Ash
Ash builds
Smoke and Steel
Starter0–1 FormaStarterHigh confidenceStar ChartLevel capShards optional

Ash — Smoke and Steel

Starter build. Invisible, armor-stripped, cheap. Learn Smoke Screen before you touch Blade Storm.

Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current

Star Chart, first Ash, anyone without an exalted melee grid yet

Wrong drop or mechanic?

Why this build?

Starter for Star Chart, first Ash, anyone without an exalted melee grid yet

Health: Inventory unknown — Mark what you own. Until then this is a recommendation, not a test you failed.

Play this in Star ChartPlay this in Level capPlay this in Spy
  • 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: Blade Storm rooms without a clone melee grid · Eidolon hunting · Steel Path endurance

0 Forma, basic mods, no Helminth or shards required

You don’t need the shards to run the loop. They are a later ceiling, not a gate.

Bring: Melee (any) — A slash melee is enough. Seeking Shuriken strips armor; your gun and blade finish the job.

Alternative if…

Instead: Smoke and Steel — Star ChartInstead: Wrathful Clones — Steel PathInstead: Wrathful Clones — OptimisedInstead: Wrathful Clones — Endgame

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 0/1 · required — 1 on the card. Codex does not track installed Forma.
  • Helminth · optional — Not required
  • Arcanes · recommended — 0/1 recommended
  • Shards · optional — Optional unless the card says a breakpoint

Investment: 1 Forma · Reactor · 1 shard. 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

Open Smoke and Steel — Star Chart

The next rung on this frame is unlocked. Mark I run this, then step up.

Smoke and Steel — Star Chart

Plan

Today → next → later

Inventory unknown — mark “I own this” on a few mods. Until then this is a plan, not a score of zero.

  1. NextGet Corrosive ProjectionOpen Nightwave
  2. LaterAmber · Casting SpeedHelminth and shards are the last rungs. They are not the Starter.
  3. FinalSmoke and SteelStarter · Starter · 0–1 Forma

Upgrade from here

Smoke and Steel — Star Chart

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.

Open Smoke and Steel — Star Chart

Farm the gap

  • Ash augments — Seeking Shuriken · Fatal Teleport · Rising Storm · Teleport Rush

Helminth & shards

What to put on the body

  • 1 Amber · Casting Speed — Smoke Screen and Teleport feel like the same button.Archon locked

Tonight

What is actually up

30 minutes, one hour, or two — matched to this loadout, not a dump of the Origin System.

  1. 30 minutes

    Farm Corrosive Projection

    One named gap. Open Nightwave

  2. 60 minutes

    Corrosive Projection, then Forma

    Finish the missing named card, then spend a Forma if a polarity is still fighting you.

  3. 120 minutes

    One Archon Hunt

    If you are logging off after this, stop at the named component. Do not start a second Forma session tired.

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 · 11 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.

  1. 1Smoke Screen (2) before you walk into a room. You are invisible. Enemies forget you.
  2. 2Shuriken (1) the heaviest armored target. Seeking Shuriken peels their armor for the whole squad.
  3. 3Teleport (3) onto a leftover Eximus for a free Finisher.
  4. 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. 1

    Cast Smoke Screen in a doorway

    2

    Enemies 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. 2

    Shuriken the heaviest Grineer

    1

    If Seeking Shuriken is on, their armor melts. Squad guns will thank you.

  3. 3

    Teleport a leftover Eximus

    3

    Look 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. 4

    Leave 4 alone

    4

    Without 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

  1. 1Seeking ShurikenThe first real purchase. Full strip at ~167% Strength. One Intensify is not quite there — add Power Drift or a cheap Strength shard.
  2. 2Arcane CrepuscularTurns invisibility into a damage buff. Buy or farm Duviri. Slot it the day you can.
  3. 3Then forma the clonesOpen Blade Storm's melee grid. That is Wrathful Clones.

Parts checklist

0 of 11 owned. Tap How on anything you still need.

Dependencies

13 dependencies

Frame → mods → unlocks. Tick Collection and Progress. This is a decision graph, not a wiki tree.

  1. 1●ashframe
  2. 2○Corrosive Projectionmod
  3. 3○Power Driftmod
  4. 4○Intensifymod
  5. 5○Continuitymod
  6. 6○Stretchmod
  7. 7○Streamlinemod
  8. 8○Flowmod
  9. 9○Seeking Shurikenaugment
  10. 10○Augur Messagemod
  11. 11○Arcane Energizearcane
  12. 12○Amber · Casting Speedshard
  13. 13○Archon Hunts (shards optional)unlock

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 Projection

    missing · Open Nightwave

  • Power Drift

    missing · Unlock Lua

  • Intensify

    missing · Fight Lieutenant Lech Kril

  • Continuity

    missing · Run low-level Defense or Survival

  • Stretch

    missing · Enemy drops

  • Streamline

    missing · Enemy drops and early missions

  • Flow

    missing · Enemy drops

  • 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 Message

    missing · Konzu, Cetus

Recommended

  • Arcane Energize

    missing · Buy 20–40 Platinum worth

    Energy orbs dump the pool. Skip until you can afford it.

Optional

Watch it played

YouTube for this loadout

All videos
The kitTheKengineer · Mar 2025

Blade Storm setups 2025

Wrathful Advance plus Blade Storm clones. 2025 Ash — skip old fatal-teleport-only recaps.

Play in WatchYouTube

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
154%
Range
145%
Efficiency
130%
Energy
+150%
Capacity
39 / 67

Open slots

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

  • AuraCorrosive ProjectionNightwave
  • ExilusPower DriftOrokin Vaults / Lua
  • 1IntensifyMercury / Venus rewards
  • 2ContinuityEnemy drops / Saturn
  • 3StretchEnemy drops
  • 4StreamlineEnemy drops
  • 5FlowEnemy drops
  • 6Seeking ShurikenFull armor strip at ~167% Strength. Skip until you have the augment.Red Veil / Arbiters of Hexis · 25k
  • 7Augur MessageCetus 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.

Eidolon hunts / trade

Archon shards

  • 1Amber · Casting SpeedSmoke Screen and Teleport feel like the same button.1 · Archon Hunt / EDA
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