NOTE: This review does not take into consideration the Zylok Incarnon Genesis Adapter.
The Zylok Prime is clearly well suited for Status application, with amazing Status Chance and high Slash bias (60%), though it is quite slow firing. Its 12%/2.4× Crit, while not amazing by any means, is high enough to be worth building for.
Acquisition
Standard Prime weapon stuff, the Zylok Prime's blueprint and components are available in certain Void Relics.
Stats
The ZylokP has an unusual and rare "Duplex" trigger, seen only on the Tigris and Zylok families. Pressing the trigger will fire a single round like a Semi-Auto weapon, however releasing the trigger will fire a second round. Quickly pressing and releasing the trigger will fire both rounds in quick succession, much like a Burst Fire weapon. While I personally like this trigger, I have read a lot of complaints about it - it seems to be a very polarising trigger type.
Even with this Duplex trigger, the ZylokP's very low Fire Rate of 1.5 (effectively doubled due to firing two rounds per trigger pull), Mag Capacity of 12 rounds, and fast Reload Time of just 1.2 seconds result in a respectable 3.33 Reload Ratio.
The Zylok Prime has access to the Zylok-family-exclusive Eximus Advantage. With it, landing a Headshot on any Eximus enemy will grant +600% Damage for 10 seconds. This is the same stat as, and thus stacks additively with, +Damage effects like Hornet Strike, Galvanised Shot, and the typical +Damage Arcanes.
Augments
+600% Damage is far larger than any other typical +Damage effect, thus if you can keep it active most of the time, it is a vast upgrade over Hornet Strike/etc. However, Eximus units are not especially common, and 10 seconds is not a very long time, thus potentially leaving it lacking in damage for notable stretches of gameplay.
I'm personally not a fan of Eximus Advantage due to its conditionality, but if you can trigger it reliably, it is an extremely strong mod option and a great replacement for other +Damage mods.
This build fits in three elemental mods, opening up a lot of complementary combinations.
Pretty ordinary Viral + Punch Through build.
Builds
NOTE: Overframe does not appear to correctly take into account the Duplex trigger, which significantly increases Fire Rate and thus Burst DPS - how much exactly I am not sure.
Basic Crit 0-Forma:
The ZylokP natively has one each V and - polarities, which are very helpful. This example build slots in the essentials (Damage, Multishot, Elements) with space for the two basic Crit mods. However, the basic Crit mods are quite weak, and combined with the ZylokP's only barely above average Crit, do not add a great deal of damage. In fact, as the below build shows, you can do just as well if not arguably better by focusing purely on Elemental mods and +Damage mods.
Basic Alternate 0-Forma:
Augur Pact is a nice cheap, low-fuss +Damage option. Though relatively weak and quite obsolete as you progress through the game, it is nonetheless a good filler mod.
The standard go-to elemental combo if you're not sure what else to take is Viral. Its proc of increasing Health damage dealt is almost universally useful, and it has above-average multipliers on many organic targets. Viral also combines perfectly with the ZylokP's potent Slash proc ability, drastically increasing their power.
Corrosive deals much more direct damage to Ferrite-armoured enemies, one of two common armour types, as well as most heavier Infested units. This is particularly relevant against any Viral-resistant/immune targets, such as the heavier Infested in the Cambion Drift. On the other hand, Radiation deals more direct damage to Alloy-armoured enemies, the other common armour type. Alloy-armour is used particularly by many bosses, a good number of whom are resistant or immune to Viral procs.
Finally, pure Toxin is the most effective option against unarmoured Corpus. Many Corpus have tougher Shields than they do Health, and Toxin damage bypasses Shields entirely. A pure Toxin build can kill unarmoured Corpus units quicker than just about any other build, since it effectively only needs to deal half the damage (or less) to kill them. However, it is a lot less effective against most armoured Corpus units.
Adding in Heat to a Viral or Corrosive build works very well. The armour-reduction effect of Heat works well with both of those, as does its unique stacking damage-over-time.
Combining Radiation and Toxin makes for a near-perfect Corpus catch-all. Toxin deals with any unarmoured Corpus with ease, while Radiation deals super-effective damage to the vast majority of armoured Corpus units.
For any build using Cold/Cold-combined damage, you could consider using Ice Storm as an alternative Cold mod. Although its elemental damage its quite low at only +40%, the +40% Mag Capacity can be nice quality-of-life. On the ZylokP in particular, it is a tad awkward as it will increase it to 17 rounds - which doesn't work so well with the Duplex trigger.
