My opinion on status vs crit based weapons

[Bouldershoulder]

First, I'd like to recall the times of damage 1.0, where we had the so called 'rainbow builds' and each element had 100% probability to cause status effect. Now there is damage 2.0 with combining elemental effects and below 100% probability for the status effect to happen, and up to 3 different elements on a weapon. Still the same rainbow and still the same 100% status chance on pure status weapons with status-boosting mods. I don't know whether DE is trying to justify the introduction of new damage system by introducing more and more pure status weapons, or something else, but pure status weapons (those having 5% x1.5-x2 crit) do not scale at all. And there lies a problem - they are only useful for up to 50 lvl in general. Crit based weapons' scaling is multiplicative, they can crit more often, and they can do more damage with each crit (the highest is over x8 times the normal damage of a weapon).

On the other hand, pure crit weapons also face certain difficulties in dealing with armored _{and shielded} targets, because their high damage is significantly reduced by armor _{(or they simply don't crit on shields)}. So, the best option is mixed type of weapons that have both decent crit and status chance, not necessarily very high.

What caused me to voice my concern is the latest set of infested weapons with high status chance and negligible crit rate. Another set of mastery fodder to rank and sell. When will we have the so many times spoken of diversity and choice?

Edited March 8, 2016 by Bouldershoulder
thanks to @EDYinnit for pointing at crits against shields

[Epsik-kun]

There's a thing called "Corrosive proc". As long as this thing exists, status weapons can considerably outperform pure damage weapons against really high level enemies.

[CaterHowlett16]

What I like about staus weapons is that ordinary elemental mods can convert into raw damage since the status is already so high.

So lets say I have an amprex compared to a soma. Now if I was looking strictly for raw damage the amprex would have more mods for that.

Amprex

Serration

stormbringer

High voltage

split chamber

Heavy caliber

These all do RAW damage on a status weapon since all the amprex does is electric damage. Meaning it is a guaranteed damage boost 

Soma

Serration

Split chamber

Heavy caliber

Now if I put Stormbringer or high voltage on this I would get a CHANCE to get a damage boost (depending on status)

 

However, Crit works on everything. You can't say that for staus weapons. Sure the amprex would kick @** on corpus, but what if I wanted to go infested? Then I would leave the amprex on the linset.

 

 

 

Edited March 8, 2016 by CaterHowlett16

[TheLexiConArtist]

23 minutes ago, Bouldershoulder said:

On the other hand, pure crit weapons also face certain difficulties in dealing with armored and shielded targets, because their high damage is significantly reduced by armor (or they simply don't crit on shields).

Crits still apply to shields. Just because the numbers are still blue, doesn't mean crit damage isn't applied. As for armour, well...

2 minutes ago, Epsik-kun said:

There's a thing called "Corrosive proc". As long as this thing exists, status weapons can considerably outperform pure damage weapons against really high level enemies.

There's a thing called Corrosive Projection, and there are (some) things called abilities (and augments), which also remove armour.

Also, unarmoured enemies, like Corpus outside of Bursas and Oxium Ospreys. Where is your god now?

1 minute ago, CaterHowlett16 said:

What I like about staus weapons is that ordinary elemental mods can convert into raw damage since the status is already so high.

So lets say I have an amprex compared to a soma. Now if I was looking strictly for raw damage the amprex would have more mods for that.

Amprex

Serration

stormbringer

High voltage

split chamber

Heavy caliber

These all do RAW damage on a status weapon. Meaning it is a guaranteed damage boost 

Soma

Serration

Split chamber

Heavy caliber

Now if I put Stormbringer or high voltage on this I would get a CHANCE to get a damage boost (depending on status)

 

However, Crit works on everything. You can't say that for staus weapons. Sure the amprex would kick @** on corpus, but what if I wanted to go infested? Then I would leave the amprex on the linset.

I don't even know what you're saying.

• Element damage is always added to the weapon, status procs are in addition to that. Stormbringer adds 90% additional Electric damage to both, and every other primary weapon that uses rifle mods and slots it. Only a few status procs actually deal 'raw' damage.
• The Amprex is a crit weapon. It's pure element damage of Electricity might not be best against Infested, but add Toxin and you get Corrosive which is neutral against Infested / Infested-Flesh and has bonuses against Fossilised-Flesh. No problem there.
• Crit has more damage mods because Vital Sense is essentially a 120% or greater boost to base damage on a perfect-critting gun (not to mention Red Crits), which does not have a corresponding base damage counterpart after Serration and possibly Heavy Cal. You also lose more damage when boosting Status Chance because 90% Element Damage mods have to be substituted for 60% Element / 60% Status Chance. This means maximising Status loses up to 120% damage (4*30%) where Crit only loses 90% (one mod slot for Point Strike).

 

[Bouldershoulder]

16 minutes ago, EDYinnit said:

Crits still apply to shields

Strange.. It always seemed to me shields were being treated as environmental objects. I'll edit the OP. Thanks