Warframe · Excalibur Prime

Blind them. Then the sword starts throwing waves.

Excalibur is the first sword the Lotus hands you. Chromatic Blade and Radial Blind are why he is still in the 2026 meta. Umbra is a separate reward from The Sacrifice.

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.

Watch

Warframe FINALLY made Excalibur META!

MHBlacky. Exalted Blade after the 2025 buff. Chromatic Blade and Influence — skip pre-buff 'Excalibur is bad' videos.

Play here All videos

Vanilla (25 Oct 2012) · starter frame · Umbra from The Sacrifice (2018) · Chromatic Blade still the identity. MR No mastery lock. Sprint 1. Vazarin · Madurai.

Works on base Excalibur and Excalibur Prime. Polarities differ; the mods on these cards do not require Prime.

By stage

Pick where you are

Just crafted / starter pick

First Sword

Blind + cheap sword mods.

Identity

Chromatic Blade — Endgame

Chromatic Blade. Forma the grid.

Room pop

Influence King

Electric + Melee Influence.

Gun Excal

Flashbang Guns

Roar over 4.

Roar sword

Furious Javelin

Roar over 3.

The kit

Flash, color, waves

Slash Dash

Dash through enemies with a radial specter. Slash status. Travel button.

Radial Blind

A flash. Enemies hold their faces. Finishers open. The survive button.

Radial Javelin

Javelins impale nearby foes. Slash. Furious Javelin stacks melee damage. Usually Helminth bait.

Exalted Blade

A sword of light with its own melee grid. Waves on every swing. Chromatic Blade is the augment.

Loadouts

Five builds

All builds

Starter0–2 FormaStarterHigh confidenceStar ChartShards optional

First Sword

Learn the frame.

Best for: Star Chart, starter-frame Excalibur, anyone still learning 2 then 4

Radial Blind, then melee. Exalted Blade can wait one forma. You picked the swordsman. Swing.

Excalibur is the tutorial swordsman and still a real melee frame. Blind is the kit until Chromatic Blade is slotted.

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

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

Star Chart2–3 FormaModerateHigh confidenceStar ChartSteel Path

First Sword — Star Chart

First serious version.

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

Radial Blind, then melee. Exalted Blade can wait one forma. You picked the swordsman. Swing. Primed Continuity and Primed Flow are the first real upgrade — not Blind Rage.

Excalibur is the tutorial swordsman and still a real melee frame. Blind is the kit until Chromatic Blade is slotted.

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

Your next step: run this until it feels easy. Then Chromatic Blade — Steel Path.

Steel Path3–4 FormaAdvancedMedium confidenceStar ChartSteel PathShards optional

Chromatic Blade — Steel Path

Your first endgame-capable version.

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

Chromatic Blade turns Exalted into a high-status elemental sword. Energy color is the damage type. This is 2026 Excalibur. This is the peak you can run the day Steel Path unlocks — galvanized / arcanes, no Helminth.

Chromatic Blade is Excalibur. Without it, Exalted is a pretty heavy blade. With it, you are a status engine.

Investment: 4 Forma · Reactor · 1 shard · 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: 5/5 Dmg
Sur: 2/5 Sur
En: 3/5 En
Mob: 3/5 Mob
Ease: 4/5 Ease

Your next step: run this until it feels easy. Then Chromatic Blade — Optimised.

Optimised4–5 FormaEndgameMedium confidenceNetracellsArchon HuntsShards optional

Chromatic Blade — Optimised

Spend resources to push it.

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

Chromatic Blade turns Exalted into a high-status elemental sword. Energy color is the damage type. This is 2026 Excalibur. Shards and a finished config. Tauforged is the last card.

Chromatic Blade is Excalibur. Without it, Exalted is a pretty heavy blade. With it, you are a status engine.

Investment: 5 Forma · Reactor · 3 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: 5/5 Dmg
Sur: 2/5 Sur
En: 3/5 En
Mob: 3/5 Mob
Ease: 3/5 Ease

Your next step: run this until it feels easy. Then Chromatic Blade — Endgame.

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

Endgame5–6 FormaEndgameMedium confidenceSteel PathShards optional

Chromatic Blade — Endgame

Only if you actually need it.

Best for: endgame / endurance melee, the Excalibur identity, anyone who forma'd the glowstick

Chromatic Blade turns Exalted into a high-status elemental sword. Energy color is the damage type. This is 2026 Excalibur.

Chromatic Blade is Excalibur. Without it, Exalted is a pretty heavy blade. With it, you are a status engine.

Investment: 6 Forma · Reactor · 3 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: 5/5 Dmg
Sur: 2/5 Sur
En: 3/5 En
Mob: 3/5 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.

Endgame6 FormaEndgameExperimentalSteel PathLevel capShards optional

Influence King

Only if you actually need it.

Best for: Steel Path, level cap melee, anyone who owns Melee Influence

Electric energy color, Chromatic Blade, Melee Influence. Tiles explode. This is the Steel Path room-clear.

Melee Influence plus Chromatic Electric is why Excalibur still deletes tiles in 2026.

Investment: 6 Forma · Reactor · 2 shards · 4 specialised mods

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

Experimental — Interesting interaction — less proven or more demanding. Not the same as untested.

Dmg: 5/5 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.

Steel Path3 FormaAdvancedMedium confidenceSpyHelminthShards optional

Flashbang Guns

Your first endgame-capable version.

Best for: Incarnons, people who picked Excalibur for 2 not 4

Keep Blind, dump Exalted. Roar or Eclipse over 4. You are an invisible-to-them gun platform with a flash.

Not every Excalibur wants to be in 4 all mission. Blind is still elite CC.

Investment: 3 Forma · Reactor · Helminth (Roar (Rhino) or Eclipse (Mirage)) · 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: 4/5 Mob
Ease: 4/5 Ease

Your next step: run this until it feels easy. Then Chromatic Blade — Optimised.

Endgame5 FormaEndgameMedium confidenceSteel PathHelminthShards optional

Furious Javelin

Only if you actually need it.

Best for: Melee that wants more damage than Chromatic already gives, hybrid blade / roar

Roar over Javelin, or Furious Javelin if you keep 3. Exalted stays. Blind stays. You stack multipliers and swing.

Javelin is the Helminth slot on sword configs. Roar is the usual passenger.

Investment: 5 Forma · Reactor · Helminth (Roar (Rhino)) · 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: 4/5 Dmg
Sur: 2/5 Sur
En: 2/5 En
Mob: 4/5 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.

First week

Starter rotation

Don't

Key mistakes

Empty exalted grid
It is a melee weapon. Pressure Point at minimum. Chromatic on the frame.
Wrong energy color for Influence
Heat will not pop Influence. Appearance → Electric.
Skipping Blind because 'I have 4'
240 armor is not Inaros. Flash them.