Orokin Catalyst/Reactor Sap the Fun out of Warframe

[Worsin]

Now as a new player I am very discouraged by this mechanic.  The rarity of these is daunting for a new player.  I have only gotten a few of these in game so far and when you add in the scarcity of inventory slots you find yourself in a pickle.  You cannot experiment with a weapon/frame to decide if its worth keeping and you cannot hold onto the item to save for later when you have the Orokin to upgrade it to find out of you even like it. 

You are damned if you do and damned if you don't when it comes to these.  Do I waste these vastly overpriced items on a item risking that its a total piece of crap or do I dump it only to find out later that its an amazing item I should have kept. 

This forces players to search the internet and only keep the best rated frames/weapons if they want to do well in end game and maximize their resources.  It turns 90% of the weapons in the game into MR Fodder because rarely will someone dump Orokin, Forma and an inventory slot into a sub par item just because they like how it looks or sounds (excluding seasoned players of course that have played for years, i'm talking new people here please keep this in mind).

One of the things I love the most about games like this is the ability to experiment with different weapons/builds/armor etc and these items make that entire aspect of the game a massive grind and saps the joy out of it completely.  I will have to stick with the same couple weapons for months until i can afford to risk using Orokin on new ones and I will have to keep sending weapons I would love to try out to the trash bin.

Its a real shame because there are a lot of weapons that new players would love to use and have fun with but due to the exorbitant cost of making them viable its simply not realistic to do so.
 

[novalery]

Or.. you could spend your nightwave credits to buy them potatoes via nightwave store... or you could also try trade something of value and buy slots and potatoes from the market directly.

This is my old experience with potatoes and slots as a newbie: i spend my first 500ish hour of this game without putting my own money in. Yet at that point i’ve sold several prime sets and used most of the plat i got to buy slots and potatoes.

Oh and yes during that time i only use potatoes and forma to weapons/frame that i like because of its aesthetic and sound etc. simply put i make the weapons that i like to be stronger. Example: at that time i really like one of the stances of a dual melee weapon so i put potato and form to dual zoren. Haven’t been using that for long now.

Edited August 1, 2019 by novalery

[844448]

Any weapon can do well up to end game if you invest well enough so don't worry about things like top or best rated weapons and frames. Play as you wish

[Worsin]

I'm sure a bunch of 5 year veterans will flame me for being a new guy that cannot get these as easy as they do.  I'm giving the perspective of a new player.  I am also fully aware that they do this to pray on peoples impatience hoping they pony up and spend plat on them.

My opinion stands though, its just not fun having these items as rare as they are.

[Shinobu_Scorpion]

15 minutes ago, Worsin said:

Do I waste these vastly overpriced items on a item risking that its a total piece of crap or do I dump it only to find out later that its an amazing item I should have kept. 

Now, I'm going to say this is a bit exaggerated. 20p is hardly "vastly overpriced." Not to mention nightwave credits.

I get how it could seem daunting, I think its fair that a lot of players have probably felt that way as well. However, meta is hardly necessary. Definitely stick with something you enjoy using to start and eventually you'll have plenty of these.

[(NSW)0nuku]

If you are new like me, weapons without Catalysts and Frames without Reactors can still easily get you through most content. Put all the mods you can, experiment, and find what you like, then use your consumables to push them a little farther for Sorties and such. It’s not about what’s “meta”, it’s about what you enjoy and can use well. Tigris may be the “best” shotgun out there, but I’ve been putting all my forma and a catalyst into the Strun I got back at the beginning of the game.

And now that Nightwave offers them, they are easier to obtain than ever, considering you aren’t likely to be purchasing all the helmets or skins for things you don’t have yet. I still have a few of each left over from last season

[Annnoth]

Yeah they were something i never really enjoyed. I can see why they have them in, money, but these days they arent that egregious. You can always farm for platinum. warframe.market makes it so you can just look up some things you can quickly farm and sell off to make some plat here and there. Its a grind to get then just like anything else.

