It’s been eight years Warframe landed on our consoles. Several updates later, the title has achieved a status that goes far beyond that of the umpteenth looter shooter. For a long time the narrative aspect of the title was pushed into the background. It wasn’t until 2016 that Digital Extremes worked to improve this point. First with The War Within, the game’s first cinematic quest, and two years later, it’s the quest for the victim that extends the storytelling and lore a bit Warframe, successful again. And on December 15, The New War marks a third – and largest to date – approach to storytelling that developers are taking. After showing the cinematic trailer last week, we had a preview for the press to learn a little more about this big expansion.
Once enemies, now allies
We know the different factions that rule the game world: The Grineers, Corpus and Orokins have clashed for decades. However, the emergence of a new threat from the Sentients forced them to consider a united front. This is also one of the new features introduced in the extension. In fact, you’re not only in control of Tenno and Warframe. For the first time, you will be responsible for a representative from each of the factions in certain phases of the game. The new trailer unveiled today focuses on these:
Kahl-175 for the Grineers, Veso for the Corpus and the well-known Teshin. Everyone is entitled to their own gameplay with special orders and very specific equipment. And if you fear the adventure will end quickly, rest assured. We don’t have the full duration of the scripted quest, but we learned that it’s longer than the four previous cinematic quests combined. In addition, it is necessary to walk well equipped. The difficulty will be there and you will have few options to change your arsenal along the way.
Novelty on all levels
As with every new major update, we are entitled to many new features. It is therefore Caliban which joins the list of available Warframes. A hybrid mix of Sentient and Warframe energy, Caliban can turn the tide. With a passive that reduces damage taken for him and his allies, he easily fits into any composition. When not spinning around to decimate enemies, he can summon up to three sentient allies. Her fourth force causes her to send out two beams of energy from her cone-shaped palms. When his hands come together he creates one final high damage explosion.
Caliban isn’t the only Warframe being added. In fact, we can count on a new Prime, these upgraded versions of the base models, in the presence of Harrow Prime. If the deluxe skin dedicated to him was already sublime, this version moves the cursor to 11. As usual, he is accompanied by the signature weapons in the Prime version of Harrow, namely the Knell and the Scourge. In addition, the accessory kit contains a very stylish adaptation for your operator. We’ll also notice new deluxe skins that we can’t show you for Mesa and Volt. The only thing we can tell you, have a couple of turntables ready to grab these two beauties.
If Digital Extremes showed a little more about what to expect during act one, we could learn more about the rest of the adventure. When we know that Ballas is the enemy, that Erra is taking control of the system, what happens next? In two words: the flight. Indeed, in order to escape Ballas control, it will be necessary to return to places that so far have only been legends and traditions in the universe of. was Warframe. The best connoisseur will already have found the answer. For the others, we leave you with these few words: Zariman Ten Zero.
In addition to the locations, there are also characters that reappear like thate stalker and Hunhow who will play their roles in this story. The third and final act will bring a conclusion but open a door to the possible future.
Content for veterans
This preview was also the opportunity for some question-and-answer time in the company of Rebecca Ford. As the person responsible for the community and live events, we were interested in the technical aspects. In order to begin the best adventure, there are a few requirements that must be met. Due to the nature of the content of the expansion and the difficulty it will impose, most of the previous quests will need to be completed. This includes building the Archwing, your Railjack, the Necramech and unlocking your Operator.
Also note that the New War quest is solely solo. Yes sir Warframe is a game that is all the more appreciated when working together, the story part is primarily designed to be played alone. Besides, there is more. With this expansion, Digital Extremes intends to use it as a new starting point for future narrative content, Rebecca told us. If the Heart of Deimos did pretty well during the pandemic, it’s true that the update didn’t follow the breadcrumbs of the game’s story.
Musically, music lovers will be delighted to learn that the expansion adds more than 70 minutes of soundtrack. The audio portion is so important that it even seems like the trail of a new OST is being considered. We will keep an eye on it!
