Anyone figured out how balance works in this game?

[Dumb_Idiot]

Also attributes.

[Jishwasher]

Each attribute has a different colour and the closer you get to having an equal amount of each colour, the higher the balance.
As for what the attributes actually do, as far as I can tell they are only used as stat minimums for weapons, and give damage bonuses to your weapons depending on the attribute value and the affinity it has with the weapon. You can see what attributes buff each weapon in the calibrate section when upgrading weapons with Igor.