Can some people explain the Zaw meta choices

[TheArcSet]

Hi,
 

Before the nightwave guild challenge, I'm hoping some people can explain the meta choices behind zaws.

To be clear, I'm not asking for a part list; I'm trying to find answers to questions like:

Is high speed and status just to stack Conditional Overload on single low level enemies?
Is low speed and high status just to keep CO active in groups of high level enemies and not lose it too soon?
If CO efficiency is inversely linked to kill speed, do status zaws focus on DOT deaths?
Is speed more important for the combo count than for procs?
Does weeping wounds replace blood rush on crit Zaws?

Is Status favoured more than crit just for CO, because CO procs may out multiply crit procs?
Do status Zaws kill with procs, buffed by CO/Crit multipliers, or raw damage buffed by CO/crit multipliers?
Will a status Zaw not work properly until you have CO?

Is range the only 2-hand vs 1-hand factor?

Do you always counter balance grip and strike weaknesses?
Are the plague grips worth using, if they balance, rather than min-max stats?

Basically, what are people aiming for when they make their zaw choices?

 

[Arkennstar]

Condition Overload doesnt actually cause procs or extra status. Condition Overload basically increases your weapon damage dealt if the enemies have statuses active on them. So CO is basically a mod you use with high status chance against high level enemies which take more than 3-4 hits to kill. As each hit potentially stacks status on the target, it will cause your wep to deal more damage against them. Condition Overload is mostly useful at very high levels where enemies have more armor and hence take longer to kill. Whether single target or crowds it doesnt matter. So for example if you have a slash proc and a corrosive proc on an enemy, your weapon will deal 120% (60% for each status) extra damage against it if it has CO equipped on it. So status zaws dont kill with procs. They kill because of the buffed damage of your weapon due to CO.

Yes, pure status zaws basically need CO to bump their damage. Without it they lack in damage.

Both perform reasonably well, crit builds and status builds.. You can even use hybrid using Blood Rush and Condition Overload together on a hybrid build

And no Weeping Wounds can never replace Blood Rush. You want as much crit as you can on a crit zaw

Speed is important for combo counts on crit zaws and for status application on status zaws.. So its useful in both.

Lastly Zaws are custom weapons so everyone has their choices.. crit focused builds using Blood Rush, status focused builds using CO, Hybrid builds using either or both, all of these work fairly well with little difference.

[supr3m3c0w]

It is not additi w. Its multiplicative. Damage*1.6^number of statuses.

Edited June 21, 2019 by supr3m3c0w

[Xzorn]

• Condition Overload has a Avg probability within 6 seconds for simultaneous status effects on an enemy. The faster you strike the higher the Avg goes. An equally important reason to use high speed is to proc Corrosive more rapidly. Corrosive status will increase your damage output to an armored enemy by 30-34% per proc. This means each proc is essentially doing +%eHP damage. It's like if you do +5 Damage when you hit something. Is it better to hit once a second or three times a second.
• Lower Speed is usually for Bleed builds which sometimes use CO but it's mostly about the Bleed DPS as the number of Status procs you're doing to produce is limited to only a few in the first place.
• CO Efficiency is more related to the total available procs you can do and how fast you can apply them on Avg as mentioned. DoTs do make it easier.
• Blood Rush and Weeping Wounds are just totally different mods. They can't replace each other really. Pure physical Bleed builds most often use Weeping Wounds as the sole provider of +%Status on the weapon. Well.. besides Drifting Contact.
• Currently Melee is about 60/40 weighted with Status holding more value. Crit alone works fine on unarmored enemies but will fall flat on armor.
• Pure status weapons kill through Procs, CO, Base Damage and Combo multiplier.
• Not sure what you mean by Range 2-hander 1-hander. Zaw 2-handers and 1-handers had similar if not the same reach for each category type. 10m with Primed Reach on 2-handers and ~3m on 1-handers. Non-Zaw weapons however can vary a lot.
• No, usually have a build specific in mind for the Zaw. Generally go either go best DPS Bleed / Gas or fast DPS Corrosive Status.
• If I recall min/maxing the Plague 1hand grip is ideal for a 32%Status 14%x2 Crit Machete.
• I have like 8 Zaws. They're each for different things. Usually Bleed or Rapid Status. Then there's the Crit Heavy Blade for Infested.