Is this a good setup?
Fr, 06/17/2011 - 18:31
Just wondering what everyone thinks of this set-up; I main sword, so I was thinking of this:
Wolver armor; plan to upgrade to Skolver
Caliber; eventually upgraded to Leviathan
Bristling Buckler; upgrade to Barbarous Thorn shield
My reasoning is that it'll cover most any situation, and the dmg bonus from the shield/armor will help with the Leviathan, since it seems speedy enough (more speedy than the Khorovod anyway)
I'd like a set without any real glaring weaknesses; I figure I can buy a different sword if I encounter different dungeons, and won't have to change my entire armor set.
Sa, 06/18/2011 - 06:56
#2
Wolver helm; upgrade to
Wolver helm; upgrade to Skolver helm
Any good all-around shields I should look at? Any glaring weaknesses in this set?
Sa, 06/18/2011 - 08:45
#3
All-rounder with swords
You'll probably still want a Grey Owlite shield. Yes, there is a lot more piercing now, but elemental from gun, rocket and flame puppies is a big deal in T3, particularly when they are shooting at you from across a chasm. The glaring weakness in your current set is a total lack of elemental and fire resist; the latter especially will hurt you in the Firestorm Citadel. The lack of shadow resist will also nail you in Fiend strata. If you are a looking for an all-around type setup:
Mixed vog/skolver (one piece of each)
Grey Owlite, later Crest of Almire when you get enough 'duke tokens (use Crest in shadow-heavy areas)
Shadow defense trinkets (grim sparks)
Divine Avenger
Acheron/Gran Faust
Leviathan Blade
Gun or bomb: Shivermist/Ash or one of the status alchemers (Volt, Cryo, Firo)
I would recommend opening at least one weapon slot; this allows you to carry two swords and a backup weapon. Typically you would run Leviathan and then either a shadow type or elemental type, plus your gun/bomb, with the loadout depending on the strata. In the ideal case, you would want different sets of gear for different strata, but with the cost of 5* items (it's cheaper right now, but still pretty expensive) you probably want to start with an all-rounder setup.
Sa, 06/18/2011 - 11:12
#4
But I thought the Skolver/Vog
But I thought the Skolver/Vog would provide enough elemental damage, and the Barbarous thorn shield would provide the piercing resistance?
It seems that Barbarous Thorn gives piercing, while Great Owlite gives elemental resistance, while Vog gives me elemental and Skolver gives Piercing.
Would switching from my planned Skolver to Vog Cub plug the hole, or should I still mix the sets?
My question is, can I do a complete set like Skolver and offset elemental weakness with the Great Owlite, or run Vog and offset piercing weakness with Barbarous, or should I weight my resistances more towards elemental (ie - Vog + Great Owlite)?
Sa, 06/18/2011 - 14:06
#5
Best should be Vog cub coat
Best should be Vog cub coat shadow max uv + skolver cap elemental Max and then take a Grey owlite piercing max
combined with shadow trinkets
but yea this costs way too much lol
Sa, 06/18/2011 - 14:46
#6
The shield's resistance only
The shield's resistance only kicks in when the shield is up - unlike your armor it is an active defense not a passive defense. So using the shield to cover a weakness in your armor won't work. You need to get a shield that will resist things you are trying to block, in T3 that'll predominately be elemental damage from things like gun puppies as pringerX mentioned.
If you have just one shield leading up to the end game, the Grey Owlite is a great choice.
That said, with enough practice shields just become an extra line of defense when in a tight spot rather than something to rely upon. I've used the 4* Dark Thorn Shield all the way to The Duke without issue despite its lack of Fire or Shadow defense. Sometimes you'll even see people carrying the 3* Swiftstrike, which is a bit more than I could handle in FSC.
Sa, 06/18/2011 - 15:03
#7
ahhh, I get it with shields;
ahhh, I get it with shields; thanks a lot for that help!!
So would rolling out Skolver armor/helmet and Great Owlite shield leave me any glaring weaknesses if I equipped a Leviathan/Variance gun?
Sa, 06/18/2011 - 16:20
#8
No "optimal" setup
There's no one "optimal" setup; any set of gear will have weaknesses, and you either compensate with skill, or you just avoid those levels. With the setup you mention (Skolver, Grey Owl, Levi/Valiance), the major hole in your defense is shadow, so fiend levels will require good dodging and shield-canceling technique (the relatively fast swing of the Levi should compensate; you'd be SOL with a slow sword). You'll also have to be more careful around gun/flame/rocket puppies, as the lack of elemental defense means you will take loads of damage if you miss the dodge/block. My personal preference is to stack elemental and avoid fiend levels in T3, as most sources of piercing are easy to dodge or otherwise avoid. Although now that I have my Crest, I may venture into more fiend levels.
what helm?
you may need to consider having at least one extra outfit piece, or shield, since barbarous has no elemental defense.