Skip it unless you want a silent primer. Twenty-eight percent status at nearly six throws a second applies procs faster than most pistols, but 36 base damage and 6 percent crit mean it never kills anything itself. It is permanently unvaulted and cheap.
The Hikou Prime is the Primed variant of the Hikou throwing stars, offering improved damage, status chance, magazine size, and reload speed compared to its base version. It was released alongside Nyx Prime and Scindo Prime.
This secondary weapon excels in applying status effects due to its high fire rate and status chance. It is also silent and boasts pinpoint accuracy, making it suitable for stealth gameplay.
Despite its advantages, the Hikou Prime suffers from very low base damage and critical stats, limiting its direct damage output. Its projectiles also have travel time and an arc, requiring aim adjustment for moving or distant targets.
How to get the Hikou Prime
- The Hikou Prime is dropping right now. Its relics are in the mission drop tables:
- Stars: Axi V10 (dropping now).
- Blueprint: Axi S8 (dropping now).
- Pouch: Lith C7 (dropping now).
- Run the fissure tier that matches each relic, refine the rare part’s relic to Radiant, and pick the best of the four results with a squad.
- Build the parts, then the weapon: 12 hours each, or rush with platinum.
Check the Relic finder for live odds per refinement; the set price on this page is what the built set trades for on warframe.market.
Stats
| Class | Secondary |
|---|---|
| Mastery Rank | 4 |
| Trigger | AUTO |
| Noise | Silent |
| Fire Rate | 5.83 |
| Accuracy | 100 |
| Magazine | 26 |
| Reload | 0.5 s |
| Critical Chance | 6% |
| Critical Multiplier | 1.8x |
| Status Chance | 28% |
| Set Price | 39p on warframe.market (48h average) |
| Riven Disposition | (1.25) |
| Damage | 36 total |
|---|---|
| Impact | 3.6 |
| Puncture | 30.6 |
| Slash | 1.8 |
The Hikou Prime has a riven disposition of 1.25, which is above average. This means rivens for it can provide substantial stat boosts, potentially mitigating some of its weaknesses.
Builds
Primer: Pistol Pestilence with Frostbite for Viral, Jolt and Scorch for two more status types, Barrel Diffusion, Galvanized Diffusion and Lethal Torrent for throws per second, Hornet Strike underneath. Pair it with a Condition Overload melee.
Pistol
Pistol
Pistol
Pistol
Pistol
Pistol
Pistol
Pistol| Mod | Why it’s here |
|---|---|
| Hornet Strike | +220% Damage |
| Barrel Diffusion | +120% Multishot |
| Lethal Torrent | +60% Fire Rate; +60% Multishot |
| Galvanized Diffusion | +110% Multishot; On Kill: +30% Multishot for 20s. Stacks up to 4x. |
| Pistol Pestilence | +60% Toxin; +60% Status Chance |
| Jolt | +60% Electricity; +60% Status Chance |
| Frostbite | +60% Cold; +60% Status Chance |
| Scorch | +60% Heat; +60% Status Chance |
Secondary Merciless is the pick: stacking damage on kills with faster reloads. Secondary Encumber for a status build (a chance at a second random proc), Secondary Deadhead if you land headshots.
Reviewed September 2026.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- High fire rate
- High status chance
- Fastest reload speed among throwing-type secondaries
- Silent weapon
- Pinpoint accuracy
Cons
- Very low base damage
- Projectiles have travel time and arc
- Very low ammo efficiency
- Low critical chance and critical multiplier
The Hikou Prime is a niche weapon best suited for players who enjoy applying numerous status effects rather than dealing direct damage. Its unique characteristics, like silence and high fire rate, can be leveraged in specific stealth or crowd control builds. However, its fundamental damage limitations prevent it from being a top-tier choice for general combat.