Hey there, welcome and thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: This guide was written with the intention of making it useful for both new and experienced players alike, it will cover things that the more seasoned tenno might find unnecesary, if this is your case feel free to skip the introductory section.

Intro: What is the [Plague Kripath] and what makes it special?

The [Plague Kripath] is a Zaw Strike, meaning that it is a component for a modular melee weapon so it needs two other components (a grip and a set of links) to be built into a whole weapon. Blueprints for Zaw components can be bought from Hok at Cetus, which is also the one you give components to so he gets them into a usable state, stats and weapon type for Zaws are defined by their components, like the rest of modular weapons. For more detailed information on Zaws you can check this link: https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Zaw.

The Plague Kripath has a few differences when compared to other Zaw Strikes:

• Like the [Plague Keewar] it currently can only be acquired by either purchasing it from Daughter down at Necralisk during the Nights of Naberus event (Plague Star event has yet not returned since its first time so we're not counting that for now) or from Hok's Daily Special, if you don't one in your power I would advice you to wait for Naberus to happen (Halloween event), that way you can put any grip and links you want on it.

• Again, like the [Plague Keewar] it has Viral damage among its default damage types, so it gives you the option of using the mod slots for viral for something else.

• It also has a Crit Damage Multiplier of 2.2x and a flat +4% Critical Chance bonus, which for this build is perfect.

Build explained: Components, mods and why

Components
When picking components for the Kripath I mostly wanted to prioritize crit and raw damage while keeping attack speed relatively decent, so to achieve this I used Plague Bokwin + Vargeet Il Ruhang, it allowed me to boost those stats without sacrificing too much speed, the status chance is not that important since I mostly use this zaw along a status primer and modding still allows for decent proc'ing.

Mods
Most of the mods are pretty standard for a [Condition Overload] build, but still I will go through some of them just to share a little of the thought process behind their inclusion.

Twirling Spire I picked this instead of Shimmering Blight for a few reasons:

• The neutral combo's first attack has a guaranteed slash proc on its second hit, which makes it easier to proc viral+slash.
• Forward combo has a total of six 360° hits that don't push you forward as much as SB.
• Standing still+Blocking has a 600% average damage multi/s for that extra oomf if needed.

P. Reach Makes it easier to build combo and ramp-up the damage, you can swap it for the regular variant.

[Weeping Wounds] Why WW if this build is crit focused? Ok, it makes it easier to keep stats on the enemy even if you opt for not using a status primer or you can't use it for some reason.

[Drifting Contact] Helps with keeping the combo up for longer even if you're not using Naramon or Zenurik, also the extra status chance is welcomed as well.

Gladiator Might This what I consider the option slot for this build, you can swap it for anything you feel like. Want more Att-Speed? Put a Fury/P. Fury/Quickening/Glad Vice here. Want to bump-up damage and put Viral on proc priority #1? Fever Strike/P. [Fever Strike]. Have a riven for this? (lucky you) Put it here!.

Ok, now let's talk arcanes, you an use which ever you like but in my case I consider Triumph to be the right choice because it helps building combo quickly even with the slightly slow attack speed.

Usage

This section is mostly to recommend you a few status primers and to assure you that this build has been tested in steel path and it is capable of running that content too, maybe has a little bit of trouble against enemies with status immunity but that's a constant for Cond. Overload builds.

Recommended status primers:

1. [Cedo]: The secondary shot applies a ton of status and bounces on multiple enemies you can fire the [Glaive] and forget, best primer overall

2. [Kuva Nukor]: Popular choice and can hit multiple enemies at once, just not as much as [Cedo] and you need to "paint" them instead of just firing it once and starting the melee rampage, one of the best secondary primers

3. [Epitaph]: AoE status procs just a little bit iffy compared to [Cedo], the thing is that you can put a damage build on this and it is a great utility+damage weapon

There are other status primers but these are some of my personal favorites.

Final words

Feel free to test and modify this build to your liking and I hope this read was useful for you, thank you for getting to this part of the guide.

Thanks for reading!