Quick Links
- What's A Zaw?
- Crafting A Zaw
- Zaw Mastery Rank Points And Rivens
- All Zaw Parts
- Exodia Arcanes
- The Best Zaw Combinations
Warframe is easily one of the most complex looter shooters you can play currently. Players are thrown into the deep end of dozens of intricate systems without much idea of how they work. Arguably one of the most confusing for new players is Zaws.
Related: Best Looter Shooter Games Out Now
These modular melee weapons found on Cetus provide an immense amount of power for players willing to learn. With over a thousand combinations, creating a good Zaw can be a daunting task. In this guide, we'll be going over every aspect of Zaws, including how to make one, what each part does, the use of Zaw-specific Exodia Arcanes, and showcase some of the strongest Zaw combinations you can use.
What's A Zaw?
Zaws are modular, player-crafted melee weapons that are assembled by Hok at Cetus. Players can use Standing they've earned for the Ostron faction to purchase Zaw components from Hok. Once you craft a part of each type, speak to Hok to assemble the Zaw. Through a process called Gilding (explained in the next section), you can enhance the base stats of your Zaw, apply a unique Arcane to it, and give the Zaw a name.
With the right parts and Mods, you can create some truly devastating Zaws that provide excellent utility. Some players use Zaws to regain Energy, group enemies together, or even remove the shields from the Profit Taker boss in the Orb Vallis. While they don't dish out as much raw damage as meta melee weapons, Zaws provide a degree of utility that can prove much more valuable for certain situations.
Crafting A Zaw
Before you can craft a Zaw, you're going to need components. There are three components that make up a Zaw:
-
Strike: The blade of your melee weapon.
- Determines IPS distribution, weapon type, and base damage.
-
Grip: The handle of your melee weapon.
- Determines attack speed, weapon type, and modifies your Strike's base damage.
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Link: Metal weights used to enhance certain properties of your melee weapon.
- Alters base damage, attack speed, critical chance, and status chance.
Speak to Hok at Cetus to purchase the blueprints necessary to craft Zaw components. Once the parts are built, speak to Hok again to assemble your Zaw. You'll get to preview your weapon before assembly. At this point, it's time to level and gild your Zaw.
| Note: Most Zaw parts require refined metals and gems found in the Plains of Eidolon. You can purchase the blueprints needed to craft these materials from Old Man Suumbaat. |
Gilding A Zaw
Every Zaw you create will start in an ungilded state, featuring lower base damage and supplementary stats than normal. To enhance your Zaw's base stats, you'll need to gild it. This has a few pre-requisites:
- Your Zaw must be level 30.
- You must be Rank 3: Trusted or higher with the Ostrons.
- Gilding costs 2 Cetus Wisps and 5,000 Ostron Standing.
Related: Warframe: Top Arch-Guns, Ranked
If you meet all three conditions, speak to Hok at Cetus. He'll be able to gild the weapon if you meet all of the listed conditions. Upon gilding a weapon, you can apply one polarity for free in any Mod slot. If not already polarized, we highly recommend you polarize the Stance slot. Gilding a weapon will also give you the ability to name it. If you wish to rename your weapon, along with any melee weapons (even non-Zaws), you can purchase a renaming service from Hok for 15 Platinum.
Zaw Melee Types
Since melee weapons cover a large gambit of archetypes—scythes, swords, nikanas, etc.—it's important that you use the right parts to create the Zaw type you want. The Stances your Zaw will use are determined by your Strike and Grip. We'll cover each Zaw part in-depth in the next section. But for now, let's cover which Strikes and Grips create which Zaw weapon type.
| Type | Strikes | Grips |
|---|---|---|
| Dagger |
|
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| Hammer |
|
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| Heavy Blade |
|
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| Machete |
|
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| Nikana |
|
|
| Polearm |
|
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| Rapier |
|
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| Scythe |
|
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| Staff |
|
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| Sword |
|
|
Zaw Mastery Rank Points And Rivens
Keep in mind that you don't earn Mastery Rank Points for leveling ungilded Zaws. You must gild the Zaw, then get it to level 30 to gain Mastery. For the purposes of increasing your MR, each type of Strike counts as a unique melee weapon. Creating and leveling a unique Zaw for all 11 Strikes is equal to 33,000 Mastery Points.
Related: Warframe: All Damage Types Explained
Zaw Riven Mods also behave similarly, only affecting Zaws that have a Strike that matches the Riven. For example, if you unveil a Sepfahn Riven Mod, that Mod can only be applied to Zaws with a Sepfahn Strike. Each Zaw Strike has a unique Riven Disposition that, like most weapons, gets updated quarterly.
