I like their look, very cool. Also, yeah they're flexible in terms of mix and matching, so I can control how weak I am to status or what enemies I'm gunning after. They might need a stat tweak like fehzor suggested, but I can't say for sure (also perfect mask of seerus might need updating so it's as good a helm as these new ones).

Here's something I noticed while I was in the ready room. It seems that the shield floats awkwardly behind the armors with scarves.

Probably we need more status stats or less armors. Also it would be great if you will make shield for gunners like bts.

hey, first time poster long time player. i was on last night and i noticed the shear number of new armors and helm. i wasn't to sad about this but i think that it might have been a bit of an over kill. i like the idea of having gunner armor, but i also like the challenge of wearing armor that does quite suit the use I'm putting it to. another thing that i noticed was how desirable the designs were, but i felt the colors of the designs to be a major draw back. i can understand slightly muted colors in the 2*, 3*, and 4* armors and helms, but in the 5* items there really wasn't anything that stood out. I would think adding colors to the designs would make them look better. Now, on to the side effects of wear the armor. i gotta say the ASI, CTR, and DB's are very good to have (i mean, whats the point of gunner armor if it doesn't give you gun bonuses), but when all the armors have ASI, CTR, and DB's then one cant really specialize a set that aids their fighting style. Don't get me wrong though, having the weapon effects is a great idea, but i think doing something with the individual armor/helm lines to make one line for those that NEED ASI for the way they use guns, but don't necessarily need the other affects. i would think that keeping them somewhat akin to the Kataclysmic helms in that they have a bomber helm, swordsmens helm, and gunners helm, but instead of bomber, swordsmen, gunner (i mean come on, this IS the gunner update. we cant be making sword and bomb armors in it) making the sets for ASI, CTR, and DB. Also, i had this thought just now, if you ever come out with a new boss, that means your gonna need a new shadow lair to go with it, as well as a specialty armor and weapons (EX: TOKEN SETS:Ancient Plate set. and FoV and BC. SHADOW LAIR SETS: Almirian Crusader set, Snarby set, Royal Ice set and the like.). I was thinking that some thing like that would add a little challenge to the game as well.

well peace out,
ill be posting on the weapons forum as well in a little bit,

- FN Paszak, USN, Destrukshun, and both Subhazrds

these sets are pure useless and looking very bad. What we need is movement speed low/med and dmg bonus/attack speed.

I agree. No one wants protection, we need weapon bonus.

"I really don't like what you did with the 5* armors. Upgrading and losing damage vs things that matter (I.E. Vanaduke, Crusaders...) for damage vs things that don't matter (Slags. Trojans. Beasts.) is a huge tradeoff when upgrading to begin with."

I know a lot of you act like it, but FSC isn't the only thing in the game that people play.

I've gotta say, I was really looking forward to these new armors, but with the way they currently are, I don't plan on getting any except for costume purposes, and I don't even like the way most of them look.

The only exception I can even think of to this is the Sacred Snakebite Ghost/Shade Helm, which I would get for the Rabid Snarbolax shadow lair, but I already have Shadowsun so it's definitely not one of my priorities.

To be frank, the new armors are disappointing. Yes, they are somewhat balanced, but they're kind of pointless considering many people would prefer to have more specialized armors rather than all-around armors.

These new armour sets are rather interesting. Cosmetically speaking, they all look pretty cool and I can possibly see myself wearing some of them at some point. I like balance between status resistances and weaknesses. However, I can't help but feel that some of these sets feel somewhat unnecessary and impractical; After all, do we really need 36 new 5* armour sets with slight variations like this?

I have a feeling that you're trying to be a little too specific. Part of the reason why I like the current armour sets in Spiral Knights is because they are all useful in a variety of situations while still having benefits and drawbacks. Factoring in the cost of crafting is another issue. People are more likely to spend their money on a more versatile set, such as Chaos or Shadowsun.

My suggestion would be to combine some of the similar sets into one. For example, the Ghost and Hex lines could be combined into a set that had both Damage bonus versus Undead and Damage bonus versus Fiend. Anything that helps to narrow down the amount of sets to choose from would probably be a good idea. This might remove the amount of choice for those looking to customise their knight's appearance but I think it'd be worth it for the functional aspect of the armour (and the sake of everyone's wallets/inventories). This typed of branching sets is interesting but I think that the current amount might be overdoing it just a little.

Also, while I have no proof that this is how it's going to work, it seems that you'll be able to craft this set all the way from 1 star to 5 star. I like this idea and I'd be in favour of having more crafting paths like this to add a sense of continuation.

> I know a lot of you act like it, but FSC isn't the only thing in the game that people play.

