Warframe: Thalys build guide

Thalys is the brand-new Incarnon weapon added to Warframe with the Isleweaver update. It's a heavy scythe working around the gimmick of shards that embed into enemies on-hit and then cause further damage instances. In all honesty, I can't give it some exciting spin like "the best melee Incarnon" — although it gets quite close to that level of praise with Kullervo.

Particularly, there are some quirks with how the shards of Thalys scales, which makes in only good with particular Warframe synergies. In this build guide for the Incarnon Thalys, we'll explain all of that and the two Evolutions it's viable to build around.

Unique Trait: How do Thalys Incarnon's Shards work in Warframe?

Thalys stats (Image via Digital Extremes)

Once the Incarnon mode is triggered, a Void Shard (crystal-like feature) will embed into each enemy struck with the Thalys. By default, this plants one Shard on every enemy you hit with this heavy scythe.

Afterward, every melee hit will individually 'trigger' every Shard, and they will deal damage. There's one notable thing to know: Shards do not replicate your melee damage. Instead, each active Shard rolls an individual instance of damage.

Furthermore, Shards do not have 1:1 scaling with your mod setup, nor do they inherit all of Thalys' stats:

As mentioned on the tooltip, the Shards do inflict 75% of Thalys' base damage. But it's only base damage, without accounting for any damage mods — including raw damage increments like Pressure Point, Elemental mods, or even faction damage multiplier mods.
The Shards also have 0% critical chance and status chance. However, they do have a 1x critical multiplier, which is affected by crit damage mods.
The Heavy-attack Shard detonation (Chain Shatter on Evolution V) also does not take into account the Combo Multiplier bonus. However, this does get proper scaling: 75% of the base Heavy Attack damage, which is quite high due to the 3-hit Heavy Attack on this melee type.

Best Thalys build in Warframe: Incarnon Talents and Mod Setup

Formalesss Incarnon Thalys build (Image via Digital Extremes)

There are two viable builds with the Thalys in Warframe, based on two Evolution V talents: Explosive Growth for regular light attack and Chain Shatter for a heavy-spam option. Overall, we have found the light-attack build more performant — but this will require you to use (surprise, surprise) Melee Influence for the best results.

What about Void Splinters? When it works, it gets a respectable damage ceiling, but hitting the weak points is hard to execute consistently.

Incarnon talents: Dreadful Reach > Echoes of Rage > Swift Transmute > Explosive Growth

Mod setup:

Galeforce Down (Aura Mod)
Galvanized Elementalist
Weeping Wounds
Vicious Frost + Virulent Scourge for viral (if you are using a passive primer like Diriga, feel free to swap it with Pressure Point and an attack speed mod — which will require one more Forma)
Galvanized Steel
Reach (replace with Primed Reach if you have it, requires one more V Forma)
Voltaic Strike
Condition Overload (although the Shards don't benefit from it)

This build performs the best with a Warframe that can use Arcane Avenger, or better yet, Kullervo thanks to his Wrathful Advance. Both of these are reliable additive crit bonuses that do add base crit chance to the shards of Thalys, making them much more potent. Especially with Kullervo, Thalys can easily become one of the highest-KPM vessels for Melee Influence in Warframe.

Check out our other guides on the game:

About the author

Sambit Pal is an esports Journalist on Gaming and MMO at Sportskeeda. He has Master's degree in English Literature. In his spare time, he is an amateur sleuth trying to trace the Riven Mafia in Warframe, and a recovering Bethesda modding addict. He also secretly enjoys action Roguelites, a severe lack of gitting gud notwithstanding.

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Edited by Sambit Pal