I struggle a lot to finish things. I’ve got unfinished drafts galore in my Hugo posts folder that I know I should either get to or scrap (probably the latter, honestly, knowing what’s there). I struggle to see a game through; I’ve got a corru.observer save halfway through the Collapse (I have been massively enjoying it so far; I stopped at the GOD fight for now), a Factorio demo run I promised a friend from the Elysium community I’d finish, I dropped ToonTown: Corporate Clash again after the Halloween update ended before I could get my Bossbot suit on my main because no one would play with me, and I’ve wanted to make a Minecraft kitchen sink modpack for months, if not years now, but I keep dropping that project (though I actually picked it up again yesterday as of the time of writing and I’m making non-neglegible progress on it). The state of my album review thread, though improved as I’ve started to claw through my background, should speak to my attention deficit well. That all said, knowing what I do about Warframe, the dopamine infused space ninja time sink of an MMO, I see now why it’s the exception.

During my all-too-brief existence as a Cohost user, a time joined by the unfortunate lack of my tourney community friends, my page was mostly dedicated to reposts and my media thread, which I’ve since moved here. Understandably, Warframe was the only repeat offender on my Cohost page, starting with my media thread post on The War Within and ending with some musings on The New War and the content after that. This game has sucked me in since I first laid eyes on it in a way that other games have struggled and failed to do, to the point where I was logging in daily during my heyday (for better or worse, honestly). I had dropped the game for a while before Old Peace came out to the point where I missed out on the Vallis Undermind, which I’m starting to catch up on now, but just that update brought me back. This game’s tug on my psyche comes from the fact that it’s many experiences in one, all that add up to some end goal; if I wasn’t having fun engaging with one angle of content, I’ll find something to do elsewhere, so on and so forth. There’s still so much I’ve yet to clear out (see: I only recently built my first amp since the Sirocco), and should I ever be interested, I’ll have much time to do so.

Warframe is often lauded for being a very friendly MMO in many aspects, to which I can definitely somewhat agree on; for a game where nearly every player will drop what they’re doing to play the new story quests and get access to the new content, the story is quite accessible, sporting only level 55 enemies at its maximum with the newest quests. In that vein of being decently accessible, from getting one’s hands on a new frame or weapon is anywhere from an off the cuff craft to a couple of hours’ worth of grinding for the dedicated, or a bunch of platinum for a prime, and I find many of these weapons last a while when I’m not using them for mastery fodder just because they’ve got so much progression in their own right. I do think the negative of what I mentioned above is that, even for a player like myself, a lot of the later content in the game can get repetitive for what feels like far less reward and the grind starts to feel like any other MMO, but that’s the point in which I pick and choose my battles. I’m definitely glad I can say that this feels like “any other MMO” at times, though, because when I’m able to sit back, not fixate too much on progression, and just play what I want to next, the game feels quite seperated from the grind at large, and that feeling is decently common in this game. It’s because of this and the streamlined early game progression that I think Warframe is worth playing in its current state as someone new to the game and, if someone would ever mention it, I’ll happily sing my praises of it.

I think I’ve said my peace on the game as a whole. The main thing I wanted to do with this post was to wrap back around and discuss how Warframe has progressed since I started playing in a way that’s surprisingly fitting for the end of the year that I’m writing this in, to just look back on where I started (from The Second Dream on, since that’s when I was sold proper on the game) and review the big mainline progression that I’ve already seen through.

I do wish I had more of an ability to write on things like this. It’s why I’ve struggled with my music thread for sure. Clearly, however, there’s enough interesting here for me to actually push through writing this entire post, though, if only I speak on that.

SPOILERS FOR WARFRAME’S STORY AHEAD, OBVIOUSLY#

The Second Dream#

As I said in the prelude to this section, this quest flipped the switch on Warframe as a whole for me. It got me to pay attention to the lore and gave me a breath of fresh air when it came to the gameplay (which will be a regular occurrence with each section of this) with the new mechanics and all, though in that regard, there was still a lot to be asked for. Primarily, it was a stepping stone to the far more interesting story quest in following, but I do remember that getting the Broken War made the game feel much better at this point.

What was far more compelling to me was the story presentation. I knew about the twist with the Second Dream already and the operator. The mere lore detail that Lotus hid the entire moon to protect the Operators definitely helped to get me hooked, and every little detail of the presentation of that twist sold me on the game at large in an instant. The final Lua sequence of that quest is, in my opinion, still the most beautiful usage of the Operator as a power in this game, and the final sequence of the quest as a whole is a testament to the power of the Tenno, one that just gets reinforced over and over as the campaign goes on. It felt like I had stepped out of one game and into another, to an extent, and getting a good number of new weapons just made that feel even better. I really hope that the experience up to this point is streamlined enough now that all the quality of life has been added.