If you want to talk pain, how about starting off as a new player before invasions, sorties, trading, and everything else that has a chance to drop superchsupers. Only alerts. It was only really balanced bynthe fact that we had 1/20th the weapons then as we do now so it was less of a choice to catalyze something.

Edited August 1, 2019 by Annnoth

[(XBOX)OneNastyNupe]

1 minute ago, novalery said:

Or.. you could spend your nightwave credits to buy them potatoes via nightwave store... or you could also try trade something of value and buy slots and potatoes from the market directly.

This is my old experience with potatoes and slots as a newbie: i spend my first 500ish hour of this game without putting my own money in. Yet at that point i’ve sold several prime sets and used most of the plat i got to buy slots and potatoes.

Took the words right out of my mouth. I agree with just getting the plat on your own as well, as opposed to buying them with nightwave creds. Scam imo. Slots should also be available for purchase with the creds, but that is another convo. Go sell some augments or prime junk and stop complaining.  Funny thing is, these are the people they continue to listen and cater to.  

[Worsin]

You do not get my point i think.  A new player that is under 100 hours play time will NEVER have the resources to experiment with the low MR weapons while he/she progresses through the game so is forced to trash them and make them later when they are useless.

As a newbie i wanted to try out a lot of the low MR weapons but it was unrealistic to do so due to the fact that these upgrade items exist and are rare.

[(XBOX)OneNastyNupe]

4 minutes ago, Worsin said:

I'm giving the perspective of a new player.  I am also fully aware that they do this to pray on peoples impatience hoping they pony up and spend plat on them.

 

This I agree with.  

[Worsin]

They should make a low tier Orokin upgrade that you purchase with credits and is used on weapons below a certain MR rating.  This would allow these noobie weapons to be upgraded to their fullest potential for the content they are being used in.  Then when the player is high enough he/she can start using the better stuff that is harder to upgrade.

[(XBOX)OneNastyNupe]

2 minutes ago, Worsin said:

You do not get my point i think.  A new player that is under 100 hours play time will NEVER have the resources to experiment with the low MR weapons while he/she progresses through the game so is forced to trash them and make them later when they are useless.

As a newbie i wanted to try out a lot of the low MR weapons but it was unrealistic to do so due to the fact that these upgrade items exist and are rare.

False.  Everyone here was new at some point, and found their way.  

[nslay]

In 6 months, you'll have 10 of each if you don't spend any of them. Razorback and Fomorian events rewards them. Gift of the Lotus rewards them. and Nightwave sells them. You can easily buy 2 of each of them if you skip out on Nitain. DE also makes new future events that sometimes also rewards these! Anyway, save them for very special frames and weapons and you will have plenty on hand in the near future.

My advice is that you do NOT spend any catalyst on Syndicate standing. It is the biggest rip off for new players... Especially syndicates that ask for Orokin Catalysts. Why Catalysts? There are only 40 frames you can spend Reactors on (more if you count pets and Archwings... if you care about these yet). By comparison, there are hundreds of weapons to choose from!

EDIT: Oh yeah, I think two quests will basically give you one of each. And check Invasions tab when you login. You never know... They show up there too! But rarely!

Edited August 1, 2019 by nslay

[Worsin]

Just now, (XB1)OneNastyNupe said:

False.  Everyone here was new at some point, and found their way.  

Just because its possible to get higher level and eventually farm for these items does not mean those lower levels could not have been more enjoyable with more options.  I was forced to use the same 2 weapons FOREVER before being able to upgrade and by then 40+ weapons that i could have experimented with are useless and i will never try them out.

[Worsin]

1 minute ago, nslay said:

In 6 months, you'll have 10 of each if you don't spend any of them. Razorback and Fomorian events rewards them. Gift of the Lotus rewards them. and Nightwave sells them. You can easily buy 2 of each of them if you skip out on Nitain. DE also makes new future events that sometimes also rewards these! Anyway, save them for very special frames and weapons and you will have plenty on hand in the near future.

