Lots of Warframers are on cloud nine right now after the announcement at Tennocon yesterday! With the brand new Venus open world update coming, plus hijackable planes, everyone’s head is chinched with ideas about what the future may hold for Warframe gameplay.
Warframe used to be just another regular action game on the block. But thanks to Digital Extreme’s SWEAT AND BLOOD, Warframe is now firmly enthroned as the best free-to-play game of all time. But wait, you may be thinking, isn’t this a bit of an overstatement? No. No, it’s not. As someone who’s spent upwards of 360 hours playing it, with still much more content to discover, especially on the Warframe market (lol, what is this college fund you speak of, parents?), if you’ve got a free game thirst to quench, why not try Warframe?
1. Warframe itself
A case of Exactly What It Says On The Tin (warning: don’t click on link unless you’re prepared to go on a TVTropes high! You have been warned), Warframe puts you in the shoes of a… Warframe (duh), funky cyborg-y creatures that move around like avant-garde Naruto ninjas. Take, for example, the warframe that goes marching in with chidori-esque attacks, just like Naruto, and compare it to the one that occupies the healing role (Sakura).
Those are just some of the Warframes you can be put in command of in the game. Oh, and before I forget, even though the Warframe market is definitely a backbone of the game (it being free-to-play and all), all the items you see in-game can be acquired through completely plot-related and wallet-kosher means, so you don’t have to worry about spending piles of cash on it!
2. Crushing your enemies is fun!
Even though the game revolves around cyberpunk themes, Warframe gameplay isn’t all just about sneaking around and pulling 47s. You can go in guns blazing Rambo-style, if you’d like! Thus, the game doesn’t easily pigeonhole into one genre, but is a combination of platformer, hack-n-slasher, third-person shooter and stealth action game packed into a neat little Kellogg cereal box.
Still talking about the guns blazing thing, combat isn’t the only thing you’ll have to get the hang of. The game will also mandate that you master the movement mechanics, something very essential to Warframe gameplay. Just like a ninja, you can perform feats of parkour leaning on the acrobatic- sprinting, sliding, bullet jumping, or even just hanging from a wall like the damn GEICO gecko! #A E S T H E T I C.
3. Competitive co-op
At its core, Warframe is a co-op game. But this game can also bring out the competitive side when working together to solve a mission. At the end of one, there’s always the statistics board, showing how much damage you took, how many lives you’ve fooked, and how many loot you’ve booked- with (sorry I tried my best to make it rhyme). So obvious there’s a competitive element there. But if you’re looking to unleash your rage on your teammates, why not try PvP mode?
4. Endless variations on weapons
*heavy breathing*
Because it’s set in space, it just don’t feel right if your Warframe is equipped solely with swords and other ninja-ey tools of doom. Why not try Warframe builder, then? Customize any weapon you like, mix and match parts from pistols to assault rifles, shotguns to sniper rifles, even contemporary sci-fi guns that shoot lazer beams! (Sorry, no dubstep gun for yuo). That’s not even counting the melee weapons!
Interestingly, not a single weapon in this game is purely obtained through microtransactions. If you’re good at the game and actively seek out blueprints, you could have the weapon of your dreams in no time and with no cold, ahrd cash spent.
5. Lootboxes!
If you’re a regular on the freemium mobile game scene, you’re probably already familiar with the free gift system designed to entice you to keep on playing. The people behind Warframe have obvious taken stock of its psychological prowess, and added in a lootbox reward system for if you complete a mission over and over! Damn it, there goes 8 hours of sleep. But honestly, sometimes it’s worth it, just because lootboxes contain so much awesome stuff you probably couldn’t get otherwise, except with Platinum.
6. Getting paid, son!
One of the things Warframe players identify with so much is that the game gives you a fair go vis-a-vis getting paid. How’s that, you say, when the game is only free-to-play? In Warframe, another way to get platinum currency besides paying real-life cash is through trading. You can sell everything and anything to other players and get $$$! Plus, it kinda teaches you how to be money-smart in real life.
7. Pretending you’re Simon Cowell
Credit: https://cdn8.littlethings.com/app/uploads/2016/05/simon2.jpg
If even platinum currency can be farmed, how the hell do the developers make money? The Warframe market, obvi. The market offers premium content which, while not necessary to see the plot through to the end, is still a pretty damn sight. SKINS, FUCK YEAH!
And the best part? The Warframe market also holds regular, player-supported creative creation events called Tennogen, where you can submit your own creations and if approved, have them featured on the market! As well, you get part of the proceeds! What’s not to like?
Now, whether you’re buying or creating, just imagine you’re in possession of a golden buzzer like our friend Simon here. Simon is smart, he knows a good thing when he sees one, so when you see something you like or come up with a concept you think is Warframe market-worthy, slam that buzzer!
8. Clans
As an online game, Warframe supports the creation of clans that can hold up to hundreds of thousands of players in them. For newbies who’d like a taste of the Warframe communal spirit, here’s an insider tip: clans are hella important. You can craft items, weapons, and special Warframes, but only at a clan dojo. As well, clans are also a helpful place for players who are still taking their baby steps in the game! It’s kinda like eHow, only with much more cheeky Nando’s involved. So what are you waiting for? Join up today!
9. The intricate storytelling
Yesterday’s update The Sacrifice is yet another one of Digital Extreme’s plotcoutrements to an almost-perfect franchise. Warframe’s lore is so complex, you might even end up thinking you’re being M. Night Shamalamadingdonged! But as you progress through the story, clues start to emerge that’ll help you make sense of it all. The game also has a codex that serves as a kind of Wikipedia on anything and everything Warframe. If you’re still having trouble digesting the plot, though, Warframe fora are your friends.
10. A content-rich open world
In the 5 years that it’s been on the market, Warframe has so much content now it’s ridiculous. Main quests, side quests, void fissures, syndicates, invasions, sorties, archwings, alerts, good credit, bad credit, no credit? No problem! Are you dead? Ghost credit! The sheer abundance of content puts AAA developers to shame. Plus, the Plains of Eidolon is visually stunning and a wild expanse of sorts, making the free-to-play tag only more alluring.
