Reach the Summit: Conclave Builds

Your greatest enemy is yourself. Hone your Tenno skills against other Dreamers with these viable weapon and frame builds for Conclave, as well as rationale for mods chosen. Now featuring content on mobility and aim!

Introduction

Hello, reader! I'm standardheadache and I've been mostly inactive for this Nightwave season. The awards simply weren't enough to bring me back to the Lotus's endless commands to do this, do that, protect this Orokin artifact, and so on. I have, however, been poking around Conclave a fair bit lately. I'm at Typhoon rank, have over 9000 kills and a 1:1 K:D, and these are the builds I find most viable against other players who pack a mean punch in their mobility and aim both.

Why play Conclave?

I've gone over this before in my other guide, but suffice to say it's the closest we've got to an endgame other than the venerable Fashionframe. Humans learn, which makes them a tough fight. It pushes you to your limits in gameplay and truly can make you a better player overall. You can also acquire the Conclave mods that are being integrated into PvE via Nightwave at a much cheaper rate: free, as a random drop! One is guaranteed per completed match.

A short blurb will be provided before a screenshot of the mod setup, then rationale will be provided for each mod. I hope to give an insight into what makes a mod worth taking in Conclave so you can extend the information to any weapon you may want to try. Sometimes the rationale will seem conflicting, but this is due to different theories of approaching modding in Conclave. Bear with them and adapt them to your play style. Hyperlinks to the wiki will be given for each mod the first time it is mentioned so you can find out how to acquire them and what restrictions they may have.

Let's get to it!

EDIT 9/24/19: Added "Prisma Grakata" and "Nikana Prime", added to "Introduction"
EDIT 9/25/19: Added "Snipetron Vandal" and "Bronco"
EDIT 9/26/19: Added "Karak Wraith" and "Viper Wraith", added to "Loadouts"
EDIT 9/27/19: Added "Tigris Prime" and "Lato Vandal", added to "Loadouts"
EDIT 9/28/19: Added "Braton Vandal" and "Twin Grakatas"
EDIT 9/29/19: Resized image in "Conclusion"
EDIT 9/30/19: Added "Prisma Gorgon" and "Mod Acquisition", added to "Loadouts" - guide completed, further additions may be made with advice
EDIT 10/9/19: Minor edits to Introduction
EDIT 12/11/19: Wow, didn't expect all these views at once! Added "Silva & Aegis Prime" and "Chroma Prime", added to "Loadouts"
EDIT 1/17/20: Thank you for voting enough to get this guide a rating! I'm hoping to add more than just builds, starting with a section on mobility; also compressed all frames, secondaries, and melee weapons into condensed categories. Expect to see this done for primaries at a later date!
EDIT 1/18/20: Collapsed all primaries into categories
Undocumented, likely 1/19/20: Collapsed all secondaries and melees into categories
EDIT 1/21/20: Added "Aim"
EDIT 1/23/20: Added "What Not To Do" [warning: hot takes]
EDIT 1/29/20: Added "Notice on Damage Conversion Mods"
EDIT 3/6/20: Added disclaimer to "Notice on Damage Conversion Mods" in light of recent updates
EDIT 3/21/20: Some nerfs have kicked in! Added to "What Not To Do"
EDIT 7/9/20: Added to Introduction; Tigris Prime's damage is currently much higher than its intended values in PvP, as reported here: https://forums.warframe.com/topic/1189732-abnormally-high-damage-values-on-some-conclave-weapons-after-recent-hotfix/ Please refrain from using it for now.
EDIT 7/13/20: Added to Conclusion
EDIT 9/7/20: Removed "Tigris Prime" until it is fixed, revamped "What Not To Do" in light of long-unpatched bugs that are frequently exploited
EDIT 1/25/21: Edited two sentences in "Secondaries, Part 1" in accordance with new information, removed one stray parenthesis in "Melee", removed one loadout from "Loadouts"
EDIT 4/24/22: Added one bullet point to "Mobility"
EDIT 8/26/22: Several updates; brought back Tigris.

Frames, Part 1

Nova

Nova is my most-played frame for a reason: she can be built relatively tanky, she's got great abilities, and she fits my playstyle of being a tough-to-pin vulture. Low mobility can be used as an asset with her main ability, Antimatter Mine. This augments her 2 to become a fully-charged Geneva Convention violation that encourages map awareness and pragmatism. As far as I know, leaving the mod unranked does not affect detection range, so it's best to leave it unranked to allow for more opportunities to use each trap.

It's also worth noting that variant frames (Prime, Umbra) have different stats from base frames. Take these differences into account when determining your build. This also goes for variant weapons.

Here's the build:

Rationale for each mod:

• Tempered Bound:[warframe.fandom.com] This takes away 10% of your base mobility, and Nova Prime already lacks 10%, leaving you at 80% of the game's base mobility. However, this makes you easy to tail, which is vital for luring enemies into mines. If you lose them, they can't follow you, now can they? You'll also have to slug it out with them once you bring them to a close-quarters area (like through a door to a small room), so this'll allow you to reduce puncture damage taken and possibly soak some otherwise lethal hits. This does leave you vulnerable to more impact-heavy weapons like Strun though.
  
• Surplus Diverters:[warframe.fandom.com] Not really a choice, honestly. This is just an objectively good mod if you use energy, which involves most melee, caster, and knockdown builds. Not as great on this one due to the large shield capacity, but still worth taking over other options.
  
• Tactical Retreat:[warframe.fandom.com] This build features exceptionally low mobility for Conclave (many players run builds above the base mobility of a Warfarme in PvE), so having a real escape plan for when the fight just isn't going your way can save you deaths and keep your opponents' scores down.
  
• Anticipation:[warframe.fandom.com] Not just encouraged, but practically necessary against players who make any use of melee or knockdown abilities. Pick this up as soon as you can.
  
• Antimatter Mine:[warframe.fandom.com] As previously mentioned, this is your bread and butter as a Nova main. There's lots of ways you can use this, but my perennial trick is to lure someone through a door and put the mine on the other side of the door. This can be done while jumping through the door, though you must be careful to have it land on the inside, not the outside of the door (otherwise they'll notice it and not go through it). You can also cast it before luring, but then you must be aware of the timer.
  
