Maximize Your Loot: The Ultimate Guide to Nekros Mods in Warframe

Nekros, the harbinger of death in Warframe, is a cornerstone for players seeking to maximize resource acquisition. His signature ability, Desecrate, reanimates fallen enemies, granting a second chance at valuable loot. However, to truly unlock Nekros’s potential and transform him into a resource-generating powerhouse, understanding and utilizing the right nekros mods is essential. This comprehensive guide will delve into the intricacies of modding Nekros, exploring essential builds, advanced strategies, and everything you need to know to dominate the resource grind.

Whether you’re a seasoned Warframe veteran or a new player just discovering the power of Nekros, this guide will provide you with the knowledge and insights needed to optimize your Nekros builds and maximize your loot gains. We’ll cover everything from core mod choices and essential augment mods to advanced build strategies and tips for maximizing efficiency. Prepare to transform your Nekros into the ultimate resource-gathering machine!

Understanding Nekros’ Abilities and Their Synergy with Mods

Before diving into specific mod builds, it’s crucial to understand Nekros’ abilities and how they interact with mods. Nekros’ abilities are:

• Soul Punch: A ranged attack that deals damage and forces enemies to become ragdolls. While not directly related to loot generation, it can be useful for crowd control.
• Terrify: Inflicts fear on nearby enemies, causing them to flee. This can be strategically used to control enemy flow and create opportunities for Desecrate.
• Shadows of the Dead: Summons shadow versions of defeated enemies to fight alongside Nekros. While visually impressive, this ability is less crucial for resource farming.
• Desecrate: Nekros’ signature ability. Desecrate reanimates corpses within range, granting a chance for additional loot drops. This is the ability that makes Nekros invaluable for resource farming.

The key to maximizing Nekros’ potential lies in optimizing Desecrate. Mods that increase range, efficiency, and survivability are paramount. Let’s explore the essential mods for Nekros builds.

Essential Nekros Mods: The Foundation of a Powerful Build

These mods form the core of almost every effective Nekros build. They enhance his survivability, ability range, and efficiency, allowing for consistent and effective Desecration.

• Stretch: Increases ability range, allowing Desecrate to affect a larger area. A must-have for any Nekros build focused on loot acquisition.
• Overextended: Further increases ability range, but at the cost of ability strength. The range increase is generally worth the strength reduction for farming purposes.
• Flow: Increases maximum energy, allowing Nekros to cast Desecrate more frequently.
• Continuity: Increases ability duration, extending the duration of Terrify and Shadows of the Dead (though the primary focus remains on Desecrate).
• Streamline: Reduces ability energy cost, allowing for more frequent Desecration.
• Equilibrium: Converts health pickups into energy, providing a sustainable energy source, particularly when combined with Despoil.
• Vitality: Increases health, improving Nekros’ survivability.
• Redirection: Increases shield capacity, providing additional survivability.

Despoil: The Augment Mod That Changes Everything

Despoil is an augment mod for Desecrate that changes the ability’s cost from energy to health. This seemingly small change has a profound impact on Nekros’ gameplay and build strategies.

With Despoil equipped, Nekros no longer needs to rely solely on energy for Desecration. Instead, he sacrifices a small amount of health with each cast. This synergizes incredibly well with Equilibrium, as health orbs now replenish energy, creating a self-sustaining loop. This allows for near-constant Desecration, significantly increasing loot gains.

The drawback, of course, is the health cost. Therefore, survivability becomes even more critical. Mods like Vitality and shield mods are essential to counteract the health drain. Additionally, consider using a Warframe companion with the Guardian mod to replenish shields.

Crafting the Perfect Nekros Build: Examples and Strategies

Here are a few example Nekros builds, tailored for different playstyles and content:

The Loot-Focused Farmer

This build maximizes Desecrate efficiency and range, prioritizing loot acquisition above all else.

• Aura Mod: Corrosive Projection (reduces enemy armor) or Energy Siphon (slowly regenerates energy).
• Exilus Mod: Power Drift (slight strength and power) or Cunning Drift (range).
• Mods:
  • Vitality
  • Redirection
  • Stretch
  • Overextended
  • Streamline
  • Flow
  • Equilibrium
  • Despoil (Augment)

This build focuses on maximizing range and efficiency to ensure that Desecrate affects as many corpses as possible. Equilibrium and Despoil work together to provide a sustainable energy source, allowing for near-constant Desecration. Survivability is addressed through Vitality and Redirection.

The Survivable Desecrator

This build sacrifices some range for increased survivability, making it suitable for higher-level content where Nekros is more likely to take damage.

• Aura Mod: Corrosive Projection or Steel Charge (increases melee damage).
• Exilus Mod: Power Drift or Cunning Drift.
• Mods:
  • Vitality
  • Adaptation (provides resistance to damage types)
  • Stretch
  • Constitution (increased duration and knockdown recovery)
  • Streamline
  • Flow
  • Equilibrium
  • Despoil (Augment)

This build incorporates Adaptation for damage reduction, significantly increasing survivability. Constitution helps with knockdown recovery, preventing Nekros from being stunned and vulnerable. While the range is slightly reduced compared to the Loot-Focused Farmer build, it still provides ample coverage for Desecration.

The Shadow Tank

This build focuses on using Shadows of the Dead as a form of damage mitigation. This is less common for dedicated farming, but can be fun and effective.

