EOT XPS3 Analysis
Farmable in the permanent Singularity campaign, 416 has a holographic sight SPEQ that offers +8 FP, +14 ACC, and +25% crit rate at max calibration/enhancement. It trades the ROF penalty of a typical EOT for some of the crit rate VFLs give. VFLs are almost always the best equipment for ARs (pre-chip), so let's see how much the lower crit rate matters.
Direct-fire DPS#
For direct-fire DPS, this chart shows the DPS improvement with the EOT XPS3 over a VFL as a function of your crit rate and damage. 416's mod SPEQ is factored into the reference lines, including its rework adding +25 FP (standard crit damage is 160%, 5* para gives 224% net crit damage). Note that this rework makes VFLs a bit better, relatively - if she already has a lot of FP, adding 8 more does less.
Warmer colors indicate the XPS3 will deal more DPS than a VFL, with a color scale to the right. Contour lines are overlaid - in the region below and right of the curve labeled "1", the XPS3 is better. Below 1.05, it does 5% or more DPS.
With no crit damage auras, her SPEQ is about equal to a VFL. It's slightly better given 0 crit rate, worse given a bit, and back to better with a lot. Strong crit damage from stuff like a Command/Parachute fairy will make VFLs about 5% better for direct-fire DPS.
The increased accuracy is nice against more evasive enemies:
Now, they trade even with a 5-star Parachute's massive 40% critical damage buff. Below that, and the XPS3 is better for gun DPS. This advantage will be reduced if you have other accuracy buffs/tiles, so in many real echelons the true relative DPS will be somewhere between this chart and the first when shooting more evasive enemies.
(If you're wondering, the inflection point/corner on the contours for crit rate is at a ~47% crit rate buff - where a 68% crit chance (with VFL) is brought exactly to 100% and you get the largest DPS increase from one. For the pre-rework charts, see vs 15 evasion and vs 50 evasion. The large additive bonus from her mod SPEQ makes the XPS3 a little less exciting.)
Bonus: with Para debuff, things shift around a bit:
With 30% or less crit tiles, 416 prefers her SPEQ for gun DPS. Note that the enhanced grenade damage makes it even more appealing here, as the FP debuff means one-shotting is nowhere near as guaranteed.
Grenade damage#
Direct-fire DPS is cool and all, but that's probably not why you're deploying 416. In terms of grenade damage, the comparison is both simpler and harder.
The XPS3 is clearly better here: it gives +8 FP, while a VFL gives 0. Grenades don't crit, so the lower crit chance doesn't matter. Including affection, 416 would normally have 103 FP pre-scope so this is an ~8% increase in grenade damage. To complicate matters, her grenade damage is already good with a 16x multiplier at SL10/post-mod. Whether or not this 8% increase results in killing more things with the grenade will depend heavily on your echelon (and how much more FP it gives her), the enemy (their HP/link), and the state of the enemy at the time of grenade impact.
For one completely arbitrary estimate, suppose a net 40% external damage buff. This is on the conservative side as SMG tiles, fairy aura, and fairy talent can all contribute. 416's grenade, with her SPEQ, would deal ~2486 damage/link (111*16*1.4). For enemies with around that much HP/link or more, the XPS3 will be a better pick. Some arbitrary examples (listing the maximum seen if there's a range):
| Enemy | Location | HP/link |
|---|---|---|
| Strelet | Theater 5/6 Core 8 | 1534 |
| CT CH3 | 2050 | |
| Gunner | SC EX | 2159 |
| Theater 5/6 Core 8 | 2830 | |
| Cyclops | 12-6 | 2031 |
| Centaurus | 12-6 | 1693 |
| SWAP Striker | Theater 5/6 Advanced 8 | 1721 |
| Striker | Theater 5/6 Advanced 8 | 773 |
| Aegis | Theater 5/6 Core 6 | 2349 |
She can get much higher grenade damages than that - it's hardly an upper limit. For example: with UMP45, Grizzly, and an Artillery fairy the external FP multiplier would be more around 167%, for ~4741 grenade damage/link.
Even against weaker enemies, her secondary explosion will be able to appreciate the damage increase from an XPS3. With only a 3x multiplier, adding damage to it is much less likely to be lost to overkill.
Conclusion#
If you have both, I recommend using her SPEQ in most situations. Even at high crit damage levels, the DPS loss is relatively minor. The improved grenade performance will be appreciated against tougher enemies and for her skill 2.
The maps it drops from are rather annoying to farm and SPEQs are expensive to enhance, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend rushing it. 416 mod is still arguably the best grenadier in the game with a VFL equipped.
One other point in favor of her SPEQ: 12-4E dragging. The dolls you drag often won't give that much crit rate or crit damage, so she's likely to do more direct-fire DPS with the XPS3.
Regular EOTs are not mentioned here as the XPS3 is a direct upgrade over them and would always be preferred. Also, EOTs kinda suck.
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