Artifact Star Values vs Rarity

So...

In this scenario, I have two artifact weapons. One is a Rare [Blue] 4 Star Weapon, and the other is an Epic [Pink] 3 Star Weapon. From what I have seen, you cannot upgrade a weapons stars nor rarity, but you can increase the level of the weapon. At base, starting, value the Rare 4 Star vs Epic 3 Star - The Rare 4 Star has better stats than the 3 Star Epic.

So my question(s) is(are):

Should I be leveling my Artifact Weapons according to their Star Value or their Rarity? And what are the major differences in these two sub-stats?

Internally I want to level the Epic Weapon because it is more rare and most likely (in my eyes) it has more potential than the Rare Weapon. But I do not have any proof or evidence backing that.

Any light you can shed on this is greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

EDIT: All pieces of Armor, including Shields, Weapons, and Rings are considered "Artifacts" in this game.

1

1 Answer

In my limited experience, also according my research and most experienced players in my Raid discord:

Stars have more value than rarity, even when it comes to long-term leveling up of the artifact.

That is certainly what my own experience confirms so far: I have levelled up both a four star rare and a three star epic of the same artifact to 8 several times, and the four star rare remains the better of the two.

This is supported by the price of items in Market, and the cost to unequip artifacts. Note that a common item with four stars costs much more, in both cases, than a one or two star Epic. This implies to me that the game makers specifically intend stars to be more valuable than rarity.

A quick additional note about artifacts:

Percentage stat boosts are better than flat stat boosts. So a 150 HP boost is inferior to a 5% HP boost even if the latter adds up to less than 150 HP on a specific champ.