U36: Jade Shadows - Cannonade Mods

DE did a whole lot with U36: Jade Shadows. One of the minor elements introduced is the set of Cannonade mods, for Semi-Auto weapons only.

It is worth mentioning that U36: Jade Shadows gave all Semi-Auto and Burst-Fire weapons an accessibility option for an automatic trigger.

Mod Effects

All three mods give +Damage depending on weapon type, and +1.5m Punch-Through. This +Damage is the same type as those from base Damage mods and Arcanes.

Additionally, these mods uniquely lock the Fire Rate such that it cannot be modified by any effects - not by other Mods or even Warframe Abilities. This is most beneficial when used alongside the Corrupted Crit Chance mods, as their Fire Rate penalty is nullified, making them a strict upgrade over their regular Crit Chance counterparts.

Of course, this can instead be detrimental for weapons that like increased Fire Rate. This is most relevant for Secondaries, which almost always equip Lethal Torrent (which increases Fire Rate), and also have Accelerated Isotope as a decent option.

Comparison to Existing Options

The Cannonade mods compete primarily with the regular +Damage mods, as well as the Galvanised Status mods.

Compared to the regular +Damage mods, the Cannonade mods offer strictly higher +Damage across the board. However, the regular +Damage mods are preferable on weapons where you would prefer to adjust the Fire Rate. Additionally, the Punch-Through can be problematic on certain explosive projectile weapons, sometimes causing the projectiles to pass through enemies rather than detonate.

The Galvanised Status mods offer a rather different proposition. They can match or exceed the Cannonade mods for +Damage, requiring 3 unique procs on the target, and the increased Status Chance is always nice. However, there are a fair few Semi-Auto weapons that do not have the Status output on their own to justify the Galv Status mods. Deciding between the Cannonade mod or Galv Status mod often comes down to immediate up-front and consistent damage, or greater Status output and peak damage.

It is worth noting that the Galv Status mods have unique interactions with certain weapon types that affect their viability as well. Some weapons gain exceptionally high benefit from the Galv Status mods (e.g. Arca Plasmor family and similar weapons), while others get very little. I strongly recommend checking out the Galv Mod spreadsheet in the link sidebar for this. Weapons that do not gain significant benefit from the Galv Status mods would naturally prefer Cannonade (or the regular +Damage mod), regardless of their Status potential.

A minor extra benefit the Cannonade mods have is that they are cheaper to max than their competitors, as well as easier to fit in builds thanks to their lower drain.

It is also worth noting that the Cannonade +Damage effect is the same as the +Damage Arcanes like Merciless/Deadhead/Dexterity. This makes other damage-increasing Arcanes slightly more appealing, albeit rarely enough to shift the needle significantly when considering peak on-paper DPS.

Compatible Weapons and Example Builds

Per their name, the Cannonade mods can only be equipped on Semi-Auto weapons. For any weapons with multiple firing modes, all firing modes must be Semi-Auto for the Cannonade mod to be usable - this is most relevant for Incarnon weapons and weapons with an Incarnon Genesis Adapter. For instance, the Latron can equip Semi-Rifle Cannonade because its Incarnon form is also Semi-Auto, while the Phenmor cannot, as its Incarnon form is Full-Auto (sorta).

Further shrinking the pool of candidates is the added Punch-Through. Punch-Through does not play nicely with some explosive projectile weapons, as they can pass through enemies and obstacles instead of detonating. I've found it to be rather inconsistent though on what weapons do and don't have this behaviour.

Below is a selection of weapons that I have found the Cannonade mods effective on. They fit all of the above criteria to at least some degree. These are by no means the best options for the Cannonade mods. Unlike similar posts I've done for Internal Bleeding/Hemorrhage and Cascadia Empowered, there are quite a few weapons for which I consider the Cannonade mods a good option.

The Aklex Prime is one Secondary example. Secondary candidates are relatively rare, primarily due to Lethal Torrent being best-in-slot in so many builds and adding a significant chunk of Fire Rate. The Aklex Prime is a weapon with such high Recoil that +Fire Rate is near-useless, at least without a -Recoil mod to compensate.

