initially, i was going to go for DB for swords. but i guess i been re-thinking this - as i started considering getting a sudra. it being a ssslooooow sword, i thought the ASI would make a difference. so... comparing a normal troika & one with ASI VH - would other players say there is a noticeable difference ?
but yea, i guess many would say - it is foolish to get 2 UV trinkets for ASI, when u can get 2 UV trinkets for DB (across all 6 families), as u pointed out.
thanks again !
Acheron and DA cry for CTR. Well, depends on the player, but there are times where I unleash more charges than normal swings.
ASI and CTR are always considered to be vastly superior to damage bonus UVs. Certain monsters don't come under any one monster family (Vanaduke in particular), and knights in lockdown don't take any extra damage due to a vs. construct/gremlin/whatever UV on a sword. You are generally much better off either attacking or charging faster, depending on what weapon you have.
Besides, it's easy to max out damage with swords. Just wear full Skolver or Snarbolax with a Barbarous Thorn Shield, and you even have two spare slots for ASI trinkets.
appreciate all the comments :)
even within a few entries, i can see how different knights are making different recommendations.
clearly then, there really isnt a bad decision - its all just a matter of preferences.
as ppl say - picture paints a thousand words
- this youtube clip may just convince me - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVzFmia6SXQ
just thought ill share the link :)
Everyone who has responded here is in agreement: You want ASI or CTR UVs rather than damage UVs.
Whether you prefer ASI or CTR depends on several factors, including the swords you're using, the armor/shield/trinkets you're using, your play style, and the monsters you'll be facing. For example, WRH has a powerful 2-stroke combo (by shield-cancelling the third stroke) and an iffy charge attack, so you probably want ASI more than CTR on your WRH. As Little-Juances pointed out, many people go for CTR on Brandishes, because their charge attacks are so strong. And so forth.
Using armor and trinkets, you can always achieve damage+4, ASI+4, and CTR+2 on all of your swords. Then you have shield and UVs to fill out the rest. If you use charges a lot, then this suggests you aim for big CTR UVs.
This is a classic problem, that I discuss here: http://wiki.spiralknights.com/User:Jdavis/Swords#Armor.2C_Shields.2C_and...
You want to get damage bonuses through your armor and trinkets, because they are then *blanket* damage bonuses, that apply to all six monster families, Vanaduke, and PvP. Damage UVs can't do this. Use your sword UVs to get ASI or CTR --- whichever is more useful to you.
History: When Spiral Knights launched, there were no offensive trinkets or BTS. And Shadowsun gave damage+1 to guns, not damage+2. Since launch, so many damage bonus options have been added, that damage UVs have lost a lot of their value.