[Coldsaturn]

I'm back here because I don't know if I linked the right protocore guide (aka updated) to you back in the day (at least I'm sure I linked it to you somewhere).

You're still working with purple level (SR) protocores, which means you have all the time to get used to how protocores work before you start farming and leveling up SSR (gold) ones. So while the guide is adamant on telling players to level up ONLY gold protocores, consider that it's talking to those who can clear Core Hunt lvl 8-9-10.

There are some takeaways that are useful even for players who are not leveled up enough yet, so you can get familiar with them.

1) There are some main stats (the first stat of each protocore) that you want for each type of protocore.

♢ Diamond shape - first stat is always HP

▢ Cube shape - first stat should always be either Expedited Energy, Oath Ricovery, or Oath Strength (OS is less useful than OR unless you have Caleb's limited myth companion). You should technically trash every cube you get with other stats as first stat.

✵ Spikey shape - first stat is always ATK

△ Pyramid shape - first stat should always be either Crit Rate, Crit Damage, or Damage Boost to Weakened. You should technically trash every pyramid you get with other stats as first stat.

2) There are some stats that are good on all cores.
- Crit Rate / Crit Damage
- Damage Boost to Weakened
- ATK Bonus %
- Matching Stat % + Stat flat number (i.e. ATK 3% + ATK 14; HP 5% + HP 1000, etc.)

3) There is a specific combination of stats that is always bad.
HP + DEF (both % and flat)
Because no companion scales on both HP and DEF together, so if you have a protocore that has both, the stat that is irrelevant to the companion counts as 0 and is only there to waste space.

4) Revelation of the day: when you're in battle, what counts toward damage output is first and foremost your companion + your weapon of choice and their specific scaling stats.
This means that Companion stat > Specific Card Talent. For example: if you're using Abysswalker then you need protocores that go for ATK because that's the stat the companion scales on, and it doesn't matter if the cards you're using scale on HP or Def or whatever else. What you get from matching a protocore with a card's talent is irrelevant if it also doesn't match with the companion.
The best-ever team has both Companion and the cards' talent matching in stat (all on ATK, all on DEF, etc.). For normal people, Companion takes priority in DMG output, so you build your protocores for that.

4.5) All standard companions and weapons scale on ATK, myth companions vary
(so good protocore stats are ATK - flat and % -, DMG Boost to Weakened, Crit Rate/Crit DMG. "ATK is used for all damage calculations, but weighs less when a companion scales off a different stat")
In the link there's a complete list of myth + standard companions and what they scale on.

5) You are meant to swap protocores with each battle based on the companion you're using.
CON: You are meant to swap protocores with each battle based on the companion you're using.
PRO: You are meant to swap protocores with each battle based on the companion you're using, and not based on each single card (6 for each team). This gives you a way more coherent road for farming cores because you look for the cores that match the companions you have/use the most.

6) CRIT builds are better for bruteforcing battles when you don't match Stellactrum.
You only do CRIT dmg when the enemy is NOT in a weakened state (when you destroy all its shields).
DMG Boost to Weakened builds are better for battles when you match Stellactrum, since you will get the enemy in a weakened state more often. You won't do CRIT while the enemy is in that state, but at that point your ATK will do most of the work if you don't have DBtW, while CRIT will still work when you haven't destroyed all the shields.
So: CRIT builds are slightly more versatile than DBtW builds.