Looking for an alternative to Life Strike

[(PSN)namtap032892]

I just know I'll have a bunch of people think I'm crazy, but I'm serious about this. I use melee weapons a lot, but I find myself running into the same issue over and over again with one of my two most frequently used loadouts, and the other one has no need of Life Strike.

My favorite loadout is basically Mag Prime with a Destreza. (Don't judge me.) Obviously, Mag Prime doesn't fare well against damage that bypasses shields. While I could use Life Strike in an attempt to counteract such damage, that really eats into my energy, which I need to use abilities. In fact, I use channeling so infrequently, I sometimes forget it's a game mechanic.

Hence why I'm looking for an alternative. I know there's at least one, but I'd like to know if there's others, and where I can get them.

[DiosGX]

Change your aura to a D and use rejuvenation. It's stupidly underrated. That and medi-ray will keep you sustsined and let you keep your rapier.

Rejuv was buffed a fair while ago. I believe it used to cap out at 1.2hp/sec. It's now 3hp/sec, and even heals excavator drills in excav missions. With the overshields you generate as mag, the armor you can strip already, I'd give it a whirl. I love rejuv to pieces. Keeps teams trucking during some rough stuff, and most importantly, you.

 

o3o

[Bryntwulf]

Healing Returns might be good. 

http://warframe.wikia.com/wiki/Healing_Return

You'll have to make a semi-status build to do it though. 

[FollowTheFaceless]

You'd better wait for Hirudo. I'm pretty sure devs will tell at upcoming devstream when Glast Gambit comes to consoles.

[rapt0rman]

11 minutes ago, KyoBladezen said:

Healing Returns might be good. 

http://warframe.wikia.com/wiki/Healing_Return

You'll have to make a semi-status build to do it though. 

Incidentally, destreza is already an amazing weapon for healing return, vulpine mask has automatic slash procs built into all of it's combos.

Edited January 5, 2017 by rapt0rman

[(PSN)namtap032892]

2 minutes ago, FollowTheFaceless said:

You'd better wait for Hirudo. I'm pretty sure devs will tell at upcoming devstream when Glast Gambit comes to consoles.

Just for my own information: What does Hirudo do?

[rapt0rman]

2 minutes ago, (PS4)namtap032892 said:

Just for my own information: What does Hirudo do?

5% lifesteal and a stacking health bonus (5% base health, stacks up to 5 times) on each crit.

[(PSN)namtap032892]

1 minute ago, rapt0rman said:

5% lifesteal and a stacking health bonus (5% base health, stacks up to 5 times) on each crit.

Well... It sounds useful for my Venka Prime at least. Well, it might be useful in general, considering I use the Naramon Focus for the melee passives.

[Jangkrik]

1. Hirudo and Hema. Both of them works well in replenishing HP. Wait for them in the Glast Gambit update for consoles.

2. Use Focus Energy to counter the drain from LS. I use it all the time.

3. Use Healing Return.

4. Medi-ray.

5. Furis with its lifesteal aug.

Edited January 5, 2017 by Jangkrik
added something

[rapt0rman]

Just now, (PS4)namtap032892 said:

Well... It sounds useful for my Venka Prime at least. Well, it might be useful in general, considering I use the Naramon Focus for the melee passives.

It's an infested sparring weapon, not a mod :P

[FollowTheFaceless]

2 minutes ago, (PS4)namtap032892 said:

Well... It sounds useful for my Venka Prime at least. Well, it might be useful in general, considering I use the Naramon Focus for the melee passives.

This is not a mod, it's a melee sparring type weapon. 

http://warframe.wikia.com/wiki/Hirudo

Edited January 5, 2017 by FollowTheFaceless

[-VV-william]

2 minutes ago, (PS4)namtap032892 said:

Well... It sounds useful for my Venka Prime at least. Well, it might be useful in general, considering I use the Naramon Focus for the melee passives.

Hirudo it's a melee sparring type weapon, not a mod

[(PSN)namtap032892]

Just now, rapt0rman said:

It's an infested sparring weapon, not a mod :P

XD Oops. I don't really like sparring weapons, to be honest.

Besides, my Mag Prime (with the normal Mag helmet) just looks darn good with that rapier.

[(PSN)namtap032892]

Just to clarify, I'm not looking to change my melee weapon. I just want an alternative to using LS on my melee's.

[rapt0rman]

Healing return is what you're going to want, no idea if it's out on consoles yet either.

[RunningTree3]

Apart from those already mentioned, if you have access to the appropriate Syndicates:

• The Jaw Sword has the Blade of Truth mod from Arbiters of Hexi, which can grant theproc: increases Max Health by +25% (you keep the HP you gain), with a movement buff.  When it expires, you keep any extra HP up to your normal Max HP.
• Dual Cleavers has the Justice Blades mod from Steel Meridian -- the proc also temporarily increases Max health by +25%, with an armor buff. Again on expiry, you keep any extra HP up to your normal Max HP.
• Skanas can equip the Bright Purity mod from New Loka -- proc also heals health by +25%, and then also temporarily increases Max health by +25% in the same way as the other two.

