A veteran player discusses waiting for new content and the challenge of filling the inner void in Warframe. A column by our author Pascal.
The Beginnings
When I first launched Warframe over two and a half years ago, much was different than it is today. There was no cinematic introduction quest to slowly familiarize new players with the story and the vast universe, no overview of what the endless expanse had to offer gameplay-wise, and hardly any helpful tips on how to progress.
In short: My first encounter with Warframe was not an easy or positive one; it was not love at first sight. Therefore, I left the title behind after a few weeks and turned to other things that were more accessible and understandable.
Yet something in me did not want to give up so easily, did not want to throw in the towel right away, wanted to give the sci-fi shooter with its refreshingly different and fast parkour movement another chance. It just couldn’t be that it was indeed so difficult to understand and at least somewhat master the mechanics, the universe, and the game itself.
At that time, however, there was no one with whom I could attempt a second try. The friend I first explored Warframe with had already been uninterested back then and could never get excited about it again. Therefore, I had no choice but to find a clan whose members would explain the basics to me, answer my questions, and guide me a little.
Fortunately, I found a large, mostly friendly, and helpful clan that did just that and opened my eyes to the vast game world and the seemingly endless freedom the game offered. Whether it was assembling and altering weapons and their stats, combining and enhancing character abilities, or just little tips and tricks – suddenly it “clicked,” and the world of Warframe captivated me.
I began to painstakingly pursue things that interested me on my own, because it was clear early on that Warframe would not be a game for the casual player. To understand everything and really progress, to get the best out of one’s equipment and character, it was not enough to just play blindly.
Thus, I accumulated my knowledge over more than 1500 hours of gameplay in the English wiki (since the German one unfortunately has significant gaps), brought every single Warframe and every terrible weapon I could find to their maximum level, and reached the current highest mastery rank of 22.
Over time, Warframe became my passion, my enthusiasm, to which I dedicate time even when I’m not actively playing. My love for the game went so far that at the end of last year, on the suggestion of mein-mmo.de, I sat down to write a current German beginner’s guide, as it simply couldn’t be that something like this was so hard to find and, if at all, was consistently outdated and anything but complete and error-free.
Over time, the entry for new players became easier, yet unfortunately, much is still only touched upon or learned significantly more easily and quickly in conversations with seasoned Warframe veterans.
Therefore, to all who may not have engaged with Warframe yet or are suffering from starting difficulties and want to know how to progress, the recently updated guide is highly recommended. Just take a little time for reading and have something nice to drink.
The Vacuum Within
As it often is when you spend a lot of time with something or someone, a certain routine sets in, which sometimes leads to boredom. I have now reached a point in Warframe where that is indeed the case. You play a round or two to collect your focus points, check out the daily mission assignments, maybe do a few Syndicate missions, or just quickly start the game to grab the daily login bonus.
In short: you have seen and tried everything, accumulated all mods, weapons, and Warframes numerous times, and are waiting for new, exciting content. Meanwhile, a certain emptiness, a sense of indifference sets in, as the developer simply cannot deliver new content as quickly as one would wish. Which is understandable.
The question, however, arises as to what constitutes true new content. For some, it may be sufficient to receive new weapons and mods. Players who have only recently discovered Warframe or those who simply have not progressed far may find a target to work toward through these additions.
However, this hardly keeps a long-term player engaged, or it leads to nothing more than an indifferent shoulder shrug, simply because the additional arsenal is mostly not useful, as you own far better and more meaningful items. Not to mention that you can max out a new toy in at most 2 missions.
Yet even when it is not just fodder for the mastery rank, but a high-end piece that can split opponents in half with a single strike, many Warframe veterans and content creators & YouTubers see this as a “problem” as there currently is no need to deal out such sometimes ridiculously high damage.
And they are right. Before the rework of the star chart and the associated change in the void, rather the ability to obtain prime parts, the name of the so-called “endless” missions also applied to them. It only required one key for 4 players, and then one could play a capture, survival, or defense mission for as long as the enemies became actually too strong or one simply lost interest after 3 hours or longer.
In the old system, you collected maximum loot with minimal effort (1 key). Here, good, perfected equipment and a well-coordinated team still made sense. However, with the introduction of relics, the
