**Warning~ wall of text**
Sorry for the very general title question.
Anyhow, here's my story. Right now I have 300 CE and planning to get 100 ME the next day.
I only have T2 clearance, so getting T3/5-star weapons would cost me more at AH.
I recently upgraded my sealed sword to a Faust, and now it's at max heat.
At this point, I'm not quite sure which path to craft to. It would be helpful to post the first 3 paths to craft in the most important order.
Gran Faust Path-
Pros: I can max a branch of the Sealed Sword.
Cons: I need at least 400 more CE and have to buy the recipe at AH.
Avenger Path-
Pros: elemental sword
Cons: need to find the recipe
Mighty Defender Path-
Pros: Basic piercing and normal defense (all-round purpose)
Cons: T3 involves more shadow and elemental (at least I heard)
Wise Owlite Shield Path-
Pros: Great for Elemental runs, eg ICMF and FSC.
Cons: No piercing or shadow. Also, I need to buy the recipe (10K)
Wolver Coat/Cap(2-4 star) path-
Pros: attack bonus, piercing, freeze res
Cons: I have to buy the 4star recipe and craft the 3rd and 4th stars. I'm also deciding for a Divine Veil + Vog Cub combo.
Divine Set (2-4 star) path-
Same as above, but exclusively for shadow and elemental, with Fiend bonus IIRC
Electron Charge or Graviton Bomb:
Cons: For EV I need more Krogmos, for Graviton, I need to find and buy the recipe.
Grand Flourish Path-
Cons: need to upgrade from flourish to grand flourish plus need to get recipe
Gigawatt Pulsar-
Cons: need to find the recipe
Anyways, thanks for your opinions.
You don't have to tell us the pros and cons of each item, although it does help us evaluate what you know so far, and what you're thinking. What you do need to tell us is your desired character class --- sworder, gunner, mixed bomber/gunner, etc. We could help you *really* well if we knew exactly how many swords, how many guns, and how many bombs you like to play with, typically. Notice that these three numbers must add up to your total number of weapon slots.
You could also tell us what your goals are (e.g. "I've mastered RJP and IMF and am trying to prepare for FSC"). Or what your play style is like (e.g. "I like charge attacks rather than regular attacks.")
Until you tell us differently, it seems that you use swords at least partially, so you might find my detailed sword guide useful. For example, Defender/Aegis is completely outclassed by Barbarous Thorn Shield if you use swords.
Another general piece of advice: Even if you've invested in an alchemy line to the 4-star level, it's not too late to switch lines. The 5-star upgrade is more expensive than all previous upgrades combined. So do it only if you really want the 5-star piece. Don't throw good money after bad.