Upgrading: Weapons vs Elements

[rocdog]

So we all get a lot of offering weapons and stuff.  There's the choice to melt everything immediately, and then transmute to elements (or jewels if accessories).   Now saving weapons takes up room and time sorting things, etc.   Transmuting takes soul stones and money, but the upgrading itself is much cheaper.  Upgrading with purples takes soulstones, too.  Both take money.  

 

Has anyone figured out which costs less, when you take the value of the soul stones into account?  I'm talking about Siren and Pirate level upgrades, since it's obviously a waste to use transmuted elements before then.

[PCComet]

i think that elements would be better. I used to do weapons before but switched to elements because weapons just seems more expensive and more of a hassle because  you have to hoard all purple weapons. i do believe that crafting elements does take more soulstones but i feel like its faster and there's a chance you can get elder elements which you can sell or use to minimize the cost.

[Rinehart]

I hear that currently, it is cheaper to simply use blue weapons to upgrade your weapon.  Later on, when that gets more expensive, it is more cost effective to transmute elements.

[Tsuchiryu]

On 18/03/2016 at 3:37 PM, Rinehart said:

I hear that currently, it is cheaper to simply use blue weapons to upgrade your weapon.  Later on, when that gets more expensive, it is more cost effective to transmute elements.

That's basically what I'm doing: salvaging green weapons for elements, keeping the blue ones. Saving the transmute part for when I need it and have more Soulstones to spare for that.

[Shinsetsu]

Green weapons have a much lower chance to give element powder though...

[dmoe33]

i always get blue weapons from chests from dailies and slav then to use elements. Im assuming ur talking about purple weapons to elements which im 90% sure elements is better. Havent tested or anything but I think its safe to safe they are better cause purple weapons do require soulstones too and the cost:progress is prt sure much much better for elements 

[Tsuchiryu]

6 minutes ago, Shinsetsu said:

Green weapons have a much lower chance to give element powder though...

Not too relevant for me with the amount of greens I get. Plus, if you use weapons directly, blue ones offer a better mileage anyway, even if they get costly later on. At least they don't require Soulstones like purple weapons do.

[Eternal Kizo]

I think in the endgame content that elements are much better simple because gold has become devalued. You get a shit load of gold pretty easily in endgame, so failing aew transmutes wont really be an issue anymore.

[Tsuchiryu]

8 hours ago, Eternal Kizo said:

I think in the endgame content that elements are much better simple because gold has become devalued. You get a shit load of gold pretty easily in endgame, so failing aew transmutes wont really be an issue anymore.

Main problem now, at least for the next few weeks/months, are the Soulstone prices (along with Transformation Stones). They're needed for gear progression, which is required to be able to do some of the later content, which isn't THAT much better at giving gold than, say, the earlier 24-man dungeons are. So, no, replenishing gold/Soulstones aren't all THAT easy, at least for now.