How to play Limbo

[brainjelly2g0]

Every time I enter the Warframe Feedback thread, 1 or 2 posts catch my eye as "Limbo Rework" or "Thoughts on how to improve Limbo". Since only about 1/20 know what they're talking about, and even less know how to play the Riftwalker, here is a guide to read before another person tries to rework him.

 

The Five Rules of Limbo

1. Do not leave the Rift if an enemy can kill you. Limbo is capable of being killed by a particularly intimidating sneeze, so if the enemies you're facing are: A. Above level 30 or B. Can see you, then do not exit your Rift Walk for any reasons. It provides 100% damage to reduction, 100% knockdown reduction, and 10% extra mobility. The Rift is your home, start treating it like one.

2. Know your limits. If you see a crowd of Bombards, do not use your Cataclysm on them. They will shoot you with rockets, and they will hurt. The less enemies in the Rift, the better. Killing those Bombards one at a time may be slower, but it will also not kill you(which is a plus).

3. Do not troll your allies. If anyone who reads this thread Banishes a noob, for no reason other than as a troll, I will manifest outside your window and force a really lame fedora down your throat. Do not be a #$&(%.

4. Take it slow. If you want to speed through an Exterminate, don't choose Limbo. He's the patient, careful gentleman. His kit may be powerful, but he is a glacier, not a snowball.

5. Know the game. Limbo's mechanics will make use of and even exploit(kind of) the games AI, movement, modding, and synergies to maximize his power. If you're just getting off of your starter, he is not the frame for you, sorry.

 

Now, its time for the guide. If you've made it this far, you get an extra ten points on the pop quiz. 

 

Modding

Limbo's most important stat is duration. Properly modded, his Rift Walk and Cataclysm last for well over a minute. Next, go for power strength. With it, your Rift Surge will multiply your damage to ridiculous measures. Finally, efficiency. Don't be afraid to curb your duration with a fleeting expertise, as you'll be using a lot of abilities. Lastly, Range. Unless you're a nuker(which, in my opinion, isn't viable for any enemy capable of voting), you don't want it. Running a maxed Narrow-Minded means my Cataclysm will shrink very little, and it allows me to better control which enemies I am fighting.

http://imgur.com/a/YFI49

That right there is my build. Feel free to tinker with it, but that's the one I use on every mission. The exilus slot isn't needed, but I like putting Rush or something there(just to move faster).

Additionally, you need to mod your weapons correctly(if you want to maximize the damage of Rift Surge). To full understand this, we're going to use math. 

Rift Surge works like this (BaseDamage+2.6BaseDamage=Total Damage) when you're running an unmodded weapon. However, if your weapon has Pressure Point, Point Blank, Hornet Strike, or Serration, the equation changes to (BaseDamage+1.3BaseDamage=Total Damage). Thus, the longtime Limbo player will exclude those from any weapon he runs. I do this simply by going to the C page on my weapon, and modding it without Base Damage increasing mods. Every other mod will work fine, but the ones that simply boost a weapons base damage need to go.

 

Gameplay

Limbo players need to know two things. What enemies are in the Rift, and when a duration will run out. Here, I will go over each ability, and how to use it with all of the others, in accordance with the rules of Limbo.

Rift Walk- Yes, I know its his second, trust me. However, since its his most important move, I will go over it first. Rift Walk, unless you're activating life support or picking up all the items your sentinel has collected, must always be on. It provides 2 energy every second, and will keep you alive. If Limbo was Thanksgiving, this is the freaking turkey.

Banish- His next most used ability, Banish has its use in taking out heavy units. Limbo works best in a squad, and if you're playing in one, its your job to eliminate Eximi, Bombards, Techs, Gunners, Bursas, Boilers, Ancients, and anything that has the potential to show your team what their rectums look like. Banish will guarantee a knockdown on anything you use it on, unless they're in the middle of a Radial knockdown themselves. Wait for Heavy Gunners and Bombards to use this before Banishing them.

Rift Surge- Just keep this on at all times. With my build, My damage is multiplied by 5.5, so its ridonkulous. Keep it on at all times, and literally nothing will survive you.

Cataclysm- Oh boy. This one is complicated. If you're in solo play, or playing with other Limbos, keep this closed after opening it. Now, the main thing to remember is that its not a bubble, its a circle where the Rift is. Meaning, you can shoot things inside of it while you're outside of it Rift Walking. The biggest mistake players make is forgetting that its not Snowglobe. Using Cataclysm is dangerous in solo play, since if you forget about it, the enemy that was showing you its bullets will kill you if it sets foot inside of the Cataclysm. On infested, this is rarely a problem, since they're melee units. You can just shoot them as they enter the sphere, while you're a safe distance away. With other enemies, use it on chokepoints where you can see the enemy, but they can't see you. Shoot them as they enter, to minimize any damage they can cause you.

