
Ash — Smoke and Steel
Star Chart build. Invisible, armor-stripped, cheap. Learn Smoke Screen before you touch Blade Storm. Primed Continuity and Primed Flow are the first real upgrade — not Blind Rage.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
Junctions through the Outer Terminus. Steel Path is the next card, not this one.
Wrong drop or mechanic?
Why this build?
Star Chart for Junctions through the Outer Terminus. Steel Path is the next card, not this one.
Health: Inventory unknown — Mark what you own. Until then this is a recommendation, not a test you failed.
- Smoke Screen is Ash. Duration keeps you untargetable while you strip and stab.
- Seeking Shuriken is the cheapest full strip in the game once Strength hits the breakpoint.
- Blade Storm waits until the clones have a real melee grid. That is the next loadout.
Don’t use this for: Steel Path endurance · level-cap content · open combat endurance · open-world / Eidolons · frames played as a gun platform only
Accessible mods and a working energy / survivability loop
Bring: Melee (any) — A slash melee is enough. Seeking Shuriken strips armor; your gun and blade finish the job.
Alternative if…
- You wanted open combat, not stealth → Invisible Guns
My test
Did this still work for you?
Your note, in this browser. Separate from Codex verification — the stamp on the card is editorial, this is yours.
Readiness
Inventory unknown
Not checked — add your collection. You have not failed a test.
- Required mods 0/9 · required — 0/9 named
- Forma 0/3 · required — 3 on the card. Codex does not track installed Forma.
- Helminth · optional — Not required
- Arcanes · recommended — 0/1 recommended
- Shards · optional — None listed
Investment: 3 Forma · Reactor · 2 specialised mods. Typical farm ~1–2 hours. Trade if a route is vaulted.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
High confidence. How strongly the Codex recommends this for its stated purpose — not a test log. Verification is separate: Codex Checked against Update 43.5.
Your next step
Next: Wrathful Clones — Steel Path
Unlock Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts before this upgrade is honest.
Wrathful Clones — Steel PathPlan
Today → next → later
Inventory unknown — mark “I own this” on a few mods. Until then this is a plan, not a score of zero.
- NextGet Corrosive ProjectionOpen Nightwave
- After that2–3 FormaOne slot at a time. Rank 30 after each polarize.
- FinalSmoke and Steel — Star ChartStar Chart · Moderate · 2–3 Forma
Upgrade from here
Wrathful Clones — Steel Path
Locked behind Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts. Tick those on Progress first.
Open Wrathful Clones — Steel PathFarm the gap
- Ash augments — Seeking Shuriken · Fatal Teleport · Rising Storm · Teleport Rush
Tonight
What is actually up
30 minutes, one hour, or two — matched to this loadout, not a dump of the Origin System.
30 minutes
Farm Corrosive Projection
One named gap. Open Nightwave
60 minutes
Corrosive Projection, then Forma
Finish the missing named card, then spend a Forma if a polarity is still fighting you.
120 minutes
Two farm routes, then a test run
If you are logging off after this, stop at the named component. Do not start a second Forma session tired.
- Farm Corrosive Projection
Open Nightwave
Who this is for
Play this build from zero
You just crafted Ash and have never gone invisible on purpose. No Platinum required.
- Time to a playable copy
- Same day you craft him if you already own Intensify, Stretch, and Continuity.
- First mission to practice in
- A Spy on Venus or any low Exterminate so you can see Smoke Screen actually work.
4 button drills · 10 parts · tick the lists as you go
Before you start
0 of 3 done
Put it on the Warframe
0 of 4 done
Keep this up
Stealth loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Smoke Screen (2) before you walk into a room. You are invisible. Enemies forget you.
- 2Shuriken (1) the heaviest armored target. Seeking Shuriken peels their armor for the whole squad.
- 3Teleport (3) onto a leftover Eximus for a free Finisher.
- 4Do not press 4 until you have forma'd Shadow Clones. Blade Storm without the exalted mods is a trap.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Cast Smoke Screen in a doorway
2Enemies in the puff stagger. You vanish. Walk past cameras. Shoot still works.
You will know it worked when: Your body goes see-through. Enemies search last-known.
- 2
Shuriken the heaviest Grineer
1If Seeking Shuriken is on, their armor melts. Squad guns will thank you.
- 3
Teleport a leftover Eximus
3Look at it, press 3, mash melee if the Finisher prompt appears.
You will know it worked when: You appear behind them. Energy comes back if they die.
- 4
Leave 4 alone
4Without clone mods, Blade Storm is a long animation for small damage. Next loadout.
