Chroma — Heat Inherit Dragon
Endgame build. Roar over Spectral Scream. Heat Ward paints Heat status. Heat weapons inherit it and delete tiles.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
Steel Path weapon platforms, Incarnons, Kuva / Tenet Heat guns
Wrong drop or mechanic?
Don’t build this yet
First Scales first
This loadout sits at Endgame. It wants Forma, Helminth, or shards you may not have. Play the Starter until those systems are open — then this page is the upgrade, not the homework.
Open First ScalesWhy this build?
Endgame for Steel Path weapon platforms, Incarnons, Kuva / Tenet Heat guns
Health: Not yet — Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts still closed. Play the Starter.
- 2026 Heat inherit is why Chroma still has a damage identity after every other dragon video died.
- Roar over 1 is the contract. If Helminth blocks a second unique damage buff in your build of the game, put Nourish or Shock Trooper there instead and keep Vex.
- Do not subsume Vex. Then you brought a coat without a dragon.
Don’t use this for: Star Chart only · new accounts · ability-nuke as the damage · players without Helminth
Specialised investment for hard content
You don’t need the shards to run the loop. They are a later ceiling, not a gate.
Bring: Heat primary — Ignis Wraith, Kuva Kohm, Phenmor, any Heat Incarnon. Ward's Heat status is the inherit primer — the gun spends it.
Alternative if…
- You don’t have Helminth yet → First Scales
- Star Chart only → First Scales
- New account or low investment → First Scales
- This is too much Forma / cost → Everlasting Hide — Optimised
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 0/5 · required — 5 on the card. Codex does not track installed Forma.
- Helminth 0/1 · required — Subsume Roar (Rhino)
- Arcanes · recommended — 0/3 recommended
- Shards · optional — Optional unless the card says a breakpoint
Investment: 5 Forma · Reactor · Helminth (Roar (Rhino)) · 2 shards · 5 specialised mods. Typical farm ~4–6 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
Medium confidence. A solid recommendation with more situational dependencies. Confidence is not verification. Verification is separate: Codex Checked against Update 43.5.
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.
- TodayPlay First ScalesThe Starter is the loadout you can actually take into a mission tonight.
- NextGet Growing PowerThe Silver Grove quest
- After that5 FormaOne slot at a time. Rank 30 after each polarize.
- LaterCrimson · StrengthHelminth and shards are the last rungs. They are not the Starter.
- FinalHeat Inherit DragonEndgame · Endgame · 5 Forma
Helminth & shards
What to put on the body
Roar (Rhino) over Spectral Scream (1)
You already picked Heat by holding 1 before the subsume, or you set it on a config that still has Scream for the swap. Roar is the extra damage multiplier on top of Fury. Cycle Heat on a second config if Helminth ate the color button.
Helminth is locked. Tick it on Progress before you subsume.
- 3 Tauforged Crimson · Strength — Fury cap is Strength.Archon locked
- 2 Violet · Primary Heat / electric — The gun is the nuke.Archon locked
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 Growing Power
One named gap. The Silver Grove quest
60 minutes
Growing Power, then Forma
Finish the missing named card, then spend a Forma if a polarity is still fighting you.
120 minutes
Subsume Roar (Rhino)
If you are logging off after this, stop at the named component. Do not start a second Forma session tired.
- Farm Growing Power
The Silver Grove quest
Who this is for
Play this build from zero
You have a Heat Incarnon and Helminth.
- Time to a playable copy
- After a Roar subsume over Spectral Scream.
- First mission to practice in
- Steel Path Exterminate. You want packs on fire.
2 button drills · 15 parts · tick the lists as you go
Before you start
0 of 3 done
Put it on the Warframe
0 of 5 done
Keep this up
Inherit loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Confirm Heat alignment (red breath leftover, or Orbiter energy color on a Heat config).
- 2Ward (2) — Heat aura. Vex (3) — shoot until Fury is gold.
- 3Roar (1). Shoot the Heat gun. Inherit double-dips the Heat status Ward left on the pack.
- 4Recast Vex and Roar on cooldown. You are a buff stick holding a flamethrower.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Ward + Vex + Roar
2 3 12, 3, 1. Fill Fury by shooting.
- 2
Inherit
Heat status on the pack plus a Heat gun is the 2026 Chroma damage plan.
Common mistakes
Subsuming Vex
Then Roar is sitting on a frame with no identity.
When this feels easy
- 1Violet primary shardsInvest in the gun, not Effigy forma.
Parts checklist
0 of 15 owned. Tap How on anything you still need.
Dependencies
19 dependencies
Frame → mods → unlocks. Tick Collection and Progress. This is a decision graph, not a wiki tree.
