Lavos — Catalyzing Alchemist
Steel Path build. Prime statuses, imbue Gas or Heat, Catalyze. Damage doubles per element. This is 2026 caster Lavos. This is the peak you can run the day Steel Path unlocks — galvanized / arcanes, no Helminth.
Codex Checked · Compared against current game data for this update. · Update 43.5 · 5 Sept 2026 · PC · Current
Steel Path Star Chart, Circuit, first Archon. Helminth is the next card.
Wrong drop or mechanic?
Why this build?
Steel Path for Steel Path Star Chart, Circuit, first Archon. Helminth is the next card.
Health: Not yet — Helminth, Steel Path, or Archon Hunts still closed. Play the Starter.
- Catalyze is a through-wall Heat nuke that pays you for priming. That is the caster identity.
- Blind Rage is free. There is no energy to tax. Slot it.
- Never Flow. If a video put Flow on Lavos, close it.
Don’t use this for: Star Chart only · loadouts that need Helminth · 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: Primer (secondary) — Kuva Nukor, Epitaph, a status shotgun. Paint two or three elements, then 4. Companion primers count.
Alternative if…
- Star Chart only → First Mix
- This is too much Forma / cost → First Mix — Star Chart
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 · 1 shard · 3 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 — OptimisedPlan
Today → next → later
Inventory unknown — mark “I own this” on a few mods. Until then this is a plan, not a score of zero.
- NextGet Growing PowerThe Silver Grove quest
- After that3–4 FormaOne slot at a time. Rank 30 after each polarize.
- LaterCrimson · StrengthHelminth and shards are the last rungs. They are not the Starter.
- FinalCatalyzing Alchemist — Steel PathSteel 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 — OptimisedHelminth & shards
What to put on the body
- 1 Crimson · Strength — Catalyze numbers.Archon locked
Tonight
What is actually up
30 minutes, one hour, or two — matched to this loadout, not a dump of the Origin System.
30 minutes
Farm Growing Power
One named gap. The Silver Grove quest
60 minutes
Growing Power, then Forma
Finish the missing named card, then spend a Forma if a polarity is still fighting you.
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.
- Farm Growing Power
The Silver Grove quest
Who this is for
Play this build from zero
You want rooms to ignite.
- Time to a playable copy
- After Blind Rage, Archon Vitality, and a primer.
- First mission to practice in
- SP Exterminate. Prime, imbue, 4. Probe off cooldown.
2 button drills · 12 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
Catalyze loop
Pocket card. Stick this on a second screen; the long version is the mission below.
- 1Probe (3) on cooldown — shocks, shaves cooldowns, orbs.
- 2Prime the pack (gun or Nourish). Hold 1 for Toxin if you want Gas with Catalyze's Heat, or hold 4 then tap 4 for double Heat.
- 3Catalyze (4). Watch the doubles. Recast Probe to pull 4's cooldown back.
- 4Bite (1) if you need a heal. You do not have an energy panic.
First mission — press these buttons
- 1
Shock the pack
33. Cooldowns tick down. Electricity is already a status.
- 2
Paint, then Catalyze
4Primer, hold 1 if you want Gas (Toxin + Heat), tap 4.
You will know it worked when: Gel spray. Doubled numbers on primed targets.
Common mistakes
4 on a fresh Eximus with no statuses
One Heat, no doubles. Prime. Always prime.
When this feels easy
- 1Sickening Pulse on 2Ramps the procs Catalyze just applied. Greedy and legal.
Parts checklist
0 of 12 owned. Tap How on anything you still need.
Dependencies
15 dependencies
Frame → mods → unlocks. Tick Collection and Progress. This is a decision graph, not a wiki tree.
- 1●lavosframe
- 2○Growing Powermod
- 3○Cunning Driftmod
- 4○Blind Ragemod
- 5○Transient Fortitudemod
- 6○Intensifymod
- 7○Overextendedmod
- 8○Stretchmod
- 9○Primed Continuitymod
- 10○Vitalitymod
- 11○Molt Augmentedarcane
- 12○Arcane Ice Stormarcane
- 13○Crimson · Strengthshard
- 14○Steel Pathunlock
- 15○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
Growing Powermissing · The Silver Grove quest
Cunning Driftmissing · Lua Halls of Ascension
Blind Ragemissing · Run Orokin Vaults
No energy cost. Blind Rage has no downside except the polarity.
Transient Fortitudemissing · Same vaults as Blind Rage
Intensifymissing · Fight Lieutenant Lech Kril
Overextendedmissing · Orokin Vaults
Stretchmissing · Enemy drops
Primed Continuitymissing · Wait for Baro Ki'Teer
Recommended
Molt Augmentedmissing · Unlock the Zariman
Strength as you kill. Catalyze scales. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
- Arcane Ice Storm
missing · 1999 / trade
Duration and Strength if you are Cold-coding. Optional. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
Optional
Strength
~250–320%
Duration
155%+ (status duration on the gel and Pulse)
Range
175%+ Catalyze travel
Catalyze doubles per unique elemental status already on the target. Prime first. Imbue a second element on 4.
From the mods
Live power
Additive from max-rank Codex mods. Efficiency clamped 15–175%. Umbral set is +11% Strength per extra piece.
- Strength
- 224%
- Duration
- 128%
- Range
- 250%
- Efficiency
- 45%
- Energy
- base
- Capacity
- 51 / 67
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
- AuraGrowing PowerSilver Grove
- ExilusCunning DriftLua Halls
- 1Blind RageNo energy cost. Blind Rage has no downside except the polarity.Orokin Vaults
- 2Transient FortitudeOrokin Vaults
- 3IntensifyMercury / Venus
- 4OverextendedOrokin Vaults
- 5StretchEnemy drops
- 6Primed ContinuityBaro Ki'Teer
- 7VitalityCatalyze is Heat. Archon Vitality doubles the Heat proc.Zariman / Archon
| Slot | Mod | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | Growing Power | Silver Grove | |
| Exilus | Cunning Drift | Lua Halls | |
| 1 | Blind Rage No energy cost. Blind Rage has no downside except the polarity. | Orokin Vaults | |
| 2 | Transient Fortitude | Orokin Vaults | |
| 3 | Intensify | Mercury / Venus | |
| 4 | Overextended | Orokin Vaults | |
| 5 | Stretch | Enemy drops | |
| 6 | Primed Continuity | Baro Ki'Teer | |
| 7 | Vitality Catalyze is Heat. Archon Vitality doubles the Heat proc. | Zariman / Archon |
Primer (secondary)
Kuva Nukor, Epitaph, a status shotgun. Paint two or three elements, then 4. Companion primers count.
Arcanes
Molt Augmented
Strength as you kill. Catalyze scales. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
Zariman
Arcane Ice Storm
Duration and Strength if you are Cold-coding. Optional. Rank 0 is legal. Rank 3 is the Steel Path version.
1999 / trade
Archon shards
- 1
Crimson · StrengthCatalyze numbers.1 · Netracells
| # | Shard | Qty | Source | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crimson · Strength Catalyze numbers. | 1 | Netracells |