Ash

Stealth DPS / Finisher Assassin

Behold the patron saint of the Orokin school of political assassination. Ash specializes in stealth. The edge of his blade is sooner felt than seen.

Stats

Warframe dossier

Verified 2026-07-22

Stealth assassin who clears dense packs with Blade Storm, stays alive with Smoke Screen, and chains finishers with Teleport.

Slash status effects Ash applies deal increased damage and last longer than normal. Lean into Slash weapons and abilities that proc Slash.

Shuriken is the poke / armor-strip tool (especially with Seeking Shuriken).
Smoke Screen is the safety button — cast it before you commit Teleport or Blade Storm.
Teleport is your engage and energy engine; Teleport Rush keeps smoke and parkour up.
Blade Storm is the clear button — mark packs, let clones work, then Teleport into leftovers.

1
Smoke Screen
Cast first in dangerous rooms so you can set up safely.
2
Blade Storm
Main clear — mark dense packs while invisible.
3
Teleport
Dive marked targets for finishers, energy refunds, and smoke refresh.
4
Shuriken
Strip or poke elites when armor is slowing clones or finishers.

Keep Smoke Screen and Teleport on almost every build — they are the safety and energy loop.
Blade Storm is Ash’s identity clear; only subsume it if you want a stealth melee buffer instead of marking.
Shuriken is the usual Helminth sacrifice if you already have armor strip elsewhere — replace with a damage buff when Seeking Shuriken isn’t needed.

Strength: Raises Blade Storm clone damage, Teleport finisher multiplier, Shuriken damage, and Seeking Shuriken strip.
Duration: Extends Smoke Screen (and Teleport Rush / Smoke Shadow windows). Primary comfort stat for modern Ash.
Range: Helps Smoke Screen stun / Smoke Shadow ally radius and Blade Storm mark reach. Keep enough to feel reliable.
Efficiency: Mark costs and smoke recasts add up — Efficiency (or strong energy economy) keeps the loop smooth.

Duration → Strength → Efficiency → Range for Teleport Rush / smoke Ash. Pure Blade Storm clear can bias Strength earlier.

Mission / Context	Rating	Why
Steel Path Survival / Defense / Disruption	Excellent	Dense packs + invis setup is Ash’s best environment. Blade Storm and Teleport shine here.
Mobile Defense / Excavation	Strong	Mark the swarm on the point, stay invisible, Teleport leftovers. Reliable objective defense.
Exterminate / Capture Speed Runs	Excellent	Teleport Rush turns Ash into a tile-skipping assassin while keeping invis up.
Spy / Rescue / Nightmare	Excellent	Smoke Screen (and Smoke Shadow in co-op) makes quiet routes easy without giving up combat power.
Open World / Bounties	Strong	Strong on packed bounty camps; Ash still leans on Operator / Archwing for the empty travel stretches while Teleport handles fights. To a target and perform a Finisher.
Long-Range Gunplay / Eidolon-Style Content	Weak	Ash wants finishers and pack marks. Pick a different frame if the mission is mostly sniping.