Cepcyst - The Infested Hammer

[Casardis]

This is my entry for The Best Defense - Melee Creation Contest. Since I had a lot of thoughts in mind when I made this weapon, I wanted to share them here without the 100 word limit (and so I don't bore DE in the process either). If any of you are interested to know the details, feel free to keep reading.

Everything you see here is all conceptual obviously, so certain balance issues may occur. However, I do try to keep that in mind.

 

 

Description
An infested amalgamate that evolved into a large mace capable of breathing poisonous gas, this biological hazard digests matter with each strike, turning them into noxious particles before spitting them at its foes. Despite its size, it's formed of light chitinous plates and flexible but strong sinew, makes it weight less than the average Tenno warhammer.

The Cepcyst is a high damage, high status, but almost-no-crit Gas elemental hammer. Its name is derived from a life-threatening condition called the Sepsis. Also, while technically not a hammer, I am calling it that way for the sake of understanding, since its grip is called "hammer" in Warframe.

Statistics
Master Level: 10
Weapon Type: Hammer
Attack Speed: 1.2
Elemental Damage: 165 Gas Damage
-- Bomb Damage: 30 Gas Damage per bomb
Crit Chance: 1.0%
Crit Multiplier: 1.5x
Channeling Cost: 5.0
Channeling Damage: 2.0x
Status Chance: 45.0%

Unique Feature: Noxious Gas Bombs
The Cepcyst does not benefit from the damage multiplier of the combo meter. Instead, the combo meter adds to the weapon's "gas reserve," which allows it to send short-range Gas bombs in a 8m AoE around you. The number of bombs is determined by the combo multiplier times 3 and rounded up. Therefore, a combo multiplier of 1.5x allows the Cepcyst to throw 5 bombs, 2.5x gives 8, and so on. Know that the gas bombs don't contribute to the combo counter; the Cepcyst has to feed with direct hits.

In order to unleash the bombs, which has infinite use as long as the combo counter isn't reset, the Tenno needs to perform "explosive" attacks. These includes Slam Attacks, the last attack of Shattered Village and Raging Whirlwind (combos from Crushing Ruin), and possibly charge attacks. While the bombs' explosions are affected by damage mods, elemental mods and even Reach (projectile distance remains unaffected), they don't benefit from channeling and its related mods. Aside from its damage and base reach, all other stats from the bombs are the same as the weapon. 

 

Inspirations and Thoughts
The reason I made this submission is because we don't have any pure Gas elemental weapons yet. Since this element benefits heavily from stealth multipliers (even after the fix), I thought a melee weapon was the best case scenario for a first Gas weapon. Also, while I could have made an Infested Heavy Blade, I think we have too many powerful weapons of that grip already, so I went with Hammers. It feels more like a niche, which goes well with this somewhat-niche elemental.

The idea of a dynamic model for an infested weapon has always been in my mind, especially with the way Nidus is made. I also like the more chitinous approach of infestation in DE's latest design for Infested weapons and armor, so I aimed to be inspired by this rather than the more fleshy, slimy and tentacle-filled designs of the Infestation. Here's some images I used as main ideas and inspirations, among others.

 

Obviously, Nidus was the main inspiration, down to the default colors. The Hema rifle that came with his update also served as a good reference.

 

I definitely took the design of those "grass-like" small tendrils coming from inside its head armor for the mace.

 

However, the Thorac Syandana and the Mios' structure were also good inspiration for the mace, especially the "crest," the "mouth" and "fangs."

 

Speaking of fangs, the Juggernaut also inspired the design with its large fangs and huge overbite.

 

Last but not least, Boilers were used to design the gas sack that hangs on the Cepcyst when at stage 3, along with the gas bombs' looks.

[

To continue about the appearance, I tried to be strategic with the color distribution with each channel, so that it holds well together.
1- Chitin plates
2- Bones and hardened chitin edges
3- Sinew and tendons
4- Veins and muscle mass
5- Energy

 

Final Words
There's a lot of great entries in the contest, so I wasn't sure if I wanted to enter at first, but the idea sparked in my head yesterday night, so I went for it. If this weapon was to be in-game, I think its mechanics could be powerful and fun to use for those who love melee-mode. Anyway, whether this gets nominated or not, this was pleasant to make.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Edited April 4, 2017 by Casardis

[(XBOX)TheMadCash]

Oh. My. God. 

