The Cernos is a Tenno bow, specializing in damaging shields by its high 
Impact damage.
This weapon can be sold for 
7,500. It is also a requisite ingredient for 
Mutalist Cernos.
Characteristics[]
This weapon deals primarily Impact damage.
Advantages:
- High
Impact damage – effective against shields. - Very high critical chance.
- Charged shots have innate 1 meter punch through.
- Pinpoint accuracy when aiming (RMB ).
- Silent.
- On kill, bodies will follow the arrow that killed them, damaging enemies in their path and pinning the corpse to walls.
- Innate polarity.
- Can use the bow-exclusive Thunderbolt mod.
- Fire rate mods apply double their bonuses.
Disadvantages:
- Low Puncture and Slash damage – less effective against armor and health.
- Arrows have a travel time with slight arcing.
- Draws from the rare sniper ammo pool.
Comparisons:
- Cernos (Charged Shot), compared to Cernos Prime (Charged Horizontal/Vertical Shot):
- Higher base damage per projectile (380 vs. 184)
- Lower total damage (380 vs. 552)
- Higher base critical chance (36% vs. 35%)
- Lower base status chance (18% vs. 30%)
- Lower average damage per shot (516.8 vs. 745.2)
- Lower burst DPS (469.82 vs. 621)
- Lower sustained DPS (304 vs. 392.21)
- Lower multishot (1 projectile(s) vs. 3 projectile(s))
- Faster reload time (0.6 s vs. 0.7 s)
- Different polarities ( vs. )
- Lower Mastery Rank required (6 vs. 12)
- Higher disposition (1.3 vs. 1.25)
- Cernos (Charged Shot), compared to Rakta Cernos (Charged Shot):
- Lower base damage per projectile (380 vs. 470)
- Lower total damage (380 vs. 470)
- Higher base critical chance (36% vs. 35%)
- Higher base status chance (18% vs. 15%)
- Lower average damage per shot (516.8 vs. 634.5)
- Lower burst DPS (469.82 vs. 746.47)
- Lower sustained DPS (304 vs. 437.59)
- Different polarities ( vs. )
- Lower Mastery Rank required (6 vs. 12)
- Higher disposition (1.3 vs. 1.25)
- Lack of an innate Blight effect
Acquisition[]
The Cernos's blueprint can be purchased from the Market.
| Manufacturing Requirements | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 15,000 |
 3 |
 700 |
 600 |
 1,750 |
Time: 12 hrs |
Rush:  45
| |||||
 Market Price: 225
|
 Blueprints Price: 20,000
| ||||
Tips[]
- Due to the weapon's high Impact damage but low Puncture and Slash damage, consider using this to drain the enemies' shield first then finish them with other weapons which have higher damage where the Cernos lacks. Alternatively, consider making this your main bow for going against Corpus troops, the majority of which have high shields but very low health.
- With a maxed Critical Delay mod, it is possible to raise the Cernos' critical chance to 103.3%, ensuring that all shots will deal critical damage.
- Using a maxed Critical Delay however will also result in the Cernos having an even slower fire rate. This can be countered with the usage of a fire rate mod, preferably Speed Trigger.
- Using a maxed Critical Delay however will also result in the Cernos having an even slower fire rate. This can be countered with the usage of a fire rate mod, preferably
Trivia[]
- The name "Cernos" means "horn" in Gaulish.
- Being an Impact oriented bow, the Cernos uses arrows with a mace-like head, with a larger impact area. This spreads the kinetic energy of the arrows across a wider area, creating a blunt impact. Judging by the hole in the middle of the head, and the fact that it can still pin enemies to walls, it is likely the arrows are hollow to house a spring-loaded punch system that fires a spike upon impact.
- As of Update 30.3 (2021-05-25), the Cernos has the most variations of all weapons, having a total of 5 weapons in its family: basic, Prime, Rakta, Mutalist and Proboscis.
Media[]
Cernos in the Codex.
Cernos as shown in the Arsenal
Cernos Arrow Quiver with Arrows
Warframe 11 ♠ Cernos
A Gay Guy Reviews Cernos, A Shield Smashing Bow?
Warframe Cernos
Warframe - All Tenno Primaries - Weapon Animations & Sounds (2012 - 2019)
Cernos Skins
Patch History[]
Update 25.7 (2019-08-29)
- Normalized quick shots to have the same critical chance/damage and status chance as charged shots.
- While reviewing Bow stats the team has also refreshed all their FX (including the Lenz)!
- Quick Shot increased from 110 to 190
- Charged Shot increased from 220 to 380
- Flight Speed increased from 85 to 90
- Aim Zoom decreased from 2.23x to 2x
Hotfix 25.0.7 (2019-05-30)
- Fixed the Cernos Energy color persisting as default on the strings.
Update 22.12 (2018-02-09)
- Mastery Rank increased from 0 to 6.
- Charged shot damage increased from 200 to 220.
- Charge speed increased from 1s to 0.5s.
- Status chance increased from 10% to 18%.
- Critical chance increased from 35% to 36%.
Update 11.1 (2013-11-27)
- Introduced.
See also[]
- Rakta Cernos, the Red Veil custom counterpart.
- Cernos Prime, the primed counterpart.
- Mutalist Cernos, the Infested counterpart.
- Proboscis Cernos, another Infested counterpart.
