Chroma — First Scales
Star Chart build. Vex Armor is the whole kit. Tap 1 to pick Heat or Cold, cast 3, then take a hit so the buffs actually turn on. 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.
- Vex Armor is Chroma. Everything else is a coat of paint.
- Kills now feed the bars — you do not have to stand in fire like 2016 Chroma. Shoot, stab, stay alive.
- Spectral Scream is the Helminth slot the moment you own Helminth. Learn the color swap first so you do not forget how elements work.
Don’t use this for: Steel Path endurance · level-cap content · solo level-cap
Accessible mods and a working energy / survivability loop
Bring: Any gun + a melee — A rifle builds Fury (weapon damage). A melee hit builds Scorn (armor). You want both bars full.
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: Everlasting Hide — Steel Path
Unlock Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts before this upgrade is honest.
Everlasting Hide — 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 Steel ChargeInvasion / Nightwave
- After that2–3 FormaOne slot at a time. Rank 30 after each polarize.
- FinalFirst Scales — Star ChartStar Chart · Moderate · 2–3 Forma
Upgrade from here
Everlasting Hide — Steel Path
Locked behind Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts. Tick those on Progress first.
Open Everlasting Hide — Steel PathTonight
What is actually up
30 minutes, one hour, or two — matched to this loadout, not a dump of the Origin System.
30 minutes
Farm Steel Charge
One named gap. Invasion / Nightwave
60 minutes
Steel Charge, 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 Steel Charge
Invasion / Nightwave
Who this is for
Play this build from zero
You just finished The New Strange and have never watched a Vex bar fill on purpose.
- Time to a playable copy
- Same day. Intensify, Continuity, Vitality, Steel Fiber.
- First mission to practice in
- A Grineer Exterminate on Earth or Venus. You want to get hit and still live.
3 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
Vex loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Hold Spectral Scream (1) to cycle elements. Stop on Heat (red) or Cold (blue). The breath itself is not the gun — the color paints Ward and Effigy.
- 2Elemental Ward (2). Heat pads your health pool. Cold pads armor.
- 3Vex Armor (3). Shoot something to stack Fury. Melee something (or eat a shield hit) to stack Scorn. Both icons should fill.
- 4Do not press Effigy (4) yet. You take the pelt off and become squishier. That is a later joke.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Hold 1 until the breath is red or blue
1Heat (red) pads health. Cold (blue) pads armor. Let go, then tap if you want to see the cone. You will Helminth this later.
You will know it worked when: The pelt glow changes color.
- 2
Ward, then Vex
2 32, then 3. Two buff icons. They are empty until you fight.
- 3
Shoot one, stab one
Gun kills fill Fury (weapon damage). Melee kills or a shield slap fill Scorn (armor). Both icons should climb.
You will know it worked when: Two filling buffs on the UI.
Common mistakes
Casting Vex and hiding
Empty bars. Go get hit and get kills.
When this feels easy
- 1Guardian ArmorThe real purchase. Squad DR plus heals.
- 2Then Helminth 1Roar or Nourish over Spectral Scream. Next configs.
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●chromaframe
- 2○Steel Chargemod
- 3○Power Driftmod
- 4○Intensifymod
- 5○Primed Continuitymod
- 6○Stretchmod
- 7○Streamlinemod
- 8○Primed Flowmod
- 9○Vitalitymod
- 10○Steel Fibermod
- 11○Arcane Guardianarcane
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
- Steel Charge
missing · Invasion / 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
Vitalitymissing · Jackal
You want health to lose so Fury ramps. Empty health is the buff, not a mistake.
Recommended
- Arcane Guardian
missing · Cetus / trade
Armor on hit. Skip until you have it. Skip until you have it — Star Chart does not need Eidolon arcanes.
Strength
~145% (Intensify)
Duration
155% (Continuity + Augur Message)
Range
100–130%
Strength raises the Vex caps. Duration is how long you keep them. Range is the squad aura — ignore it on day one.
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
- 155%
- Range
- 145%
- Efficiency
- 130%
- Energy
- +275%
- Capacity
- 48 / 69
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
Chroma mods
- AuraSteel ChargeInvasion / Nightwave
- ExilusPower DriftOrokin Vaults / Lua
- 1IntensifyMercury / Venus rewards
- 2Primed ContinuityBaro Ki'Teer / relics
- 3StretchEnemy drops
- 4StreamlineEnemy drops
- 5Primed FlowBaro Ki'Teer / relics
- 6VitalityYou want health to lose so Fury ramps. Empty health is the buff, not a mistake.Earth / drops
- 7Steel FiberScorn multiplies armor. Steel Fiber is the cheap seed.Enemy drops
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Steel Charge | Invasion / 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 | Vitality You want health to lose so Fury ramps. Empty health is the buff, not a mistake. | Earth / drops | |
| 7 | Steel Fiber Scorn multiplies armor. Steel Fiber is the cheap seed. | Enemy drops |
Any gun + a melee
A rifle builds Fury (weapon damage). A melee hit builds Scorn (armor). You want both bars full.
Arcanes
Arcane Guardian
Armor on hit. Skip until you have it. Skip until you have it — Star Chart does not need Eidolon arcanes.
Eidolon / trade
Archon shards
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|