What Are Some Good Split Shot Builds?

[Trashbag]

I've been trying to make Split Shot work lately but I've been struggling. It seems to have a considerably lower damage output than most weapons.

I did recently make it work with a run to level 192 with Barrage. Barrage definitely seems like the way to go if you're gonna do it. But I've also seen a measure of success with a weaker but more widespread nova-type build using Battery or Corsair combined with max projectiles to cover the screen, and letting burn damage and not having to worry about aiming partially compensate for the low dps. But honestly that build is just a worse version of your regular salvo run.

What builds have you guys seen success with?

[Halcyon]

I haven't, really, but the best ones were always with barrage. I feel like split shot is weirdly in the middle of lots of other weapons, but not as good as any of the others.

[CHOO CHOO]

Split shot has really low per-shot damage, so barrage and antimatter rounds are practically mandatory to make it compete. But it does have better DPS than Salvo or basic Railguns, and it has higher velocity than Flak and Torrent, so it's easier to land long-range shots. Overall I'd say it's workable, but inferior.

[0CalmCasey0]

try this:
stealth ship
warp
Split shot
Velocity
Snipe
Calibrate
Incendiary Strike
Rapid Fire
Burst Fire
Warpath
Siege Weaponry
Volley
Focus Fire
Fusillade
Magnitude
Payload
Blast Radius
Concentrated Blast
Targeting

Wild Mods to get:
Obsession
Twin Strike
Double Tap
Genetic Niche
Defiance
Bravado

This build lets you make full use of being able to kill bosses in single hits. Use calibrate and stealth for bosses, use tap shooting for big waves of minions, or go siege mode. be sure to avoid Saturation fire as it will nuke your ability to handle big waves easily.
if you decide to go antimatter rounds, then masochism and core shielding are probable good ideas too

[0CalmCasey0]

for reference this build got me past Seraph in like 20 minutes with 800k score

[Halcyon]

This build makes very little sense to me. Why take spectre with a rapid fire weapon that resets your stealth? Why take incendiary shot with a weapon with low per shot damage? Why take warp and not amp if you're trying to focus on quick kills? Why take twin strike when a single projectile only increases fusillade split shot by <10%? Why take warpath with a body that enforces pauses in the combat to recloak? Why take 0 defensive mods?

Split shot with fusillade would be 9 projectiles and without doing all the math, I'd think each projectile would do about 30-40 damage before stealth with the given mods. With stealth, you'd do 90-120 per projectile and fire a burst of 27 projectiles. Assuming all hit due to calibrate, your peak damage from a single burst would be around 3200, which is barely worth mentioning when you can easily take railgun with this exact mod set, take singular strike, and be dealing 25-30k with every shot and 75-90k per volley.

Am I missing something? To me this build looks really bad in basically every way.

[Bozobub]

Nor are you hitting 800K by wave 100, even on Mayhem.

I'd recommend Barrage, Splinter, and EVERY red weapon mod, plus Loaded Mines and Minefield. Take Charged Shot early, so it's easier to transition to Charged Mines (which restores Barrage functionality to your own weapon). I wouldn't take Warp Strike at all.

There's more I'd add but that's the base build. Note, however, that an Engineer Wingman build can easily drop your FPS to ludicrously low levels, this way; I've achieved (literally) 1 FPS =x .

[Halcyon]

Even homing strike?

[Bozobub]

Yep. Convergence, as well, if you don't mind the loss of range.

[Halcyon]

Ok, if there's anybody who I'd trust if they gave me a weird nova drift build and said 'just try it', it's definitely Bozobub. I'll give it a spin and see how it plays.

[Bozobub]

You'll find that Solar Heart and Antimatter Rounds both do wonders for this build btw, but they have different build strategies that only partially intersect.

[0CalmCasey0]

Originally posted by Bozobub:

Nor are you hitting 800K by wave 100, even on Mayhem.

I'd recommend Barrage, Splinter, and EVERY red weapon mod, plus Loaded Mines and Minefield. Take Charged Shot early, so it's easier to transition to Charged Mines (which restores Barrage functionality to your own weapon). I wouldn't take Warp Strike at all.

There's more I'd add but that's the base build. Note, however, that an Engineer Wingman build can easily drop your FPS to ludicrously low levels, this way; I've achieved (literally) 1 FPS =x .

I should of clarified that i made it to seraph, in under 20, and by the time i died, i had over 800k, but whatever

[0CalmCasey0]

Originally posted by Halcyon:

This build makes very little sense to me. Why take spectre with a rapid fire weapon that resets your stealth? Why take incendiary shot with a weapon with low per shot damage? Why take warp and not amp if you're trying to focus on quick kills? Why take twin strike when a single projectile only increases fusillade split shot by <10%? Why take warpath with a body that enforces pauses in the combat to recloak? Why take 0 defensive mods?

Split shot with fusillade would be 9 projectiles and without doing all the math, I'd think each projectile would do about 30-40 damage before stealth with the given mods. With stealth, you'd do 90-120 per projectile and fire a burst of 27 projectiles. Assuming all hit due to calibrate, your peak damage from a single burst would be around 3200, which is barely worth mentioning when you can easily take railgun with this exact mod set, take singular strike, and be dealing 25-30k with every shot and 75-90k per volley.

Am I missing something? To me this build looks really bad in basically every way.

you asked for weapon sets, not full mod sets

[Halcyon]

Originally posted by 0CalmCasey0:

you asked for weapon sets, not full mod sets

Ahhh, my bad. Misunderstood that as the full mod list, not the weapon highlights. I still see problems with the build concept, but it makes a lot more sense if that's not 100% of the stuff it uses.

[McGarnagle]

engie with split shot coming out of interceptors USED TO BE a great build on both normal and WM mode
no idea if that is any good anymore tho

[0CalmCasey0]

Originally posted by Halcyon:

Originally posted by 0CalmCasey0:

you asked for weapon sets, not full mod sets

Ahhh, my bad. Misunderstood that as the full mod list, not the weapon highlights. I still see problems with the build concept, but it makes a lot more sense if that's not 100% of the stuff it uses.

You're chill. the idea is to have as many double taps and twin strikes as the game will give you, hopefully with obsession as well. if the rng is good, ive gotten up to 10 round bursts with 20 shots per round. even at only 20 each shot, that's still enough to wipe off most bosses in seconds, and if a single stealthed shot doesn't work, that's what siege weaponry is for