Changes

==Weapons==

[[Daggers]] seem to have the best single target damage output in the game because of their [[speed]]. That said, they really only shine in the end game content, where small boosts to DPS start adding up to shave several whole minutes off of some fights. Against groups they suffer—they won’t hit multiple enemies and the amount of dodging required in such a fight means that their DPS can’t really get off the ground. Daggers cannot perform [[air step]]s. Edit: Note that daggers cannot [[link strike]].

[[Swords]] have great DPS, though less than daggers, and are a bit more useful in dealing with multiple [[enemies]]. They’re a great option for general use, and you really can’t go wrong with them. That said, they aren’t quite as good as daggers or great swords in the specific situations that those two weapons shine in. Swords can perform air steps.

[[Polearms]] have an awesome left-stick-down combo. It carries you into the air and does good damage, almost always resulting in a break on normal enemies. Polearms are probably most like swords in terms of DPS, but work more like daggers in that they are most useful against a single target. Polearms can perform air steps.

I forgot about [[Shields]]. Whoops. Shields will be coming soon, I welcome any suggestions on them.

I have not used [[Firearms]] very much, but I don’t recommend them. In my opinion, machinery is also best left to [[Prompto]]—you’ll need all the extra weapon slots you can get to boost [[stats]] with royal arms, and [[magic]] is generally more effective as a ranged or AoE tool. I haven’t used either much, though, and I welcome any further expertise on the subject. I spent some time with guns and [[Machinery]], and I’m not sold on them. I’m at max level, so it’s hard to find enemies that are of an appropriate difficulty. I will say that they didn’t feel like they were cutting it for end game content, and I’m too high level to really assess them on lower level content. I still feel like magic, air stepping, and warp strikes are a better option all around. That said, I’ve linked some comments on how to get more from your guns below, from people who are more experienced with them than I am. I'm going to start a new game eventually, so I'll make sure to give them a better shot when I do.

[[Royal Arms]] are a bit of a special case. They’re great for dealing lots of damage rather quickly, especially earlier in the game, and their unique attacks and types can be useful in a lot of situations. However, since they do damage to you, they aren’t as useful for bringing down some of the tough marathon bosses, and their inability to link means that their damage output even against late-game normal enemies can be underwhelming. I recommend equipping them primarily for their stat bonuses. That said, don’t write them off completely—there will be situations where you can spare the HP and links aren’t feasible or necessary, and in these situations your royal arms can do some work for you. Edit: Royal arms do normal (white) damage to every enemy, as far as I know. This means enemies are never resistant to them (purple), but also never weak against them (red). This makes them very strong against certain enemies like [[Red Giant]]s. Also note that royal arms do have their uses, usually based on their movesets, effects, and animations. Collect and try them all out.