• Follow Through:[warframe.fandom.com] Also great for casters. It's worth mentioning that you don't necessarily have to use abilities in Conclave, and often veterans are loath to use them at all, taking mods such as Martial Fury[warframe.fandom.com] and No Current Leap[warframe.fandom.com] to minimize energy pool while maximizing combat performance. For us though, energy is a must, as exemplified by Adrenaline Boost, which we'll get to later.
  
• Overcharge Detectors:[warframe.fandom.com] Not necessary, but good to fill out the mod slots. Gives a good view of players that may not be using their abilities, or are saving up to use their 4. If you see someone on the minimap that isn't shooting or in sight, chances are they're gonna solo ult you. Or a group fight, if they're smart.
  
• Searing Leap:[warframe.fandom.com] Cosmetic. If you want a jumping cosmetic that can obfuscate your opponents' view of you every time you bullet jump, take Rime Vault[warframe.fandom.com] instead.
  
• Adrenaline Boost:[warframe.fandom.com] Used to minmax casters and also part of why we invested in shields earlier, Adrenaline Boost provides more energy at the cost of survivability. With this, we can hold up to three mines in our energy pool without having to go for more energy, a very useful trait especially when the Energy Surge comes around, which increases energy regen and gives double energy from energy pickups.

Ash

The idea with this loadout is to play relatively "normally". Ash's passive in Conclave gives him an extra bleed effect when scoring hits with nikana-type weapons, so I strongly encourage bringing one along with him. When in danger, hit 2 and fly a circuit around the health orbs until you're ready to engage on your own terms again.

Build:

Rationale:

• Searing Leap: Cosmetic.
  
• Surplus Diverters: Still a good fit. Low-ish shield capacity also lends itself to this mod.
  
• Tear Gas:[warframe.fandom.com] Anything that takes away vision from opposing players is a boon. Can give time for a quick getaway, as Ash's 2 also improves mobility.
  
• Tactical Retreat: Brings Ash Prime up to a nice round 1.0 mobility in danger. Stacks with other mobility bonuses.
  
• Follow Through: As this build encourages using melee and abilities, extra energy is always welcome.
  
• Anticipation: As previously mentioned, worth getting as soon as you have the rep for it.
  
• Rising Skill:[warframe.fandom.com] With Ash's good base armor and health, plus a focus on mobility, shields are not as necessary. There is also a general meta shift towards higher health than shields, as there are many shield-stripping options available. Akstiletto Prime is one such example.

Frames, Part 2

Nezha

Speedy boi. His passive benefiting slides remains in Conclave, and in a mode where mobility is everything, that matters. You can rarely get trapped as Nezha with his great mobility, which is maximized in this build. The idea is to dart in, do as much damage as possible while bouncing off the walls like a rabbit on cocaine, then make your speedy exit before they can react. Naturally, it doesn't always work this cleanly, but something that'll empty its magazine quick makes it go a bit smoother.

How to go fast:

Rationale:

• Tactical Retreat: More mobility. Brings you up to 30% more mobility than the average Warframe when your situation is dire.
  
• Anticipation: If you stop moving, that's bad. Stop movement stoppage with this stopgap measure.
  
• Hastened Steps:[warframe.fandom.com] More for the meme than anything. You aren't going to be sprinting most of the time, but it certainly encourages you to stay on your feet with reduced shields. For a more honest-to-god good build, I'd recommend removing this.
  
• Searing Leap: Cosmetic.
  
• No Current Leap: Sacrifices all energy regeneration for more mobility. This can be counteracted by mods like Follow Through and picking up energy orbs throughout the maps.
  
• Rising Skill:[warframe.fandom.com] Additional mobility. Nezha has decent armor and health, so it's okay to sacrifice a bit of shielding for the ability to move faster.
  
• Follow Through: Another source of energy since the main one is modded out, as seen earlier.
  
• Heightened Reflexes:[warframe.fandom.com] Increases base energy, but also increases the cost of all abilities. Since this build is not focused on casting abilities, this is fine. However, since the Nezha rework, it may be worth trying them out anyways to take advantage of his invulnerability and mobility spells.

Chroma

Chroma is tanky and low-mobility by default, but that doesn't mean he can't put up a fight. His elemental wards are still just as useful here as they are during eidolons, and he can turn the tables of a fight quickly.

Ice, ice baby:

Rationale:

• Searing Leap: Cosmetic.
  
• Tactical Retreat: Since he's already low-mobility, having an extra spurt of movement towards the end of a life can be integral to sealing a kill.
  
• Surplus Diverters: You want to have your 3 ready for big fights as often as possible, so extra energy can't hurt.
  
• Follow Through: More extra energy.
  
• Anticipation: As always, this essential mod goes on anything and everything.
  
• Overcharge Detectors: Might as well use some of the extra capacity.

Reason for no other mods: I am very used to 0.80 mobility, and his tankiness is very useful in outlasting enemies. If you want to experiment with other mobility settings, you can try experimenting, but remember that if you take No Current Leap that you should have a way to get that energy (otherwise, just use Frost if you want a tank with less useful abilities).

Notice on Damage Conversion Mods

Hey everyone! Since I've written this guide, I've been trying to optimize the time to kill (TTK) of my weapons. In Conclave, many mods benefit from not being fully maxed. This includes damage conversions, because they do not evenly distribute the same amount of damage in game. Presumably, this is due to breakpoints with damage values in the tenths.

Here's an example of how these values work against a stock Excalibur:

As you can see, some damage conversions just do more damage overall, both to shields and health. This means that you will likely want to have multiples of these mods at various ranks to make sure you are getting the best bang for your buck.

To use this command, join the Conclave community Discord[discord.gg] and use the command:

..ttk weapon -full

There are other useful commands in the #botspam channel.

If you need more copies of these mods, refer to the "Mod Acquisition" section.

Disclaimer, as of 3/5: It is uncertain whether the "Tenno" health and shield type have spread into Conclave. Take any current calculation with a grain of salt.

Primaries, Part 1

Tetra

This is an ultra-close-range, puncture-heavy, health-shredding, fully-automatic energy bolt slinger. While its range can be partially compensated for by its unique augment, there's little more you can do than harass past medium range. Great when paired with a knockdown or impair build, or when used to finish off unshielded enemies up close and personal.

Become the stormtrooper you've always wanted to be:

Rationale:

• Focused Acceleration:[warframe.fandom.com] Increases projectile flight speed from 100m/s to 180m/s, a huge improvement. This only applies while aiming though, so you're more vulnerable while taking advantage of it. Use it for stragglers and runners who should've zig-zagged, but instead got their backs wet.
  
