Warframe's New Support Meta - Safeguard Nezha Guide

For those who don't have an in-depth understanding of Warframe, Nezha is a bit of a niche Warframe. He can tank like Rhino, burst heal, and Crowd Control. He doesn't shine in any of those aspects, but the fact he combines them is one of his strengths. In a sense, he's a higher tier Oberon: a mix-n-match of Warframes that has a kit that in rough terms gives him some proper solo survivability while also being of "some" use to a team. Suffice to say, this article will be more geared towards experienced Warframe players, but feel free to continue reading. Maybe it'll pique your interest in the game!

What's most commonly agreed upon is that Nezha is fun to play when you're at the post-20 Mastery levels and have grown a little bored. You want something that's fast, survivable, and at least has some CC that'll allow you to sprint past a bad batch of enemies if so desired, along with a little heal to sustain yourself.

However, with the Safeguard augment, Nezha gains a skill that turns him into a unique support. No other Warframe does the exact same thing. So without further ado, let's get into it.

The Initial mod setup

For starters, let me show you the mod setup I have for Nezha.

I won't say it's a particularly good build. In fact, most dedicated Nezha players would scoff at it as I haven't even fused any Forma on it. But that's not what we're here for. The only mod that really matters for the sake of this guide is Safeguard. Be sure to have it maxed! Also Rending Turn is on there because it makes my jumps look neat.

A maxed Safeguard mod lets you place a 50% strength copy of your Warding Halo on anything friendly that's also animated. I'm talking not just teammate Warframes but Companions, as well as friendly NPCS, such as Hostages or Operatives sent with you on Syndicate missions or even the friendly Corpus/Grineer NPC's during an Invasion mission.

In theory, it even works on the Defense objective in a Sortie (which is always an NPC). But, quite frankly I'd just recommend someone bringing a High Duration Limbo, banishing both himself and the NPC, while he watches some YouTube with the rest of the team goofs about getting the kills. A thankless job, but one that will guarantee victory with enough competence.

Teammates & Warframes

The main section of this guide will be dedicated to other Warframes. Not every Warframe a teammate brings mingles well with Nezha's new augment. Most of them do, but there are a particular few that don't, and a particular few that do really well!

I won't list all Warframes, just the ones that need a little bit of extra attention to point out a few things.

The Thankful Teammates

Not every Warframe extensively benefits from Safeguard in the same manner. Here are a few that benefit from Nezha in their own way.

Ash

Straight off the bat, Nezha and Ash is a good combo. When Ash starts his Blade Storm, Nezha throws his Blazing Chakram out to a red marked enemy that didn't die immediately, and presto you've got a reliable method of healing an Ult spamming Ash without ever having to accurately aim at him.

Even on my Fleeting Expertise build, I've found that the marked enemy dies fast enough by Ash's ult to have him benefit from Blazing Chakram's Healing AoE. An Ash sporting Vitality that does more than spam his Ult will be thankful for the heal as well, and Safeguard just serves as an extra layer of security.

Atlas

One of my favorite Warframes, Atlas is a tanky-not-really-tanky character with a kit that tremendously increases in usefulness with Augments. This ranges from being able to secure a location using Tectonic Fracture, to summoning an NPC that can draw aggro through Titanic Rumbler.

The drawback with an Atlas kitted for functionality is that he oftentimes ends up being weak statistically. There are tanky characters with better base shields/health than he does. I run mine with a Quick Thinking as a safety precaution, so a Safeguard is certainly welcome to spare my Energy Pool.

Banshee

A Banshee built for maximum range and efficiency on her Sound Quake will be thankful for a Frost placing a Snow Globe around her while she makes sure the Interception mission goes by smoothly. When there's no Frost available, a Safeguard will work. Beggars can't be choosers, and Banshee can certainly use that extra protection while stationary using her Ult.

Inaros

Inaros doesn't have a Shield, but instead has a big load of Health that armor applies to. Together with his kit that requires very little energy, Inaros is great at sustaining himself. That said, every Inaros who knows what they're doing will charge their Scarab Swarm at the start of the mission to build up extra Armor, expending a big part of their health.

25% of this charge can be spent for some infectious CC that'll also trigger some healing (I'm talking 3k HP regained in seconds). Slapping a Safeguard on him will act as an extra layer of security while Inaros uses most of his kit to regain that missing health. Especially, an Inaros that isn't rocking a high Vitality yet will be thankful, as Scarab Swarm requires a static 2,900hp for a 100% charge, leaving them very little to actually survive with.

