Equinox — Maim Day
Steel Path build. Day form. Channel Maim, fill the slash pool, deactivate to delete the room. Energy Transfer keeps the pool when you swap. This is the peak you can run the day Steel Path unlocks — galvanized / arcanes, no Helminth.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
Steel Path Star Chart, Circuit, first Archon. Helminth is the next card.
Wrong drop or mechanic?
Why this build?
Steel Path for Steel Path Star Chart, Circuit, first Archon. Helminth is the next card.
Health: Not yet — Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts still closed. Play the Starter.
- Maim is Equinox. Overextended looks ugly and is the difference between a melee and a room-clear.
- Energy Transfer is mandatory for mixed play. Without it, swapping dumps the pool.
- Peaceful Provocation is a different config. This one just wants a fat slash wave.
Don’t use this for: Star Chart only · loadouts that need Helminth
Stronger mods, Arcanes, real synergy
You don’t need the shards to run the loop. They are a later ceiling, not a gate.
Bring: Primer — A Viral primer (Epitaph) helps Maim's slash. You are a caster. The gun is a primer.
Alternative if…
- Star Chart only → First Dusk
- This is too much Forma / cost → First Dusk — Star Chart
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 0/4 · required — 4 on the card. Codex does not track installed Forma.
- Helminth · optional — Not required
- Arcanes · recommended — 0/2 recommended
- Shards · optional — Optional unless the card says a breakpoint
Investment: 4 Forma · Reactor · 1 shard · 3 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.
Your next step
Next: Maim Day — Optimised
Unlock Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts before this upgrade is honest.
Maim Day — OptimisedPlan
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 Growing PowerThe Silver Grove quest
- After that3–4 FormaOne slot at a time. Rank 30 after each polarize.
- LaterCrimson · StrengthHelminth and shards are the last rungs. They are not the Starter.
- FinalMaim Day — Steel PathSteel Path · Advanced · 3–4 Forma
Upgrade from here
Maim Day — Optimised
Locked behind Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts. Tick those on Progress first.
Open Maim Day — OptimisedFarm the gap
- Duality augments — Energy Transfer · Peaceful Provocation · Calm & Frenzy · Duality
Helminth & shards
What to put on the body
- 1 Crimson · Strength — Maim nuke is Strength.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
One Archon Hunt
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
Steel Path clumps. You own Energy Transfer.
- Time to a playable copy
- After Energy Transfer, Blind Rage, Overextended.
- First mission to practice in
- A packed Survival. You want a fat slash pool.
2 button drills · 12 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
Maim loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Be Day (1 if you spawned Night). Provoke (3) for the Strength aura.
- 2Maim (4). Slash ticks on nearby enemies and stores a pool. Do not deactivate yet.
- 3If you need Rest CC, Energy Transfer lets you press 1 to Night, Rest the room, 1 back to Day — the pool stays.
- 4Deactivate 4 when the pool is fat. A slash wave deletes the tile. Recast 4 immediately.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Day, Provoke, Maim
3 41 if needed, 3, 4. Slash ticks. Pool fills.
You will know it worked when: A growing 4 number.
- 2
Dump the wave
Tap 4. Room dies. Recast 4.
Common mistakes
Swapping without Transfer
Pool gone. The augment is the build.
When this feels easy
- 1Tau Strength shardsThe wave is Strength.
Parts checklist
0 of 12 owned. Tap How on anything you still need.
Dependencies
15 dependencies
Frame → mods → unlocks. Tick Collection and Progress. This is a decision graph, not a wiki tree.
- 1●equinoxframe
- 2○Growing Powermod
- 3○Cunning Driftmod
- 4○Energy Transferaugment
- 5○Blind Ragemod
- 6○Overextendedmod
- 7○Intensifymod
- 8○Primed Continuitymod
- 9○Primed Flowmod
- 10○Equilibriummod
- 11○Molt Augmentedarcane
- 12○Arcane Energizearcane
- 13○Crimson · Strengthshard
- 14○Steel Pathunlock
- 15○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
Cunning Driftmissing · Lua Halls of Ascension
- Energy Transfer
missing · Arbiters / New Loka · 25,000
4 stays channeled when you Metamorphosis. The whole day/night engine.
Blind Ragemissing · Run Orokin Vaults
Intensifymissing · Fight Lieutenant Lech Kril
Primed Continuitymissing · Wait for Baro Ki'Teer
Primed Flowmissing · Baro Ki'Teer
- Equilibrium
missing · The New Strange / drops
Passive already swaps orb colors. Equilibrium makes both useful.
Recommended
Molt Augmentedmissing · Unlock the Zariman
Strength stacks while you channel. Snapshot on recast if you drop 4. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
Arcane Energizemissing · Buy 20–40 Platinum worth
Maim is a hungry channel. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
Optional
Strength
~250–350% Maim slash scales
Duration
enough to keep Provoke up
Range
200%+ with Overextended — Maim radius is the nuke
Energy Transfer lets you swap Night/Day without dropping the 4 channel. Provoke adds Strength while you cook.
From the mods
Live power
Additive from max-rank Codex mods. Efficiency clamped 15–175%. Umbral set is +11% Strength per extra piece.
- Strength
- 169%
- Duration
- 155%
- Range
- 205%
- Efficiency
- 45%
- Energy
- +275%
- Capacity
- 51 / 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
Equinox mods
- AuraGrowing PowerSilver Grove
- ExilusCunning DriftLua Halls
- 1Energy Transfer4 stays channeled when you Metamorphosis. The whole day/night engine.Arbiters of Hexis / New Loka · 25k
- 2Blind RageOrokin Vaults
- 3OverextendedMaim radius. Strength loss is paid with shards / Molt.Orokin Vaults
- 4IntensifyMercury / Venus
- 5Primed ContinuityBaro
- 6Primed FlowBaro
- 7EquilibriumPassive already swaps orb colors. Equilibrium makes both useful.The New Strange
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Growing Power | Silver Grove | |
| Exilus | Cunning Drift | Lua Halls | |
| 1 | Energy Transfer 4 stays channeled when you Metamorphosis. The whole day/night engine. | Arbiters of Hexis / New Loka · 25k | |
| 2 | Blind Rage | Orokin Vaults | |
| 3 | Overextended Maim radius. Strength loss is paid with shards / Molt. | Orokin Vaults | |
| 4 | Intensify | Mercury / Venus | |
| 5 | Primed Continuity | Baro | |
| 6 | Primed Flow | Baro | |
| 7 | Equilibrium Passive already swaps orb colors. Equilibrium makes both useful. | The New Strange |
Primer
A Viral primer (Epitaph) helps Maim's slash. You are a caster. The gun is a primer.
Arcanes
Molt Augmented
Strength stacks while you channel. Snapshot on recast if you drop 4. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
Zariman
Arcane Energize
Maim is a hungry channel. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
Eidolon
Archon shards
- 1
Crimson · StrengthMaim nuke is Strength.1 · Netracells
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crimson · Strength Maim nuke is Strength. | 1 | Netracells |