Primed Crit 0-Forma:
Even if you do have the Primed Crit mods (or Creeping Bullseye in place of Primed Pistol Gambit), the lack of mod space means that you will miss out other key mods, in this example Lethal Torrent. As a result, your peak DPS will actually suffer, as you can see from comparing this build's DPS numbers with the other two.
Recommended Setups: Viral (+ Heat) vs everything, Corrosive (+ Heat) vs Ferrite-armour, Infested, Radiation vs Alloy-armour, Toxin vs unarmoured Corpus, Radiation + Toxin vs Corpus
Primed Crit 2-Forma:
Two added V polarities allows you to comfortably fit both Primed Crit mods while fitting in Lethal Torrent as well.
Recommended Setups: see above.
Punch Through 3-Forma:
Another added polarity and you can start looking into an eighth mod, of which there are a fair few options.
Seeker is always worth consideration for some Punch Through. It is a great help against tightly packed groups of enemies, giving the ZylokP a very appreciated degree of AoE.
If you're just looking for some no-fuss extra damage, besides Augur Pact, Magnum Force is another basic option. Magnum Force is stronger, but more expensive to max, higher drain, and introduces a significant Accuracy penalty. Both become obsolete if running +Damage Arcanes or Eximus Advantage.
Speaking of, Eximus Advantage is a great option alongside or even instead of Hornet Strike, conditionally adding far more damage. However, it is entirely contingent on finding and headshotting Eximus units every 10 seconds, which is not a particularly long time.
If you are looking to get the most out of the ZylokP in high level content, it can be worth installing a (Primed) Expel. The +Faction Damage multiplier is separate to most other damage increasing effects, and in particular is applied multiple times to damage-over-time procs like Slash.
Alternatively, if +Faction Damage mods are not for you, you can use Hydraulic Crosshairs or Sharpened Bullets for a conditional Crit increase.
Given the ZylokP's inclination for inflicting Slash procs, it is also worth considering a +Slash mod to really maximise this, instead of a third elemental mod. as part of a Viral build. Maim offers a major increase to Slash damage, and while Carnis Stinger is slightly weaker, it also increases Status Chance making it the superior option.
The Exilus slot is a bit more difficult to fill, as the ZylokP has no troubles with ammo economy, and already has a fast reload. You could use Steady Hands to reduce recoil to essentially none, though I haven't had much issue with the recoil even without it.
Recommended Setups: see above. Also consider: Viral + Slash vs armoured enemies
Galvanised Mods:
Galv Diffusion.
Galv Shot is a great option on the ZylokP. With very high Status Chance and some elements modded on, the ZylokP easily attains enough unique Status procs for the Galv Shot +Damage bonus to outclass Hornet Strike. Being a hitscan weapon, it gains the full, standard damage increase as well.
Galv Crosshairs can be a decent option if you are adept at landing headshots, however as is a frequent theme for other weapons, it does not trigger from kills by many damage-over-time procs like Slash. On a Slash-proc-focused weapon like the ZylokP, this is a major disadvantage and can result in it being distinctly underwhelming. While it is a strong addition on-paper, in practice I think you are better off sticking to just Primed Pistol Gambit/Creeping Bullseye.
Arcane:
+Damage Options:
- Secondary Merciless - default option, stacking from any kill and increasing Reload Speed, but having a very short decay time.
- Secondary Deadhead - stacks from headshot kills, increases headshot damage, reduces recoil, and decays much slower than Merciless. However, it suffers the same flaw as Galv Crosshairs, where some damage-over-time procs including Slash will not count as headshot kills. For the ZylokP which gets much of its damage from Slash procs, this is a major limitation.
- Cascadia Flare - stacks +Damage from inflicting Heat procs, with a higher maximum than the other options but no extra bonuses. Very effective if you have other ways of inflicting Heat procs (e.g. Abilities), but as the ZylokP itself prefers to focus on Slash procs, does not combo as well with the ZylokP individually.
It is worth noting that the +Damage options are much less attractive if running Eximus Advantage, as they all add the same stat.
Other Damage-increasing Options:
- Cascadia Empowered - inflicts extra damage whenever inflicting a Status proc. I've written an entire separate post on Casc Empowered and how it is largely weaker than any other conventional option, and the ZylokP is no different.
- Cascadia Accuracy/Overcharge - conditionally significantly increases Crit Chance (after rolling on headshots, while Overshielded, respectively). Especially if running Eximus Advantage, these are extremely strong options if you can handle their trigger conditions.
