The Velox Prime is an MR13 Full-Auto Secondary. Protea Prime's signature Secondary, it is a Status-leaning weapon that notably has innate Ammo Efficiency. A largely conventional weapon, it is solid but not outstanding in a game full of absolutely bonkers weapons.
Acquisition
Standard Prime weapon stuff, the Velox Prime's blueprint and components drop from various Void Relics.
Stats
The Velox Prime has solid, Status-leaning stats. Its Status Chance is an excellent 32%, back by a very high Fire Rate of 17. Its base Damage split is also conducive to this, with almost half of its damage being Slash for reliable Slash procs. Its Crit is much less impressive at just 14%/2×, but is still usable with the Primed Crit mods.
Unique to its family, the Velox Prime has innate 20% Ammo Efficiency - every fifth shot will not consume ammo. This is increased to 40% when wielded by Protea (Prime) - two shots out of five will not consume ammo. Additionally, if reloaded from completely empty, Reload Speed is increased by 50%. These are notable advantages over other Full-Autos, and improve its Reload Ratio and Ammo Economy significantly.
With a Mag Capacity of 70, base Fire Rate of 17, and Reload Time of 2.6 seconds, the Velox Prime initially appears to have a rather poor Reload Ratio. With its Unique Trait in play though, it becomes much more respectable.
In the hands of any other Warframe, and if not completely emptied, the VeloxP has a slightly below-par Reload Ratio of 1.98. If completely emptied, this improves to a more reasonable 2.97. When used by Protea (Prime), if not emptied, the VeloxP has a solid Reload Ratio of 2.64. Finally, if emptied, this increases to a quite good 3.96.
Augments
None.
Builds
NOTE: At the time of writing, Overframe doesn't have the Velox Prime yet, so I've resorted to using awkward in-game screenshots.
Basic 0-Forma:
The Velox Prime natively has two V and one - polarities - very useful polarities that allow a lot of flexibility. This example build sticks to relatively basic, more common mods (Toxin mods notwithstanding), fitting the obligatory Damage/Multishot/Crit/Elemental mods.
Note that if you only have the basic Crit mods and not the Primed versions (or Creeping Bullseye), it is arguably worth sticking to just more Damage/Multishot/Elemental mods, as the overall Crit benefit will be quite limited.
Viral is the usual default elemental combo, for its near-universal proc increasing damage dealt to Health, and its multipliers are strong against some organic targets. It synergises particularly well with the VeloxP's ability to stack up natural Slash procs, drastically increasing their armour-bypassing damage.
Corrosive is also very strong, with an armour-reducing proc and super-effective damage against both Ferrite-armour (one of the two main Armour types), and heavy Infested units.
Radiation deals the strongest direct damage against Alloy-armour (the other main Armour type), however its proc is not as directly useful as Corrosive, instead enabling enemy friendly-fire. Of note, most armoured Corpus units use Alloy-armour.
Pure Toxin is especially strong against most unarmoured Corpus units, bypassing their Shields and dealing damage directly to their often-low Health. Magnetic can instead be used to brute force through Shields, though there are very few enemies against whom it is actually worth using.
Primed Crit 0-Forma:
The polarities are such that you can even fit in the Primed Crit mods, albeit at the cost of potentially limiting your other mod options. In this case, Lethal Torrent cannot fit alongside all the other mods. If you have Creeping Bullseye however, you could slot that in the - polarised slot and have just two elemental mods to get Lethal Torrent back in.
With a third elemental mod, there are some extra combos worth consideration. Adding Heat to a Viral or Corrosive build is a great addition, as its partial armour strip and damage-over-time proc synergise with both of them extremely well. Radiation + Toxin is a great catch-all against Corpus, hitting both their unarmoured and armoured units quite effectively. Radiation + Cold is instead quite strong against Alloy-armour, with Cold procs also adding some slow and enhanced Crit.
Recommended Setups: Viral (+Heat) vs everything, Corrosive (+Heat) vs Ferrite-armour, Infested, Radiation + Toxin vs Corpus, Radiation + Cold vs Alloy-armour.
