Inaros — First Sand
Starter build. Charge Scarab Shell, blind with Desiccation, finish. You have no shields. Health is the whole bar.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
Star Chart, first Inaros, learning the sarcophagus
Wrong drop or mechanic?
Why this build?
Starter for Star Chart, first Inaros, learning the sarcophagus
Health: Inventory unknown — Mark what you own. Until then this is a recommendation, not a test you failed.
- Inaros has 0 shields. Scarab Shell is your status immunity and a chunk of armor. Charge it every mission.
- Desiccation is the beginner button — blind, steal health, open finishers.
- Do not play him like a shield-gate frame. You stand there and out-heal the room.
Don’t use this for: Steel Path endurance · level-cap content · solo level-cap
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: Melee (finisher-friendly) — A melee with a decent finisher. Desiccation blinds; you walk up and execute. Guns still work.
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 Sand — Star Chart
The next rung on this frame is unlocked. Mark I run this, then step up.
First Sand — 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 Steel ChargeInvasion / 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 SandStarter · Starter · 0–2 Forma
Upgrade from here
First Sand — Star Chart
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.
Open First Sand — Star ChartHelminth & shards
What to put on the body
- 1 Amber · Casting Speed — Desiccation and Swarm on tempo.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 just finished Sands of Inaros and have never charged a scarab.
- Time to a playable copy
- Same day. Vitality and Intensify.
- First mission to practice in
- Any Grineer Exterminate. You want to feel the health bar and the blind.
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
Sand loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Hold Scarab Shell (3) at mission start until the armor bar fills. You spend health; pick it back up with Desiccation.
- 2Desiccation (1) a pack. They go blind. Walk in and Finisher, or shoot.
- 3Scarab Swarm (4) a heavy. Corrosive scarabs jump. Damage scales with your health.
- 4Sandstorm (2) is a panic heal and a group. Starter can tap it and leave.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Hold 3 at the door
3Health drains, armor climbs. Release when the scarab bar is full. You now ignore status.
You will know it worked when: A scarab meter. Your health dips, then Desiccation fills it.
- 2
Desiccation a pack
1Cone of sand. They clutch their faces. Walk up and melee Finisher, or shoot.
You will know it worked when: Enemies staggered and glowing sand.
- 3
Swarm a heavy
44 on a Bombard. Beetles eat armor.
Common mistakes
Letting the shell empty
A Slash proc on 2,000 HP with no immunity is still a Slash proc. Recast 3.
When this feels easy
- 1Umbral VitalityThe Sacrifice. Health is the frame.
- 2Then GloomThat is Slow Dunes.
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●inarosframe
- 2○Steel Chargemod
- 3○Power Driftmod
- 4○Intensifymod
- 5○Vitalitymod
- 6○Steel Fibermod
- 7○Continuitymod
- 8○Stretchmod
- 9○Flowmod
- 10○Streamlinemod
- 11○Arcane Gracearcane
- 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
- Steel Charge
missing · Invasion / Nightwave
Power Driftmissing · Unlock Lua
Intensifymissing · Fight Lieutenant Lech Kril
Steel Fibermissing · Enemy drops
Continuitymissing · Run low-level Defense or Survival
Stretchmissing · Enemy drops
Flowmissing · Enemy drops
Streamlinemissing · Enemy drops and early missions
Recommended
Arcane Gracemissing · Buy it
Health regen that scales with your giant pool. Skip until you can afford it.
Optional
Watch it played
YouTube for this loadout
I can't believe INAROS is REALLY META now...
Scarab Shell rework. Inaros as a real health tank, not 2016 sand.
This BROKEN Inaros Build Destroys Steel Path Without Forma
Low-Forma Scarab Shell tank. Step below the MHBlacky immortal nuke.
Strength
~145%
Duration
130%
Range
145%
Strength fattens Scarab Shell's armor bonus. Range is Desiccation cone and Swarm spread.
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 / 69
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
- ExilusPower DriftOrokin Vaults / Lua
- 1IntensifyMercury / Venus
- 2VitalityInaros is a health pool. This is not optional.Earth / drops
- 3Steel FiberEnemy drops
- 4ContinuityEnemy drops
- 5StretchEnemy drops
- 6FlowEnemy drops
- 7StreamlineEnemy drops
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Steel Charge | Invasion / Nightwave | |
| Exilus | Power Drift | Orokin Vaults / Lua | |
| 1 | Intensify | Mercury / Venus | |
| 2 | Vitality Inaros is a health pool. This is not optional. | Earth / drops | |
| 3 | Steel Fiber | Enemy drops | |
| 4 | Continuity | Enemy drops | |
| 5 | Stretch | Enemy drops | |
| 6 | Flow | Enemy drops | |
| 7 | Streamline | Enemy drops |
Melee (finisher-friendly)
A melee with a decent finisher. Desiccation blinds; you walk up and execute. Guns still work.
Arcanes
Arcane Grace
Health regen that scales with your giant pool. Skip until you can afford it.
Eidolon / trade
Archon shards
- 1
Amber · Casting SpeedDesiccation and Swarm on tempo.1 · Archon Hunt
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amber · Casting Speed Desiccation and Swarm on tempo. | 1 | Archon Hunt |