The corrupted Warframe Nidus is a great warframe that can use his parasitic abilities for survival, crowd control, and also wipe any room, excelling as an offensive character in any context or mission. His tankiness/immortality gives him great potential for soloing content, even in the endgame missions, and he can work great in a team as well.
With its new Prime variant releasing now, we can take a closer look at this masterfully versatile warframe, and how to build it.
How to Obtain and Craft Nidus?
Nidus' main blueprint is acquired from “The Glast Gambit” quest, additional main blueprints can be bought from Cephalon Simaris for 50,000 Reputation. Nidus' component blueprints are acquired from Rotation C of Infested Salvage on Oestrus, Eris.
Component | Requirements/How to Obtain | Time to Build |
|---|---|---|
Nidus Blueprint | The Glast Gambit Quest Reward | 72 Hours |
Nidus Neuroptics | Oestrus, Eris - Rotation C Salvage - Drop Chance 14.29% | 12 Hours |
Nidus Chassis | Oestrus, Eris - Rotation C Salvage - Drop Chance 14.29% | 12 Hours |
Nidus Systems | Oestrus, Eris - Rotation C Salvage - Drop Chance 14.29% | 12 Hours |
Read More: Warframe The Arsenal Divide - Weapons Rebalance, Reworked Mods, And New Arcanes
Warframe Nidus - Skills & Abilities
Nidus is a very tanky warframe that has the potential of just not dying thanks to his passive. His abilities not only give him great survivability but also offensive power and crowd control tools, making him a very complete warframe and a great addition to any team or solo missions.
Passive
The Infestation dwelling within Nidus mutates rapidly when used against his foes, fueling his abilities and yielding various symbiotic benefits.
Mutation Stacks are a resource unique to Nidus, indicated by the Mutation counter and gauge displayed in the lower-right on the HUD, above the ability icons. The gauge is divided into five sections which represent the number of hits dealt to enemies via Nidus' abilities. The counter at the center of the gauge keeps track of the number of Mutation stacks, capping at 100.
Upon hitting one or more enemies via Virulence or Ravenous, depending on the number of hits the sections of the gauge will light up clockwise. After a total of 5 hits, the gauge completes a cycle and the sections become unlit again, while the counter increases by 1 Mutation stack. If Nidus suffers fatal damage with at least 15 stacks of Mutation, those 15 stacks are consumed, granting him 5 seconds of invulnerability and restoring 50% of his health.
Virulence
Rupture the ground with a damaging fungal growth that steals energy from each enemy it strikes. For every five enemies hit, the Infestation mutates, multiplying its destructive force.
Stats | Stat Values |
|---|---|
Strength | 150 / 160 / 175 / 200 Damage |
Duration | - |
Range | 10 / 11 / 13 / 16 Meters |
Miscellaneous | 4 Meters of fungal growth width 25% Energy refund rate per hit |
Larva
Spawn an Infested pod that erupts with tendrils, latches onto nearby enemies, and pulls them in. Enemies killed while held have a chance of generating a Mutation stack.
Stats | Stat Values |
|---|---|
Strength | - |
Duration | 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 Seconds |
Range | 8 / 9 / 10 / 12 Meters of grab radius |
Miscellaneous | 3 Seconds of unaffected targets release delay |
Parasitic Link
Bind to a target with a parasitic link. When cast on an ally, both the host and Nidus have their Ability Strength increased. Linked enemies take some of the damage inflicted on Nidus.
Mutation Stacks Cost: 1
Stats | Stat Values |
|---|---|
Strength | 10% / 15% / 20% / 25% Strength bonus 20% / 30% / 40% / 50% Damage redirection |
Duration | 30 / 35 / 45 / 60 Seconds |
Range | 24 / 28 / 34 / 40 Meters of ally link 10 / 13 / 16 / 20 Meters of enemy link |
Miscellaneous | - |
Ravenous
Gluttonous maggots swarm nearby enemies, feasting until they burst with Infestation. The maggots benefit from Mutation and each enemy consumed adds to the Mutation stack.
Mutation Stacks Cost: 3
Stats | Stat Values |
|---|---|
Strength | 100 / 110 / 125 / 150 Blast damage 10 / 13 / 16 / 20 Health regeneration per second |
Duration | 25 / 30 / 35 / 40 Seconds |
Range | 4 Meters of explosion radius |
Miscellaneous | 8 Meters of ability diameter Number of maggots: 9 Maggot health: 1000 HP Maggot Toxin damage: 10 |
Nidus - Best Arsenal Loadout
Since Nidus’ build relies on his skills more than weapons, you can use any setup on this part. Acceltra, Epitaph, and Orthos will serve their roles perfectly, and of course, if you can afford the Prime or Vandal versions, the better. Use as many Forma on them as you see fit to achieve the desired build, and you'll be good to go!
