Warframe · Citrine

Gem down. Orbs up. Shoot the crystal.

Gaze upon the crystalline beauty of Citrine. The gem's heart beats for her allies, and her crystals remember every wound.

Find your build Learn the kit

Kit Fashion Loadout Builds Watch Farm Find a build

New to Warframe? Every guide on this site uses the same six rooms — Kit, Fashion, Builds, Farm, Watch, Find a build. Open the New Tenno walkthrough.

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Meet Citrine - Warframe's shiniest TANK!

TheKengineer. Prismatic Gem, Fractured Blast, health tank. Still the kit people play in 2026.

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Update 32.3 (15 Feb 2023) · Mirror Defense frame. MR No mastery lock. Sprint 1. Madurai · Vazarin.

No Prime variant. Citrine is the frame these cards are written for.

By stage

Pick where you are

Just crafted

First Facets

Learn gem + Blast orbs.

Squad primer

Squad Prism — Endgame

Prismatic Companion.

Crit crystals

Critical Lattice

Recrystalize + a sniper.

Solo survive

Gloomy Quartz

Gloom over 4.

Health wall

Omamori Quartz

Omamori / Blessing.

The kit

Gem, orbs, crystals, health

Fractured Blast

Crystal burst. Slash, stagger, extra health and energy orbs.

Preserving Shell

A decaying DR coat. Kills and assists refill it.

Prismatic Gem

A turret that lasers whoever you shoot. Four statuses. Squad status chance.

Crystallize

Seeking fractals paralyze. Growths are crit spots. Shoot the crystal.

Loadouts

Five builds

All builds

Starter0–2 FormaStarterHigh confidenceStar ChartSteel PathShards optional

First Facets

Learn the frame.

Best for: Star Chart, first Citrine, learning the gem

Gem paints four statuses. Fractured Blast groups and prints orbs. Crystallize is the shiny weak spot. You are a health tank.

Citrine is a status engine with a health tank attached. The gem is the kit.

Investment: 2 Forma · Reactor · 1 shard

Inventory unknown · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

High — How strongly the Codex recommends this for its stated purpose — not a test log.

Dmg: 3/5 Dmg
Sur: 4/5 Sur
En: 3/5 En
Mob: 2/5 Mob
Ease: 5/5 Ease

Your next step: run this until it feels easy. Then First Facets — Star Chart.

Star Chart2–3 FormaModerateHigh confidenceStar ChartSteel Path

First Facets — Star Chart

First serious version.

Best for: Junctions through the Outer Terminus. Steel Path is the next card, not this one.

Gem paints four statuses. Fractured Blast groups and prints orbs. Crystallize is the shiny weak spot. You are a health tank. Primed Continuity and Primed Flow are the first real upgrade — not Blind Rage.

Citrine is a status engine with a health tank attached. The gem is the kit.

Investment: 3 Forma · Reactor · 2 specialised mods

Inventory unknown · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

High — How strongly the Codex recommends this for its stated purpose — not a test log.

Dmg: 3/5 Dmg
Sur: 4/5 Sur
En: 4/5 En
Mob: 2/5 Mob
Ease: 5/5 Ease

Your next step: run this until it feels easy. Then Squad Prism — Steel Path.

Steel Path3–4 FormaAdvancedMedium confidenceStar ChartSteel PathShards optional

Squad Prism — Steel Path

Your first endgame-capable version.

Best for: Steel Path Star Chart, Circuit, first Archon. Helminth is the next card.

Prismatic Gem is a status turret for the whole cell. Archon Stretch drinks the Electric. Everyone's guns get greedy. This is the peak you can run the day Steel Path unlocks — galvanized / arcanes, no Helminth.

Four statuses from one turret is why Citrine still has a squad job in 2026.

Investment: 4 Forma · Reactor · 1 shard · 2 specialised mods

Not yet · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

Medium — A solid recommendation with more situational dependencies. Confidence is not verification.

Dmg: 2/5 Dmg
Sur: 2/5 Sur
En: 3/5 En
Mob: 2/5 Mob
Ease: 4/5 Ease

Your next step: run this until it feels easy. Then Squad Prism — Optimised.

Optimised4–5 FormaEndgameMedium confidenceNetracellsArchon HuntsShards optional

Squad Prism — Optimised

Spend resources to push it.

Best for: Netracells, Archon, EDA. You have Helminth or you don't need it.

