Zephyr's recent rework has turned the bird-frame from a duckling into a golden eagle.

This build is perfectly fit for the steel path. Before we go into detail on how to operate the new birdframe, let's go over what was fixed in her recent rework.

0. (Passive) Zephyr's passive ability still makes her move faster, and fall slower while airborne, however, she now has a 150% crit-chance on all weapons while airborne. This synergizes very well with the rest of her kit.

1. [Zephyr]'s first ability, Tail Wind, makes her dash forward. From what I've concluded, it seems like the dash's length scales off of duration, rather than range. [Zephyr] generally benefits from a lot of duration, so expect these dashes to be quite long or clumsy sometimes. However, the first ability shouldn't primarily be used for the dash, instead it should be used as an effective way of staying airborne. If you hold the ability while airborne, [Zephyr] will freeze in place, allowing reduced movement on the x and z axis, while her height will remain set. Basically, you should use your first ability as an effective way of hovering mid air.

2. [Zephyr]'s second ability, Air Burst, used to be a very shitty means of crowd control, or a small amount of damage. The burst would fly forward to where you're aiming, and push enemies away from said point. However, [Zephyr]'s second ability was recently changed, so that it now has the ability to group large numbers of enemies into a point of your choosing. Simply tap your 2 in order to pull enemies, and hold it in order to push them away. This synergizes well with her last ability.

3. [Zephyr]'s third ability, Turbulence, was not touched during the rework. This is a good thing, since her third ability was already without a doubt very good, and useful. Tap your 3 in order to receive 45.3 seconds of damage deflection. Allow me to repeat myself. Damage Deflection! [Zephyr] essentially becomes immune to any damage from enemy projectiles. As long as you remain airborne, and avoid taking any melee damage, this is essentially 100% damage reduction for 45 seconds straight, all at the tap of a single button.

4. Lastly, [Zephyr]'s fourth ability, Tornado, spawns 3 tornadoes which will engulf enemies, and make them hover. Previously, this used to be the only decent ability that [Zephyr] had, and even then, you'd be better off not pressing it. It would lift enemies, but the tornadoes would spin them around, making them extremely difficult to hit, while the tornadoes themselves wouldn't deal much damage at all. it was at best, a mediocre method of CC, which wouldn't work half of the time, since the tornadoes would move on their own to places where they'd be completely useless. However, this was recently changed. The first and biggest change is the fact that the tornadoes can now be stationary. Simply hold the button to cast the ability, and the tornadoes will remain stationary around the point of which you're aiming at. Enemies lifted by the tornadoes will no longer spin around, and will instead be grouped together above the tornado, making them easier to hit, and lastly, the tornado itself will now deal a literal FUCK TON of damage, capable of shredding Steel Path MOT enemies in a matter of seconds.

[Zephyr] has turned into a full out killing machine compared to what she was before. Able to beat a Wukong or Saryn in terms of damage, not to mention having great survivability while not having to put any survival-related mods on her. This build uses three forma (which I guarantee you is worth it) and allows you to experiment with augments if you want to do so.

HOW TO PLAY.

1. [Preparation]
First of all, you'll want to equip a primary with an AoE attack, such as for example the [Stahlta], or the [Kuva Bramma]. Mod this primary for Gas Damage. Now, I know, I know, gas damage is not meta, I know this. However, gas damage is lingering, meaning it will stay inside of the tornadoes, and deal damage to the enemies for every tick that passes. The tornadoes will also adapt the damage, and deal it to the picked up enemies. Gas damage is usually not that great, I know, but trust me. IT WORKS and it works GOOD!

2. Gameplay
When you first enter the mission, you will want to make sure that your third ability is active at all times. Secondly, you'll want to stay airborne as much as you can. By doing this, you'll make sure that the only thing potentially being able to deal damage to you is projectiles, which will be deflected because of your third ability. While staying airborne, you'll also get the 150% damage bonus, which will come in extremely handy. As you can see, I'm opting for [Aerodynamic] in the Aura slot. This gives you a bigger window to recast your 3 when against lower level enemies, but you can use whatever you want.

Now, while staying in the air, cast your fourth ability. You can either spawn wandering tornadoes by tapping your 4, or hold it to cast stationary ones. You'll want to pick up and lift as many enemies as possible. Use your 2 in order to either push or pull enemies into range.

After picking up all of the enemies with your tornadoes, shoot either the enemies or the tornado itself using your AoE attack, and do so while in the air. The tornadoes will [Shred] the enemies within a matter of seconds if done properly.

A common build option for [Zephyr] is to infuse [Wisp]'s third ability, Breach Surge, onto [Zephyr]'s 2. This is a very good option for damage, and would replace the need for gas damage. However, I didn't find it as fun. Also, it would require a different build than this, since it's much more energy intensive.

If you want to see this build in action, AshisogiTenno has a great video on it, where he goes into detail on how this build synergizes so well with gas, I have linked it below.

Lastly, thank you for considering this build! Good luck, and remember to have fun!

Jizo's Video: https://youtu.be/VyJrSJMI3to