Is Mag Prime worth the farm or purchase?

[Probably_Asleep]

I'll start by saying that I love Mag and am far too biased to claims any objectivity. So I won't! This is going to be biased, you have been warned!

IS MAG PRIME WORTH THE  FARM OR PURCHASE?
Let's first discuss Mag in general, and then the Prime variant...

• Is Mag a good frame?
  That's a loaded question, but yes. Warframe essentially has six objectives: collecting, interacting, approaching, defending, surviving, and killing. Here's her 0-5 score on each...
  Collecting: 4 (she has a built in vacuum, and her abilities often break crates, but her passive doesn't stack with Fetch or Vacuum)
  Interacting: 3 (no bonuses in hacking, reviving, or spying; her 3 augment though can disable Grineer Sensor Regulators, and her 2-held can destroy Corpus cameras through walls)
  Approaching: 3 (no bonuses to mobility)
  Defending: 4 (can disable enemy fire, stop mob/Eximus movement, shield defense targets to range attacks, and stop enemy advancement at 3 simultaneous locations)
  Surviving: 4 (shield-gates out of the box, can disable enemy range attacks, instantly ragdoll every LOS enemy, create bullet-catching walls to hide behind, but weak to toxin)
  Killing: 5 (one of if not the most lethal frame, can kill any non-assassination enemy in less than a second regardless of their armor level, but can armor strip too; also a CC/CK queen)
  FINAL SCORE: 3.83, above average (Mag is simultaneously an all-rounder and kill-specialist, a genuine angel of death, but has minimal AFK potential and needs her abilities to live)
• What are Mag's weaknesses?
  She's a thirsty girl. Mag's abilities are 25/50/75/100 drain, and using her effectively requires using them frequently. At early game, you will probably learn to not rely on her abilities. You'll CC with ground-slams, survive with cover, and kill with weapons. At the start, Mag doesn't even feel like a specialized Warframe; she is a generic character that will rely on the same abilities that all frames use like shooting, parkour, and tactics. Mag takes investment and game progression. In a way, she's an end-game frame given to you as a starter frame. In end-game though, Mag is only weak to toxin. You can build to counter this, but at the cost of mod space. She's also weak to situations where abilities are disabled, but that to me seems like unfair artificial difficulty.
• Is Mag fun to play?
  When you get used to her, yes. Mag's versatility relies heavily on your own imagination. You can pull enemies where you need to create death bubbles, and mod her in a wide variety of ways. High-range can control the field, high-strength dominates opponents, and high-duration lets you relax or multitask. Combining these elements in different ratios lets you play in whatever style you find most engaging. Just one example: I have a strategy I call the "Centipede" where I walk through a mission applying enormous death bubbles at the border of each other in a way that draws a "centipede" (duh) through the map. The Centipede method makes it so no enemy can fire or approach Mag, and you don't even need to worry about shield gating or finding cover; just move the centipede forward as enemies die, and reverse course if they try to flank you. Mag is fun in the way a sketchbook is fun, or the way a lump of clay is fun. She's not complete when you get her; you complete her. Mag is as fun to play as you are fun to be around. So she's probably very fun to play.
• Can Mag play Solo?
  Very much so. I've done every mission and boss, non & steel path, with Mag and while solo. She can also get to Level Cap on her own (not that there's any special cut scene or value to all that sitting around and waiting). There's literally no part of the game that Mag cannot go and see, and win, on her own. There were two missions where she noticeably struggled for me. The Zealoid Prelate on Steel Path was the first. It was a natural enemy to Mag, having factors that went against abilities and shield-gating. That took a lot of trial and error to find a good build, and I don't feel inclined to do it again. The second was the Orphix mission in Veil Proxima, and that's got nothing to do with what Warframe you choose, it's just an awful experience that will make you appreciate Eidolons for the rest of your life. But apart from those two missions, I'm not lying when I say that everything else was literally a breeze for Mag once I got all the right mods and weapons. On a final note, I will say that Spy missions require skill and observation as Mag. I really liked them, but Mag doesn't offer much to help. I don't count that as anti-Mag though because most frames have nothing especially advantageous for Spy missions.
• Is Mag good at support?
  Kind of? Not really, no. Mag can apply overshields to allies, but that's about it. The best Mag can do support-wise is just beat the mission regardless of who her teammates are. Because she can do everything solo, she doesn't need teammates. So even if she happens to have them, at least they won't slow her down!
• Is Mag purdy?
  Her style options are of course affected by the "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" reasoning, but she has some great skins. Her no-eyes, domed-helmet is a signature look that gives her a mysterious heroic feel, and the way she fidgets in her base animation set is adorable. Not that this actually matters, but because I am a Mag advocate, I feel it's prudent to defend her against comments about her silhouette as well. There's a big difference between her and other "shapely" characters that, at first glance, may seem to put her at a disadvantage. I'm talking about Mag's outfit choice. She wears very binding clothing, which has led some to believe the she is not as... proportioned as other notable frames. BUT I feel it necessary to remind you that the "pressure" her body exerts outward fights against the "tension" the material forces inward, and it produces an "average" in final dimensions. Were she to remove the "tension" part of that equation, then the math would be completely different. Just like her gameplay, Mag is also in this regard a character that is as great as your imagination will take you. But she takes seriously her job of protecting the innocent and punishing the wicked. Thus, she focuses on function rather than form.

