You've spent forty minutes gathering resources, decreeing yourself into a god-like state of power, and riding a skeletal horse through a floating landscape that looks like a fever dream. Then you see it. The Orowurm. This massive, serpentine mechanical nightmare is the gatekeeper of the Duviri Paradox in Warframe, and honestly, if you aren't prepared for the phase transitions, it’s going to turn your run into a frustrating slog.
Fighting this thing isn't just about having the biggest gun. It’s a multi-stage cinematic endurance test that tests your movement, your patience, and your ability to aim while flying through the air at breakneck speeds.
Whether you’re playing on the standard Lone Story or pushing through a Steel Path run where the health bars feel endless, knowing how to kill Orowurm isn't just a suggestion—it’s survival. Let’s break down the mechanics that actually matter.
The Pursuit: Don't Just Fly, Grapple
The fight doesn't start on solid ground. It starts in the sky. Once the Orbis wyrm decides it's time to play, you’ll be on your Kaithe. The biggest mistake people make here? Trying to just "outrun" it. You can't. You need to use the Orvius—that glowing disc you’ve been carrying around—to latch onto the rings on the side of the Wurm’s body.
The sky is full of fireballs and projectiles. If you get hit, you lose momentum. Basically, you want to stay behind the Wurm and look for the glowing blue grapple points. Once you hook on, you’ll be pulled toward the head. But wait. There’s a catch. The Wurm will periodically pulse energy that knocks you off. You have to jump from ring to ring, moving forward like a space-ninja acrobat until you reach the very front.
Once you're at the head, you’ll see a prompt to "Transfer." This is where you literally hijack the giant mechanical dragon. It’s one of the coolest moments in the game, but don't get distracted. You need to steer the Orowurm toward the two massive cooling towers (the portals) in the sky. Smash through them. This weakens the beast and forces it down into the arena for the real fight.
How to Kill Orowurm Phases Without Losing Your Mind
Now you're on the ground. This is where your Warframe loadout and those Decrees you picked up finally come into play. The Orowurm has three segments on its body that act as health bars. You can't just shoot it anywhere; you have to aim for the glowing mechanical joints.
Phase One: The Rings of Fire
In the first stage, the Wurm stays mostly stationary but summons waves of Dax soldiers. Ignore them if you can, but if they get overwhelming, clear them out quickly to trigger health orbs. The main goal is the glowing red rings on the Wurm’s body. If you have a high-fire-rate weapon, this is easy. If you’re stuck with a slow bow, you need to time your shots between the Wurm’s thrashing.
The Steel Path Difference
On Steel Path, the Orowurm gains a nasty ability: it summons "Wyrmlings." These are mini-versions of itself that fly around and breathe fire. You must kill these. If you don't, the main Orowurm stays invulnerable. Honestly, the Wyrmlings are often more dangerous than the boss itself because they catch you off guard while you're focused on the big guy.
Managing the Arena Hazards
The floor is rarely your friend. Throughout the fight, the Orowurm will slam the ground or create radial blasts of energy.
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- Watch the head: When it rears back, a breath attack is coming.
- Keep moving: Static targets are dead targets in Duviri.
- The Orvius trick: You can actually use your throwing disc to intercept some projectiles, though most players just prefer to dodge-roll.
After you break a segment, the Wurm will retreat and summon a massive wave of enemies. This is the "intermission." You need to kill everything in the arena to force the boss back down. If you're wondering how to kill Orowurm faster, the secret is in your Decrees. Look for anything that boosts "Damage on first shot" or "Status Spread." Because the Wurm counts as an object/boss, some status effects won't tick the way they do on a Grineer Lancer, but raw damage always wins.
The Final Blow: The Parazon Execution
Once all three segments are shattered, the Orowurm will crash into the center of the arena. This is your moment. Run up to its head. You’ll see the X prompt (on PC) or your console equivalent to perform a cinematic Finisher.
Your Warframe will climb onto the snout and jam the Parazon into its brain. The screen whites out, the loot drops, and you finally get those precious Pathos Clamps.
A Quick Note on Pathos Clamps
You need these. You need a lot of them. Specifically for Incarnon Genesis adapters. A normal run nets you 10, while Steel Path gives you 15. If you’re farming these, speed is everything. Don't spend an hour gathering every single plant in the landscape if your goal is just the kill. Get your 4-5 core Decrees, trigger the boss, and get out.
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Actionable Strategy for Your Next Run
To make your next encounter trivial, follow these specific steps:
- Prioritize Movement Decrees: If you can't stay on the Wurm during the sky phase, you'll waste ten minutes just falling. Grab the "Fleet-Footed" or movement speed buffs early.
- Save Your Heavy Hitters: If you have a secondary weapon with high burst damage (like a Lex or a Pyrana), save that specifically for the glowing segments.
- Clear the Wyrmlings Immediately: On higher difficulties, the small dragons provide a massive damage reduction to the boss. Take them out the second they spawn.
- Use the Environment: There are pillars and ruins around the arena. Use them to block the breath attacks if your Warframe is a "glass cannon" like Banshee or Mirage.
The Orowurm is a gear check and a mechanic check rolled into one. Once you stop treating it like a standard boss and start treating it like a rhythmic obstacle course, those Pathos Clamps will start rolling in much faster. Focus on the rings, kill the adds, and don't miss that grapple.