Inaros — Scarab Tide
Optimised build. 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.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
Netracells, Archon, EDA. You have Helminth or you don't need it.
Wrong drop or mechanic?
Don’t build this yet
First Sand first
This loadout sits at Optimised. 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 SandWhy this build?
Optimised for Netracells, Archon, EDA. You have Helminth or you don't need it.
Health: Not yet — Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts still closed. Play the Starter.
- Swarm is Inaros' actual ability damage. It scales with the health pile you already built.
- Umbral set is legal greed — health, armor, Strength, all of which this kit wants.
- Persistence plus Shell is the 2025–2026 immortality line. Charge the shell.
Don’t use this for: new accounts · Star Chart only · solo level-cap
Helminth, shards, and a finished configuration
You don’t need the shards to run the loop. They are a later ceiling, not a gate.
Bring: High-status melee or primer — Swarm already Corrosives. A Viral primer makes health melt. The Swarm Kavats need bodies — do not vacuum every corpse before they spawn.
Alternative if…
- Star Chart only → First Sand
- This is too much Forma / cost → Scarab Tide — Steel Path
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 · 5 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: Scarab Tide — Endgame
Unlock Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts before this upgrade is honest.
Scarab Tide — EndgamePlan
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 SandThe Starter is the loadout you can actually take into a mission tonight.
- NextGet Steel ChargeInvasion / Nightwave
- After that4 FormaOne slot at a time. Rank 30 after each polarize.
- LaterTauforged Azure · ArmorHelminth and shards are the last rungs. They are not the Starter.
- FinalScarab Tide — OptimisedOptimised · Endgame · 4 Forma
Upgrade from here
Scarab Tide — Endgame
Locked behind Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts. Tick those on Progress first.
Open Scarab Tide — EndgameHelminth & shards
What to put on the body
- 1–2 Azure · Armor — Help Persistence's 700 armor line with Shell up.Archon locked
- 2 Crimson · Strength — Swarm and Shell both scale.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 want the beetles to clear rooms.
- Time to a playable copy
- After the Umbral set and a few forma.
- First mission to practice in
- SP Survival. Dense packs.
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
Swarm loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Charge Scarab Shell (3). Status immunity on. Armor up.
- 2Desiccation (1) to group-blind, then Scarab Swarm (4) the densest clump.
- 3Let Swarm Kavats walk the plague into the next room.
- 4Sandstorm (2) if you need a heal or a vacuum. Recast Swarm before it dies.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Shell on
3Hold 3. Always first.
- 2
Swarm the pile
44. Kavats should spawn if things die in the cloud.
You will know it worked when: Sand cats. Corrosive numbers.
Common mistakes
Tiny health pool
Swarm scales with HP. If you skipped Vitality, 4 tickles.
When this feels easy
- 1Arcane PersistenceArmor line plus Shell. Endurance button.
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●inarosframe
- 2○Steel Chargemod
- 3○Cunning Driftmod
- 4○Blind Ragemod
- 5○Umbral Intensifymod
- 6○Umbral Vitalitymod
- 7○Umbral Fibermod
- 8○Primed Continuitymod
- 9○Stretchmod
- 10○Hunter Adrenalinemod
- 11○Arcane Persistencearcane
- 12○Arcane Blessingarcane
- 13○Tauforged Azure · Armorshard
- 14○Crimson · Strengthshard
- 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
Cunning Driftmissing · Lua Halls of Ascension
Blind Ragemissing · Run Orokin Vaults
Umbral Intensifymissing · Finish The Sacrifice
Umbral Fibermissing · The Sacrifice path
Primed Continuitymissing · Wait for Baro Ki'Teer
Stretchmissing · Enemy drops
Recommended
Arcane Persistencemissing · Finish The Old Peace
At 700+ armor, incoming damage caps at 500/s. Azure armor shards or Health Conversion to the breakpoint. Pair with a heal (Grace, kit heal, or Gloom).
Optional
Tauforged Azure · Armormissing · Netracells / Elite Deep Archimedea
Help Persistence's 700 armor line with Shell up.
Strength
~220–280%
Duration
155%+ so Swarm and kavats linger
Range
175%+
Swarm damage scales with Inaros' max health AND Strength. Vitality is a damage mod.
From the mods
Live power
Additive from max-rank Codex mods. Efficiency clamped 15–175%. Umbral set is +11% Strength per extra piece.
- Strength
- 265%
- Duration
- 155%
- Range
- 160%
- Efficiency
- 45%
- Energy
- base
- Capacity
- 55 / 69
3 Umbral pieces
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
Inaros mods
- AuraSteel ChargeInvasion / Nightwave
- ExilusCunning DriftLua Halls
- 1Blind RageOrokin Vaults
- 2Umbral IntensifyThe Sacrifice
- 3Umbral VitalityHealth is Swarm damage. Also the tank.The Sacrifice
- 4Umbral FiberThe Sacrifice
- 5Primed ContinuityBaro Ki'Teer
- 6StretchEnemy drops
- 7Hunter AdrenalineYou take health damage. That is energy.The Hunt / Earth
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Steel Charge | Invasion / Nightwave | |
| Exilus | Cunning Drift | Lua Halls | |
| 1 | Blind Rage | Orokin Vaults | |
| 2 | Umbral Intensify | The Sacrifice | |
| 3 | Umbral Vitality Health is Swarm damage. Also the tank. | The Sacrifice | |
| 4 | Umbral Fiber | The Sacrifice | |
| 5 | Primed Continuity | Baro Ki'Teer | |
| 6 | Stretch | Enemy drops | |
| 7 | Hunter Adrenaline You take health damage. That is energy. | The Hunt / Earth |
High-status melee or primer
Swarm already Corrosives. A Viral primer makes health melt. The Swarm Kavats need bodies — do not vacuum every corpse before they spawn.
Arcanes
Arcane Persistence
At 700+ armor, incoming damage caps at 500/s. Azure armor shards or Health Conversion to the breakpoint. Pair with a heal (Grace, kit heal, or Gloom).
Roathe, La Cathédrale · 5 Maphica (The Descendia)
Arcane Blessing
Health orbs raise max HP. Swarm hits harder.
Duviri / trade
Archon shards
- 1
Azure · ArmorHelp Persistence's 700 armor line with Shell up.1–2 · Netracells - 2Crimson · StrengthSwarm and Shell both scale.2 · Netracells
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azure · Armor Help Persistence's 700 armor line with Shell up. | 1–2 | Netracells | |
| 2 | Crimson · Strength Swarm and Shell both scale. | 2 | Netracells |