Hildryn — Aegis Gale
Steel Path build. Aegis Gale: fly, spam Balefire alt-fire, Pillage whenever shields dip. Damage scales with your shield pool. This is 2026 Hildryn. 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.
- Aegis Gale is why Hildryn is a 2026 nuke, not a 2019 hover meme.
- Shields are damage. Primed Redirection, Azure shield shards, Augur Accord — all damage mods.
- Never Flow. Never Primed Flow. Never Energize. Streamline, Redirection, Pillage.
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: Balefire Charger (exalted) — Open Balefire's own secondary grid. Hornet Strike, Barrel Diffusion, Lethal Torrent, primed crit, Fulmination, an elemental. Secondary Enervate on the gun. Aegis Gale's alt-fire is the nuke.
Alternative if…
- Star Chart only → First Pillage
- This is too much Forma / cost → First Pillage — 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 0/17 · required — 0/17 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: Aegis Gale — Optimised
Unlock Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts before this upgrade is honest.
Aegis Gale — 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 Corrosive ProjectionOpen Nightwave
- 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.
- FinalAegis Gale — Steel PathSteel Path · Advanced · 3–4 Forma
Upgrade from here
Aegis Gale — Optimised
Locked behind Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts. Tick those on Progress first.
Open Aegis Gale — OptimisedFarm the gap
- Hildryn augments — Aegis Gale · Balefire Surge · Blazing Pillage
Helminth & shards
What to put on the body
- 1 Crimson · Strength — Pillage toward 328% / 400%. Gale damage.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 Corrosive Projection
One named gap. Open Nightwave
60 minutes
Corrosive Projection, 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 Corrosive Projection
Open Nightwave
Who this is for
Play this build from zero
Steel Path. Gale is bought. The Balefire grid has mods. You will hover.
- Time to a playable copy
- After Aegis Gale, a Strength stack toward 328%, and a real Balefire grid.
- First mission to practice in
- SP Exterminate. Pillage first so the shield pool is fat, then 4.
2 button drills · 20 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
Gale loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Pillage (2) a packed room so overshields are fat. Gale scales with that pool.
- 2Aegis Storm (4). You hover. Enemies float. Energy orbs drop for teammates (you convert them to shields).
- 3Alt-fire Balefire. Don't charge-hold forever — Gale alt-fire is the spam.
- 4Pillage whenever the bar dips. If shields hit 0, Storm dumps everyone and you drop. Recast the pulse before that.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Pillage until overshields are ugly
2Gale scales with this number.
- 2
4, then alt-fire, not charge-hold
4You hover. They float. Alt-fire deletes. Pillage mid-air when the bar dips.
You will know it worked when: Hover mode. A different Balefire shot. Shield bar moving.
Common mistakes
Storming at 200 shields
You will crash in two seconds. Pillage first.
When this feels easy
- 1Tau Strength until 328% with CPOne Pillage full-strips. Then stop greed-Strengthing and enjoy the hover.
Parts checklist
0 of 20 owned. Tap How on anything you still need.
Dependencies
23 dependencies
Frame → mods → unlocks. Tick Collection and Progress. This is a decision graph, not a wiki tree.
- 1●hildrynframe
- 2○Corrosive Projectionmod
- 3○Power Driftmod
- 4○Aegis Galeaugment
- 5○Blind Ragemod
- 6○Transient Fortitudemod
- 7○Intensifymod
- 8○Primed Redirectionmod
- 9○Stretchmod
- 10○Streamlinemod
- 11○Hornet Strikemod
- 12○Barrel Diffusionmod
- 13○Lethal Torrentmod
- 14○Primed Pistol Gambitmod
- 15○Primed Target Crackermod
- 16○Fulminationmod
- 17○Pistol Elementalistmod
- 18○Convulsionmod
- 19○Molt Augmentedarcane
- 20○Arcane Aegisarcane
- 21○Crimson · Strengthshard
- 22○Steel Pathunlock
- 23○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
- Aegis Gale
missing · Vox Solaris · 25,000
The 2026 augment. Alt-fire Balefire in Storm, damage from shields.
Blind Ragemissing · Run Orokin Vaults
Strength. Also raises shield cost — Streamline or a full bar pays it.
