gear score vs armor stats, which is more important

[TheGovNa]

With the new update out and gear score seeming to be now all important like destiny's light, what stat is more important to focus on?  For example, the gear score 204 backpack at the special vendor at the HUB for phoenix credits only provides 616 armor, while the gear score 184 backpack at the vendor has a 985 armor score.   The 369 difference in armor points seems pretty significant for only 20 points of gear score, but I don't know what it is in the new system to make an informed decision.

I would think the gear score is more important, especially since the 204 gear score backpack costs 404 phoenix credits more, but does anyone have a solid answer on this?  (If I remember both are the same rarity too) 

 

[Kitten]

Armor stats IMO but if armor stats come with gear score than I guess both? Personally, I will pick which stats are best if I have an item with a lower GS but better stats then I will most likely pick that.

 

[Xeromaus]

Higher gear score items usually give you more total boost across all relevant stats listed. Picking a lower score piece just for armor would make you weaker overall, but a tiny bit more survivable. Like Kitten said though, grab the ones with gear score AND armor if you find armor important.

 

[Codename Quincy]

yeah i have 2 orange m249b's, the damage difference per shot is seriously 11, and they have different gear scores. 

 

[TheDarkZone]

Higher gear score items usually give you more total boost across all relevant stats listed. Picking a lower score piece just for armor would make you weaker overall, but a tiny bit more survivable. Like Kitten said though, grab the ones with gear score AND armor if you find armor important.

Do you have a source for this?

From everything I have seen gear score is just a rating system to give you an idea of how good a piece of gear is compared to another piece. It does not directly impact the performance, but is just a rating system. 

Have you seen something else?

 

[Xeromaus]

Do you have a source for this?

From everything I have seen gear score is just a rating system to give you an idea of how good a piece of gear is compared to another piece. It does not directly impact the performance, but is just a rating system. 

Have you seen something else?

just upgraded my last 163 piece, a holster, to a 182. Both HE, 182 was better overall, even though the associated stats/bonuses were in the exact same lines (+armor, stam/fire on both, with the 182 having more of all three). Other pieces I've upgraded fell in the same pattern..even if all types of bonus were the same, the one with higher stats got a higher gear score (save for the new greens of course, which fold in the set bonuses as part of their score ranking, but still differ in bonus amount between their 191 and 214 variations).

 

[TheDarkZone]

Higher gear score items usually give you more total boost across all relevant stats listed. Picking a lower score piece just for armor would make you weaker overall, but a tiny bit more survivable. Like Kitten said though, grab the ones with gear score AND armor if you find armor important.

Okay. Maybe I just misunderstood the above quote. What I thought you were saying is that a higher gear score somehow is improving the stats listed on the piece of gear. 

just upgraded my last 163 piece, a holster, to a 182. Both HE, 182 was better overall, even though the associated stats/bonuses were in the exact same lines (+armor, stam/fire on both, with the 182 having more of all three). Other pieces I've upgraded fell in the same pattern..even if all types of bonus were the same, the one with higher stats got a higher gear score (save for the new greens of course, which fold in the set bonuses as part of their score ranking, but still differ in bonus amount between their 191 and 214 variations).

But I think what you meant to say is something more like this. Higher gear score generally means the stats on that piece of gear are better.

On a side note, I would recommend players do not focus too much on gear score. Focus on what works for your build. For example, I am running a critical hit build. I picked up quite a few pairs of gloves yesterday with higher gear scores, including one from the Nomad set, but in all of them I would lose 36% critical hit damage if I "upgraded". The rest of the stats were generally pretty similar. Although they had higher gear scores, they just did not work as well in my build (unless I reroll something to get crit damage).

 

[Xeromaus]

On a side note, I would recommend players do not focus too much on gear score. Focus on what works for your build. For example, I am running a critical hit build. I picked up quite a few pairs of gloves yesterday with higher gear scores, including one from the Nomad set, but in all of them I would lose 36% critical hit damage if I "upgraded". The rest of the stats were generally pretty similar. Although they had higher gear scores, they just did not work as well in my build (unless I reroll something to get crit damage).

It's like the old 30 or 31 gear levels. For the most part, crafting a 30 meant you were getting lower upper/lower limits on the stats you found on the piece, whereas crafting a 31 meant you were getting better upper/lower limits, even if only slightly.

Gear score has nothing to do with your personal build, it's universal. Higher gear scores may NOT fit what you're looking for, though they do offer better stats/bonuses. The nomad set pieces (as well as all other set pieces) include, as part of their higher score, the set bonuses, which when taken as a 4 piece set, become FAR more powerful than any HE 4 piece.

 

[Liberty Walk]

I try to go for both. My 240 gear pieces are better in some ways than my 214 and 191 pieces but I had to sacrifice some things. Hopefully I can get better 214 and 240 gear in the future.

 

[TheDarkZone]

It's like the old 30 or 31 gear levels. For the most part, crafting a 30 meant you were getting lower upper/lower limits on the stats you found on the piece, whereas crafting a 31 meant you were getting better upper/lower limits, even if only slightly.

