Nekros vs Protea
Same Support / Healer fantasy — which support kit fits your squad and mission rota?
TL;DR — Quick Pick
Pick Nekros if…
- You want the squad gap filled by Nekros's vibe — There is a reaper whose name is Nekros.
- Protea's pitch (“Protea knows all about protection”) isn't what you're missing — Desecrate is.
- You're buying into Nekros's passive — restore some Health with every enemy death within a radius.
Pick Protea if…
- You're sold on Protea's fantasy (Protea knows all about protection) more than another Support / Healer option.
- Nekros's pitch (“There is a reaper whose name is Nekros”) isn't what you're missing — Dispensary is.
- You're buying into Protea's passive — every caststh Power Cast is granted +a percentage Ability Strength.
Verdict
Both fill the Support / Healer lane. Lean Nekros for Desecrate and Desecrate; lean Protea for Dispensary and Dispensary. Mission Usefulness is a wash — decide on kit feel and passive, not the rating table.
At a Glance
Nekros
Stat
Protea
Support / Healer
Role
Support / Healer
None
Aura
AnyMatch the priority to your main ability
Mod Priority
Match the priority to your main ability
Soul Punch
Kit Opener
Grenade Fan
Mission Usefulness
Mission
Nekros
Protea
Steel Path Survival / Defense / Disruption
Mobile Defense / Excavation
Exterminate / Capture Speed Runs
Spy / Rescue / Nightmare
Open World / Bounties
Long-Range Gunplay / Eidolon-Style Content
When Each Shines
Nekros
- Desecrate carries mid-mission casts; Shadows Of The Dead 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.
- Missions that reward committing to Nekros's full ability loop instead of dabbling.
Protea
- Dispensary carries mid-mission casts; Temporal Anchor 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.
- Dense spawns where Protea's cast cadence outpaces gun-only clears.
Mod Scaling Focus
Nekros
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 Nekros’s Strength-scaling abilities.
- DUR
- Extends channeled / timed effects — often comfort on Nekros if the kit leans on buffs or zones.
- RNG
- Helps radius / targeting tools. Dump it if Nekros is mostly self-buff or exalted weapons.
- EFF
- Keeps ability uptime comfortable, especially on longer Steel Path missions.
Protea
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 Protea’s Strength-scaling abilities.
- DUR
- Extends channeled / timed effects — often comfort on Protea if the kit leans on buffs or zones.
- RNG
- Helps radius / targeting tools. Dump it if Protea is mostly self-buff or exalted weapons.
- EFF
- Keeps ability uptime comfortable, especially on longer Steel Path missions.
Who Should You Pull?
- Desecrate into Shadows Of The Dead is the cast story you want to master — not a random subsume mashup.
- Squad comps where someone has to own tile clear alone — Nekros is the frame you trust for that job.
- Protea can stay on the shelf; Nekros is the one you'll actually Forma twice.
- Even after Helminth, Terrify and later abilities are still the reason Nekros earned potato.
- Your endgame loadout screen should show Nekros before it shows another same-role experiment.
- Dispensary into Temporal Anchor is the cast story you want to master — not a random subsume mashup.
- Your favorite clear starts on Grenade Fan and ends on Temporal Anchor — Protea is built for that arc.
- Nekros's Desecrate loop asks for a different muscle memory than you want to practice.
- Aura on the aura slot matches the school you're already building weapons around.
- Potato + Forma budget this month has Protea's name on it.