Transient Fortitudemissing · Same vaults as Blind Rage
Intensifymissing · Fight Lieutenant Lech Kril
Stretchmissing · Enemy drops
Hornet Strikemissing · Konzu, Cetus
- Barrel Diffusion
missing · Enemy drops
Lethal Torrentmissing · Nightmare missions
- Primed Pistol Gambit
missing · Baro Ki'Teer
- Primed Target Cracker
missing · Baro Ki'Teer
- Pistol Elementalist
missing · 1999 / drops
- Convulsion
missing · Enemy drops
Recommended
Molt Augmentedmissing · Unlock the Zariman
Strength as you kill. Pillage strip and Gale. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
- Arcane Aegis
missing · Cetus / trade
Shield regen while you hover. Barrier is the greedy cousin. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
Optional
Crimson · Strengthmissing · Netracells / Archon Hunt / Bird 3
Pillage toward 328% / 400%. Gale damage.
Strength
~250–328% (Gale damage · Pillage toward full strip)
Duration
100–130%
Range
145–175% Pillage and bolt radius
Aegis Gale (augment) gives Balefire an alt-fire during Aegis Storm and scales that damage with your shields. Primed Redirection is a damage mod. Full Pillage strip is 400% Strength, ~328% with CP.
From the mods
Live power
Additive from max-rank Codex mods. Efficiency clamped 15–175%. Umbral set is +11% Strength per extra piece.
- Strength
- 299%
- Duration
- 73%
- Range
- 145%
- Efficiency
- 75%
- Energy
- base
- Capacity
- 50 / 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
- 139
- Crit
- 34% × 4.20
- Status
- 26%
- Fire rate
- 15.33
- Multishot
- 2.80
- Avg hit
- 292
- Arsenal DPS
- 12529
Toggle common mods
Hildryn mods
- AuraCorrosive Projection328% Strength full-strips instead of 400%.Nightwave
- ExilusPower DriftOrokin Vaults / Lua
- 1Aegis GaleThe 2026 augment. Alt-fire Balefire in Storm, damage from shields.Vox Solaris / Sun & Moon · 25k
- 2Blind RageStrength. Also raises shield cost — Streamline or a full bar pays it.Orokin Vaults
- 3Transient FortitudeOrokin Vaults
- 4IntensifyMercury / Venus
- 5Primed RedirectionShields are energy AND Gale damage. Not Flow.Baro Ki'Teer
- 6StretchEnemy drops
- 7StreamlineCheaper Pillage and Storm drain in shields.Enemy drops
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Corrosive Projection 328% Strength full-strips instead of 400%. | Nightwave | |
| Exilus | Power Drift | Orokin Vaults / Lua | |
| 1 | Aegis Gale The 2026 augment. Alt-fire Balefire in Storm, damage from shields. | Vox Solaris / Sun & Moon · 25k | |
| 2 | Blind Rage Strength. Also raises shield cost — Streamline or a full bar pays it. | Orokin Vaults | |
| 3 | Transient Fortitude | Orokin Vaults | |
| 4 | Intensify | Mercury / Venus | |
| 5 | Primed Redirection Shields are energy AND Gale damage. Not Flow. | Baro Ki'Teer | |
| 6 | Stretch | Enemy drops | |
| 7 | Streamline Cheaper Pillage and Storm drain in shields. | Enemy drops |
Balefire Charger (exalted)
- 1Hornet StrikeEnemy drops
- 2Barrel DiffusionEnemy drops
- 3Lethal TorrentThe Index / drops
- 4Primed Pistol GambitBaro Ki'Teer
- 5Primed Target CrackerBaro Ki'Teer
- 6FulminationBolt explosion radius. Multiplies with Ability Range.Nightwave / drops
- 7Pistol Elementalist1999 / drops
- 8ConvulsionEnemy drops
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hornet Strike | Enemy drops | |
| 2 | Barrel Diffusion | Enemy drops | |
| 3 | Lethal Torrent | The Index / drops | |
| 4 | Primed Pistol Gambit | Baro Ki'Teer | |
| 5 | Primed Target Cracker | Baro Ki'Teer | |
| 6 | Fulmination Bolt explosion radius. Multiplies with Ability Range. | Nightwave / drops | |
| 7 | Pistol Elementalist | 1999 / drops | |
| 8 | Convulsion | Enemy drops |
Arcanes
Molt Augmented
Strength as you kill. Pillage strip and Gale. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
Zariman
Arcane Aegis
Shield regen while you hover. Barrier is the greedy cousin. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
Cetus / trade
Archon shards
- 1Crimson · StrengthPillage toward 328% / 400%. Gale damage.1 · EDA
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crimson · Strength Pillage toward 328% / 400%. Gale damage. | 1 | EDA |