To summarize Mag, she's a beast and--I believe--one of the most balanced frames available. She's not OP right off the bat, but she doesn't plateau either. She's a "love sponge" in the sense that the more attention you give her, the better she becomes. Not just the Forma and adapters, but the skill you acquire as you use her. Her abilities and stats are well balanced, but I think the biggest balance they gave her was in that regard. She's the perfect balance between potential and progress, between fun and challenge. And if you don't have her, she's one of the easiest frames to farm and cheapest frames to buy!

 

And that now takes us to Mag Prime. Is she worth the effort?

• Yes, because...
  • Mag Prime is an upgrade mainly in survivability. While that's not necessary with a frame that never actually needs to get hit during a mission, it's also a quality of life improvement for when you get a little bit lazy.
  • Mag Prime also has 40% more energy. This addresses a key weakness of Mag, and it probably the thing you'll notice most from the upgrade. I don't need to use Primed Flow on Mag Prime, which gives me an extra mod slot. (I can do without Flow on Mag as well, but I have to pay more attention to my energy meter which can be hard in the heat of battle; the last thing you want is to be out of energy when you need to recharge your shields or place a death bubble at just the right spot)
  • Mag is great! If you're a Mag collector (which you should be) then you should get her just because your Mag collection isn't complete otherwise
  • You won't have to worry about accidentally not thinking and feeding her to the Helminth.
  • Orokin Death Orbs give you 500 energy when you get close with a Prime frame.
  • It increases your chances of not hearing something vulgar from Varzia.
• But no, if...
  • You want to see a stellar upgrade in all stats. It's not a HUGE upgrade and a normal Mag can do everything just fine anyway.
  • You don't like her Prime look and that's all you care about. (I'll admit, I'm not using her original skin on her prime)
  • You already have a few (I have 4 Mag Primes to make my loadouts easier, so I think I'm probably good for now)

 

In conclusion, I believe she's worth the effort and/or money. I started Warframe because my friend begged me to, and then he made fun of my choice for picking Mag. He said I'll give up on her as soon as I get the chance to use another frame. I've since beaten the entire game using only Mag and Mag Prime. Literally 100% of my Warframe kills are from those two, and I only farm/buy other frames to throw them into the Helminth for my Mags. My Mag and I grew together out of spite, but it's been an absolute blast to play and prove my friend wrong! I'm MR 21 (hard to rank up when you have 0 affinity from other frames), and I have over 1000 hours playing Mag. And I've enjoyed every moment of it! (Except Orphix)

If you invest in a Mag or Mag Prime, then I'm sure you can find the same value in her that I have!

[Felsagger]

Mag went through a lot. This pokemon frame went throughout drastic transformations, changes and lots of hit and misses. Mag remains one of the best frames in the repertoire under expert hands. Mag still is fun, worth the purchase, the farm and the exchange. 

This is NOT my frame but knowing Mag IS warframe. Anyone who plays this game MUST play Mag. Every player at least should try a good build with the frame and see how it feels. This frame IS warframe. This frame IS DE. This frame represents what warframe stands for as a video game. 

I have a lot to say about this frame in particular but sadly this is not my main. However the frame changes the field of battle and makes an impact in the game play reducing enemy damage among many other things and all those notorious glitches. 

Mag deserves more love and a full review. Right now it doesn't need one. But making the frame better is A GREAT revitalization on Warframe itself. 

[Marvelous_A]

Even if she's practically worthless she still gives 6000 MR points. And she's pretty far from worthless.

