Lavos
Lavos builds
Universal Donor
Steel Path3–4 FormaAdvancedMedium confidenceSteel PathShards optional

Lavos — Universal Donor

Steel Path build. Transmutation Probe as a cooldown battery and orb printer. Squad drinks universal orbs. You shave every other button.

Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current

Squad play, endurance, people who like being the reason cooldowns vanished

Wrong drop or mechanic?

Why this build?

Steel Path for Squad play, endurance, people who like being the reason cooldowns vanished

Health: Not yet — Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts still closed. Play the Starter.

Play this in Steel Path
  • Probe is unique. No other frame prints universal orbs and refunds its own kit.
  • Streamline is a cooldown mod here. That sentence is illegal on every other Warframe.
  • A Synth Fiber companion bypasses Lavos' orb-pickup delay. Slot it.

Don’t use this for: solo level-cap

Stronger mods, Arcanes, real synergy

You don’t need the shards to run the loop. They are a later ceiling, not a gate.

Bring: Any weapon — You are the orb guy. A primer still helps Catalyze. Companion with Synth Fiber picks orbs through Lavos' innate delay.

Alternative if…

Instead: First MixInstead: First Mix — Star ChartInstead: Catalyzing Alchemist — Steel PathInstead: Catalyzing Alchemist — Optimised

My test

Did this still work for you?

Your note, in this browser. Separate from Codex verification — the stamp on the card is editorial, this is yours.

Readiness

Inventory unknown

Not checked — add your collection. You have not failed a test.

  • Required mods 0/9 · required — 0/9 named
  • Forma 0/4 · required — 4 on the card. Codex does not track installed Forma.
  • Helminth · optional — Not required
  • Arcanes · recommended — 0/2 recommended
  • Shards · optional — Optional unless the card says a breakpoint

Investment: 4 Forma · Reactor · 2 shards · 1 specialised mods. Typical farm ~4–6 hours. Trade if a route is vaulted.

Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current

Medium confidence. A solid recommendation with more situational dependencies. Confidence is not verification. Verification is separate: Codex Checked against Update 43.5.

Your next step

Next: Catalyzing Alchemist — Optimised

Unlock Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts before this upgrade is honest.

Catalyzing Alchemist — Optimised

Plan

Today → next → later

Inventory unknown — mark “I own this” on a few mods. Until then this is a plan, not a score of zero.

  1. NextGet Corrosive ProjectionOpen Nightwave
  2. After that3–4 FormaOne slot at a time. Rank 30 after each polarize.
  3. LaterAmber · Casting SpeedHelminth and shards are the last rungs. They are not the Starter.
  4. FinalUniversal DonorSteel Path · Advanced · 3–4 Forma

Upgrade from here

Catalyzing Alchemist — Optimised

Locked behind Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts. Tick those on Progress first.

Open Catalyzing Alchemist — Optimised

Helminth & shards

What to put on the body

  • 1 Amber · Casting Speed — Probe on cooldown the instant it is up.Archon locked
  • 2 Crimson · Ability Duration / Strength — Whichever you are short on.Archon locked

Tonight

What is actually up

30 minutes, one hour, or two — matched to this loadout, not a dump of the Origin System.

  1. 30 minutes

    Farm Corrosive Projection

    One named gap. Open Nightwave

  2. 60 minutes

    Corrosive Projection, then Forma

    Finish the missing named card, then spend a Forma if a polarity is still fighting you.

  3. 120 minutes

    One Archon Hunt

    If you are logging off after this, stop at the named component. Do not start a second Forma session tired.

Who this is for

Play this build from zero

You like being the orb guy.

Time to a playable copy
After Range mods and a Synth Fiber pet.
First mission to practice in
A public Survival. Teammates should notice orbs.

2 button drills · 13 parts · tick the lists as you go

Before you start

0 of 3 done

Put it on the Warframe

0 of 5 done

Keep this up

Probe loop

Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.

