Is Excalibur Umbra Originally Human?
Excalibur Umbra was originally an Orokin Dax soldier who was punished by Ballas for attempting to interfere with his betrayal. Similar to the description of the Warframe creation process previously recorded by Ballas in the Vitruvian, he was shown to be exposed to the Infestation to become an anti-Sentient weapon – a Warframe. However, it was a ‘miracle’ that required the ‘sacrifice’ of Umbra’s son Isaah, at his own hands, forced by Ballas through a unique Transference Bolt.
Furthermore, Excalibur Umbra is released with the first quest that confirmed Warframes to originally be ‘human beings’. Ballas confirms that Warframes were originally designed from human subjects as Infested-hybrids cultivated by the Helminth. It is important to note that all Warframes started as humans who became Warframes (humans with the Helminth strain specifically). Excalibur Umbra is the first Umbra variant Warframe, created by maliciously exposing an Orokin Dax warrior to the Infestation and enduring the unimaginable in The Sacrifice.
Additionally, Excalibur Umbra is the first frame to have had his face exposed due to self-inflicted damage to his helmet in the Arsenal area. This battle-damaged version features the left half of Umbra’s human face that had been mutated into Infested-like flesh.
Moreover, Ballas says during the Umbra quest that all Warframes have traumas the Tenno help them overcome. This implies that the essence of humanity remains within these Warframes, contributing to the narrative that Excalibur Umbra and others were once human.
How Was Excalibur Umbra Created and What Makes Him Unique?
Excalibur Umbra was originally an Orokin Dax soldier who was punished by Ballas for attempting to interfere with his betrayal. Similar to the description of the Warframe creation process previously recorded by Ballas in the Vitruvian, he underwent exposure to the Infestation to become an anti-Sentient weapon – a Warframe. However, it was a “miracle” that required the “sacrifice” of Umbra’s son Isaah, at his own hands, forced by Ballas through a unique Transference Bolt. This memory of filicide was permanently stored in Umbra to be replayed endlessly as punishment for spying on Ballas.
What makes Excalibur Umbra unique is his display of sentience. This allows him to fight on his own when not piloted by the Operator. Unlike other Warframes, Excalibur Umbra’s sentience enables him to remain active after using Transference, thereby supporting the Operator with abilities and equipped weapons. However, it is important to note that Umbra can be damaged, and will stop moving once all of his health is depleted.
The blueprint for Excalibur Umbra is given to players upon completing the first mission of The Sacrifice quest. Additionally, the ability to build the Warframe is granted upon completing the second mission. In a distinct manner, Umbra requires no further components and is crafted entirely from this single blueprint.
Excalibur Umbra comes with three mod slots polarized with the unique Umbrapolarity. He also includes three Umbral Mods: Umbral Intensify, Umbral Fiber, and Umbral Vitality, each fusioned to rank 5 out of 10. His Skiajati Nikana and Exalted Umbra Blade each have two polarity slots and come equipped with Sacrificial Pressure and Sacrificial Steel.
Furthermore, Umbra was created to essentially make Excalibur Prime but sentient. Therefore, he was not the first Warframe but rather the first fully sentient Warframe. Importantly, the Warframes were made before the creation of Transference; Excalibur Umbra was made after the death of Margulis.
Lastly, players receive the helmet in their inbox after completing The Sacrifice quest. This helmet is a battle-damaged version of the regular Excalibur Umbra Helmet, exposing the left half of Umbra’s human face that had been mutated into Infested-like flesh.
Excalibur Umbra vs. Excalibur Prime: Which is Superior?
Comparison of Excalibur Umbra and Excalibur Prime:
- Excalibur Prime:
- Excalibur Prime is the epitome of mobility and offense.
- Features the same abilities as Excalibur, but with unique mod polarities for greater customization.
- Stats are slightly lower than Umbra’s in terms of armor.
- Excalibur Umbra:
- Excalibur Umbra has a Sentience passive, allowing him to remain active after using Transference while supporting the Operator with abilities and equipped weapons.
- Umbra boasts 36% Extra Ability Strength and 82.5% Extra Armor (247).
- Umbra also has better stats and innate Umbra polarities.
- He can strip sentient resistances with his 2, making him useful in sentient content.
- However, he can be damaged and will stop moving once all of his health is depleted.
- Excalibur Umbra Prime:
- Umbra Prime retains the Sentience passive but does not have access to Radial Howl (instead uses Radial Blind).
- Lacks the Death Orb energy passive common in other Primes.
- Its stats and abilities are slightly lower than Excalibur Prime’s, especially regarding armor.
- Has a form of the Exalted Blade similar to Skana Prime, but in a dark ‘Umbra’ version.
