my own without taking damage because at the higher tiers it's more about playing smart (knowing when to shield, run, and position as opposed to attacking) than it is about reaction speed. In the end, I would have to say neither's really that much better. I haven't noticed that much of difference in damage while wearing my skolver set and I haven't noticed too much difference in attack speed (I might just be bad at noticing these things too lol).

That said, Vog Cub is better hands than Skolver (this is what i'm guessing brought up the attack speed vs dmg debate) because i has elemental defense, and there's a lot more stuff out there in this game that does elemental damage than piercing damage. I personally stick to Skolver because I think it looks cooler.

"It's the "something else" part that's the issue. The theory is that in certain cases, IAS is less effective than IAD for killing purposes. This is true for fast weapons in which reducing a minuscule delay is less effective than adding a bonus to damage to rapid hits. In almost all cases where you could argue "but with more IAS you block sooner!" I can show you a bad decision to attack when you should have blocked instead. Especially with lag being an issue sometimes."

It depends on how bonus damage is implemented: if the bonus is flat, then it gets stronger with faster weapons; if it's a modifier (like say 5% more damage) then it doesn't matter how fast the weapon is. IAS doesn't care about weapon speed, only DPS. I haven't seen any testing indicating how bonus damage is added, and how much per level level of bonus. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a percentage modifier and better than IAS in terms of damage, because it needs something to compete with the non-damage benefits of IAS.

Bonus damage is only strictly more useful if it decreases the number of swings it takes to kill a target (going from 100 to 120 damage isn't helpful if the target has 280 hp). This evens out more on bosses, who have sufficiently large hp pools that you'll always need at least one less (often more less) swing.

Additionally, playing very defensively is a massive loss in damage. IAS letting a player get in extra hits safely a huge benefit in damage over bonus damage. On top of that, shields don't have infinite health: sometime you need to interrupt attacks.

"I have to disagree with you on the getting your shield up faster part. Since all enemies in this game telegraph to all hell what they're doing and have very predictable patterns in what they do, you really don't need to worry about attack speed getting your shield up faster. If you're hacking away at a monster willy nilly to the point where you start attacking when they start telegraphing their attack, then you're doing something wrong. I run tier 3 stuff to Basil on my own without taking damage because at the higher tiers it's more about playing smart (knowing when to shield, run, and position as opposed to attacking) than it is about reaction speed. In the end, I would have to say neither's really that much better. I haven't noticed that much of difference in damage while wearing my skolver set and I haven't noticed too much difference in attack speed (I might just be bad at noticing these things too lol)."

Unless you're a perfect player, being able to react faster is helpful. Additionally, swinging faster lets you do things safely that you couldn't before, especially if you know you can safely get to the combo finisher and interrupt the incoming attack.