It's not because of FSC, but because they're... well... bosses?

Also, armors - 36 armor sets. When it would've been fine with 9. Or just 3.

Why are people worried about the Shield Hang? That happens with almost every piece of equipment except Wolver and other fat armors. Maybe if people didn't wear clone gear all the time they might notice things.

I'm all for the large selection of Armor that has been added. I agree it is a little overkill but the variety is awesome. If this could be done for Swordsmen and Bomber armor as well, that'd be even sweeter.

So should all family bonuses in the game be buffed a level per piece? For example, Sacred Firefly Hex Armor having Guns vs Fiend DMG High instead of Medium, Chroma Suit having Med bonus vs Slime, (and thus, Deadly Virulisk having High vs Slime) Deadshot having bonus vs Undead High (but perhaps changing it from all weapon damage to just Guns vs Undead High)

I do recall something along the lines of this being brought up at one point in time on the Suggestions subforum. I mean, in the case of Chroma, a damage bonus vs a family is a 1/6 instance while a damage bonus with a weapon class is a 1/3 instance, so obviously the former should be double, or at least somewhat stronger than the latter. However, in the case of a Weapon Bonus (A 1/3 instance) versus a Weapon Bonus vs a Family (A 1/18 instance) there should be at least a surmountable damage increase. Theoretically it would be 6x, but reasonably, since the player is only going to be wearing it in a certain stratum (shadow damage stratum for the Hex, Ghost, and Shade armors) it definitely should be at most 1/3 less. However, even in that "at most" situation, we're assuming that the player has 6 sets of 5 star equipment: one for each family. That's not even factoring in the status resists.

When it all comes down to it, the average player is going to only get one to three of these new gunner armors, and they shouldn't be crippled for not being able to afford all 36. Most players will try to get a general piece of gear, and the vs all six families (shade, in my examples) will almost always trump the others. Even if the player plans on making all of the equipment, that will definitely be the first they make.

So, either increase the family bonus per Sacred piece from Medium to High (and also increase by at least one damage level for all the other equipment out there with family bonuses that are the same as another piece's weapon bonus) or change the Shade, Sentinel and Pathfinder armors to only deal Lows against their two respective families. (Even that might be too redundant: It might be better to just remove the Sacred Shade, Sacred Sentinel, and Sacred Pathfinder armor alltogether and just leave the 6 family armors)
Yes? No? Maybe? Lobster?

I honestly feel overwhelmed by options, and that's speaking as somebody with over a thousand hours of playtime. I love the look and design, but a new player would be completely lost without a LOT of research, something a casual player may not want to deal with. Personally, I would've skipped over them initially, maybe revisiting them later or something.

As much as I'd hate to reduce options for long-neglected gunners, maybe they could be rolled into groups, less specific or something like that? Reduce the sheer amount and provide more generalized buffs and bonuses. Especially considering that other existing armor sets are still completely superior in aspects like PvP as a friend pointed out.

I'm going to address the art/design in this post. Later I'll post other thoughts about balance and whatnot.

While I recognize that the art of these armours and helms are likely set in stone, I will still make criticisms about it.

5* Guerrilla/Hazard/Pathfinder Helms
I look at these and literally go "what?" I can see what sort of design that you were going for here, this still looks more like a bomber helmet than anything. I read in another thread and post saying, "How can you possibly gun when you're looking out that narrow visor?" Quite frankly, I agree. Aesthetically, it just doesn't make sense. True, we aren't literally having to view things out of that visor, but it also doesn't match up to logic. The 3* Pathfinder's design is more plausible, and also still fits the design you are trying to achieve. Maybe upgrading the appearance of the 3* to not include the visor would be better. Limiting the accessory capabilities on these helms also doesn't make sense. There is no reason that a top helm accessory can't be placed on these. I can see why front accessories can't be placed on these helms, but that's only because there is an unnecessary bulky view limiting visor in the way.

5* Keeper/Sentinel/Wraith Helms
These are probably the most aesthetically pleasing of the three new design sets of helms. That's in my opinion of course, though I'd be willing to bet that a poll would reveal people feel similar. But just because they look cool, doesn't mean they actually fit. I'm not sure where you are getting the design from, but they don't seem to reflect something a gunner would wear. These helms look like they would fit perfect on some sort of dungeon guard with a spear. Something similar to this that I found in a Google Picture search. Even the name "keeper" hints that it could fit a dungeon guard. So I'm a bit confused as to how this is supposed to fit a gunner... Maybe try this design when there's an update that gives us spears and axes?

5* Ghost/Hex/Shade Helms
Uh... not sure how these helms fit a gunner theme either. This looks like something a medieval executioner would wear. And it's not just the mask part of it, but the design screams executioner as well. The names here hint that it could be some sort of death bringer as well. Again, maybe save this for a Spears and Axes expansion? We're knights, I understand we fit a medieval theme at times, but these designs would be more appropriate elsewhere.

And now for the the armours...

5* Geurrilla/Hazard/Pathfinder Armours
I see where you are getting the design. It's a nice vest that fits well with the gunner theme. I don't have much to say here other than it just doesn't look 5* to me. It doesn't look like the final form of something great. It doesn't look epic like all 5* armours should. In fact, the 4* might be a better choice aesthetically because it has more prismatic parts to it. The design is great, but the artwork needs a bit more. It does fit the helms that go with it, which is a plus.

5* Keeper/Sentinel/Wraith Armours
I like the design, I really do. It does match nicely with its congruent helms, but at least it doesn't look like it would fit a better theme. It goes nicely with the current Gunslinger helms we have, and makes it fit the gunner theme better. These are probably the best aesthetically designed of the three new armour designs.

5* Ghost/Hex/Shade Armours
Finally, something that seems unique compared to everything else we have in the game. But oh goodness that blinking better be a glitch and not intentional. It's nice that the Hex has some designs on the pant legs, however Ghost and Shade should consider having designs of their own to be on par with Hex. These seem to possibly fit a gunner theme, at least I can't seem fit them in a different weapon theme. However, they do look like a deadlier version of something a castle joker or a clown would wear. But, it is something I can definitely see as a Spiral Knight Assassin theme. It kinda goes with its matching helms... but the armour looks more "assassiny" than "executionery." The flowing scarf is an amazing touch.

Overall, the helms seem to be lacking. The Sentinel and Shade lines seem incomplete. Like they are missing something. Similar to how the Round Helms would compare to Winged Helms. Something is just not there that should be. All the helms need a makeover. They need to fit their gunner theme better, or have a neutral weapon theme. Both the Helms and Armours don't upgrade into the epic 5* look that they should have. The Armours could get by with some minor improvement, but the Helms need a major art and design overhaul in my opinion.

I enjoy the designs of the new armor immensely.

The asi and ctr low bonuses are lackluster on one item, but when used as a set it works very well, as intended I believe.

One of my main issues is with how many new sets there are. People will just keep using the swiftstrike/chaos combo, or their old gunner armors now that we have the "run and gun" buff while shooting. Combining some of the set bonuses, like the family bonuses or defensive status resists might solve this issue.

I love the "a different armor for every different situation/enemy/status" in theory. To get rid of some of the clutter, you might consider adding a flat gun damage bonus low to all of the armors that are family-specific, and removing the armors that lack family offensive bonuses and only have the flat bonus.

This servers two purposes: gives the armor more utility beyond facing a particular enemy type, no longer making it clutter but a useful addition to the arsenal when you're not facing a particular enemy family, and gives gunners the ability to have damage bonus max versus a particular enemy without relying on the antigua family 5*, and making them competitive with max damage bonus swordsmen. (discounting trinkets)

Fresh report:

Just came back from Ice Queen SL, as I decided it to be the perfect place to make testing for new armor. Trust me or not, but with my SL experience, everything went quite well. I've been dealing quite good damage on enemies, able to get rid of them quite fast. For my needs I used Grizzly Pathfinder Helm and Sentinel Armor, to have more or less fine protection against both jellies and Sliversaps. It worked quite well, medium damage bonus also been just enough.

I expect that other sets also will work fine that way on other SL bosses. Using them really been much of help.

One thing I noted that I've been dying quite often because of been constantly freezed. Noted it too late - developers, you little bit derped with Sacred Grizzly Pathfinder Helm and Armor, as they provide wrong status protection - instead of freeze resistance and poison debuff, you put shock resistance and freeze debuff on it, which belongs to Falcon sets. That thing is one of those that actually bit screwed my experience, as I expect that with proper freeze resistance I might be alive much more often.

Other sets might be in need for futher testing, yet I feel like I already enjoy them all. And quite understand how they suppose to work, which makes me happy.

"Please post specific feedback you have about the new gear in this thread. This includes balance..."

I'd just like to say that, if you're not going to change what's done with the armor, then the Kat Eye Cowl should get a small buff, considering 3 of the gunner helmets make it obsolete. Something like buff the damage bonus it gives up to Medium, or something similar.

Did you made... I don't know, any census about how much no one uses "existing two dozen armours nobody use"? And you even checked the future that you know about "two dozen new armours nobody is going to use"?