All Zaw Parts
| Note: This section is quite number heavy. If you're a newer player, consider skipping to the next section. |
There are thousands upon thousands of Zaw combinations in Warframe. A wide range of strikes, grips, and links allow you to create a melee weapon that suits your specific needs. Let's go ahead and cover what each part does and which part combinations lead to certain Zaw types.
Strikes
Warframe has 11 Zaw Strikes you can use, two of which are exclusive to the Plague Star event. The other nine can be purchased from Hok at Cetus.
| Strike |
Type(1H) |
Type(2H) |
Damage(IPS) |
Attack Speed |
Critical(Multiplier) |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balla | Dagger | Staff | Total: 224
|
+0.083 |
18%(2.0x) |
18% |
| Cyath | Machete | Polearm | Total: 230
|
+0.000 |
18%(2.0x) |
18% |
| Dehtat | Rapier | Polearm | Total: 224
|
+0.083 |
18%(2.0x) |
18% |
| Dokrahm | Scythe | Heavy Blade | Total: 309
|
+0.083 |
18%(2.0x) |
18% |
| Kronsh | Machete | Polearm | Total: 234
|
-0.067 |
18%(2.0x) |
18% |
| Mewan | Sword | Polearm | Total: 224
|
-0.067 |
18%(2.0x) |
18% |
| Ooltha | Sword | Staff | Total: 224
|
+0.000 |
18%(2.0x) |
18% |
| Plague Keewar | Scythe | Staff | Total: 306
|
-0.033 |
18%(2.0x) |
22% |
| Plague Kirpath | Rapier | Polearm | Total: 213
|
+0.033 |
22%(2.2x) |
18% |
| Rabvee | Machete | Hammer | Total: 234
|
-0.067 |
18%(2.0x) |
18% |
| Sepfahn | Nikana | Staff | Total: 226
|
+0.000 |
20%(2.0x) |
20% |
| Note: Plague Keewar and Plague Kirpath are only for sale during the Plague Star event. |
Grips
Ten Grips exist for creating Zaws, each granting unique base stat modifiers. Your grip also determines the melee type your Zaw will fall under.
| Grip | 1H Or 2H | Damage | Attack Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jayap | Two-Handed | +0 | 0.917 |
| Korb | One-Handed | +28 | 0.783 |
| Kroostra | Two-Handed | +14 | 0.850 |
| Kwath | One-Handed | +14 | 0.850 |
| Laka | One-Handed | +0 | 0.917 |
| Peye | One-Handed | -4 | 1.000 |
| Plague Akwin | One-Handed | -2 | 0.950 |
| Plague Bokwin | Two-Handed | +7 | 0.883 |
| Seekalla | Two-Handed | -4 | 1.000 |
| Shtung | Two-Handed | +28 | 0.783 |
| Note: Plague Akwin and Plague Bokwin are only available during the Plague Star event. |
Links
Links are categorized into four types. Some links only have one type, while most use a combination of two link types. Each link type grants the following:
- Jai: +Attack Speed, -Damage
- Ruhang: +Damage, – Attack Speed
- Ekwana: +Status Chance, – Critical Chance
- Vargeet: +Critical Chance, – Status Chance
Specific modifiers for all 16 link combinations are covered below:
| Link | Damage | Attack Speed | Critical | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jai | -4 | +0.083 | +0% | +0% |
| Jai II | -8 | +0.167 | +0% | +0% |
| Ruhang | +14 | -0.067 | +0% | +0% |
| Ruhang II | +28 | -0.133 | +0% | +0% |
| Ekwana Jai | -4 | +0.083 | -4% | +7% |
| Ekwana II Jai | -4 | +0.083 | -8% | +14% |
| Ekwana Jai II | -8 | +0.167 | -4% | +7% |
| Ekwana Ruhang | +14 | -0.067 | -4% | +7% |
| Ekwana II Ruhang | +14 | -0.067 | -8% | +14% |
| Ekwana Ruhang II | +28 | -0.133 | -4% | +7% |
| Vargeet Jai | -4 | +0.083 | +7% | -4% |
| Vargeet II Jai | -4 | +0.083 | +14% | -8% |
| Vargeet Jai II | -8 | +0.167 | +7% | -4% |
| Vargeet Ruhang | +14 | -0.067 | +7% | -4% |
| Vargeet II Ruhang | +14 | -0.067 | +14% | -8% |
| Vargeet Ruhang II | +28 | -0.133 | +7% | -4% |
Exodia Arcanes
All gilded Zaws have one Exodia Arcane slot unlocked. This slot can only install Exodia Arcanes—a unique Arcane type purchased from Hok at Cetus. You must be Rank 5: Kin with the Ostron to unlock the ability to purchase these Arcanes. They come pre-built. Unlike most Arcanes, Exodia Arcanes have a rank cap of three. You'll only need ten of the same Arcane to max it out. Any Zaw can equip any Exodia Arcane; there are no archetype restrictions.
