Warframe: Advanced Builds Guide - Nyx & Nyx Prime

Short guide offering some alternative builds and playstyle options for Nyx. UPDATED as of patch 23.10

Introduction:

Hello and welcome to my guide! Detailed below is my personal favorite way to build and play Nyx. I chose to write a guide about Nyx (Prime) because I love her godlike ultimate with her Assimilate augment. You can play her as an invincible crowd control caster who can confuse masses of enemies, convert their strongest units to your side, and absorb all the damage they try to dish out. Read on below to discover how you can try out this unique yet highly effective build!

Note: This guide is far from finished. Since Warframe is always being updated and getting new assets, this guide is subject to change and future revisions, as certain frames, weapons, companions, and mods are buffed or nerfed accordingly. My own build for Nyx Prime will also change as I obtain and level new mods and discover more aspects of the game to min/max.

Assimilate Augment

Nyx, and her Prime variant, has become one of my favorite tanky crowd controllers. Granted, she isn't inherently an actual tank, but with the proper mod setup and efficient energy management she can be played like one. Nyx shines best with range, duration, and efficiency mods so that her Mind Freak, Chaos, and Absorb abilities have their maximum effect.

In the screenshot below of my Nyx Prime, you can see I've built her with high duration (223%), range (190%), and efficiency (170%). Her power strength is at a mere 40% because Nyx's strengths in this build lie within her AOE crowd control abilities. We'll mostly be using her Absorb ability with the Assimilate augment, but not to deal power damage, and following up with Chaos on mobs and Mind Freak on Eximus and elite units. Psychic Bolts will be largely ignored, as it isn't as useful as Chaos and it won't receive any power scaling. If you're looking to deal damage, you might want to pick a damage-dealing frame like Nidus, Ember, or Saryn, instead of trying to build for power strength on Nyx.

Nyx Prime Stats:

Mod Setup:

Build Notes and Explanation:
At first glance, Nyx certainly looks like the opposite of a tank. Her prime version still only has 50 base armor and her vitality and shields are pretty average. So how can she be a tank? This is where her augment Assimilate comes into play. This mod alone is what makes Nyx an unkillable disabler. With a maxed Assimilate, Nyx can move at 50% of her original speed, at the cost of half the radius for her Absorb. However, it is extremely important to note that Nyx can still attack, cast abilities, and revive players while using Absorb. Modding her with an Energy Siphon aura, Streamline, and mid rank Fleeting Expertise allow her to stay in her ultimate for very long periods of time without too much energy consumption. You can also add a Zenurik lens and potentially Arcane Energize if you feel the need for more energy regeneration. Currently, this build uses only 1 Forma, to get a rank 9 Narrow Minded, which is all you really need. It's certainly possible to add another Forma to fit either Overextended, Stretch, or Cunning Drift to squeeze out more duration from a maxed Primed Continuity. Using certain Syndicate weapons, like the Synoid Simulor, will also help you regain energy while in Absorb.

Duration:
We want to get as much duration as possible which will boost Nyx's ability to stay in Absorb. Mind Freak and Chaos also benefit from this stat. A Primed Continuity (doesn't necessarily need to be maxed), Constitution (maxed), and Narrow Minded (Forma) will boost your duration over 200%.

Range:
Useful for both the Chaos Sphere and Assimilate augments, range will allow you to affect the entire room of enemies. Overextended (maxed), Stretch (maxed), and Cunning Drift (maxed) give you a nice 190% boost to your range.

Efficiency:
This stat is also important because it will allow you to stay in your ultimate longer and refresh your abilities with more casts. Streamline (maxed), Fleeting Expertise (rank 6), and Energy Siphon help keep your energy topped off.

Augment:
Choose either Assimilate or the more standard Chaos Sphere. This guide is geared towards incorporating Assimilate (the augment mod for Absorb) but Chaos Sphere (the augment mod for Chaos) can still easily be swapped in instead if you prefer that playstyle. I have also added a mod setup section geared more toward Chaos Sphere builds.

Chaos Sphere Augment

The Chaos Sphere build sacrifices some Duration in favor of higher Range. Alternatively, you can use the Assimilate build and swap Assimilate for Chaos Sphere if you prefer running with those stats instead. I've used some of the Augur set mods here, which are viable because you'll be casting Chaos more frequently and thus gaining an advantage with the set bonus on each cast. This gives Nyx a little more durability in the form of extra shields.

Mind Freak Augment

This build is for a bit of fun and focuses mostly on boosting Power Strength, though no stat really suffers here. The Mind Freak augment scales off extra Power Strength, so casting it on powerful enemies is crucial.

