Warframe Steel Path: How to Unlock It, Steel Essence and Teshin's Shop

Hotfix 44.1.4 went live on 27 October 2026. Update 44.1, The Icebind, went live on 7 October 2026. Update 44, Iceblade of Narin, went live on 23 September 2026.

The Steel Path is the hard mode of the Origin System. Teshin hosts it, and it opens once your Star Chart is clear.

1. Clear the Star Chart. Complete every node you can reach before The New War. Nodes behind quests count too, so finish the main quests that open them.
2. Skip 3 nodes. The Mutalist Alad V and Jordas Golem Assassinations on Eris and Brutus on Uranus are left out of the unlock.
3. Talk to Teshin. Meet Teshin in any Relay and pick the Steel Path? option to unlock the mode.
4. Flip the toggle. A Steel Path toggle shows on the right side of the Star Chart screen.
5. Start from E Prime. Steel Path nodes unlock again from E Prime on Earth, as on a fresh Star Chart.

Requirement	What counts
Star Chart	Every node before The New War
Left out	Mutalist Alad V and Jordas Golem on Eris, Brutus on Uranus
Duviri	Needed only for Duviri on the Steel Path, after The Duviri Paradox
Bounties	Steel Path bounties start at level 100 and need Mastery Rank 10
Who unlocks it	Teshin, in any Relay

Every enemy on the Steel Path gains 100 levels. Health and shields rise to 250%, which is 2.5 times the normal value.

Loot rises with the challenge. Every Steel Path mission has +100% resource drop chance and +100% mod drop chance over the same node on the normal Star Chart.

Change	Steel Path value
Enemy level	+100
Enemy health and shields	250%
Resource drop chance	+100%
Mod drop chance	+100%
Acolytes	Spawn during missions and drop Steel Essence
Junctions	Open as soon as the node next to them is clear
Mastery	Each node and Junction pays Mastery points on its 1st clear

Steel Path Mastery points are separate from the normal Star Chart, so a full Steel Path run raises your Mastery Rank again.

Steel Essence is the Steel Path currency. You spend it in Teshin's shop. The steady income comes from Incursions and Acolytes.

1. Run the 6 Incursions daily. They pay 30 Steel Essence a day.
2. Kill every Acolyte. Each one drops 2 Steel Essence and 1 Steel Path arcane. Resource Boosters raise the Steel Essence from Acolytes.
3. Clear planets. Each fully cleared planet pays 25 Steel Essence once.
4. Open relics on the Steel Path. A relic in a Steel Path Void Fissure adds 1 Steel Essence. The Warframe relics guide covers tiers and farm spots.

Resource Boosters leave the 5 Steel Essence from an Incursion as it is.

Teshin sells the Steel Path Honors shop in every Relay. Part of the stock stays all the time, and 1 offer rotates each week.

Item	Steel Essence	Limit
Veiled Riven Cipher	20	1 per week
Relic Pack (3 Void Relics)	15	25 per week
10,000 Kuva	15	25 per week
Primary Arcane Adapter	15	No weekly limit
Secondary Arcane Adapter	15	No weekly limit

The weekly offer rotates through 8 items. Each one shows for 1 week and sells once that week, so a full loop takes 8 weeks.

Weekly offer	Steel Essence
Umbra Forma Blueprint	150
30,000 Endo	150
3 Forma	75
Rifle, Shotgun, Kitgun or Zaw Riven Mod	75
50,000 Kuva	55

Umbra Forma is the most expensive item on the list. Plan your Steel Essence around its week.

Acolytes drop 1 random Steel Path arcane with their Steel Essence. The pool holds 6 arcanes.

The Steel Path Circuit offers 5 Incarnon Genesis adapters each week. You pick 2 of them at reward tiers 5 and 10.

Enemies at level 100 and above punish weak builds. Start with a frame from the top of the Warframe tier list, which ranks all 66 frames for Update 44.1.

Its S row is Wisp, Saryn, Dante, Uriel, Octavia, Mesa and Nokko.

Run the 6 Incursions with the frame you trust most. An Incursion pays 5 Steel Essence on every node, easy or hard.

• Warframe tier list: all 66 frames ranked for Update 44.1.
• Warframe relics: relic tiers, refinement and where to farm them.
• Warframe Platinum guide: pack prices and coupons.

Short on time? A PRO can finish the Steel Path planets on your account, and the Star Chart completion clears the nodes that unlock it.