Every Exodia Arcane
Zaws can equip one of eight unique Exodia Arcanes. Similar to Strikes and Grips, two of them are exclusive to the Plague Star event.
| Exodia |
Activator(Chance) |
Effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brave |
Heavy attack kill(100% chance) |
Regen 5 Energy per second for 4 seconds. |
|
| Contagion |
Air attack(100% chance) |
Launch a projectile that detonates after 30m, dealing 400% damage. |
|
| Epidemic |
Slam Attack(100% chance) |
Launch a wave of Infested goo, traveling up to 33m away. Enemies hit are levitated for 4s. |
|
| Force |
Status Effect(50% chance) |
Deal 200% weapon damage to enemies 6m near the target. |
|
| Hunt |
Slam Attack(50% chance) |
Pull in enemies from 12m to the slam's epicenter. |
|
| Might |
Finisher(50% chance) |
Your Zaw gains 30% lifesteal for 8 seconds. |
|
| Triumph |
On hit(100% chance) |
50% chance to gain additional Combo Counter. |
|
| Valor |
Hit lifted target(100% chance) |
200% chance to gain additional Combo Counter. |
|
| Note: Exodia Contagion and Exodia Epidemic are exclusive to the Plague Star event. |
The Best Zaw Combinations
OK, so what if you don't want to fiddle with parts and numbers for hours on end to create the best Zaw? Thankfully, the community has figured out which parts and combinations are best. Before we dig into the best Zaw Combinations, we need to talk about the best Zaw parts real quick.
Best Zaw Parts
For as many unique Zaw parts as Hok offers, you only need to worry about your Strike. Strikes determine the melee type you're creating, along with IPS, so they're mostly down to preference. Grips and Links do have objectively better parts than others, provided you're focusing on DPS. In essence:
-
Best Strike
- None – varies on weapon type and preference
-
Best Grip
- One-Handed: Peye
- Two-Handed: Seekalla
-
Best Link
- DPS: Vargeet II Jai
- Status: Vargeet Jai II
The Best Zaws
If you're looking to create the best Zaw of each type, consult the table below. Keep in mind that you can replace the link in any entry with Vargeet Jai II if you are more interested in applying status.
| Zaw Type | Strike | Grip | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dagger | Balla | Peye | Vargeet II Jai |
| Hammer | Rabvee | Seekalla | Vargeet II Jai |
| Heavy Blade | Dokrahm | Seekalla | Vargeet II Jai |
| Machete | Cyath | Peye | Vargeet II Jai |
| Nikana | Sepfahn | Peye | Vargeet II Jai |
| Polearm | Plague Kripath
|
Seekalla | Vargeet II Jai |
| Rapier | Plague Kripath
|
Peye | Vargeet II Jai |
| Scythe | Dokrahm
|
Peye | Vargeet II Jai |
| Staff | Plague Keewar
|
Seekalla | Vargeet II Jai |
| Sword | Ooltha | Peye | Vargeet II Jai |
The Most Efficient Zaws For Mastery Rank Points
Zaws also grant Mastery Rank Points, so you might want to consider crafting certain Zaws to gain as much MR as possible. Here's what we recommend:
| Zaw Type | Strike | Grip | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dagger | Balla | Peye | Vargeet II Jai |
| Hammer | Rabvee | Seekalla | Vargeet II Jai |
| Heavy Blade | Dokrahm | Seekalla | Vargeet II Jai |
| Machete | Cyath | Peye | Vargeet II Jai |
| Nikana | Sepfahn | Peye | Vargeet II Jai |
| Polearm | Plague Kripath | Seekalla | Vargeet II Jai |
| Rapier | Dehtat | Peye | Vargeet II Jai |
| Scythe | Plague Keewar | Peye | Vargeet II Jai |
| Staff | Ooltha | Seekalla | Vargeet II Jai |
| Sword | Mewan | Peye | Vargeet II Jai |
For Kronsh, create a Polearm. This will cover all 11 Strikes for Zaws, granting you the maximum 33,000 Mastery Points while making some solid—albeit not min-maxed—melee weapons.