[The Future of ZAWs]

8 hours ago, YazMatazO said:

Zaws are excellent weapons. 

Most people probably don't realise. 

Agreed. Completely.

[The Future of ZAWs]

8 hours ago, TARINunit9 said:

Sadly DE's official stance is "we screwed up, and the Zaw's stats are stored in its 3d model". Yes, that is utterly stupid coding, but it's what they told us

Perhaps it will be revisited. Though, it's unlikely.

[The Future of ZAWs]

1 hour ago, HugintheCrow said:

Nearly all weapons (actually nearly all items) use all caps in certain sections* of the game. It's not very consistent either. That is not a reason to write "Zaw" in full caps however.

 

*Like the end mission screen, for example.

 

2 hours ago, TARINunit9 said:

So is Boltor Prime, but "BOLTOR PRIME" never caught on either

That is the formatting in certain sections. It's done that way to make the font uniform, allowing it to be easier to read. However, the point is noted, but unrelated to the original intention of this post. In the future, I'll focus on proper grammar, after more attentive observation.

[The Future of ZAWs]

7 hours ago, PerishedFraud said:

There's no real reason for zaws not to benefit from regular skins.

Fashion shouldn't be a price for good weapons. With newer melee weapons competing with, if not just overshadowing zaws, the appeal is starting to become lost.

 

7 hours ago, Sept3var said:

Its the main reason i dont use a zaw at all is the way they look and you cant change it in anyway at all. 

I remember in a past post it was explained that the Zaw weapon stats are tied into the mesh of the weapon, so if you change the skin you change the stats.

Edit: found the official DE response on it

 

That is a point I should've expanded on. ZAWs lack aesthetic diversity because of their current nature. However, the inclusion of new, stylized parts might remedy that. Power and beauty are rare, but they don't have to be. Another way to remedy the appearance concern could be a system/merchant that allows you to "graft" a style onto a weapon utilizing void energy and orokin technology. But that's mostly just brainstorming.

[The Future of ZAWs]

2 hours ago, 0_The_F00l said:

I agree with your vision of more varied Zaws with specialized stats or passives, 

But I I am not sure about the means to acquire parts you mentioned as drops, it might work but I foresee farming for that one sweet Meta part being a real pain. I would rather it stayed as a purchase option (blueprints or actual part) from the various merchants you mentioned. 

Zaws are currently one of the most powerful melee weapons within the game barring a few top tier weapons and ones that do not have zaw equivalents (glaives, dualsword , sword and shield, whips, whip blades etc.) and they are suited to your playstyle I would love to make my own dual sword or glaive. 

I would love more unique zaw variations, mechanics, arcanes and combinations. 

A corpus zaw with electric or magnetic damage bonus, 

A Grineer zaw with blast etc. Like we have the plague Zaws. 

The drop mechanic would probably funtion much like certain blueprints for Warframes. Dropped by specific enemies, or obtained from certain missions.

[The Future of ZAWs]

1 hour ago, TARINunit9 said:

"Zaw" is not an acronym or an all-caps word. You can type "Zaw" or even "zaw" in the future

Whenever I see it in game, it is all caps. I simply used it as I've seen it. However, it's a good thing to keep in mind.

[The Future of ZAWs]

As it stands, there is a stable, albeit stale platform for ZAWs and their system. Rewarding, yes, but in recent days, gleaming with undiscovered potential. Personally, I enjoy the system as is, and in a time of massive upcoming updates, change isn't pressing, nor expected. However, this post is simply some ideas as to how the future of ZAWs could go.

As far as crafting goes, ZAWs are cetus based. However, for possible changes to that, they could be:

• Made in different capacity by different Smiths around the system. Hok makes Cetus styled weapons. There could be a new smith added to Fortuna and Relays, or possibly Syndicate based smiths, as well. These Smiths could provide parts themed to their areas or their factions respectively. There could also be travelling merchants carrying special (or generic) non-specific parts. If applicable, there could even be a new faction tailored around being know as the Smiths of the Origin System.
• The ZAW crafting process could differ in application, by each smith respectively, or be very much uniform to how it currently, just involving different personality flavouring.
• Each ZAW part could be obtained from a different smith, allowing for greater customization visually and stats wise, but the smith that assembles it would also impart their own charateristic passive. For example: Having a Red Veil smith assemble your ZAW could give it bonus finisher damage.
• Materials, Components, and Arcanes would largely relate to the area each part comes from, but would also have a focused theme. An example of this would be an Arcane from Fortuna thats gives Critical hits a chance to proc the radiation status effect. 

Crafting can be changed in many ways, but as for the actual stats of the weapon, as well as it's appearance and use, the ZAW largely depends on the parts that make it up. My thoughts into how the parts could be obtained, expanded, and diversified are as follow:

• As it is currently known, there are three parts to a ZAW. Strike, Grips, and Links. In cetus, there are various ways to combine them to make what you like. However the possibilities are rather limited. A possible changed is simply increasing the volume of parts. First at the source, for effectiveness, or at least a test toward future expansion. Creating a more broad scope is an excellent start to this. Such as adding a large, curved sword Grip, and a large, wide, double sided ZAW Strike. Not only would this allow the creation of Heavy Blades, but also, the creation of a Dai-Nikana, as well as many varations to swords and polearms.
• There could also be parts that add different specializations or damage preferences. Using the Nikana as an example, it is a weapon type, much like it's real life inspiration, focused largely on Slashing, and thus, slash damage. However, the Katana had many varations for attack properties, such as Armour Piercing or Bone Crushing, depending on how or where it was made. The Nikana, and all other weapon parts, respectively could also recieve such varations in game. Would you want a Nikana that has high Impact damage? A Strike with a curved blade, but blunted edge, decreasing it's slash and removing it's puncture damage could accommodate. Is they goal a well rounded yet still hard hitting weapon? A strike adding immense weight but the power to match could be the remedy. In this case, the words "Form meets function" could have literal implications here.
•  Part Diversity can come from any avenue, but one I think deserving of focus would be the origin of each part. As stated above, there are currently only parts from Cetus. The inclusion of parts from other areas and factions of the game would further serve to increase the scope of the ZAW system. Some could be mass produced and be acquired through the market. Some could be rare and limited, either being from the void, and thus being sold by Baro, or rarely dropped in void missions, or as Prime versions in Relics. Some could be faction specific, needing certain amounts of standing to be purchased, or could be obtained through missions asigned to each part. There could even be Tenno created parts that are researched in a new facility for Dojos.
• Aside from specific parts, and generic parts, there could be wholely unique parts. Some related to and obtained from special quests, some that can only be fashioned with great material contributions that require the work of one or more specialzed smiths, and of course, some dropped from bosses and random encounters. All with their own unique charateristics.

As for a few closing notes, there could also be a cosmetic market simply for the purpose of making you ZAW reflect you and your tastes, or to give it a specific look. Things like adding Auras to override the elemental appearance on your weapon, as well as customized grips, gaurds, sheathes, and more. In a later post, I'll expand on more, but these are just a few suggestions for the future of ZAWs. If you actually read this, thank you for your time.

Safe travels, Tenno.

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