Now he’s finally had a rework, a good Caliban build in Warframe can give this Warframe-Sentient hybrid character the deadly damage he was always meant to deal.
Back in 2021, Caliban arrived in Warframe, to a ton of frustration and hate. Fans rallied against his distinct lack of power, and many wouldn’t go near the character, let alone create a powerful build and invest Mods into him.
However, three years later, this powerhouse is finally the killer he was meant to be, after a major rework as part of the Koumei & the Five Fates update. So, if you’re aiming to grab the character for the first time, or pick him up once again, we’ve detailed all the best mods, Arcane Enhancements, and weapons you should be using.
For the best Koumei build be sure to check out our guide.
Best build for Caliban
Best Mods list
- Growing Power
- On Status Effect with Weapon: Squad increases personal Ability Strength by 25% for 6s.
- Cunning Drift
- +12% Slide, -30% Friction, +15% Ability Range
- Constitution
- +40% Faster Knockdown Recovery, +28% Ability Duration
- Umbral Intensify
- +44% Ability Strength, +11% Tau Resistance
- Fast Deflection
- +90% Shield Recharge, -45% Shield Recharge Delay
- Primed Redirection
- +180% Shield Capacity
- Transient Fortitude
- +55% Ability Strength, -27.5% Ability Duration
- Primed Continuity
- +55% Ability Duration
- Stretch
- +45% Ability Range
- Streamline
- +30% Ability Efficiency
Thanks to the newest update, you won’t need to focus too much on increasing the duration of your abilities, but you will need to prioritize Ability Strength, which is why we’ve opted for Transient Fortitude and Umbral Intensify. Then, the likes of Primed Continuity and Constitution perfectly balance it out, and negates the negatives coming from Transient Fortitude.
Growing Power is a fantastic decision for Caliban, helping both your squad and yourself, it just gives an extra boost to your ability power, which is perfect for a tricky situation. Then, compliment that with Stretch, Streamline, and Cunning Drift and you have fantastic abilities, and some extra slide as a bonus.
Lastly, Caliban’s shields are vital for a great Caliban build. If you combine Fast Deflection with Shield Sentient and Elcypse you’ll be practically unkillable, then add Primed Redirection and you’re even stronger.
Best Arcane Enhancements
- Arcane Energize: On Energy Pickup: 60% chance to replenish 150 Energy to self and allies within 15m. 15-second cooldown.
- Molt Augmented: On Kill: +0.24% Ability Strength. Stacks up to 250%
Energy is massive in a game like Warframe, after all, it’s used to power up your abilities, and if you can’t do that efficiently, then all those mods are useless. So, we’ve chosen Arcane Energize for that 60% chance to replenish 150 Energy to both yourself and your allies, which is ideal for any situation.
On top of that, you’ll want to pick Molt Augmented for that increase in Ability Strength. If you’re able to mow down tons of enemies, your Ability Strength can reach up to 250%, which combined with mods is unreal.
Best weapons
The best thing about Caliban is his nature as a jack-of-all-trades. As such, pretty much any weapon will work perfectly for him.
Nevertheless, we suggest using guns like Phenmor, Acceltra Prime, Ceo, or even Fulmin Prime if you want to attack from range, though that’s not advised given the closer ranged abilities this character thrives in.
Ultimately, anything that packs a punch, works well with your playstyle and is versatile enough to work with Caliban’s abilities.
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Caliban abilities explained
| Ability | Description | Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Passive | Allies within Affinity range gain up to 50% resistance to the types of damage they are currently taking. | n/a |
| Sentient Wrath (Unlocked at Rank 3) | Smash the ground sending out a radial wave of destruction. Those not killed by the initial blast are helplessly lifted into the air, where they take amplified damage for a short time. | Drain: 50Range: 15mDamage: 500Duration: 5sDamage Vulnerability: 15% |
| Lethal Progeny (Unlocked at Rank 5) | Cycle through Sentient unit types, then summon them to Caliban’s side. Conculysts focus on raw melee damage. Ortholysts specialize in ranged attacks and inflict Tau Status Effect. Summulysts summon their own Choralysts and provide shield protection for the squad. | Drain: 50Duration: 30sDamage Multiplier: 1xHealth Multiplier: 1xRank: 5Shields / Second: 10Shield Regen Range: 10mConculyst Whirlwind Cooldown: 10sWhirlwind Duration: 6sOrtholyst Cannon Status Chance: 100%Mortar Status Chance: 300%Summulyst Max Choralysts: 6 |
| Razor Gyre (Unlocked at Rank 7) | Dash forward in a spinning vortex of death. Struck enemies are inflicted with Tau Status Effects, making them more vulnerable to all other status effects. For each enemy hit, recover a portion of the energy cost, as well as health and shields. Enemies lifted by Sentient Wrath take increased damage. | Drain: 25Radius: 10mDamage: 350Damage on Lifted: 700Status Chance: 25%Regen / Enemy: 15Energy Refund / Enemy: 25% |
| Fusion Strike (Unlocked at Rank 10) | Converge three streams of raw energy upon a single point, causing a massive explosion. The streams strip armor and shields, and each enemy struck detonates on stream convergence. Summoned Conculysts can world their own mini Fusion Strikes. | Drain: 100Range: 15mDuration: 6sDamage / Second: 12,000Stream Status Chance: 20%Convergence Explosion: 600Enemy Detonation: 3,500Explosion Radius: 2mExplosion Falloff: 1mConculyst Damage: 0.5xDefense Reduction: 20% |
Nothing is more useful than AoE damage, but combine that with lifting enemies in the air and adding damage over time, and you have a match made in heaven. Sentient Wrath is a fantastic ability with a good range, pretty good damage, and perfect situational effect, especially if you’re swarmed.
Lethal Progeny is a fantastic ability to use, summoning Sentient units. On top of this, the ability to have either melee, ranged, or extra shields makes it fantastically versatile.
Razor Gyre takes the damage of Sentient Wrath and just makes it feel weak. This death vortex is ideal for close quarters and helps increase your energy too, meaning you can use it time and time again. We suggest enacting Razor Gyre straight after you enact Sentient Wrath, as they’ll take increased damage if they’ve been lifted by the ability.
Fusion Strike is just a powerhouse. Sure, it takes quite a bit of energy, but with explosions, the stripping of shields and armor, and the 12,000 damage, it’s honestly hard to not see how fantastic this ability is. If you need it, it’ll be there, and once you try it, you’ll never want to stop blowing things up.
How to unlock Caliban
Currently, between October 2 and October 16, players can earn a free Caliban in Warframe, making it much easier to unlock.
All you need to do is head into Warframe between those dates and head into your inbox, if you don’t already have him, Caliban will be waiting.
Is Caliban worth using?
Yes, Caliban is worth using now he’s had a highly-anticipated rework. Plus, given the fact he’s currently free, it makes sense to try it out.
During the recent patch, Caliban was given a massive rework to his abilities. Namely, Razor Gyre which saw it getting an increase in speed, the ability to heal, and more energy brought back to you. On top of this, Caliban has his own type of damage, known as Tao damage.
However, regardless of the changes, he still uses summoning abilities, which aren’t the strongest out there, so should be used with caution.
Despite all the changes, Caliban isn’t exactly sitting at S-tier in terms of characters, but it’s still a joy to use.
That’s the best build for Caliban in Warframe and how you can get hold of him yourself. If you’re looking for some free items on top of Caliban, be sure to check out our Warframe codes page.