Summary
- Warframe 1999 will be released on December 13, 2024 and will be available for free on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.
- Find out more about the Warframe 1999 Update from Danielle Sokolowski, Senior Community Manager at Digital Extremes.
- Be the first to get an exclusive sneak peek and a chance to win one of two custom Warframe 1999 Xbox controllers.
Start your Atomicycle and ride the devil down – Warframe: 1999 starts tomorrow, December 13th! The next step in Warframe's cinematic narrative continues as players return to 1999 and the city-state of Höllvania. Fight alongside The Hex, a group of upgraded soldiers resembling some of your favorite Warframes, as they battle new enemies like Techrot and Scaldra. Find new friends and enemies, or indulge in a little romance for the first time in Warframe history!
For additional insight into the new update, we spoke to Senior Community Manager Danielle Sokolowski about what's new in Warframe 1999, the setting of Höllvania, and new missions and PvPvE updates that players can look forward to.
The Hex is an important part of 1999. How can players look forward to interacting with this crew of unique characters?
Sokolowski: They definitely are! You'll interact with Arthur, Aoi, Lettie, Amir, Quincy and Eleanor for the first time in the new Cinematic Quest aptly titled “The Hex,” where you'll take part in their efforts to cause a catastrophe in the city of Hellvania on December 31st impede. 1999. Nothing says “Happy New Year” like destroying a tank with six of your future best friends.
Members of The Hex are at the core of many of the new systems in the update, meaning you have plenty of opportunities to spend time with them and try to woo them if you're quick enough. As Drifter, the Operator's more mature counterpart, you get to know each Protoframe through a '90s-era chat messenger system called Pom-2. Here you will truly interact with them on a deeper level – be it through a platonic friendship or a steamy romance!
You can also participate in The Hex's mission by collecting bounties. Each member of The Hex has tasks for you, so you can spend time with your favorites. As you turn in Hex Treasures found in Hellvania or complete bounties, you'll earn rewards like blueprints for the new Warframe Cyte-09, weapons, cosmetics, and more.
And you shouldn't forget that Gemini Oath Collection– allowing you to play as (and customize) the Protoframes themselves and hear more of their personalities with a full range of unique voice lines. There will rarely be a moment when you aren't interacting with The Hex in Warframe: 1999!
What excitement awaits you in Höllvania, the battlefield of Warframe: 1999?
Sokolowski: You can definitely expect a lot of Techrot and Scaldra activity on and beneath the streets of Höllvania! The Scaldra are equipped with corrosive weapons to combat the ever-present Techrot: a mutated, contaminated menace. As you explore Höllvania and support The Hex, you'll have to fight your way through these two new threats.
You will also find that the environment offers many dynamic combat opportunities. Whether you're taking on enemies on the streets, high above the skyline, or deep underground in the festering tech red, it's definitely every parkour enthusiast's dream. However, you don't just have to cross the city on foot! We've added a new vehicle called the Atomicycle, a souped-up (and stylish) motorcycle. The players had the opportunity to try it out the 1999 demo Since then, thanks to their feedback, we've improved overall handling and responsiveness and added new features.
There are also other interactive elements in Höllvania. As someone who spent too much time playing Snake on my old phone, the coda.worm.nomnom
Höllvania goes through several seasons. How do seasons affect gameplay in the update?
Sokolowski: Once you've completed The Hex quest, you'll be able to access an in-game calendar via the Pom-2 PC that will tell you which season is active. When it starts, players first experience Höllvania in the middle of winter, followed by spring, then summer, autumn and winter again. Combined with procedurally generated tiles, players enter a completely different Hellvania each season with unique lighting, vegetation and soundscapes.
Just as Höllvania changes with the seasons, so do the systems in 1999. The calendar allows you to take stock of the challenges, rewards, upgrades of The Hex, and more that you can interact with in a season. A week in the real world is equivalent to a season in 1999, and the nature of the challenges and rewards change with this weekly rotation.
What experience do you want to give players with Warframe's new PvPvE mode?
Sokolowski: Warframe is primarily a PvE game where you can work together with a squad to complete objectives against NPCs. Therefore, adding PvP elements – while maintaining the collaborative spirit – is a combination that we think players will really enjoy.
We call this game mode “Faceoff” and I think it perfectly encapsulates friendly competition – everyone wins in the end, but what if you “won” just a little bit better than the opposing team and scored a pizza party? With eight players running around in Höllvania, it's definitely an ambitious game mode with a lot of moving parts. Players are encouraged to bring their best gear to these missions and coordinate with their teammates to win! If fighting against other players doesn't appeal to you, there is a solo mode where both teams are staffed by NPCs.
What other new mission types will be available in Warframe: 1999?
In addition to the new Faceoff mode, Höllvania features four other mission types led by members of The Hex. Some will be familiar to players, but with a very special 1999 flavor.
Kill the Scaldra H-09 Efervon tank using Arthur's intelligence in a multi-phase attack assassination battle. Or let Lettie guide you HellScrub to eliminate the Techrot by keeping the Hell Scrubber devices charged and free of infested gunk. There are also classics Destroywith Quincy instructing you to clear Hellvania to protect civilians, along with optional supply depots – at the cost of driving Techrot enemies into a frenzy. Eleanor instructs you Legacyte Harvest to follow Kalymos, Albrecht and Loid's loyal cat companion, on their search for Techrot Legacytes to destroy. But it needs to be protected to be properly prosecuted.
There's also the 1999 arcade classic Caliber Chicks 2! If you want to take a break from the chaos of Höllvania, relax with Jillian and Lillian Killian in this run-and-gun platformer co-developed by Sumo Digital. In this endless game mode, you shoot punks and pursue their ruthless leader Anna Ki to save the president.
Can players expect the Protoframe roster to grow in the future?
Sokolowski: The year 1999 isn't even out yet and the enthusiasm for our six Hex Protoframes is already so great! The response since the first teasers has been overwhelmingly positive, and just the amount of fan art and fan edits has been amazing… just constantly in flux.
There is already clear interest from the community, so it would feel like we would be missing out if we stopped here. We can't promise who's next or whether we'd consider all possible options, but we're definitely interested in seeing more Protoframes after 1999 too. The storytelling possibilities are endless with the Warframe roster; It's just a matter of figuring out what best fits the team's vision.
The start of Warframe: 1999 morning, December 13this not the only reason to celebrate. We're also giving away a set of custom, limited edition Xbox controllers inspired by the update! Just like their Protoframe counterparts, these controllers have been transformed into something new: one is clad in the armor of Hex leader Arthur Nightingale, while the other sports the elegant blue hues of his right-hand man, Aoi Morohoshi. You can enter now and win one of these exclusive controllers!