- Conjunction Voltage - stacks +Multishot and +Reload Speed from inflicting Electric procs. Overall damage increase is lower than most other damage increasing options. Has the same conditions as Casc Flare, except is much weaker, although the +Reload Speed can be quite nice.
- Secondary Kinship - gives +Crit Chance for each buff applied to an ally. Can be effective in a full squad with certain Warframes, but otherwise is weaker than other options.
- Secondary Shiver - gives +Damage based on the number of Cold procs on the target. At max, offers less damage than Casc Flare but more than Sec Merciless/Deadhead.
- Secondary Outburst - consumes Melee Combo to gives +Crit Damage for Secondary. Has a strong maximum damage boost, roughly comparable to Casc Accuracy/Overcharge, however also requires heavy Melee use to be effective.
Non-Damage Options:
- Secondary Encumber - with every Status proc, inflicts an additional random Status proc. The ZylokP inflicts Status procs very reliably, although is not very fast firing, so is not the best user of this Arcane.
If not running Eximus Advantage, any of the +Damage options are good choices. For the ZylokP specifically, I'd lean to Sec Merciless due to its reliance on Slash procs for damage. Casc Accuracy/Overcharge are strong options especially if running Eximus Advantage, as is Secondary Outburst if you can quickly and consistently achieve max combo.
My Builds
Combat Use and Summary
With high Slash bias and Status Chance, the Zylok Prime fares best against heavily armoured enemies. It inflicts decently strong Slash procs as well as supporting Viral procs very reliably, which can rapidly eat through even the most heavily armoured of enemies.
Usable Crit can allow the ZylokP to deal respectable direct damage on headshots as well, though it still falls well behind conventional Crit-focused Secondaries.
Where the ZylokP is least effective is against large groups of enemies. Even with the Duplex trigger at full speed, it is fairly slow firing, and has no innate AoE to speak of. It will comfortably kill weaker enemies with one or two shots, but without Punch Through it only effectively engages one target at a time.
The Duplex Trigger can, with some practice, offer the benefits of both Semi-Auto and Burst Fire. Pressing the trigger quickly will fire two rounds per trigger pull like a Burst Fire, offering peak damage output that is easier to achieve than an equivalent Semi-Auto. Pressing and holding down the trigger will fire just one round, firing the second on trigger release. With discipline, this offers superior ammo conservation than a Burst Fire.
Overall, the Zylok Prime is a solid, if rather unexceptional, Slash-based Secondary. It inflicts strong Slash procs quite reliably, and has enough Crit to deal reasonable direct damage particularly on headshots. Its Duplex trigger is very rare and can be uniquely rewarding to use with practice.
As has been mentioned endlessly in previous reviews however, the Zylok Prime is a single-target weapon in a game where AoE weapons are the meta. Even if it were significantly stronger than its contemporaries, it is not well suited to the game that Warframe has become. Unless you really like this style of weapon, I wouldn't give it too much attention.
Scores
Vs Trash Mobs: 2/5 - Low Fire Rate, small Mag Capacity, and no native AoE, the Zylok Prime is not very effective against large numbers of weak enemies.
Vs Unarmoured Heavies: 3.5/5 - The ZylokP to deal solid direct damage to enemies, especially when landing headshots. With fairly unimpressive Crit Chance, it falls well behind a lot of other Crit-heavy weapons
Vs Armoured Heavies without Forced Slash: 4.5/5 - With high Slash bias and Status Chance, the ZylokP is excellent at inflicting decently strong Slash procs.
The MR13 Zylok Prime is a strict upgrade over the MR6 Zylok. Increased base Damage is always appreciated, but more importantly the Prime's Crit stats are greatly increased, to the point where a Crit build is very viable. The Status Chance increase is always useful. The increased Mag Capacity is also appreciated for improved quality-of-life.
Vs Armoured Heavies with Forced Slash: NA/5 - The Zylok Prime does not inflict Impact procs frequently, so is not a good user of Hemorrhage.
Vs Variants
Competitors
Especially thanks to the introduction of the Hemorrhage mod, the Zylok Prime now has quite a bit of competition for slow-firing Secondaries that reliably inflict Slash procs. Below is just a small selection of weapons I could think of and had on-hand.
Note that the TSpirex relies entirely on Hemorrhage to inflict Slash procs, through its forced Impact procs on direct hit, as it otherwise deals pure base Heat damage (plus whatever its Sister bonus is).
