Nekros — Health for Loot
Steel Path build. Despoil spends health per corpse, not energy. Equilibrium turns health orbs into energy anyway. This is 2026 Nekros. This is the peak you can run the day Steel Path unlocks — galvanized / arcanes, no Helminth.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
Steel Path Star Chart, Circuit, first Archon. Helminth is the next card.
Wrong drop or mechanic?
Why this build?
Steel Path for Steel Path Star Chart, Circuit, first Archon. Helminth is the next card.
Health: Not yet — Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts still closed. Play the Starter.
- Despoil plus Equilibrium is the Nekros people actually bring. Energy Desecrate is the tutorial.
- Overextended looks ugly on Strength. Strength does not loot. Range loots.
- A Nekros who peels off to DPS is a worse Mag. Stay on the bodies.
Don’t use this for: Star Chart only · loadouts that need Helminth · timed Exterminate as the damage · solo level-cap
Stronger mods, Arcanes, real synergy
You don’t need the shards to run the loop. They are a later ceiling, not a gate.
Bring: AoE weapon / Khora friend — You need corpses. A Bramma, a teammate Khora / Hydroid / Atlas, or a status primer. Desecrate does not kill. It rolls loot on the dead.
Alternative if…
- Star Chart only → First Corpse
- This is too much Forma / cost → First Corpse — Star Chart
- You wanted to fight, not farm → Run and Strip
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 · 1 shard. 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: Health for Loot — Optimised
Unlock Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts before this upgrade is honest.
Health for Loot — OptimisedPlan
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 that3–4 FormaOne slot at a time. Rank 30 after each polarize.
- LaterAzure · HealthHelminth and shards are the last rungs. They are not the Starter.
- FinalHealth for Loot — Steel PathSteel Path · Advanced · 3–4 Forma
Upgrade from here
Health for Loot — Optimised
Locked behind Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts. Tick those on Progress first.
Open Health for Loot — OptimisedFarm the gap
- Nekros augments — Despoil · Creeping Terrify · Shield of Shadows · Soul Survivor
Helminth & shards
What to put on the body
- 1 Azure · Health — Despoil spends health. Have health.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 bought Despoil. You are the farm.
- Time to a playable copy
- After Despoil, Equilibrium, and Overextended.
- First mission to practice in
- A 20-minute Survival you intended to farm anyway. Relics, resources, Arbitrations.
2 button drills · 12 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
Despoil loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Stand in the kill zone. Desecrate (3) on cooldown. Bodies near you reroll loot and often drop health orbs.
- 2Equilibrium turns those orbs into energy you do not need for 3 anymore — spend it on Terrify or Shadows.
- 3Health Conversion stacks armor as orbs land. You get tankier the more you loot.
- 4Do not wander off the corpse pile to 'shoot more.' The radius has to contain the dead.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Park on the pile
3Where the squad is killing. Press 3 whenever bodies exist.
- 2
Watch orbs pay you back
Health orbs from Desecrate. Equilibrium → energy. Health Conversion → armor.
Common mistakes
Chasing kills across the tile
You are a radius. The radius has to contain corpses.
When this feels easy
- 1Arcane BlessingHealth on pickup. Despoil prints pickups.
- 2Gloom if enduranceGrave Aura next.
Parts checklist
0 of 12 owned. Tap How on anything you still need.
Dependencies
15 dependencies
Frame → mods → unlocks. Tick Collection and Progress. This is a decision graph, not a wiki tree.
- 1●nekrosframe
- 2○Steel Chargemod
- 3○Cunning Driftmod
- 4○Despoilaugment
- 5○Overextendedmod
- 6○Stretchmod
- 7○Augur Reachmod
- 8○Equilibriummod
- 9○Health Conversionmod
- 10○Hunter Adrenalinemod
- 11○Arcane Blessingarcane
- 12○Arcane Pulsearcane
- 13○Azure · Healthshard
- 14○Steel Pathunlock
- 15○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
- Despoil
missing · Red Veil / The Perrin Sequence · 25,000 standing
Desecrate costs health instead of energy. The whole identity.
Overextendedmissing · Orokin Vaults
Stretchmissing · Enemy drops
- Augur Reach
missing · Cetus bounties
- Equilibrium
missing · The New Strange / drops
Health orbs from Desecrate / Despoil become energy. The engine.
- Health Conversion
missing · Nightwave / trade
Armor from health orbs. You spend health to loot; orbs pay you back in tank.
Hunter Adrenalinemissing · Cetus Ghoul bounties
Damage to health becomes energy. Pairs with Despoil. Rage also works.
Recommended
- Arcane Blessing
missing · Orphix / trade
Health on orb pickup. Despoil prints orbs. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
- Arcane Pulse
missing · Eidolon / trade
More health orbs. The vacuum loop gets greedier. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
Optional
Strength
~100%
Duration
100%
Range
220%+ (Overextended, Stretch, Cunning Drift, Augur Reach)
Despoil = health per body. Health Conversion / Equilibrium / Arcane Blessing keep you alive. Strength is ignored.
From the mods
Live power
Additive from max-rank Codex mods. Efficiency clamped 15–175%. Umbral set is +11% Strength per extra piece.
- Strength
- 40%
- Duration
- 100%
- Range
- 280%
- Efficiency
- 100%
- Energy
- base
- Capacity
- 46 / 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
Nekros mods
- AuraSteel ChargeInvasion / Nightwave
- ExilusCunning DriftLua Halls
- 1DespoilDesecrate costs health instead of energy. The whole identity.Red Veil / The Perrin Sequence · 25k
- 2OverextendedOrokin Vaults
- 3StretchEnemy drops
- 4Augur ReachCetus bounties
- 5EquilibriumHealth orbs from Desecrate / Despoil become energy. The engine.The New Strange
- 6Health ConversionArmor from health orbs. You spend health to loot; orbs pay you back in tank.The Index / trade
- 7Hunter AdrenalineDamage to health becomes energy. Pairs with Despoil. Rage also works.Earth / Cetus
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Steel Charge | Invasion / Nightwave | |
| Exilus | Cunning Drift | Lua Halls | |
| 1 | Despoil Desecrate costs health instead of energy. The whole identity. | Red Veil / The Perrin Sequence · 25k | |
| 2 | Overextended | Orokin Vaults | |
| 3 | Stretch | Enemy drops | |
| 4 | Augur Reach | Cetus bounties | |
| 5 | Equilibrium Health orbs from Desecrate / Despoil become energy. The engine. | The New Strange | |
| 6 | Health Conversion Armor from health orbs. You spend health to loot; orbs pay you back in tank. | The Index / trade | |
| 7 | Hunter Adrenaline Damage to health becomes energy. Pairs with Despoil. Rage also works. | Earth / Cetus |
AoE weapon / Khora friend
You need corpses. A Bramma, a teammate Khora / Hydroid / Atlas, or a status primer. Desecrate does not kill. It rolls loot on the dead.
Arcanes
Arcane Blessing
Health on orb pickup. Despoil prints orbs. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
Orphix / trade
Arcane Pulse
More health orbs. The vacuum loop gets greedier. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
Eidolon / trade
Archon shards
- 1
Azure · HealthDespoil spends health. Have health.1 · Netracells
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azure · Health Despoil spends health. Have health. | 1 | Netracells |