The Eidolon is a Warframe Play Wall
Photo by Bernard Hermant on Unsplash
Onkko Sourced from Warframe Wiki
?Every choice closes off an infinite number of possible futures. The Amp you craft, then, is unique in all the multiverse. Where you end, and it begins? An unanswerable question. Research. Craft. Assemble. Strive to answer the unanswerable.? ? What Onkko says when you don?t have Amp parts.
When you search Google concerning the Eidolon, you get a host of how-to-play videos. These start back with the initial introduction of the Eidolon Teralyst on October 22nd, 2017 with update 22. Since this update, there have been adjustments to this major boss. The first major adjustment was on January 25th, 2018 when the purple bar was added to show how much shield you need to blast through with your Operator void powers. Another major change was on Feb 9th, 2018 when the base level was raised from level 20 to level 50. Then on September 3rd, 2019 issues with how some amps used weren?t causing enough damage was fixed. Digital Extremes shortly followed this by an update on September 18th, 2019 where adjustments to all the Eidolons were done because they were taking too much damage to the weak points.
Eidolon Teralys Sourced from Warframe Wiki
The reason I say this boss is a play wall in Warframe, is because when you review many of the videos that are out there, they are using warframes and weapons which require a player to have been around during a certain point in the history of the game.
Take the use of Trinity or Rhino. While the wiki lists the normal warframes, the reality is many YouTubers use the prime versions because of slightly better stats. Here?s the deal, both Trinity and Rhino prime warframe versions are no longer available for players through Void relics. Digital Extremes introduced Trinity Prime on October 6th, 2015 and Rhino Prime March 4th, 2014. If you weren?t playing the game during that time period, you are stuck with the everyday models and a lower chance of success.
By September 3, 2017 we see the first YouTubes talking about soloing the Eidolon. In the last year there?s been a host of them demonstrating that the older community has gained enough strength to solo this boss easily.
The other thing I quickly notice with many of the builds is they use amp builds and arcanes which result from drops from the Eidolon itself. Thus, for you to capture or kill the Eidolon you need the very items the Eidolon provides you.
With the exceptions to the 2019 changes, Digital Extremes seems to not care too much about Operators or focus in the game. I think it?s because it?s irrelevant to most of the current game play. Although when the New War starts this issue may be readdressed. We might see yet again another change to the Eidolons turning them into a greater play wall for new Tenno.
You Hunt Eidolons for the Shards
While the Eidolons drop mods, arcanes and Sentient cores, it?s the shards that matter the most. You need Eidolon shards (10 of them to be precise) to advance in the Quills. Thus, you can build better amps and earn affinity (i.e. xp) from all your amp builds. Otherwise the three amps you get initially to use, and level up do nothing for you. They are just a waste of time from this perspective.
Eidolon Shard sourced from Warframe Wiki
The other thing you need Eidolon shards for is the construction of the Paracesis. This weapon is called the Sentient slayer and is a reward for the Chimera Prologue quest. The real problem is none of these shards are tradable items with another Tenno. So, you can?t even ask more advance players for some in exchange for plat.
Now I know, a lot of gamers out there are saying to themselves, ?So what. Who cares, just skip this challenge because it?s a scam.?
I would agree it?s in part a plat scam because Eidolon lenses are now available on the market. And thereby allowing a player to earn more focus by paying into the game. Thus, unlocking certain game mechanics. Then making this boss fight much easier.
This play method would require the player to constantly play because it?s only converting ?2.25% of excess Affinity? to focus. Ironically, if you got a Brilliant Eidolon Shard, you could cash that in for 25,000 focus points. This would allow you to unlock your focus tree faster. And the Eidolon always drops this when captured. Capturing the Eidolon is by far the fastest way to open the focus tree and get the game benefits associated.
We Have an Unanswerable Game Play Dilemma
I have yet to come across a YouTube video showing gameplay using normal warframes and normal weapons. The only videos that come close are so early on that they are invalid at this point in the game. I came across one video using a second level amp you get at level 2 with the Quills, but again this video shows using a Trinity Prime.
The builds the video had were claimed to be cheap, but some of the mods required you to deal with level 20 Orokin Tower missions. Or be lucky with an Orokin Vault which requires special Dragon Keys. Or to be obtained from a Nightwave offering or Baro Ki?Teer. Stuff I have and can do, but it?s an RNG reality for getting some of these mods.
This video?s total endo cost for the mods was 145,460 and the total credit cost was 6,034,119. Plus, this video had invested six forma meaning he leveled up both his weapon and warframe seven times from level zero to thirty. Either this YouTuber did some Sorties and was lucky enough to get a Legendary Core or two, or played a lot on the Index with a Rhino Prime build to help cover the credit costs. Either way, his build is not cheap since you can?t even get a Trinity Prime now.
This is one of the major problems with the game Warframe, and why I say this aspect of the game is a play wall. Whatever videos you come across you must cross reference the creation date against the current patch notes. With the Teralyst, Digital Extremes has made so many changes I?m not sure if the suggestions on even the wiki are valid. The only one that might work, until DE nerfs it, is a mention about one of Wisp?s Sol Gate taking out the limbs easily.
I have Wisp, but I need to level her up to try this method. If it works, I?ll make an addendum to this Medium posting.
The only other method I know of getting these shards at low levels is sponging off people during a public session. My friend was fishing at night on the Plains of Eidolon while in public mode, when a group of Tenno started to attack the Teralyst. This is how he got an arcane and a shard. Lucky for him the team just ignored him and didn?t curse him out for being there.
Final Comments
Originally when I started to play the Plains of Eidolon, I would run in fear of the Teralyst and the Vomvalyst because they easily killed my warframe. But now with over 700 hours in the game, I?ve had the time to invest into opening the focus trees and build some initial amps. I will hunt Vomvalysts at night just for the cores to buy more items from Onkko.
I was told once by another Tenno, ?duh eidolon fights are supposed to be tough their endgame bosses that give high tier loot and rewards I mean to even fight them you have to have the bulk of every story quest completed so I hope they would be difficult?.
After 700 hours I have completed the bulk of the story quests, and I?m totally frustrated by the play wall holding me back. I have enough power to take out the Teralyst?s shield but that?s it. For capturing or killing it, I?m just not there yet. I?m uncertain if I can ever get to that point, because there?s always some patch to strengthen this boss pushing it further away from me.
While I don?t mind a challenge, the Eidolons push players who started late in the game to their absolute limit. It?s no wonder that 5% of players on Steam have defeated the Teralyst. It?s truly an elite club of players.
ADDENDUM
As promised I?m adding an addendum to this posting concerning the use of Wisp. I managed to level up my Wisp warframe enough to use her Soul Gate against the Eidolon Terralyst. The results were disappointing. It didn?t make a dent against the limbs. Could be a range or strength issue, but I doubt it.
I did manage a few times to hit the Teralyst Synovia (Limb) joints. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Which matches up with other notes on the Warframe Wiki that warframe powers do nothing against the Teralyst. I did manage to find one YouTube Video on how to use Wisp against the Teralyst for those interested. This YouTube gamer doesn?t bother with Soul Gate at all, and uses Wisp like main gunner during combat.
