Summary

  • Warframe is revamping its new player experience with the goal of becoming more accessible.
  • The game will introduce numerous beginner-friendly changes as part of its next two updates, starting with the Yareli Prime patch on May 21.

Warframe is revamping its new player experience with the goal of becoming significantly more accessible. The newly announced overhaul will be introduced gradually, starting with the next Warframe update.

March 25 marked the 12th anniversary of Warframe's release. Since debuting on PC, the free-to-play action RPG also made its way to the latest two generations of PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as the Nintendo Switch. In February 2024, Warframe even made the jump to iOS devices.

Warframe Techrot Encore Four New Protoframes
Warframe Techrot Encore: New Protoframes Explained

As part of the feature buffet coming in Warframe's Techrot Encore expansion, four new Protoframes are being added into the game.

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While a steady stream of ports has helped Warframe reach new audiences over the years, Digital Extremes is now planning a different initiative to keep the game relevant: overhauling its new player experience. To that end, the Canadian developer has just announced a wide variety of changes meant to make the game more accessible, detailing them during the latest Warframe Devstream, which was broadcast during PAX East. The overhaul is planned to roll out in stages, starting with the next Warframe update, Yareli Prime, scheduled to drop next Wednesday, May 21.

Warframe Is Simplifying Some of Its Systems

The highlight of the upcoming patch is a rework of Warframe categorization. The futuristic exo-armor suits will now be classified into groups that are labeled by role: Damage, Support, Stealth, Crowd Control, and Survival. Up until now, the game didn't really make any attempts at categorizing Warframes, leaving players to research or guess what a given suit's strengths and weaknesses are. On a similar note, the May 2025 update will group weapons by intuitive types across primary, secondary, and melee categories. This pair of changes aims to help new players learn gear functionality and spec out correctly for their playstyle of choice.

The Canadian studio is also planning on making Warframe more beginner-friendly by revising its difficulty curve and select encounters. On that note, several enemy types, including the Bailiffs, are set to be added to Grineer missions, where they will appear as mini-boss units. Junction solo missions are also being overhauled and will soon start displaying their task lists and rewards upfront. As part of this revamp, players will be able to earn rewards for every individual task rather than just for defeating the Specter boss. The goal of this set of changes, planned to debut as part of the Islewaver update in June 2025, is to make Star Chart progression more accessible.

Digital Extremes is also redesigning Captain Vor, Warframe's first major boss. The revised version of Vor will feature new and reworked abilities, all geared toward teaching newcomers the game's basic mechanics without overwhelming them.

Upcoming Warframe Changes

  • Simplified systems (starting with Yareli Prime update on May 21)
    • Warframes now labeled by role: Damage, Crowd Control, Support, Survival, or Stealth.
    • Weapons now grouped by intuitive types (e.g., shotgun, SMG, light blade), across primary, secondary, and melee categories.

  • Early game combat changes
    • Bailiffs added as mini-bosses in Grineer missions.
    • Ballistas gain lock-on mechanics and visual effects.
    • Eviscerators get an area-denial ability.

  • Junction overhaul (starting with Isleweaver update in June 2025)
    • Task lists and rewards will be shown upfront.
    • Individual tasks grant rewards even before defeating the Junction Specter.

  • Captain Vor’s boss fight is being redesigned with new mechanics to teach boss fundamentals without overwhelming players.
  • Additional usability improvements and onboarding fixes (coming as part of both the Yareli Prime and Isleweaver updates)
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Warframe Tag Page Cover Art

Warframe
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Third-Person Shooter
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Systems
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Top Critic Avg: 73 /100 Critics Rec: 53%
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Released
March 25, 2013
ESRB
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
Developer(s)
Digital Extremes
Publisher(s)
Digital Extremes
Engine
Evolution Engine
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Genre(s)
Third-Person Shooter