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Once Awake Quest Walkthrough (2026): Every Stage, Rewards and the Infested
Three Mercury missions, your first Infested, and a Heat Sword
Last Updated on September 12, 2026
The short answer
Once Awake is the three-mission quest that introduces the Infested: a Spy on M Prime, an Exterminate on Terminus, and an eight-wave Defense on Lares. It pays a Heat Sword blueprint and the Molten Impact mod, and you can bring a squad. Do it before the Mercury nodes; the enemy levels are single digits.
Reviewed September 12, 2026, current through Update 43.5. Stage names and order checked against the official wiki; this page is re-checked after every major patch.
| Quest facts | |
|---|---|
| Needs | Venus Junction (on Earth) |
| Start | The Lotus delivers an inbox message. |
| Time | 30 to 40 minutes |
| Squad | Squad allowed |
| Pays | Molten Impact; Heat Sword blueprint |
| Opens | The Infested as a faction in Codex terms; Shrine Defense on Mercury |
| Line | Main story |
What you need first
| Requirement | Why |
|---|---|
| Venus Junction (on Earth) | The junction awards the quest; it appears in the Codex when the junction completes. |
Stage by stage
- Investigate the Bio Weapon: Collect three data units from a Grineer Spy Mission on M Prime, Mercury. Watch: After the first data unit, Grineer marines will assault you; after the second, Infested will appear and fight both Grineer and Tenno.
- Infestation Outbreak: Exterminate all Infested units aboard a Grineer Galleon on Terminus, Mercury.
- Cascade Bomb: Defend a power core for eight waves on Lares, Mercury, to destroy the Infested. Watch: The defense mission has large Infested biomass and only two access points to the core.
Rewards
| Reward | From | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Molten Impact | Infestation Outbreak | Heat damage for melee |
| Heat Sword blueprint | Cascade Bomb | A fine first melee upgrade |
Frames in this quest
| Frame | Role | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Rhino | Bring | Iron Skin ignores the eight Defense waves; farm him on Venus first if you can. |
| Excalibur | Bring | Slash Dash through Infested packs works fine at this level. |
Weapons in this quest
Heat SwordReward| Weapon | Why |
|---|---|
| Heat Sword | Blueprint after Cascade Bomb. |
Tips that save runs
- The Defense core has two entrances; stand on the ramp between them and everything funnels to you.
- Grineer and Infested fight each other on M Prime; let them.
Mistakes that waste runs
- Leaving the power core to chase kills on Lares.
What it unlocks
- The Infested as a faction in Codex terms
- Shrine Defense on Mercury
Where it sits
Before it: The Teacher. After it: The Archwing. The full order is on the quest hub.
Related
- Best beginner weapons
- The Teacher walkthrough
- The Archwing walkthrough
- Every Warframe quest in order
- Best weapons for 2026
- Warframe tier list 2026
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