My advice is that you do NOT spend any catalyst on Syndicate standing. It is the biggest rip off for new players... Especially syndicates that ask for Orokin Catalysts. Why Catalysts? There are only 40 frames you can spend Reactors on (more if you count pets and Archwings... if you care about these yet). By comparison, there are hundreds of weapons to choose from!

I get this, 6 months though takes you into being a veteran.  My post is specifically talking about being a new player.  This game would be much more fun if the low MR weapons were easier to upgrade for players just starting out.  By the time you can experiment those weapons are useless.

[(XBOX)OneNastyNupe]

1 minute ago, Worsin said:

 I was forced to use the same 2 weapons FOREVER before being able to upgrade and by then 40+ weapons that i could have experimented with are useless and i will never try them out.

😱 oh no...the horror! Imagine having to actually play the game, experiment, and grow from experience.  Do what was suggested in this thread.  Farm up some platinum and get the gear you desire.  And if that is too hard, do what else was suggested and get said items from nightwave, gift of the lotus, and other methods explained.  

[nslay]

Just now, Worsin said:

I get this, 6 months though takes you into being a veteran.  My post is specifically talking about being a new player.  This game would be much more fun if the low MR weapons were easier to upgrade for players just starting out.  By the time you can experiment those weapons are useless.

I don't think 6 months makes you a veteran!

What you need is to spend a reactor on a good starter frame... like Rhino. And a catalyst to spend on a good starter weapon... like Kohm (or Hek or whatever you like). You will get one of each of these from quests. Then from there, you have your foot in the door to effectively get through the star chart, Nightwave and the events. You will have overwhelmingly plenty to do as events roll in rewarding potatoes! Once you have Sorties unlocked, you have another avenue for getting these, though it's a rare reward. You can play through Sorties each day and you will get a potato every now and then.

By the time you reach an MR that allows you to experiment with a lot of weapons (because a lot of them are MR locked), you will have like 10 of each potato on hand. Just keep at it!

[Firetempest]

A new player wont have the Endo nor the mods to worry about having 60 mod points anyway for quite awhile.

Unfortunately a f2p is not fueled on glitter and dreams. And to get the most out of it while playing only for free will take more patience and actual footwork on the player to make use of limited resources starting out. You can beat the whole star chart with weapons that have just the right mods on them. You just have to know what mods, have the mods, and balance having them not maxed out.

[844448]

Just now, Worsin said:

 

Don't worry about things like that, and we have alerts for them at weekend every 2 weeks so you have a source for that. Also, you will unlock more ways to get them along with your progress so no need to be stressed out over that

If reactor and catalyst is not available for a while, you have forma as alternative to reduce the capacity cost of a mod by half with the same symbol

For now, use whatever things you like, top rated weapons/warframes are something you need the least. End game level can be done with your starting gears if you invest on them

[0_The_F00l]

I understand you might feel inadequate cause you cannot obtain and double the capacity of every single weapon you have right off the bat, and that frustrates you cause you do not want to spend more time just to see whether a weapon is to your liking. 

But Could you answer some queries for me in the meantime so I can gauge your progress level? 

How Much Endo do you currently have?

What are the mods you have maxed? 

How have you spent your starter plat? 

How many lotus alerts have you completed  and nightwave credits have you earned? 

What is your current MR? 

What is the highest Rank mod you have? 

How many frames have you built so far? 

How many weapons have you built? 

How much of the star chart have you finished? 

Any specific mission on the star chart that gives you trouble? 

