Seems you want to become a gunslinger Tenno, well you've come to the right place. Nothing comes close to this.

• 269%+ Critical Chance (red crits)
• 39.72x Critical Multiplier (red crits)

Who Is This Build For?

Everyone, the goal was to make a strong build for players that have gone through the main story and for endgame. This build can do it all. While this is a complicated build, with a lot to read, it is necessary as I will teach you many of [Mesa]'s quirks and go over a lot of the options [Mesa] has with reasoning and explanations behind the choices made.

Now don't get me wrong, this overall build is an investment, but its a journey worth taking as [Mesa] is one of the best frames in the game and as you invest in her, she will invest in you.

"I'm Missing Stuff!?"

As always, use regular versions of mods, see the Mods & Substitutes section below.
The good thing about this build is that if you are missing something it does not change how the build is played, but it will be weaker. Just use what you have, I go over MANY of the options available to [Mesa]. Remember, this is a journey, as you will need to get to the endgame to get the most out of Mesa.

Abilities Overview

Nourish (Subsumed Ability)

• Used for energy sustain.
• Ballistic Battery gets subsumed out in this build as it is not useful (for this build).
  • The Ballistic Bullseye augment with Cedo is a greast option to nuke entire rooms subsuming is not available.
• If using the Zenurik Focus School, Energy Pulse + Hardened Wellspring stacks with Nourish for more damage and energy.
• Nourish also inateley procs Viral, which is one of the best elements for majority of content, meaning we do not have to mod for it.

Shooting Gallery

I see a lot of Mesa builds opting out of range, making this ability essentially useless, do not underestimate this ability.

• Enemies can't shoot, you can't die.
• Stuns all enemies within range, yes this includes enemies without weapons and melees.
• Also gives a damage buff because why not?
• Also applies to teammates because this wasn't already good enough.
• The Muzzle Flash augment can blind Eximus units. Options for this are touched on in the section below.
• Anything that gets close enough to potentially danger Mesa, this ability will handle.

Shatter Shield

• 95% damage reduction to help you stay alive.
• This stacks with other damage reduction and also synergises with the main aura mod Combat Discipline & Adaptation
  • IMPORTANT: This reduces damage taken from Combat Discipline from 10 to 1!
• This will NOT make you invincible! Damage from sources such as AoE, melee attacks and DoT are not reduced.

Peacemaker

• Wherever you look enemies will die... well at least within 50 meters.
• Range does not scale Peacemaker's distance, in fact nothing does!
• The longer you hold down the trigger, the more damage Mesa will output, but jumping around and spamming also works pretty well.
• This a Exalted weapon which uses secondary weapon mods.
• [Mesa] scales well with strength, we want at least 200% strength, as going under this is not viable.

Playstyle

The build sections will explain how all this is happening.

1. Always have abilities #1 & #3 up, #2 can be optional given the situation and content, but still try have all going.

2. (If using Zenurik Focus school) use Energy Pulse & Hardened Wellspring before using Nourish for more energy sustain.

3. Swap to Epitah/Primer of choice to prime targets and activate Secondary Outburst

4. Use Peacemaker & get red crits!

Build Versions

• Combat Discipline + Arcane Avenger.
  • The main build
• Growing Power + Whatever
  • If Arcane Avenger is not an option, for newer players.

The Avenger build is stronger, but not everyone may have Arcane Avenger. If this is you replace Combat Discipline for Growing Power.

Mods & Substitutes

Combat Discipline / Growing Power

• Combat Discipline
  • allows constant uptime on Arcane Avenger.
  • scales with damage reduction, thus make sure to always have Shatter Shield active, as you'll go from -10 health per kill to -1.
• Growing Power
  • If Arcane Avenger is not an option, this is the next best thing.
  • Gives more strength.

Equilibrium

• For extra energy from health orbs and synergises with Nourish

Adaptation / Rolling Guard

• Adaptation allows for ~99.5% reduction to bullet damage with Shatter Shield.
• Rolling Guard helps with status effects and works well with Mesa's Waltz.
• This is a debatable choice and completely up to preference. Personally I enjoy the synergy of Rolling Guard and Mesa's Waltz more.

Mesa's Waltz

• This is here for the fun factor, but can help save energy by not needing to recast Peacemaker to move, and pairs well with Rolling Guard
• [Power Drift] for extra strength (damage) & Primed Sure Footed for extra survivability are better in this slot.

Primed Continuity & Constitution

• For duration, this is important as efficiency is not that good.
• Abilities have ~50 seconds upkeep, which is more than plenty.
• Constitution Also helps with knockdown.

