Kullervo, a relatively new Warframe, was introduced in update 33.5 – “The Seven Crimes of Kullervo.” With that said, to embark on the journey of acquiring this Warframe, you must first complete The Duviri Paradox questline. Upon completion, obtaining the blueprints for Kullervo’s components becomes straightforward: purchase them from Arcritis for a total of 42 Kullervo’s Bane resource.
These resources are gathered by venturing to Kullervo’s Hold during the Anger, Fear, or Sorrow Spirals, where you’re granted the opportunity to battle Kullervo by the Warden. Amassing 42 Kullervo’s Bane, while seemingly daunting, is relatively swift, especially when compared to other farming challenges within Warframe.
Ability Overview
- Wrathful Advance – Tap that button: Charge up a heavy attack, zip over to your target, and whack ’em. This move boosts your Melee Critical Chance because Kullervo’s all about that rage life. Hold it down: Teleport to any spot you’ve marked. Handy for getting into or out of the fray on your terms.
- Recompense – Kullervo’s got this cool trick where he wraps himself in daggers. Hit an enemy, and you get some health back. Miss, and you’ll nick yourself a little. But if you’re topped up on health, you’ll start stacking Overguard instead, making you tougher against incoming hits.
- Collective Curse – This is where things get spicy. Kullervo curses a bunch of enemies, and when you damage one, they all feel the burn.
- Storm of Ukko – Ever wanted to make it rain knives? Kullervo calls down a Void storm that does just that, shredding anyone unlucky enough to be caught underneath.
Kullervo’s divers kit makes him a blast to play especially if you build him correctly. It offers a killer combo of hard-hitting attacks, top-tier mobility with his teleport ability, and two very different area-of-effect skills. One of these AOE abilities is super user-friendly and gets to work right away, while the other might require a bit of finesse to master. But trust me, once you get the hang of it, the payoff is huge—think of it as your very own nuke button with insane damage potential.
How to Play Kullervo?
Kullervo is all about that offensive game and even though our build makes him a beast, he’s not just a “press X to win” kind of Warframe. Essentially, you have to work a bit to make him an AOE beast but that shouldn’t be a problem due to his agility and a survivability trick that lets him hold his own even against tougher enemies—the ones you can’t just wipe out in a single hit.
Let’s talk about his first ability, Wrathful Advance. This is your go-to for both dishing out damage and dodging danger. Imagine zeroing in on that one beefy enemy you need to take down fast. Wrathful Advance doesn’t just get you there; it supercharges your melee weapon’s critical chance to off-the-charts levels.
Kullervo’s teleport almost makes him an Ash 2.0
Suddenly, you’re not just hitting hard; you’re hitting like a freight train. The key to making this ability sing is having a melee weapon that already has a high crit chance and damage. But the best part? You’re not married to any specific weapon. It’s all about what feels right for you.
The real game-changer, however, is when Wrathful Advance teams up with Kullervo’s third ability, Collective Curse. This dynamic duo is what nuclear dreams are made of. Casting Collective Curse staggers and knocks back foes while linking them together. The kicker? Damage inflicted on one cursed target spreads to the other affected enemies. Although the spread is capped at 50% of the damage dealt to the initial target, with Wrathful Advance’s monumental damage output, you’re looking at obliterating entire groups of enemies—even those daunting level 100+ adversaries—without breaking a sweat.
Kullervo is all about that link and sink life
Kullervo’s kit truly shines with its versatility, and his second ability is a prime example of blending offense with a significant boost to survivability. Recompense might not deliver the earth-shattering damage of Wrathful Advance, but it’s far from being a slouch. It’s perfect for clearing the area around Kullervo, swiftly dealing with lower-level enemies who dare to crowd you.
The real gem of Recompense, however, is its ability to generate Overguard. It allows you to generate Overguard if you hit enemies when your health is full, for that extra layer of resilience. It’s great when you find yourself surrounded by enemies, but you can also use it as a hit-and-run tactic with the use of Wrathful Advance and its secondary teleport ability.
Moving onto his fourth ability, Storm of Ukko, this is where you get to play the role of a malevolent weather deity, calling down a barrage of knives on a specific area. It’s fantastic for controlling the flow of battle, be it locking down a choke point or protecting vital objectives during defensive missions. And yes, while it’s a spectacle to behold as it shreds through lower-level enemies, its impact tends to wane against tougher, higher-level opponents.
Chain of Devastation Build
Crafting the perfect build for Kullervo means dialing in on his most explosive potential, especially harnessing the deadly synergy between Wrathful Advance and Collective Curse. Sure, there’s a touch of survivability boosting potential, though, let’s be honest, defense becomes somewhat of an afterthought when you’ve essentially turned your enemies into dust before they even know what hit them.
To get the most out of Kullervo, your build should primarily pump up attack power and range. These are your bread and butter, allowing you to maximize the reach and impact of your abilities. But it’s not all about brute force; a sprinkle of duration and a dash of efficiency are crucial too in order to help your abilities last longer and ensure that energy consumption doesn’t become a constant thorn in your side.
An effective Kullervo build is a little bit of everything
Your goal is to stack as much power and critical attack as possible, utilizing mods and arcanes to amplify your damage output. Arcane Fury and Arcane Avenger are excellent choices, offering significant boosts, though they’re somewhat optional. Even without them, a well-chosen crit-based melee weapon can turn you into a formidable force. Now go forth and make it rain knives and have fun while doing it.
