Warframe is a free-to-play, cooperative third-person action game developed by Digital Extremes. It combines fast-paced combat, expansive environments, and deep RPG mechanics. Players control a member of the Tenno, an ancient race of warriors who pilot powerful exosuits called Warframes. The game blends PvE (player vs. environment), PvP (player vs. player), and open-world gameplay. Below is a detailed and technical walkthrough to help new and experienced players progress efficiently.
1. Starting the Game
Character Selection:
At the beginning, you choose one of three starter Warframes:
- Excalibur: Balanced and melee-focused.
- Mag: Specializes in manipulating enemies using magnetic fields.
- Volt: Offers speed boosts and lightning-based attacks.
Tip: Excalibur is the best for beginners due to its versatility.
2. Core Mechanics
Movement System
Warframe’s movement is fluid and acrobatic, referred to as "Parkour 2.0." Key techniques include:
- Bullet Jump: Combine crouch + jump for a fast and far-reaching jump.
- Wall Running/Climbing: Jump against walls to traverse vertical spaces.
- Aim Glide: While mid-air, hold the aim button to slow your fall and target enemies.
- Roll and Sprint: Boost movement by rolling or sprinting to cover ground quickly.
Tip: Master movement early as it’s vital for combat and speedrunning missions.
Combat Mechanics
Combat combines melee weapons, firearms, and abilities. Core aspects include:
- Primary Weapons: Rifles, bows, and shotguns (e.g., Soma Prime, Paris).
- Secondary Weapons: Pistols and thrown weapons (e.g., Akstiletto, Kunai).
- Melee Weapons: Swords, glaives, polearms (e.g., Skana, Galatine).
- Abilities: Each Warframe has four unique abilities, fueled by energy (blue orb pickups).
Tip: Use combos of weapons and abilities for crowd control. Modding (explained below) enhances their damage and utility.
Mission Types
There are various mission types, each with unique objectives:
- Exterminate: Kill all enemies.
- Capture: Hunt a target, incapacitate them, and secure their capture.
- Rescue: Save hostages.
- Survival: Stay alive for a set duration while collecting life-support capsules.
- Defense: Protect an objective from waves of enemies.
- Spy: Steal data from enemy terminals without being detected.
- Open-World: Vast maps with bounties and exploratory tasks.
Tip: Focus on Spy and Defense missions early for valuable resource rewards.
3. Progression
Mastery Rank
Mastery Rank (MR) is your overall account progression level. Gaining MR unlocks:
- New weapons and Warframes.
- Higher daily standing caps with factions.
- Access to advanced content like Arbitrations and the Steel Path.
How to Increase MR:
- Use and level up new weapons, Warframes, companions, and vehicles.
- Complete missions on the Star Chart.
Tip: Always craft and level up new gear to maximize MR gains.
The Star Chart
The Star Chart is the game’s progression map, with missions spread across planets. Unlock planets by completing Junctions, which act as milestones with specific tasks.
- Key Planets:
- Earth: Entry-level missions.
- Venus: Introduces open-world gameplay (Orb Vallis).
- Mars: Access to the first Archwing mission.
- The Void: Contains relic missions for prime gear.
Tip: Follow the Star Chart to unlock quests and essential gameplay systems like Railjack and Archwing.
Quests
Quests drive the narrative and unlock new features. Key quests include:
- Vor’s Prize (Starter): Introduces gameplay mechanics.
- The Second Dream: A pivotal quest revealing the Tenno’s true nature.
- The War Within: Unlocks the Operator, a vital gameplay feature.
- Chains of Harrow: Introduces Harrow and psychological horror elements.
- The New War: Expands the main storyline, adding emotional depth.
Tip: Focus on story quests as they unlock advanced systems like Focus Schools and Amp crafting.
4. Gear and Crafting
Weapons
Weapons come in three tiers: standard, syndicate, and prime (endgame). Start with standard weapons, then upgrade to syndicate and prime variants by:
- Farming resources.
