What is the Purpose of the Raw upgrade path?

hmmm does it ignore defenses?

You get access to it when you get the large ember for +10 reinforcement.

For something such as Washing Pole or Barbed straight sword, the weapon will be better than a +10 at minimum required stats to wield. However, this difference is negligible and is surpassed easily once you get the very large ember.

I think it was put in as a trap for players, just like the options of binoculars or tiny beings ring as gifts, or the use of a titanite slab for crystal reinforcement.

I mean I wonder if there is some kind of weird circumstance for it to be effective like the whole elemental vs regular damage.

Like maybe its does the same amount of damage no matter what kind of armor or how high there defences are?

I dont know since Ive never tried raw. (LOL that sounded funny)

Sorry to bother you all with mundane questions like these.

I believe it's an early game mechanic. I had access to raw pretty early, before my stats really reflected a major power increase in the normal path.

The Raw upgrade path's purpose is an Achievement/Trophy.

Probably the only meaning it will ever have to anyone.

GkMrBane wrote:I mean I wonder if there is some kind of weird circumstance for it to be effective like the whole elemental vs regular damage.

Like maybe its does the same amount of damage no matter what kind of armor or how high there defences are?

I somehow doubt that, the whole point is it reduces scaling for more damage, a halfway horse toward elemental I think, sadly I think it could have been a great viable upgrade path if you could go to +10 raw, as it would become the weapon of choice to buff using pure magic builds who do not specialise in any physical combat stat.

I used to like it, but when I became skillfull enough to clear new londo ruins at a low level, it became redundant. I can have a high base damage weapon, and an increase in scaling power instead of raw now.

i made a raw demon great machete once... it had insane base damage and c scaling.. but i don't know how it would have done vs a +10...

Because you can upgrade to raw without the need for Slabs or anything that needs to be farmed, I think it's only an option for people to upgrade their weapons without farming.

Completely Useless.

Raw is not useless. It's the best pure physical option until you get the Very Large Ember and chunks. Raw +5 has less scaling but is stronger than Regular +10, requires the same ember, and only needs Large Shards to upgrade to max--no chunks, no slabs. This makes it the best early game and low level regular upgrade path, until you get the Very Large Ember and a lot of chunks. Depending on what you're doing (challenge runs, etc.) this could be very useful.

Raw weapon is for those who do not want a supremely scaled weapon, and more so aims for the base damage. The use of raw/crystal allows the amplified usage of weapon resin and buffs. Yet, it does not require as much scaling sacrifice, although still has some.

Benefits: Keeps normal physical damage, but aims towards base more than scaling damage. Good for weapons such as the shotel, server, and other weapons that does not appeal towards scaling very well.

It was put in as a low level PvP option. Little did the devs know that the BB glitch would make it completely useless...

^Not completely useless: challenge runs. Something bb-glitch griefers can't even fathom.

From what I gather it was a temporary path for low levels who don't receive much from stat scaling. No slabs wasted, or chunks, just large shards which are really simple to farm.

Using the Raw upgrade path means you don't have to limit your character to the Drake Sword on playthroughs, and quite a few weapons can do more or equal to drake sword damage when upgraded along this path.

My latest character right now is using a Raw Gargoyle Halberd +5, having 264 ar, receiving 33 ar from the stat scaling on the weapon while having only the stats to wield it.

This way once I get to Anor Londo and can follow the Lightning path, all I have to do is have him degrade my weapon back to regular +5, Ascend it and there we go. Nothing big wasted other than a thousand or so souls and a few large shards.

Edit* God I sound like a broken record, I didn't realize it was answered already. Sorry guys =/

coudn't they at least have made it the only path with a visual effect on the weapon.... even if the damage stayed bad if it looked different people would use it simply for that...

Well thats a bummer.

Thanks to everyone who gave their imput.