Jade Shadows

“You're not supposed to be in here! You're going to ruin the surprise!”

The following article/section contains spoilers.

Transcript

Jade Shadows is a solo-only main Quest, released in Update 36.0 (2024-06-18). In the aftermath of The New War, Stalker comes to grips with his own past, concealing a secret that could have implications for the rest of the Origin System.

Synopsis[]

During The Collapse, Stalker served as a Low Guardian to the Orokin who were slaughtered by the Tenno, to which the Stalker sought vengeance. As Stalker himself became a target, he was protected by  Jade.

In the present, following the events of The New War, Stalker has been nursing Jade who has fallen critically ill. His attempts to administer  Bioplasma fail; Hunhow urges him to seek the Tenno's assistance, who suggests he use  Cortichrome from the Infested. Meanwhile, the Bioplasma theft alerts Corpus Captain Xeto; she orders the Stalker tracked, believing what he has in his possession will promote her to a Sister of Parvos.

While administering the Cortichrome, Jade is revealed to be pregnant and passes during childbirth. Stalker secures her child and protects it from Xeto's forces. When the Stalker sustains an injury, the child cries, causing Xeto to order a cease fire and allow Stalker to pass.

Before becoming Warframes, Stalker was known as Sorren and was engaged with Jade, siring a child despite being forbidden by Orokin legems. He names the child Sirius or Orion.

Walkthrough[]

“You're not supposed to be in here! You're going to ruin the surprise!”

The following article/section contains spoilers. Please finish the quest before proceeding.

The player must have completed The New War.

When initiating the quest in the Codex, a disclaimer warns there are scenes of trauma related to motherhood and the quest will take 30-40 minutes to complete during which other WARFRAME activities are unavailable. Type SHADOWS to confirm.

The Lair[]

Hunhow narrates Stalker's life filled with despair, anguish, and hatred, none of which compare to his guilt. A diorama depicts Stalker confronted by an  Excalibur, but also protected by  Jade.

Within the depths of Uranus, Stalker awakens to a jade feather while hearing whispers saying "Sorren". The player controls Stalker as they follow the path of feathers taking them to a dying Jade. Hunhow contacts Stalker, scolding him for continuing to treat her alone instead of swallowing his hate and pride, which Stalker coldly denies. Stalker offers her comfort before embarking on his Landing Craft.

Anything But That[]

Stalker heads to Phobos to raid a Corpus Ship of  Bioplasma. This is a Spy mission with 4 vaults, though Stalker possesses 100%  Auto Breach chance and his invisibility bypasses laser sensors. The playable  Stalker possesses the weapons  Dread,  Despair, and  Hate with  Reaping Spiral stance, and the abilities  Teleport,  Marked,  Smoke Screen, and  Punishment, with a passive that grants 300% critical chance to enemies who do not see him. Three out of four vaults must be hacked; failing to meet the quota will result the mission restarting.

His actions don't go unnoticed by Corpus Captain Xeto, who orders the Stalker to be tracked down.

Mistreatment[]

Stalker delivers the Bioplasma to Jade, who reacts with a piercing screech. Hunhow points out that this is proof of his words, and that the only thing that can help a Warframe are the Tenno. Stalker reluctantly agrees to go seek them, but is soon ambushed by Corpus Commander's forces, sidetracking him to destroy the interloping proxies before the Commander confirms his location.

To Catch A Tenno[]

Stalker boards the Tenno's Orbiter, alerting Ordis who patrols with his sentinel body. Stalker must wait for Ordis to open the Transference room door and sneak inside. Stalker confronts the Operator and shows them Jade's feather, who reluctantly agrees to help their fellow Warframe. Using Transference on the feather, they witness a pair embracing each other as the name "Sorren" is heard once more.

Ordis suggests Stalker turn to the Infestation, the base matter of which Warframes are created from.

The Ancestor[]

On an abandoned ship on Eris, Stalker battles a Juggernaut Behemoth to acquire  Cortichrome. Xeto realizes that Stalker is attempting to play doctor and contacts Vala Glarios.