 

Uses of a Good Limbo

With Limbo, several missions are completely trivialized. Corpus Spy, Defense, Sortie Defense, Interception, Rescue, Sabotage, Excavation, and Hijack. The only mission Limbo really struggles with is Survival, as he has a slower pace than other frames. Regardless, so long as you know the frame, you can pretty easily compensate for his tempo.

 

I hope this guide has helped, and I will respond to any questions left below. If you still think Limbo needs more than a touch-up after reading this, did you?

[ArcaneSnowdrop]

I still think he needs a touch up re: looting, but this is SUPER helpful. Thanks!

[Dinesty30]

I like your guide on limbo, it speaks a lot about your experience of playing him. Limbo is a very strategic warframe, and should be played with the cards in his favor.

While your build focuses on damage and eliminating enemies without a problem you sacrifice many things that can also make Limbo able to take more than a sneeze, heck he could almost tank a full on angry glare if modded for a bit of survivability!

Personally I usually run limbo in various settings, but tailor my builds to the setting.

If I do go into a survival, I'll max out duration and have P.Flow, Quick Thinking, Rage, and Vitality. Using that as my setup almost never fails me because limbo is NEVER want for energy, and can get taken down to 2hp and switch out to rift, banish a target and life strike back to full with no difficulty. It may not have the damage of Chroma's dreams, but it keeps a limbo relevant past 30+ mins.

Interceptions are a ridiculous place for limbo as well. Maxing range and duration may seem like a terrible Idea at first, but when you consider that just as limbo can't activate consoles in rift, neither can enemies! Drop a cataclysm down on any point making sure to catch the terminals and just... go to another point! that thing is on lockdown for the next minute!

I love limbo, and he does need a bit of love TBH (1 and 2 are basically the same, and why does 2 have a cast?) but I don't trust DE to change him in a way that benefits us. I'd rather have him as he is now, than whatever monster he gets turned into.

Edited October 8, 2016 by Dinesty30

[Dinesty30]

Although, I must ask, what focus tree do you use?

I use Zenurik, having 6 energy a seconds in rift is godlike.

 

[(PSN)TwilightAora]

with me i run either a duration build for most missions but on other where my squad uses mostly health i run a low duration build for a healing build. but im still experimenting with him. he is one of my favorite frames to use and im working on a new build that i hope works

[Retequizzle]

If I could contribute two builds for players to consider:

Option 1: Rescue, Hijack, Spy (Sortie capable)

Spoiler

 

Swap Auras to suit your needs (Corrosive Projection for Grineer, etc.) Leading off of the OP's suggestion for being an answer to the Specialist units, this build is mostly geared towards getting in, finishing what you need to, and getting out.  With a duration of 76.35 seconds on your Rift Walk, if you manage to screw up a vault badly enough to be seen, you at least have enough time to get out and regroup.  Rescues are a cakewalk with a 63.65 duration Banish to either remove the Hostage from the scenario or remove threats that would interrupt you hacking a panel.  Anything that is inconsequential to the mission should be skipped, but the Transient Fortitude is there if you need the additional damage from Rift Surge to help in Sorties.  In most cases, this should be enough.

Option 2: Sortie Defense

Spoiler

I'll admit that this one is a bit more of a niche build than anything else, but with how often a Sortie Defense goes %$# up because no one brought a support frame, this is my fallback option for the day.  Haven's often overlooked because - in most squads, anyway - people get upset and *@##$ if they get Banished which is a completely valid complaint if they're banished at the wrong times (see OP's tips).  However, this is more of an emphasis on preserving the Hostage, letting your Squad do the work and revive players/pick off threats as needed with a Sniper or a strong single-shot weapon of your choice.  It requires a bit more maintenance with the lessened duration but the math is pretty simple in that Haven will grant a 50% health boost to any allied targets.

Additionally, this can free up your Secondary slot for more options than a Furis with the Augment mod if you want some more spice in your life. ;D  A Concealed Explosives Hikou Prime is pretty snazzy on a Defense Hostage, if you want to turn them into mobile turrets.

Read, judge, edit build according to your tastes - YMMV, et cetera.

[(XBOX)ThermalStone]

Limbo is the king of sortie cheese.  Nyx, Nova, even Mirage with Simulor is like throwing Kraft singles.  Limbo is like dropping a wheel of gouda.

I took Rift Surge off my Limbo because I never use Cataclysm.  When I play Limbo, I either don't care about killing enemies or they are so deadly I only want to fight one at a time.

I replaced Rift Surge with Natural Talent for faster casting.  The slow cast animations are his Achilles heel.  

[RyuDragnier]

Nice guide. I see Limbo as the "Gentleman Thief" of the group for Spy. He will waltz right into vaults with his bag of tricks, and will waltz right out with the goods. Short of certain vaults that have a lot of enemies, he can easily walk in and out without even setting off a sensor or alarm.

[Glitch_Kitten]

honestly this looks easier than playing limbo effectively

[(XBOX)freakytiki3]

thats a ballsy build

[o.0-]

How does Limbo best deal with Nullies and Combas/Scrambus?

