SL or Craft?

I need your opinions fellow guildmates! I currently have about 750CE, but need help deciding how to use it. My options:

1) Save up for Shadow Key for Shadow Royal Jelly Palace and craft/transform Seraphic Helm to Heavenly Iron Helm. I've done the Snarby SL, but not this one. For some reason, I've been hesitant to transform the Seraphic to Heavenly Iron - I guess the only downside is the lack of poison resistance. As far as the Shadow RJP, I think I have good enough equipment:Royal Jelly Crown for helmet (Elemental Med UV), Radiant Silvermail (Piercing Max UV) or Snarlbolax Coat (for Freeze resistance) for armor, BTS for shield, 3 of the following for weapons: Faust, Voltedge, Fang of Vog, Blackhawk, Magma Driver, Graviton Bomb, Toxic Atomizer. Obviously buying the Shadow Key will require 1800 CE (minus 100 ME) and I will ask for 400 CE from the other 3 participants and I will use that CE to cover the cost to craft the Heavenly Iron at the end of the run.

2) Craft 4* heart pendant to 5* heart pendant. I have all the necessary materials to do it now including the Enamorocks. Not necessary, but I use this trinket on every run and I can do it now.

3) Craft Faust --> Gran Faust. I have the recipe. I've been putting this off because of the bad things I've heard about the Gran's charge: charge time is longer, more likely to curse self and the self-curse lasts longer. How much do I really use the charge? If I have 3 weapons then I will always be fine. I've been putting this off for a long time. Doing this first could help me on the Shadow RJP, but will mean putting that off longer.

4) Craft Blackened Crest --> Crest of Almire. I have to finish heating it, but I have the recipe already. Not a necessity especialy since the BTS is my default shield on about all runs. But, it's a status symbol, right?

5) Blackhawk --> Sentenza; Silversix --> Argent Peacmaker; Sealed Sword -> Avenger -> Divine Avenger; I don't have any of these boss recipes and I told myself I would only buy them from Basil - more Arcade runs! Like the Gran Faust, doing the Sentenza first could help with the Shadow RJP, but means longer wait for SL.

I have an endless list of other stuff that I'd love to craft too, but I think this sums up the Top 5 things I want to do. So, what should I do first???

Here is my opinion :

1) I question doing the seraphic line in the first place. None of the 5* is outstanding. For Heavenly iron, compared to a Snarby, it loose the freeze resist, have a HUGE shock debuff and also loose a low sword damage bonus. For what ? a low fiend bonus (lol) and a curse resist (double lol). Though 450 CE is about the price of a 5* recipe (which you don't pay when crafting a SL part), so that's not a huge loss.

2) If you run LD a lot, go for it! If you mainly PvE, no. Heart trinkets are simply not worth it for PvE, you won't feel the difference. For PvE, offensive trinkets are king, heart trinkets only serve to fill a gap.

3) That would be the first to do if you are a swordsman (I assume you are) : you really want a 5* weapon of each damage type, except normal.

4) Completing your shield collection of shields come after weapons, so that would not be my first choice.

5) Since you have Voltedge, you don't really need another elemental sword for a while. I'm partial to AP since it's generally more useful than Sentenza (all turrets are weak or neutral to elemental). But that also comes after weapons.


Sum up, my opinion would be 3) -> 4) -> 5) AP then Sentenza. Put 2) first if you do LD, and drop 1)

it depends really.

id reccomend going either for the trinket or the GF.
they are very useful in LD.

if youre unsure about GFs, i have a LD GF guide somewhere on the general discussion
they have some downsides, but with a nice ASI like mine (ASI trinkets work just as well!) that 2nd hit in the combo can curse other people (so helpful ) the charge is.... not to be used, period. (if u see people in LD using it, they either have insane curse res, but more likely are inexpirienced GF users)

GFs are a force to reckoned with in LD..... even with snarby i still get 3 hitted by them o3o

MushyMushy wrote:it depends really.

id reccomend going either for the trinket or the GF.
they are very useful in LD.

if youre unsure about GFs, i have a LD GF guide somewhere on the general discussion
they have some downsides, but with a nice ASI like mine (ASI trinkets work just as well!) that 2nd hit in the combo can curse other people (so helpful ) the charge is.... not to be used, period. (if u see people in LD using it, they either have insane curse res, but more likely are inexpirienced GF users)

GFs are a force to reckoned with in LD..... even with snarby i still get 3 hitted by them o3o

Mushy you have an ASI Low..... -_-
Now I will contribute to the topic: Get the Heavenly Iron just because you'll look like a total badarse.

