Polearm Plague Kripath Zaw : Status, crit, or hybrid?

[Nelyeth]

Hello Tenno,

After ignoring the plains for some time, I've finally decided to build a zaw. Because I got a nice riven (range, damage, toxin) for the Plague Kripath strike, I set my sights on a polearm. The thing is, as you all know, the Plague Kripath boasts some pretty nice stats all-around, which makes it hard to chose a build. After giving it some thought, I've narrowed it down to three possible builds. I will link the zaw parts and mods for all three (of course, since it's a zaw, the stats on the builder will be pointless, this is just the most convenient way I have to show the mods) :

• A speed and status one with a Condition Overload build: 90% status chance, very high speed, 7 possible statuses for CO, basically a high-range, no procs Lesion
• A balanced, speed-focused zaw with a hybrid crit-status build: I have more doubts about this one, since it only has a 50% status chance and doesn't get 100% crit chance until it reaches a x3 combo. Nonetheless, it gets the best of both worlds (crits, CO, and armor-stripping/gas for infested or corpus)
• A slow, crit-heavy zaw with the usual crit build: I don't think I need to describe that build, it's just a Guandao on steroids (that also doubles as a Maiming Strike stick for farming purposes) 

What I am looking for is a  weapon useful at/a bit above sortie level. So far, I am inclined to go for the first build, as I think it'll deal with armor more efficiently, but I have very little experience with melee, so I'd like your opinion. Thanks!

Bonus question: is one of the two rare polearm stances worth getting, or will I do just fine spamming Shimmering Blight's lovely quick attacks?

[Xzorn]

11 minutes ago, Nelyeth said:

I would have made a Cyath zaw, if it wasn't for the stupidly good riven I just got. 

Why not use the 32% status one, since you'd only lose 4% crit chance (or a bit of speed), and gain 19% status on a 3x60/60 mods build? Unless you're using both Blood Rush and Weeping Wounds to cap status to 100% and make use of the increased crit chance, and only one or two 60/60 mods, in which case I see your point. But fitting them both in a build sounds hard to do, I'd basically have to drop Berserker and end up with something like this (which'd get me a build very similar to p3z1). Wouldn't dropping Berserker in a build with Blood Rush gimp my DPS?

 

25% base status will get you 98% status using 60/60x3 which is usually the limit you can afford in mod slots since all Zaws are also Blood Rush viable. With a Bleed build you'd use Weeping Wounds to get you to 90% status at 3.5x combo. You could do 32% status if you wanted a clean Corrosive build using 60/60x2 only or if you wanted to hit 100% status on a Bleed build quicker but you'd be wasting status by using a 3rd dual stat mod or by going past 2.5x combo.

This is what I use for my Bleed build https://goo.gl/tDzmPU  and Corrosive build https://goo.gl/oJNNqF

Using a Riven complicates things. It would heavily depend on the stats for your Riven or stats you want for it. In most cases generic stats work best like +%Damage +%Status +%Reach or +%Crit Dmg. This allows you to replace one of the other basic stat mods and doesn't mess with the build much. Since it's not a heavy Slash based weapon it would be better to focus on Corrosive status for armor rather than bleeds so using Primed Fever Strike over Blood Rush is an option.

Dropping Berserk would be more detrimental to a Corrosive Build than others. Faster attacks are generally always better when stripping armor but when applying Bleeds, Gas or going for flat damage Berserk is less critical in terms of DPS. It depends a little on the base speed of the weapon as well. It's just a 1.75x multiplier in the end so it's mostly preference outside stacking Corrosive status. Primed Fever Strike can beat Berserk in a lot of builds and can even beat Blood Rush on a 10% crit build.

Riven stats are cookie based btw. I can't see the stats you input. Builder has a blank weapon option you might find useful for Zaw building:  http://warframe-builder.com/Melee_Weapons/Builder/_Blank_Melee_Weapon

[p3z1]

Went with this one for my Plague Kripath.

Plague Kripath, Jayap, Ekwana II Jai (Status + Speed)

Here are my builds for it.