The War Within#

Unlocks wise, this quest definitely left a decent bit on my plate for me to look over, and I appreciated that. I thought the quest itself was long and drawn out, with some of the sections just being difficult to control, but I do think the story itself was interesting enough to excuse it. I do miss Transcendence as a power, though; the Tauron strikes are definitely a good substitute, but I find myself rarely using them, partially because I only own one (I chose Thara, for a focus school I haven’t maxed yet with plans to do so) and partially because it’s so hard to get to them in the field. The Broken Scepter is obviously no Broken War and left me confused when I accidentally activated its special power to seemingly no effect, but more mastery is more mastery and I was using the Broken War 24/7 anyways.

I liked the dialogue split in this quest a lot at face value; it opens up a lot of lore and gives you agency, even if not much. I do wish high Sun and high Moon Operators had different dialogue, even if slight, in the missions that followed, especially since this comes back up in the New War, but considering everything, I can imagine it wasn’t feasible (it wouldn’t matter to me, anyways, since I came out of all of my quests as Neutral). The nature of Transferrence set up so many cool story beats in the later story quests (see: The second-to-last scene of Whispers in the Walls), as well as a lot of the complications of something like The Hex, and was incredibly cool in practice. Unfortunately, I think I chose some of the lamest possible lines in the dialogue trees, though I don’t think it killed the experience. It wasn’t the Second Dream as a lore experience, but it sure as hell wasn’t bad either.

Chains of Harrow#

This definitely hit a bit harder when I was playing for the Red Veil; I’m not anymore, since they conflict with Suda and the Arbiters. I do think it was a fall-off, both in story and execution. I think it sets up more interesting things, but a lot of it never really hit until the New War and scenes past it, and it fell short compared to the Sacrifice in my eyes. Perhaps I was just out of it at the time; there were some very cool visuals and there was a lot of neat story going on, but the combat sections themselves were just uninteresting, which I think I can say about the Sacrifice as well. Either way, I wasn’t following this quest like I followed the two that came before.

I do have to feel bad for Rell here, though. The fact that Lyon exists now definitely complicates things, but now that Rell’s just straight up dead, the seperation between them is fine at this point.

The Sacrifice#

I remember being told by a friend that they didn’t like this quest. Personally, I did; it explores the intricacies in how this world works while properly exploring concepts that will be called back to in the future (especially with The Hex), and the story of Umbra was highly compelling. It sets up the deep-seated hatred for Ballas in the player that will see them through the New War, and is generally very interesting. I definitely do get that it was a bit slow, but for whatever reason, I found myself more engaged by Umbra’s story than I was Rell’s. Komi is a nice touch, probably good to keep me from getting bored during the memory sequences, and was a part of why I liked them at all. Umbra himself is also very nice; though I was playing with better frames at the time, I welcomed him to my arsenal with open arms, even if I didn’t like melee as an archetype at the time (I still like the others more, but I appreciate it; I also didn’t know that Exalted Blade shot projectiles at the time). Obviously, the Umbral mods are very important at this stage in the game, and I remember using them frequently at this stage of the game.

The New War#

The big one and a big part of the reason I’m writing this at all. There was so much build-up to this quest, with Prelude to War and the necramech requirement present at the time (and thankfully removed) forcing me to slave away in the Cambion Drift, hitting a million other objectives at the same time. Eventually, I was able to start the quest, staying up late just to see it through in a single session, especially as the game forces you to commit to it and I didn’t realize the time.

There’s so much going on in this quest itself. The scenes as Kahl, Veso, and Teshin were very cool; it’s sad that we haven’t seen anything since with Veso and Teshin, both for obvious reasons, but the Break Narmer missions are interesting enough to where I’ve done a few, if certainly hard to grind. Veso’s section in particular was something I got upset at since I couldn’t just run and gun that joint, but in a game where you’re as powerful as you are 24/7, that’s a fine change of pace. Furthermore, Erra’s presence at the end of Kahl’s scene was incredible.

The Drifter’s sequences were also very interesting. As I had already played the Duviri Paradox at this point, I got somewhat of the feeling of what was going on here and already had a Drifter customization, even if barebones. Drifter’s ingenuity is nice, and I massively appreciate the look we get into how Hunhow is changing at a character, especially prior to Jade Shadows. Seeing the Stalker on his own in a scenario like this was surprisingly satisfying as well, especially after only really recognizing the guy from the Second Dream; those two fit well here; every moment and interaction felt out of place, but made sense and was ultimately satisfying in action. Pretty much my only complaint about the unique gameplay of the New War itself is the Deacon stealth section, which was perhaps the most painful thing gameplay wise, though I do love the heart-wrenching detail during my time at Fortuna of the Ventkids having the veils on. (Furthermore, only recently, I heard the post-New War Eudico special dialogue, which is just as wild in the context and a good reminder that yeah, some shit went down here.)

I think I was already far more familiar than I should’ve been with the concept of Eternalism, but I do definitely like how it’s represented in the mission. The actual visual of the deal the Operator makes with the Man In The Wall and, furthermore, the interactions between the Operator and Drifter about their predicament were incredible. I like the concept of the two switching places and still carrying cohesive conversation, as if they were both having their own conversation in their own world that ended up at the same point. I already knew about the final dialogue split, a surprising occurrence of the Sun and Moon system as if it had any weight behind it, and ended up weighing the choices of who to pick in the end for way longer than I should’ve; ultimately, I went with Margulis, since I could see my Operator, my Drifter, and the Lotus all agreeing to act in spite of Ballas and in honor of someone who deserved far more of a legacy than she got.

