Theorylytics

Astral Shell

Used by Sirius & Orion

Ability6
Energy50Orion ability

Astral Shell

Envelop Orion in an Astral Shell. Upon taking damage the shell becomes a decoy that draws fire until it's destroyed. (HOLD) Swap to Sirius and use Jade Stars.

Introduced in Update 43.0 (2026-06-17)

Ability stats

Strength
  • 50 / 100 / 150 / 200 Blast on decoy explode
Range
  • 5 m explosion
  • 30 m taunt
Duration
  • 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 s buff
  • 5 s decoy
Misc
  • 50 energy
  • Negates a hit then spawns invulnerable decoy
  • Hold to swap → Jade Stars
  • Helminth offering

Info

  • Astral Shell is Orion’s ability 6 on the Sirius & Orion dual kit.
  • Envelop Orion in an Astral Shell.
  • Holding most 1–3 abilities swaps control to the other son and casts their paired ability instead.
  • Constellation Stars from casts feed Celestial Clash — build stars before you need the nuke.

Tips & Tricks

  • Keep it uptime-buffered; the first hit after cast becomes a 5 s invulnerable taunt decoy.
  • Recast refreshes duration and skips the decoy cooldown.
  • Self-stagger (Friendly Fire / blast) can proc the decoy intentionally.
  • Helminth exports Astral Shell; subsumed shells cannot perform form swaps.

Ability dossier · Astral Shell

Verified 2026-07-23

Synergies

  • HoldJade Stars

    Swap to Sirius’s mote crown after the shell is up.

  • Astral Shell decoy explodeJade Stars

    Detonation can launch motes.

  • Astral ShellEvent Horizon

    Tank a hit, then group the aggro’d pack.

Mod Scaling

Strength

Strength scales Astral Shell’s damage and key effect values — mandatory on nuke/strip/heal paths.

Duration

Duration matters on Astral Shell when the ability is timed (buffs, zones, black hole, motes).

Range

Range grows Astral Shell’s hit radius, vacuum, or explosion — high priority for tile clear.

Efficiency

Base cost 50 energy — Efficiency plus swap passive keeps dual casting cheap.

Priority

Strength and Range first for clear; Duration for zones/shell/motes; Efficiency for long missions.

Mission Use Cases

MissionHow to Use It
Steel Path Survival / Defense / DisruptionTest whether Astral Shell still clears or enables clear when enemies are dense and overlevelled.
Mobile Defense / ExcavationUse Astral Shell to control or delete the swarm on the objective, then reposition.
Exterminate / Capture Speed RunsCast Astral Shell only when it saves time — skip it on empty tiles.
Spy / Rescue / Quiet RoutesIf Astral Shell is loud or forces combat, save it for after the vault; if it’s stealth-friendly, use it to stay safe.

Comparisons

  • VS

    Vs similar tools on other frames — Astral Shell is tuned for Sirius & Orion’s loop — don’t judge it as a standalone subsume without the rest of the kit.

Other Sirius & Orion abilities