Finished the Star Chart, I don't know where to go or what to really do

[StickStraw2089]

Okay so recently in Warframe I've competed the star chart and the main story quests. I'm MR7 and in this awkward state of not being a high lvl pro at the game but not being new or a noob, so I know what to do but I still kinda suck. I have okay mods, I still use the hek with a decent build (16.3k dmg and 6 shots in mag), I still to this day mainly use Rhino because he's the only frame I have that doesn't die in high lvl missions even though I have Mesa prime and and 6+ other frames, I don't have the mods to build them properly or the skills to use them effectively. Arbitrations and Sorties are too hard for me to solo, I can never find squads. I'm kind of stuck at this point after finishing the star chart and having the planets and stuff be too easy and the endgame stuff too hard and I don't know how to progress. I could try getting good mods but have no endo, I could try getting endo but I can't do arbis or sorties, and to do arbis or sorties I need endo to have mods that allow me to do them. Idk where to go or what to do. I'm too good to be considered a noob and too bad to do anything advanced or endgame so idk how and where to progress. I normally do missions and stuff like ESO with squads MR 20+ people and I still do like 20% damage and kinda contribute but I feel so useless and I'm literally not capable of doing much else. The builds I had at MR4-MR5 that were considered great builds that could carry me through the game are useless now, and idk what to do to move on. Any help/advice is much appreciated.

[DrivaMain]

I recommend you progress through the Open World syndicates. They give out powerful items that allowed you to tackle high level content.

[(XBOX)Helverin]

And after that there is the true (TM) endgame as well. Which some may call fashion. But as long as you struggle to solo shorties there are for sure things to do. Look at your build, which mods are you missing to hit the obliterate level of a murder spree. And then go farm them. What also works for me are small objectives like "I want to hunt a kuva Lich this week" or "I want to farm a spectra Vandal for trading". Then I have a clear goal which I want to achieve and it does not feel like a waste of time. 

[(NSW)Joewoof]

1. As a brand new player, your first objective is to advance the star chart as far as you can by completing missions. Always remember to fuse your mods.
2. Try to do Nightwave challenges that you have access to. It's a great way to learn about the game, and a few rewards there make a huge difference to your Frame: Aura Mods, Orokin Reactor and Orokin Catalyst.
3. Do low-level Bounties in Cetus and Fortuna. Some of the Mods there are very easy to get, but are very powerful throughout the game. Do NOT spend too much time in Cetus and Fortuna, however. After you get a few Mods, continue the star chart.
4. Once you find a few Relics, start doing some Void Fissures and focus on finding some Forma. These allow you to further power up your Level 30 weapons.
5. When you run out of Credits, do Dark Sector missions. They are Infested missions on planets that give bonuses. These award a huge amount of credits for early game. Work up towards building a Railjack as it is the best mid-tier source of Credits.
6. If you can, try to do some Nightmare missions. They reward you with rare Mods.
7. At this point, you might want to hunt for Orokin Vaults in Deimos. These give you even more powerful rare Mods.
8. Do a series of quests to reach The War Within quest. This quest is vital for progression as it unlocks the second half of Warframe content, including the ability to hunt Eidolons. Eidolons reward you with Arcanes, which further strengthen your Warframe and gear.
9. Unlock the Helminth System by reaching rank 3 with the Entrati on Deimos. You have to purchase a Helminth Segment from Son and apply it to your Orbiter. This allows you to sacrifice Frames in order to inject their abilities into other ones.
10. Repeat Isolation Vault bounties to earn a Necramech. Unless you already have top-tier gear at this point, these mechs will give you a huge power boost.
11. Buy Primed Mods from Baro Ki'teer.
12. Once you are geared up with Arcanes, it is time to attempt late-game content. This includes Railjack, Kuva Liches and Sorties. They all lead to Riven Mods, which are the strongest Mods in the game.
13. Once you've cleared the starchart, Arbitrations will become available. These come with a store that includes late-game gear.
14. Clear an Arbitration to unclock Steel Path from Tenshin. This is the highest level content in the game.
15. The true end-game of Warframe is always Fashion Frame.

