Hello there,

Update Hotfix 33.5.5(6)

Introduction:

[Kullervo] answers for his sins and the sins of others. His daggers and melee prowess deal high damage. Seize the power of treachery to slake his thirst for revenge.

Kullervo is the third Health-based Warframe after [Inaros] and [Nidus] who lack Shields.
He is the first Warframe to generate Overguard, though in the same update [Rhino]'s Iron Skin, [Frost]'s [Icy Avalanche], and [Atlas]' [Rumbled] had their extra hitpoints mechanics converted into Overguard.

Playstyle:

Enter mission, find your enemies.
Cast Collective Curse, to curse and chain your enemies (it also Stagger and Knockback them, so easy prey), then Recompense to create Overguard around you (base Overguard cap is 10,000, scaling with Strength).
Cast Wrathful Advance to create a chain kill similar to Marked For Death, but much better. Use it whenever you need to come close to your enemy or run away from danger (HOLD to teleport at marked point). This ability work even on Eximuses with Overguard on them.
Cast Storm of Ukko as your choke point ability to put some Slash on them and Stagger them.
Use [Rolling Guard] "special" whenever in serious danger.

Attributes & Abilities:

Kullervo is a third Warframe with no Shields, that means no Shield-gating! Horrible, isn't it? He is probably trash frame like [Inaros], right?
WRONG! Because [Kullervo] have Overguard with 0.5 s invulnerability window once Overguard is depleted. A brief invulnerability window exist also during wind up time (when he charges a Heavy Attack), and 1.0 s invulnerability time to Recompense’s cast.

Similar to those mentioned above, [Kullervo]'s Overguard protects you from knockdowns, but when it's depleted, you can still get knocked down by any random knocking down status effect, you don't want it, because that means instant death on higher levels. That's why I personally use PSF. [Adaptation] do stack resistances, even when Overguard is active, so it's a great opportunity for you to stack some protection when Overguard get depleted.

Strength: with 200% you redirect 100% Damage from your main enemy to all chained and cursed enemies (Collective Curse). Your Wrathful Advance gives you 400% Melee Critical Chance, your Storm of Ukko deals 5000 Slash/s. After 250+ kills (Molt Augmented) and [Growing Power] activation, you got more than 200%. No need for more Strength, so lets focus on other things.

Range: +90% is huge improvement! 47.5 m Teleport, 15.2 m radius for 10 daggers, to seek your enemies, 47.5 m wave to curse and chain your enemies, 19 m radius for your storm of daggers.

Untouched Efficiency: with [Primed Flow] you got already big enough Energy Pool, to easily spam your skills. You can always add some Shards.

Duration: +27.5% is enough. 12.75s for your CC buff, 31.88s for your curse, 19.12s for very slashy rain.

OK... now I can actually focus on your survivability. [Rolling Guard] as your ass saver, [Adaptation] to gain resistance.

Suggested Aura Mod:

For best results use Aura Forma, so that it can be changed, when needed.

• Combat Discipline - Allies gain Health on kill. Aura bearer loses Health on kill.
  WARNING: this Aura can kill bearer.
• Corrosive Projection - Reduces enemy armor.
• Growing Power - Increases Ability Strength after Status proc. <- Suggested choice.
• Shield Disruption - Reduces enemy shields.
• Sprint Boost - Increases sprinting speed.
• Stand United - Increases armor.
• Steel Charge - Increases melee weapon damage.
  The aura can potentially provide a total of 18 points, compared to most auras that provide 14.
• Swift Momentum - Increases Melee Combo Duration.

Suggested Exilus Mod:

Must be unlocked with an Exilus Adapter.

• NONE - if there is no such need, then there is no point in unlocking the slot.
• Cunning Drift - Increases slide, reduces friction and increases Ability Range.
• Endurance Drift - Increases Maximum Energy and parkour velocity.
• Handspring - Speeds up a Warframe's knock-down recovery rate.
• Pain Threshold - Increases the stagger recovery of your Warframe.
• Power Drift - Increases Ability Strength and grants a chance to resist knockdown.
• Rush - Increases the speed at which a Warframe moves while sprinting.
• Speed Drift - Increases sprint speed and casting speed.
• Sure Footed - Increases a Warframe's chance to resist knockdown.
  Primed Sure Footed is exclusive to the Daily Tribute system. It will become available at first at day 400. TAKE IT!!! <- Suggested choice.
• Vigilante Pursuit - Displays all enemies within its radius with red markers on the mini-map.