[BroDutt]

It's prime WF. Even if you rarely use it, it's worth for the MR (climbing to Legendary 2 definitely require you to have at least all prime WF except Excal Prime). Unlike the weapon most  Warframe could get a rework if it's less popular.

[MagPrime]

...buy me

[Probably_Asleep]

22 minutes ago, MagPrime said:

...buy me

HAHAHAHA!

You earned your 4 HA's for that.

[Probably_Asleep]

1 hour ago, Felsagger said:

Mag went through a lot. This pokemon frame went throughout drastic transformations, changes and lots of hit and misses. Mag remains one of the best frames in the repertoire under expert hands. Mag still is fun, worth the purchase, the farm and the exchange. 

This is NOT my frame but knowing Mag IS warframe. Anyone who plays this game MUST play Mag. Every player at least should try a good build with the frame and see how it feels. This frame IS warframe. This frame IS DE. This frame represents what warframe stands for as a video game. 

I have a lot to say about this frame in particular but sadly this is not my main. However the frame changes the field of battle and makes an impact in the game play reducing enemy damage among many other things and all those notorious glitches. 

Mag deserves more love and a full review. Right now it doesn't need one. But making the frame better is A GREAT revitalization on Warframe itself. 

Again, I'm very biased, but I of course like what you're saying. I have a theory that Mag is the unintended protagonist of Warframe. She's the middle Starter Frame, the underdog-to-champion starter frame, and she's a controversial game element. Definitely agree that the game seems to have used her as the sextant behind its developmental navigation.

 

57 minutes ago, Marvelous_A said:

Even if she's practically worthless she still gives 6000 MR points. And she's pretty far from worthless.

This was an emotional roller coaster of a post!

 

24 minutes ago, BroDutt said:

It's prime WF. Even if you rarely use it, it's worth for the MR (climbing to Legendary 2 definitely require you to have at least all prime WF except Excal Prime). Unlike the weapon most  Warframe could get a rework if it's less popular.

True, and true.

[blackovercoat]

40 minutes ago, MagPrime said:

...buy me

Do it for her, btw if you want to buy i do sell her

[MagPrime]

37 minutes ago, blackovercoat said:

Do it for her, btw if you want to buy i do sell her

OP is on a different platform, no trades allowed yet.

[Graavarg]

2 hours ago, (NSW)Probably_Asleep said:

To summarize Mag, she's a beast and--I believe--one of the most balanced frames available. She's not OP right off the bat, but she doesn't plateau either.

I do think that sums it up nicely.

Mag is not a typical meta-speed-AFK-warframe, since you will have to play actively, intelligently and with skill. But if you turn that on it's head, that is also why she is always fun and rewarding to play. There is also no single "must use this"-build, her abilities and their augments, the multitude of arcanes and the Helminth all together allows you to push builds in different directions. This makes Mag very versatile, but you do need those different builds, and to know how play them, and switch between them (at higher levels). This further increases her sort of anti-"one size fits everything", which is why "speed/AFK/meta"-phreaks seldom or never use her.

IMHO her only current "weakness" is the new Eximus enemies, you need a way to remove those Overguard shields and (in some mission types) to be able to do so despite the "interference" from Magnetize "bubbles".

If you throw all that "top-meta"-crap out the window and simply look at having fun playing a "traditional" Tenno-type Warframe, Mag is clearly in the top five for me. Which is interesting consider she is a "starter" warframe 🙂...

[CosoMalvadoNG]

One of the best enemy disruptors in the game, good dps, a decent off support and with the right build a pretty decent offtank for long duration missions.

Mag is a warframe with not very understandable mechanics for a new player (I've seen that a lot on the forum and in-game) and it seems a bit out of site that it's a starter, personally I would change Mag for Rhino in the starter trio, after all Mag is a warframe for more experienced players and rhino is the easiest thing to use in the game.

[Felsagger]

9 hours ago, MagPrime said:

...buy me

Mag prime helmet looks fair. Not bad in my opinion. A prime rework apparel for Mag would do good service for this notorious frame with a long history. 

[Uan91]

Mag with her 2 can oneshot demolysts with her 2 and can strip 50% of armor with one cast of her 3.

She is for sure one of the strongest warframe out there.

[Probably_Asleep]

4 hours ago, Graavarg said:

I do think that sums it up nicely.

