Review: Kuva Zarr (U30.6.0)

The Kuva Zarr is an MR15 bringer of death, one of the three new Kuva weapons added in U30.5. With an explosive Cannon mode that launches powerful explosives as well as a Barrage mode that deals great concentrated damage, it is a versatile and extremely capable weapon.

Acquisition

A Kuva weapon, so spawn a Kuva Lich with this weapon and then Vanquish them.

Stats

The Kuva Zarr's default mode is Cannon mode, which fires explosive projectiles. It packs very good Crit as well as Status Chance, and a very high explosive Damage. An explosive radius of 7 metres is very respectable, with 70% Damage Fall-Off being expected for a weapon of this power.

Additionally, upon detonation, the projectiles will release an additional three bomblets, with a total extra base Damage of 150 Blast (50 each) before bonus. Naturally, both the main explosion and the bomblets can inflict self-stagger/knockdown if you are too close.

The KZarr can seamlessly switch to a Barrage mode, which instead fires a large number of projectiles at the target like a Shotgun. Its Crit in this mode is even more impressive, with reasonable Status output considering the pellet count. Unfortunately, the base Damage is skewed away from Slash, which limits the number of natural Slash procs inflicted. Innate Punch-Through of 1.6 metres is very much appreciated against clustered enemies.

Not captured in this stats image is the Damage Fall-Off. Barrage mode starts dealing reduced damage at 20 metres, dealing just 2% at 40 metres and beyond. This is among the harshest Damage Fall-Off in the game currently, making Barrage mode basically useless beyond close range.

Both firing modes fire projectiles. Cannon mode's projectiles noticeably suffer from drop as well, while Barrage mode's projectiles are quite fast and relatively tight spread.

Notably, the KZarr reloads one round at a time. The reload start-delay takes 0.75 seconds, after which each round takes 0.8 seconds. As such, a default mag will take up to 4.75 (rounded to 4.8) seconds to fully reload. Since rounds are reloaded individually, the reload can be interrupted part-way if necessary to quickly fire, and partial reloads take significantly less time. With a Fire Rate of 2.17 in both firing modes, this gives a horrific Reload Ratio of 0.48 - the worst of any weapon I've seen that has an actual Reload Ratio (ignoring bows for example).

Drawing from the rare Sniper ammo pool, the KZarr's measly spare 15 rounds can be depleted in an instant if ammo drops do not co-operate.

Augments

None.

Builds

NOTE: The below builds are pictured using a maximum 60% Magnetic bonus. Magnetic has been chosen to clearly appear alongside all other damage types. For a minimum 25% bonus, multiply the total damage numbers by 0.78125.

0-Forma:

In a rather rare but very welcome move, the Kuva Zarr has three innate V polarities - more than enough to get a solid build in and even start considering seventh and eighth mods. The usual suspects are auto includes - Damage, Multishot, Crit, then some elementals.

Critical Delay is worth strong consideration over Point Strike. The Fire Rate penalty is a non-issue since the KZarr rarely needs to fire a second shot into the same target, and the extra Crit Chance is always appreciated.

Viral is the pictured go-to as always, offering a proc that is almost universally useful. Corrosive is notably strong against Ferrite-armour and good against armour in general, as well as the Infested. Radiation has a strong multiplier against Alloy-armour but has a relatively poor proc. Pure Toxin is great against any unarmoured Corpus, as it will bypass their Shields entirely and deal good damage to their (usually weaker) Health. Magnetic is of course exceptional against Shields, but near-useless otherwise. It is worth mention against the few enemies who have significant Shields that also cannot be bypassed by Toxin (e.g. Treasurer, Kuva Liches, Sisters of Parvos).

With this many innate polarities, you can immediately consider three elements. Heat is a great addition to Viral or Corrosive, providing additional armour reduction and a damage-over-time proc. Radiation + Toxin together cover most Corpus Health types quite well once their Shields are depleted.

 

Finally, Hunter Munitions is an excellent addition to a Viral build. With such high direct damage, the KZarr will only face stiff resistance from heavily armoured enemies. Against these targets, Slash procs are often the best way to defeat them, bypassing their armour entirely. In their natural state, Cannon mode cannot inflict any Slash procs at all, while Barrage mode's Slash damage is its smallest component. However, both have very good Crit Chance, allowing HM to trigger frequently and inflict large Slash procs on enemies.

 

Further discussion of other mod options is included just below.

Recommended Setups: Viral (+Heat or HM) vs everything, Corrosive (+Heat) vs Infested, Ferrite-armour, Radiation (+ Toxin) vs Alloy-armour, Magnetic vs specific Shields

1-Forma:

Just one added polarity, in this case another V, and you have a heap of mod options to consider.

One favourite of mine is Primed Firestorm, greatly increasing the blast radius and thus overall firepower of Cannon mode. It does nothing for Barrage mode however. (Primed) Fast Hands is another option that I really like. The KZarr's Reload Time is among the worst in the game, and PFH significantly improves it.

Heavy Caliber is an obvious damage-boosting options, though the accuracy penalty makes Barrage mode's spread even worse. A (Primed) Bane provides a lot of extra damage to the right faction, especially in a HM build. Unconditional mods like Vigilante Armaments and Hammer Shot are no-fuss benefits, but are a lot weaker than the aforementioned. Bladed Rounds and Proton Jet are decent conditional mods. Argon Scope is also a conditional Crit mod, however I would not recommend it on the KZarr as it does not land headshots very well in Cannon mode, nor does it usually need to.

With so many good mods to consider, it can be very difficult fitting everything you want in one build. Something you can consider is going with just a single elemental mod, depending on your bonus. Of note, a Toxin or Cold bonus allows you to form Viral with just a single elemental mod, thus allowing you to include Hunter Munitions and still have two spare mod slots.

For the Exilus slot, I strongly recommend an Ammo Mutation mod like Vigilante Supplies. The KZarr has only 15 spare ammo and draws from the rare Sniper ammo drops, so can be rendered ineffective quite quickly if ammo drops are not favourable. If this is already covered, Cautious Shot can be used to mitigate Cannon mode's self-stagger/knockdown. Alternatively, Terminal Velocity for increased Projectile Speed can make longer ranged combat a lot easier.

Recommended Setups: see above.

Galvanised Build and Arcane

Galvanised Chamber, yes.

I do not think Galvanised Scope is a good choice. Cannon mode is not suited to landing headshots at all. Barrage mode can do so, but it can be troublesome ensuring that a shotgun spread kill will properly register as a headshot for maximum Crit Chance.

Galvanised Aptitude could be a decent option instead of Serration for a Barrage-focused build, but not for Cannon. With fairly high Status Chance, the KZarr can inflict a solid number of Status procs in a single shot. The right build can easily give it enough procs to exceed Serration's damage (needs three unique procs). However, I've generally found that the vast majority of enemies will just die to a single shot with Serration anyway, and any survivors are usually left in a state where the potential damage from Galv Apt is vastly overkill. Additionally, the Galv Apt +Damage does not apply to Cannon mode at all, and even with Barrage mode does not appear to work correctly.

Merciless is the clear winner in terms of Arcanes. It is very easy to get mass kills with the KZarr, and both the +Reload Speed and +Max Ammo buffs are extremely beneficial. Deadhead is both harder to trigger, and offers less benefit.

My Builds

Since my bonus is Electric (was going for the Ephemera), I am forced to make Viral with two mods. This leaves no space for Hunter Munitions, as I cannot give up the QoL of Primed Fast Hands, or the enormous explosions of Primed Firestorm.

Kuva Lich Bonus

Given its already immense damage output, the Kuva Zarr only really needs a good way of combatting enemy armour. There are two main methods for this - Viral + HM or Viral/Corrosive + Heat. The former is best done with a Toxin bonus, while the latter like a Heat bonus. In both cases, the bonus will save you an elemental mod.

