So I was off to a beast stratum when I realized I don't have a single helm with piercing resistance. Once I upgraded to Snarbolax Cap, it lost all of it, and now I'm thinking if I should bother with a new cap, and if so, which one. I don't want to use vog cub/skolver because it's kind of overused and already shares some of the bonuses of snarby cap. I don't really want to use justifier either, since I'm not huge on gunning and I already have the mask of seerus. And Azure Guardian Helm is just pointless (and ugly); it has no passives whatsoever.
So my remaining choices are Royal Jelly Crown, Ironmight Plate Helm, Dragon Scale Helm, or Deadly Virulisk Mask. Are any of these worth using? Should I just stick with what I've got?
Consider just not getting any piercing helmet. I mean, beast strata tend to be really easy (ever since the wolver AI was nerfed). Jelly strata are harder, but maybe you just don't need a lot of piercing armor? A suit is enough?
If you use any swords, Skolver is the answer. I know, you don't want any more Wolver because it's overused. But you can always wear a costume. And you say that its bonus is too similar to Snarbolax's, but that's a positive, not a negative. That makes it easier to plan UVs on your swords that max out your bonuses no matter which armor you're wearing.
In almost all areas of the Clockworks, you want normal protection. So Dragon Scale is pretty bad just about everywhere (except Compound 42).
Regarding Royal Jelly, Ironmight Plate, and Deadly Virulisk, I don't know any more than you do. Just read the stats. But I will say one thing. Deadly Virulisk offers piercing protection, and damage bonus against monsters that deal piercing. So it makes a lot more sense than Volcanic Salamander and Arcane Salamander. But I can't imagine getting it before Skolver or even Justifier.