Okay, now I understand that many normal weapons are simply inferior to their counterparts, by simply doing less damage to even neutral targets and losing a status ailment. I agree, that needs to change (See Sudaruska for details on this, I believe that Tsu put a thread on damage and speed tables that meet this perfectly), but what I don't think needs to change is what a lot of people are suggesting.

The problem with normal weapons being bad is the fact that if you carry 2/3 elements you'll do 2/3's critical and 1/3 neutral. This means if you're willing to use this amazing double combo that you'll, most likely, own anything and everything. Why need a normal damaging weapon when you can simply use 2/3 elements and dunk everything.

My proposal:
Create a new enemy type that would pop up EVERYWHERE in spiral knights. (You know how like you usually see fiends with undead, slimes with wolvers and maybe gremlins, and construct with gremlins).

Usually 2 types pair up with eachother a lot. Not "100%" but they mostly stick together, right?

This would be that enemy type that would be found everywhere and anywhere, all the time, regardless of what you're fighting.
Fighting undead? Bam It's there.
Fighting Jellys? Bam, I'm here too.
Fighting Wolvers? What do you know, I'm coming to the party too!

Now, you're probably asking, "Okay, and how does this do anything special?"

Give them high amounts of health, and be heavily resistant to EVERYTHING but Neutral, kind of like Vanaduke's mask.
That way these enemies will always be down your throat, and would require a Neutral weapon to be the most effective.
Sure, these enemies wouldn't be so hard to where you couldn't beat them with your Hammer of choice, but that doesn't mean it's going to be the most effective, and in the end that's what the biggest complaint is. It's not "as effective" but still viable.

Viable isn't an excuse though.

Side Proposal: You don't have to mind this really, just a simple idea.
Heat Bursting: Same thing as energy burst. We can already see, visually, a point to where how much heat we've generated. It goes to nothing, to a little fireball, to a big fireball, to an attempted broken up spiral of heat, to an actual spiral of heat into a vortexing spasm of heat.

So clearly, heat isn't told in numbers, but is actually "visual"
This makes my idea work perfectly.

Based on visual content of heat is how much heat is how large your burst would be. It would use up as much heat as it can, without sparing any (the risk factor) but in return you would do the same thing as you would when you resurrect. That energy burst? Yeah, think that but using heat.

This would:
A.) Give a usage to heat to those who already have it maxed out.
B.) Allow a way to utilize the energy burst, without having to spend so much CE because you keep dying.
C.) Be a new feature, and include a new way to fight and get out of a situation.