General Purpose 2-Forma:
Two added V polarities gives you a great deal of mod flexibility, and opens up enough space to look at an eighth mod.
Seeker is always a great option, adding some highly valuable Punch Through. Punch Through allows each round to potentially hit multiple enemies, drastically improving the efficiency of any non-AoE weapon against tightly packed groups.
For regular +Damage besides Hornet Strike, your options are Augur Pact or Magnum Force. Augur Pact is much cheaper and lower drain, as well as adding the Augur set bonus, however it is quite weak. Magnum Force is stronger, however it is also much higher drain and cost, and the Accuracy penalty can be troublesome. Both are obsolete with Galv mods and Arcanes in the mix.
Instead, a (Primed) Expel is a very strong option against the appropriate Faction, notably applying multiple times to damage-over-time procs like Slash and Heat. This is most notable against the Grineer and Corrupted, who have many tough armoured enemies. The biggest downsides are again drain, cost, and needing to switch them around for each Faction.
For Faction-agnostic options, you could use the conditional Crit mods, Sharpened Bullets or Hydraulic Crosshairs. They aren't the strongest options, but they are Faction-agnostic,
Besides the three-element builds already mention above, there are a few other element/element-like options to consider.
Accelerated Isotope adds a little Radiation as well as Fire Rate. This allows for otherwise impossible combos like Corrosive + Radiation, which is effective against most Armour types and offers a light CC effect with Radiation's confusion. With Galv Shot and Diffusion installed (see below), it can take the place of Lethal Torrent quite effectively.
Ice Storm can be used in any build using Cold mods for increased Mag Capacity, which can be nice quality-of-life, albeit at the cost of damage and potentially Status Chance.
Carnis Stinger gives +Slash and +Status Chance, which can be used to maximise the number of Slash procs inflicted. It provides a much weaker direct damage boost than an elemental mod, but is most effective against heavily armoured enemies.
The Exilus slot is, surprisingly, a bit harder to fill. (Primed) Pistol Ammo Mutation can be included to render any ammo concerns irrelevant, however as already discussed, the VeloxP is comparatively more ammo-efficient than usual. Steady Hands could be used to mitigate Recoil, though I already find its recoil manageable without. Targeting Subsystem could be used to keep spread to a minimum, but again I find it quite manageable at closer ranges anyway. Finally, Eject Magazine could be used for some passive reload-while-holstered, which is an effect I am a big fan of.
Recommended Setups: see above.
Galvanised Mods
Galv Diffusion.
Galv Shot is a great option on the VeloxP. It stacks Status procs very quickly and reliably, and has all three Physical damage types. With just a single elemental mod equipped, it is not uncommon to inflict three or four unique procs with a single burst. This easily puts the +Damage bonus of Galv Shot well above that of Hornet Strike.
Galv Crosshairs is a questionable option. While more Crit is always nice, the VeloxP's Crit isn't great in the first place. Additionally, it relies primarily on damage-over-time procs like Slash and Heat, many of which cannot land Headshot kills, even if the originating shot was a Headshot. As such, the VeloxP can have difficulty getting full benefit from Galv Crosshairs.
Arcane
+Damage options:
- Sec Merciless - The default option. Simple and solidly effective, as the VeloxP's high Fire Rate helps it attain multiple kills in quick succession. Increased Reload Speed is nice. Never a bad option, but not always ideal.
- Sec Deadhead - See the above discussion about Galv Crosshairs, as the same issues apply to Deadhead. As such, while Deadhead can be stacked very quickly in ideal conditions, and its bonus Headshot damage is always nice, I don't think it's a great option.
- Casc Flare - Great option for any build with Heat. Stacks up rapidly as the VeloxP inflicts procs very quickly.
- Sec Shiver - Slightly stronger than Sec Merciless/Deadhead under ideal conditions. Relies on either a Cold build (e.g. Corrosive + Cold), or other equipment that spreads Cold procs (e.g. Sentinel weapon, Frost Warframe).
