Now that Warframe has added more Archon Shards and even gave players more opportunities to earn them, it’s only a matter of time before you’re swimming in them. And while it might be tempting to just embed them into all your Warframes for the sake of fashion (with the Archon Shard Ephemera), you might want to hold on to some Archon Shards for your most valuable Warframes. Some Warframe Archon Shard colors offer more.
Warframe Archon Shard Ranking from Worst to Best
We’d like to remind everyone that while some Shards were placed at the worst spot, that doesn’t mean you should avoid them, especially if you find some uses for them. It’s just that some Archon Shards, especially the newer ones, have utilities that are too niche or situational.
This might change in the future with the advent of new colors (hopefully), new interactions, or rebalancing. As for where to obtain Archon Shards, you can try either in weekly Archon Hunts or in Netracells.
6. Topaz Archon Shard (Crimson + Amber)
| Effects |
| Gain 1 (2*) Health per enemy killed with Blast Damage. Max 300 (450*) Health. |
| Regenerate +5 (+7.5*) Shields when you inflict an enemy with Blast Status. |
| Increase Secondary Critical Chance by 1% (1.5%*) every time you kill an enemy affected by Heat Damage. Max 50% (75%*). |
| Gain +10% (+15*%) Ability Damage on enemies affected by Radiation Status. |
The 1st effect is nigh-useless in Steel Path if you spend a long enough time there. However, its 2nd effect is lovely for Shield-gating, and the 3rd effect is not bad. The 4th one is too situational.
So, with only one or two appealing effects, the Topaz isn’t really that competitive, especially since there are better ways to Shield-gate.
5. Emerald Archon Shard (Amber + Azure)
| Effects |
| Toxin Status Effects deal +30% (+45%*) more damage. |
| Recover +2 (+3+) Health each time enemies are damaged by a Toxin Status Effect. |
| Gain +10% (+15%*) Ability Damage on enemies affected by Corrosion Status. |
| Increase max stacks of Corrosion Status by +2 (+3*). |
You’ll want this Warframe Archon Shard for its 1st and 4th effects, especially if you have Saryn. This thing was made for Saryn, whether deliberately or inadvertently. The 4th effect is particularly devastating for armored enemies since it allows Saryn to fully strip their armor with just Spores. It works similarly if you mod in Corrosive Projection and use a Corrosive weapon.
4. Azure Archon Shard
| Effects |
| +150 (+225*) Health |
| +150 (+225*) Shield Capacity |
| +50 (+75*) Energy Max |
| +150 (+225*) Armor |
| +5 (+7.5*) Health/s Regenerated |
All Warframes can benefit from this Archon Shard, though only the 3rd or 4th effects offer substantial value once you’re in Steel Path. Beyond that, it’s averagely decent compared to other Warframe Archon Shard colors.
3. Violet Archon Shard (Azure + Crimson)
| Effects |
| Gain +10% (+15%*) Ability Damage on enemies affected by Electricity Status. |
| Gain +30% (+45%*) Primary Electricity Damage. Gain an additional +10% (+15%*) per Crimson, Azure, or Violet Archon Shard equipped. |
| Gain +25% (+37%*) Melee Critical Damage. When max Energy is over 500, the damage boost doubles. |
| Health pickups give +20% (+30%*) Energy. Energy pickups give +20% (+30%*) Health. |
While it appears this Archon Shard is best for Volt, the 4th effect is a handy alternative to the Equilibrium mod. Hence, you can opt to just remove the Equilibrium mod, saving you a mod slot.
Apart from that, the 2nd or 3rd effects offer some decent damage boosts, should you pick either instead.
2. Amber Archon Shard
| Effects |
| +30% (+45%*) Maximum Energy is filled on Spawn |
| +100% (+150%*) Effectiveness on Health Orbs |
| +50% (+75%*) Effectiveness on Energy Orbs |
| +25% (+37.5%*) Casting Speed |
| +15% (+22.5%*) Parkour Velocity |
You can find plenty of uses for most of its effects (except maybe the 2nd), but any veteran Warframe player will know that the 3rd effect is too good. It’s practically a budget Arcane Energize (and it stacks with Arcane Energize too). Casting Speed can also be a lifesaver for a lot of Warframes with strict ability rotations.
1. Crimson Archon Shard
| Effects |
| +25% (+37.5%*) Melee Critical Damage |
| +25% (+37.5%*) Primary Status Chance |
| +25% (+37.5%*) Secondary Critical Chance |
| +10% (+15%*) Ability Strength |
| +10% (+15%*) Ability Duration |
If you don’t prefer the damage it offers, you’ll love the convenience it gives. Consequently, that’s why the Crimson Archon Shard is our top pick. At times, you just wish you could have all its effects instead of confining yourself to just one.
Granted, most of us would go with Ability Strength or Duration to free up some mods or crank Warframes into overdrive, but you can’t go wrong with other bonuses. Don’t you dare miss these when they’re available in Archon Hunts.