- 1●chromaframe
- 2○Growing Powermod
- 3○Power Driftmod
- 4○Blind Ragemod
- 5○Umbral Intensifymod
- 6○Transient Fortitudemod
- 7○Primed Continuitymod
- 8○Primed Flowmod
- 9○Adaptationmod
- 10○Rolling Guardmod
- 11○Arcane Persistencearcane
- 12○Arcane Ragearcane
- 13○Molt Augmentedarcane
- 14○Crimson · Strengthshard
- 15○Violet · Primary Heat / electricshard
- 16○Roar (Rhino)helminth
- 17○Helminth · Roar (Rhino)unlock
- 18○Steel Pathunlock
- 19○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
Growing Powermissing · The Silver Grove quest
Power Driftmissing · Unlock Lua
Blind Ragemissing · Run Orokin Vaults
Umbral Intensifymissing · Finish The Sacrifice
Transient Fortitudemissing · Same vaults as Blind Rage
Primed Continuitymissing · Wait for Baro Ki'Teer
Primed Flowmissing · Baro Ki'Teer
- Adaptation
missing · Arbitration / Arbitrations
Roar (Rhino)missing · Own Rhino
You already picked Heat by holding 1 before the subsume, or you set it on a config that still has Scream for the swap. Roar is the extra damage multiplier on top of Fury. Cycle Heat on a second config if Helminth ate the color button.
Recommended
Arcane Persistencemissing · Finish The Old Peace
At 700+ armor, incoming damage caps at 500/s. Azure armor shards or Health Conversion to the breakpoint. Pair with a heal (Grace, kit heal, or Gloom).
Optional
Watch it played
YouTube for this loadout
How To Use Your Chroma - A User's Manual
Elemental Ward, Vex Armor, Effigy, the energy-color alignment. Long-form kit, not a 2016 tank recap.
Helminth
Subsume Roar (Rhino) over Spectral Scream (1)
You already picked Heat by holding 1 before the subsume, or you set it on a config that still has Scream for the swap. Roar is the extra damage multiplier on top of Fury. Cycle Heat on a second config if Helminth ate the color button.
Strength
~250–300% for Fury cap + Roar
Duration
155%+
Range
100–145%
Set energy color / element to Heat before you leave the Orbiter if 1 is gone. Fury is the gun buff.
From the mods
Live power
Additive from max-rank Codex mods. Efficiency clamped 15–175%. Umbral set is +11% Strength per extra piece.
- Strength
- 313%
- Duration
- 128%
- Range
- 100%
- Efficiency
- 45%
- Energy
- +275%
- Capacity
- 55 / 67
1 Umbral piece
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
- AuraGrowing PowerSilver Grove specters
- ExilusPower DriftOrokin Vaults / Lua
- 1Blind RageOrokin Vaults
- 2Umbral IntensifyThe Sacrifice
- 3Transient FortitudeOrokin Vaults
- 4Primed ContinuityBaro Ki'Teer
- 5Primed FlowBaro / relics
- 6AdaptationArbitration
- 7Rolling GuardStatus cleanse when you facetank to ramp Fury.Arbitrations
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Growing Power | Silver Grove specters | |
| Exilus | Power Drift | Orokin Vaults / Lua | |
| 1 | Blind Rage | Orokin Vaults | |
| 2 | Umbral Intensify | The Sacrifice | |
| 3 | Transient Fortitude | Orokin Vaults | |
| 4 | Primed Continuity | Baro Ki'Teer | |
| 5 | Primed Flow | Baro / relics | |
| 6 | Adaptation | Arbitration | |
| 7 | Rolling Guard Status cleanse when you facetank to ramp Fury. | Arbitrations |
Heat primary
Ignis Wraith, Kuva Kohm, Phenmor, any Heat Incarnon. Ward's Heat status is the inherit primer — the gun spends it.
Arcanes
Arcane Persistence
At 700+ armor, incoming damage caps at 500/s. Azure armor shards or Health Conversion to the breakpoint. Pair with a heal (Grace, kit heal, or Gloom).
Roathe, La Cathédrale · 5 Maphica (The Descendia)
Arcane Rage
Primary damage on headshots. Fury already made the gun unfair.
Eidolon / trade
Molt Augmented
Strength stacks. Fury cap and Roar both eat it.
Zariman
Archon shards
- 1
Crimson · StrengthFury cap is Strength.3 Tauforged · Netracells / EDA - 2Violet · Primary Heat / electricThe gun is the nuke.2 · Elite Archimedea
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crimson · Strength Fury cap is Strength. | 3 Tauforged | Netracells / EDA | |
| 2 | Violet · Primary Heat / electric The gun is the nuke. | 2 | Elite Archimedea |