Nidus — The Hatchling

Who this is for

Play this build from zero

First hour on Nidus. You have never seen a Mutation stack. Persistence is a later problem. Learn the grab-and-stomp.

Time to a playable copy

The session after Nidus leaves the Foundry. Common mods only.

First mission to practice in

An Infested Defense or Survival (Eris, Deimos, Earth hive). Fat crowds, so Larva always has a meal.

6 button drills · 11 parts · tick the lists as you go

Before you start

Put it on the Warframe

First mission — press these buttons

1. 1

   Find five enemies in a clump

   Do not 2 a single lancer in a hallway. Wait until a doorway or a Defense pod has a crowd.

   You will know it worked when: A group you could imagine throwing a net over.

2. 2

   Larva the clump

   2

   Aim at the middle of them, press 2. A pod slams down and yanks them into a fleshy ball. They are stuck for a few seconds. Recasting 2 moves the ball — you are allowed.

   You will know it worked when: Enemies flying into one pile. If nobody moved, you aimed at the floor too far away or Range is still unranked.

3. 3

   Virulence through the ball

   1

   Face the ball, press 1. A fungal line stomps through it. Energy comes back for each enemy the first wave hits. A small pip toward Mutation is added for every hit (five hits = one stack). The number lives on your ability bar.

   You will know it worked when: Energy refund. A Mutation count going 0 → 1 after a few stomps. Fat puncture numbers on the ball.

4. 4

   Link something

   3

   Look at an enemy, press 3 — you dump incoming damage onto them (this is your shield). Look at a teammate or your companion, press 3 — you both get Strength and weapon damage. Recast on the same target to refresh. Start with enemy-link until you trust the health bar.

   You will know it worked when: A tether beam. Damage numbers on the linked enemy when you get shot. If the tether breaks, you walked too far — 20 m on enemies, 40 m on allies.

5. 5

   Ravenous when you have 3 stacks and want a rest

   4

   Press 4. A carpet of maggots. Stand in it. Health ticks back. Maggots that pop also feed Mutation. You spent 3 stacks to drop it — do not dump your only 3 if the tile is already safe.

   You will know it worked when: Green health ticks. Maggots latching. The Mutation number not going to zero (you spent 3, you should have some left if you had more).

6. 6

   The engine, on loop

   Larva → Virulence → Larva → Virulence until the gauge is a habit. Link when the tether is free. Ravenous when you are bored of being at 20 health. If you die with 15 or more stacks, Undying spends 15, you become invulnerable for 5 seconds, and you get half your health back. That is the passive. Dying at 14 stacks is just dying.

   You will know it worked when: Stacks climbing in every room. You stop pressing 1 at empty hallways.

Common mistakes

• Helminthing Larva because a video said Roar

  Larva is the engine. You never replace 2. Later you may replace 4, and only once Persistence is online.

• Buying Persistence before you can hit 700 armor

  The arcane does nothing below 700. Hatchling is not that build yet.

• Linking a companion and wondering why statuses still ruin you

  Status immunity is on enemy-link only. Companion-link is comfort and damage.

When this feels easy

1. 1Parasitic Vitality from Steel Meridian or Perrin25,000 standing. Then one Tauforged Azure Armor shard, then Arcane Persistence. That trio is Persistence God, the next build.
2. 2One Amber Casting Speed as soon as you canVirulence without it is a stamina test. You will think the frame is slow. The frame is fine. Your cast is slow.