Theorylytics

Citrine vs Inaros

Same Support / Healer fantasy — which support kit fits your squad and mission rota?

TL;DR — Quick Pick

Pick Citrine if…

  • You're sold on Citrine's fantasy (Gaze upon the Crystal Bastion) more than another Support / Healer option.
  • You'd rather build around Prismatic Gem than live in Inaros's Scarab Shell loop.
  • You value Citrine's orb-efficiency passive for longer ability spam on dense holds.

Pick Inaros if…

  • Inaros commands the fearsome desert — that's the Inaros pitch you want on the roster.
  • This slot should feel like Desiccation, Sandstorm, and Scarab Swarm, not a reskin of Citrine's Fractured Blast, Preserving Shell, and Crystallize.
  • You're buying into Inaros's passive — when Inaros takes lethal damage, he entombs himself in a sarcophagus and incarnates as sand to….
Verdict

Both fill the Support / Healer lane. Lean Citrine for orb economy and Prismatic Gem; lean Inaros for Scarab Shell and Scarab Shell. Mission Usefulness is a wash — decide on kit feel and passive, not the rating table.

At a Glance

Citrine
Stat
Inaros
Support / Healer
Role
Support / Healer
NaramonNaramon
Aura
NaramonNaramon
Match the priority to your main ability
Mod Priority
Match the priority to your main ability
Fractured Blast
Kit Opener
Desiccation

Mission Usefulness

Mission
Citrine
Inaros
Steel Path Survival / Defense / Disruption
Strong
Strong
Mobile Defense / Excavation
Excellent
Excellent
Exterminate / Capture Speed Runs
Situational
Situational
Spy / Rescue / Nightmare
Situational
Situational
Open World / Bounties
Strong
Strong
Long-Range Gunplay / Eidolon-Style Content
Weak
Weak

When Each Shines

Citrine

  • Prismatic Gem carries mid-mission casts; Crystallize is the density payoff.
  • Long holds where energy comfort matters — Citrine's loop stays online without babysitting orbs.
  • Missions that reward committing to Citrine's full ability loop instead of dabbling.

Inaros

  • Scarab Shell carries mid-mission casts; Scarab Swarm is the density payoff.
  • Mod focus stays on match the priority to your main ability so the cast loop doesn't fall over mid-rota.
  • Inaros shines on tile clears where ability damage — not just weapons — carries the pack.

Mod Scaling Focus

Citrine

Match the priority to your main ability — Strength or Duration first for most kits, then Efficiency, then Range.

STR
Raises damage and effect potency across Citrine’s Strength-scaling abilities.
DUR
Extends channeled / timed effects — often comfort on Citrine if the kit leans on buffs or zones.
RNG
Helps radius / targeting tools. Dump it if Citrine is mostly self-buff or exalted weapons.
EFF
Keeps ability uptime comfortable, especially on longer Steel Path missions.

Inaros

Match the priority to your main ability — Strength or Duration first for most kits, then Efficiency, then Range.

STR
Raises damage and effect potency across Inaros’s Strength-scaling abilities.
DUR
Extends channeled / timed effects — often comfort on Inaros if the kit leans on buffs or zones.
RNG
Helps radius / targeting tools. Dump it if Inaros is mostly self-buff or exalted weapons.
EFF
Keeps ability uptime comfortable, especially on longer Steel Path missions.

Who Should You Pull?

Citrine
Pull Citrine if…
  • Energy / health orb rooms are common in your rota and Citrine gets more mileage out of every pickup.
  • You'd rather specialize hard into orb economy than stay generic in the Support lane.
  • Skipping Inaros frees a craft slot — you'd rather finish Citrine properly.
  • Open-world and bounty pacing still feel good on Citrine, not only endless survival tiles.
  • Inventory space / foundry queue: Citrine jumps the line over another Inaros craft.
Citrine Full Guide
Inaros
Pull Inaros if…
  • Scarab Shell into Scarab Swarm is the cast story you want to master — not a random subsume mashup.
  • Your favorite clear starts on Desiccation and ends on Scarab Swarm — Inaros is built for that arc.
  • Citrine's Prismatic Gem loop asks for a different muscle memory than you want to practice.
  • Naramon on the aura slot matches the school you're already building weapons around.
  • Potato + Forma budget this month has Inaros's name on it.
Inaros Full Guide