This is interesting...
After some running around with Nekros Prime and figuring out his 3 is actually a toggle, I tried some things out.
First, when using his augment on 3, Despoil, I basically don't use energy. I don't see myself using his 1 and 2 and I refuse to use his 4.
Second, getting slapped with 10 damage per corpse is kind of painful on a frame with no damage reduction and low armor.
Third, his 3 isn't affected by ability duration nor strength.
I enjoy his loot mechanic (I've done many enemy killing runs with regular frames just for a chance for loot), but I don't really like to play something that dies easily. I also don't want to use his 4 with the augment for survivability, because it would annoy me to know that my teammates will be shooting at phantoms half the time. Thus this is how my journey for a tanky Nekros starts.
Some things were not really feasible to farm for me at the moment, so I had to buy with platinum. Hopefully I will earn those plats back in the future, but considering the how much I will make use of the mods before I get to that point it seemed worth it for me.
+ Quick Thinking
+ Adaptation (keeping this at level unranked, because it's also for my Umbra Valkyr build)
My first attempt was getting get rid that self-damage. 3 is affected by efficiency and adding Fleeting Expertise with no real penalties allowed me to get minimal damage. So now with Despoil and Fleeting Expertise, I could pretty much run around in lower missions forever with 3 permanently on, because I'll be getting way more health orbs than I'm getting damage.
Observation:
- I'm sitting on a bunch of unused energy
Solution:
- Add Quick Thinking + Primed Flow to turn that energy pool into additional health
Observation:
- Quick Thinking makes me have more health, but it's still a squishy frame dying really fast (inefficient with HP)
Solution:
- Add Adaptation to turn that HP into something more efficient, Hunter Adrenaline + Equilibrium to get that HP switcheroo going
- Add Pain Threshold to minimize penalties in 'Quick Thinking mode'
Observation:
- Sitting on full energy until panic time and in panic time ('Quick Thinking mode'), the orbs aren't quick enough to heal me back up at higher levels
Solution:
- Take out Despoil and keep HP at max
Observation:
- Still sitting on a lot energy
Solution:
- Take out Fleeting Expertise
Observation:
- Now drains a little too much energy
Solution:
- Put back Fleeting Expertise
Observation:
- Not picking up health orbs due almost always having max health, thus not getting the full benefits of Equilibrium
- Also learned from the person who sold Adaption to me that Health Conversion is a mod. Next Simarus farm goal
Solution:
- Find a way to self-damage myself
Observation:
- Can't find a single weapon that can consistently damage me a little that is not the ridiculous build cost Hema
Solution:
- Try harder at finding the right weapon to do this job
Observation (by chance? Googling around health orbs):
- I suddenly find out Synth Fiber is a thing: a Sentinel mod allowing you to pick up health orbs even when full
Solution:
- Farm Synth Fiber and add it
Observation:
- Picking up so many orbs now and with Equilibrium kicking in, I'm drowning in energy
Solution:
- Remove Hunter Adrenaline & Fleeting Expertise
Observation:
- Super sustainable with Synth Fiber on Sentinel + Equilibrium
Solution:
- Multiple mod slots free
My next goals are farming for Synth Deconstruct so my Sentinel has a chance to create even more health orbs, and Health Conversion to turn all those health orb pickups into temporary armor. The energy balance and health orb pickup are now solved.
I think with adaptation and armor, the HP even in Quick Thinking mode should be effective enough to prevent stagger, so I can remove Pain Threshold freeing up another mod slot. Though I might still keep it once I unlocked the Exilus slot, because that's the only Exilus mod that makes sense except for maybe a little bit extra ability range.
It's funny that while doing this, I learned to do more Simaris (how to scan targets other than the daily task) and Fortuna (which I've mostly avoided and now I notice I can't rank up without Training Debt Bonds...).
It's all these little goals that just keep me going and going. And this is just for one warframe, even though there's still a million other things to do, like farming those last few 60/60 mods, the remaining corrupted mods, unlocking Arbitrations, farm Wukong Prime, farm Wisp, farm ducats, do more Edeilons, make my first (Nikana) Zaw because of that Amalgam Daikyu mod that gives Nikanas lifesteal, etc. etc.
This game D: