Hydroid — First Tide
Starter build. Plunder the room, dash through with Tidal Surge, rain Tempest Barrage. Tentacles wait until you mean to camp.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
Star Chart, first Hydroid, learning the rework loop
Wrong drop or mechanic?
Why this build?
Starter for Star Chart, first Hydroid, learning the rework loop
Health: Inventory unknown — Mark what you own. Until then this is a recommendation, not a test you failed.
- The 2023 rework made Plunder the kit. Old Undertow Hydroid is gone. Do not look up 2018 videos.
- Passive plus Barrage plus Plunder is a cheap armor-strip engine even with Intensify.
- Tidal Surge is your Rolling Guard. Dash, cleanse, live.
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: Primary (Corrosive-friendly) — Any gun. Plunder paints extra Corrosive onto it. A primer (Epitaph, Kuva Nukor) makes the first Plunder fatter.
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 Tide — Star Chart
The next rung on this frame is unlocked. Mark I run this, then step up.
First Tide — 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 Corrosive ProjectionOpen 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 TideStarter · Starter · 0–2 Forma
Upgrade from here
First Tide — Star Chart
Plunder the room, dash through with Tidal Surge, rain Tempest Barrage. Tentacles wait until you mean to camp. Primed Continuity and Primed Flow are the first real upgrade — not Blind Rage.
Open First Tide — Star ChartHelminth & shards
What to put on the body
- 1 Amber · Casting Speed — Plunder and Tidal Surge on the same breath.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 just beat Vay Hek and have never pressed Plunder.
- Time to a playable copy
- Same day. Intensify, Stretch, Continuity.
- First mission to practice in
- A Grineer Exterminate on Earth or Mars. You want armored packs.
3 button drills · 11 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
Tide loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Tempest Barrage (1) a doorway so Corrosive starts stacking — your passive makes that status eat more armor.
- 2Plunder (3) the pack. You steal armor and your guns/abilities grow Corrosive.
- 3Tidal Surge (2) through leftovers. You are invulnerable in the wave. Recast Plunder when it drops.
- 4Tentacle Swarm (4) only if you are camping a tile. Starter Hydroid is a strip-and-shoot pirate, not a kraken main.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Rain a doorway
1Press 1 on a pack. Water cannons. Corrosive starts ticking because of the passive.
You will know it worked when: A storm circle. Armor bars twitch.
- 2
Plunder
3Walk in, press 3. You gain armor. Your next shots should feel greener.
You will know it worked when: Buff icons. Enemies look stripped.
- 3
Dash out
2Tidal Surge through the leftovers. You are a wave. You cannot be shot in it.
Common mistakes
Pressing 4 in a hallway
Tentacles want a room you will stay in. Starter Hydroid shoots.
When this feels easy
- 1Viral TempestFirst real purchase. Barrage becomes a primer.
- 2Then Blind RageThat is Corrosive Corsair.
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●hydroidframe
- 2○Corrosive Projectionmod
- 3○Power Driftmod
- 4○Intensifymod
- 5○Continuitymod
- 6○Stretchmod
- 7○Streamlinemod
- 8○Flowmod
- 9○Vitalitymod
- 10○Steel Fibermod
- 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
Corrosive Projectionmissing · Open Nightwave
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
Steel Fibermissing · Enemy drops
Plunder adds armor on top. A little base armor makes the bonus feel real.
Recommended
Optional
Watch it played
YouTube for this loadout
A New Weapon POWERHOUSE - Hydroid guide
Plunder rework. Hydroid as a gun platform, not the old undertow AFK.
Why Hydroid is FINALLY worth your time in Warframe 2026...
Plunder gun platform in 2026. Skip pre-rework Undertow AFK videos.
Strength
~145% (Intensify)
Duration
130–155% (Continuity)
Range
145% (Stretch)
Strength fattens Plunder armor and Corrosive bonus. Range is how many enemies you steal from.
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
- 43 / 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
- ExilusPower DriftOrokin Vaults / Lua
- 1IntensifyMercury / Venus rewards
- 2ContinuityEnemy drops / Saturn
- 3StretchEnemy drops
- 4StreamlineEnemy drops
- 5FlowEnemy drops
- 6VitalityEarth / drops
- 7Steel FiberPlunder adds armor on top. A little base armor makes the bonus feel real.Enemy drops
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Corrosive Projection | Nightwave | |
| Exilus | Power Drift | Orokin Vaults / Lua | |
| 1 | Intensify | Mercury / Venus rewards | |
| 2 | Continuity | Enemy drops / Saturn | |
| 3 | Stretch | Enemy drops | |
| 4 | Streamline | Enemy drops | |
| 5 | Flow | Enemy drops | |
| 6 | Vitality | Earth / drops | |
| 7 | Steel Fiber Plunder adds armor on top. A little base armor makes the bonus feel real. | Enemy drops |
Primary (Corrosive-friendly)
Any gun. Plunder paints extra Corrosive onto it. A primer (Epitaph, Kuva Nukor) makes the first Plunder fatter.
Arcanes
Arcane Energize
Optional. Skip until you can afford it.
Eidolon hunts / trade
Archon shards
- 1
Amber · Casting SpeedPlunder and Tidal Surge on the same breath.1 · Archon Hunt / EDA
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amber · Casting Speed Plunder and Tidal Surge on the same breath. | 1 | Archon Hunt / EDA |