Other damage increasing options:
- Sec Encumber - The VeloxP is a strong candidate for Sec Encumber, due to its very high Fire Rate and Status Chance. It can stack up a huge range of Status procs for a massive Galv Shot damage bonus. Its main disadvantage is the ramp-up time against each individual target, since the +Damage relies entirely on unique Status procs.
- Sec Kinship - As its bonus Crit Chance is additive with Crit Chance mods, it is a very weak effect outside of very specific Ability and squad setups.
- Sec Outburst - A strong Crit increase if paired with a Melee weapon that easily gets to high/full Combo.
- Casc Accuracy - Relies on constant dodging and Headshots to be effective. Being a high Fire Rate weapon with some recoil and spread, I don't think Velox is a good candidate for it.
- Casc Empowered - The VeloxP's low base Damage and very high Status output makes it one of the better Casc Emp candidates, but as I discussed in my post on it, it still isn't worth using.
- Casc Overcharge - Can be solid on any build that regularly maintains Overshields.
- Conj Voltage - Weaker than most other damage increasing options, and with the innate faster reload from empty, I would consider it not particularly necessary on the VeloxP.
Casc Flare is the strongest simple option, stacking up quickly and easily. Casc Overcharge barely beats Sec Shiver, Merciless, and Deadhead under ideal conditions, assuming Galv Shot is installed. Sec Encumber is very strong against single tough targets, but less efficient against multiple targets.
My Build
Fairly ordinary Viral + Heat build, with my Riven substituting for what is usually Lethal Torrent/Accelerated Isotope.
Combat Use and Summary
With high Fire Rate and respectable Reload Ratio if used optimally, the Velox Prime is reasonably effective against large groups of weak enemies. It can quickly kill off individual weaker enemies, and can engage a decent number of enemies before needing to reload. Added Punch Through can help this significantly.
An affinity for Status output, particularly Slash procs, makes the VeloxP surprisingly solid against heavily armoured enemies as well. Though they take very little direct damage from it, the accumulated Slash procs can deal very respectable damage in the following seconds, bleeding out even tough armoured Steel Path enemies. Note that Hemorrhage is not a good option for the VeloxP, with its high Fire Rate and overall lack of Impact procs.
Direct damage against unarmoured and especially Status-resistant/immune enemies is the biggest flaw in the VeloxP. Its Crit is passable at best, and it is heavily reliant on stacking damage-over-time procs for maximum damage. It falls well behind even a number of other Status-leaning Secondaries in direct damage output.
Ammo is less of an issue than one would expect based purely on its Fire Rate, thanks to its innate Ammo Efficiency. The VeloxP stores a lot of spare ammo, and recovers a respectable amount from each ammo drop as well. Nonetheless, in longer missions, it is something to be wary of especially if you have installed a +Fire Rate mod.
Overall, the Velox Prime is a solid Secondary. It is great at stacking up Status procs on tougher enemies and performs adequately against groups. Its innate Ammo Efficiency mitigates one of the primary flaws of high Fire Rate weapons, making it a little easier to manage in longer missions.
However, the VeloxP isn't anything too spectacular. Its special features, while nice, aren't game-changing or balance-breaking like some other recent releases (particularly Incarnons). If you really jive with the VeloxP, you can make it work reasonably well, but if you're looking for the best, look elsewhere.
Scores
Vs Trash Mobs: 4/5 - Respectable Reload Ratio and high Fire Rate make the VeloxP fairly effective at engaging large numbers of weaker enemies. It kills weak enemies easily, and can kill a fair number of them before needing to reload.
Vs Unarmoured Heavies: 2.5/5 - A heavy Status focus and mediocre Crit leaves the VeloxP rather underwhelming for direct damage, particularly against Status-resistant/immune enemies. Even with reliable Headshots, it lacks the firepower to break through such enemies quickly.