  1. 1Probe (3) every pack. Watch other cooldowns tick down as enemies zap.
  2. 2Universal orbs drop. Teammates with Flow (they have energy; you do not) drink. You drink for the status-immunity passive.
  3. 3Catalyze (4) when 3 has shaved it back to ready.
  4. 4Bite (1) as a heal. Vial Rush (2) between tiles.

First mission — press these buttons

  1. 1

    Probe the room

    3

    3. Orbs should convert. Cooldowns should jump down as enemies zap.

    You will know it worked when: Universal orbs. 4's timer skipping.

  2. 2

    Catalyze when it is back

    That is the payoff for being the battery.

Common mistakes

  • A Probe with 100% Range in a huge tile

    Shock count is the shave. Overextended exists.

When this feels easy

  1. 1Streamline is correct hereEfficiency = fatter cooldown shave. Not energy. You have none.

Parts checklist

0 of 13 owned. Tap How on anything you still need.

Dependencies

16 dependencies

Frame → mods → unlocks. Tick Collection and Progress. This is a decision graph, not a wiki tree.

  1. 1●lavosframe
  2. 2○Corrosive Projectionmod
  3. 3○Cunning Driftmod
  4. 4○Overextendedmod
  5. 5○Stretchmod
  6. 6○Streamlinemod
  7. 7○Intensifymod
  8. 8○Primed Continuitymod
  9. 9○Vitalitymod
  10. 10○Adaptationmod
  11. 11○Arcane Blessingarcane
  12. 12○Molt Reconstructarcane
  13. 13○Amber · Casting Speedshard
  14. 14○Crimson · Ability Duration / Strengthshard
  15. 15○Steel Pathunlock
  16. 16○Archon Hunts (shards optional)unlock

Depends on

What this loadout needs

Required is a gate. Recommended is a ceiling. Optional is a later farm — don’t stall the card for it.

Required

Recommended

  • Arcane Blessing

    missing · Orphix / trade

    Universal orbs are also health orbs. Max HP climbs.

  • Molt Reconstruct

    missing · Zariman bounties

    Ability damage heals. Probe shocks count.

Optional

Strength

~180%

Duration

155%

Range

200%+ Probe travel and shock radius

Each shocked enemy shaves 1.5s off other cooldowns. Efficiency increases that shave. Range is how many you shock.

From the mods

Live power

Additive from max-rank Codex mods. Efficiency clamped 15–175%. Umbral set is +11% Strength per extra piece.

Strength
70%
Duration
155%
Range
250%
Efficiency
130%
Energy
base
Capacity
46 / 67

Open slots

Weapon HUD

Arsenal numbers

Base × damage mods × crit expectation × fire rate × multishot. No faction, no quantization. Galvanized kill stacks are a slider, not assumed.

Damage
35
Crit
12% × 2.00
Status
26%
Fire rate
9.58
Multishot
1.00
Avg hit
39
Arsenal DPS
376

Toggle common mods

Lavos mods

  • AuraCorrosive ProjectionNightwave
  • ExilusCunning DriftLua Halls
  • 1OverextendedOrokin Vaults
  • 2StretchEnemy drops
  • 3StreamlineOn Lavos, Efficiency fattens Probe's cooldown reduction per shock. This is the one time Streamline is real.Enemy drops
  • 4IntensifyMercury / Venus
  • 5Primed ContinuityBaro Ki'Teer
  • 6VitalityEarth / drops
  • 7AdaptationArbitrations

Any weapon

You are the orb guy. A primer still helps Catalyze. Companion with Synth Fiber picks orbs through Lavos' innate delay.

Arcanes

Arcane Blessing

Universal orbs are also health orbs. Max HP climbs.

Duviri / trade

Molt Reconstruct

Ability damage heals. Probe shocks count.

Zariman

Archon shards

  • 1Amber · Casting SpeedProbe on cooldown the instant it is up.1 · EDA
  • 2Crimson · Ability Duration / StrengthWhichever you are short on.2 · Netracells
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