Holy crap, thanks so much for the comprehensive post! It's really helped me get a handle on the underlying systems.
Quick question re the buster sword though. I really don't understand that weapon. I'm trying to play it like a Monster Hunter style great sword, but I'm really not feeling it. Monsters move much faster than in MH, and I find the charge way too slow to deal with them. The fact that damage is so dependent on hitting weak spots is also an issue for me. I just don't find the controls as precise as MH, which means I tend to have difficulty hitting weak spots, which further wastes my charge attacks.
I'm glad I was able to help you.
As far as Buster Blades go, it may be hard for me to figure out what advice to give (since I can't see exactly what is happening for you), but I'll try to offer what advice I can. For one, Charge Crush attacks are not the main mode of attack in GE that they are with the greatsword in Monster Hunter. Think of them as more of an opportunistic option. If you see a chance, take it, but don't go out of your way for one. They tend to be more useful against enemies which have a sunder/crush weakness on top of their body, like a Yaksha. The wide vertical strike makes hitting high targets really easy, but that can interfere with hitting a lower point. For targets low to the ground, like the legs of a large Aragami, the basic square button attack works really well. For more eleveated, but not too high, targets, the triangle button attack works better. The reach of the buster blade is wide, and its attacks are slow, so it is a tricky weapon to use, but practice always helps.
One thing to remember is that, while you can't move, you can adjust your rotational position while charging or holding the Charge Crush, so you can adjust your aim all they way up until you release the attack. I often start charging first and only begin to aim later.
As a whole, figuring out the right timing to land slow hits is really important to all characters in God Eater because of the Charge Devour attack. It has roughly the same charge time as the buster blade Charge Crush, so opportunities to use them are pretty similar. When I first started, I could only land either when an Aragami was knocked down, or when they went to feed. These days, I see more opportunities, such as when they charge up a ranged attack against one of my allies, or when I am behind them during a slower attack. Getting used to your enemies tells and attack patterns will reveal more moments of vulnerability you can exploit.
If all else fails, you can use the Quick charge skill to use both the Charge Crush and the Devour more easily.
Can you not do a raw quick devour? Seems like you need to do a normal attack first before you can use quick devour
There is no quick devour in GE2 like there is in GE:R. The combo devour and charge devour are your only options. However, I discovered from the tutorial videos in GE:2 that you can cancel a shield block into a combo devour, which has its uses. If just want to devour a defeated Aragami to collect materials, the shield devour cancel into combo devour might be the fastest method.
One question I have though; for weapon augments, can you only apply them once? I put a few of them on one of my spears, and it made the spear into a +2 version, but I don't think I am able to remove them, only replace them with other augments. Actually, I just really need to look up the whole augmentation system in general, because I'm not sure why some of my weapons became +1 and +2 and others didn't.
You do use up the abandoned God Arc when you install a skill into one of your weapons. Now, the reason that some of your weapons are +1 or +2 and others are not is because only some abandoned God Arcs come with a bonus +1 upgrade. It is listed along with the skill that the abandoned God Arc provides.
Oof I'm overwhelmed and not even out of Difficulty 1! I double dipped on Resurrection, but didn't get to spend much time with it and hadn't played since I played God Eater (1) on my PSP.
So... recommended time to jump into skill rebuilding? Should I wait until I have a more upgraded weapon? Just go for it? What skills are generally favored or is it preference much like MH (which I have put insanely too many hours into)?
Also, many many thanks for (both of) your extremely informative posts, SkyOdin!
Again, I am glad to be of use!
You can jump into skill rebuilding whenever you want. You get three abandoned God Arcs every time you clear a mission, so you will never be lacking in material to work with. However, the skills the abandoned God Arcs come with will get better the further you go in the game. There is no downside to starting early, but the benefits are going to be small until you get the better skills late in the game. However, you might want to save the +1 bonuses for weapons that you really like. You will need a lot of the them to get a meaningful increase to stats. On the other hand, the +1 bonuses do carry over if you upgrade the weapon, so you can start early if you find a weapon you do like.
Are there guides in the game or online that explain what all the UI on the screen means? I don't even know what the damn bar in the middle of the screen with the levels is trying to tell me. And why do I get this glow around me at times?
The bar in the middle of the screen is the Burst gauge. It appears when you enter Burst mode, which is also signaled by your character starting to glow. I explained Burst mode in detail in that post I linked from my last large post in this thread. In short, you entered Burst mode either because you Devoured a living enemy, or you received an Aragami bullet from an ally (which will be a lot more common early on in GE2 than it was in GE:R). Don't worry, Burst mode is a good thing.
The other UI elements during missions include your HP, OP (ammo), and Stamina at the top left. Below that is the HP and status of all of your allies. The minimap is at the top-right, while your currently equipped bullets are listed at the bottom-right. Above the mini-map is the mission timer, which tells you how much time is left to complete the mission, and the endurance gauge, which tells you how many times you can die/respawn before you fail the mission. The menu for selecting items and orders appears at the bottom of the screen when opened. The Burst Gauge also mentions if you have an available Condensed Aragami Bullet (see prior mentioned link for details).
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