• Deft Tempo:[warframe.fandom.com] While it won't proc often, what with how fast everyone's moving, you're bound to get some free mobility out of it eventually. That gives you a great chance to reposition or give chase.
  
• Lucky Shot:[warframe.fandom.com] This is obligatory on most projectile weapons, as the accuracy hit is worth the extra flight speed in almost every situation. This stacks additively with Focused Acceleration.
  
• Tactical Reload:[warframe.fandom.com] While highly situational in PvE, this is a huge asset in PvP. Often, there is a lot of weapon-switching in the Conclave. Players will usually bring one shield-stripping weapon that does primarily impact damage and one health-shredding weapon that does primarily puncture damage. This lets them have a tool to react to any situation that comes their way. This is by nature a very puncture-heavy weapon, and it boasts a respectable but still noticeable reload time. Pairing Tetra with a weapon like Viper Wraith or Bronco would be highly effective.
  
• Twitch:[warframe.fandom.com] Not to be confused with the streaming platform, Twitch is part of a series of mods that increases holster speed. These are also highly recommended on all primaries and secondaries for the same reason as the Tactical Reload series.
  
• Comet Rounds:[warframe.fandom.com] While not recommended if you are using the strategies above to balance impact and puncture damage across weapons, this allows for internally balancing the weapon a bit, letting it do more impact to be a bit more noticeable against shields. Recommended if you're using a knockdown build like Soul Punch Nekros, since you have to get through both hitpoint types, or if you don't feel comfortable switching weapons to meet the situation yet.
  
• Loose Hatch:[warframe.fandom.com] Even if you have Tactical Reload, why stop there? Sometimes, you need reloading the old-fashioned way and, with an energy weapon that doesn't really kick per se, it's totally fine to take some extra recoil.

In addition, while I don't have the right amount of capacity for it yet, I'd also add either Gun Glide[warframe.fandom.com] or Apex Predator,[warframe.fandom.com] leaning more in favor of the latter. I don't really slide that often in Conclave, so it would come down to preference. However, more information is always better.

Prisma Grakata

Prisma Grakata sacrifices raw damage for a more forgiving ammo pool and reload speed in Conclave, so I find it better than the stock Grakata. Otherwise, it's largely the same as its PvE variant: lots of small bullets downrange that add up to be very lethal if your tracking is on point.

Blot out the sun with your arrows bullets:

Rationale:

• Brain Storm:[warframe.fandom.com] Often, if there's an augment for a weapon in Conclave, it's worth taking. This is no exception: with an ammo-hungry weapon like Grakata, getting extra rounds even for half a second can make a difference. Keep in mind this is going to have a lot of drain on your capacity.
  
• Gun Glide: Accuracy is at a premium with a weapon like this; with Baza, it's more forgiving, but the recoil on Grakata-line firearms is ridiculous.
  
• Ripper Rounds:[warframe.fandom.com] Since your main concern is taking out health pools when shields are so easily depleted and armor is a major mitigating factor, a greater focus on puncture is encouraged.
  
• Twitch: As aforementioned, weapon switch speed is important. Even if your weapons aren't necessarily different damage types, being able to start the Tactical Reload while maintaining damage output is worth it.
  
• Hydraulic Gauge:[warframe.fandom.com] With most automatics, this mod isn't worth taking. Reduced dps on paper usually translates poorly in application as well, but allowances have to be made when the spread is as noticeable as it is on Grakata. You don't miss out on much, but you gain a much more sustainable output.
  
• Tactical Reload: Not a bad reload speed, but free reloading is always great.
  
• Deft Tempo: Free mobility? Yes, please!

Taking Hydraulic Gauge disqualifies you from taking Loose Hatch or Maximum Capacity[warframe.fandom.com], so no more magazine shenanigans can take place. For the last remaining mod slot, I'd probably take Overview[warframe.fandom.com] for better visibility while aim gliding, or Apex Predator for better tracking capability.

Snipetron Vandal

Welcome to the big boy leagues. If you think you've got the aim to pull off shots with this, go for it, as it's got some of the highest payoff per shot currently in Conclave.

Drop them from fifty paces or more:

Rationale:

• Emergent Aftermath:[warframe.fandom.com] As you can see from my mod inventory, there's not a whole lot to put on snipers. There's another sniper-specific mod, but it's been nerfed considerably and could be considered more of a detriment than a benefit. This, however, is a straight benefit as long as you can manage to get kills.
  
• Agile Aim:[warframe.fandom.com] Since you're going to be ADSing often with a sniper, this is worth taking for extra movement speed.
  
• Comet Rounds: Only worth taking if you don't have a shield-stripping secondary. That being said, I usually engage at ranges much further than the average sniper user out of range of any secondaries.
  
• Twitch: It's still worth being able to switch weapons on the fly, especially if you're sniping in the thick of things and someone comes up behind you.
  
• Apex Predator: Good for tracking down enemies you've already managed to drop considerably with one or more shots.

Primaries, Part 2

Karak Wraith

This is probably the most basic assault rifle in the game. Its stats in PvE are unremarkable across the board, only worthwhile for its riven disposition. However, those same unremarkable features make it ruggedly reliable in PvP. A true workhorse, the Karak Wraith is frequently used by experienced players to clear lobbies faster than any Ignis. Effectiveness is retained at all but the most extreme ranges and its relatively even damage distribution is worth using against all hitpoint types.

This is my rifle, there are many like it...

Rationale:

• Tactical Reload: When accompanied by a semi-automatic secondary like Lex or Lato, the extra time spent firing individual shots as opposed to emptying the magazine as fast as possible usually makes reloading the Karak itself a nonissue.
  
• Loose Hatch: The recoil on Karak is unremarkable. Worsening it won't hurt much, though it may be worth reducing if you primarily engage at long ranges. At that point, Hydraulic Gauge may be worth considering.
  
• Twitch: While damage distribution is particularly generous on the Karak, it's always worth bringing more than one gun to an extended firefight, and being able to access that second gun quickly can be a lifesaver.
  
• Deft Tempo: Sudden changes in mobility can throw you off a little, so it's good to get accustomed to noticing it on your buff bar so you can accommodate and use it to its fullest extent. Good for chasing and escaping both.
  