• Aura Mod: Steel Charge or Growing Power (increases ability strength after using an ability).
• Exilus Mod: Power Drift or Cunning Drift.
• Mods:
  • Vitality
  • Adaptation
  • Stretch
  • Overextended
  • Streamline
  • Flow
  • Despoil (Augment)
  • Shield of Shadows (Augment for Shadows of the Dead)

Shield of Shadows grants damage reduction based on the number of shadows summoned. This can significantly increase Nekros’ survivability, making him a surprisingly tanky Warframe. This build relies less on Equilibrium, as energy is not constantly consumed by Desecrate. Instead, it’s used to maintain Shadows of the Dead.

Advanced Modding Strategies and Considerations

Beyond the essential mods, several advanced strategies can further optimize your Nekros builds:

• Forma: Using Forma to polarize mod slots allows you to fit more powerful mods or maximize the effectiveness of existing mods.
• Arcanes: Arcanes provide passive bonuses that can significantly enhance Nekros’ abilities or survivability. Popular choices include Arcane Energize (regenerates energy when picking up an energy orb) and Arcane Guardian (provides armor when shields are depleted).
• Companion Choice: A well-chosen companion can provide valuable support. The Smeeta Kavat, with its Charm ability, can grant double resources or temporary buffs. The Helios, with its Investigator precept, automatically scans enemies, revealing their weaknesses. The Diriga sentinel and its Arc Coil mod can stun enemies, offering some crowd control.
• Weapon Choice: Weapons with high status chance can inflict status effects that weaken enemies, making them easier to kill. Weapons with a wide area of effect can quickly eliminate groups of enemies, maximizing Desecrate opportunities.

Nekros in Action: Maximizing Loot in Different Mission Types

Nekros is particularly effective in certain mission types:

• Survival: Endless Survival missions are ideal for Nekros, as they provide a constant stream of enemies to Desecrate.
• Defense: Defense missions offer a similar opportunity to Survival missions, with waves of enemies constantly spawning.
• Dark Sector Missions: Dark Sector missions have increased resource drop rates, making them even more lucrative with Nekros.
• Resource Caches: Nekros can increase the chance of finding rare resources in hidden caches.

The Power of Teamwork: Synergizing Nekros with Other Warframes

Nekros’ loot-generating capabilities can be further amplified by synergizing with other Warframes:

• Hydroid (with Pilfering Swarm): Hydroid’s Pilfering Swarm augment increases the loot dropped by enemies trapped in his Undertow ability. Combining this with Nekros’ Desecrate can result in massive resource gains.
• Khora (with Pilfering Strangledome): Khora’s Pilfering Strangledome augment increases the loot dropped by enemies trapped in her Strangledome ability, creating a similar synergy to Hydroid.
• Wisp: Wisp’s motes can provide health regeneration, speed buffs, and increased damage, supporting Nekros’ survivability and efficiency.
• Nova: Nova’s Molecular Prime ability slows down enemies, making them easier to kill and Desecrate.

Is Nekros Right for You? Weighing the Pros and Cons

Before investing heavily in Nekros, it’s important to consider his strengths and weaknesses:

Pros:

• Exceptional Loot Generation: Nekros is unmatched in his ability to increase resource drops.
• Relatively Easy to Acquire: Nekros’ blueprint is obtained from Lephantis on Deimos, making him accessible to most players.
• Versatile Build Options: Nekros can be modded for survivability, efficiency, or a balance of both.
• Synergizes Well with Other Warframes: Nekros’ abilities complement those of many other popular Warframes.

Cons:

• Can Be Squishy: Without proper modding, Nekros can be vulnerable to damage.
• Requires Active Playstyle: Nekros’ Desecrate ability requires constant casting to maximize loot gains.
• Can Be Energy-Hungry: Without Equilibrium and Despoil, Nekros can quickly run out of energy.

Alternatives to Nekros: Other Loot-Boosting Options

While Nekros is the premier loot-generating Warframe, several alternatives offer similar benefits:

• Hydroid (with Pilfering Swarm): As mentioned earlier, Hydroid’s Pilfering Swarm augment provides increased loot drops.
• Khora (with Pilfering Strangledome): Khora’s Pilfering Strangledome augment offers a similar effect to Hydroid’s Pilfering Swarm.
• Atlas (with Ore Gaze): Atlas’ Ore Gaze augment converts enemies into statues that drop additional loot when destroyed.

These alternatives can be useful if you don’t have Nekros or prefer a different playstyle.

The Future of Nekros: Potential Changes and Updates

Warframe is constantly evolving, and Nekros is not immune to potential changes. While there are no major reworks currently planned, Digital Extremes may tweak his abilities or mod interactions in future updates. It’s important to stay informed about these changes to ensure your Nekros builds remain optimal.

Mastering Nekros: A Path to Resource Abundance

Nekros is more than just a Warframe; he’s a key to unlocking resource abundance in Warframe. By understanding his abilities, utilizing the right nekros mods, and employing effective strategies, you can transform him into a resource-generating powerhouse. Experiment with different builds, find what works best for your playstyle, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Now that you’re equipped with the knowledge to maximize your loot gains, we encourage you to share your own Nekros builds and experiences in the comments below. Let’s build a community of expert Nekros players!