Khora — First Crack
Starter build. Whipclaw is a melee explosion. Ensnare groups. Strangledome waits until you camp. Venari is already out.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
Star Chart, first Khora, learning the whip rhythm
Wrong drop or mechanic?
Why this build?
Starter for Star Chart, first Khora, learning the whip rhythm
Health: Inventory unknown — Mark what you own. Until then this is a recommendation, not a test you failed.
- Whipclaw is Khora. It reads your melee mods. Empty grid is a wet noodle.
- Ensnare plus whip is the cheap grouping nuke. Dome is the farm and the camp.
- Venari is free. Let her work. Do not recast her for no reason.
Don’t use this for: Steel Path endurance · level-cap content · frames played as a gun platform only
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: Whipclaw (pseudo-exalted melee) — Open Whipclaw's melee grid even on the starter. Pressure Point and a 90% elemental is enough to clear the map.
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 0/13 · required — 0/13 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 Crack — Star Chart
The next rung on this frame is unlocked. Mark I run this, then step up.
First Crack — 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 CrackStarter · Starter · 0–2 Forma
Upgrade from here
First Crack — Star Chart
Whipclaw is a melee explosion. Ensnare groups. Strangledome waits until you camp. Venari is already out. Primed Continuity and Primed Flow are the first real upgrade — not Blind Rage.
Open First Crack — Star ChartHelminth & shards
What to put on the body
- 1 Amber · Casting Speed — Whip tempo. Khora actually scales with cast speed now.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 left Sanctuary Onslaught with a Khora and have never cracked a whip.
- Time to a playable copy
- Same day. Pressure Point on Whipclaw, Intensify on the frame.
- First mission to practice in
- Any Exterminate. You want packs, not a boss.
2 button drills · 15 parts · tick the lists as you go
Before you start
0 of 3 done
Put it on the Warframe
0 of 5 done
Keep this up
Crack loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Ensnare (2) a heavy. Nearby enemies zip in. Whipclaw (1) the ball — double damage on ensnared targets.
- 2Hold 3 to cycle Venari's posture: Attack, Protect, Heal. Attack is the default. She respawns if she dies.
- 3Strangledome (4) later. A 100-energy cage wants a tile you will stay in.
- 4Do not Helminth Whipclaw. Ever.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Ensnare a heavy
22 on a Bombard. Neighbors zip in.
You will know it worked when: Living metal. A ball of enemies.
- 2
Whip the ball
11. They should ragdoll. Energy is cheap.
Common mistakes
Whipping a single isolated enemy
The explosion wants neighbors. Ensnare first.
When this feels easy
- 1Accumulating WhipclawThe actual god augment. Next config.
- 2Primed Reach on the whipRadius past the Range cap.
Parts checklist
0 of 15 owned. Tap How on anything you still need.
Dependencies
17 dependencies
Frame → mods → unlocks. Tick Collection and Progress. This is a decision graph, not a wiki tree.
- 1●khoraframe
- 2○Steel Chargemod
- 3○Power Driftmod
- 4○Intensifymod
- 5○Stretchmod
- 6○Continuitymod
- 7○Streamlinemod
- 8○Flowmod
- 9○Vitalitymod
- 10○Steel Fibermod
- 11○Pressure Pointmod
- 12○True Steelmod
- 13○Organ Shattermod
- 14○Fever Strikemod
- 15○Arcane Furyarcane
- 16○Amber · Casting Speedshard
- 17○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
Stretchmissing · Enemy drops
Continuitymissing · Run low-level Defense or Survival
Streamlinemissing · Enemy drops and early missions
Flowmissing · Enemy drops
Vitalitymissing · Jackal
Steel Fibermissing · Enemy drops
- Pressure Point
missing · Enemy drops
- True Steel
missing · Enemy drops
- Organ Shatter
missing · Enemy drops
- Fever Strike
missing · Enemy drops
Recommended
Optional
Amber · Casting Speedmissing · Earn Amber shards
Whip tempo. Khora actually scales with cast speed now.
Strength
~145%
Duration
130%
Range
145%
Range is Whipclaw explosion and Ensnare spread. Strength is whip damage.
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
- 26% × 3.80
- Status
- 26%
- Fire rate
- 9.58
- Multishot
- 1.00
- Avg hit
- 61
- Arsenal DPS
- 583
Toggle common mods
Khora mods
- AuraSteel ChargeInvasion / Nightwave
- ExilusPower DriftOrokin Vaults / Lua
- 1IntensifyMercury / Venus
- 2StretchEnemy drops
- 3ContinuityEnemy drops
- 4StreamlineEnemy drops
- 5FlowEnemy drops
- 6VitalityEarth / drops
- 7Steel FiberEnemy drops
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Steel Charge | Invasion / Nightwave | |
| Exilus | Power Drift | Orokin Vaults / Lua | |
| 1 | Intensify | Mercury / Venus | |
| 2 | Stretch | Enemy drops | |
| 3 | Continuity | Enemy drops | |
| 4 | Streamline | Enemy drops | |
| 5 | Flow | Enemy drops | |
| 6 | Vitality | Earth / drops | |
| 7 | Steel Fiber | Enemy drops |
Whipclaw (pseudo-exalted melee)
- 1Pressure PointEnemy drops
- 2True SteelEnemy drops
- 3Organ ShatterEnemy drops
- 4Fever StrikeEnemy drops
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pressure Point | Enemy drops | |
| 2 | True Steel | Enemy drops | |
| 3 | Organ Shatter | Enemy drops | |
| 4 | Fever Strike | Enemy drops |
Arcanes
Arcane Fury
Melee damage on Whipclaw. Skip until you have it.
Eidolon / trade
Archon shards
- 1Amber · Casting SpeedWhip tempo. Khora actually scales with cast speed now.1 · Archon Hunt
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amber · Casting Speed Whip tempo. Khora actually scales with cast speed now. | 1 | Archon Hunt |