• Overview: Keeping a broader view of an unfolding firefight can help you identify stragglers that are peeling off quicker than your opposition, allowing you to secure their oro more reliably.
  
• Gun Glide: Allows for slightly better accuracy at range at the cost of being easier to hit when employing its benefits.
  
• Agile Aim: Similar to Gun Glide in rationale.
  
• Ripper Rounds: As seen in the screenshot, with a slight shift to puncture, the impact and puncture values on the rifle are very similar. This equalizes performance against shields and health alike.

Braton Vandal

Braton. It's your first rifle. If there was nothing flashy about Karak, then the Braton series could be described as downright inoffensive. However, in Conclave every Braton variant is reliable, and each of them can be used to great effect. Mk1 is a high damage, low fire rate powerhouse, the regular Braton is a jack of all trades, Vandal is a hard-hitting but inaccurate brawler, and Prime trades damage for ease of use and forgiving traits like high fire rate and magazine size.

Master the exemplar of Tenno firearms technology:

Rationale:

• Agile Aim: You'll want to hug your enemies to reduce the impact of the Vandal variant's inaccuracy.
  
• Ripper Rounds: Helps to balance the damage distribution of the rifle, making it effective enough against health without sacrificing its prodigious capabilities at removing shields.
  
• Apex Predator: Usually, a Braton variant will be your go-to weapon if it's in your loadout, so being able to mark an opponent and stay on their trail is important.
  
• Gun Glide: This can offset the accuracy penalty on Vandal a bit.
  
• Twitch: Even if it's the dominant weapon in a loadout, having options helps.
  
• Loose Hatch: Bratons barely kick, so increasing it a bit won't hurt its CQC accuracy where it's intended to be used.
  
• Tactical Reload: The reload's quick, but free reloading is free reloading.
  
• Deft Tempo: Mobility's always good.

Prisma Gorgon

The Prisma Gorgon was the earliest-acquired weapon I have kept to this day, and also the result of my first trade. Prior to its fairly recent PvE balance patches and the addition of rivens, it was okay, but nothing special. Now, it remains respectable in most content in the game. This holds true for Conclave, too. As long as your opponent isn't too bursty (or at least misses their first shot), the withering firepower poured out after the spool-up can chew through Warframes with ease.

Brrrrrrrt:

Rationale:

• Gorgon Frenzy:[warframe.fandom.com] Augments that increase dps aren't necessarily rare, but they aren't common, either. While this does mean you have to be more careful with the trigger unless you like finding yourself reloading with enemies in the room, it's a good way to kill quicker.
  
• Agile Aim: Since the ADS accuracy of the Gorgon series isn't half-bad, it's often worth aiming to make sure you hit your target. This offsets the vulnerabilities of aiming slightly.
  
• Ripper Rounds: On an impact-heavy weapon, having some extra puncture helps to round it out and allows for use of it more often. If the ammo limitations of Gorgon feel too restrictive, consider omitting this and using a puncture-heavy secondary like Lex or Furis.
  
• Gun Glide: Not fully necessary, but I wouldn't replace it with Hydraulic Gauge, Loose Hatch, or Maximum Capacity because I feel the current magazine/recoil/reload balance is fine. If you don't agree, experiment! Everyone plays differently, and this is definitely the slot I'd fiddle with.
  
• Tactical Reload: Three seconds inactive as opposed to five seconds with your secondary is a tradeoff you can make in the moment and can be a lifesaver.
  
• Twitch: Being able to switch to the secondary more quickly in the situation above helps notably.
  
• Apex Predator: As it's currently used, this is the weapon you're using to kill from beginning to end of the hitpoint bar, so you may as well use that extra information. Also a possible experimentation spot if you want to play with the mods mentioned in Gun Glide's rationale.
  
• Deft Tempo: Mobility's always nice!

Tigris Prime

Its days as one of the most prominent PvE weapons has passed, but Tigris Prime still packs a punch when singling out other players in the Conclave. While not as popular as the Strun series of shotguns, it performs admirably when there's a limited selection of targets, like in 1v1s. The other Tigris variants are also viable (Sancti arguably more so) and would use largely the same builds.

Double trouble:

Rationale:

• Soft Hands:[warframe.fandom.com] Weapon switching is important when you only have two shots to rely on. If you manage to injure but not kill your target with the initial burst, following up with a secondary can seal the deal.
  
• Snap Shot:[warframe.fandom.com] Keeping up is important when you have to close in with your two shots, so movement bonuses are a notable boon.
  
• Kill Switch:[warframe.fandom.com] Since you're going to be reloading often, a reload speed bonus wouldn't go amiss.
  
• Broad Eye:[warframe.fandom.com] Being tactical about where your shots go is necessary with Tigris. Having a broader view of the battlefield can assist in that endeavor.
  
• Bounty Hunter:[warframe.fandom.com] Assuming you have a finisher secondary like Lex, this makes for a good indicator of where that pesky target went off to.
  
• Lock and Load:[warframe.fandom.com] Auto-reloading mods also can be used in PvE, which can help offset god-tier rivens with prohibitive reload rates. Of course, here it also makes sure that you can sustain damage output.
  
• Double-Barrel Drift:[warframe.fandom.com] Spread becomes much more noticeable on shotguns than any other weapon type, so tightening the choke confers benefit in an equally more noticeable way.

Secondaries, Part 1

[Secura] Dual Cestra

Secura Dual Cestra and Dual Cestra don't share the same stats in Conclave. I didn't know this at the time, so I've built stock since. I have also seen single Cestra employed to take advantage of its lower reload time and slightly less ungainly nature.

Dakka time:

Rationale:

• Eject Magazine:[warframe.fandom.com] Works like Tactical Reload, except with the base reload being much closer to 5 seconds (and pushed further with other mods), it's much more useful. Makes these dual gatling pistols useful as a standoff, suppression, or luring weapon.
  
• Blind Shot:[warframe.fandom.com] This is just Lucky Shot for projectile pistols. Notably, Tetra and Dual Cestra have the same base flight speed, so expect similar results.
  
• Secondary Wind:[warframe.fandom.com] Among the funnier puns in Warframe, this gives a huge reload speed bonus after a kill, sometimes making it practical to reload manually as opposed to with Eject Magazine. While its use may be rare, it's still worth having on such a high reload time weapon.
  
