Warframe is an interesting game to classify because it falls into two categories: a looter-shooter and an MMORPG. There are many different classes to choose from, making it an exciting game to play. With Gyre joining the fray, that makes 49 different characters in the game. With so many of them, the best ones will often get the most attention.
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Here we’ll discuss the best Warframes in the game in a tier list format. This list provides advice on which frames are best suited for various activities, based on their versatility. This does not mean that those who are not listed here are useless. With so much diversity in build options and the subsume mechanic, other Warframes might be viable depending on the situation. This is based solely on the standard capabilities and passives that these frames have.
10. Baruuk
Baruuk is a rare Warframe that is only used by a select few. His ability kit isn’t exactly what you would call “meta” because it mainly deals with damage mitigation and non-lethal crowd control. However, if you attach the Reactive Storm augment mod to his build, he becomes a powerful melee fighter. This augment will make your Desert Wind become very effective in the late game, exploiting the weaknesses of any enemy you take on within a few meters.
Because of this augmentation, you want to build as much Strength as possible, with a slight emphasis on Range. The less time it takes, the better. You want to cast your three other abilities to keep the Restraint meter from depleting. None of your abilities that are based on cooldowns or times will be affected by the loss in duration. Baruuk is very good at Survival, Onslaught, and late-game missions where extermination is a priority.
9. Wukong
Wukong is a great choice for clearing all-purpose missions. He has a high Health and Armor stat, meaning he can withstand more damage from stronger opponents. With strong survivability, he has three survival techniques, which are basically three extra lives that allow him to live long enough to go down without dying. With his Defy ability, he will barely need to use an actual life to respawn.
With Wukong’s first ability, Celestial Twin, you create an AI-controlled copy of yourself with the same loadout you’re using. Drawing aggro at the distance from the enemies is a valid strategy for tense situation. Wukong is a powerful tank and an aggro, but he is also very good at spy missions. His cloud-walking ability allows him to avoid lasers and security cameras. He is one of the most stealthy frames out there. Wukong is also great for completing Exterminate missions, Defense, Survival, Spy, and Railjack missions.
8. Mag
Though her gear has been “overhauled” (aka “nerfed”) many times, Mag is still a force to be reckoned with. For one, she benefits from the shield-gating mechanic, which makes her very survivable. Mag’s main abilities are all the things she does minus the ability to pull things. The other three abilities include Magnetize, which is effective against clumped-up enemies and hard-to-hit bosses. With the right setup, you can take out enemies at Level 200 or higher with the held version of Magnetize and bypass most weapons. Polarizing is a very effective way of softening up hostile opponents.
Mag’s Corrosive Projection mod is far better than any other mod in terms of ability to strip armor from enemies. It can strip armor from Bombards and Heavy Gunners, two of the most heavily armored enemies in the game. She can cast her Crush ability to add some additional crowd control, and then regain health back. Her ability to cast debuffs is very powerful compared to other frames. Mag is good for long endurance missions in Defense, Survival, and Excavation areas.
7. Chroma
Chroma is Warframe’s main black tank. He is a staple DPS for Eidolon hunts. Most of his builds stem from the use of his Elemental Ward and Vex Armor abilities. With the right equipment and color choice, he can achieve an enormous armor boost that can protect him from damage and increase his damage output significantly. His only downside is that his builds are energy-heavy and may require a lot of Forma and possibly Umbra Forma to fully maximize. Chroma is great for hunting Eidolons and in survival modes later in the game.
6. Limbo
There is a lot of debate surrounding Limbo. It’s likely that you’ve had trouble with his Rift mechanic. While executing it, you cannot pick up items or interact with enemies that are not in the same plane. You can’t interact with hacking consoles and buttons, which slows down gameplay even more. However, you can roll, evade, and do what you need to do.
Limbo is a great choice for defending objectives, even if there are some annoying aspects to it. When you cast Cataclysm and Stasis, any enemy that touches the bubble of energy created by the spells is frozen in place. If you are inside the bubble, you can attack other players without taking damage. The only downside to this approach is that Nullifiers could get involved. They can break the bubble, leaving whatever you are defending open to damage. Limbo can be very effective for soloing Spy missions, thanks to his passive Rift Dash ability which allows him to bypass lasers that would otherwise trip alarms and destroy data.
5. Octavia
Octavia is a Warframe who has a kit that has abilities that work well together. She can attract and reflect damage, and buff allies. What makes her so powerful is that her abilities seem to grow without limit. Her mallet attracts aggro from enemies and can soak up a lot of damage from them. The more fire it takes to heat something up, the stronger the heat will be. When you pair that with her Resonator, that damage will reflect back and destroy enemies quickly. Since the Resonator is controlled by AI, it’s a lot of passive play.
If you want to help her be successful, you can do good work with her Metronome. Octavia’s abilities all have the same effect modifier, so they are all equally useful. Octavia can be used for a variety of missions, but she is particularly strong in endurance-type tasks and defending against attacks. It is best in situations where goals are stationary.
4. Mesa
Mesa is an effective tank and DPS character in certain situations. She is able to hold her own against most of the enemy factions until they get within melee range of her. The only abilities you will be using with her are her Shatter Shield and Peacemaker. The former gives her 95% damage reduction from projectiles. Her Peacemaker ability turns her into a damaging turret that can dish out immense amounts of damage. If she has a correctly modded weapon, she can take out waves of enemies before they even got within 20 meters of her. Mesa is best used in Free Roam missions, Extermination missions, and Disruption.
3. Mirage
You can easily figure out that DPS is the most important stat in Warframe. The faster you kill enemies, the more powerful your builds are. Mirage is a versatile Warframe that is among the strongest in most game modes. Mirage is basically a more powerful and refined version of Chroma. While she may not have the durability, her explosive firepower makes her that much more lethal. All she needs is her Hall of Mirrors and Eclipse to be able to travel to other worlds.
With any AoE weapon, she can quickly clear large groups of enemies. With enough time and strength, she can comfortably complete all of the Steel Path missions on her own. The only thing that might hold her back is her reliance on her skills. If she has her energy drained, she’s basically dead.
2. Saryn
Saryn is one of the most powerful Warframes in the game, with abilities that scale very well and a strong debuffing ability. She can spread her spores to enemies all over the battlefield. This makes her an extremely effective fighter against large groups of enemies. There is a good chance that when playing the Onslaught mode, you will face a Saryn. The enemies will disappear before they attack her. Her DPS is low-cost and easy to use, but it requires a lot of energy to keep the spore damage count high. As soon as the last infected enemy dies, her spore counter will rapidly decay. Saryn is an excellent choice for any endurance mission.
1. Trinity
Trinity naturally takes the crown of the best Warframe, despite the fuss about DPS being the best in Warframe. She provides instant healing, damage reduction, and energy regeneration. If you play with Trinity team-oriented game modes like Eidolon Hunts, long survival missions, and Railjack, you’re doing something very special and deserve everyone’s praise. Even if she isn’t the best at casting, you will still benefit from her abilities as long as you are within affinity range. She casts spells for her teammates almost constantly, which helps their builds become even better.
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