Blind Rage & Umbral Intensify/Precision Intensify

• For a lot of strength, Peacemaker scales well with strength and as stated before going under 200% is not viable.
• Precision Intensify
  • This mod seems to be treated conditionally on Mesa, meaning it does not give as much strength as you would expect.
  • While it does still give more damage than Umbral Intensify, it is not double (44% vs 90%), and is really debatable between the two.
  • I have chosen [Umbral Intensify] as it helps with the energy multiplier on Nourish and just find [Precision Intensify] to be a weird mod for how it works on Mesa. You can't go wrong with either.

Flex Slot

All these are good options:

• Streamline is currently in this slot as it reduces abilities cost by ~20 energy, which for each cycle saves ~60 energy.
• [Energy Nexus] good for quick energy if using Zenurik + Nourish make sure to use Hardened Wellspring for +20% strength, giving more energy with Nourish
• Augur Message for extra duration.
• Stretch for survivability, giving more range on Shooting Gallery.
• Muzzle Flash for extra survivability.
• Augur Secrets for more damage.
• [Ballistic Bullseye] if you fancy that.

Other Mod Setups

Spammer Build

For doing bounties in open world missions, or just running through content where survivability doesn't matter as much.

• Replace [Constitution] & [Umbral Intensify] FOR [Fleeting Expertise] & [Narrow Minded].

Archon Mods

None of the Archon mods are good on Mesa. I have detailed the ones I see considered the most below.

• Archon Vitality
  • Doubles heat procs.
  • This seems like a good choice, and well it is, but has the same issue as Topaz Archon Shards (covered later) where it locks you into using heat on regulators removing any variety you may want.
  • Also the most obvious reason this is not good is [Mesa] does not need help the damage department and Regulators are not a status weapon, heat procs won't get a chance to proc most of the time.
  • Mesa's mod slots are very competitive and this just is not good enough to make the cut.
  • Pistol Elementalist seems like good synergy, and once again it is, but just not good enough on Regulators.
• Archon Continuity
  • Procs corrosive whenever toxin is procced.
  • We only want toxin against Corpus, and they have no armour to strip, so this is useless.

The Arsenal

This and the next sections are where the build comes together.

Regulators

You can find more information, faction specifics, archon shard specifics, and explanations in Regulators build.

• The general build focuses on corrosive and heat for armour stripping.
• A primer is always good (will get into later)
• [Primed Pistol Gambit] will give [Regulators] 71.75% critical chance.

Arcanes

Once again, if Arcane Avenger are not an option use the Growing Power version of the build.

• Arcane Velocity on Mesa, enough said.
• Arcane Avenger for them nice crits.
  • Growing Power gives more damage with avenger, but normally Mesa kills before she is hit, thus avenger would be wasted.
  • Avenger + Primed Pistol Gambit will give Regulators 116.75% critical chance.
• Arcane Avenger applies to everything, e.g. Cedo has 20% crit chance (now 65% with avenger), using a critical mods like Ravage works well.
• Secondary Outburst for 20% extra critical chance and damage per combo.
  • If you do not have this, options are covered in the Melee Section.
• Melee Crescendo is touched on in the Melee Section.

Primary

• Anything can be used here, so choose something to fill a certain niche, but it should be able to kill still.
• For Ceramic Dagger Incarnon to take full effect you will need to get 100 kills with your primary (discussed in Melee section later)
• Due to arcane avenger, weapons that would not otherwise be used for crits can now be used (Phantasma example before), or just get orange crits with high crit weapons.
• Note weapons such as [Phenmor] & Felarx that don't like to crit don't work as well with this build as we have lot of critical chance.

Recommendations

• Cedo - Fantastic weapon for [Mesa], as it primes targets and can hold its own, while also being a great weapon for Ballistic Bullseye. This would be the recommended primary.
• Rauta - This is a primary weapon that can be used to increase melee combo for Secondary Outburst

Secondary

Use whatever primer you like! We use a secondary on [Mesa] for two reasons:

1. Priming targets is gives big damage.
2. To swap to consistently to activate Secondary Outburst gives us more critical damage and chance.

Epitaph

• You can find the build herehttps://overframe.gg/build/749458/).
• Great primer
• Force procs cold, which adds more critical damage.

You could use something of your choice here as well, Epitah just synergies well and is overall extremely good.

Melee

I have given 2 options and an optional arcane. The choice depends on what you have, and what you want to get out of [Mesa].

Ceramic Dagger (recommended)

Out of the box solution to [Mesa], jump into the mission and you're good to go. You can find the build and explanations here.

• With the Incarnon adapter gives free combo and with mods give x9 initial combo, aka +180% critical damage and chance for never even touching your melee.
• You will need to get 100 primary kills to get the x9 combo, otherwise it will start at x4. You do NOT have to get the primary kills as the x4 will still give +80% critical damage and chance.
• If you have a Riven with Initial Combo, that also works very well, and is able to get you to x12 with the right Riven.
• Secondary Outburst x9 + Avenger + Primed Pistol Gambit will give 161.75% critical chance.