Vs Armoured Heavies without Forced Slash: 4.5/5 - With fantastic natural Status output and decent Slash bias, the VeloxP is very capable of stacking Slash procs on heavily armoured enemies. While its initial damage is very poor, the subsequent armour-ignoring damage ticks can eat through almost any armoured enemy.
Vs Armoured Heavies with Forced Slash: NA/5 - The VeloxP does not inflict Impact procs frequently or reliably enough to make good use of Hemorrhage.
Vs Variants
The MR13 Velox Prime is a strict upgrade over the MR8 base Velox. Of note, its base Damage, Fire Rate, and Crit Multiplier are slightly higher, and its Status Chance is significantly higher.
Competitors
There are quite a few other Full-Auto Secondaries, largely Dual Pistols.
The MR12 Afuris Prime is one such example. Like the VeloxP, it is Status focused with usable Crit. The VeloxP retains a critical advantage, that being much higher Slash bias. While the AfurisP is a decent weapon in its own right, it does not reliably stack Slash procs, and its other capabilities are not sufficiently better to make up for that deficit.
The MR13 Kuva Twin Stubbas are a powerful competitor. It has similar Slash bias, albeit diluted with the Kuva Lich Damage Bonus incorporated. The Kuva Lich bonus and higher Crit Chance give the KTS much higher damage-per-shot, while the VeloxP somewhat compensates with higher Fire Rate.
Practically speaking, I find the KTS to be overall more effective. Both its Burst and Sustained DPS are superior, outweighing the overall slower Status proc output.
Where the VeloxP faces the strongest competition is mostly with beam weapons as it turns out.
The MR11 Catabolyst offers an unusual comparison. It trades lower Crit Chance for much higher Crit Multiplier, and lower Fire Rate is easily compensated with higher Status Chance and base Damage. Its primary disadvantage is in its rather small Mag Capacity, however even this can be leveraged to maximise its unique grenade-upon-reload mechanic. Additionally, base Corrosive damage is extremely rare and very valuable.
The mostly-conventional VeloxP is largely easier to use, notably with its higher Mag Capacity, however the Catabolyst packs far more firepower if you can handle it appropriately.
Where the KNukor and TCycron really break into their own however is their chaining ability, allowing them to damage several enemies at once. While the VeloxP isn't too far behind against single targets (and perhaps even comparable depending on situation), it falls behind dramatically once you introduce large numbers of enemies.
Overall, while the Velox Prime is solid enough amongst its conventional competitors, it struggles to compare to the top Secondaries in the game.
Rivens
As a new weapon, the Velox Prime starts with a minimum 1/5 (0.5) Riven Disposition, and the base Velox is currently at a fairly high 4/5 (1.2). I expect the Prime's to shoot up quite quickly; as mentioned previously it still doesn't come close to the most popular and powerful Secondaries currently.
+Damage/Multishot/Crit Chance/Crit Damage are the usual always-nice positives, with the latter two being more valuable with Galv mods and Arcanes in the mix. +Slash can be nice to eke out Slash procs more frequently. +Elemental Damage can be useful to save a mod slot. +Faction Damage is a particularly strong multiplier of damage-over-time procs like Slash and Heat, most useful against the Grineer. +Mag Capacity can be nice quality-of-life, particularly with how the innate Ammo Efficiency increases its value further. +Punch Through is a great help against tightly packed groups of enemies.
-Impact/Puncture are ideal. Neither is a significant component of base Damage, nor especially strong procs, and reducing them increases the bias of more desirable procs like Slash and elements. -Faction Damage to a weaker Faction (mainly Infested, arguably Corpus) can be manageable with strong positives, and has no effect against other Factions. -Fire Rate in small amounts can help to improve ammo economy, but of course reduces DPS. -Ammo Max can be manageable in smaller amounts as the VeloxP recovers ammo fairly well. -Projectile Speed has no effect. -Reload Speed can be mitigated by the increased Reload Speed from empty, but is not ideal. I find the base Recoil to be almost negligible, so consider +Recoil a good negative. -Zoom is ideal for close quarters.
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