Ballistica Prime build
⚔ Sidearm · MR 14Secondary weapon — 3 mod tiers, from your first forma to the all-out build.
Info
| Category | Secondary weapon |
| Type | Pistol |
| Mastery required | MR 14 |
💡 Of Update 43's five Incarnons, the Ballistica is the community favorite — near-unanimous chat verdict during Pandaahh's Circuit live (Destreza liked, Stug and Vectis not recommended as first picks; having chosen Stug + Vectis before that feedback, he regretted it on stream). The adapter earned in the Steel Path Circuit is installed at Cavalero's, on the Zariman — it only comes back every 9 weeks (week 9 of the rotation), or can be bought directly for 120 platinum (one-time only) if you don't want to wait. Detailed build by Patchoumio, tested on the Prime version (the best of the three): 12 weakpoint hits charge the transmutation gauge, alt-fire switches the weapon to pure Slash (vs. its normally Puncture-dominant profile) with big boosts to crit, status and projectile speed — with no forma or Helminth, it's already hitting for several million damage in the Steel Path. His evolution picks: Prolific Perforation (+10% crit chance per punch-through hit, stacks 8x) then Rapid Reinforcement (+50% reload speed, which also speeds up the Incarnon transformation) then Elemental Balance (+18% status per projectile, +72% for Incarnon form). Excellent with Ash (his passive extends and strengthens Slash status), and pairs well with Dagath, Hydroid, Mag, Nidus, Rhino or Saryn.
The 3 builds
🌱 Beginner
0–1 forma · early-planet mods
10/10Hornet Strike+220% Damage
10/10Convulsion+90% Electricity
5/5Heated Charge+90% Heat
10/10Pathogen Rounds+90% Toxin
10/10Deep Freeze+90% Cold
10/10Gunslinger+72% Fire Rate
5/5Quickdraw+48% Reload
5/5Slip Magazine+30% MagazineHornet Strike first (every rank counts), then 2 elements matched to the faction.
⚙️ Intermediate
2–3 formas + catalyst · syndicate 60/60s, common rares
10/10Hornet Strike+220% Damage
10/10Barrel Diffusion+120% Multishot
5/5Lethal Torrent+60% Fire Rate · +60% Multishot
5/5Pistol Gambit+120% Critical Chance
10/10Target Cracker+60% Critical Damage
3/3Pistol Pestilence+60% Toxin · +60% Status
3/3Jolt+60% Electricity · +60% Status10/10Convulsion+90% ElectricityBarrel Diffusion (multishot) + Lethal Torrent = the core of every sidearm. 60/60s (Pistol Pestilence/Jolt) via syndicates.
🔥 Expert
4–6 formas + catalyst · Galvanized (Arbitrations), Primed (Baro), Riven
10/10Hornet Strike+220% Damage
10/10Galvanized Diffusion+80% Multishot · +30% per kill (stacks ×5)
10/10Galvanized Shot+80% Status · on kill: bonus damage per active status5/5Lethal Torrent+60% Fire Rate · +60% Multishot10/10Primed Pistol Gambit+187% Critical Chance10/10Primed Target Cracker+110% Critical Damage3/3Pistol Pestilence+60% Toxin · +60% Status3/3Jolt+60% Electricity · +60% StatusGalvanized Diffusion/Shot from Arbitrations, Primed from Baro. Arcane: Secondary Merciless — or Secondary Encumber for status weapons.
Arcanes
⚠️ « Evergreen » builds generated per archetype — the meta evolves. Adjust to the mods, arcanes and shards you own. All 3 tiers only use real in-game mods.