Gear score has nothing to do with your personal build, it's universal. Higher gear scores may NOT fit what you're looking for, though they do offer better stats/bonuses. The nomad set pieces (as well as all other set pieces) include, as part of their higher score, the set bonuses, which when taken as a 4 piece set, become FAR more powerful than any HE 4 piece.

The level 31 pieces were generally better because of the stats they had, not because of the 31 beside them. Same thing goes for gear score. Gear score is not a factor that directly helps you in any way. It is just part of a rating system.

And I disagree that any 4 pieces of one of the gear sets is automatically better than 4 pieces of HE gear. For 4 pieces of the Nomad set I would get +50% scavenging, +20% health on kill, and the bonus revive once every 10 minutes.

The revive thing is nice if I am playing solo. If I am in a group, it really is not that big of a deal to me. I do not put much stock into scavenging, so I don't care about that. I have +22% health on kill right now, so unless one of the pieces has additional health on kill, I would actually lose a little.  Every piece of the Nomad gear I have seen so far has lower armor stats than what I am already wearing too. 

So yeah, it is not just a given that it will automatically be better. 

 

[JonJon77]

Do you have a source for this?

From everything I have seen gear score is just a rating system to give you an idea of how good a piece of gear is compared to another piece. It does not directly impact the performance, but is just a rating system. 

Have you seen something else?

They have added a new piece of info at the top of the loading screen that basically says higher gear score items are stronger. Watch for it. It's one of the 5 you can scroll through by pressing A. I have been looking for an answer for this myself. I have 3 pieces of Nomad armor that have a higher gear score but the stamina or firearms number is a lot lower than my high ends. I wonder the same with guns since the info uses the word stronger. I hope they elaborate on this bit we've been left feeling around in the dark for a lot of answers. I'm used to Destiny and light level so I bought a 182 score pistol and marksman rifle Tuesday to raise my gear score. 

 

[Xeromaus]

The level 31 pieces were generally better because of the stats they had, not because of the 31 beside them. Same thing goes for gear score. Gear score is not a factor that directly helps you in any way. It is just part of a rating system.

And I disagree that any 4 pieces of one of the gear sets is automatically better than 4 pieces of HE gear. For 4 pieces of the Nomad set I would get +50% scavenging, +20% health on kill, and the bonus revive once every 10 minutes.

The revive thing is nice if I am playing solo. If I am in a group, it really is not that big of a deal to me. I do not put much stock into scavenging, so I don't care about that. I have +22% health on kill right now, so unless one of the pieces has additional health on kill, I would actually lose a little.  Every piece of the Nomad gear I have seen so far has lower armor stats than what I am already wearing too. 

So yeah, it is not just a given that it will automatically be better. 

Those 31 pieces had those better stats BECAUSE they were 31's. They get to be 31's BECAUSE they had better stats. The gear score system works the same way. I don't know how else to explain that.

Nomad gear set (as well as any gear that has a higher gear score) still has higher upper/lower limit stat rolls than HE pieces as well, so the bonuses are just that, a bonus. It's still RNG rolled however, and drops/finds are dependent on where and how you acquired them, so you may have better stats on what you're wearing than what you're seeing, but it doesn't mean stronger variants don't exist/aren't available. Sets come in three level variations...191, 214, and 240. HE pieces come in three levels also... 163, 182, and 204. The level you find has a lot to do with how strong the piece is as a standalone and in now way translates to "higher gear score pieces will fit your build". I'm 99.9% certain you haven't found or even seen any 240 pieces yet the way you describe it however.

I'm not speaking from the view of "my build" or "your build". I'm speaking in general to the numbers and the formulas behind them. Perhaps what you have IS stronger than what you see, but if you had your hands on a green/teal set with a higher gear score per piece and the same stat lines at the same high end rolls your current gear has, your current top end HE gear would be lower. The bonuses per piece on gear sets ARE more powerful than any talent given to HE pieces, that's by design. Whether or not your opinion matches up with that is irrelevant, you simply can't get what they offer per piece with any other gear. Take the health on kill bonus...you need three pieces to attain it, but each of those can also carry a slightly higher version of the bonus you have on your HE gear as well for health on kill. 3 pieces of HE with maxed health on kill versus 3 pieces of set gear with maxed health on kill isn't even the same pre-bonus...you'll have 3-5% more on the set pieces already... and +20% on top of it.

If all you wish to discuss is your build versus what drops you see, I can't say a thing against it. I neither play your agent nor know your setup. If you want to take the time to see how the new gear is set up and why it gets a better gear score, you'll understand what's being said. I'm not trying to be condescending, but this is the third time I've attempted to explain this in different words, I'm running out of ways to say it. You're not wrong in what you say, but you're completely overlooking what I'm saying in counterpoint.

 

[TheDarkZone]

Again, my point is that gear score by itself is not a factor in anything.

Let's say I have a HE pair of gloves equipped that are giving me +7% crit chance, +34% crit damage, and +410 SMG damage. They have a gear score of 163. I pick up a new pair of gloves. These gloves have a gear score of 182, but the stats are +8% enemy armor damage, +1,200 Marksman damage, and +8% health on kill and has a gear score of 182.

