Warframe Octavia Build Guide - How to Obtain, Craft, and Best Builds

One of the coolest warframes (if not the coolest), Octavia is a music-based warframe with mechanics that reflect that. Yes, you can make your own music in Warframe, and is certainly one of the funniest and most entertaining features in the game.

Her Prime version also displays higher Shields and Energy, as well as an additional polarity.

How to Craft Octavia?

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Octavia's main blueprint is acquired upon completion of the “Octavia's Anthem” quest. The Chassis blueprint is rewarded from Lua, the Neuroptics blueprint is rewarded from Deimos and the Systems blueprint can be found in Lua. Additional main blueprints can be bought from Cephalon Simaris for ‍50,000 Reputation, and the Mandachord can also be bought for 25,000 Reputation after the completion of the “Octavia's Anthem” quest.

Building Requirements
Octavia Blueprint Price - Octavia's Anthem (reward) or Cephalon Simaris - 50,000 Reputation
Octavia Neuroptics - Drop Chance 100% (Lua Music Puzzle - Any)
Octavia Chassis - Drop Chance 22.56% (Deimos Survival - Rotation C)
Octavia Systems - Drop Chance 22.56% (Lua Crossfire Exterminate - Rotation A Cache)

Building Time
Warframe- 72 Hours
Components - 12 Hours

Octavia Overview and Best Weapon Options

Octavia has the most particular skills in the entire game, with them depending on the percussion, melody and bass of your songs. This gives the player great space for creativity, and at the same time, the potential for octavia to become really powerful either solo or in a team, since these boosts affect everyone in the mission.

Octavia Abilities

Passive
Octavia creates musical masterpieces from the Mandachord affixed to her arms that empower her abilities. Casting any ability will inspire Octavia and nearby allies with her music, granting the Inspiration buff that replenishes 1 energy per second for 30 seconds. Allies within 15 meters will receive the Inspiration buff. Octavia recasting any ability will also refresh the active Inspiration buff's duration.

The Mandachord

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Octavia’s main tool is a step sequencer that allows the player to compose unique songs and conduct them in full symphony through her abilities, using a menu that comprises all kinds of customization options related to them.

The Mandachord is comprised of 4 bars represented by the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4. Placing one note at the start of a bar is a whole note, and each bar is divided into quarters. A song is comprised of three tracks: Percussion, Bass, and Melody, and each ability is affected by a specific section: Percussion (Mallet), Bass (Resonator), and Melody (Metronome). You can share your songs, save your progress and pause anytime while you compose a new one, and make playlists for you to shuffle whenever you want.

Mandachord Instruments
Each Instrument is in the same key (D minor Pentatonic). These can be bought separately for 50 Platinum each from the Mandachord interface. The Bombast Instrument is only acquired upon the acquisition of Octavia Prime. The list goes as follows:

  • Adau (default) - Ceremonial
  • Alpha - Synthesizers
  • Beta - Synthesizers
  • Bombast (Prime) - Hip-Hop Synthesizers
  • Delta - Heavy Synthesizers
  • Druk - Heavy Metal
  • Epsilon - Synthesizers
  • Gamma - Synthesizers
  • Horos - EDM Synthesizers
  • Plogg - Bass

Mallet
Rhythmically beats damage into nearby enemies and draws their fire. Damage inflicted on the Mallet increases its lethality.
Strength: 1x / 1.5x / 2x / 2.5x Damage multiplier
Duration: 8 / 12 / 16 / 20 Seconds
Range: 5 / 6 / 8 / 10 Meters
Misc: Limit of mallets: 1

Resonator
Launches a rollerball that charms foes to follow it. Combines with the Mallet to create a roving ball of sonic destruction.
Strength: 25 / 50 / 75 / 125 Blast damage per beat
Duration: 8 / 12 / 16 / 20 Seconds
Range:
3 / 4 / 5 / 6 Meters of min charm radius
8 / 10 / 12 / 15 Meters of max charm radius
Misc:
Limit of Resonators: 1
100 % Stagger on expiry

Metronome
Grants buffs to those who consistently perform actions in time to Octavia’s music. Timed jumps offer the Vivace speed buff. Crouching on the beat grants cloaking with the Nocturne buff. Firing rhythmically bestows Opera multishot buff. Timed melee swings give the Forte damage buff. Strength:
10 / 15 / 20 / 35 % Armor bonus
10 / 15 / 20 / 30 % Speed bonus
12 / 20 / 25 / 30 % Multishot bonus
20 / 25 / 25 / 30 % Melee damage bonus
Duration:
8 / 12 / 16 / 20 Seconds of ability duration
5 / 8 / 12 / 15 Seconds of buff duration
Range: 6 / 8 / 10 / 12 Meters

Amp
Draws power from the decibel level of sound in the area and uses it to amplify a damage buff for Octavia and her allies. It also doubles the damage and range of nearby Mallets.
Strength:
0.1x / 0.15x / 0.2x / 0.25x Min damage multiplier
1.25x / 1.5x / 1.75x / 2x Max damage multiplier
Duration: 30 Seconds
Range: 8 / 10 / 12 / 14 Meters
Misc:
200% Mallet damage and range bonus
Limit of Amp fields: 1

Recommended Weapons
For octavia, Tenora and Pandero are great options, and being her signature weapons they have great bonuses on reload speed and magazine recharge. On the melee side you want a fast weapon, and Orthos will fill that role. Of course, if you can afford the Prime versions, the better. Use as many Forma on them as you see fit to achieve the desired build, and you'll be good to go!

Primary Weapon - Tenora

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Secondary Weapon - Pandero

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Melee Weapon - Orthos

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Octavia Best Builds

Octavia - DJ Build

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Mods List
Aura Mod - Energy Siphon
Exilus Mod - Cunning Drift
Loadout

  • Adaptation
  • Augur Reach
  • Stretch
  • Continuity
  • Streamline
  • Flow
  • Constitution
  • Transient Fortitude

The build per se is pretty standard, with the priority order for stats as follows: Range, Strength, Duration, and Efficiency. None of them must go negative, since you want to reach a good range of effect and duration of the boosts, without losing strength and making their cost too high. Flow and Adaptation are there for better energy pool and sustain, and Energy Siphon as the Aura Mod for energy regen, which is always useful with Octavia. For dramatically better results, replace the mods in the setup with their Prime or Umbral versions.

The strategy is simple: you rely on the mandachord and its many related buffs, one skill and a time, and then using Amp. For this to work well in combat, you need to mind the frequency of notes in every section of the Mandachord. Don’t convolute it with nonsense, just play with it until you get a song that goes with your playstyle and adapts to your movement, because you will have to trigger the buffs by crouching rhythmically. And of course, make a cool bop, otherwise, what’s the point?