Warframe guide — how to actually enjoy the grind

The space ninja problem

Warframe's biggest issue isn't its grind — it's that nobody tells you what to do. The game drops you into a star chart with 200 nodes and says "good luck." After 12 years of content, the onboarding is... not great. Here's the roadmap nobody gives you.

Your first 20 hours: the main quest

Follow the main questline in order. Don't skip ahead. The quests unlock systems progressively:

1. Vor's Prize — tutorial
2. Once Awake — unlocks Survival missions
3. The Archwing — space combat
4. Stolen Dreams — unlocks Sorties
5. The New Strange — unlocks Chroma
6. Natah — unlocks the Steel Path preview
7. The Second Dream — THE quest. Changes everything. No spoilers.
8. The War Within — unlocks Operator focus
9. The Sacrifice — unlocks Excalibur Umbra
10. The New War — the biggest quest in the game

Do these in order. They're the best content in Warframe and they gate everything else.

Warframes: start with these five

You don't need 50 frames. You need five good ones:

• Excalibur — the starter. Balanced, simple, effective.
• Mag — pulls enemies together, strips armor. Best farming frame.
• Rhino — iron skin makes you unkillable. Great for new players.
• Volt — speed + damage. The speedrun frame.
• Trinity — heals the whole team. Co-op essential.

Craft these first. Ignore the 45 other frames until you understand the game.

The modding system is the real game

Weapons and Warframes are just stat sticks. Mods are where the depth lives:

• Serration — +165% damage on rifles. Always equip.
• Hornet Strike — +220% damage on pistols. Always equip.
• Pressure Point — +120% melee damage. Always equip.
• Vitality — +440% health on frames. Always equip.

Slot your damage mods first, then utility. A fully modded weapon does 10x the damage of an unmodded one.

Making money (credits and Platinum)

• Credits: Do Profit-Taker Orb (Venus) or Index (Neptune). Millions per run.
• Platinum (premium currency): Sell Prime parts, mods, and arcanes to other players via trade chat. You can earn 100+ platinum per week without spending real money.
• Never buy platinum until you understand the trading system. Everything is farmable.

The open worlds

After The Second Dream, unlock:

• Plains of Eidolon (Earth) — day/night cycle, Eidolon hunts
• Orb Vallis (Venus) — Profit-Taker, K-Drive racing
• Cambion Drift (Deimos) — necramechs, isolation vaults

These are the best open-world content in any free game. Each has its own progression, bounties, and unique rewards.

Endgame: what actually matters

After the main quests, the "endgame" is:

• Steel Path — harder enemies, exclusive mods
• Eidolon/Profit-Taker/Orb Mother hunts — arcane farming
• Railjack — space ship combat
• Duviri Paradox — roguelike mode
• Fashion Frame — the real endgame. Dye everything.

Why Warframe respects your time

• Everything is farmable. Zero pay-to-win.
• No energy system. Play as much as you want.
• 12 years of content, all free.
• Cross-play and cross-save across all platforms.
• Regular updates with new frames, weapons, and story.

Browse our full Games Database for more free looter-shooters and co-op titles.

---

Warframe is free on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and iOS. Cross-save supported across all platforms.