The action MMO Warframe is getting new content in spring 2021. We spoke with a player who has over 7,800 hours on the clock. Here’s what she told us about the current status of Warframe.
This is Warframe: Warframe is one of the MMO games that have been on the market for years now and successfully brings one update after another.
Since its release on PC in 2013, the shooter has grown and has been released on Steam, Xbox One, PS4, and Switch. It is also playable on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S through backward compatibility. Currently, Warframe enjoys about 58,000 active players daily on Steam (as of 1.3.2021, via SteamCharts).
In the game, you take on the role of a “Tenno” who can use the abilities of powerful armors created by a fallen civilization: the Warframes. In action-packed battles of the MMO shooter, you slaughter your way through hordes of enemies to:
- Play through the exciting story of Warframe,
- Obtain and upgrade new Warframes,
- Find stronger weapons, equipment, and mods,
- Customize your ship “Orbiter” to your liking,
- Collect cosmetic items and become the best-looking Tenno in Warframe.
What’s coming in Warframe: For spring, the developer Digital Extremes has announced new content. There are new enemies, missions, and a new Warframe. Therefore, we asked a Warframe expert from the MeinMMO community about the current status of the game.
Feynrath has spent over 7,800 hours in Warframe on Steam, of which 2,778 hours are pure mission playtime. So she knows the shooter inside out. Here’s what she had to say.
No end in sight
MeinMMO: What is the current status of Warframe from the perspective of someone who has been playing for a very long time? How is the game doing?
Fey: Actually quite good. The player community is still present. Players come and go like in any other game.
Through Epic, a large wave of new players has come in again. It feels like the average age of players is getting younger. Especially through the Epic Game Store, as many younger players play Fortnite through it.
A lot has changed since the release:
- There are more cinematics in the main story, although it is still not fully completable. The game has gained a story over the years. It was completely without one in the beginning.
- The content goals have become increasingly larger (for example: Eidolon Fields, Railjack), so the developers couldn’t keep up. Digital Extremes recognized the error and scaled back the size of the content.
- Test servers have been implemented to allow players to test already programmed content and provide feedback.
- Constant updates continue to regularly bring new Warframes and weapons (Prime Warframes usually every 90 to 120 days).
Otherwise, not much has changed in my view. The status is therefore still stable to good.
While the normal frames are based solely on the special technology of the fallen Orokin civilization, the Prime versions are genuine Orokin technology.
Not every Warframe or weapon has a Prime version, but they are gradually being provided by the developers. For example, Octavia Prime was announced in the spring update.
MeinMMO: How is the mood in the community? Do you think players are currently satisfied with the content or not?
Fey: Mixed. There are many players who say that current content should be worked on first until it works mostly bug-free. Especially in Railjack and in some missions, there are still bugs present that have been around for years. According to long-time players, these need to be fixed.
Whether players are satisfied with the content is difficult to say again. New players do not grasp the abundance of content that Warframe offers. Older players quickly figure out what works how and then unlock the content for themselves.
What do the new contents in the spring update offer?
MeinMMO: Warframe developers presented a series of updates for spring 2021. What is your opinion on this as an experienced player? What are the highlights?
Fey: There are three. Railjack update, Corpus Liches, and the new Warframe Sevagoth.
Regarding Railjacks: I’m critical about the Corpus Railjack. Railjacks are huge spaceships with which you can engage in space battles against NPCs. You control them together with other players.
Railjack will receive another overhaul, which I hope will benefit the system. Players will be able to control Railjacks alone with the update, which was not possible before. They can also hire an NPC crew that they can equip.
New missions for the Railjack are also coming. What ends up coming out of it, I can’t say just yet. Railjack is not one of my favorite activities.
Regarding Corpus Liches: The Corpus Liches, special strong enemies, are also rather critical. They are supposed to be easier to handle than the Grineer Liches, but how this will be implemented is still to be seen. Honestly, I’m not particularly looking forward to it, as the Grineer Liches have already taken away a lot of “friends” or “anticipation” from me.
They simply take a long time. To kill them, you need to farm items that are randomly mixed each time. And at the beginning, you don’t know which items you need to kill the Lich.
This could also apply to the new Liches. So it may happen that depending on how well or poorly it goes, you could spend 4 to 5 hours on a single Lich.
These enemies can only be defeated in a very specific and elaborate way.
Regarding the new Warframe: The new Warframe Sevagoth is coming as a quest frame, and I’m actually looking forward to it the most from the entire update. New frame, new gameplay mechanics, something new to color.
The concept is good so far. It is a ghostly Warframe that has a shadow form. The shadow form can be controlled by players and has three unique abilities of its own.
The implementation of the abilities and the frame remains to be seen, as it has only been presented once so far. Often abilities have been changed and adjusted during a testing phase.
Whether this will be a frame that can be completely farmed through the quest (which I would be very happy about) or a frame where only the blueprint comes from the quest is still not clear.
Starting new in Warframe
MeinMMO: Do you think now is a good time to start with Warframe?
Fey: Yes. But that’s actually always the case. With the new tutorial, it has become a little easier for new players to get into the game. Otherwise, the chat is still available for almost any questions and is usually helpful when something comes up.
MeinMMO: What would you recommend to new players who are just now starting in Warframe? Can you give 4-5 different tips?
Fey: Between 4 and 50 would have been easier (laughs). Ok:
- Take your time. At first, it’s simply too much information to absorb all at once. The game doesn’t guide you very well after the tutorial, so set yourself a goal like “I will unlock the star map” at the beginning. That helps focus and not feel so lost.
- Try to complete missions independently or with a friend of similar experience before the experienced players simply carry you through the missions and you learn nothing. So set the group search to either “Solo” or “Invite only”.
- You start with 50 Platinum on PC, which is the premium currency in Warframe. Spend it most sensibly on a Warframe slot and two weapon slots. Cosmetic items can always be acquired later once you have enough Warframes and weapons. Also, the real-money currency in the game is tradable. Just don’t jump into trading too early.
- Listen and read. Warframe gives an incredible amount of tips through Lotus and Ordis, mentioned in a “side conversation.” Especially in quests, they tell you exactly what needs to be done to complete the quest.
- Everyone was once a beginner. Don’t hesitate to ask questions in the in-game chat. There’s often someone who takes the time for your questions.
Play in a way that you have fun. That’s the most important thing about it all!
By the way, we recommend Warframe as one of the best free shooters in 2021. You can find more in our article:
