Gauss — Plated
Steel Path build. Kinetic Plating at high battery is real DR plus knockdown immunity plus energy from being shot. You live in Redline and refuse to stand still.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
Survival, endurance, people who bounce off Eximus slams on other frames
Wrong drop or mechanic?
Why this build?
Steel Path for Survival, endurance, people who bounce off Eximus slams on other frames
Health: Not yet — Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts still closed. Play the Starter.
- Kinetic Plating is why Gauss is tanky. It is not Iron Skin. It wants battery.
- Duration mods are survivability mods here.
- This is slower than Thermal Paradox and better when the tile is slams and knockdowns.
Don’t use this for: sitting Defense
Stronger mods, Arcanes, real synergy
You don’t need the shards to run the loop. They are a later ceiling, not a gate.
Bring: Any weapons — You are a moving tank. Guns still want Transfer if you have the slot. Adaptation stacks on top of Plating.
Alternative if…
- Star Chart only → First Battery
- This is too much Forma / cost → First Battery — 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 · 2 shards · 2 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: Thermal Paradox — Optimised
Unlock Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts before this upgrade is honest.
Thermal Paradox — 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 Steel ChargeInvasion / Nightwave
- After that3–4 FormaOne slot at a time. Rank 30 after each polarize.
- LaterAzure · DurationHelminth and shards are the last rungs. They are not the Starter.
- FinalPlatedSteel Path · Advanced · 3–4 Forma
Upgrade from here
Thermal Paradox — Optimised
Locked behind Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts. Tick those on Progress first.
Open Thermal Paradox — OptimisedHelminth & shards
What to put on the body
- 3 Azure · Duration — Plating and Redline stay up.Archon locked
- 1 Amber · Casting Speed — Recast before they drop.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 are tired of being slammed and you noticed Plating stops knockdowns.
- Time to a playable copy
- After Adaptation and a Duration stack.
- First mission to practice in
- A loud SP Survival. Walk through slams on purpose once so you believe it.
2 button drills · 13 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
Plate loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Plating (2) the second you load in. Redline (4).
- 2Mach Rush (1) through fire. Battery full. You do not stagger.
- 3Sunder if you want, or just shoot. The point is you didn't fall over.
- 4If Plating drops, recast immediately. Empty plating is a Gauss with no kit.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
2 and 4 the second you spawn
2If Plating is down you are a sprint rando.
- 2
Never stop moving
Battery is DR. Empty battery is fake plating.
Common mistakes
Adaptation without Plating
You still get knocked down. 2 first.
When this feels easy
- 1Duration shardsRecast less, live more.
Parts checklist
0 of 13 owned. Tap How on anything you still need.
Dependencies
16 dependencies
Frame → mods → unlocks. Tick Collection and Progress. This is a decision graph, not a wiki tree.
- 1●gaussframe
- 2○Steel Chargemod
- 3○Rushmod
- 4○Primed Continuitymod
- 5○Narrow Mindedmod
- 6○Adaptationmod
- 7○Intensifymod
- 8○Vitalitymod
- 9○Primed Flowmod
- 10○Rolling Guardmod
- 11○Arcane Aegisarcane
- 12○Molt Efficiencyarcane
- 13○Azure · Durationshard
- 14○Amber · Casting Speedshard
- 15○Steel Pathunlock
- 16○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
- Steel Charge
missing · Invasion / Nightwave
- Rush
missing · Enemy drops
Primed Continuitymissing · Wait for Baro Ki'Teer
- Narrow Minded
missing · Orokin Vaults
- Adaptation
missing · Arbitration / Arbitrations
On top of Plating. Heat/Cold/Blast/physical are already resisted — Adaptation covers the rest.
Intensifymissing · Fight Lieutenant Lech Kril
Vitalitymissing · Jackal
Primed Flowmissing · Baro Ki'Teer
- Rolling Guard
missing · Arbitrations
Recommended
Optional
Strength
~180% Plating DR (battery-scaled)
Duration
180%+ Plating and Redline
Range
100%
Plating DR scales with battery level. Empty battery = sad plating. Redline lets battery go past the cap so you sit at 100%.
From the mods
Live power
Additive from max-rank Codex mods. Efficiency clamped 15–175%. Umbral set is +11% Strength per extra piece.
- Strength
- 130%
- Duration
- 254%
- Range
- 34%
- Efficiency
- 100%
- Energy
- +275%
- Capacity
- 52 / 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
Gauss mods
- AuraSteel ChargeInvasion / Nightwave
- ExilusRushEnemy drops
- 1Primed ContinuityBaro Ki'Teer
- 2Narrow MindedOrokin Vaults
- 3AdaptationOn top of Plating. Heat/Cold/Blast/physical are already resisted — Adaptation covers the rest.Arbitrations
- 4IntensifyMercury / Venus
- 5VitalityEarth / drops
- 6Primed FlowBaro / relics
- 7Rolling GuardArbitrations
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Steel Charge | Invasion / Nightwave | |
| Exilus | Rush | Enemy drops | |
| 1 | Primed Continuity | Baro Ki'Teer | |
| 2 | Narrow Minded | Orokin Vaults | |
| 3 | Adaptation On top of Plating. Heat/Cold/Blast/physical are already resisted — Adaptation covers the rest. | Arbitrations | |
| 4 | Intensify | Mercury / Venus | |
| 5 | Vitality | Earth / drops | |
| 6 | Primed Flow | Baro / relics | |
| 7 | Rolling Guard | Arbitrations |
Any weapons
You are a moving tank. Guns still want Transfer if you have the slot. Adaptation stacks on top of Plating.
Arcanes
Arcane Aegis
Shield regen. Passive already helps; Aegis is greedy and fine.
Cetus / trade
Molt Efficiency
Duration while shielded.
Zariman
Archon shards
- 1
Azure · DurationPlating and Redline stay up.3 · Netracells - 2
Amber · Casting SpeedRecast before they drop.1 · EDA
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azure · Duration Plating and Redline stay up. | 3 | Netracells | |
| 2 | Amber · Casting Speed Recast before they drop. | 1 | EDA |