A. thats still expensive in terms of AH, and i have trinkets.....
B.functionality comes before the looks (get good stuff before stuff for looks (a.k.a. costumes))

MushyMushy wrote:A. thats still expensive in terms of AH, and i have trinkets.....
B.functionality comes before the looks (get good stuff before stuff for looks (a.k.a. costumes))

Sexyness should always come before practicability.

e3e

that might explain why youre still 4/5*

jk

MushyMushy wrote:e3e

that might explain why youre still 4/5*

jk

My 4/5* is 100% sexy.

e3e

AT isnt sexy at all

only Snarby/Skolver/Vog with accessories are sexy wolvers

I appreciate all of the comments. A couple of things to mention:

I don't play LD, ever, so all my equipment is for PvE.

The Seraphic Helm is the only helmet I have with shadow defense. Since it's currently at 4* I would like to upgrade it to 5* at some point. Fradow mentioned the Snarby helmet would be better, but that would mean starting over crafting a new helmet from 2*. Plus, I've never done the Shadow RJP. The Hevenly Iron Helm seems like the best upgrade from Seraphic Helm compared to the other choices although I do think it looks stupid and would always wear a costume over it.

So, based on this, should I still upgrade to the Gran Faust first?

I think Fradow made some good points.

The Iron Helm is outclassed by other items. While it my be discouraging to start over with a new 2* piece, considering the 800 crafting fee to get to 5* vs the ~650 you spend to get to 4*, it's not to late to switch. (also if you do, you can generally buy 3* items off the auction house for cheaper than crafting it).

It doesn't sound like from your post that you have many 5* shadow weapons. I'd consider that a priority over amour - so crafting GF or Sentenza seems like a good idea. Especially before you try the Jelly Shadow lair. You'll want something that deals shadow there.

As for what to do with your Seraphic Helm; Crown of the Fallen is nice for C42 (both fire and poison resit) although dragon scale is better. Alternatively Valkyrie Helm also offers shadow defense, just don't plan on using it for vana much.

As Gibberishly said, don't forget that the 4* to 5* upgrade is about half the cost of a 5* item.

As for Crown of the Fallen for C42 ... Certainly not the worst, but it doesn't defend against jellies (piercing) nor gremlins (elemental) damage. Though really, the most important thing there is to have a fire immune.

Forget totally about the heart trinket. It's simply not worth it if you don't LD.

if i knew what gear you actually use now, i could make a better suggestion.... and as for o LD, well that'll change my recommendations too (as in, GF- not worth it as much)

Here's my current gear:

Armor
Snarlbolax Coat - 5*
Radiant Silvermail - 5* UV Max Piercing
Divine Mantle - 5* UV Med Curse
Heavy Demo Suit - 4* UV Low Fire

Helmets
Royal Jelly Crown - 5* UV Med Elemental
Grey Feather Cowl - 5* UV Low Shock
Sunset Stetson - 4* UV Low Fire
Seraphic Helm - 4*

Shields
Barbarous Thorn Shield - 5* UV High Shadow Low Elemental Low Piercing
Exalted Honor Guard - 5*
Wise Owlite Shield - 4*
Blackened Crest - 4*

Swords
Fang of Vog - 5*
Barbarous Thorn Blade - 5* UV Med Fiends
Voltedge - 5* UV Med Undead
Cold Iron Vanquisher - 5* UV Low Undead
Lionheart Honor Blade - 5*
Faust - 4* UV Low Slimes
Sealed Sword - 3*

Handguns
Magma Driver - 5* UV Low Constructs
Blitz Needle - 5*
Blackhawk - 4*
Silversix - 4*

Bombs
Shivermist Buster - 5* UV Low CTR
Toxic Atomizer - 4*
Graviton Bomb - 4* (Item drop!)
Spine Cone - 2*

I have plenty of other 2/3* gear as well. But that's pretty much it.

the heart trinket (in my opinion) is still on the table, but id honestly go for the GF still, as a shadow weapon is good to have (and even without a useful charge, it is still a formidable weapon)

the CoA should come later, i still use a blackened crest as the CoA only increases the shad res and health, and doesnt really make much of difference in FSC over the BC, however, the CoA is the only shield that doesnt break when vana hits you

i'd go:
-GF
-CoA
-Heart Trinket (i use one in PvE and i notice the difference)
etc....

I want to thank everyone for all of their advice. Yesterday, I crafted the Gran Faust and then went on a RJP run to celebrate and test it out. Is it possible that it's slower and/or takes longer to recover from that second swing than the 4* Faust? I really need to time that second swing better!

I also remembered that I plan on upgrading my 4* Sunset Stetson to the 5* Shadowsun Stetson for the Med handgun damage bonus and that will also get me my 5* helmet with shadow defense. I think this will be my next project.

i am quite used to using a GF by now (even though ive owned one less than a month... u could say i overuse it e3e)

even though my guide is for LD, many of the same techniques can be applied in PvE, heres the link to the thread:
GF & FF thread