Cetus wisps are commonly used in a few different blueprints in Cetus. They are used in Amp, Arcane, Zaw and a few cosmetic blueprints. As such, one might find themselves in need of quite a few of these pesky resources. Cetus wisps have a reputation as being one of the worst resources to farm in the entire game, but with this guide we hope you’ll find the process much easier.
We are going to show the route we use to farm roughly 1 – 3 Cetus Wisps every 2 minutes without a resource booster. This results in over 30 Cetus Wisps per hour on the low end, or over 60 Cetus Wisps if using a resource booster. Keep in mind we typically run this method during days since we like to spend our nights on Eidolon hunting. That means this method can find even more wisps if you decide to go out onto the Plains during the nighttime since Cetus wisps spawn more frequently then.
Cetus Wisp Locations

Loadout
There are a few loadout recommendations we have that will make Cetus Wisp farming much, much faster. While your choice of Warframe is not high priority, we recommend bringing along Volt thanks to his speed buff increasing the flight speed of Archwings. It’s also critical that you bring along Itzal as its third ability, Cosmic Crush, is key for collecting Cetus Wisps quickly without having to leave the Archwing.
As for the Warframe build, the only goal is to have as large a loot radar as possible because they show Cetus Wisps on the map (same icon as other items). We achieve this by using Thief’s Wit and Loot Detector
. All other mod choices are optional. Since we’re using Volt, we prioritized strength to increase the movement buff from Speed. For the Archwing build, the only important mods are System Reroute
(doesn’t need to be maxed) and, if you have it, Energy Amplifier
. Neither are necessary, but they improve the efficacy of using Cosmic Crush to collect the wisps.
Cetus Wisp Farming Route
We use the path provided above and have had great success in doing so. The most important part about farming Cetus Wisps is not necessarily memorizing where they can spawn, but rather being able to quickly determine whether an item icon on the mini-map is a Wisp or a random resource. If you spend too much time pausing to check, you’ll have longer trip times which means slower Cetus Wisp farming.
Cetus Wisps always spawn very close to the water – so close that their icon on the mini-map will usually partially go onto the water. If the icon looks like it’s even a little bit inland, it’s likely not a wisp and can be ignored. Furthermore, there are certain resources that commonly spawn next to the water that, with enough experience, you’ll memorize and know to ignore when you see their icon on the map.
If you want to maximize your Cetus Wisp farming, we recommend you DON’T look at anything except your mini-map. With enough practice, you’ll be able to traverse the map without ever having to look at anything else which allows you to prioritize looking out for wisps. This is the primary reason we are able to collect wisps so quickly. Use Itzal’s second ability, Penumbra, when you think you see a wisp for an instant full-stop. See the video below as an example of us doing a run using this route.
Wrapping it Up
We hope this quick guide helped you get started with farming Cetus Wisps. While most players hate this grind, we’ve found it can actually be quite fun if you are a player who enjoys speedrunning. Even if you don’t find it enjoyable (which we imagine most of you don’t), you can significantly reduce the length of the grind by using a resource booster and only farming for Wisps at night. What are your recommendations for players who are approaching Cetus Wisp farming for the first time? Feel free to share in the comments below!
Anonymous
26 Dec 2021So far I’ve only gotten 1 wisp, been doing this path for 2 hours
wyspert
28 Dec 2020The route is good, just follow it. Do it at night for max benefit. Bring a smeeta and use a booster. Here’s my big difference, use Nova with a maxed out worm hole and primed flow. When you find a wisp you can worm hole right to it. Forget the archwing, just use nova.
Eery Equation
22 Sep 2020For those asking what to do if itzal is not available, a greedy pull mag can also simplify the process
Bee
16 Oct 2020If you read the wiki, greedy pull doesn’t work
Anonymous
16 Aug 2020Hey guys, it might take an orokin reactor or forma, but Hyperion Thrusters can really give you a boost. You can use Hyperion Thrusters instead of Volt, or along with for a crazy speed boost. 🙂 Happy farming Tenno.
Unsivilized
28 Jan 2020Just did a run and picked up 10 wisp in 5 minutes using this guide and strategy, thief’s wit will work in archwing if you fly close the ground or land for one second it will show the wisp works perfect
Anonymous
10 Nov 2019This route is actually pretty effective, and the numbers aren’t lying.
I think the reason why some people are complaining that this route isn’t that effective is because they don’t do “the lap.”
I don’t blame them either, as this guide does fail to emphasize fully that you have to END your run. If you keep lapping around in a single instance, your wisp income severely dwindles.
I understand that some people don’t want to do that either, but sometimes, things like this will happen. There is a rarity of getting 0 in a run, it’s possible, but it is highly unlikely. Keep running it a couple of times, you should be able to get enough wisps for what you’re focused on quickly.
Anonymous
20 Sep 2019thief’s wit doesnt work with archwing
Anonymous
15 Mar 2020Use loot detector
wankers
7 Sep 2019Thief’s wit only highlights mods. Bruh moment.
Anonymous
7 Sep 2019disregard that, I’m an idiot
Anonymous
9 Oct 2019No you half-wit it just said it highlights mods, what it really does is increases all loot radar
GrazedZero
28 Jun 2019I strongly disagree, with the numbers. You can go through 10 runs, and not find one wisp. I would highly suggest that you don’t go into the plains, expecting a haul. You will become frustrated.
Using an archwing is too much of a hassle, since you’re downed in one hit. Take volt, an invis Loki build, or bullet jump across the plains. |
A Smeeta Kavat is more than enough. Take boosters (with a Smeeta) if you want to bleed wisps from your eyes.
JCovi995
12 Jun 2019I tried all of the marked locations and tried the trail and I got 0 wisps. Why did that happen?
michaelden
25 Apr 2019I know they say they don’t but my experience says wisps spawn more at night. day farming averages 1-4 a run (no boosters); night farming averages 4-8 a run (no boosters).
FREISTERGAARD
18 Mar 2019so i dont have the itzal i only have the elytron so is there anything that i can use instead of the cosmic crush?
lol
26 Aug 2019no retard
Anonymous
15 Mar 2020You’re the retard bully somewhere else idiot
Anonymous
23 Sep 2020fuck u
Anonymous
21 Sep 2019To be honest, as long as you have the Loot Detector and Thieve’s Wit, you should be fine bullet jumping across the route
Inter
18 Jan 2019nowadays, one of the best method FOR ME (who dont like to “farm for farming”) is eidolon hunting (tridolon for best efficiency). All the cores you get are turned into quills standing which cant be then turned into whisp for 5 000 (instead of the 10 000 before, which was well…boring to stay polite).
You make lots of tridolon, so arcanes and wards, plus cores.
…
this means it’s not really a beginner method i agree… but it becomes much more interresting to spend your standing in it.