The Braton series of weapons is a solid platform for beginning players. They let one know that – in this game about metal space ninjas fighting clones – you can still find something as basic as an automatic rifle and use it to kill said clones. The MK1-Braton presents the option of a more familiar style of weapon to those players more comfortable in a first-person shooter setting, and the rest of the Braton series continues that theme. These are a solid line of weapons, putting out moderate Damage that one can have fun experimenting with, boosting whichever stats suit your preferred play style or gameplay need.
How to Acquire
The MK1-Braton is a starter weapon that can be picked up instead of the MK1-Paris during the initial tutorial, or it can be purchased outright for credits.
The Braton is also available in the Market for credits – see? Easy!
The Braton Vandal was originally available for purchase during the Open Beta Celebration Weekend in February 2013, and has since been reintroduced as a 4-part build from Elite Sanctuary Onslaught.
The Braton Prime is still available through Orokin Relics, and given it was never released alongside a Prime Access release, it’s unlikely it will ever be vaulted.
Stats by Variant
The MK1-Braton has low stats, given it’s a starting weapon, and deals primarily Slash Damage. The MK1 has a high magazine size at 60 rounds and higher accuracy to help make up for its lower base Damage. Once this weapon hits 30, it is recommended to sell it and pick up something new.
The Braton has a lower magazine size but higher base Damage than the MK1, which is a fairly standard trade-off. The Braton’s Damage spread is about the same as the MK1, albeit with greater damage numbers. Where the Braton sets itself apart from the MK1 is the increase in its non-Damage stats like Critical and Status Chance.
The Braton Prime continues the “numbers go up,” trend of the Braton series, boasting increased base Damage from the Braton, as well as higher Critical Chance, Status Chance, an increased magazine size, and increased fire rate. The Braton Prime is a significant upgrade on the standard Braton rifle.
The Braton Vandal’s Damage spread is weighted more on Slash and Impact Damage rather than following the Slash/Puncture damage spread of the other weapons in this family. The Vandal has a higher Critical Chance, Status Chance, and magazine size compared to the Braton rifle, and has a lower Mastery requirement than the Braton Prime (although it seems redundant to have an MR4 weapon as a reward from Elite Sanctuary Onslaught).
Crit or Status?
The Braton series is built on the idea that a weapon can be flexible, and as such, each variant of the rifle can be built in a different way. The MK1 and the standard Braton have a higher Critical Chance and should be built for Critical hits, allowing lower level players to put out bigger Damage numbers more consistently as they move through the star chart.
The Braton Prime has the highest Status Chance of the entire series and should be built to push out as many bleed procs as possible.
The Braton Vandal has equal amounts of Critical and Status Chance and would benefit equally from either Crit or Status, but with the added possibility of a hybrid build if the player is willing to put in the resources and leveling time.
Is the Braton Prime better than the Vandal? I guess that’s up to individual preference, as some may prefer a hybrid build over straight Status (although I would lean towards the Prime variant being the better choice -Editor CG).
The Braton in all its forms is a very standard automatic rifle, putting out middling Damage per shot in exchange for being able to put bullets down range much faster than a Bow or Pistol. The Braton Prime is the pinnacle of this series, but is a divergence from the base stats of the Braton and the MK1.
The Braton has been with the Tenno since the beginning and evokes a note of nostalgia as well as very satisfying sound design and weapon feel. The Braton series of weapons overall is a really good place to start from in Warframe, and will always be special to the community.
Andy
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