Suggested Warframe Arcane Enhancements (Max Rank Description):

• Arcane Avenger - On Damaged, 21% chance for +45% Critical Chance for 12s.
• Arcane Blessing - On Health Pickup, +24 Max Health. Stacks up to 50x. <- Suggested choice.
• Arcane Deflection - Passive, +102% chance to resist a Slash Damage effect.
• Arcane Energize - On Energy Pickup, 60% chance to replenish 150 Energy to self and allies within 15m. 15s cooldown.
• Arcane Eruption - On Energy Pickup, 100% chance to Knockdown nearby enemies.
• Arcane Fury - On Critical Hit, 60% chance for +180% Melee Damage to Melee Weapons for 18s.
• Arcane Guardian - On Damaged, 15% chance for +900 Armor for 20s.
• Arcane Healing - Passive, +102% chance to resist a Radiation Damage effect.
• Arcane Ice - Passive, +102% chance to resist a Heat Damage effect.
• Arcane Nullifier - Passive, +102% chance to resist a Magnetic Damage effect.
• Arcane Reaper - On Melee Kill, +24 Heal Rate/s and +660 Armor for 10 seconds.
• Arcane Resistance - Passive, +102% chance to resist a Toxin Damage effect.
• Arcane Steadfast - On Ability Cast, 20% chance that the next 3 Abilities will not cost Energy.
• Arcane Strike - On Hit, 15% chance for +60% Attack Speed to Melee Weapons for 18s.
• Arcane Tanker - On Archgun Equipped, +1200 Armor for 60s.
• Arcane Trickery - On Finisher Kill, 15% chance to become invisible for 30s.
• Arcane Ultimatum - On Finisher Kill, +1200 Armor for 45s.
• Arcane Warmth - Passive, +102% chance to resist a Cold Damage effect.
• Molt Augmented - On Kill, +0.24% Ability Strength. Stacks up to 250x. <- Suggested choice.
• Molt Efficiency - While Shields are Active, Gain 6% Ability Duration per second, up to a maximum of 36%.
• Molt Reconstruct - Heal yourself and your allies within Affinity Range 6 Health for each Energy point spent on the initial casting cost of abilities.
• Molt Vigor - On Operator Ability, 45% Ability Strength on next Warframe Ability Cast.

Suggested Archon Shards (Tauforged):

• Crimson Archon Shards (RED):
  +25% (+37.5%) Melee Critical Damage
  +10% (+15%) Ability Strength
  +10% (+15%) Ability Duration
• Amber Archon Shards (YELLOW):
  +25% (+37.5%) Casting Speed <- Suggested choice.
• Azure Archon Shards (BLUE):
  +50 (+75) Energy Max <- Suggested choice.

Suggested Focus School:

• Madurai:
  Power Transfer - 50% Casting Speed on switching to Warframe.
  Sling Strength - Switching to Warframe after a Chained Sling adds 40% Ability Strength for 20s.
• Vazarin: <- Suggested choice.
  Void Snare - Ability launches a projectile that spins up a vortex trap on impact, or tap 2 again to detonate in-flight. Trap lasts 8s.
  Protective Sling - Allies touched by Void Sling are granted immunity from damage for 5s and healed 60% over 5s for 10 energy cost.
• Naramon: <- Suggested choice.
  Power Spike - Melee Combo Counter now decays while out of combat by 5 every few seconds, instead of depleting completely.
• Unairu:
  Poise - Gain immunity to slow, stagger, and knockdown effects for 40s after transferring between Operator or Warframe.
  Magnetic Flare - Use your first Ability to create a 8m radius field that lasts for 30s and disables the shields of any enemy that enters it.
  Caustic Strike - Second Ability launches an energy bomb that explodes with a 8m radius, stripping 100% of enemy armor. Tap 2 again to detonate in-flight.
• Zenurik:
  Energy Pulse - Energy pickups grant 50 % additional energy over 5s.
  Wellspring - First Ability creates a well of energy for 8s. Allies passing through the well gain 5 Energy/s for 30s. Use your first Ability inside a Wellspring to increase its size, boost its duration by 20s, and grant 20% Ability Strength to those inside.
  Temporal Drag - Second Ability emits a radial burst, slowing any enemy it touches by 80% for 10s.

