Survey: does Warframe have a clear path of progression?

[syl42]

Hi there,

I got a survey when I closed the game, and I wanted to clarify my response, since the only choices were yes/no and I answered "no".

I'm in the camp of "the New User Experience should be improved", and that's why I didn't really want to answer "yes".

I think the main quest is kinda fine, but you still need to know that you can filter the quests in the codex if you don't want to do the sidequests.

You travel around the starchart, learning how to do some activities, and I think that's fine.

But at some point, some people are left wondering "what now", and it seems they are completely lost.

Josh Strife Hayes did a few videos about it, he seemed to really loved the game, but he was also in this situation.

With Veilbreaker, and next Duviri, it seems you're heading toward horizontal progression. I'm afraid those latest shiny activities will leave the early game in the dust.

Hopefully Duviri will introduce some revamp with the Paradox, we'll see.

Currently the starchart feels pointless as a new player. There are some characters in there, with stories completely lost in time (Alad V), and badly designed bosses (reddit survey), or even the random events feel pointless unless you know what they unlock (thermia fractures, ghouls)

So yeah... here is my full answer.

[(PSN)Shaun-T-Wilson]

Define progression, but in terms of power progression its nonlinear as power is really the mods you collected. Power after that is mostly extra options, variety or make things easier.

The game is instance based; the star chart is mostly for you to mess around/practice or to farm the mods you use for after you completed the star chart. If you want an actual narrative, then you do the quests mission instances.

[LuckyCharm]

Would argue that for progression there needs to be a clear goal to get to. Warframe doesnt even have a complete or logical story let alone an "endgame" goal to aim for. Can say its a "everyone is different and sets their own goals" but ultimately we're farming and playing without purpose after the main questline is done currently so as far as that questline goes id say its probably logical enough for most people to just follow the planets they can get to etc till the quests are done

[syl42]

agreed, but I've lost some friends twice:

- first time, they didn't know what to do. They followed some quests from the codex, which sadly were optional quests.

- second time a year later, I'm much further into the game and can provide resources and tips, knew that you can filter for main quests in the codex (why is it so convoluted?), but they just played the main quest up to "you have to farm a necramech" and they left.

They never really bothered with farming relics and stuff, and since they only played the main quest, they don't have mods (they wanted to "play" the game without me giving them all the mods). In the end, I left with a thought that this game wasn't for them, but there are tons of elements they would have liked if they spend some time in the game.

[bobojoeho]

Warframe is not a game with one objective, that once completed means you beat the game.  It's up to you.  But, new players don't know how to get better gear, which is definitely progression.  For example, new players likely don't have the resources to build every weapon they come across.  It is very helpful to them to know what is good and what is bad.  Same for modding weapons.  Also they might not know good farming locations, how to do certain mission types, etc.  So I do think the "new player experience" needs to have more guidance to it.  The starting into quest is nice, it introduces you to the existence of warframe abilities and to movement mechanics and such.  I definitely think either there should be a way to help newer player figure it all out, or have less stuff be accessible to newer players from the beginning, so they are less overwhelmed.

[CephalonOlphus]

13 minutes ago, syl42 said:

agreed, but I've lost some friends twice:

- first time, they didn't know what to do. They followed some quests from the codex, which sadly were optional quests.

- second time a year later, I'm much further into the game and can provide resources and tips, knew that you can filter for main quests in the codex (why is it so convoluted?), but they just played the main quest up to "you have to farm a necramech" and they left.

They never really bothered with farming relics and stuff, and since they only played the main quest, they don't have mods (they wanted to "play" the game without me giving them all the mods). In the end, I left with a thought that this game wasn't for them, but there are tons of elements they would have liked if they spend some time in the game.

That's not necessarily the games fault though. Warframe definitely involves some tedious S#&$, but if a person doesn't like grinding in games in general then they're not gonna enjoy it past a certain point.

A friend of mine briefly played the beta with me, and a year or 2 back wanted to try again. Problem was he has severe ADD, so I "sponsored" him a bunch of mods and slots and a prime or 2 to keep him busy. While the farming and tediousness was fine for him coming from other MMOs, it was just the wait times that hit him so the moment he ran out of fresh things to level he stopped playing.