Weapon Choices & Mods:

The Ack & Brunt is the ideal melee weapon for the Assimilate build, mainly because of the Electromagnetic Shielding mod. This weapon and unique mod synergize well with Absorb/Assimilate by negating damage your allies take while you block attacks. This tactic works especially well while in your Assimilate form, as you will take no damage while taunting enemies and boosting your allies' defense. You can tell the effect is active when you see tethers from your shield attached to nearby allies. The Guardian Derision mod is another important component of this build that taunts nearby enemies into attacking you while you block. Both weapon mods have a set max range that cannot be increased by Reach or Primed Reach.

Primary and secondary weapon choices include any with the Blight and Entropy augments, which are found in the Syndicates Red Veil and Cephalon Suda respectively. The weapons from these factions are preferable because of the Energy regenerating effects they give the player. If Energy management isn't a problem for you, you can always swap it out with any weapon of your choice, including self damaging ones like Ogris, since you'll be invulnerable in Assimilate while using it. This flexibility in weapon choices can open up other potential playstyles for your Nyx.

Primary Weapon of Choice

The Supra/Supra Vandal has become my personal weapon of choice to use with Nyx. It is extremely powerful with most frames and becomes even more useful with the Entropy Burst mod, which restores energy and damages enemies around the player. Below I've listed 3 mod setups I have for my Supra Vandal (4 Forma).

Entropy Burst:


Crit:


Riven:

Seconday Weapon of Choice

Thematically, the Mara Detron is a great secondary weapon for Nyx when built for Radiation status. I find it's highly underrated as a status weapon and is a nice contrast to a primary with a high fire rate. I've chosen to mod mine for Raditaion and have included the Thermagnetic Shells mod for additional Magnetic damage.

Melee Options

If you're going the Assimilate build, I recommend the Ack & Brunt. However, the Kestrel (below) and polearms with high reach (Guandao, Cassowar, Orthos Prime) are also good alternatives. The Kestrel is easy to build and max out, plus it has good synergy with Nyx in Assimilate form as it is a thrown weapon. Its unique mod Entropy Flight is a nice touch that restores energy, similar to Entropy Burst on the Supra.

Playstyle:

At the most basic level, Nyx/Nyx Prime is a support frame. Your job is to refresh your Chaos on enemies when the duration is up, Mind Freak unique units with useful abilities (Ancient Healers, Boilers, Eximus, etc.), and use Absorb/Assimilate in tight situations to revive teamates and distract enemies. Nyx is viable in most missions, but really shines in Defense, Survival, Interception, and Excavation mission types. She is most successful at defending a set area with a damage dealing teamate, using her Assimilate/melee block combo to taunt enemies away from objectives and fragile allies. With efficient energy management, she can become borderline invincible and is always there to keep her team safe. More aggressive Nyx players will enjoy becoming an unkillable machine of destruction, depending on how they modify their weapons and build. These nuances make Nyx a versatile frame with few weaknesses.

I find she partners better with Sentinels with the Vacuum mod than Kavats and Kubrows. Even though she is mobile during Assimilate, she can't cover great distances even with spamming her melee. A Sentinel such as the Taxon equipped with the Vacuum mod can be extremely useful for helping Nyx pick up goodies like ammo and energy drops. The downside is that Sentinels generally can't be revived like Kubrows and Kavats can. If you do go the Sentinel route it might be worthwhile to have a maxed Regen or Primed Regen for high level missions or sorties or if you find that your Sentinel is dying too much to be useful. It's entirely your personal preference whether you choose a Sentinel or Companion; experiment with different setups to find what works best for you.

Pros & Cons:

Nyx/Nyx Prime can function as either an unkillable support caster or weapon reliant tank, depending on how you mod her.

Pros:
Innate Radiation damage for crowd control
Mind Freak takes annoying enemies out of commission and rallies them to your cause
Chaos ministuns enemies and makes them attack those nearest to them
Absorb/Assimilate makes you invincible yet still able to do damage and help allies
Electromagnetic Shielding coupled with Guardian Derision reduces damage your allies take
Nyx's components can be acquired relatively easily through Infested Invasion missions
Does not require a high skill cap to play effectively
Does not require too many unique or difficult to trade for mods

Cons:
Psychic Bolts do negligible damage
Mind Freak can sometimes bug, lasting longer than intended
Does not buff damage output
Limited defensive options (only Assimilate provides defense)
Heavily reliant on Energy to maintain invincibility
Heavily reliant on weapon choices to deal more damage (Ignis Wraith, Supra Vandal, Zarr)
Nyx Prime is currently vaulted and subject to market prices
Ack & Brunt must be researched in dojo and requires forma to build

Things You'll Need for this Build:

Below is a quick "at-a-glance" checklist to help you get started with this build. The required list has the absolute minimum components you need to achieve the "tanky guardian" playstyle. The recommended list has additional beneficial components you may wish to invest in to alter or personalize your build.


