Is there a definitive guide to Tenno progress and abilities after The Second Dream anywhere in game?

[BRT_LovesSushi]

Question.

I’ve been reading up Warframe, different builds, abilities, level progression etc... Since I started the game last summer. I understand that the gameplay and progression are fluid, the end game is a moving target, and not everything is going to be explained. That said, I just finished the Second Dream a few days back (no spoilers) and was disappointed to discover that I really need to get through The War Within to actually unlock this new gameplay development. So imagine my surprise when I’m playing a defense mission the other day and accidentally set off a death laser that I didn’t know was even a thing. Curious... So I google Warframe death laser and find out that I actually have a small subset of new abilities that unlocked after playing The Second Dream, how to activate them, and how it will all change down the line after The War Within. Now granted I usually play late at night after my kiddo goes down - But, did I miss an explanation of this somewhere in game along the way? Is there an in-game resource that explains how these new systems work? Why can I farm focus with some frames, but not others? How do lenses work - not the obvious, but as a system for farming focus? 

Like most things Warframe, star chart progression usually yields some answers... But with the distance between Second Dream and War Within, from a newer players perspective I have a lot more questions than answers so far. 

Any help would be appreciated!

[GnarlsDarkley]

 

38 minutes ago, BRT_LovesSushi said:

Is there an in-game resource that explains how these new systems work?

There are barely any information, so if in doubt: no

38 minutes ago, BRT_LovesSushi said:

Why can I farm focus with some frames, but not others? How do lenses work - not the obvious, but as a system for farming focus? 

If you haven't already read it:

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Focus

If you have, I'll try to summarize it.

Only Rank30 gear (if equipped with any Lens) gets Focus. Focus is fraction of the Affinity you earn while playing with said "lensed" gear. You use Lenses like Forma (same menu) but naturally don't reset your gear. There are 3 types of lenses: normal, greater and Eidolon. The only difference is the amount of Focus you earn per Affinity. You can change them anytime, but this will destroy previous equipped ones.

edit: I am currently working on a Focus Guide, so if given link doesn't have the information you seek, I'd like you to dm me, so we can talk about it

Edited December 7, 2018 by GnarlsDarkley

[(PSN)OriginalEquinox]

After the second dream you unlock what I call the 'Iron Man Unibeam' ability, there's a small blue circle at the bottom of your screen showing when you can use it or how long till it's charged. Can't explain much without spoiling the story for you so just remember that you can use that to destroy the Stalker when he shows up and can also move around with it active.

As for focus, you equip a lens (which is basically a mod that you can't remove and can only override with another lens) onto a Warframe or weapon and when you get kills with said warframe or weapon a % of that xp is converted into focus which you will use later on. Any frame with a damage ability can farm focus easily which is why Saryn is so popular,but CC frames like Equinox are also good at it if you use sleep and stealth kill stuff with a covert lethality setup

[BRT_LovesSushi]

Thanks guys, I’ve figured most of this stuff out after discovering the new systems existed in the first place. Just surprised there isn’t any in-game guide to even get you started. I didn’t even know till about a month ago that if you long press on R1 you get an ability sub menu that allows you to quickly activate different powers! Now I almost constantly have R1 pressed when playing a fast frame like mirage that needs to stack abilities to stay alive, and that was how I accidentally discovered the death laser 🙂 good note on stalker though, that’ll help keep my lighter frames alive in the future! 

As for focus farming, I have to something in my kit leveled and lensed for the boost icon to even show up then? I could have sworn I was getting focus icons on Helene with Inaros and didn’t have anything lensed or fully leveled at the time. Now with Nova I don’t get the option at all no matter where I take her?

Currently I have a greater lens on my Oberon and a standard lens on my zenistar - but Inaros didn’t need one to get points. Trying to level up a bunch a frames and weapons I’ve been gathering in the background to get MR 12 done, but it’d be nice to get focus at the same time. If I gave nova the Zenistar, would the little focus icons start showing up again?

thanks for the help!

[GnarlsDarkley]

13 minutes ago, BRT_LovesSushi said:

If I gave nova the Zenistar, would the little focus icons start showing up again?

Like said: you need one maxed gear with any lens to get Focus. So if your Zenistar is maxed, yes you will get Focus and the Orb.

Why your Inaros gets Focus when neither he, nor your weapons are maxed, I don't know...seems to be a bug or you missed an item.

 

But you need to understand the Affinitysharing system, as Equinox doesn't seem to have. They suggested putting a lens on a weapon and killing with a frame, but this yields zero Focus.