Warframe · Inaros Prime

No shields. A desert of health.

Inaros of the sands. He blinds, he swarms, he wears scarabs as armor. When he dies he crawls out of a sarcophagus and drinks someone dry.

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I can't believe INAROS is REALLY META now...

MHBlacky. Scarab Shell rework. Inaros as a real health tank, not 2016 sand.

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Update 18.5 (4 Mar 2016) · Scarab Shell rework 2024 · Prime vaulted on a cycle. MR No mastery lock. Sprint 1. Vazarin · Vazarin.

Works on base Inaros and Inaros Prime. Polarities differ; the mods on these cards do not require Prime.

By stage

Pick where you are

Just crafted

First Sand

Learn Shell + Desiccation.

Press 4

Scarab Tide — Endgame

Health-scaling plague.

Finishers

Blind Pharaoh

Desiccation's Curse.

Endurance

Slow Dunes

Gloom. This is 2026 Inaros.

Gun mummy

Walking Wall

Roar over Sandstorm.

The kit

Blind, armor up, plague, stand there

Desiccation

Blind a cone. Steal health. Finishers open. Curse spawns sand kavats.

Sandstorm

Become a whirlwind. Pull, damage, heal. Usual Helminth slot.

Scarab Shell

Hold to spend health, gain armor and status immunity. Charge this every mission.

Scarab Swarm

Corrosive scarabs. Damage scales with your health. Kills spawn Swarm Kavats.

Loadouts

Five builds

All builds

Starter0–2 FormaStarterHigh confidenceStar ChartShards optional

First Sand

Learn the frame.

Best for: Star Chart, first Inaros, learning the sarcophagus

Charge Scarab Shell, blind with Desiccation, finish. You have no shields. Health is the whole bar.

Inaros has 0 shields. Scarab Shell is your status immunity and a chunk of armor. Charge it every mission.

Investment: 2 Forma · Reactor · 1 shard

Inventory unknown · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

High — How strongly the Codex recommends this for its stated purpose — not a test log.

Dmg: 3/5 Dmg
Sur: 5/5 Sur
En: 2/5 En
Mob: 2/5 Mob
Ease: 5/5 Ease

Your next step: run this until it feels easy. Then First Sand — Star Chart.

Star Chart2–3 FormaModerateHigh confidenceStar ChartSteel Path

First Sand — Star Chart

First serious version.

Best for: Junctions through the Outer Terminus. Steel Path is the next card, not this one.

Charge Scarab Shell, blind with Desiccation, finish. You have no shields. Health is the whole bar. Primed Continuity and Primed Flow are the first real upgrade — not Blind Rage.

Inaros has 0 shields. Scarab Shell is your status immunity and a chunk of armor. Charge it every mission.

Investment: 3 Forma · Reactor · 2 specialised mods

Inventory unknown · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

High — How strongly the Codex recommends this for its stated purpose — not a test log.

Dmg: 3/5 Dmg
Sur: 5/5 Sur
En: 3/5 En
Mob: 2/5 Mob
Ease: 5/5 Ease

Your next step: run this until it feels easy. Then Scarab Tide — Steel Path.

Steel Path3–4 FormaAdvancedMedium confidenceStar ChartSteel PathShards optional

Scarab Tide — Steel Path

Your first endgame-capable version.

Best for: Steel Path Star Chart, Circuit, first Archon. Helminth is the next card.

Scarab Swarm as a Corrosive plague. Range, Strength, health. Kavats carry the bugs to the next pack. This is the peak you can run the day Steel Path unlocks — galvanized / arcanes, no Helminth.

Swarm is Inaros' actual ability damage. It scales with the health pile you already built.

Investment: 4 Forma · Reactor · 1 shard · 2 specialised mods

Not yet · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

Medium — A solid recommendation with more situational dependencies. Confidence is not verification.

Dmg: 3/5 Dmg
Sur: 4/5 Sur
En: 2/5 En
Mob: 2/5 Mob
Ease: 4/5 Ease

Your next step: run this until it feels easy. Then Scarab Tide — Optimised.

Optimised4 FormaEndgameMedium confidenceNetracellsArchon HuntsShards optional

Scarab Tide — Optimised

Spend resources to push it.

Best for: Netracells, Archon, EDA. You have Helminth or you don't need it.

Scarab Swarm as a Corrosive plague. Range, Strength, health. Kavats carry the bugs to the next pack. Shards and a finished config. Tauforged is the last card.

Swarm is Inaros' actual ability damage. It scales with the health pile you already built.

