
Originally Posted by
Conscience
A rule of thumb here is kinda' like.. If you can afford Malef, Tenshi, and 200ip cards/stated/jewels, you can basically DO anything just not necessarily as quickly as someone with good awakes.
A "saying" of my own is to play what you enjoy.
Mechanically and (probably?) stat and skill-wise, Arcanist is the more feasible option for what you want to do (CES farming) because of the AoE ranges. Mentalist is rather unpopular for some reason, which seems weird since nobody complains about their stats (as far as I see) so I guess it's just really a not loved class overall. I ASSUME mentalist is viable, but Arcanist is just more popular so tips/guides and premade gear will be (cheaper) easier to find if you go that route.
HP?
Irrelevant if you kill mobs in 1-3 hits (with EVA Storm) or do Hit and Run. If you need HP, just add some STA in your stats.
Awakes(I can afford UAS, but of course not as much)?
For starters and for being budget friendly, you can awaken INT on everything except your gloves and boots. UAS can get any awakening on any part, so you can just use them on those parts (for now).
Accessories?
Libras. Again, as far as CES, you won't need much HP and should just use HnR or add some STA if you're not reking things in 1-3 hits.
Any tips(item-wise)?
For budget, you can use S/10% cards instead of the 200IP X/12% cards and buy ATK runes. Make sure you have a fox and a buff pet with beads running.
Any other things I need to know?
If you put all your stats into STA, use your HP% Consumables, then switch back to INT, you'll get a bigger HP bonus than if you used them in full INT. Also, you can farm Penya in Forgotten Island for upgrading before you start doing full Cove Runs to get your char to that 1-3 hit goal.