Primary Weapon - Acceltra
Mod | Effect |
|---|---|
Loadout Mod #1 - Serration | +165% Damage |
Loadout Mod #2 - Split Chamber | +90% Multishot |
Loadout Mod #3 - Vital Sense | +120% Critical Damage |
Loadout Mod #4 - Vigilante Armaments | +60% Multishot 5% chance to enhance Critical Hits from Primary weapons |
Loadout Mod #5 - Malignant Force | +60% Toxin +60% Status Chance |
Loadout Mod #6 - Point Strike | +150% Critical Chance |
Loadout Mod #7 - Rime Rounds | +60% Cold +60% Status Chance |
Loadout Mod #8 - Fast Hands | +30% Reload Speed |
Exilus Mod - Rifle Ammo Mutation | Converts unused Ammo Pickups into Primary Weapon Ammo. |
Secondary Weapon - Epitaph
Mod | Effect |
|---|---|
Loadout Mod #1 - Lethal Torrent | +60% Fire Rate +60% Multishot |
Loadout Mod #2 - Hornet Strike | +220% Damage |
Loadout Mod #3 - Barrel Diffusion | +120% Multishot |
Loadout Mod #4 - Augur Pact | +90% Damage 40% Energy spent on abilities is converted to shields. |
Loadout Mod #5 - Scorch | +60% Heat +60% Status Chance |
Loadout Mod #6 - Frostbite | +60% Cold +60% Status Chance |
Loadout Mod #7 - Pistol Gambit | +120% Critical Chance |
Loadout Mod #8 - Target Cracker | +60% Critical Damage |
Exilus Mod - Lethal Momentum | +40% Projectile Speed |
Melee Weapon - Orthos
Mod | Effect |
|---|---|
Stance Mod - Shimmering Blight | Fast spinning attacks and staggering strikes. |
Loadout Mod #1 - Reach | +1.1 Range |
Loadout Mod #2 - Vicious Frost | +60% Cold +60% Status Chance |
Loadout Mod #3 - Virulent Scourge | +60% Toxin +60% Status Chance |
Loadout Mod #4 - Volcanic Edge | +60% Heat +60% Status Chance |
Loadout Mod #5 - Weeping Wounds | +40% Status Chance per Combo Multiplier |
Loadout Mod #6 - Condition Overload | +120% Critical Chance (x2 for Heavy Attacks) |
Loadout Mod #7 - Blood Rush | +40% Critical Chance stacks with Combo Multiplier |
Loadout Mod #8 - Berserker Fury | On Melee Kill: +35% Attack Speed for 10s. Stacks up to 2x. |
Warframe Nidus - Best Builds
Nidus - Solo Build
The idea of the build is to use Nidus’ abilities as you see fit in the moment, prioritizing obtaining stacks so you benefit from them as soon as possible. To do this, focus on powering up the Range, Duration, and Strength as much as you can without taking any negative stat as a consequence. Since Nidus doesn’t have shields you need to boost his armor and health and use Parasitic Link at all times, always. While Hunter Adrenaline should work better than Flow in later stages of the game, it’s up to you which one to use, and for dramatically better results, replace the mods in this setup with their Prime or Umbral versions.
Mod | Effect |
|---|---|
Aura Mod - Corrosive Projection | Converts 150% of Energy spent to Shields while Overshields are inactive. |
Exilus Mod - Power Drift | +15% Ability Strength +30% Chance to Resist Knockdown |
Loadout Mod #1 - Stretch | +45% Ability Range |
Loadout Mod #2 - Intensify | +55% Ability Strength |
Loadout Mod #3 - Continuity | +30% Ability Duration |
Loadout Mod #4 - Vitality | +440% Health |
Loadout Mod #5 - Adaptation | When Damaged: +10% Resistance to that Damage Type for 20s. Stacks up to 90%. |
Loadout Mod #6 - Steel Fiber | +110% Armor |
Loadout Mod #7 - Flow | +150% Energy Max |
Loadout Mod #8 - Augur Reach | +30% Ability Range. Set Bonus: 40% Energy spent on abilities is converted to shields. |
And that's all you need to know about Nidus! While you're here, you can check out our useful Yareli, Gara, and Sevagoth guides, or keep an eye on our Prime Vault and Prime Access guide so you don't miss on the returning and upcoming items!