First is the MR14 Tenet Spirex. Note that the above stats are missing its explosive component, adding another 80 base Heat damage in a small AoE, as well as the Sister of Parvos bonus (25%-60%). Add in the much higher Crit Chance, and the TSpirex is significantly stronger per-shot than the ZylokP, as well as Burst DPS. However, the ZylokP has advantages in Fire Rate (due to the Duplex trigger), Mag Capacity, and Reload Time, even with the TSpirex's unique Bullseye Reload buff active.
I prefer the TSpirex, as each individual shot is much more impactful, and the small AoE is surprisingly beneficial.
The also MR14 Pandero Prime is a more conventional Semi-Auto competitor. It has lower base Damage, Mag Capacity, and Status Chance, in exchange for far superior Crit, Fire Rate (countered by the Duplex trigger), and slightly faster Reload Time. The net result is that the PanderoP has slightly higher damage-per-shot, for overall higher Burst DPS, however the ZylokP has a significant advantage in Status output and reliability.
Of note is that the PanderoP also has an empty-the-mag Alt Fire that offers massive Burst DPS with terrible accuracy and heavy recoil. The ZylokP doesn't have anything that matches this functionality.
Both weapons have merit. The PanderoP is more effective for quickly bursting down tough targets with direct damage, while the ZylokP is more reliable for stacking Slash procs on armoured enemies.
The MR12 Akvasto Prime is another competitor, albeit as per the screenshot it only has two stat advantages - higher Fire Rate and Crit Chance. The net result is that their Burst DPS is actually quite similar, with the ZylokP again having much superior Status output.
In this instance, if you can handle the Duplex trigger, I think the ZylokP is the overall better weapon.
Finally, the MR14 Laetum, granted as an Incarnon weapon this comparison is rather unfair. Once again the Laetum has advantages in Fire Rate and Crit Chance, coming off worse in most other stats. In base form without any Evolutions, the Laetum comes off on-par at best, giving the ZylokP the advantage in part due to its superior Status output.
However, considering Incarnon form and Evolutions, it's a total non-contest in the favour of the Laetum. The ZylokP has access to its own Incarnon Genesis Adapter, which gives it some significant stat boosts from Evolutions and its own Incarnon form, however I still consider the Laetum far superior overall.
The ZylokP is by no means a bad weapon. It inflicts decently strong Slash procs quite reliably, and compares surprisingly favourably to a number of other similar weapons. However, it does not remotely compare to the insane powercreep that the Laetum is a perfect example of, and it is a decent single-target weapon in a game full of utterly bonkers room-clearers. Additionally, Hemorrhage gives several specific, extremely strong weapons the ability to reliably inflict very strong Slash procs. Examples include the Catchmoon Kitgun, Tombfinger Kitgun, the Lex Incarnon form, and the aforementioned Tenet Spirex. I consider all of these weapons as good as, or better than, the ZylokP.
Rivens
As a new weapon, the Zylok Prime starts with a minimum 1/5 (0.5) Riven Disposition. I expect it to rise significantly, more towards where the regular Zylok is currently sitting (4/5 [1.25]). While it is undoubtedly stronger than the base Zylok, it retains many of the same key flaws and remains largely a non-meta weapon.
+Damage/Multishot/Crit Chance/Crit Damage are the usual good positives, with the Crit ones being more valuable once you get Galv mods and Arcanes. +Slash can be useful for maximising Slash proc frequency. +Elemental Damage can be useful to save a mod slot. +Faction Damage can be a strong multiplier of damage-over-time procs like Slash, most useful against the Grineer. +Mag Capacity/Reload Speed can be nice quality-of-life, though are certainly not necessary. -Recoil can be useful if you struggle with recoil, though there are better ways to reduce it. +Punch Through is a great help against tightly packed groups of enemies.
-Impact/Puncture are ideal negatives to have. Both are minor components of the ZylokP's base Damage, so the damage loss is minimal, with the side benefit of biasing Status procs towards Slash and modded elementals, which is usually preferred. Neither Impact nor Puncture procs are especially strong, though the recent buff to Puncture has made it more useful for Crit weapons. -Faction Damage to the weaker Factions (mainly Infested, arguably Corpus) can be mitigated with strong positive stats, and of course has no effect on other targets. -Ammo Max is a non-issue, as the ZylokP is very ammo efficient and recovers a lot of ammo as well. +Recoil can be a nice negative if you handle recoil well. -Zoom is ideal for close quarters.
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