Prismatic Gem is a status turret for the whole cell. Archon Stretch drinks the Electric. Everyone's guns get greedy. Shards and a finished config. Tauforged is the last card.

Four statuses from one turret is why Citrine still has a squad job in 2026.

Investment: 5 Forma · Reactor · 2 shards · 3 specialised mods

Not yet · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

Medium — A solid recommendation with more situational dependencies. Confidence is not verification.

Dmg: 2/5 Dmg
Sur: 2/5 Sur
En: 3/5 En
Mob: 2/5 Mob
Ease: 3/5 Ease

Your next step: run this until it feels easy. Then Squad Prism — Endgame.

Needs Helminth or shards. Open the Starter first if those are locked.

Endgame4–5 FormaEndgameMedium confidenceArchon HuntsShards optional

Squad Prism — Endgame

Only if you actually need it.

Best for: endgame / endurance groups, status melee squads, anyone who brought Citrine to buff people

Prismatic Gem is a status turret for the whole cell. Archon Stretch drinks the Electric. Everyone's guns get greedy.

Four statuses from one turret is why Citrine still has a squad job in 2026.

Investment: 5 Forma · Reactor · 2 shards · 3 specialised mods

Not yet · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

Medium — A solid recommendation with more situational dependencies. Confidence is not verification.

Dmg: 2/5 Dmg
Sur: 2/5 Sur
En: 3/5 En
Mob: 2/5 Mob
Ease: 2/5 Ease

Your next step: stop here unless a specialist card fits the mission.

Needs Helminth or shards. Open the Starter first if those are locked.

Endgame5 FormaEndgameMedium confidenceSteel PathShards optional

Critical Lattice

Only if you actually need it.

Best for: Snipers, weak-point weapons, people who like big yellow numbers

Crystallize parks a crit crystal on every face. Recrystalize spreads it. Shoot the growth, not the health bar.

Crystallize is a free weak-point factory. Snipers become room-clear.

Investment: 5 Forma · Reactor · 2 shards · 4 specialised mods

Not yet · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

Medium — A solid recommendation with more situational dependencies. Confidence is not verification.

Dmg: 3/5 Dmg
Sur: 3/5 Sur
En: 2/5 En
Mob: 2/5 Mob
Ease: 2/5 Ease

Your next step: stop here unless a specialist card fits the mission.

Needs Helminth or shards. Open the Starter first if those are locked.

Endgame4 FormaEndgameMedium confidenceSteel PathHelminthShards optional

Gloomy Quartz

Only if you actually need it.

Best for: Solo Steel Path, endurance, people who never liked shooting crystals

Gloom over Crystallize. Slow field, health leech, gem still paints the room. You become unkillable on purpose.

You give up Crystallize. Gloom is the survive subsume for people who already have a gun.

Investment: 4 Forma · Reactor · Helminth (Gloom (Sevagoth)) · 2 shards · 3 specialised mods

Not yet · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

Medium — A solid recommendation with more situational dependencies. Confidence is not verification.

Dmg: 3/5 Dmg
Sur: 4/5 Sur
En: 2/5 En
Mob: 2/5 Mob
Ease: 2/5 Ease

Your next step: stop here unless a specialist card fits the mission.

Needs Helminth or shards. Open the Starter first if those are locked.

Steel Path4 FormaAdvancedMedium confidenceDefenseHelminthShards optional

Omamori Quartz

Your first endgame-capable version.

Best for: Defense, endurance, people who picked Citrine because she does not fold

Omamori or Arcane Blessing on a 400 HP gem tank. Passive regen, health orbs, charms. You refuse to die.

Citrine's 400 HP and orb kit is a health-tank that other frames fake with Umbral sets.

Investment: 4 Forma · Reactor · Helminth (Omamori (Koumei)) · 2 shards · 2 specialised mods

Not yet · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

Medium — A solid recommendation with more situational dependencies. Confidence is not verification.

Dmg: 3/5 Dmg
Sur: 4/5 Sur
En: 2/5 En
Mob: 2/5 Mob
Ease: 4/5 Ease

Your next step: run this until it feels easy. Then Squad Prism — Optimised.

First week

Starter rotation

Don't

Key mistakes

Treating 400 HP like Inaros
You are tanky, not immortal. Shell decays. Recast it.
Parking the gem in the last room
Buy Prismatic Companion or recast 3 every tile.
Shooting the body instead of the growth
Crystallize is a crit crystal. Aim at the shiny bit.