Kuva Lich: how to spawn one, how to kill it, whether to convert
A Lich is a personal enemy you create on purpose, who then taxes your loot and cannot be killed the ordinary way. In return it carries a weapon you cannot get anywhere else. The system looks tangled right up until the order of operations clicks.
What a Lich takes
- The War Within finished.
- Mastery Rank 5.
- A Railjack. Without one you cannot finish a Lich off: the last fight happens in Saturn Proxima.
Miss any of these and the Kuva Larvling simply will not appear.
How to spawn one
A Kuva Larvling appears in a regular Grineer mission at level 20 or above. Not Sorties, not Void Fissures, not Invasions, not Quests, not Dark Sectors. Crossfire counts, Steel Path counts, Uranus does not.
- The mission lighting starts flickering yellow. That is the cue.
- From then you have about 30 seconds to kill 15 enemies.
- The Larvling spawns, marked by a red waypoint with the Old Blood sigil.
- Walk up and Mercy it with your Parazon. That is what creates the Lich.
The Larvling despawns after 30 seconds. In a squad only the last player to damage it can take the Mercy. And nobody can take it at all while they already have an active Lich, Sister or Coda.
The Progenitor: whoever lands the Mercy decides
The Warframe that mercies the Larvling becomes the Progenitor, and it settles two things at once: the elemental damage on the Lich's weapon, and the abilities the Lich itself will use.
There is also a 20% chance the Lich is born wearing an Ephemera matching that element. You get the Ephemera either way, whether you vanquish or convert.
If you want a specific element on the weapon, bring the Warframe for it. That is the only part of the roll you control.
Getting the weapon you actually want
The Larvling shows the weapon its Lich would carry. If it is the wrong one, do not Mercy it: let it die and finish the mission. That weapon then drops out of the pool until you have refused all the others.
The catch: a refusal only counts if the mission is completed. Abort, and the weapon stays in the pool.
Star chart influence and the loot tax
Once born, a Lich takes over nodes on one planet. Those nodes spawn its Thralls, marked by a white-blue aura and a red waypoint. Clearing a node removes the influence from it.
While a planet is under influence, the Lich takes a cut of your rewards there: credits, resources, blueprints. That, not just the weapon, is the reason not to leave one sitting.
Clear every node on the planet and the Lich ranks up and moves on by itself. So does a failed Parazon attempt.
Requiem mods: where they come from
A Lich only dies to the right sequence of three Requiem mods in your Parazon. The mods come from:
| Source | Detail |
|---|---|
| Requiem Eterna relics | drop in Kuva Siphon missions, Kuva Floods and from the Lich's Thralls |
| Palladino in Iron Wake | the older Requiem I-IV relics at 10 Riven Slivers each, capped at 10 of each per week |
| Market relic pack | 6 Requiem Eterna relics for 85 platinum |
| Trading | Requiem mods trade between players, the fastest route if you have the platinum |
Oull is the exception: a wildcard that stands in for any Requiem in the sequence. It drops from the Lich itself at 25% once it flees to Saturn Proxima.
Every mod has three charges. Each correct passphrase spends one charge from every equipped mod. At zero the mod is Defiled and is only good for Endo, credits or transmutation.
Working out the sequence
Killing Thralls builds Requiem Murmurs. Murmurs tell you which three mods you need, never the order. The order comes only from testing: equip them, try the Mercy, and a wrong guess ranks the Lich up and sends it away.
- Farm Thralls on influenced nodes until the first Murmur resolves.
- Try the Mercy. A miss is not a loss, it is information about which position is wrong.
- Each miss raises the Lich's rank, and with it its level and its reward. Up to rank 3 that is fine.
- Once all three mods and the order are known, the Lich flees to Saturn Proxima and the last fight happens there.
Vanquish or convert
| Choice | What you get |
|---|---|
| Vanquish | the weapon lands in your Foundry immediately, plus the Ephemera if it had one, plus the Old Blood Emblem for your first Lich ever |
| Convert | no weapon. The Lich becomes an ally: it turns up when you go down and can crew your Railjack. The Ephemera and the emblem are still yours |
You get 20 seconds to choose, so decide before you get there.
Trading a Lich away
The weapon itself does not trade. A converted Lich does, and the other player gets a shot at its weapon and Ephemera. That is what people mean by selling a Lich.
- The trade happens in the Crimson Branch room of a clan Dojo.
- The recipient must have no active Lich or Sister.
- Right-click the token to preview the Lich's stats before trading.
- After the trade it becomes the recipient's active Lich, and its Requiem sequence changes: they work it out from scratch.
- One trade only. If the recipient converts it again, it cannot be passed on.
The new owner still has to beat the Lich to claim the weapon. How player trading works and where to find a sane price is in the trading guide.
What a Kuva weapon is worth
- The weapon arrives with the Lich's name in its own, something like "Odizrigg Agekk Kuva Kohm".
- Ignore the Mastery Rank on it: it is claimed from the Foundry rather than bought, so the requirement is never checked.
- Max rank grows with Forma, +2 each, up to rank 40 after five.
- Every rank past thirty pays mastery, 4,000 points in total at rank 40, well above an ordinary weapon.
- Mod capacity reaches 80 at rank 40 with a Catalyst installed.
If mastery is what you are chasing, the mastery rank guide has the arithmetic on what to level next.
Where Orikon helps
While you clear nodes under a Lich, those nodes rain relics and prime parts, and that is usually worth more platinum than the Lich is. Orikon prices each reward at the moment you pick one, so the right choice out of four is visible without leaving the game.
Common questions
What do I need before a Kuva Lich can spawn?
The War Within finished, Mastery Rank 5 and a Railjack. Without a Railjack you cannot finish one, since the last fight is in Saturn Proxima.
How do I spawn a Kuva Lich?
In a regular Grineer mission at level 20 or above, wait for the lighting to flicker yellow, kill 15 enemies within 30 seconds and Mercy the Larvling that spawns.
How do I choose which weapon my Lich carries?
The Larvling shows it. If it is not the one you want, leave it and finish the mission: that weapon leaves the pool until you have refused the rest.
How do I find the Requiem sequence?
Murmurs from the Lich's Thralls reveal which three mods you need. The order only comes from testing, and every wrong guess ranks the Lich up.
How many times can a Requiem mod be used?
Three. Each correct passphrase spends a charge from every equipped mod, and at zero the mod is Defiled.
Should I vanquish or convert?
Vanquishing gives you the weapon. Converting does not, but the Lich becomes an ally and can be traded once. The Ephemera comes either way.
Can I sell a Kuva Lich?
The weapon does not trade, but a converted Lich can be handed to another player in a Dojo's Crimson Branch. Once only, and only if they have no active Lich.