As long as you are playing in Melee mode, and regularly gaining affinity during a mission, those effects can trigger often enough to keep HP topped up.

The Sancti Magistar from New Loka will also grant a burst of healing when striking enemies with a charged attack. This effect does not require any mods, but requires the highest level and cost with New Loka, and have a Mastery Level 8 requirement.

[WrathAscending]

2 hours ago, (PS4)namtap032892 said:

Just to clarify, I'm not looking to change my melee weapon. I just want an alternative to using LS on my melee's.

I kinda hate to dash your hopes but Healing Return's not good enough to replace Life Strike.

A maxed out Healing Return is D polarity, 16 Drain, and gets you 11 hp per enemy you hit with a Status proc on them. And not per Status proc either, just per hit.

An unranked Life Strike on an otherwise unmodded Destreza will get you 18 health per channeled hit, for 4 Drain. Factor in crits and a full suite of mods, and you'll be getting hundreds back per hit.

I spent last weekend trying out a variety of ways to use Healing Return, up to and including running Oberon and using Reckoning on rooms full of enemies and then using slide melee on an Orthos Prime with Primed Reach to hit 20 or more enemies with status effects active. Even then I was only getting a fraction of what an unranked Life Strike could do, never mind the fully ranked one I usually make use of.

Healing Return's mechanic has potential but the 11 heal per hit is just too low to make it sustainable. It certainly won't keep you alive when surrounded by powerful enemies the way Life Strike can.

Ultimately I would say to either clench your teeth and stick with Life Strike, or trade in your Destreza for a Hirudo. Nothing else can perform to that level and Healing Return would need a big buff to become competitive with so much as an unranked Life Strike.

[Ciaus]

While I know you don't want to change your weapon, I would really recommend the hirudo. I was using a melee + globe frost against level 100 grineer with success. As a crit weapon with a not terrible stance it deals incredible damage, works with Naramon AND you can put an extra damage / crit mod on it because the lifesteal is innate. 

Edited January 5, 2017 by Ciaus

[(PSN)Deception_Pharo]

Sancti Magistar

[(PSN)Onder6099]

Maybe it's time to revisit your Mag build like Abilities Energy cost, Efficiency, add Flow or Primed Flow, try to add Focus Energy into Destreza as @Jangkriksaid and try to find way how to replenish lost Energy, Energy pizzas, Zenurik school, not sure about Rage mod on Mag.

[RunningTree3]

I would also add, for a not-very-effective-but still-an-alternative: Equilibrium at max rank will net you an amazing 27HP for each small energy orb you pickup. And Mag's Pull can slightly improve your chances of energy orbs.

Not great, but still...

[(PSN)namtap032892]

10 hours ago, DiosGX said:

Change your aura to a D and use rejuvenation. It's stupidly underrated. That and medi-ray will keep you sustsined and let you keep your rapier.

Rejuv was buffed a fair while ago. I believe it used to cap out at 1.2hp/sec. It's now 3hp/sec, and even heals excavator drills in excav missions. With the overshields you generate as mag, the armor you can strip already, I'd give it a whirl. I love rejuv to pieces. Keeps teams trucking during some rough stuff, and most importantly, you.

 

o3o

And of all the answers given, for whatever reason, it's the most unconventional one I like best. Considering the aura's I've used on Mag ultimately don't benefit my build too much (Large Energy restores make Energy Siphon redundant and the Madurai auras never made a terrible amount of sense on Mag to me), I might just take your advice on this.

[ThunderZsolt]

13 hours ago, DiosGX said:

Change your aura to a D and use rejuvenation. It's stupidly underrated. That and medi-ray will keep you sustsined and let you keep your rapier.

Rejuv was buffed a fair while ago. I believe it used to cap out at 1.2hp/sec. It's now 3hp/sec, and even heals excavator drills in excav missions. With the overshields you generate as mag, the armor you can strip already, I'd give it a whirl. I love rejuv to pieces. Keeps teams trucking during some rough stuff, and most importantly, you.

Well, it is not underrated, just falls off hard in usefulness compared to corrosive projection (like every other aura mods) and you can always drop team health restores, which are dirt cheap. Healing extractors is nice though, didn't know about that.
However, Mag can remove armor with polarize, so it is a good idea to use rejuvenation on her.

 

20 hours ago, WrathAscending said:

I kinda hate to dash your hopes but Healing Return's not good enough to replace Life Strike.

exactly this. 11HP is nothing, totally not worth sacrificing a mod slot.