Besides these, Radiation and Magnetic are nice additional elements that do not interfere with elemental mods, allowing some normally-illegal combos such as Corrosive + Radiation/Magnetic. Radiation has a great multiplier against Alloy-armour and a niche proc, while Magnetic is extremely effective against Shields.

Combat Use and Summary

The Kuva Zarr's Cannon mode fires a powerful explosive that deals great damage in an area. It effortlessly wipes out crowds of enemies, with follow-up shots comfortably clearing out anything tougher. Respectable Status chance and additional bomblets provide extra firepower against heavily armoured enemies, helping to stack up Viral/Corrosive and Heat procs.

Hunter Munitions easily puts down even the toughest armoured enemies, with Cannon mode's very good Crit Chance inflicting a lot of strong Slash procs with it.

Barrage mode is better suited to single heavier targets, dealing very high damage-per-shot with much better precision. It also inflicts a reasonable number of procs, especially with Hunter Munitions installed. A single shot is enough to kill all but the absolute toughest targets immediately, and HM will usually take care of any miraculous survivors.

With extremely harsh Damage Fall-Off however, it is practically useless beyond close range. Innate Punch-Through can be nice against clustered enemies, but Cannon mode deals far better and more consistent area damage anyway.

The ability to seamlessly switch between the two firing modes is very helpful. Cannon mode is clearly more effective against groups of enemies, while Barrage mode inflicts much more concentrated damage and Status procs against fewer targets. Between the two of them, almost all enemy scenarios are covered quite effectively.

Neither firing mode is much good at longer ranges. Cannon mode's projectiles are not particularly fast or precise, and their projectile drop is also problematic. Barrage mode's projectiles are relatively fast and tight, but the Damage Fall-Off renders them useless quite quickly at range.

An Ammo Case/Mutation/etc mod is practically mandatory. The KZarr uses the fairly rare Sniper ammo, and with just 15 spare rounds, can be rendered impotent very quickly.

Overall, the Kuva Zarr is an exceptional weapon. It packs a very powerful explosive Cannon mode, fantastic at area damage, as well as an alternate Barrage mode that deals immense single-target damage. It is easily capable of excelling in the vast majority of Warframe's content. I would strongly recommend the Kuva Zarr to anyone looking for a good explosive weapon, a strong crowd clearer, or just generally a powerful weapon. I would consider it among the strongest Primaries in the game.

Scores

Vs Trash Mobs: 5/5 - Cannon mode fires high-explosive rounds with additional bomblets, fantastic at clearing out groups of enemies. Its ability to quickly fire multiple rounds, as well as reload-and-fire one-by-one if necessary is very helpful.

Vs Unarmoured Heavies: 5/5 - Barrage mode packs incredible damage-per-shot, concentrated into a single, relatively tight blast. It is however only effective at close range. Cannon mode deals less concentrated damage, but is still very strong if you can land close or direct hits.

Vs Armoured Heavies without Forced Slash: 4.5/5 - Cannon mode packs good Status chance with extra bomblets, for decent area Status output. Barrage mode has reasonable Status Chance considering its high pellet count, and can inflict a fair number of procs on a single target. Both also pack very good damage output to capitalise on the proc stacks.

Vs Armoured Heavies with Forced Slash: 5/5 - High Crit Chance on both firing modes makes Hunter Munitions a great addition. Anything tough enough to survive initial shots will not last the massive Slash procs they will be left with.

Vs Variants

The MR15 Kuva Zarr is hilariously superior to the MR7 Zarr. Kuva Cannon mode is strictly and massively superior, with far higher damage output, higher Fire Rate and superior explosions. Kuva Barrage mode has reduced Fire Rate and base Damage, though the latter is easily made up for with the more-than-doubled Crit Chance, even before taking into account the Kuva Lich bonus. A maximum 60% Lich Bonus gives identical total base Damage.

The only benefit the base Zarr unambiguously has its in its reload time. The two have the same starting reload start-delay of 0.75s, but the base Zarr takes 0.5s per round while the Kuva takes 0.8s per round.