Common mistakes
Standing still after Smoke fades
You are visible and squishy. Recast in cover.
Teleporting with no energy refund
You missed the kill. Finish them or don't press 3 on a full-health Ancient.
When this feels easy
- 1Seeking ShurikenThe first real purchase. Full strip at ~167% Strength. One Intensify is not quite there — add Power Drift or a cheap Strength shard.
- 2Arcane CrepuscularTurns invisibility into a damage buff. Buy or farm Duviri. Slot it the day you can.
- 3Then forma the clonesOpen Blade Storm's melee grid. That is Wrathful Clones.
Parts checklist
0 of 10 owned. Tap How on anything you still need.
Dependencies
11 dependencies
Frame → mods → unlocks. Tick Collection and Progress. This is a decision graph, not a wiki tree.
- 1●ashframe
- 2○Corrosive Projectionmod
- 3○Power Driftmod
- 4○Intensifymod
- 5○Primed Continuitymod
- 6○Stretchmod
- 7○Streamlinemod
- 8○Primed Flowmod
- 9○Seeking Shurikenaugment
- 10○Augur Messagemod
- 11○Arcane Energizearcane
Depends on
What this loadout needs
Required is a gate. Recommended is a ceiling. Optional is a later farm — don’t stall the card for it.
Required
Corrosive Projectionmissing · Open Nightwave
Power Driftmissing · Unlock Lua
Intensifymissing · Fight Lieutenant Lech Kril
Primed Continuitymissing · Wait for Baro Ki'Teer
Stretchmissing · Enemy drops
Streamlinemissing · Enemy drops and early missions
Primed Flowmissing · Baro Ki'Teer
- Seeking Shuriken
missing · Red Veil (Exalted) or Arbiters of Hexis (Maxim) · 25,000 standing
Full armor strip at ~167% Strength. Skip until you have the augment.
Augur Messagemissing · Konzu, Cetus
Recommended
Arcane Energizemissing · Buy 20–40 Platinum worth
Energy orbs dump the pool. Skip until you can afford it. Skip until you have it — Star Chart does not need Eidolon arcanes.
Strength
~145% (Intensify)
Duration
155% (Continuity + Augur Message)
Range
145% (Stretch)
Smoke Screen duration is the survivability. Strength is for Seeking Shuriken strip later.
From the mods
Live power
Additive from max-rank Codex mods. Efficiency clamped 15–175%. Umbral set is +11% Strength per extra piece.
- Strength
- 145%
- Duration
- 179%
- Range
- 145%
- Efficiency
- 130%
- Energy
- +275%
- Capacity
- 44 / 67
Weapon HUD
Arsenal numbers
Base × damage mods × crit expectation × fire rate × multishot. No faction, no quantization. Galvanized kill stacks are a slider, not assumed.
- Damage
- 35
- Crit
- 12% × 2.00
- Status
- 26%
- Fire rate
- 9.58
- Multishot
- 1.00
- Avg hit
- 39
- Arsenal DPS
- 376
Toggle common mods
Ash mods
- Aura
Corrosive ProjectionNightwave - Exilus
Power DriftOrokin Vaults / Lua - 1
IntensifyMercury / Venus rewards - 2
Primed ContinuityBaro Ki'Teer / relics - 3
StretchEnemy drops - 4
StreamlineEnemy drops - 5
Primed FlowBaro Ki'Teer / relics - 6Seeking ShurikenFull armor strip at ~167% Strength. Skip until you have the augment.Red Veil / Arbiters of Hexis · 25k
- 7
Augur MessageCetus bounties
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Corrosive Projection | Nightwave | |
| Exilus | Power Drift | Orokin Vaults / Lua | |
| 1 | Intensify | Mercury / Venus rewards | |
| 2 | Primed Continuity | Baro Ki'Teer / relics | |
| 3 | Stretch | Enemy drops | |
| 4 | Streamline | Enemy drops | |
| 5 | Primed Flow | Baro Ki'Teer / relics | |
| 6 | Seeking Shuriken Full armor strip at ~167% Strength. Skip until you have the augment. | Red Veil / Arbiters of Hexis · 25k | |
| 7 | Augur Message | Cetus bounties |
Melee (any)
A slash melee is enough. Seeking Shuriken strips armor; your gun and blade finish the job.
Arcanes
Arcane Energize
Energy orbs dump the pool. Skip until you can afford it. Skip until you have it — Star Chart does not need Eidolon arcanes.
Eidolon hunts / trade
Archon shards
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|