Warframe

Hello Tenno and welcome to Gamereactor's Warframe guide. Here we'll give you hints and tips about the game and how to get that little bit better at Warframe.

So many planets, so many missions

Defeating bosses on each planet will give you a Warframe part. Chances are that the Warframe you want could be on e.g. Jupiter, so grind/farm the boss until you get all the necessary parts. Here are some tips -

Earth - Even though this is the starting planet, do not fight Vay Hek. He is quite powerful and decent equipment is required. It's possible to defeat Vay Hek solo but obviously it's easier as a team. Wait until you have hit level 30 with your Warframe and weapons and then tackle him.
The excavation mission on Earth is a great way to level up frames and weapons if you have just started Warframe or, if you have polarized any of your equipment. This is also a good place to get Tower II and Tower III Void Keys.

Mars - Interceptions are on most planets however, this interception gives us a Tower IV Void Key and usually the one we want.

Jupiter - There is a Dark Sector defence you can complete on Jupiter. Around 60-70% of the time on Rotation A we got 3-5 fully-levelled gold fusion cores. This mission also has the chance to drop good mods at Rotation C (for example, we got Life Strike).

Saturn - A good place to farm Orokin Cells. Orokin Cells are needed for Prime Equipment.

Ceres - Like Saturn a good place to farm Orokin Cells.

Enemy Factions

For much more detailed information regarding the factions and lore of Warframe we'd recommend that you take a look at the Warframe Wiki, where everything is explained in detail. Having said that, here's a few tips regarding the enemies you meet that we think will help.

Grineer - The first group of enemies you will come across in the game. Grinner are susceptible to puncture damage.

Corpus - Electricity and Impact are great against Corpus

Infested - Slash is very effective against these foes.

Corrupted - Found in the Void. These enemies resemble the factions above but with variations.

Syndicates - Friend or Foe?

In Warframe there are syndicates that you can decide to ally with. However, not all of these syndicates get on with each other. You can play through the game without selecting one but you'd be doing yourself a disservice.

Picking one faction will mean that you become an ally with one other faction, neutral with another and the enemy of one more. The syndicates offer various rewards, so go with one that suits you and how you play. Here is a list of the syndicates and who they are allies and enemies with, just so you know who you are befriending and who you're making enemies with.

Steel Meridian - Allies, Red Veil. Enemies, The Perrin Sequence
Red Veil - Allies, Steel Meridian. Enemies, Arbiters of Hexis
New Loka - Allies, The Perrin Sequence. Enemies, Cephalon Suda
Arbiters of Hexis - Allies, Cephalon Suda. Enemies, Red Veil
The Perrin Sequence - Allies, New Loka. Enemies, Steel Meridian
Cephalon Suda - Allies, Arbiters of Hexis. Enemies, New Loka

Mission Control

Warframe has many mission types. There is lots of variety and plenty of different locales to explore. Here are some tips that will hopefully help you find success in among the stars:

Survival, Interception and Defence missions all have rotations. Every five minutes there is a rotation. Simply put; every fifth and tenth minute comes rotation A, at fifteen minutes it's rotation B, and at twenty minutes it is rotation C. After twenty minutes the cycle resets. Every five minutes you are rewarded with mods, fusion cores, credits or weapon parts.

Spy - Stealth is key here. There are consoles that you have to hack and you have to be as stealthy as possible. Stealth isn't needed on the way to the consoles but when you're in the vicinity being sneaky is essential. If you do alert the enemy when in the area around the console, a timer will set during which you will have to race to the console and hack it before the clock runs down. Try to be as careful as you can. If you can hack all the consoles successfully you'll get a good amount of affinity (exp) and the chance to come out with some decent mods and loot.

Interception - This mission requires players to capture and defend positions on the map from enemies, all this in order to intercept enemy transmissions. The goal is to reach 100% before the enemy does. Like Survival and Defence, Interception missions have rotations as well. Stay for the full twenty minutes of an interception as you are guaranteed a Tower IV Void key.

Sabotage - Sabotage missions require the player to head to the objective/s, destroy them and then head to an extraction point. The objective that needs to be destroyed depends on the planet/location you're on. Sabotage missions in the Void have caches. These caches are hard to find but they do contain good loot. Find all three to further increase your chances of grabbing some tasty loot.

Assassinate - Assassinate missions are effectively boss missions. Each planet has its own ruler/boss and defeating said boss will give you great loot and access to the next planet. Bosses also drop Warframe parts. (You can do these missions continuously and as often as you want if you need to farm drops).

Hijack - In these missions you must lead a large mobile objective to safety. However there is a catch, the objective will drain your shields in order to move it. These missions can be done solo but, but as you might expect given what we've just told you, they are much easier in co-op.

Hive - Destroying hives is the name of the game here. Possible to do solo but a hell of a lot easier in co-op. We would recommend that you do these missions as a team, they will be easier and less frustrating as a result.

Nightmare - Friendly advice: do not take these missions if you are new to the game. The name says it all. These challenges are hard and the conditions are harsh (for example, you might go into battle with no shields). The missions are tough but the rewards are worth the effort. If you're able to do these missions alone then crack on, but if you're struggling then co-op is the way forward.

Dark Sector Missions - These are missions that are variants of normal missions such as Survival, Defence or Excavation, however, they feature Infested. The rewards for Dark Sector missions are good; these missions are worth doing.

Alerts - Alert mission are temporary missions that replace one on a planet. The mission can be of any type, however these alerts do have the potential to offer good stuff. So if there is something you like the look of on an alert, then go and do it.

