Tool Efficiency or Master Weapon?

[Droz1937]

I saw some videos stating that Master Weapon is the way to go with tools...but this just does not make sense.

Does anyone have any experience with the difference? The videos stated that Master Weapon yielded more per hit. I'm thinking they just got their modification mixed up...

[Solomon Hawk]

Better yield (or more damage as with weapons) often means less durability.

[Droz1937]

Originally posted by Usher:

Better yield (or more damage as with weapons) often means less durability.

Yep. Although I am finding that the better yield saves me more time. Rarely do I find my tool breaking while in the field when I leave with it on full Durability. Thus, the higher yield tends to benefit me.

[KellyR]

Better yield is especially important on things like star metal, where improving the amount you get per node broken is critical...

Not sure what advantage there would be in putting a weapon damage upgrade on it instead, that doesn't make sense to me. But I'm a noob so there may be something I'm missing.

Does the weapon durability kit lower the weapon/tool's damage? Because if it make it take one extra swing to finish off a node, THAT could be useful.

[Samantha Raven]

It depends on the tools you are using really later on the best tool obident blood tools u want master reinforce cause u can only repair it with legendary repair kits.
with master reinforce on a blood obiden tool it gives it 3000 durability for star pickaxe thats both axe and pick in one i honestly feel the master reinforce is better.

Look at it this way each strike it 1 durability loss resorces respawn and some places tons of resources so if you consider how much you gain before you have to repair to the amount you gain per strike the master reinforce will gain you more resources over time then the effiency kits.

It really gains its benafit farming black ice or stone and wood really tho but as other said star metal it depends on the quality of the tool it self and your perferance really sense the effiency nets you couple extra resources per strike where durability gives u tons more strikes before a repair is needed meaning over time way more resources gathered.

But the reall benafit is with named tools like the blood obedient tools that can only be repaired with legendary repair kits and gaining 3,000 durability with a master reinforce.

[Solomon Hawk]

As a general preference, I use reinforcements on all my tools, weapons and armor. (advanced).
There is no weight gain penalty as would be with armor plating or durability reduction.
However I do equip my thralls with armor plated armor relative to the area I'm working in and with weapon damage modifiers for their weapons since they won't suffer those penalties.
A decent trade off is less repair is needed (lasts longer) meaning more harvesting. So far without considering DLC, star metal yields most resources per strike.

[KellyR]

Originally posted by Usher:

As a general preference, I use reinforcements on all my tools, weapons and armor. (advanced).
There is no weight gain penalty as would be with armor plating or durability reduction.
However I do equip my thralls with armor plated armor relative to the area I'm working in and with weapon damage modifiers for their weapons since they won't suffer those penalties.
A decent trade off is less repair is needed (lasts longer) meaning more harvesting. So far without considering DLC, star metal yields most resources per strike.

I don't care about durability on my tools. I fill up my encumbrance limits before it breaks, and I repair it when I bring it all home. So I care much more about how fast I harvest, and for rare things like star metal, I care about how much I get out of each node.

Thus, I use the efficiency kits.

Admittedly, I'm still using a star metal pickaxe, so I can repair it with star metal and shaped wood.

Honestly though, if the Obsidian and Black Blood tools are that much harder to repair, I'll just stick with the star metal pickaxe forever. Only have to carry one tool (Instead of a pick and a hatchet), and I harvest 10-11 material per swing with it. If I went to the higher tier and had to use a reinforcing kit on it instead, I'd only be getting 8-9 per swing, so that's a downgrade. No thanks.