[OmegaVoid]

Warframe is kind of a playground where you can explore and find what you enjoy best. It doesn't dictate a rigid progression path. Joewoof has given you a pretty comprehensive list of things to progress with, but they don't have to be taken in any specific order.

Whatever anyone suggests, YMMV depending on your preferences.

4 hours ago, StickStraw2089 said:

I still use the hek with a decent build (16.3k dmg and 6 shots in mag), I still to this day mainly use Rhino because he's the only frame I have that doesn't die in high lvl missions

I invested mainly in one set of weapons, and used Rhino to push ahead through the Star Chart to access new crafting resources...

But at the same time, I accumulated a collection of other weapons and re-played the lower-level nodes a heckuva lot, with different 'frames. Doing the same mission with a different loadouts kept the experience fresh. Many different ways to handle the same missions.

Some players don't see a point to using anything but their most powerful gear, and maybe that's you, IDK. For me, lower level enemies meant I should bring squishier 'frames and weaker weapons, to make more of a fight of it.

Farm the boss-fights for moar Warframes! There are like forty-something and you have only eight. This is a looter-shooter, you haven't finished the Start Chart 'til you've rinsed it for all the things! 😆

Also, leveling-up lots of weaker weapons increases your MR, to get access to the stronger weapons. And in doing so you'll gradually accumulate resources and Endo. Not everything has to be a focused grind.

4 hours ago, StickStraw2089 said:

Arbitrations and Sorties are too hard for me to solo, I can never find squads. I'm kind of stuck at this point after finishing the star chart and having the planets and stuff be too easy and the endgame stuff too hard

From my perspective this is Warfame's biggest problem right now. They were going to fix it by letting us have a +50 level Star Chart and a +100 lvl Star Chart.  Then they changed their minds and we got Steel Path instead. 😕 (SP is okay for what it is, but it's mostly a cheese-fest.)

Right now, with most of my loadouts Lich Territory is the only place I can get a decent fight. But you should look carefully into the consequences before you choose to make a Kuva Lich. 😬

As far as soloing Sorties, a good Specter can help a lot -- you get blueprints for those from Rescue missions. And if you haven't yet accepted Darvo's little job on the side, do so. You'll be able to get yourself another little helper.

3 hours ago, (NSW)Joewoof said:

Once you are geared up with Arcanes, it is time to attempt late-game content. This includes Railjack, Kuva Liches and Sorties.

I solo'd my first Sortie without any Arcanes, no pizzas, no Operator usage, no Corrupted Mods. Stage 3 was Void Interception. I used Hydroid, Buzlok, Stubba and Twin Basolk, plus Djinn with Stinger. I deployed an Oberon Specter with a Kohm, and a Clem Clone to help (which in my mind isn't really soloing it). It was hectic but successful.

Anyhow, StickStraw, your idea of fun is probably lurking somewhere in the sprawling sandbox that is Warframe. But you must seek it out! 😃

[MqToasty]

If you've just finished the Star Chart and have trouble handling Arbitrations and Sorties, then I recommend the following objectives:

1. Do Nightmare missions.  Not much harder than normal Star Chart missions, and lots of very useful mods to collect.
2. Make some Dragon Keys and open some Orokin Vaults on Deimos to collect some Corrupted Mods.  Again, the missions should be pretty easy (if annoying) to run, but the Corrupted Mods can be useful.
3. Get the Rotation C rewards (usually 4 rounds) from endless missions, especially at higher levels such as Dark Sector (Infested) on Uranus and beyond.  Lots of good mods hidden here, too.
4. Crack some Void Relics so you can buy some good mods from Baro when he swings by every 2 weeks.
5. Work on the basic Open World Syndicates (Ostron, Solaris United, Entrati).  They also drop a ton of good mods and relics, and sell some great weapons to boot.

Once you build a good collection of more advanced mods, you should find Arbitrations and Sorties to be much more accessible.  If you have trouble with something in particular, let us know what it is and what your setup is, and we can dissect it for you.