 

18 hours ago, (PS4)Deception_Pharo said:

Sancti Magistar

I don't really like that weapon, and it only heals on charge attacks.
Not to mention, that OP wants a solution while using the destreza (if I've read correctly)

 

@(PS4)namtap032892 if you can keep your shields up with shield polarize (i suppose so), the medi-ray sentinel mod heals enough to refill the missing health from the occasional slash procs.
Not enough to be able to ignore the toxic clouds in infested missions though - but i wouldn't recommend using Mag against infested anyway. The mod drops from Kela de Thaym.

You've mentioned energy restores, why not use health restores too? If you aren't tanking with your health all the time, they don't cost much.

 

[AnonumusSoldier]

Arcane Grace (on damage triggers percentage of HP heal for x duration) Arcanes attach to your cosmetics. Put it on your syandana and have it across all your warframes. Arcanes are extremly underrated in thier usefulness ever since the excitement of RAIDS has died out. The only melee i have ever used life strike on was part of my EB excal build, and arcanes are one of the reasons why.

 

Medi -Ray (passive heal) A sentinel mod, if the sentinel is not busy and you are damaged, will continually heal a percentage of your HP.

 

Rejuvenate (aura, passive heal) a really underrated aura mod. I use it on the more fragile nukers like ember.

 

Syndicate Weapons with heal procs (steel meridians Justice and New Loka's Purity) Sancti Tigris and Vaykor Hek are one of my favorite primaries. Not just because its a big boom stick, but for the syndicate proc. Hek will emit a blast AoE, nuking anything near me and pushing it away/staggering, and healing me. Tigris will coat nearby enemies with a corrosive proc, shattering armour, boost my hp and heal me. Using these i am always topped off. Running either of these is a must in my Despoil Nekros build, and can survive even in ODS well after 30 min coated in toxin procs and the rest of my team bleeding out all around me begging to leave. Each syndicate has augments for other weapons that you can get the same affect on so your not tied down to 2 guns.

 

Edited January 6, 2017 by AnonumusSoldier

[(PSN)namtap032892]

7 minutes ago, ThunderZsolt said:

 

@(PS4)namtap032892 if you can keep your shields up with shield polarize (i suppose so), the medi-ray sentinel mod heals enough to refill the missing health from the occasional slash procs.
Not enough to be able to ignore the toxic clouds in infested missions though - but i wouldn't recommend using Mag against infested anyway. The mod drops from Kela de Thaym.

You've mentioned energy restores, why not use health restores too? If you aren't tanking with your health all the time, they don't cost much.

 

I think you're underestimating both me and the stupid crap I decide to pull with Mag Prime.

In regards to the Health Restores, I usually have around 20 each of Large Team Energy Restores, Large Team Health Restores, and Large Team Shield Restores. The problem with the Health Restores is that my health pool is relatively small, so one pulse is more than enough to recover health, but the delay between each pulse is too long if there's a lot of direct health damage, While I could put down multiple health restores, in most scenarios, I only need a relatively small amount of health recovery.

Also, I do take Mag Prime into Infested missions. You might be surprised at how well I do. As I mentioned before, Mag Prime is one of the two Warframes I use most, and if I'm farming a Dark Sector for resources, Mag Prime is better than my Valkyr Prime due to Mag Prime's AoE. In fact, Destreza is fairly effective against Infested, so even if I'm being swarmed, so long as there are no Mutalist Ospreys, Mag's abilities and Destreza's swift strikes are usually enough to get by. On the other hand, if there is a Mutalist Osprey, I usually die even before the Toxin's final status tick occurs.

[Elvangreen]

On 1/6/2017 at 7:03 PM, (PS4)namtap032892 said:

I think you're underestimating both me and the stupid crap I decide to pull with Mag Prime.

In regards to the Health Restores, I usually have around 20 each of Large Team Energy Restores, Large Team Health Restores, and Large Team Shield Restores. The problem with the Health Restores is that my health pool is relatively small, so one pulse is more than enough to recover health, but the delay between each pulse is too long if there's a lot of direct health damage, While I could put down multiple health restores, in most scenarios, I only need a relatively small amount of health recovery.

Also, I do take Mag Prime into Infested missions. You might be surprised at how well I do. As I mentioned before, Mag Prime is one of the two Warframes I use most, and if I'm farming a Dark Sector for resources, Mag Prime is better than my Valkyr Prime due to Mag Prime's AoE. In fact, Destreza is fairly effective against Infested, so even if I'm being swarmed, so long as there are no Mutalist Ospreys, Mag's abilities and Destreza's swift strikes are usually enough to get by. On the other hand, if there is a Mutalist Osprey, I usually die even before the Toxin's final status tick occurs.

Possibly necro?

But quick thinking...