• Full Capacity:[warframe.fandom.com] If you already have a large magazine and a long reload, why not push both further? Secondary Wind and Eject Magazine largely offset the huge reload time, and the extra magazine capacity can mean the difference between a kill and the one that got away.
  
• Reflex Draw:[warframe.fandom.com] Much like Twitch, this is an essential mod if you plan to be swapping weapons mid-fight.
  
• Strafing Slide:[warframe.fandom.com] Not quite necessary, but helpful once in a while. You may eke more use out of it as a Nezha.
  
• Meteor Munitions:[warframe.fandom.com] Similar to the Comet Rounds on Tetra, this isn't recommended if you have a separate dedicated impact weapon in your loadout. Use this if you need that burst to be more balanced, but keep in mind Dual Cestra aren't that front-loaded on the damage potential.
  
• Spry Sights:[warframe.fandom.com] Since suppression and baiting at range usually requires aiming to have a chance at landing a hit, it may be worth taking this so that you're less vulnerable at these times.

Bronco

Meant as an auxiliary rather than a main focus, the Bronco is a quick and dirty way to strip shields at ultra-close range and possibly score a kill in just two shots. Best used when you have the mobility to follow up and close in.

Yeehaw with the double-barrel:

Rationale:

• Impaler Munitions:[warframe.fandom.com] With the heavy impact bias of Bronco and its capability of being used as a finisher, a bit more health damage is worthwhile. The amount of damage it puts out usually strips shields with one shot, anyways.
  
• Reflex Draw: As said in the Secura Dual Cestra section, weapon swap speed is important, especially when you have a weapon as situational as this.
  
• Night Stalker:[warframe.fandom.com] Similar to Apex Predator, this is especially good if you've managed to get one shot off and are holding onto the second one, or
  you manage to hit with the spread at with at least one pellet. Ideally, this will let you get the second shot off or reload and chase.
  
• Air Recon:[warframe.fandom.com] This can help with tracking by zooming out when you'd usually zoom in. This gives a better view of an unfolding fight.

It's apparent this build isn't done yet, but I'd definitely put Eject Magazine and Secondary Wind on purely for the increase in rpm. Strafing Slide and Spry Sights would be secondary in importance, and Hawk Eye[warframe.fandom.com] would be a definite no for something that requires as much snap judgment as this weapon.

Viper Wraith

Much like its big brother Karak Wraith, Viper Wraith is an unremarkable PvE weapon with startling PvP potential. Its speedy reloads paired with its strong bite make it a common PDW in the Conclave.

Good things come in small packages:

Rationale:

• Reflex Draw: This isn't intended to be your primary weapon, it's more of a finisher and close-quarters backup. Therefore, it's good to have it available in the moment, and just as good to be able to switch back to what's doing most of the heavy lifting, too.
  
• Skull Shots:[warframe.fandom.com] Many augments improve a weapon, but few raise damage output, and none do so for the same length of time and amount of shots as Skull Shots. Getting one headshot allows the pistol to keep firing for two seconds without consuming ammo, which bypasses the reloading mechanic for that entire time and reduces the amount of ammo pickups you need to seek out per kill. No wonder it's termed "ammo efficiency" on the mod description.
  
• Impaler Munitions: Like Bronco, this has a serious impact bias, so adding some puncture to the mix makes it able to function more effectively as a finisher.
  
• Strafing Slide: With more forma, I would substitute this out for Eject Magazine first or Secondary Wind if I had extra room. However, as a stopgap measure, it helps patch up some of the accuracy problems Viper Wraith has.
  
• Loose Magazine:[warframe.fandom.com] Since you're generally going to be very close to your target when using this weapon, a little extra recoil isn't a problem. Pushing the reload time to half a second makes it almost possible to sustain fire through your entire ammo pool, if necessary.
  
• Spry Sights: There's few occasions where standing still pays off in Conclave, and fewer still when your opponent generally doesn't want to be within range of Viper Wraith when it's drawn. Moving faster in those situations can help.
  
• Air Recon: As with Karak Wraith, keeping an eye on the big picture in a fight can be the difference between seizing an opportunity and losing it to someone else.
  
• Night Stalker: Sometimes, opponents will try to pull a sneaky on you and disappear into the map. The trail and the minimap indicator make sure that their evasion doesn't deny you a kill.

Lato Vandal

Once a badge of the closed beta tester, Lato Vandal became available once more with the release of Elite Sanctuary Onslaught. Sporting respectable crit stats in PvE, its main draw in PvP is to be used to execute fleeing opponents like a commissar.

The Emperor protects:

Rationale:

• Strafing Slide: More to fill out the slots since Lato already boasts significant accuracy in PvP situations.
  
• Spry Sights: Since it's more of a chaser weapon, being able to chase more effectively is a welcome addition.
  
• Full Capacity:[warframe.fandom.com] Since the reload speed on Lato Vandal is already great, chipping a bit off of it to get a bigger magazine is no sweat.
  
• Reflex Draw: Since it's not intended to be used all the time, a way to put it away faster is worthwhile.
  
• Secondary Wind: Counteracts Full Capacity with quite a bit to spare.
  
• Eject Magazine: Just in case you didn't want to spend a second reloading.
  
• Night Stalker: As a chasing weapon, having a good idea of where someone is running off to can ensure they don't get away.
  
• Impaler Munitions: Most players don't turn tail while their shields are up, so being ready to shred health helps the Lato Vandal reach full efficiency.

Secondaries, Part 2

Twin Grakatas

A meme weapon from the start, Twin Grakatas takes the single Grakata to the extreme. Accept no substitutes for high fire rate auxiliary weapons, except maybe the Furis variants, which I may cover in the future!

Shoot 'til it's spent:

Rationale:

• Hydraulic Barrel:[warframe.fandom.com] Much like its primary variant, Twin Grakatas kick too hard to be used full-auto against highly mobile opponents without some of that kick being absorbed. This sacrifices a small amount of magazine capacity for the ability to fire-and-forget.
  
• Impaler Munitions: Since this is a better finisher than an opener, this leans the damage towards being more capable of doing that role.
  
• Air Recon: Like a lot of finishers, it's best to have a good view of the fight.
  
• Night Stalker: Helps with the finishing off, since you'll know where they are.
  
• Eject Magazine: Central to this mod setup is the ability to, as aforementioned, fire and forget. This lets you empty a magazine without worrying about being unable to retaliate for three seconds.
  
