Zephyr needs some TLC

[(XBOX)xBLADEPANTHERx]

I must admit, I do love the play style of Zephyr, I can't think of a single ability that is useless, but the problem is that her abilities cost a lot of energy in order to use (25, 50, 75, 100), this added with her low energy total (300 total energy with Flow equipped at max rank) make it so you have to be extremely reliant on energy pick-ups in order to maintain her abilities, so here's what I think should happen:

First suggestion is that we modify her passive ability to make it more useful, slower fall speed may fit her character, but in practise it's not that useful by itself, however if we added something like 'Energy consumption of abilities decreased by 10-20 when in the air' or 'Energy regenerates by 2 per second while in the air' will greatly benefit her since it will not only suit the idea of her being a bird warframe, but will also give zephyr players an actual reason to utilise her slow fall speed.

Another suggestion is that we increase her energy total, this will mean that players will be able to carry more excess energy instead of leaving behind loads of energy orbs only for them to spend 3 minutes trying to locate these drops once they've run out of energy, another possible idea is that we just decrease the amount of energy her abilities use, this will mean that she will be more fluent with her abilities instead of her using turbulence every 2 minutes in order to maintain her low energy.

Now there's a few things that people may say:

'Her abilities have a long duration', this is kind of true, but in reality Turbulence only has a 20 second duration, whereas an ability like vex armour has a 25 second duration, that being said I'm aware that her abilities are very useful so I feel her duration don't really need increasing.

Her abilities are powerful, thus that explains the high energy consumption/ low energy total', again I can just focus on an ability like vex armour that costs the same as turbulence as well as granting Chroma bonus damage/armour as a result of taking damage, another ability that is powerful would be Saryn's miasma, which deals massive amounts of DOT damage is they're also inflicted with spores.

Keep in mind this is just my personal opinion, but I've played Zephyr for a fairly long time to see her low energy hindering her potential of being an amazing frame. her abilities are fine, not a single one is useless, but the problem doe lie in her energy consumption/total.

What do you think? Have you played Zephyr? And if so, what do you think of her energy total/consumption?

Edited June 17, 2018 by (XB1)xBLADEPANTHERx

[Malkavian407]

I like to play for this Warframe too. But I have no problems with energy (the Prime version and focus - Zenuric).
Passive ability is not very useful, but it is its feature (which I'm used to).
I want to see u Zephyr:

1. "Accelerated gravity" by clicking on Ctrl (because sometimes you need to go below, but with a passive ability that veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery long).
2. For the first ability: when held, charging should be 3-4 times faster. The time of hovering in the air should not depend on the level of charging (for the possibility of height adjustment). The time of hovering in the air should depend on the "duration"modifiers.
3. Perhaps all its abilities should have half the cost of energy when used in air.
4. "Enhanced gravity" if pressing the Ctrl (sometimes you have to go down below, but with a passive ability that veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery long).
5. Tornado (not fan). Changes in physics, speed and behavior. (virtually no one is sucked. And similarly to the meatballs at Octavia, runs away from enemies)
6. Appendices 1. Replacement to a useful version.(Marshmallow has tactical abilities!!! Developers! Why does she need a bonus for ability damage?! All the more inconvenient way)
7. Augment 4. Replacement. Instead, it creates 1 large + radius + the speed of movement of tornado.

(hope the text can be to read: D )

[Birdframe_Prime]

Heh, I've played Zephyr for four years, but the rework did do some interesting things. Some of them I'm not happy with, some I am.

One of the key things they did is actually what you've asked for. Partially.

While in the air, Zephyr's 1 and 2 cost 50% less than the modded cost. It's already built in, so that if you have a Streamline making your 1 cost only 18 energy, this then makes it cost 9, and so on. The problem is that because of the relative power of Turbulence (the only defense ability currently in game that literally turns off a type of damage entirely) and Tornado (if they made too many buffs to this, it would be pretty much four roving Vauban Vortex casts, which is a little too unfair to him), they can't give you 50% off on those as well.

So half your wish already granted, I guess?

But Zephyr's passive is the oldest in the game, the first frame to have one really, and slow fall is actually far more useful to her than anything else would be until we get fixes to her Tailwind cast.

If you want my views on how we could actually improve Zephyr... you know, real mechanical fixes to the abilities that would make a difference... then I'll give you the whole pitch.

But as long as the Energy Siphon Aura exists (giving you low level energy per second when you're alone, and stacks with your team's for up to 3 energy per second regen), Zephyr Prime exists (with her much larger energy pool) and Primed Flow exists (bought from Baro Ki'teer for in-game currency, when he has it available, and upping that energy pool by so much more) and it's possible (but inadvisable) to mod in 175% efficiency into your frame already... I don't think Zephyr will ever get something as powerful as base energy-per-second regen.

If this is your first account, started this May, then you might not be far enough along to know what Focus is. I won't spoil the actual things connected to it, but... A fun fact is that, when you unlock that system, there will be a function you can invest into that allows you a 30 second burst of 5 energy per second regen, and you'll find that that's pretty much why we don't have passive energy regen on the frames, overall.

So yeah, your energy regen problems have answers in the game, you just have to get far enough into the game to have them all available ^^