WORKSPACE / Warframe builds
← Warframe builds
Curated build

Lavos

Mecha Anvil

Forma3 Forma · layout

A leaner Mecha-set Gas-and-Heat Catalyze nuke on a straightforward armour tank

Status-spread nuke, high-armour tankSteel PathLevel cap
Lavos
CURATED LOADOUT

CONFIGURATION

Customize to edit mods

MOD CAPACITY

73 / 741 remaining

Rank 30 · Orokin Reactor · 60 base + 14 aura capacity

AURA 1naramon polarityPOLARIZED
Polarized slotR5
EXILUSUNPOLARIZED
Unpolarized slotR5
Arcane ImpetusArcane Impetus
Arcane GuardianArcane Guardian
1UNPOLARIZED
Unpolarized slotR3
2UNPOLARIZED
Unpolarized slotR3
3vazarin polarityPOLARIZED
Polarized slotR10
4UNPOLARIZED
Unpolarized slotR3
5UNPOLARIZED
Unpolarized slotR5
6madurai polarityPOLARIZED
Polarized slotR5
7madurai polarityPOLARIZED
Polarized slotR10
8vazarin polarityPOLARIZED
Polarized slotR10

ABILITIES

Lavos

PASSIVE Energy and Universal Orbs give Lavos status immunity for 10s. Hold any ability to imbue the next cast with additional Elemental Damage and Status.

1

Ophidian Bite

Ophidian Bite

Lash out with a toxic serpentine strike, consuming the target to heal Lavos. Hold to imbue all abilities with Toxin.

2

Vial Rush

Vial Rush

Dash forward, crashing through enemies and leaving an icy trail of broken vials. Hold to imbue the next ability cast with Cold.

3

Transmutation Probe

Transmutation Probe

Launch a probe that converts Health and Energy Orbs into Universal Orbs that provide both, and ammo pickups into Universal Ammo Pickups. The probe shocks enemies in close proximity. Each electrocuted foe reduces other ability cooldowns by 1.5s.

4

Catalyze

Catalyze

Catalyst Probes erupt from Lavos and douse combatants in a fiery gel. Damage is doubled for each element afflicting an enemy. Hold to imbue the next ability cast with Heat.

CEPHALON FIELD GUIDE

How to play this build.

Tenno. This is the base-Lavos version of The Element Engine: fewer forma, a plain Adaptation-and-Guardian armour tank instead of Arcane Persistence, but the same Catalyze plan. Infuse Gas, prime with elements, and the 2^status multiplier plus the Mecha set does the rest. Lavos has no energy, only cooldowns, so Swift Bite and Transmutation Probe are how you cast again.

How it works

Identical Catalyze scaling to The Element Engine: 2^(number of distinct statuses), Gas infusion for lingering procs, Archon Continuity for corrosive off Ophidian Bite, and the Mecha set's Empowered mark (6.25x DoT) plus its kill-spread.

The difference is the tank: Adaptation plus Mecha Pulse armour (up to ~5850, ~99.5% DR with Adaptation) plus Arcane Guardian and Ophidian Bite healing, for ~600k effective HP to around level 500, instead of Arcane Persistence.

Note Valence Formation's DoT interaction is currently bugged, so drop it for a pure Catalyze build.

Playstyle

1.

Group enemies (Magus Anomaly, Ensnare, Nautilus Cordon).

2.

Shoot a primer for statuses, infuse Gas (hold 1 and 4) or Heat (hold 4), then cast Catalyze (4).

3.

Infuse Corrosive (hold 1 and 3) into casts of 1, 2 and 3 for the strip.

4.

Tap 3 then tap 1 into the group to slash the cooldowns of 4 and 3.

5.

Tap 2 (Vial Rush) through the group for corrosive pools.

Duration, Efficiency, Range, Strength

Duration extends every status's DoT (~9s at 155%).

Efficiency matters only for how much Swift Bite and Transmutation Probe cut cooldowns; ~100% is the sweet spot.

Range for all abilities.

Strength as high as the other stats allow (Precision Intensify).

The mods

Precision Intensify is the Strength.

Stretch is the Range.

Archon Continuity is Duration plus the corrosive conversion.

Archon Vitality doubles Catalyze heat procs.

Adaptation, Mecha Pulse plus the Mecha Empowered aura are the tank and the set.

Lingering Transmutation extends the cooldown- reduction window.

Flexible slots

Drop Valence Formation for a pure Catalyze build.

Fast Deflection plus Vigilante Vigor plus Catalyzing Shields for a passive-gate version.

The exilus is open (Coaction Drift double-dips Mecha Empowered).

Helminth

Pick one.

Subsume over Vial Rush.

- Ensnare or another grouping ability for Gas overlap and cooldown reduction.

- Sickening Pulse for the 10x Gas and electric multiplier on tight maps.

- Roar for a passive DoT multiplier.

- Expedite Suffering for Disruption.

Pillage for shield gating.

Arcanes

Arcane Impetus for 60% Strength and 30% Efficiency from Lavos's ten elements, Arcane Guardian for the tank armour.

Molt Augmented or Arcane Ice Storm as swaps.

Focus

Any.

Madurai for cast speed on the infusion casts.

Weapon synergy

An area primer that procs many statuses (Cedo alt-fire, Bubonico, Kuva Ogris, Grimoire), or a heat-inherit secondary for Catalyze's heat procs.

Telos Boltace or Dual Ichor for a melee-vortex or influence loadout.

Staying alive

The armour tank plus Ophidian Bite healing plus Arcane Guardian.

It falls off past about level 500; use The Element Engine's Arcane Persistence build for higher.

It fails to Violence, nullifiers, and heat or corrosive stripping armour.

Energy

There is none.

Cooldowns, shortened by Swift Bite and Transmutation Probe.

Where it struggles

The element-infusion rotation is the same steep learning curve.

The tank has a level-500 ceiling.

Overguard resists percent-HP effects.

Bosses.

Variants

The Element Engine (Lavos Prime) build is the endurance version with Arcane Persistence.

Strengths and weaknesses

Strong: the same huge status-nuke ceiling for fewer forma, no energy to manage, tanky to level 500.

Weak: tank ceiling, complex rotation, overguard-awkward, needs a Kubrow.

Who runs this

Players who want the Mecha Alchemist nuke on a cheaper, simpler tank chassis for sub-endurance content.