After genuine cinema of a quest, I opened my inbox to see what I already knew as one of the best primaries in the game: The Nataruk, a weapon that would change my perception of what weapons in this game could be entirely. It was just like getting the Broken War all over again, but I was already so committed to the rest of my box that I didn’t end up using it much, and still don’t, especially now that I’ve got weapons that are just as good, if not better, and are more fun to use. Getting to use the Nataruk just got me excited for things like the Incarnons and other late-game items, weapons that I’m now all too familar with. Nataruk notwithstanding, the gameplay of Warframe pre- and post-New War is a massive upgrade, far greater than anything any other quest since The War Within has granted: New content in the Archon Hunts and Break Narmer, the archon shard system itself, and so many more reasons to build and ways to build that just left me feeling so much more powerful. As eternally grateful I am that I don’t have to do archon hunts anymore due to how abundant shards now are, that as a detail was quite nice as well.

Angels of the Zariman/Jade Shadows#

The newest quest at the time that I started to get into the game again was Jade Shadows, which I played after Angels of the Zariman, but before Whispers in the Walls, as I wasn’t forced into that. I don’t have too many thoughts on Angels of the Zariman, save for the importance of the introduction of Incarnon weapons, namely getting my first in Lex Prime, a weapon I still use due to just how nice of a Secondary Fortifier charger it is while still having incredible damage output, and the Torid, which is, of course, the best weapon in the game, something that makes all too much sense when used in practice, even with little supporting it. Other than that, it’s a quest, and zone, that’s ultimately uninteresting.

Jade Shadows is far less, but captivated me far more. It invoked emotions of indescribable sorrow in me that I don’t think I could revisit. It was sad in a way that stood in stark contrast to the rest of the Warframe universe, and every little detail about it invoked pain that seems so, so hard to do in storytelling. Needless to say, I’m a big fan of Jade’s kit, so I’ve put a good bit of energy into her build and have been using her on and off.

Whispers in the Walls#

I already commented on the second-to-last scene of this and how good it was to some extent, but I feel a need to comment on it more now that I can. Much of this quest made for a very good story and an expansion to everything we’ve already learned so far. I just love this section emotionally and aesthetically; the narration of the page, followed by the transferrence and subsequent soothing of the Murmur, speaks to the Operator in a very, very beautiful way. This quest was another example of how much of a glow-up Warframe gets after each mission, with this section of the game being so beautiful and fun to play.

I watched TennoLive 2024 before playing this, so I knew a bit more than I should’ve coming into it and the 1999 segment probably didn’t hit as hard as it was meant to.

The Hex#

When it was revealed that there would be dating options for the Protoframes, I thought we’d be playing as Arthur, or something like that. I doubted that the Drifter would be time traveling. This was, of course, before I played Whispers in the Walls and saw Albrecht doing that exact thing, but it’s definitely still wild to me to see in action. The fact that we get all of our gear back in this mission feels a bit weird, but in context, I imagine it was partially because Albrecht had that already in mind when he prepared the backroom. It’s very cool that we get to use it as an orbiter alternative; it’s far cooler than the Drifter camp or default orbiter in my eyes and fits the Drifter’s place in the story at this moment in time incredibly well.

KIM is a genius feature. I remember discussing many of these posts with friends of mine who were just as invested into the game as I was; it was the common thing to talk about, a reason to get lore drip fed to you. It’s a way to get to understand these characters that’s far more regular; furthermore, when you actually land the confession, it’s a very good feeling. Further, I appreciate getting the monthly cutscene in my inbox of Eleanor and my Drifter kissing lesbian style. Furthermore, I think they genuinely nailed the dialogue with the Round Table; it speaks well to Kaya and Flare especially, who both have stories I feel are best read directly, in part because I feel inept in summarizing them here.

I think they also nailed 1999 as a zone in this game. It’s literally got all of Warframe’s most digestible content, and only its most digestible, in one place, as well as an assassination and capture mission that are both quite fun for being the bosses of the two factions. It was very fun to grind this zone during this content cycle, both before and after Techrot Encore, save the fact that the maps were a bit big, though even that isn’t that much of an issue when your movement is this insane before touching the Atomicycle.

The Old Peace#

The new kid on the block. I haven’t stuck around with the game as closely as I used to since grinding out the Vinquibus, as that was the main thing I wanted out of grinding at all, but god, is the Vinquibus fun. How they present the Operator’s role in this story, as well as the Drifter’s part in the aftermath of this, is great; I think I didn’t understand the role this quest played in the timeline when I saw it at TennoLive, but now that I’ve played it, it’s a nice addition to the world. I just don’t like the grind that this update introduced in Perita Rebellion. I think this quest mostly served to get me excited for what’s coming next with Tau, which I very much am excited for, and give me a reason to come on again, which I think I’ve got; I’m going to go for the rest of the Tauron strikes gradually regardless of how I feel about the mode.

I wish Adis was still alive. He’s awesome.