This is beautiful. Come to think about it. We sure dont have any infested hammers or a pure gas weapons. This is so freaking awesome man. +1 

[Casardis]

Just now, (Xbox One)Cash201293 said:

Oh. My. God. 

This is beautiful. Come to think about it. We sure dont have any infested hammers or a pure gas weapons. This is so freaking awesome man. +1 

Much appreciated it! The only thing close to that is the Noxious Jat Kittag Tennogen skin, but it's simply just a skin after all. I think adding a little spice through unique mechanics is more desirable with new weapons nowadays.

[212.nVbs]

I love it. Also that second color choice you provided reminds me of a zinogre from monster hunter.

[(XBOX)TheMadCash]

5 minutes ago, Casardis said:

Much appreciated it! The only thing close to that is the Noxious Jat Kittag Tennogen skin, but it's simply just a skin after all. I think adding a little spice through unique mechanics is more desirable with new weapons nowadays.

I really love how it looks like its just for Nidus. Love the unique feature. Like that you included it since DE has started to include more unique features to their weapons. I hope this gets chosen to be in game. Ill be the first to buy it for plat!

[Urlan]

Seems like an interesting weapon idea.

[1tsyB1tsyN1nj4]

I really hope this gets considered, holy hell <3

[shyguyk]

We have a winner ladies and gentlemen.

[CY13ERPUNK]

not a big hammer fan personally

but the design is nice

+1

[Casardis]

On 3/4/2017 at 11:29 PM, 212Mistakes said:

I love it. Also that second color choice you provided reminds me of a zinogre from monster hunter.

Funny you should mention that, as a clan mate of mine also said it could be from Monster Hunter XD

EDIT: I just googled Zinogre Hammer, and yeah, the similarities on certain aspects are quite striking.

Edited March 12, 2017 by Casardis

[Hidronic]

Wow! I wish to see this infested hammer in the game!

[Casardis]

On 3/6/2017 at 2:58 AM, Hidronic said:

Wow! I wish to see this infested hammer in the game!

Thanks! There's a lot of great entries, including infested concepts, so it's gonna be a heated competition I feel. :)

[CephalonBot]

I love the concept but keep in mind that that's as much damage per hit as a gal prime + the faster swing rate

[Casardis]

3 hours ago, Ershardia said:

I love the concept but keep in mind that that's as much damage per hit as a gal prime + the faster swing rate

Thanks for the comment! And yes I know, but there are a few important things to consider.

 

- Galatine Prime uses a different Grip (Heavy Blade), and stances affect the attack speed in a different manner due to animations differences (see Iron Phoenix VS Crimson Dervish). 

- Most Heavy Blade animations are much faster than Hammer animations, meaning a Hammer with a slightly faster attack speed will not strike as fast. See Jat Kittag VS Galatine Prime with certain combos.

- Heavy Blades benefit from a lot of multi-hit, fast and high damage multiplier combos in Tempo Royale and Cleaving Whirlwind, with more reliable direct hits than either hammer stances (explosion knockbacks at the end of hammer attacks may not damage enemies but simply send them flying, even if you hit close).

- Unlike most of the strongest heavy weapons (Hammers and Heavy blades), the Cepcyst doesn't have reliable crits. That means the damage potential of a Galatine Prime with crit is instantly higher than the Cepcyst. Crit builds using Blood Rush, Naramon and Berserker will yield insane results with Gal Prime, something not possible with Cepcyst (only Maiming Strike can benefit this weapon).

- The Cepcyst's damage does NOT benefit from combo multiplier. This means that, technically, with 5 hits the Galatine Prime immediately does more base damage (not to forget the crits too, and how it's much easier to get multi-hits with Heavy Blades than Hammers due to animations). This is why the Cepcyst has the Gas Bomb feature, which can become extremely powerful if you have the right builds.

- Also, keep in mind that the Gas Bombs cannot hit the same enemy all at once, unless you're positioned well with Primed Reach, or the enemy is large enough. The bombs always fly around you, and not in a cone, so your bomb damage's always spread out.

- Gas Damage doesn't have a lot of multipliers against most factions, or is resisted by most. 

- The weapon is Mastery Rank 10 requirement, the highest of all Hammers. It IS meant to be a very strong weapon, especially because an infested weapon cannot be Primed, so being "as strong as" Gal Prime is intentional.

TL;DR: Base damage isn't everything. Consider the weapon's other stats, grip-type and animations.

Edited March 7, 2017 by Casardis

[CephalonBot]

1 hour ago, Casardis said:

Thanks for the comment! And yes I know, but there are a few important things to consider.

  Hide contents

- Galatine Prime uses a different Grip (Heavy Blade), and stances affect the attack speed in a different manner due to animations differences (see Iron Phoenix VS Crimson Dervish). 

- Most Heavy Blade animations are much faster than Hammer animations, meaning a Hammer with a slightly faster attack speed will not strike as fast. See Jat Kittag VS Galatine Prime with certain combos.

- Heavy Blades benefit from a lot of multi-hit, fast and high damage multiplier combos in Tempo Royale and Cleaving Whirlwind, with more reliable direct hits than either hammer stances (explosion knockbacks at the end of hammer attacks may not damage enemies but simply send them flying, even if you hit close).

- Unlike most of the strongest heavy weapons (Hammers and Heavy blades), the Cepcyst doesn't have reliable crits. That means the damage potential of a Galatine Prime with crit is instantly higher than the Cepcyst. Crit builds using Blood Rush, Naramon and Berserker will yield insane results with Gal Prime, something not possible with Cepcyst (only Maiming Strike can benefit this weapon).

- The Cepcyst's damage does NOT benefit from combo multiplier. This means that, technically, with 5 hits the Galatine Prime immediately does more base damage (not to forget the crits too, and how it's much easier to get multi-hits with Heavy Blades than Hammers due to animations). This is why the Cepcyst has the Gas Bomb feature, which can become extremely powerful if you have the right builds.

- Also, keep in mind that the Gas Bombs cannot hit the same enemy all at once, unless you're positioned well with Primed Reach, or the enemy is large enough. The bombs always fly around you, and not in a cone, so your bomb damage's always spread out.

- Gas Damage doesn't have a lot of multipliers against most factions, or is resisted by most. 

- The weapon is Mastery Rank 10 requirement, the highest of all Hammers. It IS meant to be a very strong weapon, especially because an infested weapon cannot be Primed, so being "as strong as" Gal Prime is intentional.

TL;DR: Base damage isn't everything. Consider the weapon's other stats, grip-type and animations.

Ok, I see what you mean

Thanks for the explanation, I'm really hoping to see this in game

[juho992]

Loving the design! I need this added to the game.

[ExpGui]

I swear, if this doesn't win some place, DE is really missing out on one of the best weapon design concepts I've seen.

[Casardis]

On 4/5/2017 at 1:58 PM, ExpGui said:

I swear, if this doesn't win some place, DE is really missing out on one of the best weapon design concepts I've seen.

Thanks! 

Edited April 7, 2017 by Casardis

[LightningsVengance]

I like the weapon, it seems like a really good way to hammer the infested and drop bombs on all the infested fun they have.

[Evanescent]

Really wanted this, I'll be honest with you. I'd love it with me Nidus.

[Casardis]

20 hours ago, LightningsVengance said:

I like the weapon, it seems like a really good way to hammer the infested and drop bombs on all the infested fun they have.

Ba dum tss~!
 

17 hours ago, Evanescent said:

Really wanted this, I'll be honest with you. I'd love it with me Nidus.

At least you may get a nice infested sword for your Nidus! Thanks for the vote of confidence though. Maybe one day DE will make a Gas-elemental infested weapon with a useful quirk, whether it draws inspiration from my concept or not.

Edited April 8, 2017 by Casardis

[LightningsVengance]

2 minutes ago, Casardis said:

At least you may get a nice infested sword for your Nidus! Thanks for the vote of confidence though. Maybe one day DE will make a Gas-elemental infested weapon with a useful quirk, whether it draws inspiration from my concept or not.

I really hope they add this though, it looks good. :o *mod it like a boss and you may have basically the scaling of Nidus in a weapon*

[Casardis]

Hello everyone! 

Just a little message to say that, despite not winning the contest, I want to say thanks for your support and votes of confidence. I also want to say thanks to DE for choosing my weapon to be a finalist in the DC voting, and to anyone who voted for mine there.

That being said, I look forward to seeing SilverBones' new weapon in game! 

[xXDeadsinxX]

In the contest it was real close, I really hope to see yours in game even if you lost since yours is amazing!

[Casardis]

On 4/21/2017 at 10:04 AM, xXDeadsinxX said:

In the contest it was real close, I really hope to see yours in game even if you lost since yours is amazing!

Actually in the design council it was far from being close to the winners though, but thanks for the compliment!