tldr guide:

• galv ap bugged on nataruk so its op (multiplicative inctead of additive)
• easiest way to make this build even stronger is external fire rate buffs (can use critical delay then too) (reinforced bond + tenacious bond on a panzer is op here)
• if you don't have arcanes, use serration over bane (always)
• else, if you don't have primed bane, use longbow + serration over bane + merciless (and if you don't have longbow, just use vile over bane with merciless)
• I made a slash dps calculator here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12OeFBa-LNXPRk97FoRe-G2lq8n1pTnZAs45S_APy8h8/edit?usp=sharing

^can go even higher, I have seen 3 million buffless in netracells.

quick build avg slash dps comparison: (more detailed one below)

assumes full weapon conditionals, but no external factors.

notes:

• galvanized bug information https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ryemX4Y2vWy9LjuJ355bWVNuBhzLaHTTFqPeTNto9RA/edit#gid=221509335
• the second rated build is only better with external priming. it may feel better due to fire rate but using external fire rate on this build is usually much easier than using external viral on that build.
• first rated build is a joke btw XD

build notes:

• external fire rate highly recommended since it is the easiest way to increase the dps of this build
• if you have external fire rate, replace point strike with critical delay
• can add forma for exilus (vigilante supplies or terminal velocity)
• vs corpus: can go gas, just do thermite rounds over rime rounds and serration/hammer shot over hunter munitions (may require forma)
• if you dont have some mods, use the closest alternative available to you (ie, split chamber vs galv chamber) or use serration, heavy cal, hammer shot, or vigilante armaments (in that order)
  ㅤㅤㅤ- [Bladed Rounds] is also optional, but its kind of bugged (need to shoot scoped and stay scoped until projectile hits for it to benefit from it, otherwise no bonus, so I don't recommend it)
• primed cryo is not better, do not use it.
• pure slash is a LOT weaker than viral without sharpshot
• idk if i have to say it, but swap bane based on what faction ur going to be fighting xd
• galv ap bug documentaion link here (its also on wiki)

nerd stuff:

chart comparison of builds:

(no quantization - full thing inside google sheets link & explained below)

chart notes:

• math updated as of 33.6
• accounts for puncture per shot bonuses to crit chance
• accounts for odds of status to not proc (for galv ap)
• measures average dmg of slash ticks per second after # shot, not total slash dmg over the full slash duration
• accounts for fire rate differences in 'dps' part
• shots are added together and count new viral proc diff for old shot in total dmg part

takeaways:

• without external priming, this build is best.
  ㅤㅤㅤ- and is easier
• benefits more from external fire rate than pure slash
• without arcanes, viral is stronger than pure slash (with this config + serration over bane)
• if you do not intend to use bane, viral build has a stronger no-bane alternative to pure slash
• viral build has an avg of 8.1 viral procs by 3rd shot (so on 4th shot, it would reach 10 viral, and scale even further)
• additionally, viral has higher base dmg than pure slash (its kinda irrelevant for lategame players, but for new players it does make a diff)

MATH:
I will try my best to explain quickly how I did my maths (in my google slash calculator here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12OeFBa-LNXPRk97FoRe-G2lq8n1pTnZAs45S_APy8h8/edit?usp=sharing
note: had to replace all * with × because overframe kept italicizing my stuff lol

here is the equation for "ninjase build" that I pulled from my google sheets chart: (second hit total dmg)
=1929.808125×(1+(1.8+2.1384×0.05)×(5.28-1))×1.8216×4×(1+0.8×(1-0.0318853207)+0.8×(1-0.1182221369))+G18

1929 is the value for base dmg times 1+base dmg mods times faction multiplier times faction multiplier (it applies twice) times 0.35 (slash coefficent)
1+(1.8+2.1384×0.05)×(5.28-1) is the equation for 'average crit multiplier'. 1.8 is for 180% crit chance (on perf shot), 5.28 is for modded crit multi (2.4+2.4×1.2), and that '2.1384×0.05' part is for the odds of puncture to proc and increase crit chance from the previous shot (because we are solving for 2nd shot).

those more observant of you will notice that I am multiplying all slash procs by the average crit multi, which would be innacurate for weapons with a crit chance lower than 100 because [Hunter Munitions] only procs on crits and this method would lower the actual crit multi of a slash proc in that situation, but I only did it this way for simplicity in the chart. the actual calculator has a different method that avoids this issue. additionally, you may notice there is no "critical headshot" multiplier, which affects critical strikes on headshots. however, the [Nataruk] does not have this effect on its perfect and charged shots. (critical headshot and headshot multi are different things though)

1.8216 is the average amount of slash procs per shot. it is solved by taking the status chance times slash proportion times multishot plus multishot times [Hunter Munitions] chance

again that thing of 'what if crit chance is lower than 100' issue for [Hunter Munitions] but again i only did it this way for simplicity because it is easier with same accuracy in this situation

4 is sharpshot multiplier (i assumed it is up 100%) (4 because 100%+300%=400%)

1+0.8×(1-0.0318853207)+0.8×(1-0.1182221369) this is the equation that solves for avg galv aptitude multiplier (cuz we are on 2nd shot). the '1-0.whatever' part accounts for the odds of a status effect to not proc on the previous shot. in other words, if a shot had a 25% chance NOT to proc a status effect, our average galv ap multi for the next shot would be 1+0.8×(1-0.25) because we would on average only get galv ap bonus 75% of the time, which on average means our shots get a 1+0.8×0.75 multiplier (or more specifically, 1+0.8×(1-0.25)).

G18 is basically where the first shot's damage equation is so it just adds it to find the "total" damage of both shots
.
for viral there is basically no difference but instead of a 4 for sharpshot multiplier there is a 1.3 for deadhead and there is also a viral multiplier which is just calculated by (1+1+0.25×(2.7-1)) (2.7 is avg/shot so it is multiplied by shots taken, and it also works immediately on slash so theres no lag. also, this is a simplified way to do it bc i was lazy and it is same accuracy in this scenario) I also did some math to account for new viral proc on old shots, and all I really did for that was just take the previous shot equation and insert new viral multiplier into it, then subtract the origional value to find the difference and add it back in to the chart.

enjoy!