Build it early. At Mastery Rank 2 the Orthos is the cheapest long-reach melee in the game and it carries the star chart on Slash procs alone. It has no crit to speak of, so it is a status stick you replace once Orthos Prime or a better polearm turns up.
The Orthos is a Tenno polearm, notable for its long reach and good status chance. It was introduced in Update 8.1.
This weapon deals primarily Slash damage, which is beneficial for applying Bleed status effects.
Despite its early game accessibility, the Orthos suffers from very low critical chance and critical multiplier, limiting its damage potential in higher-level content.
How to get the Orthos
- Purchase the Orthos blueprint from the Market for credits.
Stats
| Class | Melee |
|---|---|
| Mastery Rank | 2 |
| Attack Speed | 0.92 |
| Range | 3 m |
| Blocking Angle | 55° |
| Combo Duration | 5 s |
| Follow Through | 0.6 |
| Wind Up | 0.9 s |
| Slam Attack | 555 |
| Heavy Attack | 1110 |
| Critical Chance | 6% |
| Critical Multiplier | 1.5x |
| Status Chance | 18% |
| Riven Disposition | (1) |
| Damage | 185 total |
|---|---|
| Impact | 27.8 |
| Puncture | 27.8 |
| Slash | 129.5 |
The Orthos has a riven disposition of 1.0, which is low. This means rivens for this weapon will provide smaller stat bonuses compared to weapons with higher dispositions.
Builds
Status stick: Pressure Point, Condition Overload and Weeping Wounds scale with the procs, Reach and Fury for coverage and speed, three dual-stat elementals for Viral plus Heat. Skip crit mods; 6 percent is nothing to build on.
Melee
Melee
Melee
Melee
Melee
Melee
Melee
Melee| Mod | Why it’s here |
|---|---|
| Pressure Point | +120% Melee Damage |
| Condition Overload | +80% Melee Damage per Status Type affecting the target |
| Weeping Wounds | +40% Status Chance per Combo Multiplier |
| Reach | +1.5 Range |
| Fury | +30% Attack Speed |
| Virulent Scourge | +60% Toxin; +60% Status Chance |
| Volcanic Edge | +60% Heat; +60% Status Chance |
| Shocking Touch | +90% Electricity |
Melee Influence when the build carries an Electricity source (an Electricity proc spreads every elemental status to enemies nearby). Melee Crescendo for Heavy Attack builds. Arcane Fury or Arcane Strike as the cheap fallback.
Reviewed September 2026.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- High base status chance for its mastery rank
- Long reach for crowd control
- Primarily deals Slash damage, good for Bleed procs
- Low mastery rank requirement (MR 2)
- Blueprint is easily accessible from the Market
Cons
- Very low critical chance
- Very low critical multiplier
- Second lowest base damage among polearms
- Low riven disposition
The Orthos serves as an introductory polearm with good range and status chance, making it suitable for early game content. However, its extremely poor critical statistics severely limit its scalability and effectiveness in later stages of the game, making it a weapon that is quickly outclassed by other options.