Investment: 4 Forma · Reactor · 2 shards · 5 specialised mods

Not yet · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

Medium — A solid recommendation with more situational dependencies. Confidence is not verification.

Dmg: 3/5 Dmg
Sur: 4/5 Sur
En: 2/5 En
Mob: 2/5 Mob
Ease: 3/5 Ease

Your next step: run this until it feels easy. Then Scarab Tide — Endgame.

Needs Helminth or shards. Open the Starter first if those are locked.

Endgame4 FormaEndgameMedium confidenceSteel PathShards optional

Scarab Tide — Endgame

Only if you actually need it.

Best for: Dense endgame / endurance, grouping tiles, people who want Inaros to press 4

Scarab Swarm as a Corrosive plague. Range, Strength, health. Kavats carry the bugs to the next pack.

Swarm is Inaros' actual ability damage. It scales with the health pile you already built.

Investment: 4 Forma · Reactor · 2 shards · 5 specialised mods

Not yet · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

Medium — A solid recommendation with more situational dependencies. Confidence is not verification.

Dmg: 3/5 Dmg
Sur: 4/5 Sur
En: 2/5 En
Mob: 2/5 Mob
Ease: 2/5 Ease

Your next step: stop here unless a specialist card fits the mission.

Needs Helminth or shards. Open the Starter first if those are locked.

Steel Path3–4 FormaAdvancedMedium confidenceSteel PathShards optional

Blind Pharaoh

Your first endgame-capable version.

Best for: Eximus hunting, people who like walk-up executes, melee Inaros without Sandstorm

Desiccation blinds a cone. Finishers ignore armor. Desiccation's Curse spawns sand kavats.

Finishers ignore armor. That is why this config exists next to the Swarm plague.

Investment: 4 Forma · Reactor · 2 shards · 3 specialised mods

Not yet · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

Medium — A solid recommendation with more situational dependencies. Confidence is not verification.

Dmg: 2/5 Dmg
Sur: 3/5 Sur
En: 2/5 En
Mob: 3/5 Mob
Ease: 4/5 Ease

Your next step: run this until it feels easy. Then Scarab Tide — Optimised.

Endgame5 FormaEndgameExperimentalSteel PathLevel capHelminthShards optional

Slow Dunes

Only if you actually need it.

Best for: Steel Path endurance, level cap, solo tanking, anyone tired of being staggered

Gloom over Sandstorm. A 95% slow on a health tank that cannot die. This is the Inaros people actually take to endurance.

Gloom plus Inaros is the 2026 tank. Sandstorm is the cost and it is a fair trade.

Investment: 5 Forma · Reactor · Helminth (Gloom (Sevagoth)) · 2 shards · 5 specialised mods

Not yet · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

Experimental — Interesting interaction — less proven or more demanding. Not the same as untested.

Dmg: 4/5 Dmg
Sur: 4/5 Sur
En: 2/5 En
Mob: 2/5 Mob
Ease: 2/5 Ease

Your next step: stop here unless a specialist card fits the mission.

Needs Helminth or shards. Open the Starter first if those are locked.

Endgame4 FormaEndgameMedium confidenceSteel PathHelminthShards optional

Walking Wall

Only if you actually need it.

Best for: Incarnons, Primary Bulwark, people who picked the mummy for HP not scarabs

Inaros as a gun platform that will not die. Roar or Eclipse over Sandstorm. Shell is the tank. The gun is the nuke.

Not every Inaros wants to be a scarab mage. This is the 'I picked 2,000 health so I can ADS' loadout.

Investment: 4 Forma · Reactor · Helminth (Roar (Rhino) or Eclipse (Mirage)) · 2 shards · 5 specialised mods

Not yet · Codex Checked 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Update 43.5

Medium — A solid recommendation with more situational dependencies. Confidence is not verification.

Dmg: 4/5 Dmg
Sur: 5/5 Sur
En: 2/5 En
Mob: 2/5 Mob
Ease: 2/5 Ease

Your next step: stop here unless a specialist card fits the mission.

Needs Helminth or shards. Open the Starter first if those are locked.

First week

Starter rotation

Don't

Key mistakes

Skipping Scarab Shell
You have 0 shields. Without the shell you eat Slash, Magnetic, and Heat like a starter frame with 2,000 HP.
Building only Strength on day one
Vitality is a damage mod for Swarm and the reason you picked him. Slot it.
Shield-gating habits
There is no gate. Adaptation, Shell, Gloom, Grace. Stand in the fire on purpose.