Edited August 1, 2019 by 0_The_F00l
Forgot a question

[Etan-gK]

Oh no, you have to decide what weapons/warframes to keep with limited inventory, 😨

you don't need to use every weapon and frame right this very instant like their gonna go away, you can make, use and sell stuff and just remake it later if you want, plenty of frames and weapons I've made more than once (and some more than twice) because the meta shifted and I wanted to try something new, or something got nerfed/buffed, or a new mod came out that made an old wep fun again

you're gonna get the resources anyway, and soon you'll have potatoes up to your ears

Back in the day, there was no nightwave creds to easily buy potatoes, you bought them with plat or prayed for a one hour alert to randomly pop up while you were online, no telling how many were missed simply because I wasn't online

 

side note: I've been playing for almost 5 years and I think this is the first time I've seen potatoes mentioned as the thing ruining warframe

[NekroArts]

This best things I can recommend for new players is to stick to 1 warframe, primary (rifle or shotgun), secondary, and melee as your main loadout for most of your gameplay, make sure they're the one's you both like and are viable. That way you don't stress yourself with needing a lot of Reactors and Catalyst. At the same time have a few weapon and Warframe slots open at all times for you to level "undesirable" stuff and sell them after reaching level 30; this part will be little hard to do since you will come across a weapon/Warframes you like, but don't want to sell, that's alright. As long as you have at least one open slot you can keep them.

Next be sure to do Maroo's ayatan weekly; I know new players need the endo, but if you desperately need the plat save the sculpture for trading. Also try to get access to Sorties, that way you'll have access to good amounts of Endo, Credits, and Ayatan sculptures. When you do, be sure to have 1 rifle, shotgun, sniper-rifle, and bow that way you'll have access to all Sorties.

New players that wants to go the F2P route will, unfortunately, have to accept that they'll have to limit themselves. It's going to suck for a long while, but push through and you'll make it. I still go through the F2P route with extremely rare case of using real money and I only own 91 weapons out of hundreds (if not over a thousand) that are obtainable.

Edited August 1, 2019 by NekroArts

[(NSW)Fiftycentis]

19 minutes ago, Worsin said:

You do not get my point i think.  A new player that is under 100 hours play time will NEVER have the resources to experiment with the low MR weapons while he/she progresses through the game so is forced to trash them and make them later when they are useless.

As a newbie i wanted to try out a lot of the low MR weapons but it was unrealistic to do so due to the fact that these upgrade items exist and are rare.

Under 100h I don't believe you have the endo, credits and mods to make use of a potato, and is still not a big loss, you can use not potatoed versions of weapons for all the starchart with no problems, if you really want, put a forma on it to get a boost in mod capacity. And you don't really need to put a potato to understand if you like a weapon or not, expecially if you are using it on low level enemies.

Also, small amounts of plat are not hard to get z there are a lot of things you can sell, augment mods, ayatan statues, prime junk (usually 2pl each part, you can go to 3pl if baro is arrived). Then there are nightwave, gift of the lotus alerts, invasions, razorback/fomorian, other events, all of those are ways to get potatoes.

I have lots of new players in the clan, and I never had one worrying about catalyst/reactors as much as they care about getting creds or farming affinity

[novalery]

6 minutes ago, NekroArts said:

This best things I can recommend for new players is to stick to 1 warframe, primary (rifle or shotgun), secondary, and melee as your main loadout for most of your gameplay, make sure they're the one's you both like and are viable. That way you don't stress yourself with needing a lot of Reactors and Catalyst. At the same time have a few weapon and Warframe slots open at all times for you to level "undesirable" stuff and sell them after reaching level 30; this part will be little hard to do since you will come across a weapon/Warframes you like, but don't want to sell, that's alright. As long as you have at least one open slot you can keep them.

This.. i remember making rhino.. and then once maxed selling him to built valkitty. Because i only had two slots for frame back then and one of it is for excal. And doing the same thing for weapons.

 

the one thing that is very noticeable about new player, and might also affect this type of problems, is the speed at which they traverse the system. If memory serves me right at 100hr i haven’t even reach jupiter yet. But every time i see other players profile with time played under 200hr most of them have even done second dream.

 

 

[nslay]

Oh yeah OP, there's nothing wrong with buying slots. I have no qualms giving DE the price of a AAA video game in exchange for a pile plat to spend exclusively on warframe/weapon slots. Don't be tempted to buy the reactors/catalysts. These are special items for special frames/weapons ...  much like the Ramaladni's Gift in Diablo 3. But slots? Something so simple improves the game so much without intruding on your natural progression.