Ranking up new weapons

[Obi-Wan-Shinobi-77]

I'm new to Warframe and I'm trying to understand how everything works.  More specifically I'm trying to see if i'm missing something.  My current warframe is level 10.  Most of my weapons are right around that also.  I just bought my first new weapon yesterday and it started, unranked level 0.  Is that how all new weapons will always start?  Is there no way to bump them up to my current average level at least?  I mean I'm new right now so I understand I'm still working on learning how the game works but at some point in the future I'll be a much higher level and I may want to try new weapons again, right?  So do I really need to go back to lower lever content each and every time I want to buy or build a new weapon?      

[Cicasajt]

every weapon will be lvl0 at first

the ammount of mod capacity you weapon has at lvl0 is determined by your mastery rank. at lvl30 mastery your lvl0 weapon will have all mod capacity right away and wont get more as u level it. so thats an advantage of mastery. 

also if you get strong you can max any weapon to lvl30 within minutes without any mods in lategame.

[FrostedMike]

3 minutes ago, Obi-Wan-Shinobi-77 said:

OK.  So right now the amount of mods I can equip are based on the level of the weapon.  At what Mastery Rank does that change?  I'm confused a little by Mastery Rank in general.  We are talking about my characters MR right?  It looks like everything is unlocked by level 15, is that correct?

Mastery Rank (or MR for short) is your "account level", how much of the game you unlocked is another way to look at it but it's not completely true.
MR is how many weapons and warframes you mastered.

Everything you can rank up in the game beside syndicates and factions, gives MR points.
Clearing nodes on the star chart also gives MR.

Mastery Rank gives increased base mod capacity. You are for example currently at MR 0, this means your weapons at rank 0 (weapon's rank, not MR) will start with 0 mod capacity. For every rank you get with your weapon, this spesific weapon gets an additional mod capacity up to rank 30.
Each time you rank your MR up you get an additional base capacity. When you will rank up to MR 1 from 0, a weapon at rank 0 will start with 1 mod capacity, 2 mod capacity at MR 2, 3 at MR 3 and so on. Every time you rank up a weapon, it will start getting additional capacity only when it reach the rank of your MR. The mod capacity at rank 30 will always be 30 no matter your MR.

Currently the highest MR possible is 29, there are not enough items in the game to reach MR 30 which no one knows if will be the last. Don't rush it and take your time getting there. Enjoy the game first.

[DarthBane1]

1 minute ago, Obi-Wan-Shinobi-77 said:

I meant the part specific to the power level.  I was under the impression that a level 1 or 2 weapon wouldn't do any damage to enemies in higher level content.  

Nah, you do damage to almost any enemy no matter the level. It may be very insignificant compared to someone that's MR30 or higher because of the mods they have but it's still there. 

 

Mainly modding the weapon is what makes it powerful. Has nothing to do with level of weapon. Warframes it's a bit different because they do have abilities unlock and health/sheilds increase while you level up. Of course it's not that big though. That's why Mastery Rank is nice for people like me at a higher MR. 

 

I definitely recommend pushing escape (if you're on PC) and see if you have a Mastery Rank (MR) test each day. Especially if you just started out. That way you can rank up your MR faster. (Some content is locked by MR like weapons and warframes and even quests)

 

make sure if you get a weapon/frame to MR 30 to get a new one. If you don't, you'll stay at the same MR. Almost all weapons have a max level of 30 (There are a few exceptions but you're pretty low level for those right now)

[Obi-Wan-Shinobi-77]

2 minutes ago, Cicasajt said:

thats just what i told u too...

I meant the part specific to the power level.  I was under the impression that a level 1 or 2 weapon wouldn't do any damage to enemies in higher level content.  

[hyzmarca]

37 minutes ago, Obi-Wan-Shinobi-77 said:

So do I really need to go back to lower lever content each and every time I want to buy or build a new weapon?      

No,  you don't return to lower level content to level weapons.  You spent 10 minutes on public Elite Sanctuary Onslaught with only that weapon equipped and get that sweet 75% shared affinity.  

 

3 minutes ago, Obi-Wan-Shinobi-77 said:

OK.  So right now the amount of mods I can equip are based on the level of the weapon.  At what Mastery Rank does that change?  I'm confused a little by Mastery Rank in general.  We are talking about my characters MR right?  It looks like everything is unlocked by level 15, is that correct?

A weapons mod capacity is always the higher of the weapon's rank or your mastery rank.  

[Cicasajt]

1 minute ago, Obi-Wan-Shinobi-77 said:

Thank you for that.  That actually helps me understand much better.  

thats just what i told u too...

[Obi-Wan-Shinobi-77]

5 minutes ago, (PS4)Dr_Bruiser said:

There are some good comments above, but one thing I will add that I don't think anyone has mentioned:

As you level up a weapon, it does not directly improve the weapon.  It only creates more capacity to add mods.  In other words, a level 0 Braton and a level 30 Braton will do the same damage assuming that neither has any mods.  Don't be afraid to use the "auto configure" option as you get started, but learning to Mod your gear is probably the most important thing you can learn to be effective in Warframe.

