Warframe is a free-to-play game that uses the games-as-a-service model. After 10 years on the market, it has accumulated a vast amount of content which can be overwhelming for newer players. Therefore, we present this guide with the basic concepts of the Warframe universe and the first steps to start this great adventure.
Choosing Your First Warframe
Once the initial cinematic sequence is finished, you will have the option to choose one of the 3 starting Warframes: Excalibur, Volt, and Mag. Each one possesses different abilities. It is important to remember that the Warframes you do not choose can be acquired later in your adventure.
Starter Warframes
Starter Warframes
Each Warframe has 4 abilities that will unlock as they level up, in addition to a passive ability. You can make your Warframe choice based on their abilities, choosing the one that best suits your playstyle or simply for their design.
Volt
Volt is a very versatile Warframe that excels in both offense and support. His electrical abilities allow him to control the battlefield, inflicting damage and paralyzing enemies. “Shock” electrocutes opponents, while “Electric Shield” creates a barrier that blocks projectiles and increases the damage of your allies’ shots that pass through it.
His passive ability generates electricity when moving, powering up his attacks. Volt is ideal for players who prefer to stay mobile and support their team while dealing damage.
Volt’s abilities
Excalibur
He is a Warframe focused on melee combat, ideal for players who enjoy direct action and aggressive combat. His passive ability increases damage and attack speed with swords, making it lethal in close combat.
Among his skills are “Radial Blind,” which blinds nearby enemies, and his iconic “Exalted Blade,” an energy sword that deals large amounts of damage at close and medium range. Excalibur is a solid and balanced option for those looking for a mix of power and simplicity.
Excalibur’s abilities
Mag
Use magnetism to manipulate enemies and cause devastating damage, especially against those with shields. Her abilities focus on crowd control and offensive support. “Pull” draws enemies towards you, leaving them vulnerable, while “Crush” applies a magnetic shockwave that damages and disarms enemies.
Her passive ability allows her to attract nearby resources when performing a bullet jump, making collection easier. Mag is a challenging but rewarding choice for players who enjoy more tactical and creative strategies.
Mag’s Abilities
The choice of the initial Warframe is entirely up to you, but in this guide, we recommend Volt. It is preferred for its ease of use in the early hours and because it is the most difficult to obtain later in your adventure.
Starter weapons
Starter Weapons
Once you have chosen your Warframe, you must escape from your attackers, the Grineer. During the fight, you will learn the basic concepts of moving and attacking. Then, you must move on to your next choice: your arsenal. Warframes have an arsenal composed of a primary weapon, a secondary weapon, and a melee weapon.
The first choice is your melee weapon, for which you are presented with two options: the Skana and the Bo. While the Skana is a sword focused on quick, slashing attacks at close range, the Bo is a staff with slower speed but greater reach and damage per hit. The attack of the Skana is enhanced by Excalibur’s passive ability, so if you chose this Warframe, you might be interested in taking advantage of this synergy.
Skana and Bo.
The next choice will be between the Lato pistol and the Kunai. Again, it’s a choice that depends on your preferences: the Lato has higher damage power, but the Kunai are silent, making them perfect for players who enjoy a more stealthy approach.
Secondary weapons
Finally, you will have to choose your primary weapon: the Braton assault rifle or the Paris bow. Again, you have a stealth option and one more oriented towards direct combat. Don’t worry too much about this choice; pick the one you like best, as you will be able to access the other weapon and many more very soon in your adventure.
Secondary weapons
Once your arsenal is complete, you will be able to continue your way to the ship. Before you can board it, you must face Captain Vor and his troops. After a brief battle, you will be able to access the Orbiter, your ship, which was damaged and will need to be repaired.
Vor’s Prize
With your initial Warframe and arsenal, your first mission will be to defeat Captain Vor and repair your ship, the Orbiter. This adventure acts as a basic tutorial for the game and the main types of missions, in addition to unlocking the main consoles of your ship. Since the adventure is quite linear and guided, we will not go into details.
Vor’s Prize – Quest Complete
Orbiter’s segments
Your Orbiter is equipped with several consoles that will unlock as you progress in the previous adventure; these allow you to access essential game functions. Below, we present the most important ones:
- Navigation: The main console you use to select and access missions around the Origin System. From here you can choose adventures, faction missions, alerts, and much more.
- Foundry: Here you can build weapons, Warframes, and tools using blueprints and resources collected on your missions. It is a fundamental part to expand your arsenal and improve your equipment.
- Market: The Market is your shop within the orbiter, accessible through its dedicated segment. You can buy Warframes, weapons, blueprints, and cosmetics using credits or Platinum. It’s important to check the offers and avoid spending Platinum on items that you can obtain by playing.
- Arsenal: The Arsenal is where you equip and customize your Warframe, weapons, companions, and Archwing. You can also install and modify your mods, change your cosmetics, and choose from your available loadouts for each mission.
- Void Relics: The void relic segment allows you to manage and equip the Void Relics that you will open in Void Fissure missions. From here you can choose which ones you want to open, refine relics to increase their chances of obtaining rare rewards, and review your collection.
- Syndicates: Syndicates are factions with specific interests and unique rewards such as mods, weapons, and exclusive cosmetics. You can ally with one or several, but you must keep in mind that improving your relationship with a syndicate can decrease it with another.
