How should I be using Titanite Shards?

[DatzBolshevik]

I'm using axes, I have the pyromancer starter axe that I used a raw gem on and have reinforced twice already, I think it's doing 140-170. I also got the Deep Battle axe that does dark dmg, a thrall axe and some giant axe that require 32 str so I'm not going to be using that one for a while.

I got a few titanite shards built up now, I was thinking I should reinforce the deep battle axe so I have a high pure dmg axe and a good elemental axe, I could also use a firestone on the thrall axe and reinforce that.

OR should I just save up shards and put them all into my starting weapon?

[JaKeD]

I would probably find a better weapon like a longsword before using shards. Also, try not to rely on deep/raw gems unless you are going for strict early area build. Fire/Raw/Deep lose scaling, which means your stats won't affect your weapons damage output.

[DatzBolshevik]

uh oh, I used a raw gem almost immediately on my starting axe, can I undo this?

I want to use axes

[76561198453457348]

Originally posted by DatzBolshevik:

uh oh, I used a raw gem almost immediately on my starting axe, can I undo this?

I want to use axes

You can just infuse it with something else after. Raw gems are really, really good early game and can even carry you to mid game if you're doing a caster build. That way you can get a chaos or dark infuse when you get the coal for them. That's assuming you're a caster. If not then Heavy, Sharp or refined is what you're after depending on stats and what weapon it is.

[JaKeD]

Originally posted by DatzBolshevik:

uh oh, I used a raw gem almost immediately on my starting axe, can I undo this?

I want to use axes

You can undo it at Andre, the same guy who helps upgrade items. And those infusions aren't entirely bad, but they are only good for early game. Once you get to mid-game you can use dark/chaos gems which won't remove scaling.

[TrueArchery]

I don't know which final build you're aiming at, but upgrading several weapons just for the sake of having physical and elemental damage isn't the smartest use of the resources. Shards and stuff are relatively easy to come by but only at points where the upgrade level they give you is kinda too low to cut it. So essentially you have like 1 main weapon and 2 others which are usually just too weak to be worth it even if monster x happens to be weak to an element or so.

In addition Raw and Fire and Deep all don't scale so while they are nice for the early game where they're a nice dmg boost and allow you to level survivability stats like HP and stamina, they fall behind once you do some Str, Dex, Int and/or Fth investment. Good thing is that you can just change/remove the infusion as upgrade level and infusion are completely independant ffrom each other.

I mean if you got the titanite just spend it. Issue is just that it's fairly pointless. The only truly limited upgrading material is the titanite slab which you need for maxing out any kind of weapon.

[Ratington]

Originally posted by DatzBolshevik:

uh oh, I used a raw gem almost immediately on my starting axe, can I undo this?

I want to use axes

Use the deep axe, Dark is prolly the best element in the game. As well as it scales with faith which if you plan on being a pyro you need. So if I were you I would go for Deep axe. If you wanna use the hand axe then it's not a big deal raw is good early game anyways. But if you wanna remove raw than you need an item called "Shriving Stone" which you can get on the Road of Sacrifices which is also very early game.

[a basic bitch]

Hand axe is not a bad weapon, its just not a great one either.

[JaKeD]

Originally posted by DukeRat66:

Originally posted by DatzBolshevik:

uh oh, I used a raw gem almost immediately on my starting axe, can I undo this?

I want to use axes

Use the deep axe, Dark is prolly the best element in the game. As well as it scales with faith which if you plan on being a pyro you need. So if I were you I would go for Deep axe. If you wanna use the hand axe then it's not a big deal raw is good early game anyways. But if you wanna remove raw than you need an item called "Shriving Stone" which you can get on the Road of Sacrifices which is also very early game.

Deep removes scaling, what you're thinking of is Dark. And also dark scales off of Int/Fth.

[DatzBolshevik]

Originally posted by JaKeD:

Originally posted by DukeRat66:

Use the deep axe, Dark is prolly the best element in the game. As well as it scales with faith which if you plan on being a pyro you need. So if I were you I would go for Deep axe. If you wanna use the hand axe then it's not a big deal raw is good early game anyways. But if you wanna remove raw than you need an item called "Shriving Stone" which you can get on the Road of Sacrifices which is also very early game.

Deep removes scaling, what you're thinking of is Dark. And also dark scales off of Int/Fth.

So I could pretty much stop putting points into str and put them into int/fth and it'd boost my deep axe attack and my pyromancies?

[JaKeD]

Originally posted by DatzBolshevik:

Originally posted by JaKeD:

Deep removes scaling, what you're thinking of is Dark. And also dark scales off of Int/Fth.

So I could pretty much stop putting points into str and put them into int/fth and it'd boost my deep axe attack and my pyromancies?

No, deep removes scaling entirely. Later on in the game you can get Dark gems, those add Int/Fth scaling as well as keeping the ones your weapon already had. Deep/Raw/Fire infusion damage is only affected from your weapons upgrade level.

Dark/Chaos is good since you'll be leveling up Int/Fth for your pyromancer anyways.