The Impossible[]

The Operator says that Jade won't make it, but also isn't fighting what's draining her, but Stalker orders them to try. Jade unfurls her cloak and is revealed to be pregnant. As the Operator uses Transference on Jade, they witness the pair's embrace again with Sorren calling out to Jade.

To administer the medicine, players must time the jump button (default Space ) in tandem with the wavelength chorus. However, the quest will still progress even if the player does not participate in the minigame.

Escape[]

As Stalker grasps Jade's hand, she disintegrates, leaving behind an infant boy. The child inherits Jade's light, empowering Stalker's  Hate, giving it the ability to hurl energy waves, but he loses access to the rest of his arsenal and abilities as he carries his son on his arm. He ascends an elevator to escape a Corpus assault.

At the surface, Xeto's forces open fire, forcing Stalker on the defense and eventually injuring him. His son starts to cry and upon hearing this, Xeto immediately orders a ceasefire and allows them to pass. Stalker in turn spares her troops as he hobbles to his landing craft.

Past and Future[]

On Lua, a narration reveals that Sorren is Stalker's previous identity, and was Jade's husband who swore to protect his family in spite of Orokin laws. As Stalker, the player can name the child Sirius or Orion, completing the quest.

Unfinished Business[]

Completion of the quest unlocks the Ascension game mode on Uranus. Hunhow contacts the Tenno via inbox message and awards them the  Jade Warframe blueprint, the Stalker's Lair Captura, and the Orbiter decorations Alone Portrait, Protector Portrait, and United Portrait.

Death Mark Stalker no longer appears as Shadow Stalker, but as Protector Stalker, having reverted to his original appearance, with his mask and  Hate now imbued with Jade's energies.

Near Teshin in any Relay, an assembly of seven of Jade's feathers will appear in front of the tombstones, further detailing Jade's past after becoming a Warframe up to the events of Jade Shadows.

Notes[]

• Stalker's arsenal and abilities have several features noticeable during the quest, at times being capable of feats impossible for players to achieve even with Decrees:
  • His mod config is implied to be identical to his Duviri counterpart's, so see that page for more details.
  • Stalker's Parazon has a variant of  Auto Breach that is guaranteed to activate each time he interacts with a console.
  •  Smoke Screen has an innate  Infiltrate mechanic, allowing him to pass through Laser Barriers unhindered.
  •  Dread has at least  Longbow Sharpshot,  Galvanized Chamber, along with additional  Cold damage.
  •  Despair has at least  Secondary Merciless,  Galvanized Diffusion,  Galvanized Shot, and additional  Heat damage.
    • Some playthroughs show the Dread and Despair with increased Ammo Maximums, sometimes reaching values far higher than what a combination of  Ammo Drum/ Trick Mag and a suitable Riven Mod would allow. Exactly what causes this is unknown.
  •  Hate has at least  Melee Animosity and increased Combo Duration.
• When replaying the quest, naming the newborn is skipped and Stalker will automatically speak their chosen name.

Trivia[]

• Xeto ordering her troops to cease fire is a reference to the film Children of Men^[1], where two warring factions immediately stop fighting at the sight of a newborn and allow the family to pass unharmed.
• The newborn is named after real-world stars.
  • Sirius is described as the brightest star in the night sky.
    • The jade hue when picking Sirius suggests this name was chosen by Jade.
  • Orion is a constellation, named after the huntsman Greek Mythology Orion.
    • The red hue when picking Orion suggests this name was chosen by Sorren.
• Prior to Update 38.0 (2024-12-13), the name Orion could be generated for Red Veil Railjack Crew.
• The United Portrait is the only portrait of the three that doesn't appear while completing the Quest.
• Despite not physically appearing,  Excalibur Umbra is briefly mentioned by Ordis when Stalker infiltrates the Orbiter.

