Levelling: Generally, levels don't seem to help much beyond 50. I'm sure VIT let me cling on, but Loop 7 Central still had me at ~4HKO, and common enemies could easily capitalise for 50%+. Up too late, one of the Bag Bois outside Marv's counter-punched me for 95%. I wish I'd recorded it, but at the time, I wasn't even surprised. All of my favourite hard 3D action progresses towards high yield / high risk: DMC1, DMC3, Shinobi NTSCU, ZOE2 Extreme, Ninja Gaiden Black. The glass ninja whose best defense is calculated, explosive offense is an esteemed companion.
As for ATK, my gains past Loop 2 were Depth 5 FRC gems (current best 26.7%; can't recall its penalty), and learning how to leverage BEASTMODE (x3 Rune V-ATK with even a little meter = boss lifebar demolition). A bit of element optimisation helps, too - Beasts, cut 'em, Kin, burn/bolt 'em. SKL and Bloodtinge were almost entirely Larry-driven; the former trailed off when I realised arrows are 100% Tinge. Besides Kozmo, Larry was the only non-Chalice boss still scaring me by the end (as in, "might need half an hour for this prick"), so I used basically all of Loop 6 mooning up me tinge.
Just like DEF, none of this is a free pass. Tactics and execution are key; loadout merely ups your dividends. END was a concern at times, but besides having x3 Stamina runes, Beast Roar is an effective stopgap VS man-sized foes. I wasn't beating on bosses for much longer than my bar allowed, besides. In hindsight, would redistribute a bit from VIT, STR, SKL and Bloodtinge apiece.
MUH GEAR Right hand: Saw/Pick/Bowblade. Two blood-simple wreckers, Saw for speed, Pick for stopping power, plus a mobile shot for crowd/pest control. Got into HMS late Loop 6, when I wanted absolute ATK on Kozmo, and a bonebreaker on Larry Phase 1. Fun weapon, besides! The way its R1 chain unceremoniously bulldozes crowds and corners is addictive. Its Straight charge shot's long reach is great at snagging backstabs, too.
Speaking of rangey backstabs, Rakuyo got some use in the middle loops, though I shifted to plainer Saw/Pick as my strategies matured. Could certainly see it standing in for Saw, if it really came to it. Whirligig Saw and Burial Blade look spectacular, and beyond them, I've basically not seen anything else. I'll be coming back to this toybox for a while.
Left hand: Pistol, then Evelyn. Past Loop 1's occasional Bone Marrow snipes, I never used firearms for damage - these two are AFAIK the game's quickest draws. Doesn't need to pack a punch when it's gone in their fuckin eye.
I suppose that goes for a lot of things!
Evelyn performs identically, has that Cainhurst frisson (cute firing animation!), plus higher Bloodtinge scaling, so I kept it to the end.
I wondered about Gratia's wickedly staggering liver shot, but didn't feel confident sacrificing V-ATK just yet. Definite point of interest for future runs. I'd also like to experiment with the Flamesprayer at some point, mostly because #1 Summon Badman
DEFECTOR ANTAL makes it look so cool.
>>> FLAME OF THE DISSENTER <<<
I don't think I could handle either Cannon's massive ammo consumption, at least not without Runing it up. Love the booms, but for that cost, I need obscene payoff - bodies found in trees, on roofs, down the street, naw mean.
Want to love Gatling just for the classic
HOSE EM DOWN asfetic - but at BT90, it's still kinda weak. Needs Ash, maybe? A good fashion pick, at least - could see some cracking GIFs.
Clothing: Mostly Executioner's Garb, decent Phys/Thrust/Blunt balance. Switched to it from Yarghy Suit after my first run-in with Kozmo. Later I'd use Harrowed or Beast Hide for a bit more survivability (?), before returing to Executioner for new Loops. Reluctantly traded in my beloved Yarghy hood for Simon's hat - just too clear a boost. Kinda warmed up to the Piccolo cosplay since though.
Also had a handful of situational costumes. Parl = Henryk's set, will stop Bugzapper from snuffing you out. Winter Lanterns = Graveguard set w/low insight, lets me Bowblade them in relative leisure, at one Sedative + Vial apiece. Gaz's set is supposedly really good vs Slow Poison, but tbh I can't be arsed with Nightmare Frontier's lower depths, barrelling through to the pass and Miggy's plaza. Research Hall = Top Hat, best Blunt defense headgear. Larry = Charred Hunter garb with x3 HP Runes, will help you escape otherwise fatal tieups in Phase 2, though Phase 1's deadliest swipes/slaps remain ~2HKO-. I would've thought the Bone Ash gear would figure in there, but I seem to recall avoiding it, maybe due to Phys/Blunt concerns.
I never quite subscribed to the Fashion Souls mindset - even if only psychological, this stuff did provide some security to a first-timer - but just like Herr Doktor's anti-louse buzzcut and ballistic glasses, I'd have gone for the most boringly practical gear anyway. When it comes to war, practical is sexy.
Not gonna cut too dashing a figure when nerve gas has made you shit your fatigues.
Tools: I learned to keep Beast Roar aka KOKUJUUKEN aka
PARL FIST on the first Quick Use slot, at all times - even in situations where I knew I wouldn't use it, like fighting supermassive bosses (because I'd inevitably forget to re-equip it after, and run smack into something I wanted it for). Great versus anything mansized, also a good last resort when surrounded. I don't emphasise the latter use - the hitbox feels patchy, and positional prevention is the decidedly superior solution to swampings - but if SHTF, it can break the circle and buy you a sprint escape. Also great when you need to reach somewhere ASAP and some asshole tries blocking you.
Its real power is the knockdown-on-demand versus Hostile Hoonters, and even several mansized bosses. Blast 'em into a corner, land a long chain, tag a RAWR on the end while your stamina returns, repeat. Of course BB doesn't technically have ground stomps, but a combo starter timed to land square in a rising foe's face will suffice.
Otherwise, I didn't really bother with tools, at least in combat. Both types of Throwing Knife are great for tactically alerting enemies - far superior to the Pebbles (nice straight trajectory, and no stance shift). As weapons, they never did enough damage for me, even in the Henryk-style distraction the text suggests. Molotovs are slow, weak, and can walk you off ledges smack into the horde you're trying to burn. I like chucking 'em in Lecture Building Floor 1 (aka The Real First Year Simulator), a nice novelty.
The arcane missiles/bludgeons - Call Beyond, Augur, Executioner Gloves, Blacksky - seem to pack a punch, but at ammo and mobility costs that make me uneasy. I get why Souls fans complained at BB's relative stricture - even having not played any of them, I can tell the incentive on dash/slash is profound here.
Having said this, for all I know, these tools are atom bombs in skilled hands / PVP. I look at a good ARPG as something to return to, so I was happiest sticking to my proven shortlist for this initial pass.