Archwing - Think of it as space combat. However, in a recent update the devs expanded the Archwing missions, as they can now go under water too. These missions are called Archwing (Submersible). The Archwing missions can vary from Exterminate, Mobile Defence, Sabotage and Interception. If you want to do certain missions like the one that bags you the Warframe Atlas, then you'll need to level up the Archwing. Levelling up the Archwing can be grindy and repetitive, so play co-op and the missions will be more enjoyable. There's an Archwing Mobile Defence mission on Mars that drops good Archwing mods and gives quite a bit of Affinity.

Orokin Void - The Void is another location where missions take place. However, Void missions drop good loot and most importantly 'Prime Parts'. You haven't really got to worry yourself much with Prime Warframes and Prime Weapons and companions if you're just starting with Warframe. The Void is a great place to level up, and Void keys are relatively easy to come by. You can get them by doing survivals and going to rotation B, as well as Defence missions, Excavations, Sabotages and Interceptions. Farming the Void is a good way to get Prime equipment, however, you can trade for Prime equipment with other players. Do note that it will cost you Platinum. Look on the Warframe site, the Warframe Wiki, and the forums for recommended prices.

Orokin Derelict - Takes place in a similar location to the Orokin Void, however, here the locations are overrun with Infested. There are missions here that can be accessed by using Orokin Derelict keys. These keys can only be made from blueprints, which are purchasable from the store for credits. They then have to be built which costs resources. If you are just starting Warframe then don't bother with Orokin Derelict. The enemies in the Derelict are level 25-35. Although more advanced players should know that there are Prime parts that can be obtained there. It's also worth noting that there are keys you can use inside the missions on Orokin Derelict called 'Dragon Keys'. These Dragon keys grant you access to an Orokin Vault although they do come at a price. You'll have to suffer a penalty of sorts (such as reduced health, reduced speed or reduced damage). You will have to complete the mission with the key equipped and then it depends on which door is there. You are not always guaranteed to open the Orokin Vault. Play with multiple people with different keys to increase your chance, of opening it.

Clans and Dojo

In Warframe you are able to join a clan or create your own. By creating a clan you are able to use the Dojo. These dojos can be customised and trading with other players takes place in the dojo. We would recommend that you make your own clan early on as you will be able to trade with your friends without any intrusion from other players. By having your own dojo you are able to build research labs that have equipment that you may want. Dojo's are beneficial so don't dismiss them.

Modding your Warframes

Warframes are the characters that you control. For those who are building up their frames, these are some mods that you need. Continuity - Power Duration. Streamline - Power Efficiency. Flow - Power Max. Intensify - Power Strength. These mods are very handy to have and will improve your abilities in the game.

Don't forget there are health, shield and armour mods. These are pretty common, so upgrade them as you wish. Some Warframes will benefit from more health and some will benefit from more shields or armour.

A mistake that new and less experienced players make is that they get comfortable with one set up of mods and think that the setup will work with every frame. It doesn't. Every frame plays differently. For example for the Warframe Valkyr, build that Warframe with health and armour. You can build shields and if you put the mod 'Rage' on Valkyr then you have a very durable frame that is able to keep its main ability going.

There are also Aura mods. These mods not only help you but help your teammates if you are playing co-op. Two aura mods that are really helpful are Rejuvenation and Energy Siphon. These drop on alerts.

Treat your weapons like fine wine

Everyone builds their weapons in their own way to suit their own play-style. An essential mod if you are using rifles is 'Serration' as this will increase your damage. Another is 'Split Chamber', a rare mod that grants multi-shot, thus increasing your damage considerably.

The essential mod for shotguns is 'Point Blank', as it increases your damage. 'Hell's Chamber' is a multi-shot mod worth looking out for. Shotguns had a huge buff in one of the recent updates. They are very powerful and some have quite good range.

Bladed melee weapons like the Nikana and the Gram will benefit from the mod 'Jagged Edge'. Blunt melee weapons like the Bo or the Jat Kittag will benefit from 'Heavy Trauma' or 'Collision Force'.

Corrosive and Blast damage together seems to be really effective, so put these element types on your weapons; they'll help a lot.

Lifelong Companions

Some people don't travel with companions, fair enough, but that doesn't mean that they're useless. Some have perks that can be helpful. Companions are set up into two categories, Sentinels and Kubrows. They travel with you and fight alongside you.

Sentinels hover alongside you and help out in combat. They also come with their own weapons. You can upgrade sentinels like your Warframes. They also have their own mods. You can buy Sentinels with Platinum or you can get the blueprints from some of the labs in the dojo.

The Carrier companion has mod called 'Vacuum'. This mod is very helpful, as it allows Carrier to pick up loot you may have forgotten or missed.

Kubrows are effectively Warframe's version of dogs. Kubrows are more durable than sentinels and are also upgradeable. However, they can only do melee damage and they require frequent care. To get a Kubrow, you can buy them with Platinum or get a Kubrow egg. You can get the eggs from alerts and Earth.

The Sahasa Kubrow can dig up loot with the mod 'Dig'. The loot can include energy and health which will prove very helpful during missions.

Inspiration

Just to give you some inspiration. The following pictures are of our Excalibur, which we customised to our liking. The pictures will give you an insight on how not just your Warframe, but also your equipment, will improve and look badass if you put the time and effort into it.

We hope that this guide has proven to be of some use to you. Now go and play Warframe. Good luck Tenno.