Orokin Reactor and Catalyst: where they come from and how they differ
A potato is why two identical builds behave differently. It doubles mod capacity, costs almost nothing in platinum and is barely farmable on purpose, so the real question is not where to get one but where to put it.
What they are and why «potato»
Two items with one job: double your mod capacity. The only difference is what they go into.
- An Orokin Reactor goes into Warframes, Archwings, K-Drives, Necramechs and Companions.
- An Orokin Catalyst goes into any weapon, including Archguns, Archmelee and Sentinel weapons.
The nickname is player slang: the Reactor is gold and the Catalyst is blue, hence golden and blue potatoes. It appears to have started with the developers, who called them that themselves.
A potato cannot be removed or moved, and a second one cannot be added to the same item. The decision is one-shot, which is why there is a section below on where to spend it.
How they differ
| Reactor | Catalyst | |
|---|---|---|
| Goes into | Warframes, Archwings, K-Drives, Necramechs, Companions | any weapon |
| Colour | gold | blue |
| Built, in the market | 20 platinum | 20 platinum |
| In the Nightwave store | 75 standing | 75 standing |
| Credits to build | 35,000 | 25,000 |
| Materials | Morphics, Neurodes, Neural Sensors, Orokin Cell | Morphics, Gallium, Control Module, Orokin Cell |
| Build time | 23 hours | 23 hours |
| Rush | 10 platinum | 10 platinum |
So they differ by two materials out of four and ten thousand credits. All four are rare resources, and where to farm them is in the rare resources guide.
Where to get them free
Guaranteed, once each
- The Stolen Dreams quest gives one Catalyst blueprint. It is the earliest reliable source and the quest is short.
- The first Eris Junction task gives another Catalyst. Junctions are the key missions that unlock the next planet.
Regularly, but at random
| Source | How often |
|---|---|
| Daily Tribute | turns up in the rotation now and then |
| Gift of the Lotus | a common reward, but the developers decide when those alerts run, usually after streams |
| Sorties | a rare reward from the daily |
| Archon Hunt | a rare reward from the weekly |
| Invasions | occasionally as battle pay |
| Acrithis in Duviri | sometimes in the weekly stock for 20 Pathos Clamps |
| The 1999 Calendar | a possible weekly reward |
| Nightwave | 75 standing in its store, and sometimes a rank reward |
If Nightwave has not come up for you yet: it is a seasonal mission system with daily and weekly goals. They pay standing, standing is spent in its store, and a potato there costs 75. It is the most predictable free route, because it depends on doing the tasks rather than on luck.
Acrithis is the Duviri archivist. She stands in the Dormizone and also rides around Duviri in a carriage. Pathos Clamps drop from the Orowyrm at the end of a Mood Spiral.
Building one from a blueprint
Wherever the blueprint came from, the build is the same: 23 hours and four rare materials. Rushing costs 10 platinum, half the usual.
Do the arithmetic before you go farming: four rare resources plus 35,000 credits plus a day of waiting, against 20 platinum for a finished one in the market. Twenty platinum is one decent prime part, an evening of selling. For most players buying honestly wins, and blueprints are better spent on things that are not urgent.
Where to spend the first one
Since it cannot be undone, order matters.
- Into what you play every day. Not into what might be useful later: a potato in a cupboard does nothing.
- Mastery fodder does not need one. If a weapon exists only to reach rank 30 and be sold, mod capacity is wasted on it.
- Check whether one is already in there. Warframes and Companions bought with platinum come with a Reactor pre-installed.
- Frame before weapon. A Warframe works in every mission, weapons get swapped.
What the capacity actually becomes
| What is installed | Mod capacity |
|---|---|
| Rank 30, no potato | 30 |
| Rank 30 with a Reactor | 60 |
| plus a maxed aura on a matching polarity | 78 |
| Jade, who has two aura slots | up to 96 |
| with every slot polarised to its mod | 138 to 148 |
Seventy-eight works out like this: 30 base doubled by the Reactor, and a matching-polarity aura contributing its 9 doubled as well. Past that, capacity only grows with Forma, which is covered in the Forma guide.
Where Orikon helps
No magic here: a potato is 20 platinum in the market, and platinum comes from selling what already drops. Orikon prices a prime part on the reward screen, so «can I afford a potato» is settled by one evening of relic running rather than a week of collecting four rare resources.
Common questions
What is the difference between an Orokin Reactor and a Catalyst?
A Reactor goes into Warframes, Archwings, K-Drives, Necramechs and Companions; a Catalyst into any weapon. Both double mod capacity and both cost 20 platinum in the market.
Where do I get an Orokin Reactor for free?
The Nightwave store for 75 standing, as a rare Sortie or weekly Archon Hunt reward, as Invasion battle pay, from the Daily Tribute, and sometimes from Acrithis for 20 Pathos Clamps.
What is the fastest Catalyst for a new player?
The Stolen Dreams quest: it is short and guarantees one blueprint. A second guaranteed Catalyst comes from the first Eris Junction task.
What does building a Reactor take?
35,000 credits plus one each of Morphics, Neurodes, Neural Sensors and an Orokin Cell, over 23 hours. A Catalyst is the same but 25,000 credits, with Gallium and a Control Module instead of Neurodes and Sensors.
Can a potato be removed and reused?
No. Installing one is permanent, and a second one cannot go into the same item.
Do I need a potato on mastery fodder?
No. If a weapon exists only to reach rank 30 and free the slot, mod capacity does nothing for it.
How much capacity does a Reactor give?
Exactly double: 30 becomes 60 at rank 30. With a maxed aura on a matching polarity that reaches 78, and up to 96 on Jade, who has two aura slots.