Any Furax (no Seconday Outburst/Cermaic Dagger incarnon)

• Use any Furax with the Amalgam Furax Body Count mod.
• This gives +45% fire rate to secondary weapons, aka Regulators
• Use this if you do not have Secondary Outburst or Ceramic Dagger or its incarnon adapter.
• Note using Secondary Outburst alone with Furax will barley give you any critical chance and damage.

Melee Crescendo

• This is where the power ceiling can increase slightly with some extra setup every mission.
  • will go from +180% critical damage and chance to +240% critical damage and chance.
  • I will note again that if you have a riven for Ceramic Dagger Incarnon, it is possible to do this with just Initial Combo as noted previously as well.
• This arcane gives permanent melee combo on finishers. The idea here is to get to x12 combo to gain even more critical chance & multiplier from Secondary Outburst.
• This arcane is very expensive, but any rank actually will work here, just the lower the rank, the more effort required.
• Use the Vazarin focus school to rag-doll enemies with Void Snare in order to get ground finishers. Once your combo is at x12 you're done.
• Using this with Ceramic Dagger lowers the effort needed to get to x12, but is best used with the Furax.
• I would only recommend this if you're chasing perfection, Cermaic Dagger or a Furax alone is enough and this can be tedious.
• Secondary Outburst x12 + Avenger + [Primed Pistol Gambit] will give 176.75% critical chance.

Companion

NOTE: Overframe has not updated their site for the new companion changes as of me writing this, as such I am not updating this section. The companion builds I have listed below are still great.

Pick your poison.

• Panzer is the more solid option. Constant uptime on buffs, gives better energy sustain & efficiency, spreads viral, is immortal, all at the cost of worse crits.
• Anything else you like, share your suggestions.

Adarza Kavat - Build Here

• Fat cirts.
• Cat's Eye gives a flat +60% critical chance.
• This companion is fun and synergises with the build very nicely, but is a glass cannon.
• Gives a variety of other buffs outlined in the build.
• [Cat's Eye] + Secondary Outburst x9 + Avenger + Primed Pistol Gambit will give 221.75% critical chance.

Panzer Vulpaphyla - Build Here

• Invincible cat.
• The highlight of this is an immortal cat, which means buffs never leave such as a constant +60% fire rate forever, no need to do anything.
• Spreads viral, and gives more health orbs for Equilibrium than Adarza.
• Provides better energy efficiency 30%, for a total of 75% - 105% (depending on Streamline use).
• No critical chance bonus.

Archon Shards

Archon Shards are not needed in this build, but they do take it to another level.

x5 Tauforged Crimson Critical Chance Shards (recommended)

• Straightup more critical chance, no shenanigans.
• Will add a total of 187.5% critical chance to Regulators (additive).
  • Tauforged Crimson Shards + [Cat's Eye] + Secondary Outburst x9 + Avenger + Primed Pistol Gambit will give 268.625% critical chance.

x5 Tauforged Topaz Critical Chance Shards

• Expensive. The true red crits.
• Gives more critical chance at the cost of additional setup, the choice is yours if you want to commit, but Crimson works just fine.
• This will not be as good out of the box, but is definitely better on longer run missions.
• We will need a way to effectively proc heat, which will be done through our Regulators or a primer.
  • Going this route will lock you into ALWAYS using heat on your regulators, which is not ideal.
• Will add a total of 375% critical chance to Regulators (additive).
  • Tauforged Topaz Shards + Cat's Eye + Secondary Outburst x9 + Avenger + Primed Pistol Gambit will give 315.5% critical chance.

Focus School

• Zenurik has great synergy with Nourish.
• Vazarin for using Melee Crescendo

Conclusion

As said in the build, if Arcane Avenger is not an option for you, then use Growing Power, and replace Arcane Avenger for something else (or nothing).

Overall this is what we're dealing with:

• Guaranteed Critical Chance
  • 208.625% critical chance with Tauforged Crimson Shards + Secondary Outburst x9 + Avenger + Primed Pistol Gambit
  • 255.5% critical chance with Tauforged Topaz Shards + Secondary Outburst x9 + Avenger + Primed Pistol Gambit
  • Using Secondary Outburst x12 will give an additional 15% critical chance than x9.
• Cat's Eye Proc
  • Adds 60% critical chance.
  • 268.625% with Crimison Shards
  • 315.5% with Topaz Shards
  • 333.75% is the maximum theoretical critical chance.
    • Alot of setup and is just overkill, and Creeping Bullseye is not as good as Primed Pistol Gambit
      • recommend using Bullseye if you do not have Primed Pistol Gambit
    • Tauforged Topaz Shards + Cat's Eye + *Secondary Outburst x12* + Avenger + Creeping Bullseye
• 14.4x base critical multiplier on [Regulators], 26.88x with orange crits and 39.72x with red crits

Please drop any suggestions.
Would appreciate an upvote :) enjoy.