Warframe: Kuva Sobek build guide (mod setup, best progenitor, and more)

Ever since its introduction in update 35.6, many Warframe players are eager to try out an end-game Kuva Sobek build to destroy Steel Path enemies. The original Sobek has been a cult classic among many shotgun-touting Tenno, and the Kuva Sobek is a huge upgrade that you must get.

In this Kuva Sobek build guide, we will go over everything good about Warframe's latest Kuva weapon, and what mod setup you can use to best utilize its strengths.

How to get Kuva Sobek in Warframe

You can get Kuva Sobek with the regular Larving-farming method (Image via Digital Extremes)

To get the Kuva Sobek, you have to enter a lvl 20+ Grineer Galleon and get the specific Kuva Larving. There is some RNG involved, but here are some easy steps:

Go to Cassini on Saturn.
Kill the Capture target and wait for the flicker.
Once the flicker kicks in, kill as many Grineer as you can within the next 30 seconds.
A Grineer broadcast will let you know a Kuva Larving has spawned.
If the Kuva Larving has any other Kuva weapon other than Kuva Sobek, do not kill the Larving. Instead of abandoning the mission, simply run to Extraction to skew the chances in your favor for your next run.
If the Kuva Larving has the Kuva Sobek, then Mercy-kill it to ascend it to a Lich.

The rest of the process is to simply hunt down the Lich.

What is the best progenitor bonus to use for Kuva Sobek?

Take note of the Warframe you use to kill the Kuva Larving, as it will decide what elemental bonus you get on a Kuva weapon. Here is the full Warframe progenitor list for Kuva weapons that you can consult for this.

For this Kuva Sobek build, we recommend a Heat progenitor Warframe. This can be any Warframe from the following list:

Chroma
Ember
Inaros
Kullervo
Nezha
Protea
Vauban
Wisp

Kuva Sobek is a status-centric shotgun, despite some good critical stats. Unloading a lot of Heat stacks is arguably the best way to utilize it.

The more Heat damage you can pump into your Kuva Sobek build from the get-go the better, and the elemental bonus from the right Warframe progenitor goes a long way.

Warframe Kuva Sobek build with Heat-Viral (6-Forma)

Kuva Sobek is great for adding a lot of statuses into a target (Image via Overframe)

This Kuva Sobek build uses Critical shots for some front-loaded damage, while its usage of Heat DoT (Damage over Time) gives it good scaling against all Non-Corpus Factions. Note that this build is meant for end-game players, and as such, requires a lot of investment through Forma and expensive mods.

Mods used

Galvanized Hell
Galvanized Savvy
Critical Deceleration
Primed Ravage
Chilling Reload (Kuva Sobek has a higher reload time than the original)
Toxic Barrage
Primed Cleanse Grineer (replace with faction multiplier mod of your choice for double-dipping damage on Heat status effect)
Blaze

Modding alternatives and Synergies

Acid Shell builds are only worth it if you have Warframes like Saryn to leverage that (Image via Digital Extremes)

While this Kuva Sobek build is great for single-target DPS (Damage Per Second), there is a lot more you can do with it. With that in mind, here are some alternative mods to use:

Replace Galvanized Savvy with Clip Delegation: The new Clip Delegation Augment mod was added in Warframe 35.6 update alongside the new Nightwave season. At the time of writing this, we have not gotten around to testing it out, but it looks great. Theoretically, the mod sounds like a big multishot and status chance buff that is easy to maintain.

Replace Primed Ravage with Acid Shell: Acid Shell is a mod you can get from the Kela de Theym boss fight, and it is only good with a setup catered to it. The tried-and-tested Synergy uses Saryn, so the Toxic Lash damage and the faction damage multiplier both apply twice on the explosion.

Furthermore, by removing Primed Ravage, you also lose out on a lot of up-front damage. This needs to be compensated by other means of single-target damage increment, such as armor-strip, which Saryn can thankfully also achieve from Spores if you have two Emarld Archon Shards.

Is Shattering Justice Worth it?

Even though the 'Justice' proc as well as the increased Status Chance is great, this mod is not strong enough to justify its own slot. Incidentally, the same goes for Riven mods. As a newly released weapon, Kuva Sobek has very low Riven disposition, so it is not worthwhile.

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