The Kuva Zarr is a vastly superior weapon.

Competitors

The only weapon worth comparing to the Kuva Zarr's Cannon mode is the also incredible Kuva Bramma. 

The KBramma packs a lot more damage-per-shot, as well as a larger blast radius, while the KZarr is capable of much faster follow-up shots and more Status output. The KZarr also has much more total ammo, 20 rounds to the KBramma's 5 arrows. Both deal ridiculous amounts of damage, which makes me lean towards the KZarr as the superior weapon. Its use of a (small) mag with interruptible reload and a Semi-Auto make it, in my opinion, much more convenient that the slightly stronger, more explode-y KBramma that reloads every shot and needs to be drawn to shoot.

Barrage mode really compares better to Shotguns than any other Rifle-type Primary. There are a lot to look at, such as the Kuva/Vaykor Hek and Kuva Drakgoon. To narrow it down though, only a select few other Shotguns also have an explosive fire: the Corinth (Prime) and the Bubonico. Its much higher Fire Rate and Mag Capacity make the Bubonico a fairly different style of weapon, so I will look mainly at the Corinth Prime.

The KZarr's Cannon mode goes up against the CorinthP's Airburst Alternate Fire. The CorinthP clearly packs a larger blast radius, base Damage and Status Chance, while the KZarr has far better Crit and Fire Rate, and extra bomblets. More importantly, Cannon mode detonates on impact, where Airburst must be manually detonated.

The two are quite different types of attacks, though I find the KZarr's explosive mode to the overall more effective and easier to use.

On the other hand, the KZarr's Barrage mode goes up against the CorinthP's standard firing mode. Barrage has much greater damage output with the Kuva Lich bonus, as well as higher Fire Rate and more Status output. However, the CorinthP has a far, far superior Reload Ratio, with much larger Mag Capacity and faster Reload Time, as well as a lot more spare ammo. The CorinthP is also much more effective at longer ranges, with a relatively tighter pellet spread and much more lenient Damage Fall-Off.

Overall, I'd consider the Kuva Zarr to be overall a much better explosive weapon than the Corinth Prime. While the KZarr's Barrage mode is also a lot stronger, it has far worse quality-of-life than the CorinthP.

Rivens

Another new weapon, so another minimum 1/5 (0.5) Riven Disposition. The regular Zarr has an above-average 4/5 (1.15) Disposition. This is one I expect to stay at rock bottom, as the Kuva Zarr is an incredible weapon.

Before Galvanised mods and Arcanes, +Damage/Multishot/Crit Chance/Crit Damage are all great stats. Including them makes the former two stats much less desirable, though Multishot remains alright. +Crit stays top-notch. +Elemental Damage can help to save a mod slot. +Faction Damage is a strong multiplier of damage-over-time procs, most useful against the Grineer, but of course useless against the wrong factions. +Mag Capacity can be nice quality-of-life, but also lengthens Reload Time. +Reload Speed is a much better QoL stat to have. +Ammo Max is not completely worthless given the very small spare ammo, but there are much better stats to have. +Projectile Speed can be helpful at longer ranges.

-Impact/Puncture/Slash can all be good. Cannon mode only has a negligible amount of Impact, and is unaffected by the other two. Barrage mode consists of all three, but Slash is the only one of significant value and is already the smallest component of Barrage. Hunter Munitions can easily make up the loss of natural Slash procs anyway. -Faction Damage to the weaker Factions (Corpus and Infested) is usually very manageable. -Fire Rate is not a big deal as the KZarr does not usually need to fire quickly. -Mag Capacity is not terrible since the KZarr reloads one-by-one anyway. -Ammo Max is manageable with at least one of Ammo Case/Mutation/etc. -Projectile Speed is not awful for very close range, but does inhibit Barrage mode especially. +Recoil is not a big deal on such a slow firing weapon. -Zoom is ideal for close quarters which is where the KZarr excels anyway.