Best Warframe Dorrclave build: Stats, mods guide, and more

Warframe Dorrclave is the latest Blade-and-whip released with the Abyss of Dagath update. Blade-and-whip weapons are a versatile subclass of melee weapons, introduced first with a Tenno Reinforcements patch in 2015. In the eight years since, we have only seen the release of three more weapons in this category, making Dorrclave a welcome sight.

Dorrclave is the signature weapon of the Warframe Dagath and uniquely grants her healing based on status effect procs, similar to the Healing Returns mod.

Its unique gimmick of guaranteed status procs also potentially makes it a straight upgrade over Ceti Lacera, a Blade-and-Whip weapon, which is prized for its high-status chance.

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Warframe Dorrclave stats: What makes it unique?

Dorrclave is the only melee weapon in Warframe with a 100% Slash weightage (Image via Digital Extremes)

Weapon damage in Warframe tends to be split between at least two of the three physical damage types and occasionally innate elemental damage types as well.

Dorrclave is the only melee weapon whose base damage is 100% Slash-based. While it may lose out to Jat Kuser in terms of critical chance, its stats are still decent enough for a critical-oriented build.

However, the unique selling point of Dorrclave would be its passive ability to transform into its spectral form after scoring 20 kills or assists. In this form, it has guaranteed status effect procs and 1.0 Follow Through in its next 20 attacks.

Generally, when multiple enemies are hit with the same melee attack, only the first enemy hit takes full damage from it. The rest of the targets take collateral damage based on the Follow Through stat of that weapon.

In other words, 1.0 Follow Through essentially makes it so that all enemies hit in the same swing will take complete damage from it.

Base Damage	222
Follow Through	0.5
Attack Speed	0.833x default animation speed
Critical Chance	26%
Critical Damage	2.2x
Status Chance	24%
Range	2.5m

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Best Warframe Dorrclave build guide: Mods to use

Casual Dorrclave build for Sorties and daily missions (Image via Digital Extremes)

Due to the pure Slash IPS distribution on Dorrclave's base damage, not modding additional elements will guarantee Slash procs from its unique passive for 20 hits once the spectral form is triggered.

For general startchart, sorties, and base Steel Path, you can combine this with elemental mods to have a self-sufficient melee weapon that can occasionally prime enemies with Viral procs.

That said, to truly tap the potential of the Dorrclave, you must ramp up its critical stats for a hybrid build that automatically procs Slash without investment in status chance.

To get the most out of this, you can slot in Blood Rush for extra combo scaling, Sacrificial mods for higher base critical chance and damage, and a Primed Smite mod for double-dipping Slash damage.

Scaling Dorrclave build that benefits from secondary Viral primers and other status effect sources (Image via Digital Extremes)

Note that the Dorrclave needs some form of extra attack speed buff due to its slow attack rate. The suggested builds should either be supplemented with Arcane Strike, or you may have to switch out the faction damage mod for Primed Fury.