The AklexP also meets the other criteria well. It benefits greatly from Punch Through, and its Status output is not particularly great owing to its low base Fire Rate. Granted, in this example build I have both Cannonade and Galv Shot, but this is far from an optimal build.

Slow-firing Shotguns like the Exergis and (Kuva) Hek can work very well with Cannonade as well. The (Kuva) Hek arguably benefits more given its inclination for Critical Deceleration, which of course has its Fire Rate penalty nullified by Cannonade. The KHek's Status output is ok though not exceptional, and with such low Mag Capacity, locked Fire Rate is not the biggest deal.

In the case of the Exergis, while it performs really well with Galv Savvy, Cannonade can be used for more consistent initial/baseline damage. With the Exergis being a Status-focused weapon, there is space for both if you are so inclined.

The Latron (with Incarnon Genesis) is a rare example of a multi-firing-mode weapon that can equip Cannonade, as well as an uncommon explosive weapon that can use it effectively as well. Cannonade cancels the Fire Rate penalty from Crit Delay, for a strict upgrade over Point Strike, and of course Incarnon's explosive projectiles wouldn't benefit from Galv Apt significantly. Due to its bouncing mechanic, Incarnon's explosive projectiles ignore the Punch-Through effect and still detonate upon hitting the first object (and the second...and the third...). On the other hand, the base Latron form greatly benefits from Punch-Through to hit multiple enemies with each shot.

The Strun with Incarnon Genesis is another weapon I have tested that benefits similarly to Latron. Again despite Incarnon form firing explosive projectiles, it seems to ignore Punch-Through and still detonates upon hitting an object, and so performs excellently with Cannonade.

Curiously, the Tonkor family also works really well with the Cannonade, despite also using explosive projectiles.

Finally, a majority of Sniper Rifles are Semi-Auto, have relatively low Status output, don't really care for increased Fire Rate, and of course appreciate Punch-Through (most have some innately already). This makes them ideal candidates for Cannonade.

List of Suggested Weapons

The below list is a list of the weapon families for which I think the Cannonade mods are worth consideration. I have tested the vast majority of them myself, with the exception of weapons I don't actually own (really just the base Bolto). It's not truly exhaustive, and has an element of my personal opinion and preference to it.

• Grinlok family (if you don't want increased Fire Rate)
• Kuva Chakkhurr (if you don't want increased Fire Rate)
• Latron family (including Incarnon)
• Tonkor family
• Veldt
• Corinth family (if you don't want increased Fire Rate)
• Exergis (alongside Galv Savvy)
• Hek family
• Strun family (including Incarnon)
• Snipers that aren't Komorex
• Akbolto family (if you don't want increased Fire Rate)
• Aklex family (due to its insane recoil)
• Bolto
• Lato family (including Incarnon)
• Lex family (non-Incarnon only)
• Marelok family (if you don't want increased Fire Rate)
• Plinx (regular only, and only if you don't want increased Fire Rate)

Conclusion

Overall, Cannonade mods are a good mod option for a specific subset of weapons. Their +Damage is larger than that of the regular +Damage mods, but can still be beaten by the Galvanised Status mods. The locked Fire Rate is beneficial for using the Corrupted +Crit Chance mods, but detrimental for any weapons that like increased Fire Rate. +Punch-Through plays well with most hitscan weapons, but not so much with explosive projectiles. 

While the Cannonade mods are still relatively niche and aren't exceptionally stronger than their alternatives, I still greatly appreciate their existence. They offer interesting options and legitimate alternatives over existing meta mods. They give players greater choice and customisability in builds, and allow players to better tailor builds to their own preferences.

To summarise, candidate weapons need to fit the following criteria:

• Semi-Auto trigger with all potential firing modes
• Don't want/need increased Fire Rate
• Are not negatively affected by Punch-Through
• Would not prefer the Galvanised Status mod (assuming they are competing for a single mod slot)