- Acquiring blueprints from factions or relics.
Tip: Always equip new weapons to gain mastery points, even if they aren’t optimal.
Warframes
Warframes define your playstyle. Key steps to acquire them:
- Complete boss fights to farm Warframe parts (e.g., Rhino from Venus’ Jackal).
- Craft parts in the Foundry.
- Build the Warframe after obtaining all parts.
Tip: Focus on Warframes with supportive or versatile abilities like Rhino or Trinity early on.
Mods
Mods are equippable upgrades that enhance weapons, Warframes, and companions. Key types include:
- Damage Mods: Serration (rifles), Hornet Strike (pistols).
- Utility Mods: Streamline (ability efficiency), Flow (ability energy capacity).
- Aura Mods: Boost entire squad stats (e.g., Energy Siphon).
Tip: Always upgrade essential mods (e.g., Vitality, Steel Fiber) to improve survivability.
5. Advanced Features
Relics and Prime Farming
Relics are used to acquire Prime gear. Farm relics in Void missions, then refine them to increase the chance of rare drops.
Tip: Run public relic missions to combine your team’s relics for better drop odds.
Focus System
Unlocked in The Second Dream, this allows players to enhance their Operators and abilities. Focus Schools offer various playstyles:
- Naramon: Melee crits and combo efficiency.
- Zenurik: Energy regeneration (recommended for new players).
- Madurai: Boosts damage output.
Tip: Prioritize Zenurik for consistent energy gain during missions.
Archwing
The Archwing is a flight module allowing players to engage in space combat. Key modes include:
- Archwing Missions: Space-only battles.
- Open-World Mobility: Use Archwing to traverse landscapes like Plains of Eidolon.
Warframe: Comprehensive and Technical Walkthrough
Warframe is a free-to-play, cooperative third-person action game developed by Digital Extremes. It combines fast-paced combat, expansive environments, and deep RPG mechanics. Players control a member of the Tenno, an ancient race of warriors who pilot powerful exosuits called Warframes. The game blends PvE (player vs. environment), PvP (player vs. player), and open-world gameplay. Below is a detailed and technical walkthrough to help new and experienced players progress efficiently.
1. Starting the Game
Character Selection:
At the beginning, you choose one of three starter Warframes:
- Excalibur: Balanced and melee-focused.
- Mag: Specializes in manipulating enemies using magnetic fields.
- Volt: Offers speed boosts and lightning-based attacks.
Tip: Excalibur is the best for beginners due to its versatility.
2. Core Mechanics
Movement System
Warframe’s movement is fluid and acrobatic, referred to as "Parkour 2.0." Key techniques include:
- Bullet Jump: Combine crouch + jump for a fast and far-reaching jump.
- Wall Running/Climbing: Jump against walls to traverse vertical spaces.
- Aim Glide: While mid-air, hold the aim button to slow your fall and target enemies.
- Roll and Sprint: Boost movement by rolling or sprinting to cover ground quickly.
Tip: Master movement early as it’s vital for combat and speedrunning missions.
Combat Mechanics
Combat combines melee weapons, firearms, and abilities. Core aspects include:
- Primary Weapons: Rifles, bows, and shotguns (e.g., Soma Prime, Paris).
- Secondary Weapons: Pistols and thrown weapons (e.g., Akstiletto, Kunai).
- Melee Weapons: Swords, glaives, polearms (e.g., Skana, Galatine).
- Abilities: Each Warframe has four unique abilities, fueled by energy (blue orb pickups).
Tip: Use combos of weapons and abilities for crowd control. Modding (explained below) enhances their damage and utility.
Mission Types
There are various mission types, each with unique objectives:
- Exterminate: Kill all enemies.
- Capture: Hunt a target, incapacitate them, and secure their capture.
- Rescue: Save hostages.
- Survival: Stay alive for a set duration while collecting life-support capsules.
