Gara — First Glass
Starter build. Splinter Storm on yourself. Mass Vitrify a ring. Smash it with Shattered Lash. That is Gara.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
Star Chart, first Gara, learning the 2-4-1 smash
Wrong drop or mechanic?
Why this build?
Starter for Star Chart, first Gara, learning the 2-4-1 smash
Health: Inventory unknown — Mark what you own. Until then this is a recommendation, not a test you failed.
- The smash combo is Gara. Empty 4 plus empty 1 is a fake Gara.
- 90% DR is cheap — 129% Strength. Duration keeps it up. Recast 2 before it dies.
- Lash is not a separate exalted grid. It reads the melee in your loadout. Mod that melee.
Don’t use this for: Steel Path endurance · level-cap content
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: Melee (any) — Shattered Lash copies mods from the melee you have equipped. Pressure Point and a 90% elemental on that melee is enough to smash walls.
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 Glass — Star Chart
The next rung on this frame is unlocked. Mark I run this, then step up.
First Glass — 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 Steel ChargeInvasion / 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 GlassStarter · Starter · 0–2 Forma
Upgrade from here
First Glass — Star Chart
Splinter Storm on yourself. Mass Vitrify a ring. Smash it with Shattered Lash. That is Gara. Primed Continuity and Primed Flow are the first real upgrade — not Blind Rage.
Open First Glass — Star ChartHelminth & shards
What to put on the body
- 1 Amber · Casting Speed — 2 then 4 then 1 should feel like one sentence.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 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
One Archon Hunt
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 just walked out of Saya's Vigil and the glass is confusing.
- Time to a playable copy
- Same day. Intensify already gives 90% DR.
- First mission to practice in
- A Plains-adjacent Exterminate or a low Defense so you can see the ring.
2 button drills · 11 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
Smash loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Splinter Storm (2) on yourself first. You are now 90% DR if Strength is 129%+.
- 2Mass Vitrify (4). A glass ring grows. Enemies inside crystallize.
- 3Shattered Lash (1) the wall — tap or hold, hit the glass. It explodes outward. The storm on you eats half of that explosion as extra DPS.
- 4Spectrorage (3) is a mirror carousel. Starter can ignore it.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Press 2 on yourself
2Glass orbits you. You are now very tanky.
You will know it worked when: A shard cloud on your body.
- 2
4, then 1 the wall
4A ring grows, then hardens. Whip it. Glass explodes out.
You will know it worked when: Crystallized enemies. A shatter wave.
Common mistakes
Smashing with no Storm up
The explosion still hits. You just wasted the inherit.
When this feels easy
- 1Casting speed2-4-1 is a combo. Amber shard or Natural Talent.
- 2Then stack the stormWalking Storm config.
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●garaframe
- 2○Steel Chargemod
- 3○Power Driftmod
- 4○Intensifymod
- 5○Continuitymod
- 6○Stretchmod
- 7○Streamlinemod
- 8○Flowmod
- 9○Vitalitymod
- 10○Redirectionmod
- 11○Arcane Energizearcane
- 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
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
Vitalitymissing · Jackal
- Redirection
missing · Drops
Recommended
Arcane Energizemissing · Buy 20–40 Platinum worth
Vitrify plus Lash is an energy hobby. Skip until you have it.
Optional
Strength
~145%
Duration
130%
Range
145%
Splinter Storm hits 90% damage reduction at 129% Strength. You are already there with Intensify. Duration is how long the glass stays on you.
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
- 42 / 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
- 12% × 2.00
- Status
- 26%
- Fire rate
- 9.58
- Multishot
- 1.00
- Avg hit
- 39
- Arsenal DPS
- 376
Toggle common mods
Gara mods
- AuraSteel ChargeCapacity plus Lash damage, because Lash reads melee mods.Invasion / Nightwave
- ExilusPower DriftOrokin Vaults / Lua
- 1IntensifyMercury / Venus
- 2ContinuityEnemy drops
- 3StretchEnemy drops
- 4StreamlineEnemy drops
- 5FlowEnemy drops
- 6VitalityEarth / drops
- 7RedirectionEnemy drops
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Steel Charge Capacity plus Lash damage, because Lash reads melee mods. | Invasion / Nightwave | |
| Exilus | Power Drift | Orokin Vaults / Lua | |
| 1 | Intensify | Mercury / Venus | |
| 2 | Continuity | Enemy drops | |
| 3 | Stretch | Enemy drops | |
| 4 | Streamline | Enemy drops | |
| 5 | Flow | Enemy drops | |
| 6 | Vitality | Earth / drops | |
| 7 | Redirection | Enemy drops |
Melee (any)
Shattered Lash copies mods from the melee you have equipped. Pressure Point and a 90% elemental on that melee is enough to smash walls.
Arcanes
Arcane Energize
Vitrify plus Lash is an energy hobby. Skip until you have it.
Eidolon hunts / trade
Archon shards
- 1
Amber · Casting Speed2 then 4 then 1 should feel like one sentence.1 · Archon Hunt
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amber · Casting Speed 2 then 4 then 1 should feel like one sentence. | 1 | Archon Hunt |