In the very far future, I plan in having a 4th weapon, other than a gun.
My five star loadout will be like this:
Perfect Mask of Seerus
Justifier Jacket
Swiftstrike Buckler
Argent Peacemaker
Umbra Driver
Blitz Needle
[Bomb or Sword]
Med Gun Damage Trinket x2
Advice on what to get?
Why not Valiance? It'd round out the set better than a sword or bomb (definitely don't use a bomb in that loadout)
Why would you use Valiance on a loadout which already have the 3 different damage types as guns ?
I agree with Imperialstriker :
- Leviathan would be my sword of choice because of the huge knockback on the charge
- Shivermist can be useful in a sticky situation, and useful for Vanaduke
I would probably not take Venom Veiler (it doesn't make enough of a difference) nor Vortex (which are hard to use, and really require some CTR).
I agree that another gun would be pretty useless in there. A normal sword is an obvious choice; for help in choosing among them, see my sword guide. A crowd-control bomb, such as Voltaic Tempest or Shivermist Buster, is another obvious choice. SB has the advantage of being useful in Vanaduke parties; but elsewhere you should use it sparingly, as it's often pretty annoying actually.
I reccomend a shadowsun slicker as shadow is harder to deal with than piercing instead. Keep both trinkets as dmg though. Also, take a toothpick, as youll have trouble with wolvers, greavers, and devilites in that loadout.
Why not Polaris? Sure, you'll feel all.... GUNNY... but it might be something worth a try before you go straight into wanting a bomb or sword. I personally always carry Polaris as my fourth. Sworn to it. Now, do note the difference between a DPS oriented gun and a utility gun. Ya don't spam a utility gun, people don't like it.
1. Elemental DPS oriented gun
2. Shadow DPS oriented gun
3. Piercing DPS oriented gun
(as all those shorty guides suggest. They're right. It helps. Get the three).
4. TRY Polaris! It has great utility. But it is not DPS oriented, so don't spam it on everything in groups! You should use it where an elemental DPS oriented gun wouldn't shine (that is, interrupting + taking out gun puppies with ease and no risk)
as well as where a piercing DPS oriented gun wouldn't shine (devilites, since you might want mobility and piercing guns do not offer mobility. The bullets are perfect for making devilites dodge INTO them and rip packs of overtimers to shreds SAFELY)
and of course, where all kinds of DPS oriented guns wouldn't shine (knockback utilized for survivability purposes. Of course, not ideal for enemies resistant to elemental.)
Keep Supernova in mind when it comes to the previous point I made. Polaris is not ideal to utilize for its knockback purposes on things resistant to elemental, in fact, Polaris is sometimes not even ideal for knockback period. Shock cancels knockback, however shock has uses elsewhere. If you like to solo stuff and think that knocking stuff away from you is the thing for you, consider Supernova. Super has stable knockback, and is usable on any monster. Keep in mind that Supernova is not as effective on gun puppies, and it will take a bit longer to rip those overtimer packs to shreds since you'll be knockin em all over.
But if you would prefer a bomb or sword, that works, I have just never thought of anything ideal except for Shiver. Then again, I can't help you at all with bombs or swords sorry.
LOLwut?
Shadowsun is a good option, but i say no the the FF. Blitz with ace beasts and devilites, so no issue there. My advice for a sword is one that gives you knockback. Sudaruska is likely best option, as that swiftstrike will give you asi high, and the suda will clear space with the first swing, allowing you to back away and shoot again.
Also, instead of AP, consider an alchemer. Yes, AP is a faster shot, but a status oriented alchemer (especially shock) will be worth it's weight in gold to you.
i´d recommend
leviathan blade (knockback, charge)
supernova (normal dmg def gun)
electron vortex (to clear several areas faster with swordie-mates)
voltaic tempest (crowd control)
In clockworks I usually taken Callahan as my "fourth". Useful to knock down wolvers and gremlins before switching to blitz/umbra, and as a general weapon against fiends. For FSC, I bring Vortex. For RJP, I bring Ash.
Taking a toothpick isn't such a bad idea. You'll be able to keep up with swordies against beasts with calli/blitz, but not against fiends.
If you're using AP as your main elemental gun ( =/ ), Polaris might be a good idea( although taking a Brandish would be better). Otherwise I would suggest against it.
I second Shadowsun. Better for clockworks. Better for FSC
For those situations where keeping the enemy bunched up away from you is more important than killing them quickly. Also for easier turret-killing (not that AP isn't good at that, too).
Honestly, I'd drop the Blitz and take a Callahan instead. Less damage, sure, but you're also not stuck in place for a few seconds firing into empty space because your target just dodged. As for a fourth weapon...my normal loadout is a Magma Driver, both 5* antiguas, and (what will be) a Callahan. That's because my Driver has CTR max, though, and I use it on mobs.
If you particularly want a sword, I'd suggest a Levi. Normal damage, so it'll do fine against everything, and decent knockback, which is really what a gunner wants a sword for in the first place. Also more useful than the Polaris other people have been suggesting because a gunner mostly wants knockback when the mob is too close and there's no room to dodge, which a Polaris can't do.
I hear Trollaris/Brolaris/Prolaris, as it is called by various guys...
DO NOT USE IT
In general, normal damage swords function decently as utility blades. A couple that come to mind are Dread Venom Striker, Leviathan Blade, and Cold Iron Vanquisher.
A bomb utility can depend. Note that it helps to have a CTR UV on the bomb.
Vapors are usable. I have two that come to mind.
Shivermist Buster prominently comes to mind as it stops movement and makes ricochet aiming alot simpler, and make Blitzing things alot safer.
Venom Veiler acts as a force multiplier and force reducer. It boosts damage, though not very notably, and halves enemy damage that can be dealt to you. Good if you mess up somewhere, and allows you to maximize the damage you can deal.
Vortexes are great for stopping movement, but also dangerous without CTR as the Movement speed reduction means you can get into sticky situations if you arent careful about when you charge the bomb.
But pair a vortexed cluster with an AP or Blitz Charge and the damage dealt should be superb.