Patch History[]

Main Story Quests Edit
Arc 1 - Awakening	Awakening • Vor's Prize • Saya's Vigil • Vox Solaris • Once Awake • Heart of Deimos • The Archwing
Arc 2 - The War Within Saga	Natah • The Second Dream • Rising Tide • The War Within • Chains of Harrow • Apostasy Prologue • The Sacrifice
Arc 3 - The New War Saga	Prelude to War (Chimera Prologue • Erra • The Maker)[2] • The New War (The Duviri Paradox)[3]
Arc 4 - The Void War Saga	Angels of the Zariman Jade Shadows Whispers in the Walls • The Lotus Eaters • The Hex
Side Quests
Warframe Quests	The Deadlock Protocol • Call of the Tempestarii • The New Strange • The Glast Gambit • Octavia's Anthem • Sands of Inaros • Hidden Messages • Mask of the Revenant • The Silver Grove • The Waverider • The Limbo Theorem • The Jordas Precept
Side Quests	Howl of the Kubrow • Stolen Dreams • Veilbreaker • Patient Zero • A Man of Few Words
Quest Unlocks
Warframe Unlock Quests	Hidden Messages ( Mirage) • The Limbo Theorem ( Limbo) • Patient Zero ( Mesa) • The New Strange ( Chroma,  Khora) • The Jordas Precept ( Atlas) • Sands of Inaros ( Inaros) • The Silver Grove ( Titania) • The Glast Gambit ( Nidus) • Octavia's Anthem ( Octavia) • Chains of Harrow ( Harrow) • Saya's Vigil ( Gara) • Mask of the Revenant ( Revenant) • The Sacrifice ( Excalibur Umbra) • Vox Solaris ( Garuda,  Baruuk,  Hildryn) • Chimera Prologue ( Wisp) • The Deadlock Protocol ( Protea) • Call of the Tempestarii ( Sevagoth) • The Waverider ( Yareli) • Heart of Deimos ( Xaku,  Lavos,  Citrine) • The New War ( Caliban) • Angels of the Zariman ( Gyre) • Veilbreaker ( Styanax) • The Duviri Paradox ( Kullervo) • Whispers in the Walls ( Qorvex,  Dante) • Jade Shadows ( Jade) • The Hex ( Cyte-09)
Syndicate Unlock Quests	Saya's Vigil ( Ostron) • Vox Solaris ( Solaris United,  Ventkids,  Vox Solaris) • Heart of Deimos ( Entrati) • The War Within ( The Quills,  Vox Solaris,  Necraloid) • Angels of the Zariman ( The Holdfasts) • Whispers in the Walls ( Cavia) • The Hex ( The Hex
Location Unlock Quests	The Duviri Paradox (Duviri, Dormizone) • Saya's Vigil (Cetus, Plains of Eidolon) • Vox Solaris (Fortuna, Orb Vallis) • Heart of Deimos (Necralisk, Cambion Drift) • The Archwing (Empyrean Proximas) The Duviri Paradox (Duviri) • The Second Dream (Lua) • The War Within (Kuva Fortress) • Chains of Harrow (Iron Wake) • The New War (Drifter's Camp) • Angels of the Zariman (Zariman Ten Zero, Chrysalith, Dormizone) • Whispers in the Walls (Sanctum Anatomica, Albrecht's Laboratories) • The Hex (Höllvania Central Mall, Höllvania, Backroom)
Feature Unlock Quests	Howl of the Kubrow (Incubator Segment) • The Archwing (Archwing) • Stolen Dreams (Maroo Weekly Ayatan Hunt) • The New Strange (Sanctuary Onslaught) • Vox Solaris (K-Drive) • Heart of Deimos (Necramech, Helminth Segment, Mirror Defense) • A Man of Few Words (Clem Weekly Mission) • The Duviri Paradox (Drifter, The Circuit, Duviri Incarnons) • The Second Dream (Operator, Focus) • Rising Tide (Railjack) • The War Within (Kuva Lich, Conjunction Survival) • Call of the Tempestarii (Sisters of Parvos) • Angels of the Zariman (Void Armageddon, Void Cascade, Void Flood, Zariman Incarnons) • Veilbreaker (Break Narmer, Archon Hunt, Archon Shard) • Whispers in the Walls (Arcane Dissolution, Melee Upgrade Segment, Entrati Incarnons, Alchemy, Netracells, Deep Archimedea) • Jade Shadows (Ascension) • The Hex (Hell-Scrub, Legacyte Harvest, Faceoff, Technocyte Coda)
Story and History