- Defense: Protect an objective from waves of enemies.
- Spy: Steal data from enemy terminals without being detected.
- Open-World: Vast maps with bounties and exploratory tasks.
Tip: Focus on Spy and Defense missions early for valuable resource rewards.
3. Progression
Mastery Rank
Mastery Rank (MR) is your overall account progression level. Gaining MR unlocks:
- New weapons and Warframes.
- Higher daily standing caps with factions.
- Access to advanced content like Arbitrations and the Steel Path.
How to Increase MR:
- Use and level up new weapons, Warframes, companions, and vehicles.
- Complete missions on the Star Chart.
Tip: Always craft and level up new gear to maximize MR gains.
The Star Chart
The Star Chart is the game’s progression map, with missions spread across planets. Unlock planets by completing Junctions, which act as milestones with specific tasks.
- Key Planets:
- Earth: Entry-level missions.
- Venus: Introduces open-world gameplay (Orb Vallis).
- Mars: Access to the first Archwing mission.
- The Void: Contains relic missions for prime gear.
Tip: Follow the Star Chart to unlock quests and essential gameplay systems like Railjack and Archwing.
Quests
Quests drive the narrative and unlock new features. Key quests include:
- Vor’s Prize (Starter): Introduces gameplay mechanics.
- The Second Dream: A pivotal quest revealing the Tenno’s true nature.
- The War Within: Unlocks the Operator, a vital gameplay feature.
- Chains of Harrow: Introduces Harrow and psychological horror elements.
- The New War: Expands the main storyline, adding emotional depth.
Tip: Focus on story quests as they unlock advanced systems like Focus Schools and Amp crafting.
4. Gear and Crafting
Weapons
Weapons come in three tiers: standard, syndicate, and prime (endgame). Start with standard weapons, then upgrade to syndicate and prime variants by:
- Farming resources.
- Acquiring blueprints from factions or relics.
Tip: Always equip new weapons to gain mastery points, even if they aren’t optimal.
Warframes
Warframes define your playstyle. Key steps to acquire them:
- Complete boss fights to farm Warframe parts (e.g., Rhino from Venus’ Jackal).
- Craft parts in the Foundry.
- Build the Warframe after obtaining all parts.
Tip: Focus on Warframes with supportive or versatile abilities like Rhino or Trinity early on.
Mods
Mods are equippable upgrades that enhance weapons, Warframes, and companions. Key types include:
- Damage Mods: Serration (rifles), Hornet Strike (pistols).
- Utility Mods: Streamline (ability efficiency), Flow (ability energy capacity).
- Aura Mods: Boost entire squad stats (e.g., Energy Siphon).
Tip: Always upgrade essential mods (e.g., Vitality, Steel Fiber) to improve survivability.
5. Advanced Features
Relics and Prime Farming
Relics are used to acquire Prime gear. Farm relics in Void missions, then refine them to increase the chance of rare drops.
Tip: Run public relic missions to combine your team’s relics for better drop odds.
Focus System
Unlocked in The Second Dream, this allows players to enhance their Operators and abilities. Focus Schools offer various playstyles:
- Naramon: Melee crits and combo efficiency.
- Zenurik: Energy regeneration (recommended for new players).
- Madurai: Boosts damage output.
Tip: Prioritize Zenurik for consistent energy gain during missions.
Archwing
The Archwing is a flight module allowing players to engage in space combat. Key modes include:
- Archwing Missions: Space-only battles.
- Open-World Mobility: Use Archwing to traverse landscapes like Plains of Eidolon.
Railjack
Railjack introduces space exploration and large-scale ship battles. Upgrade your ship by farming resources and recruiting a crew.
Tip: Railjack is essential for endgame content like Void Storms and Sentient Anomalies.
6. Endgame Content
- Sorties: High-level daily missions with unique modifiers and rewards.
- Arbitrations: Elite missions with