Limbo

Limbo has no real need for a Safeguard if he stays in his Rift Plane. But it can be useful for Limbos who still wish to fight and/or use their Banish to pull enemies into his Rift Plane to one-on-one finish off.

Rhino

A Rhino with Safeguard is a dream double-down buffer and even allows him to spam Iron Shrapnel with impunity as long as Safeguard lasts.

Mag, Mesa, Nekros, Nova, Nyx, Vauban, etc...

Just a few Warframe names, but the basic idea is that if you see a squishy Warframe (that means physically weak/fragile) that's all about one role and sports very little statistical defense, it's a good idea to pop a Safeguard on them while they go and be amazing, stealing the spotlight away from you. Squishies most certainly have their worthwhile uses, and even more so when your shield keeps them alive that much longer.

If you need a rule of thumb:
If you like it, then you better put a ring on it

The Troublesome Children

This section is for Warframes where Safeguard is inadvisable for one reason or another.

Ember

A competent Ember will know how to keep herself alive, but oftentimes you'll find one being brought along in a mission they simply do not belong in. You know the sort. The type that expects World on Fire's proc to keep enemies from firing at you. If you're a competent Ember player, more power to you—you're not the type of Ember I'm talking about. But Safeguarding the careless ones is basically a form of enabling.

Nezha

In my limited testing, I have come to the conclusion that a placed Safeguard on a fellow Nezha may effectively block them from summoning one of their own. This is typically not a great idea, as yours will only have a 50% charge, and they may have a more dedicated build for it, as you do sacrifice one mod slot to be able to place a Safeguard.

Since Nezha is more of a high-Mastery level tier Warframe, it's safe to assume that a fellow Nezha has a well-kitted Warding Halo of their own. Unless you see one below level 7, then they might not have unlocked it yet. In which case, go help that squishy guy out!

Mirage

The main reason I wanted to write this guide. Mirage is absolutely infuriating to be a support Nezha for.

Mirage is a speedy frame to begin with, but Hall of Mirrors spawns mirror images that can be targeted for a Safeguard. However, as they are unable to be hit by enemy fire, the Safeguard is completely wasted. In fact, if there is enough Host lag, the Safeguard won't even appear on the mirror image, enabling you to sink an endless amount of energy into it.

It's uite frustrating when you're in a Nightmare mission and they're the only Squishy you can't manage to put a shield on. So if you are a Mirage seeing a Nezha handing out Safeguards, please just stand still or you're not getting one.

Valkyr

Not all Valkyr's are a bad mix for a Safeguard Nezha, but some (and especially mine) run a Rage build that relies on receiving damage outside of Hysteria in order to fuel the energy for Hysteria. That said, if the Valkyr build looks not very specialized or not of maxed level, it's safe to assume a Safeguard buffer will be welcome. Just be respectful of a Valkyr that deliberately stays away from you so as to not prompt you into shielding them.

If you can manage to pinpoint the timing, Safeguarding a Valkyr that's in Hysteria might be useful to limit the exit damage she may endure while exiting Hysteria with enemies near.

Ivara & Loki

Two sneaky frames with long duration invisibility skills. Their position in this part of the list may be controversial, but hear me out. If the mission has gone loud or started loud, then I'd first question why these Warframes were brought along. But even then, it's a good idea to slap a Safeguard on them for safekeeping.

But if the mission is stealth, it is actually a bad idea to have Safeguard on a sneaky Warframe or even a Warding Halo on yourself. The reason is that Warding Halo stuns and deals damage when you're up close to an enemy. I've had a lot of stealth finishers ruined because of that, and it'll be sure to infuriate a Covert Lethality user. So in the case of a sneaking mission, think before you pop.

Note that while the stun makes it more difficult it doesn't make it impossible—but it's worth pointing out regardless.

Important to note

If you are an unwilling recipient of a Safeguard, Warding Halo can now be dispelled by dropping in a bottomless pit. Once returned to the surface, it should be dispelled. As always, a Nullifier Crewman bubble dispels it as well.

I sincerely hope Nezha will find a place as a Support in the current Meta, as handing out free shields with an invincibility period certainly must have worthwhile benefits.

If you have an idea for another support weapon build, have any other ideas, or just have something to share, let me know in the comments!