Mag is not a typical meta-speed-AFK-warframe, since you will have to play actively, intelligently and with skill. But if you turn that on it's head, that is also why she is always fun and rewarding to play. There is also no single "must use this"-build, her abilities and their augments, the multitude of arcanes and the Helminth all together allows you to push builds in different directions. This makes Mag very versatile, but you do need those different builds, and to know how play them, and switch between them (at higher levels). This further increases her sort of anti-"one size fits everything", which is why "speed/AFK/meta"-phreaks seldom or never use her.

IMHO her only current "weakness" is the new Eximus enemies, you need a way to remove those Overguard shields and (in some mission types) to be able to do so despite the "interference" from Magnetize "bubbles".

If you throw all that "top-meta"-crap out the window and simply look at having fun playing a "traditional" Tenno-type Warframe, Mag is clearly in the top five for me. Which is interesting consider she is a "starter" warframe 🙂...

Same page! Because I've mained Mag this whole time, I've been able to sneak past all the entertainment-droughts that the meta has caused. I still get a thrill seeing a new challenge come up and thinking through how I want to build for it. When a game encourages and rewards creativity, it never gets stale.

I'm at peace with the Eximus. While it's true that they can walk through her death bubble, and their abilities apparently don't count as projectiles, she still has some anti-Eximus options. Her 3/4 augments CC them like anything else, and if you apply a death bubble to an Eximus then they turn into a dragnet to scoop up mobs for you. But I agree that I can't ignore them when I see them, and ability interference does make them a pain. (Especially the Nullifier Eximus combos, ugh)

 

4 hours ago, CosoMalvadoNG said:

One of the best enemy disruptors in the game, good dps, a decent off support and with the right build a pretty decent offtank for long duration missions.

Mag is a warframe with not very understandable mechanics for a new player (I've seen that a lot on the forum and in-game) and it seems a bit out of site that it's a starter, personally I would change Mag for Rhino in the starter trio, after all Mag is a warframe for more experienced players and rhino is the easiest thing to use in the game.

Ya starting with Mag was an interesting experience. I ended up not doing any research or comparison at first, which I think ended up being a good idea because it meant I never knew what I was missing, but all the way into Mars I avoided using any of her abilities. I had to beat everything purely with guns and sticks at the beginning. I do distinctly remember though when I put Energy Syphon, Primed Flow, and Fleeting Expertise into the same build for a trial run. I was able to get my first taste of her potential and had the clear thought: "If I can satisfy her energy-thirst, I think she'd be... unstoppable." Definitely not beginner friendly, but I think the people who stick with her get to see a more epic journey overall. Mag is a lot like the Pikachu choice of... wait... is that what you meant, @Felsagger!? That's genius!

 

3 hours ago, Felsagger said:

Mag prime helmet looks fair. Nod bad in my opinion. A prime rework apparel for Mag would do good service for this notorious frame with a long history. 

I agree. I think the Orokin style was coming into its own around the time of her Prime design, but I'd love to see a dramatic rework like what we got to see with Rhino or Khora.

 

3 hours ago, Uan91 said:

Mag with her 2 can oneshot demolysts with her 2 and can strip 50% of armor with one cast of her 3.

She is for sure one of the strongest warframe out there.

Indeed! I know she can't hit the insane crits or record breaking numbers, but that doesn't seem to matter for her. I remember a friend telling me that he wanted to see my first attempt at Steel Path, and I was actually very nervous because he made it sound like the enemies were going to be insane. So I nervously began the mission, approached my first enemy with a death bubble and a Sancti Tigris, and... pop! I didn't even need the second shot. There was this silence between us, and I can't prove it, but I think my Mag smirked.

 

5 hours ago, blackovercoat said:

Do it for her, btw if you want to buy i do sell her

Because the Prime resurgence just arrived, I actually ended up buying two more Mag Primes. I've already got a good Tauforged setup on my flagship Mag Prime, but I didn't want to lose motivation to keep doing Archon hunts, so I thought I could just get a couple more and have some variety in my loadouts. I've got my swiss-army-knife Mag Prime, but my next plan is to go for an offensive Mag and a speed Mag!

 

5 hours ago, MagPrime said:

OP is on a different platform, no trades allowed yet.

On that note, if anyone else is reading this, on PC, and doesn't want to shell out around $20 for Mag Prime, then contact blackovercoat. (Which, I have to say, has got to be the most "shady deal" username I've ever seen!)