Required:

Fully built Nyx or Nyx Prime
Orokin Reactor (1)
Forma (1)
Melee: Ack & Brunt
Orokin Catalyst (1)
Primed Continuity
Energy Siphon
Streamline
Cunning Drift
Overextended
Narrow Minded
Fleeting Expertise
Constitution
Stretch
Assimilate
Electromagnetic Shielding
Guardian Derision
Final Harbinger

Recommended:

Nyx Prime
Forma (2)
Zenurik Lens (1)
Arcane Energize for helmet and syandana (max rank)
Primed Continuity (max rank)
Narrow Minded (max rank)
Chaos Sphere (to replace Assimilate/change builds)
Taxon
Medi-Ray
Guardian
Sanctuary
Shield Charger
Vacuum
Primed Regen/Regen
Primary: Synoid Simulor/Rakta Cernos/Ogris
Secondary: Blight/Entropy augment capable weapons

Resources and Recommendations:

It may be helpful to join the Arbiters of Hexis or New Loka syndicates early on if you don't wish to use the trade market or spend plat to acquire Assimilate or Chaos Sphere; either can be unlocked with 25,000 standing. However, it's more cost efficient to join either Red Veil or Cephalon Suda as they have the faction specific energy regen weapon augment mods you might want to pick up later. Cephalon Suda and Arbiters of Hexis are allied factions, so standing in one will give you standing for the other, at a decreased rate.

Beyond general gameplay, the most straightforward way to acquire most of these mods and faction specific weapons is through trading, which will require you to be Mastery Rank 2. I'd recommend saving some plat (and credits) for an unranked Primed Continuity and Guardian Derision since these can be the hardest to farm. If you're not going to spend plat on anything else, invest it in mods. A good mod set is vital in Warframe and makes such a huge difference in what you can accomplish with your frame and weapons. Most of the mods I've mentioned can easily be incorporated into other frames/weapons/sentinels so it remains beneficial to acquire them for later.

Note: I did not include any of the Set mods that were released in the Plains of Eidolon update, nor speak about the Focus 2.0 system. I am currently learning more about them and these systems and will include them in the guide at a later date if I find they significantly benefit this build.

I highly recommend checking out the Warframe wikia for more detailed information regarding mods, forma, weapons, sentinels, and companions. The fundamentals of these topics are beyond the scope of this guide and have been covered in detail by other content creators as well as the aforementioned wikia. However, I am more than happy to point you in the right direction if you have more questions about these topics in the comments below!

This guide contains several screenshots taken by me but also various pieces of artwork and concept art of Nyx, Nyx Prime, and locations in the Warframe universe, which were created by the developer, Digital Extremes, and can be found on their website. All the rights to this artwork (and game) belong to Digital Extremes.

Conclusion

:
If you've made it this far, CONGRATULATIONS TENNO! You've reached the end of my very first guide. I hope you found the information useful and that you'll at least have some fun playing with Nyx. I've tried to keep this guide as spoiler-free and informative as possible without delving too deep into the details. If you liked this guide feel free to give it a thumbs up, and if you didn't, tell me why in the comments below!

Til next time Tenno

Other Guides:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1523718874

[Romeo Deluxe]

Doesn't belong in the Gameplay Basics category

[Upside Drow]

Hey thanks for all the positive feedback guys! I'm glad you found the guide helpful and enjoy playing Nyx too! I added Kestrel and Supra builds based on @MrLagzy's suggestions.

@JUSTJSAMMY: True, I haven't really emphasized crit in my weapon builds. Currently my Ack & Brunt build is very outdated (but still viable), and the Kestrel doesn't have the best crit chance so I went for status instead. After Melee 3.0 releases I'll be updating the melee builds. Two of my Supra builds have hybrid crit/status, which give the best damage potential rather than pure crit because you're stripping armor with Corrosive. I have to update those screenshots as well to show the numbers. And the Mara Detron is a status focused secondary, so I could include something like an Akstiletto Prime hybrid crit build in the future if that's something you'd want to see included.

Also expect to see more updates once Nyx's rework goes through!

[Vincenzo Corvo]

Great guide! I have a question though. why is there not an emphasis on critical dmg or chance?

[KazQueenB]

I LOVE NYX AND NYX PRIME SHE IS THE BEST WARFRAME I PLAYED

[Mole]

Nyx main, good guide, I like to support my team and keep them safe.

[MrLagzy]

I have a similar build - Though instead of ack & Brunt I use Kestrel for the augment mod and Dispatch Overdrive - gives you a bit more movement speed - also gives energy when for it's syndicate ability! :D
And then Supra as my main weapon with the Supra augment from Cephalon Suda too.

[Paul]

Nice build, I love Nyx myself and play her kinda like this.