• Reflex Draw: As an auxiliary weapon, this is meant to be quickly switched to and away from as needed.
  
• Secondary Wind: If you manage to land that kill and see another opportunity for high burst damage arising, you can still choose to reload manually and capitalize on the situation.
  
• Spry Sights: We've been over how useful movement speed is with a chasing weapon. Same concept applies here.

Melee

Broken Scepter

Broken Scepter has a unique passive where it spawns a health orb whenever you pull off a melee kill. While it's not the best weapon if you're planning on going purely for melee, it has great utility for having decent range, good slams, and the ability to produce health out of thin air.

Souls are just hors d'oeuvres with extra steps:

Rationale:

• Crashing Timber:[warframe.fandom.com] There are no choices on Conclave stances. At least it has an attack called "The Way".
  
• Sword Alone:[warframe.fandom.com] Any source of free mobility is worth taking.
  
• Mortal Conduct:[warframe.fandom.com] While I'm not an expert at using this, there are players with far too much skill with the Skana that can use this to deadly effect. If you see someone flying around with only their melee, I would recommend finding another way of dealing damage to them that isn't shooting at them while they're facing you.
  
• Stand Ground:[warframe.fandom.com] ... and yet, there's also this. This can shut down most 4's, pokes with 1's, and Nova's mines in the right hands.
  
• Serrated Edges:[warframe.fandom.com] Since you're usually only getting one or two hits in if you're using this for utility, it's best to have it ready for either hitpoint type.
  
• Explosive Demise:[warframe.fandom.com] One of the best melee mods, this gives major area control to melee users. Used wisely and timed right, you can pull off chain explosions.
  
• Relentless Assault:[warframe.fandom.com] Any source of free energy is also worth taking.

There is also another build I use when I take No Current Leap on the frame the loadout is in, which looks like this:

This is because Martial Fury[warframe.fandom.com] comes with no downside if you've already taken No Current Leap, since it reduces by a percentage a value already at zero.

Nikana Prime

Intended for use with Ash, I've also seen highly effective use of the nikana stance combos with Volts, primarily employing his 2 for increased movement and attack speed. You'll notice this build is very similar to the Broken Scepter one, but that's mostly because of the lack of melee mods in Conclave.

Become a ninja:

Rationale:

Fateful Truth:[warframe.fandom.com] The only nikana stance in Conclave, I've seen prefential use of this stance as well as the sword[warframe.fandom.com] and polearm[warframe.fandom.com] stances for melee builds. Consider using weapons in these groups if that's your aim.
Sword Alone: Especially with melee-focused builds, having extra mobility is a huge asset. Consider keeping your melee weapon out while eluding opponents for extra movement; if you're already running, you might as well commit.
Mortal Conduct: Same as before. Blocking can be situationally very useful.
Relentless Assault: Energy's always worth having for something.
Explosive Demise: Area denial and area-of-effect damage in the same package.
Stand Ground: Reduces damage from abilities while blocking.

Silva & Aegis Prime

Heat reduces armor with Melee 3.0, and so it's wise to invest in something that isn't Ignis for that. This mace hits hard and has a wide blocking radius, making it very hard to get shots off on you from various angles. As of right now, blocking is bugged where it's determined clientside, so you can be blocking on your screen and not blocking on an opponent's screen and still take 100% less damage.

Sword and board, oh lord:

Rationale:

• All of the regular melee mods might as well go on it, with priority given to Explosive Demise.
  
• However, the blocking augments are now less useful, as blocking already includes most of their bonuses by default now, until Conclave sees rebalancing of melee stats across the board. This may take a year or two.

Loadouts

These loadouts use the mod setups shown above and generally have a theme or shared goal that is achieved using each element of the loadout. Modifications to suit your needs are encouraged!

Nova/Tetra/Secura Dual Cestra/Broken Scepter

The main idea is to find a small, closed-off area of the map that has doors. Tiny rooms and hallways with pickups are ideal. Empty a magazine of the Cestras, then when you notice an enemy coming towards you, go through the door and drop a mine. Finish them off with the Tetra, which I find has better handling than the Cestras. By then, the Cestras should be reloaded, which lets you repeat the trap.

Once people catch on, you can start planting mines in the middle of ongoing big fights, at doorways that people usually flee big fights from, or use other doors and rooms. People fall for this a surprising amount of times, mostly because mobility is the name of the game and there's usually not a huge discouragement from charging in. If worst comes to worst and all the players don't decide to walk into the mines, you can drop your 4 in the middle of big fights and become an environmental hazard. Be sure to be moving while casting as often as possible; a stationary target is a dead target.

When entering firefights, it may be worthwhile to skirt around the fight using the Cestras to save the harder-hitting Tetra ammunition for later. Wait for someone to run away from the fight or get low on hitpoints, then swoop in and steal the kill. Some may call this being a vulture, but I just call it being pragmatic.

When an enemy does a hard landing or slams, try slamming into them to get a health orb. You may also want to learn the melee combos for staves to use it for impairs or knockdowns to capitalize on in close quarters.

Nova/Karak Wraith/Viper Wraith/Broken Scepter

Similar to the above loadout, but the Karak and Viper give you more flexibility at the cost of higher per-shot damage. Karak comparatively has much more reliable accuracy at range and rewards good tracking better. Viper lacks the deep magazines and high puncture of the Cestras, but generally is much better for chasing enemies down. Both Karak and Viper also are hitscan, making them more similar to contemporary shooters' weapons. Any hints about mines and the Scepter still apply, however I'd recommend firing bursts of the Karak to lure as opposed to the Viper, since it has a very small ammo pool.

Nova/Prisma Grakata/Twin Grakatas/Broken Scepter

Definite meme loadout, but practical. The burst dps on the Grakata series is admirable and the amount of rounds going downrange is relatively forgiving with okay tracking. Empty both into a weakened enemy and they should go down. Similar bait and vulture tactics apply. However, these could be applied outside of a Nova situation by investing in a more mobile or tanky frame and staying in fights long enough to single out individual players and kill them. Similarly, the amount of burst could be enough to kill in 1v1 encounters, but it's susceptible to good mobility or burstier damage like a shotgun. If you want to be less committed to the meme, substitute puncture conversion with impact on the primary and bring a Lato or Lex as a secondary.