And I recall recently an Infested Eximus Defense Sortie recently, the pug group I was with managed to complete (I was Limbo), but it was still hellish. Any suggestions for this situation for Limbo?

[tutzdes]

24 minutes ago, SPARTAN-187.Thanatos said:

How does Limbo best deal with Nullies and Combas/Scrambus?

And I recall recently an Infested Eximus Defense Sortie recently, the pug group I was with managed to complete (I was Limbo), but it was still hellish. Any suggestions for this situation for Limbo?

No suggestions here. You need to kills stuff to progress, energy drain negates the regen. Use Trinity (so you have the energy you need and can heal) or Atlas (to lock the dude and shred everyone even without energy).

[o.0-]

14 minutes ago, tutzdes said:

No suggestions here. You need to kills stuff to progress, energy drain negates the regen. Use Trinity (so you have the energy you need and can heal) or Atlas (to lock the dude and shred everyone even without energy).

Indeed, chap.

I've mulled ideas here, dunno if good or not, but there they are.

As for how damage is handled in the Rift, I'm still open to better ideas for the devs to consider.

[RistN]

Nice guide ,+1, but problem with Limbo is that most of players don't know how to use limbo,casting no.4 on places that suit only them not minding others,making a mess out of battlefield in other words trolling by their ignorance.On other side you who know how to play with him have players that don't know how rift works and what they benefit from it.They only see that they can't shoot at enemies.Anyway with Limbo in a team someone is going to be angry.People run random team in most cases so you can see my point.

Limbo is good unique warframe but his role is very limited and I think that he do needs to get reworked.His Cataclysm is a bit of a mess and needs to change...you too said it in a way.His first 3 abilities are ok but Limbo's ult should be his most powerful one not his most messed up with lots of downsides to it.My proposal is to give Limbo powerful ult ,something like black hole doing lots of dmg and is affected by range so we can use him for team play.Now he is just a support but more for solo play kind of warframe.

[ken8570]

Ive recently played limbo again and ur right. Hes useful for lots of missions but idk once u know the rift u seem to be more of exploiting his skillset to cheese the mission rather than being strategic. For example, corpus spies and lua spies became a jog once u stayed in rift forever, and if u cast rift surge and banish mobs into the rift its almost a guaranteed death sentence for them. The only thing strategic i see for limbo is cataclysm but then again, its sorta situational and at high lvls enemies can enter and exit rift freely as if the cataclysm doesnt exist

I love limbo and realy, you've written one of the best 'how to limbo' guides ive ever seen. I also hoped for him to be a strategic frame but then again, de made limbo into a frame that uses the rift, an alter plane to exploit missions rather than a strategic frame which uses the rift to his will, creating pocket rifts to isolate enemies and eradicate them or manipulate it and bring hell to enemies(doesn't have to be a friggin nuke, pls we got too much nukes). Besides, he control the rift right and he should have the power to bring the two planes tgt instead of just enter exit and place a rift. I understand your concerns. Limbo in itself isnt much of a probelm but i believe using him to exploit stuff is the probelm. Therefore i think we can at least tweak his abilities so that we can use him strategically?

 

Edited October 12, 2016 by ken8570

[XxMiriyaxX]

I'm one of those noobs who's clueless. Thankfully, I never tried playing much with others, but this gives me a good thought process to go through to play Limbo. I was about to scrap him, but he just looked too dang dapper.

[HalfDarkShadow]

Great read! *bookmarked*
You seriously have to love these kind of threads (:
Reminds me of this thread: 

Anyway, I'll throw in a build of mine to give anyone here more perspectives and options to look at. Especially since fortunately he's up there for being pretty flexible with alot of his stats.

My day-by-day build. Specifically for quick and fast missions i.e. Spy, Exterminate, Rescue, Hijack, Mobile Defense, etc.
Here are the bare necessities:

Here's my build tailored for me and my preferences:

Spoiler

I normally have Ice Spring equipped as I prefer that elemental jump mod but nonetheless haha.

Now again this more for the non-Endurance side of missions. Especially when you're in a team full of CC and/or Damage-oriented Warframes that will most likely be taking care of the enemies as you run through the mission. It shines the most in missions such as Rescue, Capture and Spy as you'll be literally the fastest player 9 out of 10 runs. The only things that will get to extraction before you are Jet Stream Zephyrs or max / near-max Power Strength invested Volts.
And lucky for you, those lasers on Corpus tilesets or those orange scan-like doors that sap all your energy on Grineer ship tileset don't apply to you as you'll be in the Rift pretty much exclusively.
The small range can also help when you don't have a Frosty around or a player not watching Excavation pods or Mobile Defense spots where you can plop down Cataclysm if need be. I'd recommend only if it starts taking some real damage as players once in a blue moon will be pretty upset with you as (in my experiences these past almost 2 years) they'll claim "it's not needed / I can't kill enemies". Not sure why they would be hugging the Mobile Defense console to make that an issue but I digress lol.

---

Anyways hope that helps any aspiring Limbo players!

Edited February 2, 2017 by HalfDarkShadow
wut is grammar.