[(PSN)robotwars7]

Mag has had a LOT of changes over the years, but the last few have basically just made her even stronger. I still can't get over how insanely powerful a full strength Counter-Pulse build is.. literally lets you walk slowly through a Corpus tileset safely if you wanted to. granted, she's always been a Corpus curbstomper, but now she can run against basically anyone and rinse them. adding the Bullet Attractor shield function to give her a new defensive option was also brilliant. 

I'd also argue she's the strongest starter now: I know that Excalibur is still very strong and is far easier to use, but if we're taking the entire warframe's kit into account, Mag has a lot more options and once you take the time to learn them, not only are you kicking a$$ by the truckload, but the player also gets an idea of how to play a more complex frame, which comes in handy for later if they take a shine to Lavos, Nidus, Sevagoth etc.

[Felsagger]

We all agree, and I am happy about it tho, that Mag remains strong in the list and in within us. I'm glad that Mag still carries that spirit that made and STILL MAKE Warframe great. Mad is a good ode for the game and always this frame reminds me the good things the game HAS. 

 

DE did good with the frame. I think if we see more things with this flavor, the only option for Warframe is to get better. Trinity, Mag, Excalibur and Rhino are my favorite all time tier. Mag belongs to the main list of frames that popularized this game. Everything good lies there. I hope one day Trinity gets the buffs the right way. Support frames are fundamental for the game. 

 

Edit: 

Let us hope that such skin becomes available for Mag. 

[(PSN)Hopper_Orouk]

Cool tennogen, Best abilities, can shield gate without trying, magnets are cool, magneto, the special interactions with her magnetize and projectiles, her minimum build requirements.

also the best of all, most Mag mains are cat persons, right @MagPrime? 

[Felsagger]

Mag reminds me a lot the game Megaman 1 from Capcom. 

[AegidiusF]

Il y a 11 heures, (NSW)Probably_Asleep a dit :

Interacting: 3 (no bonuses in hacking, reviving, or spying; her 3 augment though can disable Grineer Sensor Regulators, and her 2-held can destroy Corpus cameras through walls)

3rd and 4th can destroy Cameras and her 3rd Augment is one of the rares CC abilities that works on Eximus with Active Overguard, making it useful to prevent an alerted enemy from triggering the alarm.

Il y a 11 heures, (NSW)Probably_Asleep a dit :

Is Mag good at support?
Kind of? Not really, no. Mag can apply overshields to allies, but that's about it. The best Mag can do support-wise is just beat the mission regardless of who her teammates are. Because she can do everything solo, she doesn't need teammates. So even if she happens to have them, at least they won't slow her down!

There is much more than just overshields : the shield regen will make everybody benefit from some shield gating, and she can also CC (as you've mentioned), Armor strip, damage buff. Support is not only healing : there are many kinds of support.

[(PSN)Madurai-Prime]

Yea, mags best ability is the bubble. Blocks enemy fire so it can be used to camp in a nice spot and kill easily. Groups enemies together, especially if you have a 200 strength invigoration.

Then mastery obvs. Get to MR 16 for the riven access at least.

[MagPrime]

1 hour ago, (PSN)Hopper_Orouk said:

Cool tennogen, Best abilities, can shield gate without trying, magnets are cool, magneto, the special interactions with her magnetize and projectiles, her minimum build requirements.

also the best of all, most Mag mains are cat persons, right @MagPrime? 

I uh, decline to commnt at this time...

[Felsagger]

lmao, I think he answered your question, Hopper. 

[(PSN)Hopper_Orouk]

31 minutes ago, MagPrime said:

I uh, decline to commnt at this time...

Having a wee Kavat nap Mag? Rodents in your house Mag?

30 minutes ago, Felsagger said:

lmao, I think he answered your question, Hopper. 

for all seriousness, I randomly brought up cats because i don't know where i would've been without the healing powers of cat purrs.

also because I usually main my crit Kavats while playing mag lol.

[MagPrime]

5 minutes ago, (PSN)Hopper_Orouk said:

Having a wee Kavat nap Mag? Rodents in your house Mag?

for all seriousness, I randomly brought up cats because i don't know where i would've been without the healing powers of cat purrs.

also because I usually main my crit Kavats while playing mag lol.

I can confirm 0 rodents in my house. Mainly due to the massive amount of cats in it. 

 

...not all of which are my responsibility...

[Mag_Gaming]

No!

Stop revealing our secrets and bringing attention!

😠😳