The deadly duality, two warframes in one, I sold my original one before Helminth and don’t have the mental fortitude to get another one now - Equinox!
Passive: When Equinox collects Health Orbs or Energy Orbs, 10% of the restored amount is converted into additional Energy and Health respectively.
Metamorphosis - Switch forms, temporarily gaining bonus shields and armor in Night-Form, or bonus damage and speed in Day-Form.
Rest & Rage - In Night Form targets are put to sleep. In Day Form targets become more vulnerable to damage.
Pacify & Provoke - In Night Form reduces damage inflicted by nearby enemies. In Day Form increases Ability Strength of nearby allies.
Mend & Maim - In Night Form, allies are healed with each nearby enemy killed. In Day Form, nearby enemies are bled and then subjected to a wave of slashing force.
Acquisition: Requires a unique method to craft: Tenno must forge both the Equinox Night Aspect and Equinox Day Aspect in the Foundry – each of which requires its respective Neuroptics, Chassis, and Systems – before the Warframe itself can be built. Component and Aspect blueprints can be obtained by defeating Tyl Regor on Titania, Uranus. Main blueprint can be purchased from the Market.
Equinox is one of the frames I play frequently, and their versatility is a big reason for that. Disregarding subsumes (you can make any frame good with them), they really have two big issues:
- Day & night form - Their biggest asset is their biggest weakness, they can’t really survive while doing damage and vice versa.
- Mod Slots - As others have discussed, they’re extremely multiple stat dependant. But to make them really pop you really want at least one augment per build (I usually run two)
That said, in a default loadout (no subsumes) they’ve really got 3 builds, all based around their augments:
- Duality - Clone & gun, enough said
- Calm & Frenzy - A build that maxes range with some strength to make both forms decent at debuffing and cc, needs some external survivability or a subsume
- ET PP - Energy Transfer and Peaceful Provocation allows creates a really nice gameplay loop and is my go to default equinox build, which I will elaborate on below.
ET PP allows us to get into a flow of : Day Form > Provoke > Snapshot Maim power strength > Night Form > Pacify. This allows us to benefit from increased power strength for Mend’s shield restoration. Obviously this also gives us Day Form > Maim and a way to stack provoke even higher for more shield restore.
Yes, you could make this build better & more comfy with pillage or gloom, but I like her default kit.
Overall, Equinox is genuinely a very fun frame that can play very simply or more like something closer to Harrow. I’ll finish off with the following:
STOP SUBSUMING OVER METAMORPHOSIS, JUST PLAY A DIFFERENT FRAME!!!
I still stand by what I said in the original Equinox’s weekly warframe: I like the concept of what this frame is but not necessarily the execution. A DPS/support frame that can switch between both kits with a press of a button is a very interesting idea, but the way it was executed just doesn’t work. Most people who still use Equinox will just use Maim to build up a big AoE nuke over and over, or to put enemies to sleep with Rest. I think what this frame misses is some incentive to switch modes, something like a bar that builds up as you do things that each form encourages. Killings things, Raging them or having them in your Provoke aura range would build it up in Day form while sleeping enemies, Pacifying them or healing allies with Mend would build it in Night form. When casting Metamorphosis you would get some sort of buff depending on how high you managed to build up your bar in the other form. Still allows you to just camp one form if you wish, but now you have an actual reason to play both sides of Equinox instead of just focusing on one.
I think Equinox’s other problem is that you’re actively punished for swapping, too. Pacify & Provoke fall off when you swap, and you need Energy Storage otherwise Mend & Maim fall off when you swap. Which sucks extra hard on Equinox since she’s one of the severe MAD frames: her strength softcap is 200%, she wants lots of range, and Night form requires intense energy economy due to uncapped energy drain per target on Pacify.
I love Equinox, I want DE to love Equinox too.
Both Equinox and Oberon would really benefit by capping drain the same way they capped Gloom.
She’s my main because I latched onto her deluxe skin around the time the Zariman update came out. Her Night Form has whorls kinda like angels, and looks pretty good with the zariman ephemeras. I also pair her with the Paracesis with Chroma Deluxe’s heavy blade skin. Looks pretty cool if I do say so myself.
It’s been a while since i’ve played, and I think I juiced her range, gave her Citrine’s Subsume in her 3, and went for the mod that let her sustain her 4 between forms to build shields and CC, then clear a room when sufficiently juiced or heal if that ever was necessary. Good times, but not exactly the best frame. I wish she had more tools for dealing with bosses.