Armor and firearms are pretty similar on both. Now if I am running a crit build with a SMG as my primary weapon, despite the lower gear score, the first pair of gloves is a better fit for my build.

And yes, I actually have two gloves that are something like this. I didn't bother booting up the game to get the exact numbers, but it is pretty close.

I have seen a lot of gear like this where one looks better to me, but has a lower gear score. 

Again, gear score is nothing more than a rating system. It does not directly effect any of your stats other than your overall gear score. That is my point.

 

[Xeromaus]

Again, my point is that gear score by itself is not a factor in anything.

Let's say I have a HE pair of gloves equipped that are giving me +7% crit chance, +34% crit damage, and +410 SMG damage. They have a gear score of 163. I pick up a new pair of gloves. These gloves have a gear score of 182, but the stats are +8% enemy armor damage, +1,200 Marksman damage, and +8% health on kill and has a gear score of 182.

Armor and firearms are pretty similar on both. Now if I am running a crit build with a SMG as my primary weapon, despite the lower gear score, the first pair of gloves is a better fit for my build.

And yes, I actually have two gloves that are something like this. I didn't bother booting up the game to get the exact numbers, but it is pretty close.

I have seen a lot of gear like this where one looks better to me, but has a lower gear score. 

Again, gear score is nothing more than a rating system. It does not directly effect any of your stats other than your overall gear score. That is my point.

I absolutely agree with that. My point in a nutshell is that gear score is something to keep your eye on for progressing, as it's a direct indicator of the items "power". If you're locked into one build, then no, gear score won't tell you anything. If you're adaptable, it tells a lot.

 

[Liberty Walk]

Armor score is important just like light level in Destiny. Ubisoft/mass already confirmed this. That's reality whether any of us agree or not. 

 

[Saltire]

If gear score didn't matter, they wouldn't have divided the DZ by gear scores imo.

I have the crap end of 240+ items and when I get a gear score of 243, my toughness is 197k with my dps at 263k.  The most toughness I can get is 355k but my gear score drops to 228, and my dps to 166k.

With 355k, I die as easily as I do when I have 197k but I do much less damage.  I will sacrifice some gear score and go down to 239 in order to get my toughness to 281k, and that seems to keep me alive the longest.

I am fairly sure that they have invisible brackets for gear score, like 240 to 244 or 240 to 249 or 254 (I don't know how many points a bracket entails), which the higher you get, the more it will increase all your stats intrinsically without reflecting it to your numeric stats.  239 is closer to max 243 but I don't know if they sre in the same bracket or if the cutoff point is 240;  they may also use it differently so that you wouldn't lose the overall bonuses you get as long as you remain, say 5 points from your max gear score, meaning there wouldn't be cutoff points like 240, 245 but instead, your max score would define what you are allowed to go down to without losing any bonuses.

 

[ESGN]

All gear score really means is that particular gear has a higher max stat potential then a lower gs item.  It doesn't always, mean it is better for your build.

Ex. gs 240 items have max fire/stam/elec of 723(?) gs 268 the max is 759

 

[RaneMokeev]

Maaath...numbers...blaaaaah....

See, this is why I work with computers.  They do the number stuff for me

 

[DeadSockPuppet]

@Saltire I look at what helps my build.  I had a 240 set piece that gave me like 1002 AR and great stats/skills and another of the same type (LS??) that was also 240 and gave me like 650 ish AR and had ok stats/skills.  So, one was definitely better than the other, but they're both 240s.  

Taking that to an improbable next step, I could have all God roll 240 set pieces and all God roll 204 weapons, which gives me GS 228.  You could also have a GS 228 and have a better mix of high, medium, and low rolls and my character could easily roll yours, despite both of us being GS 228.  That's an extreme example, more likely you'll see someone with a well build character with solid rolls at say 228/230 roll someone with a poorly made or max GS character that's at like 240/245.  Builds aren't all about GS, that's really an "arbitrary" number that tells potential rather than actual value.  

 

[RimBlock]

In no particular order.

1. Gear score indicates the strength category that items falls in to.
   
2. Each strength category has min and max values the item could potentially have.
   
3. The categories overlap and a lower GS item can be stronger than higher GS items.
   
4. Min / Max values also affect perks (ie +X% crit chance) on gear (although not multiple set item bonuses).
   
5. The also affect talents on weapons, both the levels of stats you need to activate them (Firearms, Stamina, Tech) and the bonuses they give (stable on a higher GS item will generally give more stability than the same talent on a lower GS item).
   
6. GS does not show how powerful an item is but potentially how powerful the item could be if you got good rolls matching what you wanted.
   
7. You can re-roll one talent / perk to fine tune weapons / equipment with the right cash / items available.
   
8. If an item with a higher gear score does not fit your build as well even after re-calibrating one perk / stat then keep the lower GS one.
   
9. GS restricts you from some activities like incursions and underground at certain levels.  This is the only time I can think of where you may wish to bump your GS up in order to play them.