As an Empyrean Weapon is currently not an option for me, I try to figure out the best choice available (via Drop or Trial). The Wiki provides a lot of the underlying Game Mechanics (or at least justified Approximations) for Damage Calculation. However, there are two things that really hinder the decision making process.
  • What are good assumptions for an Enemy's Stats? This is important as a foe's VIT, Defense, Evasion and AGI are necessary to calculate the values of pDIF, Hit Rate etc. Of course, one could always assume the same VIT as one's own STR, but this is very inaccurate if some of the weapons considered may have an impact on that.
  • How is Weapon Skill Hit Rate calculated? Hit Rate for normal swings is capped at 95%. AFAIK, there is an Accuracy Bonus on Weapon Skills. Does this apply before the cap, so is it impossible for a WS hit to break the 95% cap? I also heard that for multi-hit WS, the Hit Rate decreases after each hit. Is this true, and if it is, by what amount?