Hydroid — Pilfering Depths
Endgame build. Pilfering Swarm plus Plunder. Tentacles print extra drops. You still strip so the pile actually dies.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
Farming runs, Survival loot, people who already own Nekros and want a second loot frame
Wrong drop or mechanic?
Don’t build this yet
First Tide first
This loadout sits at Endgame. It wants Forma, Helminth, or shards you may not have. Play the Starter until those systems are open — then this page is the upgrade, not the homework.
Open First TideWhy this build?
Endgame for Farming runs, Survival loot, people who already own Nekros and want a second loot frame
Health: Not yet — Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts still closed. Play the Starter.
- Pilfering Swarm is still a real loot tool in 2026. It stacks with boosters and a Nekros.
- A loot Hydroid that cannot strip wastes time. Keep Plunder.
- This is not a Steel Path deleter. Take Plunder Corsair to war, take this to farm.
Don’t use this for: timed Exterminate as the damage
Specialised investment for hard content
You don’t need the shards to run the loop. They are a later ceiling, not a gate.
Bring: Any AOE weapon — Kill the hanging enemies. Pilfering rolls extra loot on Tentacle kills. A booster does the rest.
Alternative if…
- Star Chart only → First Tide
- New account or low investment → First Tide
- This is too much Forma / cost → Corrosive Corsair — Optimised
- You wanted to fight, not farm → Drowned Slow
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 0/5 · required — 5 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: 5 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.
Plan
Today → next → later
Inventory unknown — mark “I own this” on a few mods. Until then this is a plan, not a score of zero.
- TodayPlay First TideThe Starter is the loadout you can actually take into a mission tonight.
- NextGet Corrosive ProjectionOpen Nightwave
- After that4–5 FormaOne slot at a time. Rank 30 after each polarize.
- LaterAzure · DurationHelminth and shards are the last rungs. They are not the Starter.
- FinalPilfering DepthsEndgame · Endgame · 4–5 Forma
Farm the gap
- Hydroid augments — Viral Tempest · Tidal Impunity · Rousing Plunder · Pilfering Swarm
Helminth & shards
What to put on the body
- 2 Azure · Duration — Fewer recasts, more grab time.Archon locked
- 1 Amber · Casting Speed — Drop the kraken on spawn.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
You already kill the map. You want extra drops.
- Time to a playable copy
- After buying Pilfering Swarm.
- First mission to practice in
- A long Survival you intended to farm anyway.
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
Loot loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Tentacle Swarm (4) on the loot tile. Everything hangs.
- 2Plunder (3) so you and the squad melt the victims instead of tickling them.
- 3Barrage (1) stragglers into the tentacles.
- 4Tidal Surge between camps. Do not leave Swarm down.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Plant tentacles on the loot tile
44. Do not wander off.
- 2
Kill the hanging enemies
3Plunder then shoot. Extra loot rolls on tentacle kills.
Common mistakes
A loot Hydroid that cannot strip
Steel Path Grineer will sit in the tentacles forever. Keep Plunder.
When this feels easy
- 1A resource boosterPilfering multiplies. Boosters multiply the multiplier.
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●hydroidframe
- 2○Corrosive Projectionmod
- 3○Cunning Driftmod
- 4○Pilfering Swarmaugment
- 5○Overextendedmod
- 6○Stretchmod
- 7○Primed Continuitymod
- 8○Streamlinemod
- 9○Primed Flowmod
- 10○Intensifymod
- 11○Arcane Energizearcane
- 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
Corrosive Projectionmissing · Open Nightwave
Cunning Driftmissing · Lua Halls of Ascension
- Pilfering Swarm
missing · Cephalon Suda / New Loka · 25,000 standing
The whole farm. Extra loot from tentacle victims.
Overextendedmissing · Orokin Vaults
Stretchmissing · Enemy drops
Primed Continuitymissing · Wait for Baro Ki'Teer
Streamlinemissing · Enemy drops and early missions
Primed Flowmissing · Baro Ki'Teer
Intensifymissing · Fight Lieutenant Lech Kril
Plunder still wants a little Strength so the pile dies.
Recommended
Optional
Strength
~180% (enough Plunder, not a nuke)
Duration
200%+ Swarm uptime
Range
200%+ grab radius
Pilfering chance is on the augment, not Strength. Range and Duration are the farm stats.
From the mods
Live power
Additive from max-rank Codex mods. Efficiency clamped 15–175%. Umbral set is +11% Strength per extra piece.
- Strength
- 70%
- Duration
- 155%
- Range
- 250%
- Efficiency
- 130%
- Energy
- +275%
- Capacity
- 46 / 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
- 35
- Crit
- 12% × 2.00
- Status
- 26%
- Fire rate
- 9.58
- Multishot
- 1.00
- Avg hit
- 39
- Arsenal DPS
- 376
Toggle common mods
Hydroid mods
- AuraCorrosive ProjectionNightwave
- ExilusCunning DriftLua Halls
- 1Pilfering SwarmThe whole farm. Extra loot from tentacle victims.Cephalon Suda / New Loka · 25k
- 2OverextendedOrokin Vaults
- 3StretchEnemy drops
- 4Primed ContinuityBaro Ki'Teer
- 5StreamlineEnemy drops
- 6Primed FlowBaro / relics
- 7IntensifyPlunder still wants a little Strength so the pile dies.Mercury / Venus
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Corrosive Projection | Nightwave | |
| Exilus | Cunning Drift | Lua Halls | |
| 1 | Pilfering Swarm The whole farm. Extra loot from tentacle victims. | Cephalon Suda / New Loka · 25k | |
| 2 | Overextended | Orokin Vaults | |
| 3 | Stretch | Enemy drops | |
| 4 | Primed Continuity | Baro Ki'Teer | |
| 5 | Streamline | Enemy drops | |
| 6 | Primed Flow | Baro / relics | |
| 7 | Intensify Plunder still wants a little Strength so the pile dies. | Mercury / Venus |
Any AOE weapon
Kill the hanging enemies. Pilfering rolls extra loot on Tentacle kills. A booster does the rest.
Arcanes
Arcane Energize
Swarm is 100 energy. Do not drop it.
Eidolon hunts
Molt Efficiency
Duration.
Zariman
Archon shards
- 1
Azure · DurationFewer recasts, more grab time.2 · Netracells - 2
Amber · Casting SpeedDrop the kraken on spawn.1 · EDA
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azure · Duration Fewer recasts, more grab time. | 2 | Netracells | |
| 2 | Amber · Casting Speed Drop the kraken on spawn. | 1 | EDA |