Ash/Braton Vandal/Lato Vandal/Nikana Prime

This involves getting up close and personal. With Ash's passive, nikana hits apply a bleed that goes through shields to reduce health directly. Dogfighting relatively normally with an emphasis on closing the gap to get into quick melee range. Ideally, without locking yourself into animations for too long, you can successfully apply bleeds and start a war of attrition. You may also want to familiarize yourself in a solo match with the combos used by nikanas to take advantage of tight spaces to utilize the knockdowns and impairs present in Conclave melee stances.

Chroma/Tetra/Lato Vandal/Silva & Aegis Prime

Use Chroma's 3 with cold energy colors to stack up damage bonuses and resistances before entering a big fight. Use Tetra to get enemies low and then Lato Vandal as a finisher once they're a decent distance away. Silva & Aegis Prime can be used to weaken enemies' armor stats if they're a tankier frame.

Nezha/Tigris Prime/Bronco/Broken Scepter

This loadout focuses on mobility above all else to rapidly secure kills. Best used with the snap-shot skill of the gods or against less mobile players, the big idea is to burst down opponents before they have time to react. Fly into a room with an active fight and choose the least mobile player in the room, finish them off, then leave. This loadout shines in 1v1 situations as well, but don't be too hard on them!

Mod Acquisition

Now that we've been over mod setups and loadouts, how does one go about getting these mods? You can check where each mod comes from on the wiki. It's not ideal to buy the ones listed as mission rewards because you can get those passively by playing. In fact, by the time you reach Typhoon, the extras become a nice padding to your Endo reserves!

I'd recommend purchasing any that you can while you're still in Recruit Conditioning using your standing. If you need more mods than you can get in a day, you can check in with the Conclave DIscord server[discord.gg] under #pvp_marketplace or go to warframe.market to set up trades.

Mobility

This is often the most challenging component of Conclave for the new player. Moving and shooting in three dimensions is more similar to dogfighting than it is to the post-arena shooter FPS landscape. While player players in PvE do possess the skills to get through tilesets relatively quickly, a fluid combination of animation cancels and resetting the jump counter by bouncing off walls are the hallmarks of a good PvP player.

Here's a guide breaking down the individual movements involved, with the additional recent changes of most stances now having a dash in their combos:

To see what this looks like in action, try these matches with impressive scores primarily using the relatively unassuming Braton:

At first, this level of activity can seem intimidating, but here's a few tips to help:

• Moderating when you bullet jump, when you roll, when you slide, and when you aimglide can determine your projected distance and elevation. 45-degree angle jumps will yield the most range conventionally. Followed by a roll, you will get the most distance if, exiting the roll, you start aiming. Sliding and not aiming will increase your rate of descent. The roll can also be used to cancel movement in a certain direction and start heading in another, allowing you to avoid traps and setups. In addition, if you start sliding or gliding too early and stay in it, your slowed descent and trajectory will make you an easy target.
  
• Always slide or roll before hitting the ground. Hard landings are death in Conclave. You're a stationary target that even a projectile weapon can easily hit. It also means you lose whatever momentum would've followed your slide, which would've allowed you to strategically aim for cover or follow up movement with chasing or other offensive measures.
  
• Stopping at all is pretty bad. You have limited spawn protection; after that, the free movement of Warframe combined with the small maps mean you will find or be found very quickly. Think of your average Grineer Lancer or Corpus Crewman. They stand in place and shoot. It doesn't go well for them.
  
• Instead, stay in the air. Mobile targets are harder to process and can dogfight more easily.
  
• Always have an escape route planned. Often, you'll need to heal up, gather ammunition, or otherwise need to leave a firefight. It's good to know how to get out of each room without leaving yourself barreling down an open corridor.
  
• Remember to lower your elevation if you need to get through a door. Low, conventional doors can easily be used as bottlenecks for snipers or as a way to hide ability traps like Zephyr's funnels or Nova's mines. Being aware of what's gone through that door, as well as what you hear on the other side, can be key to survival. Higher doors, as seen on Orokin maps, give more freedom and safety at the cost of becoming much more obvious when they open.
  
• Momentum plays an important part in mobility. Often, you can redirect yourself at any point, but you may lose some momentum going in a different direction without having something to spring off of, or when making turns too sharply. Learning to flow like water is an important part of your growth as a Tenno.
  
• This whole forum thread[forums.warframe.com] does great work covering both mobility and aim; I put it down here so it's between the two.

Aim

Knowing how to get around is one thing, managing to land your shots is another. With a mobility system like Parkour 2.0, Warframe is unique for having very fluid gameplay that has a very high skill ceiling. While most content doesn't push that ceiling, Conclave does. It is to this end that advice has been pooled to improve aim in game through many methods.

For PvE methods, Stormdragon has made this video:

For more details, I reached out to the Conclave community Discord for advice. Here's what came up:

• From Sevek: Disable vysnc!
  
• From Triplinster: A series of videos covering aim for another game with general principles that can be extrapolated to Warframe. Here's the playlist link:
  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmT-z3WqrQzS38UIjrfd24UY-VdxNmq0t
  
• From Degu: Automatics and semis train differently, but the overall concept is the same: give yourself unfavorable circumstances in your loadout to encourage resourceful play. Using a stock Latron Prime and a stock Excalibur, play with as few mods as possible and make the best of your situation. For automatics, do similar with a Grakata or Baza. You can even spice up the automatic gameplay by adding a -magazine capacity mod! The general idea is that while you're at a technical disadvantage, your skills will grow to compensate.
  
• From Caphtor: Keep in mind that everyone learns at their own pace. One-day results are not the goal of these exercises. The idea is to form muscle memory of good aim practices, practices that hopefully can carry you to victory more effectively than untrained gunplay. He also recommends the Baza, but with the added caveat of high mobility. As we've learned, high mobility often comes at the cost of lower survivability, so this will put your skills to the test in another manner: how long you can stay in the fight. For semis, trying a few matches with Lex only, no conversions, can encourage you to be more opportunistic while also making every shot count.
  He also recommends some mind exercises to help with aim: when seeing enemies bunnyhopping, try drawing an imaginary jumping line with your mouse. Try to keep on your toes and anticipate their next move, then start moving for it. Some of it comes with experience, but it's a good thing to keep in mind because you can't always keep up with the moment-to-moment without some foresight. Finally, using automatics as a burst weapon and not shooting when you're unlikely to hit allows you to conserve ammunition and deny you the comfort of getting used to missing shots.