Thank you for that.  That actually helps me understand much better.  

[Cicasajt]

2 minutes ago, Obi-Wan-Shinobi-77 said:

OK.  So right now the amount of mods I can equip are based on the level of the weapon.  At what Mastery Rank does that change?  I'm confused a little by Mastery Rank in general.  We are talking about my characters MR right?  It looks like everything is unlocked by level 15, is that correct?

everything is unlocked there, yes.

weapon starting capacity goes up 1 every level.

your character's mr, yes. you get that by maxing weapons, frames, companions and unlocking the starchart

[Obi-Wan-Shinobi-77]

20 minutes ago, Cicasajt said:

every weapon will be lvl0 at first

the ammount of mod capacity you weapon has at lvl0 is determined by your mastery rank. at lvl30 mastery your lvl0 weapon will have all mod capacity right away and wont get more as u level it. so thats an advantage of mastery. 

also if you get strong you can max any weapon to lvl30 within minutes without any mods in lategame.

OK.  So right now the amount of mods I can equip are based on the level of the weapon.  At what Mastery Rank does that change?  I'm confused a little by Mastery Rank in general.  We are talking about my characters MR right?  It looks like everything is unlocked by level 15, is that correct?

[(PSN)Dr_Bruiser]

33 minutes ago, Obi-Wan-Shinobi-77 said:

So do I really need to go back to lower lever content each and every time I want to buy or build a new weapon?      

There are some good comments above, but one thing I will add that I don't think anyone has mentioned:

As you level up a weapon, it does not directly improve the weapon.  It only creates more capacity to add mods.  In other words, a level 0 Braton and a level 30 Braton will do the same damage assuming that neither has any mods.  Don't be afraid to use the "auto configure" option as you get started, but learning to Mod your gear is probably the most important thing you can learn to be effective in Warframe.

As you gain mastery rank and improve your collection of mods, you'll be able to invest more into a new weapon immediately after you acquire it, so you'll gradually move from feeling like you're starting from scratch each time to having a more and more useful weapon to start each time.

Also, don't forget that you have 3 weapon slots, so you can equip a new weapon in one slot to gradually level it up while you are relying on one or two of your other weapons (which you have already levelled up).

[ChaosNoodle]

The wiki is a pretty good place to start. Mastery Rank is your player rank. That's raised by ranking up weapons, warframes, companions, the first time. If you master and sell a weapon and buy a replacement later, you won't get more mastery rank points. Now, if you accidentally sold your  MK1 Bo before you mastered it at rank 30, you can buy another one and once it passes your previous rank you will get more mastery rank.

Another good link is the Wiki Affinity page. Affinity is the xp your items get, mastery points is the xp you as a player get.

Higher level enemies give more affinity. You can also get affinity from enemies killed by team mates if you are close to them. Friends make affinity gain much faster and easier than trying on your own.

[(PSN)Shaun-T-Wilson]

19 minutes ago, Obi-Wan-Shinobi-77 said:

I'm new to Warframe and I'm trying to understand how everything works.  More specifically I'm trying to see if i'm missing something.  My current warframe is level 10.  Most of my weapons are right around that also.  I just bought my first new weapon yesterday and it started, unranked level 0.  Is that how all new weapons will always start?  Is there no way to bump them up to my current average level at least?  I mean I'm new right now so I understand I'm still working on learning how the game works but at some point in the future I'll be a much higher level and I may want to try new weapons again, right?  So do I really need to go back to lower lever content each and every time I want to buy or build a new weapon?      

You need each warframe and weapon to be rank 30, that the maximum for most equipment, dont get rid of any warframe or weapons untill it reaches maximum.

[DissentWomble]

Not sure about the "return to lower level content" part but that is how the game goes. The more stuff you level up the higher your mastery rank levels up. 

It feels slow leveling stuff up when you're first starting and thats normal. Low level areas yield less affinity and you don't have alot of chances to play with other players which is a good source of affinity. Don't worry about being strong right now, just work on your mods when you have the resources and enjoy the quests.

Just continue unlocking the starchart with what you have and leveling stuff will be a lot more tolerable later. 

[(PSN)thegarada]

Welcome!

All warframes and weapons have 30 levels. The frames and weapons level-up as you gain affinity (Warframe fancy way of saying experience). When they gain levels, the mod capacity increases by 1 (there are ways to increase that). Base stats of weapon + mods determine its effective power. Same for frames. You can go to the arsenal (in your ship, should be in directly in front of you when you go down from the bridge), and change the mods on.. everything. Mods are what determines your power, mostly.

I strongly suggest to use the Wiki to figure out some stuff. If you rely on the game menus alone, you will surely get lost. There are so many overlapping systems.

[(XBOX)ShadowBlood89]

as you increse your mastery rank you have more starting mod capacity.
as i am a mr 29, anything i have a rank 0 will start with 29 mod capcity, an so i can shove more mods on it at the start an make the item be able to be taken on higher lv content.

while also when your farther in the star chart you will be able to get to hydron which is the current place alot of players go to power level there gear

[(PSN)raysfatbelly]

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

This is great place to start. It will answer your questions if you give it a read.