Nulla. Introduction:

This build is your default 12x Combo Light Attack Azothane build (no priming/armor strip).
Azothane, one of the better two-handed nikanas available to the Tenno's arsenal due to it being possessing the highest critical stats of its class (still outclassed by [Tenet Livia]), and here I present 3 builds: 12x light attacks, 2x heavy spam and a special build around its combo generation from its block-attack (its main gimmick). Additional info will be listed in V. Final Notes.

I. Unlisted Recommendations:

• Primary/Secondary AoE Primer:
A primer is the term used to describe another weapon (external source) that is allotted to the role of applying multiple status effects before using your primary weapon of DPS. Most melee builds will heavily benefit from not only the viral status effect but also from additional unique statuses since they will be running the mod Conditional Overload resulting in a significant increase of DPS.

II. Flex Slots:

• [Weeping Wounds] (Heavy Attack builds only, refer to below): [Sacrificial Steel]
• [Primed Reach] (Single Targets Only): [True Punishment], [Quickening], [Sacrificial Steel], [Reflex Coil]
• [Berserker Fury]: (Primed) [Fury], [Quickening], [Gladiator Vice]
• [Gladiator Might]: [Gladiator Vice]

III. Setups Rundown:

All setups below are DoT (Damage over Time) based, raw damage builds are modded differently.

• 12x Light Attack (COWBARF):

Refer to above build

• 2x Heavy Attack Spam:

Remove: [Condition Overload], [Blood Rush], [Weeping Wounds], [Organ Shatter], [Gladiator Might]
Put In: Sacrificial Pressure, Sacrificial Steel, Killing Blow, Amalgam Organ Shatter, Corrupt Charge (r2)

• 12x Heavy Block-Attack Combo Gain:

Remove: [Organ Shatter], Gladiator Might, Weeping Wounds, Berserker Fury
Put In: Amalgam Organ Shatter, Reflex Coil, Sacrificial Steel, Quickening/[Primed Fury]

IV. Other Factions:

• Corpus:

12x Light Attack:
Remove: [Primed Smite Corrupted], [Gladiator Might]
Put In: [Primed Smite Corpus], [Primed Fever Strike]

2x Heavy Spam:
Remove: [Condition Overload], [Primed Smite Corrupted], [Blood Rush], [Weeping Wounds], [Organ Shatter], [Gladiator Might]
Put In: [Sacrificial Pressure], Primed Smite Corpus, Primed Fever Strike, Sacrificial Steel, Amalgam Organ Shatter, Corrupt Charge (r2)

12x Heavy Block-Attack Combo Gain:
Remove: [Primed Smite Corrupted], [Organ Shatter], [Weeping Wounds] OR [Primed Reach], [Berserker Fury], [Gladiator Might]
Put In: [Primed Smite Corpus], [Amalgam Organ Shatter], [Reflex Coil], [Primed Fever Strike], [Sacrificial Steel]

• Infested:

12x Light Attack:
Remove: [Primed Smite Corrupted]
Put In: [Primed Smite Infested]

2x Heavy Spam:
Remove: [Condition Overload], [Primed Smite Corrupted], [Blood Rush], [Weeping Wounds], [Organ Shatter], [Gladiator Might]
Put In: Sacrificial Pressure, Primed Smite Infested, Sacrificial Steel, Killing Blow, Amalgam Organ Shatter, Corrupt Charge (r2)

12x Heavy Block-Attack Combo Gain:
Remove: [Primed Smite Corrupted], [Organ Shatter], [Weeping Wounds] OR [Primed Reach], [Berserker Fury], Gladiator Might
Put In: Primed Smite Infested, Amalgam Organ Shatter, Reflex Coil, Quickening, Sacrificial Steel

• Sentients/Factionless:

12x Light Attack:
Remove: [Primed Smite Corrupted]
Put In: [Sacrificial Steel]

2x Heavy Spam:
Remove: [Condition Overload], [Primed Smite Corrupted], [Blood Rush], [Weeping Wounds], [Organ Shatter]
Put In: Sacrificial Pressure, Sacrificial Steel, Killing Blow, Amalgam Organ Shatter, Corrupt Charge (r2)

12x Heavy Block-Attack Combo Gain:
Remove: [Primed Smite Corrupted], [Organ Shatter], [Weeping Wounds] OR [Primed Reach], [Berserker Fury]
Put In: [Amalgam Organ Shatter], [Reflex Coil], [True Punishment], [Sacrificial Steel]

V. Final Notes & Calculations (Non-Quantised) (%):

• Best-In-Slot Mods for 12x Block-Attack Combo Gain (Sac Steel vs [Gladiator Might]):

[Sacrificial Steel] = 58106.99892
Gladiator Might = 54186.7197

Therefore: Sacrificial Config is ~7.23% stronger > Gladiator Might config.

• Block-Attack combo gains 4 combo per enemy hit (default gain), which is affected by additional combo count chance.
• Block-Attack combo is composed of a "heavy attack component" and "light attack component." The animation where the sword is stabbed into the ground is the heavy component dealing no damage and consuming no combo. Following the heavy component is the resulting blast (light component) which forces impact procs on hit; it'd be more accurate to say that the heavy animation ends early (rather than 2 separate parts, but is for ease of explanation). This can be directly compared to Corufell's combo gain "mechanic."
• Block-Attack combo-gain blast radius is not affected by (Primed) Reach. Regardless of range, its radius will remain 12m.
• Block-Attack combo-gain blast does not possess punch-through, therefore, making it difficult to gain combo if enemies are clumped together blocking LoS between each other.
• Since combo gain blast is partially considered a heavy attack, it's affected from mods containing heavy attack gimmicks (e.g. [Amar's Anguish]), however to reiterate, damage is not affected by pure damage multipliers (instead is affected by slam damage).

• Additionally, the [Azothane] is missing attacks in both it's 2nd heavy attack as well as its light attack neutral.

VI. Log (dd.mm.yyyy):

• 27/04/2023 - build made
• 29/04/2023 - guide update