Warframe: 1999 tells the story of how your Drifter meets the Hex, a group of protoframe warriors that protect the frightened people of Höllvania. This city suffers under the surveillance of the Scaldra faction, soldiers with strong chemical weapons and you must ride your Atomicycle into the streets out there to face them.
The new Assassination mission in Höllvania involves defeating the powerful H-09 Efervon Tank in a massive battle. Still, if you’re playing in Steel Path difficulty you will have the chance to unlock a secret version of this boss that takes this fight to another level.
How To Unlock The H-09 Apex Tank
To unlock this fight, you must enter the Assassination mission node in Höllvania, specifically in Steel Path mode. Once there, you must proceed with the mission as normal until you open the first gate.
Before you open the second gate, you must find two special PC terminals with a green glow and purple interface, not the usual ones you can notice on the map showing blue-colored infestation. Use a transponder to hack into them, and after winning the hacking minigame in two of these terminals, Lt. Viktor Vodyanoi will panic and send a more powerful version of the H-09 Efervon Tank for you to meet.
H-09 Apex Tank Fight
This fight has two phases like the normal version, but the way they go is a bit different. During the first phase, the H-09 Apex Tank will be invulnerable until you destroy the eight vents in its body, marked by a strong green glow. While you do that, the boss will trigger several different attacks, all while Scaldra units spread Efervon across the arena; do not waste too much time dealing with the Scaldra unless they’re overwhelming you.
For the tank’s attacks, it is advised to keep your distance but never stop moving, as the close-range ones can stagger and knock you down, and the long-range moves can trigger a Magnetic proc that disables your abilities for 3 seconds, easily catching you off guard if you’re distracted. As it happens with the normal version of this fight, keep moving at all times and aim to destroy the vents first, then hit the tank with the rocket launchers that some Scaldra units might drop.
After destroying the vents, you must chip away its two health bars; these are protected under an awful lot of Armor buffs, so armor-stripping weaponry is advised; once you’re done with them, a prompt to destroy the tank will show up. However, the floor will collapse, and the new phase will begin.
The second phase begins when the H-09 Apex tank gets infested and gains some Techrot tendrils, now summoning Techrot exilus enemies for you to fend off. While the tank’s attacks remain largely the same, its AoE attacks will become more annoying, and it will show a new behavior focusing a bit more on melee attacks at an improved speed, so staying mobile will be even more important during this phase.
The main important thing to remember in this phase is that shooting the Prosboscis nodes in its body will significantly chip down the tank’s HP, and once you’re done with the first two HP bars, the tank will spawn Techrot enemies while trying to heal itself. You must kill them all to prevent that, and then continue attacking the H-09 Apex until it inevitably dies.
Keep in mind that Self-Reviving is disabled for this fight; if you die and nobody gets you up, you’re done.
Best Arsenal Recommendations
For this fight, it is highly recommended to bring armor-stripping weaponry, because this boss possesses a very thick armor and can tank a lot of damage. Keep in mind that you cannot rely too much upon your abilities due to the nature of the fight, so you must aim to bring primary weapons like the Latron that can strip the armor of the tank so you can chip its HP away.
Once the armor is stripped, it is worth bringing weapons with great Heavy Slam Damage; the Magistar is usually the recommended one if you have its Incarnon form unlocked, but hammers like the Arca Titron and Ekhein should work too with a good build.
H-09 Efervon Apex Tank Rewards
After you finish this difficult fight, you will obtain the following rewards:
- H-09 Apex Turret Sumdali
- Steel Essence
However, if you defeat this boss in Solo Mode with the Warframes Excalibur, Nyx, Mag, Volt, Trinity, or Cyte-09, you will obtain a special Glyph showing each corresponding member of The Hex.
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