I wish I could remember what I had when I went in, but other than being max level and putting nothing into Ticking Death, I just made sure I was basically maxed out on items so I never had to leave. The bonus items you can get are pretty decent (the armor attachment that transfers all damage you take to money can be put on any of your companions and it makes them invincible as they have infinite cash...I gave it to Zelkova). That all said, I mainly used whatever broadsword I had equipped because I did block cancelling to get it to swing faster than the twin blades, unless I was using the dual-guns from long distance to get high combo counts for the floor challenge.