What Not To Do

I have entirely changed this section as of 9/7/20 because there are currently weapons that are legitimately bugged. The average person can learn to deal with the old cheese and adapt around it. Until such time as these bugs are fixed, please don't use these weapons. You'll just get targeted by the lobby, get less affinity, get less standing, and you'll have less fun.

https://forums.warframe.com/topic/1189732-abnormally-high-damage-values-on-some-conclave-weapons-after-recent-hotfix/ Fixed!
https://forums.warframe.com/topic/1163022-telos-boltace-even-more-broken-than-one-could-think/

Yes, these are bugs. These are not intentional changes by DE. Yes, you can be reported and have action taken against your account for using these. Please don't.

Old section below.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Stop!

Many people tell you not to use cheese in lobbies. For most people, it boils down to etiquette, and they won't give you a reason on your end why you shouldn't use it. Here's my case:

• The point of Conclave is to learn better mobility and aim skills that transfer over to the rest of the game experience. The rewards are easily farmed elsewhere for the time investment put in.
  
• Alternatively, the purpose of Conclave is to foster a healthy competitive environment to play in.
  
• Cheese weapons usually require less aim and worse positioning.
  
• Cheese weapons are very predictable.

The long and short of it: you're shorting yourself and others when you use something that's higher damage at the cost of being heavily choreographed.

Please refer to this seagull:


























If you see something on here that you're using, it's a crutch! You can play better and score higher without it.
Here's why, item by item:

• Ignis Wraith: While this weapon blinds your enemies, they can simply turn effect intensity down, and many regulars do in order to counter this weapon. It offers some armor-stripping potential and a DoT, but has difficulty fighting someone turning around and facing it head-on. Alternatively, a high-mobility loadout with experience in Parkour 2.0 will simply outrun it. Since primaries are usually the most reliable long-range weapons (with some exceptions like Lex and Lato), this sacrifices a "best in slot" for an easier pubstomper.
  
• Telos Boltace (and, once upon a time, Dual Keres): Slide attack. Slide attack. Slide attack. Easily outranged, unless you have a blocking angle you won't be able to stop any incoming attacks. That being said, this will be nerfed heavily in the coming months. Relying on it now will leave you poorly-equipped for Conclave after its fix. [UPDATE 3/21/20: Dual swords' slide attack damage has been nerfed considerably. Telos Boltace fix on the way.] [UPDATE 8/26/22: Well, I guess not.]
  
• Wolf Sledge: Similar issues to the dual weapons mentioned above, over-reliance on melee weapons leaves your gun skills underutilized. A balance is very important. More than that though, being able to block while dealing damage can get you targeted pretty quickly.
  
• Staticor: Not only is its electricity proc likely an oversight or a bug (definitely a bug in the case of Saryn), but its AoE is very flashy and very hard to avoid... in small rooms. This makes it especially hard to properly peg someone, and with the current state of AoE weapons in the Conclave, it is likely to receive LoS requirement and damage falloff from center in a future patch to make it consistent with other AoE weapons. [UPDATE 3/21/20: It now self-staggers and I believe now has the aforementioned falloff.] [UPDATE 8/26/22: Now used by people abusing the infinite electric proc Saryn can inflict. Yes, this is bug exploitation for personal gain. Yes, this is punishable.]
  
• Zenith: Shooting through walls is a good crutch that allows you to take out people from another room, but usually at the cost of being too focused on another room to keep an eye out for what's near you and to maintain mobility. You're still showing up on the radar, so someone late to the party can just take you out from behind. It overall promotes poor situational awareness. Not super offensive though, and arguably has a high skill ceiling.
  
• Arca Plasmor: It's honestly the least offensive weapon in this category with recent changes. That being said, other shotguns hit harder, are more reliable in damage, and now have less falloff than the Plasmor. Its only advantage is its wide projectiles, which are dodgeable. Try a Strun!
  
• Castanas: I have simply heard of these, as they're not common in NA. You basically sacrifice a weapon slot for a huge AoE that hits harder than, but similar to, Staticor. Players use macros to abuse this weapon. This removes the ability to save the secondary weapon slot for the dedicated role of either health-deleting or shield-removing. The low projectile speed also makes it easy to outrun. [UPDATE 8/26/22: Abused in a similar way to Staticor.]
  
• Hydroid: Your slams are guaranteed to spawn a hard-hitting tentacle, but because you have to slam frequently to get the most out of this benefit, you have to stay low to the ground. Your puddle ability forces you even lower and costs a lot of energy when an opponent figures out you can simply shoot into the center to drain faster. Easily counterable and really only used to farm newbies, which makes fewer people play the mode, which makes it harder to get matches, which slows your standing gain, etc.

Conclusion

Now that you have some ideas on how to mod, hop, and shoot in Conclave, hopefully you can get your shopping list for Teshin or other players written out and you can start making your opponents feel like this when they go up against you:



Meanwhile, you'll be getting skins like these:



Have fun, and prepare to ascend!

EDIT 7/13/20: What other content would you guys like to see regarding Conclave? Let me know in the comments below and I'll see what I can do.

[Mrmelada]

T h e C o n c l a v e

[𓆚 standardheadache 𓆚]

Ignis W, Dual Keres, Telos Boltace, and Soul Punch are cursed wisdom not meant for this mortal realm

[big chungus]

No ignis wraith, dual swords melee or nekros were spotted in this guide, 0/10

In all seriousness, That's a really high-effort guide for an almost dead gamemode, I respect you for your passion for the C O N C L A V E.

[göksu]

The Conclave.

[Maggie]

A warrior only grows if they face the ultimate enemy:
T H E C O N C L A V E

[Pineapple]

We 7 conclave players appreciate your guide.

[K.]

god i did it once on xbox hit max for the syabrs skin.(sips beer) ill do it again.

[Yar]

LAIN

[flufs]

Teshin: wait, tenno actually join my conclave?


Jokes aside, it's pretty admirable you spent time on making a Conclave guide. I mean, the mode is straight-up ignored, and it's only played either by new players exploring what Warframe has to offer, or long-time veterans who literally had nothing else to do so they screw around on Conclave.
I did not read it all actually, but I might bookmark your guide for whenever I feel bored.
Congrats.

(Now go make a Lunaro guide LMAO)

[Exogen EmoKpecmbI]

Dude, this guide is impressive. Bravo :)