Conclusion:
While Excalibur Umbra is technically better due to its stats and abilities, the iconic nature of Excalibur Prime might outweigh the slight advantages Umbra possesses.
What are the Best Builds for Excalibur Umbra?
Suggested Builds for Excalibur Umbra
1. Strength Duration Build
- This build allows Excalibur’s abilities to deal more damage and last longer.
- There is a reduction in range with no change in efficiency.
- Most of his abilities will have shorter range, but they will last longer and deal more damage.
- Slash Dash will have a smaller range but will deal more damage.
- Radial Howl/Radial Blind will have a longer duration with less radius.
- Radial Javelin will have a smaller area but will deal higher amounts of damage.
- This makes it good for melee contact, and its increased duration makes its stun last longer.
- Exalted Blade will have a shorter range when attacking but damage will scale along with the high amount of duration, causing it to consume less energy.
2. Strength Range Build
- This build focuses on strength and range, trading up the two stats for lesser duration and efficiency.
- Abilities cast by Excalibur will have a higher range and deal significantly more damage.
- However, the costs in energy are increased.
- Using this build for area damage and crowd control works well.
- Slash Dash will go further and deal more damage, making it good for traveling distances and clearing out lines of enemies.
- Radial Howl and Radial Javelin will cover a larger area, benefiting from additional strength.
3. Range Build
- This build benefits from increased range, making it good for crowd control.
- Radial Howl and Radial Javelin will have a large radius, making it easier to affect enemies.
- Slash Dash allows you to travel even further.
- Exalted Blade attacks will go further, and the effects of the spin attack Radial Blind will also be improved.
- This build is ideal for being a team player or using crowd control strategies against enemies.
4. Exalted Blade Build
- This top-tier build focuses on the Chromatic Blade augment, utilizing a zero forma setup that enhances survivability and damage.
- It features Steel Charge for energy capacity, Umbra mods for health and armor, and augments that convert physical damage to elemental types based on energy color.
- Hunter Adrenaline helps maintain energy during Exalted Blade, while Streamline and duration mods reduce ability drain.
5. Exalted Crit Build
- This build employs Sacrificial mods for increased damage and crit chance.
- It includes Primed Fury for attack speed and Organ Shatter for crit damage.
- An unranked Life Strike is used for healing efficiency.
- The build incorporates Molten Impact and Primed Fever Strike for elemental damage.
- High status chance and survivability from Radial Howl allow for effective handling of tough enemies.
6. Versatile Build
- Excalibur Umbra is a versatile frame, benefiting from a strong all-around build.
- This makes him suitable for various tasks, including AFK farming.
- He can effectively clear enemies while in operator mode, thanks to his unique abilities.
- Radial Howl offers crowd control and support in combat.
- Additionally, Excalibur Umbra is accessible for free during the Sacrifice questline, making him appealing for new players.
7. Unique Operator Mode Build
- Excalibur Umbra automatically switches to sentinel mode while in operator mode.
- He uses all equipped weapons to defend himself and your operator until his life points reach zero.
Conclusion
As an Excalibur Umbra main, I can attest that the build focusing on 100% status chance powered Exalted Umbra Blade is effective. It relies entirely on Exalted Umbra Blade as the primary source of damage, and you’ll need to optimize your Exalted Blade mods for this to work efficiently.
Can Players Still Acquire Excalibur Umbra Today?
Players can acquire Excalibur Umbra by completing The Sacrifice quest. Here’s how to obtain it:
- The quest can be accessed after finishing the Apostasy Prologue.
- Upon starting the quest, the first step sends you to Lith on Earth.
- In the courtyard, kill the Grineer and use the Codex Scanner or Synthesis Scanner to find items. They can be located in the following places:
- Beside the tree.
- To the back left of the courtyard.
- To the right of the tree, near a rock.
- Around the middle of the courtyard, near a gravestone.
- To the right of the walkway near the courtyard entrance.
- Search for three Warframe traces and one sword in the courtyard.
- Survive another wave of ghouls in the extraction zone.
- Once completed, you will receive the Excalibur Umbra blueprint.
Excalibur Umbra itself is unique:
- It comes from a single blueprint and does not require any additional components.
- Upon crafting, Excalibur Umbra will automatically be at Rank 30 with a free, pre-installed Orokin Reactor and Warframe slot.
- Players will also receive an exclusive Excalibur Umbra Sunder Helmet in their inbox after completing the quest.
- Unlike other Warframes, Excalibur Umbra cannot be farmed or obtained through Cephalon Simaris.
- This means players can only own one copy of Excalibur Umbra.
Ultimately, completing The Sacrifice quest is essential to unlocking Excalibur Umbra, which is regarded as the best version of the Warframe. By successfully finishing the quest, you will also gain access to Umbra mods and his unique nikana named Skiajati.