Primed Pressure Point, Primed Reach, Condition Overload, Blood Rush, Volcanic Strike, Primed Fever Strike, Drifting Contact, Weeping Wounds. Shimmering Blight is pretty good due to last 2 hits fro the 2nd combo giving forced slash procs, meaning you'd always get 100% status chance at the combo, TWICE. Slash procs and gas procs give a LOT of DoT. The occasional viral proc makes enemies die faster. At 1.5x combo counter (after 5th hit), the weapon reaches 100% status chance. You can swap out Primed reach for organ shatter maybe. Tried and tested VS 80-100 survivals. The first few hits will suck, but ramps up after condition overload starts ticking and blood rush starts working.

Primed Pressure Point, Prime Reach, Blood Rush, Body Count/Drifting Contact, Primed Fever Strike, Voltaic Strike (or the 90% elementals), Organ Shatter, Maiming Strike. Stance is slightly irrelevant. Typical Memeing strike build. Unreliable crits without it, unless you'll be using gladiator mods to compensate. Can work against sortie-level enemies if you do stealth kills.

[Xzorn]

Cyath makes the best Polearm Zaw.

The Viral from the Infested strikes after modding comes out around 3% proc weight which is not worth the 75% Slash weight you'd be giving up.

Slow, High DPS weapons make the better Bleed builds which scale best against armor, function well against Corpus though less against Infested / CPx4.

Faster, Low DPS weapons make the better Elemental builds. They perform well against armor, Corpus and better than a Bleed build against Infested / CPx4.

Both are good options, both use 25% base status. Sadly none of the Polearm stances are worth using over spamming quick attack. Least not a status polearm.

[Nelyeth]

il y a 54 minutes, Xzorn a dit :

Cyath makes the best Polearm Zaw.

I would have made a Cyath zaw, if it wasn't for the stupidly good riven I just got. 

il y a 54 minutes, Xzorn a dit :

Both are good options, both use 25% base status. 

Why not use the 32% status one, since you'd only lose 4% crit chance (or a bit of speed), and gain 19% status on a 3x60/60 mods build? Unless you're using both Blood Rush and Weeping Wounds to cap status to 100% and make use of the increased crit chance, and only one or two 60/60 mods, in which case I see your point. But fitting them both in a build sounds hard to do, I'd basically have to drop Berserker and end up with something like this (which'd get me a build very similar to p3z1). Wouldn't dropping Berserker in a build with Blood Rush gimp my DPS?

Edited January 4, 2018 by Nelyeth

[Nelyeth]

My riven is a damage, range, toxin one (113%, 97%, 70%), so I'd like to replace Virulent Scourge with it. My problem is obviously the loss of 60% status, which means I can either take Weeping Wounds, Voltaic Strike and Drifting Contact on a 25% status zaw (which makes going past 2.5x waste status, and I have to dump Berserker to make the rest fit), or use a 32% zaw without Weeping Wounds and only have 64% status (which might work with the increased damage from the riven). Last option would be to replace Primed Reach with my riven, which'd give me the 100% status from Weeping Wounds and the DPS from Berserker, but that'd mean missing on that +262% range goodness. 

All in all, I think my best bet would be to build a 25% status zaw (Ekwana Jai II), have a 6 mods "core build" (PPP, Riven, Voltaic Strike, Blood Rush, Drifting Contact, CO), and pick the two remaining mods depending on my needs (Primed Reach, Berserker, Weeping Wounds, Primed Fever Strike). Thanks for sticking with me so far!

Edited January 4, 2018 by Nelyeth

[hooperinius]

I would do a crit-status one with speed unless you think that the newer damage mechanics will heavily favor status weapons. That gives you the most options. JMHO.

[FreeWilliam]

7 hours ago, Nelyeth said:

Bonus question: is one of the two rare polearm stances worth getting, or will I do just fine spamming Shimmering Blight's lovely quick attacks?

I'm still waiting for a polearm stance that you can tear around the room in like a sword and shield with Final Harbinger, a Staff with Clashing forest, a sparring weapon with Brutal Tide and the like.  

At least polearms aren't in the tragic scenario scythes are in!  I want to give them a chance but..ugh.

They're all kind of okay, but none of them are particularly exciting.