Xaku — Gaze Anchor
Steel Path build. The Lost: Gaze locks a target, steals defenses, and shares the strip in a radius. Park it on a Defense target. Accuse and Deny still cycle.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
Defense, Disruption, single hard targets, people who like The Lost
Wrong drop or mechanic?
Why this build?
Steel Path for Defense, Disruption, single hard targets, people who like The Lost
Health: Not yet — Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts still closed. Play the Starter.
- Gaze is the precise strip. Untime is the wave strip. Defense loves Gaze.
- People mash 3 and Accuse by accident. Watch the cycle.
- Vampiric Grasp (augment) is optional lifesteal on stolen guns — nice on this config, not required.
Don’t use this for: Capture / short missions · Exterminate speedruns
Stronger mods, Arcanes, real synergy
You don’t need the shards to run the loop. They are a later ceiling, not a gate.
Bring: Gaze target — You need a living enemy to Gaze. Defense pods spawn plenty. Disruption Demolysts are the other use. Guns still Grasp.
Alternative if…
- Star Chart only → First Bones
- This is too much Forma / cost → First Bones — Star Chart
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 — 0/1 recommended
- Shards · optional — Optional unless the card says a breakpoint
Investment: 4 Forma · Reactor · 1 shard · 4 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: Lohk Battery — Optimised
Unlock Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts before this upgrade is honest.
Lohk Battery — 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 Corrosive ProjectionOpen Nightwave
- After that4 FormaOne slot at a time. Rank 30 after each polarize.
- LaterCrimson · StrengthHelminth and shards are the last rungs. They are not the Starter.
- FinalGaze AnchorSteel Path · Advanced · 4 Forma
Upgrade from here
Lohk Battery — Optimised
Locked behind Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts. Tick those on Progress first.
Open Lohk Battery — OptimisedHelminth & shards
What to put on the body
- 2 Crimson · Strength — Full Gaze strip.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 Corrosive Projection
One named gap. Open Nightwave
60 minutes
Corrosive Projection, 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 Corrosive Projection
Open Nightwave
Who this is for
Play this build from zero
You are on a Defense pod and want a strip bubble.
- Time to a playable copy
- After you can cycle Lost to Gaze without Accusing by accident.
- First mission to practice in
- Defense. Gaze a heavy next to the pod.
2 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
Gaze loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Cycle The Lost (3) to Gaze (usually the middle one — watch the icon).
- 2Gaze a fat enemy near the objective. Armor and shields in the bubble melt.
- 3Grasp (2) so the naked pack dies.
- 4Untime (4) to pause Gaze so you do not recast it every twenty seconds.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Cycle to Gaze
3Watch the ability icon. Gaze looks like a beam-lock, not a fissure. Tap 3 on a fat enemy near the pod.
You will know it worked when: A bubble on the target. Armor in the radius falling off.
- 2
Untime so Gaze does not expire
4 pauses it. Recast 4, not Gaze, unless the target died.
Common mistakes
Gazing a target that dies immediately
The bubble dies with them. Pick a tanky one, or recast.
When this feels easy
- 1Vampiric GraspHalo heals you while you babysit the pod.
Parts checklist
0 of 11 owned. Tap How on anything you still need.
Dependencies
14 dependencies
Frame → mods → unlocks. Tick Collection and Progress. This is a decision graph, not a wiki tree.
- 1●xakuframe
- 2○Corrosive Projectionmod
- 3○Power Driftmod
- 4○Blind Ragemod
- 5○Umbral Intensifymod
- 6○Primed Continuitymod
- 7○Stretchmod
- 8○Primed Flowmod
- 9○Rolling Guardmod
- 10○Overextendedmod
- 11○Molt Efficiencyarcane
- 12○Crimson · Strengthshard
- 13○Steel Pathunlock
- 14○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
Corrosive Projectionmissing · Open Nightwave
Power Driftmissing · Unlock Lua
Blind Ragemissing · Run Orokin Vaults
Umbral Intensifymissing · Finish The Sacrifice
Primed Continuitymissing · Wait for Baro Ki'Teer
Stretchmissing · Enemy drops
Primed Flowmissing · Baro Ki'Teer
- Rolling Guard
missing · Arbitrations
Overextendedmissing · Orokin Vaults
Recommended
Optional
Strength
~200%+ so Gaze fully strips in the bubble
Duration
180%+
Range
160%
Gaze radius is Range. Strength is the defense steal. Cycle 3 until the icon is Gaze, then tap.
From the mods
Live power
Additive from max-rank Codex mods. Efficiency clamped 15–175%. Umbral set is +11% Strength per extra piece.
- Strength
- 198%
- Duration
- 155%
- Range
- 235%
- Efficiency
- 45%
- Energy
- +275%
- Capacity
- 52 / 67
1 Umbral piece
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
Xaku mods
- AuraCorrosive ProjectionNightwave
- ExilusPower DriftVaults / Lua
- 1Blind RageOrokin Vaults
- 2Umbral IntensifyThe Sacrifice
- 3Primed ContinuityBaro
- 4StretchDrops
- 5Primed FlowBaro
- 6Rolling GuardArbitrations
- 7OverextendedOrokin Vaults
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Corrosive Projection | Nightwave | |
| Exilus | Power Drift | Vaults / Lua | |
| 1 | Blind Rage | Orokin Vaults | |
| 2 | Umbral Intensify | The Sacrifice | |
| 3 | Primed Continuity | Baro | |
| 4 | Stretch | Drops | |
| 5 | Primed Flow | Baro | |
| 6 | Rolling Guard | Arbitrations | |
| 7 | Overextended | Orokin Vaults |
Gaze target
You need a living enemy to Gaze. Defense pods spawn plenty. Disruption Demolysts are the other use. Guns still Grasp.
Arcanes
Molt Efficiency
Gaze duration. Untime can pause it too.
Zariman
Archon shards
- 1
Crimson · StrengthFull Gaze strip.2 · Netracells
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crimson · Strength Full Gaze strip. | 2 | Netracells |