Suggested Helminth Subsumable Abilities:

• Marked For Death - Stun an enemy; a portion of the next damage you deal to it will be dealt to all enemies around it.
• Expedite Suffering - Hit enemies in a cone, affected enemies will have their Bleed and Toxin status removed, and their remaining damage dealt in a burst.
• Hideous Resistance - Grant yourself immunity to Status effects.
• Sickening Pulse - Emit a pulse that adds stacks to Status Effects already afflicting enemies, except Bleed, Heat, and Toxin effects which are duplicated with fresh timers.
• Shuriken - Damage, Slash Status on Hit, with augment Seeking Shuriken, Armor Strip.
• Silence - Damage Debuff, Disable Enemy Abilities, Stealth, with augment Savage Silence, Increasing Finisher Damage.
• Lull - Crowd Control, Stealth, with augment Endless Lullaby, re-trigger Lull, Increases Lull's Duration.
• Sentient Wrath - Crowd Control, Damage Debuff.
• Fractured Blast - Crowd Control, Healing, Energy Restore.
• Elemental Ward - with augment Everlasting Ward, Support.
• Fire Blast - Crowd Control, Armor Strip, with augment Healing Flame, Healing, with augment Purifying Flames, Status Immunity.
• Spectrorage - Crowd Control, with augment Spectrosiphon, Increasing Drop an Energy Orbs.
• Blood Altar - Healing.
• Nourish - Crowd Control, Damage Buff, Energy Restore. <- replaces Wrathful Advance <- Suggested choice.
• Coil Horizon - Damage, Crowd Control.
• Quiver - Stealth, Tap-cast for Cloak, hold-cast for Noise, with augment Empowered Quiver, prevent Status Effects.
• Ensnare - Crowd Control.
• Pull - Crowd Control, with augment Greedy Pull, Pull Pickups.
• Shooting Gallery - Damage Buff, Crowd Control, with augment Muzzle Flash, Blinds Enemies. <- replaces Storm of Ukko <- Suggested choice.
• Eclipse - with augment Total Eclipse, Damage Buff, Damage Reduction.
• Terrify - with augment Creeping Terrify, Armor Strip, Crowd Control.
• Larva - Crowd Control, with augment Larva Burst, Damage.
• Resonator - with augment Conductor, Damage, Crowd Control.
• Dispensary - Healing, Energy Restore, Ammunition Restore, with augment Repair Dispensary, Revives Robotic Companions.
• Roar - Damage Buff, with augment Piercing Roar, Crowd Control, Damage.
• Molt - Status Cleanse, Damage, Crowd Control, with augment Regenerative Molt, Healing.
• Gloom - Crowd Control, Healing.
• Tharros Strike - Crowd Control, Defense Strip, Healing.
• Warcry - Attack Speed Buff, Crowd Control, with augment Eternal War, Extends Warcry's Duration.
• Lycath's Hunt - Healing, Energy Restore. <- replaces Storm of Ukko <- Suggested choice.
• Breach Surge - Damage, Crowd Control.
• Defy - Invulnerability, Armor Bonus, Status Cleanse.
• Xata's Whisper - Damage Buff, Bullet Atractor.
• Aquablades - Crowd Control, Damage, with augment Surging Blades, Increasing Damage.
• Airburst - Crowd Control, with augment Airburst Rounds, Damage Buff.

Suggested Loadout:

• Weapons - Primary - use whatever you want, use it with Arcane Dexterity, Secondary - any good Primer is always a good option, Melee - try to use light/heavy hybrid builds or even better pure heavy builds, Parazon - use mods [Blood For Energy], [Out Of Sight], [Power Drain], Archgun - anything you like.
• Amp - chosen Amp Parts and Arcanes.
• Operator - chosen Arcanes.
• Companion - Sentinel - any you like, you can use Quiver on them to cloak yourself, Vulpaphyla - Your Devoted Servant - infested "kavat" that will serve you in many ways, plus he/she is immortal.

Summary:

[Kullervo] is the first Warframe to use Overguard to [Protect] itself from sudden death. This is a novelty that we have previously only encountered in our enemies, albeit those with powerful armor or extra Shields to do so. Is it better than Shield-gating? Well, yes and no. It is certainly better than a complete lack of Shields and protects better than Health Points alone. How well does it work against high levels? As I've written before, better than a complete lack of Shields, and after Hotfix 33.5.5 he gain some improvements, but this is still not enough... I'm still waiting for some QoL.

And how do you play [Kullervo] in general? I am having a very good time... but I've always been in favor of Warframes, which prefer close combat to barraging enemies with bullets.

Enjoy!
THeMooN85