I would like to note that all of the new helms and armor have the equivalent defensive value of chaos.
None are defensive, they are all offensive (with resistance to one status).

I would like to see more variety in the status and damage bonuses/reductions.
One line could be defensive (MSI + additional armor + additional status resist), one balanced (similar to skolver - one status and medium bonus), and one offensive (similar to the current).

I echo the statements of above about family-limited damage bonus (increase to high, or it is almost never going to get used).

@Choridia

Most of the time when I'm gunning seriously, I use defense + speed ups. This enables me to REALLY not take damage, as I am now far away, mobile, hefty, and dealing continuous damage to the crowd. So if I do get hit, its really no big deal.

I can go for quite a long time with MSI high + a ton of defense + handguns, and going quite a long time implies quite a lot of damage.

Two things.

First, things that I otherwise wouldn't be able to do.
+I can draw all the aggro to myself, and make the enemies face away from my team, who seize the opportunity and kill whatever it is that I just made face towards me.
+It lets me tank hits while firing into things with my autoguns. Who cares if that slag jumps into me? I have a ridiculous amount of health and killing the trojans basically ends the fight.
+It lets me fit into ridiculous places and get hit, so that I can get a better angle at heavily guarded mobs. If the deadnaut is facing away and there are two crusaders, I can just take one on the chin in order to shoot him with a charge to freeze him in place and finish the job with more charges later.

Second, I'm just really lazy. Dodging = work and I get sleepy sometimes and don't wanna.

Then I should say it's not the problem with armors, but with peoples, which always goes on hunt for better stats. Example - I can feel myself completely comfortable, if I'll start new character and will progress with it to very Vanguard rank, using only Cobalt armor and basic weapons, like Calibur sword line and Blaster line.
Sadly it don't gonna change the fact that most of players still gonna aim themselves on making Chaos or Skolver/Vog, but it's not the problem in armors, but problem in players, as I see it.

Ha. Well, I stopped using Barbarous Thorn Shield in exchange of simple shield with Normal defence without weapon bonuses. Also I enjoyed playing with Arcane Salamander armor on me, though it's purely situational armor. Leviathan are great weapon, as well as Triglav, and I can enjoy playing Tier 2 while wearing Blazebreak set instead of something specialized. So yeah, it's people, and the way peoples think. As I enjoy armor switching, though in most of situations I can't afford myself making too much of different armors. Not because I don't want them, but because it's hard to collect everything needed to have them all.

*rant incoming, sorry in advance*

Let that sink in for a bit. 36 sets.

36.

Sets.

Just, why? Why do we need so many new armor sets? There's already so many in the current arsenal that go heavily unused, why on earth would an addition of 36 new ones only useful to gunners be a good idea?

Okay, let's start with the good. There's a lot of variety, literally 3 dozen full sets that offer a set amount of a max resistance vs. a status, a max weakness vs a status, ASI and CTR low on guns per piece, and a DMG vs. family medium per piece (and one has some DMG low instead of family medium). The armor themselves are pretty decent, the best thing about it is that wearing a full set gives a max resistance (like Shock!) as well as some okay buffs to your weapons. You could do some serious hybriding with this stuff. All the armors do in fact look pretty great, especially the shadow sets.

But that's as far as it's going to go for praise, because I honestly couldn't be bothered to look at the sets into great detail cause there's absolutely so many that it's flat out overwhelming to try and comprehend them. I wanted to buy them all in the depot but, oh god, you can't even search through it without getting lost trying to get figure out which ones you've bought or not, there's TOO MANY, what the heck!? And then to add salt to the wound, you have to scour through inventory trying to find the pieces that make the full set (but less of a problem cause you can search the one word that's different in their names, but again, I didn't bother). The depot is annoying to navigate through already, you can't consider putting these in there...now the armor, their differences are too subtle, from the resists to their looks, their uses are just so similar that why not just merge a bunch of them and do something about the ridiculous amount of sets? You could even cut them down by HALF, 18 SETS, just by merging them. Then you could merge them again to make 9!

I wanted to provide more insight, but this has to be addressed. I know this was more of a rant about the amount of sets rather than their stats. But with the amount of sets, it's just a horrible overwhelming chore and painful to look it. Please don't release this many, it's scary to look at...many people, veterans, and newcomers that want to be gunners won't even bother trying to understand the benefits of these lines and will just go for Shadowsun or BKC/Chaos and be just fine fighting everything with that...

Also for future test server openings, could you give some sort of patch notes so we know what's been changed rather than running around like headless chickens try to figure out what's new? I like what you did with the guns for the most part, but the armors are unacceptable.