Citrine — First Facets
Starter build. Gem paints four statuses. Fractured Blast groups and prints orbs. Crystallize is the shiny weak spot. You are a health tank.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
Star Chart, first Citrine, learning the gem
Wrong drop or mechanic?
Why this build?
Starter for Star Chart, first Citrine, learning the gem
Health: Inventory unknown — Mark what you own. Until then this is a recommendation, not a test you failed.
- Citrine is a status engine with a health tank attached. The gem is the kit.
- Passive regen ticks on you and nearby allies. Pick up health orbs to raise the tick.
- Do not skip 2. 400 HP is real but Steel Path still bites.
Don’t use this for: Steel Path endurance · level-cap content · solo level-cap · ability-nuke as the damage
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: Any gun — A status primary is enough. The gem does the status work. Shoot what the gem is lasering.
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 0/2 · required — 2 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: 2 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 First Facets — Star Chart
The next rung on this frame is unlocked. Mark I run this, then step up.
First Facets — Star ChartPlan
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 Brief RespiteThe Index / Nightwave
- After that0–2 FormaOne slot at a time. Rank 30 after each polarize.
- LaterAmber · Casting SpeedHelminth and shards are the last rungs. They are not the Starter.
- FinalFirst FacetsStarter · Starter · 0–2 Forma
Upgrade from here
First Facets — Star Chart
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.
Open First Facets — Star ChartHelminth & shards
What to put on the body
- 1 Amber · Casting Speed — Gem and Blast on tempo.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 Brief Respite
One named gap. The Index / Nightwave
60 minutes
Brief Respite, then Forma
Finish the missing named card, then spend a Forma if a polarity is still fighting you.
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.
- Farm Brief Respite
The Index / Nightwave
Who this is for
Play this build from zero
You just left Tyana Pass with a new crystal lady and have never parked a gem.
- Time to a playable copy
- Same day. Intensify, Stretch, Continuity, Vitality, Equilibrium if you have it.
- First mission to practice in
- A low Exterminate. You want to see orbs pop out of Blast.
3 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
Gem loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Preserving Shell (2) as you walk in. It decays. Kills refill it. This is your DR.
- 2Prismatic Gem (3) in the middle of the tile. Shoot anything — the gem lasers it with Heat, Cold, Toxin, and Electric.
- 3Fractured Blast (1) a clump. Slash, stagger, orbs. Equilibrium drinks them.
- 4Crystallize (4) when you see a heavy. Growths are crit spots. Shoot the crystal, not the face.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Shell, then gem
2 32 as you walk in. 3 in the middle of the room.
You will know it worked when: A floating crystal. Beams when you shoot.
- 2
Blast a clump
11. Slash, stagger, red and blue orbs. Walk over them.
- 3
Crystallize a heavy
44, then shoot the growth on their body. Yellow crits.
Common mistakes
Letting Shell hit zero
It decays. Kills refill it. Recast if the tile is empty.
When this feels easy
- 1Prismatic CompanionGem follows. Quality of life you will not give back.
- 2Arcane BlessingHealth orbs become max HP. Next tank configs.
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●citrineframe
- 2○Brief Respitemod
- 3○Power Driftmod
- 4○Intensifymod
- 5○Continuitymod
- 6○Stretchmod
- 7○Streamlinemod
- 8○Flowmod
- 9○Vitalitymod
- 10○Equilibriummod
- 11○Arcane Blessingarcane
- 12○Amber · Casting Speedshard
- 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
- Brief Respite
missing · The Index / Nightwave
Power Driftmissing · Unlock Lua
Intensifymissing · Fight Lieutenant Lech Kril
Continuitymissing · Run low-level Defense or Survival
Stretchmissing · Enemy drops
Streamlinemissing · Enemy drops and early missions
Flowmissing · Enemy drops
- Equilibrium
missing · The New Strange / drops
Fractured Blast prints health and energy orbs. This turns them into a battery.
Recommended
Optional
Watch it played
YouTube for this loadout
Meet Citrine - Warframe's shiniest TANK!
Prismatic Gem, Fractured Blast, health tank. Still the kit people play in 2026.
Strength
~145%
Duration
155%
Range
145%
Range is gem coverage and Blast grouping. Duration is gem uptime. Health is 400 — lean into it.
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
- 130%
- Range
- 145%
- Efficiency
- 130%
- Energy
- +150%
- Capacity
- 43 / 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
Citrine mods
- AuraBrief RespiteThe Index / Nightwave
- ExilusPower DriftOrokin Vaults / Lua
- 1IntensifyMercury / Venus
- 2ContinuityDrops
- 3StretchDrops
- 4StreamlineDrops
- 5FlowDrops
- 6Vitality400 health plus passive regen. Feed the pool.Drops
- 7EquilibriumFractured Blast prints health and energy orbs. This turns them into a battery.The New Strange / drops
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Brief Respite | The Index / Nightwave | |
| Exilus | Power Drift | Orokin Vaults / Lua | |
| 1 | Intensify | Mercury / Venus | |
| 2 | Continuity | Drops | |
| 3 | Stretch | Drops | |
| 4 | Streamline | Drops | |
| 5 | Flow | Drops | |
| 6 | Vitality 400 health plus passive regen. Feed the pool. | Drops | |
| 7 | Equilibrium Fractured Blast prints health and energy orbs. This turns them into a battery. | The New Strange / drops |
Any gun
A status primary is enough. The gem does the status work. Shoot what the gem is lasering.
Arcanes
Arcane Blessing
Health orbs pad max health. Skip until you have it.
Cavia / trade
Archon shards
- 1
Amber · Casting SpeedGem and Blast on tempo.1 · Archon Hunt
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amber · Casting Speed Gem and Blast on tempo. | 1 | Archon Hunt |