Theorylytics

Inaros vs Lavos

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

TL;DR — Quick Pick

Pick Inaros if…

  • Inaros commands the fearsome desert — that's the Inaros pitch you want on the roster.
  • Lavos's pitch (“The serpents of Lavos encourage him as he transmutes the battlefield”) isn't what you're missing — Scarab Shell is.
  • You're buying into Inaros's passive — when Inaros takes lethal damage, he entombs himself in a sarcophagus and incarnates as sand to….

Pick Lavos if…

  • You want the squad gap filled by Lavos's vibe — The serpents of Lavos encourage him as he transmutes the battlefield.
  • You'd rather build around Transmutation Probe than live in Inaros's Scarab Shell loop.
  • You value Lavos's orb-efficiency passive for longer ability spam on dense holds.
Verdict

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

At a Glance

Inaros
Stat
Lavos
Support / Healer
Role
Support / Healer
NaramonNaramon
Aura
NaramonNaramon
Match the priority to your main ability
Mod Priority
Match the priority to your main ability
Desiccation
Kit Opener
Ophidian Bite

Mission Usefulness

Mission
Inaros
Lavos
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

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.

Lavos

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

Mod Scaling Focus

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.

Lavos

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

Who Should You Pull?

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.
  • Lavos's Transmutation Probe 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
Lavos
Pull Lavos if…
  • Energy / health orb rooms are common in your rota and Lavos gets more mileage out of every pickup.
  • Squad comps where someone has to own tile clear alone — Lavos is the frame you trust for that job.
  • Inaros can stay on the shelf; Lavos is the one you'll actually Forma twice.
  • Even after Helminth, Vial Rush and later abilities are still the reason Lavos earned potato.
  • Your endgame loadout screen should show Lavos before it shows another same-role experiment.
Lavos Full Guide