Summary
With 60 unique frames under its belt,Warframehas a huge variety of ways to play. From damage frames, to supports, to tanks, to whatever Limbo is, each individual Warframe hasits own playstyle, and attracts its own dedicated player base. After 12 years and countless updates, reworks, buffs, and nerfs, it can be hard to tell which frame is the perfect one to choose as a new player.
While the general advice is to play whichever frame seems most appealing, this list looks at the seven best frames for newer players to pick. Each frame on this list is accessible early on, requiring some farming but nothing outside of the standard star chart, and each has an ability kit suited for players still getting to grips withWarframe’s manically quick gameplay.
7Ember
Set The World On Fire
Ember is the perfect frame for any newer player looking tospam abilities and set things ablaze. Ember gains ability strength depending on the number of enemies around her that are affected by a Heat status affects, benefitting from setting enemies on fire. Each of Ember’s abilities allows her to do this in various ways, from throwing a ball of fire to calling down a flaming comet.
Ember also has the ability to coat herself in flame, reducing the amount of damage she takes while sacrificing some energy every second. Overall, Ember is a fun frame that has some decent survivability and powerful damage output that, while overshadowed in the late game, can power through a large amount of the game’s content.
6Nezha
Ember’s Skinnier Brother
Similar to Ember, Nezha uses fire to destroy their enemies and protect their allies, however, does so in a slightly more entertaining way. Nezha’s passive allows them to slide further and move faster, which plays directly into their first ability, which leaves a trail of fire behind them to burn enemies and cleanse allies.
Nezha can also create a protective area that stuns and damages enemies, making for some incredibly potent crown control. On top of this, Nezha’s fourth ability impales enemies on spikes made of flame, further adding to the crowd control capabilities of this frame. Nezha may not be thestrongest support frame, but any team will be more than happy to see one speeding around the arena.
5Excalibur
Warframe’s Posterboy
Excalibur is what most will think of when they think “Warframe” thanks to his presence in a majority of the game’s marketing. Exclibur is also the first frame many players choose, being one of the three available to a new player at the very beginning. While seemingly underwhelming to any veteran players, Excalibur is a solid starting choice, making swords more powerful and cleaving through enemies with relative ease.
The only downside to Excalibur is his lack of survivability, which is somewhat remedied by his Radial Blind, allowing him to disable enemies for a moment whenever overwhelmed. Unlike most of the other frames on this list, Excalibur has a Prime form which is no longer obtainable (being locked behind a founders bundle); however, each player is gifted an upgraded version known as Excalibur Umbra upon completing a specific story quest.
4Wukong
Embody The Trickster God
Wukong is one of the best tank frames in the game, having access to several abilities that allow it to avoid all incoming damage, defy death, and move around the battlefield at intense speeds. The one thing holding this frame back is simply that it requires a player to be in a clan to obtain it, which is a roadblock for many newer players.
If a player can join a clan, however, Wukong is a frame that will see them well into the late game, with the Celestial Twin ability being an incredibly potent ability. The Celestial Twin essentially makes any solo player into two players on their own, laying down covering fire and hitting with a melee weapon while the player does the opposite.
3Rhino
An Immovable Object
Rhino isWarframe’s original tank, and still holds up 12 years later asone of the best tank frames in the game. While he is overshadowed by some newer frames, he is an easy-to-obtain frame that requires little game knowledge to effectively use, and can easily solo most of the missions in the game thanks to his Iron Skin and crowd control abilities.
To top it all off, Rhino has access to Roar, which is one of the strongest damage-buffing abilities in the game. Roar directly increases the damage of all nearby players, making it a must-use ability in almost any situation, simply making every enemy go down a little easier. Rhino is a must-have for all players, especially if they can get their hands on his Prime form.
2Volt
Lightning Fast And Shockingly Strong
Another one of the starting three, Volt is a super-powered electrical Warframe that can buff his team’s speed, block incoming damage, and shock nearby enemies, dealing great damage and stopping them in their tracks momentarily.Volt is arguably the better starting frame choice over Excalibur, but it is much easier to obtain again if a player doesn’t choose it.
Volt’s passive adds extra electrical damage to its attacks, making the player’s weapons more powerful. Volt is an all-around great frame, buffing allies, able to solo a huge amount of content, and generally a fan favorite for almost all content. The only real downside is that without Electric Shield, Volt can feel quite squishy in higher-level content.
1Koumei
The Puppeteer Of Fate
The final Warframe on this list is Koumei, the marionette of fate. Koumei is a little harder to obtain than some of the other frames on this list, however, she is one of the first frames that any new player will be able to farm for, thanks to all the necessary pieces to craft her being available on Earth.Koumei is the perfect introduction to the farming loopthat takes up a large amount of game time throughout a players experience withWarframe, and is a frame that feels worth the time invested.
Koumei’s passive randomly buffs one of her weapons with an elemental damage bonus, which sums up well what Koumei’s kit is all about. Randomness is a huge part of Koumei’s identity, rolling dice with every ability cast to inflict damage on enemies and have enemy attacks heal Koumei instead. While her kit can be confusing at first, Koumei is the perfect frame for any new player, introducing them to the concept of farming and more complex abilities that later frames have.
