From what I have been reading, it seems the latest worry is that +10 cards, particularly how Penetration cards are perhaps Battle Tactics 2.0. It is not, relax and quit worrying. I am here to clear things up (or make things worse, either is fine). I will not lie and say that penetration is a healthy thing to have, it is not, but honestly it is not the worst thing in the game right now.
Disclaimer: I'm not defending or criticizing the new changes, everyone knows I hate the existence of the penetration formula with a passion. I'm not going to let that bias stand in the way of pure facts <3. I'm only here to present numbers. Sweet, innocent numbers.
TL;DR: +10 Serenia cards are not super broken, but an okay investment if you enjoy PVP and are working towards some kind of goal. They will not double your damage. Damage-wise, they are mostly only worth it if you're a Thief class. For everyone else, it is a bit mediocre.
Without further ado, below are nice colourful charts that sum up the calculations for you (that are red-green-colour-blind -friendly, according to Tonitrua).
Chart 1:
This is what you are looking at if you have never thought about using Serenia cards at all, because hell, it is mostly pointless for 99% of the game. You are looking to waste some time/zeny/money. Good for you. What can you expect from your investment?
PVE: If you're not a Thief, I wouldn't bother. It is low impact because you simply cannot accrue enough Penetration to matter against bosses.
PVP: Want to get revenge on those leather-clad Assassins and Rogues? Well then this might be something you would want to explore. As a regular class, you are looking at a pretty good ~60% damage increase against them if you get your hits in. Now that is a big if, because the Thieves that are much more likely to be investing in these are going to turn around and turn you inside out if they can counterattack. For Assassins and Rogues, not that much of a difference against your typical targets - they are most likely already dead anyways. But if you have that one tank that always seems to shrug off your attacks, well now you can show them who has more money who has more skill!
Chart 2:
Here is that chart if you are already using a set of Serenia cards. You wonder to yourself, is it worth it to upgrade, or are you fine the way you are? Everybody is already dying with one skillful button click, do I need more? If you think so, here is what those 50 extra refinements will get you.
PVE: It is the same as above, of course. The mediocre amount you would have had using +0 never made a difference, and it continues to not make much of an impact even if you go splurging. Don't bother.
PVP: Do you enjoy kicking dead horses? Do you want your enemies to be super-dead? Then sure go ahead. But really, the increase is quite marginal. Again, only good for Thief classes, and calling it good is a bit of a stretch. You are fine with or without them, but I would say it is one of the last things I would worry about. Definitely not a necessity, purely a luxury item.
Next time: Osiris +10 cards? I don't know.
(and by next time, I mean when someone sends me a screenshot of +10 Osiris cards so I know what stats they have).
Did you find any mistakes? I would not be surprised. Bears do not know math. If you want to fact-check me, this is the formula for Penetration. I used 90 which is ML40 for the Level variable.
Penetration / (0.005 * Penetration + 0.2 * Level + 10)
Edited by Arbalist, 10 March 2017 - 12:01 AM.
