Glass Cannon or Balanced Build?

[Zyrusticae]

Help me out here!

I'm trying to decide whether or not to upgrade to a full Quartz set with Ragne Soul + Technique III.

If I did switch to that, I would get 90 more T-Atk than I currently have, as well as a pile (about 150) of T-Def. On the flipside, however, I would also lose about 90 HP(!) and a small amount of S-Def. It'd cost me 3.3m to make the jump.

Is it worth it? Or is it better to just save the money and stick with what I have? Help meeee!

[Rien]

Glass Cannons are getting less and less viable over time. Despite massive amounts of attack being the only real way to get by without being called a noob, you should keep your S-def.

[Heat Haze]

Unless you're doing Time Attack or doing Boss Runs, I'd go Glass Cannon.

As it is now, this game is about MPAing to kill some monster, in some amount of time, to get more chances of some item dropping. S-Def won't help you lolMPA here unfortunately.

But with that in mind, I'd just keep the S-Def. Things die fast enough as is.

[Bellion]

Answer these questions if you don't mind;
1.How often has that extra 90HP prevented you from getting killed in one hit?
2.Can 3.3m be earned easily for you?
3.Can you almost kill some enemies with 1 Technique?

[Coatl]

Why not just get the snow banther set?

[Dextro]

You really can't half-ass a glass cannon build; if you go for it then you've really gotta go for it!

Tell us what weapon you're using and the skill tree you're working with, then we can tell you straight away if that 90 t-atk will make any difference.

[Shinmarizu]

To the poster asking about the Snow set (requires 489 T-DEF), Zyrusticae probably can't equip it yet, if we're talking about the Quartz set now (requiring 416 T-DEF).

I'm guessing you've had a Bloom set and are shooting for more T-ATK with the Quartz set's bonus.... if that's where the drop in HP is coming from.

I have dealt with this issue as well, and I've realized that keeping HP and S-DEF high matters a great deal. As good as the Quartz set is, unless you're an expert at evading attacks, the reduced HP and S-DEF will hurt you in the end, and you'll be spending more time healing yourself than you normally would.

Your increased T-ATK might make up for your reduced HP pool via improved damage and Resta, but if you can't survive 2 hits, you're running into the same problems I have (learning to dodge everything).

For my Force build, I upgraded from my Bloom set to the black wing units recently, which does help my defenses and HP a bit. However, that is a more expensive option that the Quartz set. Trying to add Stamina Boost to the Quartz set is also an (expensive) option.

[Gen2000]

Eh I would hold out going Tatk Soul+Atk3 combo on unit until you can wear Dark Wings (easily bought and better long term investment) or Snow panther (pain in the ass to affix) set at least. Just seems like a flush of money for no real reason otherwise.

Also the things that are actually a threat to tech users is usually strike base.

[Broken_L_button]

If I were you, I'd hold off on that upgrade simply because it's the Quartz units; they're obsolete now. But really, it all boils down to your income and how well you deal with our bipolar economy; if you feel fine about blowing that 3 mill because your confident in your ability to make more in a short amount of time (very possible if you have a MyShop), then go for it.

As I like to say, meseta comes and goes.

EDIT: regarding the loss of HP/SDEF...If you solo a lot, then I'd advise against it too. If you're in a party/MPA a lot, only your T-ATK truly matters, since, as a Tech user, you'll probably position yourself in such a way to use everyone else as a meatshield, should your group fail to vaporise all native/machine/darker life forms before they get a chance to move.

[Soultrigger]

Eh I would hold out going Tatk Soul+Atk3 combo on unit until you can wear Dark Wings (easily bought and better long term investment) or Snow panther (pain in the ass to affix) set at least. Just seems like a flush of money for no real reason otherwise.

Boss units are easier to affix, since they come pre-slotted. Unless you mean buying one premade, but that'll run you a lot more than simply making one yourself.

Anyways, I think you should skip out on Quartz and use the Snow Set if possible. The +10 def by itself is enough for soloing, and the set bonus is better than Quartz.

Regarding Glass Cannon vs Balanced, Glass Cannon is far better. VH is "designed" such that everything kills you in a few hits, so you'll die by cheap shots regardless of what you're wearing unless you're playing a dedicated tank build (which I wouldn't personally recommend if you want to be efficient). The rationale is that a Balanced build will forever be doomed to mediocre damage, whereas a Glass Cannon has potential to dodge everything and output optimal damage. It isn't simply just killing your boss x seconds faster: there are times where, if you have enough attack, you can lockdown your boss enough such that a boss that might've taken 15 minutes to kill now only takes 5.

[MetalDude]

Really even with higher S-DEF and lower overall ATK, you're only creating more opportunities to get killed the longer the boss lives rather than killing it sooner to prevent those scenarios. Learning boss patterns and knowing how to dodge all attacks will allow you to optimize when you deal damage and when you avoid it. I used to take 10 minutes to fight Quartz as FI and would often die, but I now almost never get hit and kill it in 3-4. When you learn to avoid taking damage, it starts to reduce the value of DEF stats. Not that you should neglect them though. You should always be ready for the rogue attack and dying in 2 hits will put a lot of pressure on you.

[Lumpen Thingy]

Just go for the snow banther set I'll even help you get it. I fucking love running Tundra

[Shinmarizu]

Zyrusticae, what is your base T-DEF right now? While the Snow set is probably one of the better options now, it means nothing if you can't equip it.

[Coatl]

Just go for the snow banther set I'll even help you get it. I fucking love running Tundra


Same here. :p