Excalibur — First Sword
Star Chart build. 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.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
Junctions through the Outer Terminus. Steel Path is the next card, not this one.
Wrong drop or mechanic?
Why this build?
Star Chart for Junctions through the Outer Terminus. Steel Path is the next card, not this one.
Health: Inventory unknown — Mark what you own. Until then this is a recommendation, not a test you failed.
- Excalibur is the tutorial swordsman and still a real melee frame. Blind is the kit until Chromatic Blade is slotted.
- The exalted sword is a separate melee grid. Empty grid = a glowstick. Put Pressure Point on it today.
- Umbra is a different Warframe from The Sacrifice. This page is base Excalibur. Same 4, different 2, extra sentient rage.
Don’t use this for: Steel Path endurance · level-cap content · frames played as a gun platform only
Accessible mods and a working energy / survivability loop
Bring: Any sword — A Skana is legal. The passive buffs swords. Open Exalted Blade's grid when you have Pressure Point — even cheap mods matter.
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 0/13 · required — 0/13 named
- Forma 0/3 · required — 3 on the card. Codex does not track installed Forma.
- Helminth · optional — Not required
- Arcanes · recommended — 0/1 recommended
- Shards · optional — None listed
Investment: 3 Forma · Reactor · 2 specialised mods. 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
Next: Chromatic Blade — Steel Path
Unlock Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts before this upgrade is honest.
Chromatic Blade — Steel PathPlan
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 Steel ChargeInvasion / Nightwave
- After that2–3 FormaOne slot at a time. Rank 30 after each polarize.
- FinalFirst Sword — Star ChartStar Chart · Moderate · 2–3 Forma
Upgrade from here
Chromatic Blade — Steel Path
Locked behind Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts. Tick those on Progress first.
Open Chromatic Blade — Steel PathTonight
What is actually up
30 minutes, one hour, or two — matched to this loadout, not a dump of the Origin System.
30 minutes
Farm Steel Charge
One named gap. Invasion / Nightwave
60 minutes
Steel Charge, then Forma
Finish the missing named card, then spend a Forma if a polarity is still fighting you.
120 minutes
Two farm routes, then a test run
If you are logging off after this, stop at the named component. Do not start a second Forma session tired.
- Farm Steel Charge
Invasion / Nightwave
Who this is for
Play this build from zero
You picked the swordsman at the start, or you just beat Lech Kril.
- Time to a playable copy
- Same hour. Intensify, Continuity, Stretch. Pressure Point on the exalted grid.
- First mission to practice in
- A Grineer Exterminate. You want to see Blind actually shut guns off.
2 button drills · 14 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
Blind-swing loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Radial Blind (2) a room. They hold their faces. Finishers open. You are not tanky — they just cannot shoot you.
- 2Slash Dash (1) through a line if you want to travel. It uses Exalted Slash now, not the old tickle.
- 3Exalted Blade (4) when the cheap fist — sword — grid has Pressure Point. Waves shoot from swings. Blind first.
- 4Radial Javelin (3) is a panic poke. Fine on Star Chart. Helminth bait later.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Flash a room
22. They hold their heads. Walk up and melee.
You will know it worked when: Hands on faces. Guns quiet.
- 2
Draw the glowstick
44. Swing. A wave flies. This is the gun.
Common mistakes
Pressing 4 with no sword mods
Glowstick tickles. Pressure Point today.
When this feels easy
- 1Chromatic BladeThe real purchase. Next config.
- 2Then forma the swordBlood Rush through primed elementals.
Parts checklist
0 of 14 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●excaliburframe
- 2○Steel Chargemod
- 3○Power Driftmod
- 4○Intensifymod
- 5○Primed Continuitymod
- 6○Stretchmod
- 7○Streamlinemod
- 8○Primed Flowmod
- 9○Vitalitymod
- 10○Steel Fibermod
- 11○Pressure Pointmod
- 12○True Steelmod
- 13○Organ Shattermod
- 14○Fever Strikemod
- 15○Arcane Furyarcane
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
- Steel Charge
missing · Invasion / Nightwave
Power Driftmissing · Unlock Lua
Intensifymissing · Fight Lieutenant Lech Kril
Primed Continuitymissing · Wait for Baro Ki'Teer
Stretchmissing · Enemy drops
Streamlinemissing · Enemy drops and early missions
Primed Flowmissing · Baro Ki'Teer
Vitalitymissing · Jackal
- Pressure Point
missing · Enemy drops
- True Steel
missing · Enemy drops
- Organ Shatter
missing · Enemy drops
- Fever Strike
missing · Enemy drops
Recommended
- Arcane Fury
missing · Eidolon / trade
Melee damage. Skip until you have it. Skip until you have it — Star Chart does not need Eidolon arcanes.
Strength
~145%
Duration
155% Blind
Range
145% Blind radius
Blind is the survive button. Strength is Exalted later. Duration keeps them flashing.
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
- 155%
- Range
- 145%
- Efficiency
- 130%
- Energy
- +275%
- Capacity
- 48 / 69
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
- 26% × 3.80
- Status
- 26%
- Fire rate
- 9.58
- Multishot
- 1.00
- Avg hit
- 61
- Arsenal DPS
- 583
Toggle common mods
Excalibur mods
- AuraSteel ChargeInvasion / Nightwave
- ExilusPower DriftOrokin Vaults / Lua
- 1IntensifyMercury / Venus
- 2Primed ContinuityBaro Ki'Teer / relics
- 3StretchDrops
- 4StreamlineDrops
- 5Primed FlowBaro Ki'Teer / relics
- 6VitalityDrops
- 7Steel Fiber240 armor is a real seed. Cheap.Drops
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Steel Charge | Invasion / Nightwave | |
| Exilus | Power Drift | Orokin Vaults / Lua | |
| 1 | Intensify | Mercury / Venus | |
| 2 | Primed Continuity | Baro Ki'Teer / relics | |
| 3 | Stretch | Drops | |
| 4 | Streamline | Drops | |
| 5 | Primed Flow | Baro Ki'Teer / relics | |
| 6 | Vitality | Drops | |
| 7 | Steel Fiber 240 armor is a real seed. Cheap. | Drops |
Any sword
- 1Pressure PointEnemy drops
- 2True SteelEnemy drops
- 3Organ ShatterEnemy drops
- 4Fever StrikeEnemy drops
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pressure Point | Enemy drops | |
| 2 | True Steel | Enemy drops | |
| 3 | Organ Shatter | Enemy drops | |
| 4 | Fever Strike | Enemy drops |
Arcanes
Arcane Fury
Melee damage. Skip until you have it. Skip until you have it — Star Chart does not need Eidolon arcanes.
Eidolon / trade
Archon shards
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|