What makes power element phials worse than impact phials on charge blades?

[Quadsword]

Just curious. I'm thinking about farming the materials to make the Deviljho charge blade.

[Bonkers]

Elemental phial damage is hitzone dependent and has a different spread pattern from impact phials, whereas impact phials aren't dependent on hitzones and will hit for the same regardless of weakzone. Elemental phials can be decent if you target weakspots like the head with AEDs rather than SAEDs. Until capcom decides to buff elemental weakzones, and change the elemental CB spread pattern, this is why you will see people running impact phials.

[Corrodias]

Ah... so the "impact" phials essentially do explosive damage, like GL shells and Sticky ammo. I know the ammo can KO monsters if used on the head. Can GL shelling? Can CB SAED? Otherwise, why would it be called "impact"?

[Stationary Traveller]

With that being said, some of the upcoming ATKT CBs will have enough element to finally take over Diablos Tyrannis in several match-ups.

[jrubz]

anything sub 300 element (unboosted) is worthless for damage, and it has to hit, what has already been said, the largest weakpoint to deal the most damage.

They have the most potential to go further now though if you can aim, as it seems currently the Kulve Water CB can deal 100+ to teo's head and match the Diablos CB well. as for other elements, we'll have to wait.

We all know why the Ice CB is gonna be the best though. (inserts DLC plug)

[jrubz]

Originally posted by Corrodias:

Ah... so the "impact" phials essentially do explosive damage, like GL shells and Sticky ammo. I know the ammo can KO monsters if used on the head. Can GL shelling? Can CB SAED? Otherwise, why would it be called "impact"?

it's the stun/exhaust category. Only blunt weapons, sticky and exhaust shots are in that category. If the stun values on a monster didn't get buffed with tempered and multiplayer quest multipliers, impact phials would almost always be objectively better.