u/abca98

At 25 Arcane, a +10 KP has 60+48=108 AR.

Is this added to your bare fist damage, as if you buffed them with Empty Phantasm Shell? Or is it like converted weapons, with all the damage being transformed to the fire/bolt/arcane type?

Is the STR/SKL scaling on the fists reduced or is it kept the same?

Are there any other noteworthy changes?

For reference, the Bloodletter requires 14/6/16, which is even lower than the 9 minimum points in SKL that all classes have. The weapon also has 1.00 STR and 1.10 BT scaling, so right from the start you know it's going to deliver a pummeling to anything on the wrong side of its handle. In normal mode, it deals blunt damage with most of its attacks, with thrust on the 4th R1, dash R1, and regular R2. The transformation attack and its following mode make the weapon deal Blood damage and gain range, but prevent you from using your firearm.

Some of the heavier hitting firearms need a significant STR and some SKL investment: 30/13 for the regular Cannon and 28/12 for the Gatling. However, the Church Cannon not only needs just 27 STR, but also 16 BT instead of SKL. That means it's a perfect match for the Bloodletter, because you already have everything it's asking for.

Since it can't be buffed, it means you are not going to bother with fire/bolt papers or the 15 ARC required for Empty Phantasm Shell. The Military Veteran starts with the lowest ARC at 6, and 13 SKL, which would open up the heavy firearms. Alternatively, if you are 100% sure about committing to the STR/BT only playstyle, the Violent Past starts with 9 SKL and 7 ARC, in total, 3 levels you can put somewhere else. In any case, Madaras Whisthle would remain an option, as it only needs and scales off BT, unlike every other tool, which use ARC.

Let's look at the arsenal and think about what fits what does not fit in our build:

-Every other BT scaling right hand weapon is also SKL oriented, so those are out of the question.

-Their SKL or ARC requirement can't go higher than our thresholds.

+High STR scaling/low SKL scaling would fit our build.

+Unbuffable so we don't have to worry about them either.

With all this in mind, my list would be:

Untransformed Kirkhammer (speed+physical/thrust attacks, LHB has split scaling).

Stake Driver (faster moveset and charged transformed R2 instead of Visceral attacks, since we are keeping our SKL low).

Transformed Amygdalan Arm ("free" Arcane damage).

Transformed Whirligig Saw (for our lacking damage types or a poison setup).

Even this selection is something I'm not particularly happy with: the Kirkhammer, Arm and Saw deal primarily blunt damage on their other modes, while the Stake Driver has split scaling, and other than the Arm, they are all buffable.

So... what's your option when you feel like the Bloodletter doesn't cut it?