Once you have the best weapons, what other weapons are both passable and interesting?

[(PSN)Unstar]

The question:  What weapons are worth building/trying not because they are "top tier", but because they are close enough and have interesting properties that you can't find on many other weapons?

These don't have to be the very best weapons, but they should be something that can get the job done without bending over backwards (or a Riven).  The content I do usually caps out around level 100.

To give an idea of what I'm looking for, here are a few examples from my own armory:

• Hystrix - guaranteed elemental procs, ability to cycle element
• Hirudo - gain health on crits
• Jat Kittag - guaranteed impact procs, guaranteed AoE blast procs during combos/slams
• Amprex - shots link to multiple enemies
• Ignis - flamethrower!
• Lenz - arrows that result in a giant freeze AoE and then a giant damage AoE

Examples of what I'm not looking for: Soma, Akstiletto, Hek...basic weapons that are effective but there are so many other weapons that behave more or less the same

I'm looking for interesting properties that might lead to new kinds of play or different ways to enjoy content.  It's okay if they are "top tier" weapons, but that shouldn't be the main reason they're listed.  Thanks for any suggestions you have!

Edited April 5, 2019 by (PS4)Unstar
adding to the example list

[Halvkyrie]

Silva and Aegis prime - Very fun and good melee, but Sword and Board types are underused from my perspective.
Opticor (vandal) - A "BFG" with AoE and significant base damage
Nagantaka - Pretty neat crossbow with "empty your mag" burst altfire
Astilla - Pretty decent single pellet shotgun
Cernos Prime - Fun bow with several arrows. "Bootleg Artemis Bow". Suffers from innate multishot issues like shotguns though
Just to name a few primaries

[Inemos]

• Tiberon/Stradavar (Prime) - switch firing modes
• Arca Plasmor - radiation based plasma shotgun (status chance is not spread out between pellets, so status <100% is ok)
• Corinth - secondary fire airburst grenade
• Tenora - full auto primary, secondary single shot that consumes 10 ammo
• Syndicate Weapons all have a proc

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by Inemos

[Nighthawk98]

If you're max rank in any syndicate, you should check out the syndicate weapons. For example, Red Veil weapons have an ability called blight that causes an AOE viral damage after enough kills (and restores energy as well).

[LuxTheGremlin]

Wow! Actually something I know about! 

Simulor: you combine the shots from it into bigger shots and you can detonate them. if i remember right they also suck in enemies a little bit. 

Zenistar: It has the disc you can throw and the massive anime sword glitch with the heavy blade dominion skin. 

Atomos- does the Amprex thing

Falcor- It's a glaive which is really unique compared to other melees and hits like a truck with high status. 

Gunblades- They're guns that are also blades what more do you need. (redeemer prime is pretty much the best) 

Ballistica Prime: Charged shots make a specter out of the baddie for a few seconds. 

Phantasma: Framethrower but with radiation. 

Cernos Prime: Unlike other bows shoots a fan of several arrows either horizontally or vertically. 

Hikou Prime: Not really all that interesting itself but is the best throwing weapon to combine with Concealed Explosives, which can be really funny. 

Telos Boltace: Extra Parkour velocity plus the stormpath slide attack, which either sucks enemies in or throws them away from you. 

 

 

[(PSN)Slipstream]

To add to the list of those above, all melee syndicate weapons have some special mechanic behind them written in their description.

Pyrana Prime becomes a fun spray and pray akimbo if you land 3 rapid kills.

Sigma & Octantis - probably harder to obtain but, you can turn into captain America with its shield.

Wolf Sledge - pricey hammer that you can literally throw into a grineer's face.

There's more, but that's what I can think off the top of my head...

[Methanoid]

just go and do silly things like adding 7-8 forma in a normal braton or other nooby weapons just because you can.

[Guest]

Cycron - Infinite Ammo, reload is not interrupted even when you melee or are bowled over. Same for the Plinx but that one may not handle level 100 well.

Buzlok - is top tier, is also very ridiculous to use when you tag and enemy then shred them to kingdom come.

Tatsu - Metal AF Katana...

[NickolasTheDuke]

The scoliac is a weapon I have found to be very fun and interesting to use

[NinjaZeku]

Some personal favorites that I think haven't been mentioned yet:

Ogris - Nightwatch Napalm is fun, as is e.g. emptying a whole dropship with one shot.
(I've got a +Status Riven allowing for 100% Gas Status pwnage, works quite nicely.)

Panthera - you get to launch sawblades that richochet, what's not to love?
(Again, +Status Riven, woo Slash procs, I'd say just ignore the Secondary Fire.)

Secura Penta - the damage boost from Napalm Grenades is nifty (still build it for Crit tho),
but there's also lots of fun to be had with bouncy 'nades that you can manually trigger.

Sobek - decent Shottie that I find just feels good to use,
but then add Acid Shells and you get scaling on-death kersplosions, yes please.

Baza - solid full auto Crit gun, more than a silent gimmick weapon
though it does go especially well with [insert stealth Frame of choice here].

Twin Kohmak - with a +Status Riven, you can turn this nightmare of asymmetry weapon
into something that really doesn't need to hide behind its big brother Kohm.

Staticor - anime energy blasts ahoy, this one's been a frequent choice for me ever since it got released.
If you want a reliable (and not least non-suicidal) AoE supplement for your single-target Primary, this is it.

Kulstar - rocket-propelled cluster grenade launcher. Yeah that's a thing.
You like Kulstar. You love it. You cannot resist it. Your existence is meaningless without Kulstar.

[AtomicEllie]

I've always found the Obex to be really fun to use and the ability to ragdoll on command can be quite useful when using a frame with CCs/stuns, as well as having nice status chance n crit
If you shove some catalyst n formas into a Flux Rifle and use the index mod you can pump out a lot of slash procs with decent damage
I like the Paris Prime cos its high crit n puncture means you can still use at a good level against Grineer
A status/multi Burston Prime with a high fire can shred armour pretty easily
Quartakk fire 4 bullets per shot but doesnt use the multishot effect on status/crit so you can get like 10 bullets for multishot (without riven) each with their own crit/status (just vital sense puts it at 5.1 crit multiplier)