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- Navigation segment
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- Foundry segment
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- Market segment
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- Arsenal segment
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- Relic segment
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- Syndicate segment
Radio Scanner (Nightwave)
This console allows you to participate in the Nightwave system, hosted by Nora Night, a mysterious DJ who broadcasts challenges and special missions to the Tenno. Nightwave serves as a seasonal reward guide in Warframe, similar to battle passes in other games.
Nora Night – Nighwave
Complete weekly and daily challenges to earn points, level up, and obtain rewards such as rare mods, exclusive cosmetics, and more. As you progress, you’ll earn Cred X, a special currency that you can use in the Nightwave store to acquire exclusive items.
- Challenges: Each week the challenges are updated, ranging from completing specific quests to achieving certain objectives such as defeating bosses or collecting resources. Completing these challenges is the main way to advance in Nightwave progression.
- Season Rewards: The rewards change with each new Nightwave season, giving you the chance to earn cosmetics, mods, and other exclusive items that are not available anywhere else. Stay tuned to the radio so you don’t miss these opportunities.
Nightwave Challenges
Mods
Mods are one of the most important elements in Warframe, as they allow you to enhance and customize the abilities of your Warframes, weapons, companions, and Archwings. These modifiers are cards that are inserted into your equipment to increase its performance and adapt your configurations to different play styles and challenges.
Mods offer specific enhancements that affect attributes such as damage, health, speed, ability duration, and resistance. Each mod has a cost and a polarity, so you must balance these factors to maximize your gear’s potential in Warframe. This guide will help you understand how to integrate and optimize your weapons and Warframe.
These consoles are key to your experience in Warframe and, as you progress in your adventure, you will learn to use them to maximize your performance and enjoy everything the game has to offer.
Mods segment
How to Get Mods
- Missions and Enemy Drops: Mods are obtained by defeating enemies and completing missions. Some specific mods only drop from certain bosses or types of enemies.
- Alerts and Events: Participating in alerts and special events can reward you with rare or unique mods.
- Trade: Some mods can be purchased or traded with other players using Platinum.
- Void Relics: Relics can grant you rare and valuable mods when opened in Void Fissure missions.
The Tenno community
The Warframe community is essential for enriching the gaming experience, offering support and connection among players. Through interaction in clans and chats, you can get advice and share your passion for the game. This guide is designed to help you integrate into this community and make the most of your adventure in Warframe.
Cross-Platform Tenno Community
Chat Tabs
The chat system in Warframe is essential for interacting with other players and participating in the community. It is divided into several tabs, each with a specific purpose:
- Region: A general space to socialize with other players from your region, ask questions, and share experiences.
- Recruiting: Here you can find players for specific missions, operations, and other activities, or recruit for your clan.
- Trading: Ideal for exchanging mods, relics, and items with other players. Post your offers and search for what you need.
- Clan: A private channel to communicate with your clan members, coordinate activities, and discuss strategies.
- Squad: Active during team missions, it allows for coordinating strategies and direct communication with your squad.
- Private: Send direct messages to other players, useful for personal conversations or coordinating trades.
Clans and Dojos
In this guide, we consider clans to be a fundamental part of Warframe, as they offer an enriched multiplayer experience. Joining a clan gives you access to a Dojo, a customizable space that acts as the clan’s base of operations and offers various benefits, such as the research of exclusive weapons and Warframes, trading with other players, and a supportive community.
Clans and dojos
A clan is a group of players who come together to share resources, knowledge, and participate in missions together. Being part of a clan gives you access to a social environment where you can receive help from more experienced players and collaborate in group activities. Clans vary in size, from small groups of friends to huge player communities.
The Dojo is a customizable base where clan members can gather, trade, and access exclusive research. You can build and decorate the Dojo to your liking, adding functional rooms such as laboratories, dueling rooms, and training areas.
Introduction to Trading
Trading in Warframe: Trading in Warframe allows players to exchange valuable items. To trade, you must reach rank 2 and visit a Clan Dojo or Maroo’s Bazaar. Trading is primarily done with Platinum and Ducats as currencies. It is essential to know the market prices to ensure fair transactions.
Orokin Ducats, Platinum y Credits
Currency Types
Credits: Earned by completing missions and used to purchase blueprints and cover manufacturing costs.
Platinum: The premium currency that is purchased with real money or obtained by trading with other players.
Orokin Ducats: Obtained by trading Prime parts at Ducat Kiosks and used to purchase items from Baro Ki’Teer.
Continue Your Adventure, Tenno!
Now that you have read this guide and learned the basics about your first Warframe, arsenal, the segments of your orbiter, and other essential aspects of the game, you are ready to move forward with this guide in your adventure through the Origin System in Warframe.
Complete more quests, unlock planets, and explore trading and Nightwave to earn additional rewards. Join a clan to take advantage of the Dojos, upgrade your gear with mods, and don’t forget to check alerts and temporary events for unique rewards. The universe of Warframe is vast and full of challenges, and with each mission, you’ll get closer to becoming a master Tenno!
Crossplay and Cross-Save
We thank you for taking the time to read this Warframe guide. The game is available on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Series X|S, iOS, and Nintendo Switch, offering cross-play and shared progression on most platforms for a connected and accessible experience.
