What's your opinion on "Signature Weapons"? And would you like Older frames to have one?

[Zahnrad]

This has been something I've been thinking about for a while and decided I might as well make a thread on it since it's been itching my brain.

 

In recent years, Signature Weapons have become more prominent, a weapon literally designed, or intended to be used alongside a specific frame for a stat bonus.

While I'm not too fond of "forcing" a certain loadout on players I have always found them interesting but have never directly asked other players what their thoughts are.

I also wanted to mention how there is at least one scenario where a Signature weapon is claimed by the game, but does not provide a bonus when used alongside their Warframe.

 

Akzani is a bullet hose akimbo secondary that is claimed to be Mirage's signature weapon yet neither has a bonus, nor did it get Primed with Mirage Prime. (and still currently lacks one)

It's possible DE just simply forgot the Akzani existed. I never see people talk about it anyway. But when old weapons get Primed they tend to perform a lot better than their contemporary partner so there could be potential for it.

 

One issue that I see with Signature Weapons that might make players dislike them is because of their existence, they "have to" get Primed typically. Which could be seen as wasting a Prime "slot" during a new Prime Access, which typically includes 1 Warframe and 2 other pieces of farmable equipment

 

I also wonder if older Warframes should be revisited and either

1. Have a Pre-existing weapon be classified as their Signature (think Excalibur and Skana)

2. Have a completely new weapon made from scratch so older Warframes can have their own Signature weapons too

[quxier]

10 minutes ago, Zahnny said:

 

While I'm not too fond of "forcing" a certain loadout on players I have always found them interesting but have never directly asked other players what their thoughts are.

Some slight buff is ok.

If they want some synergies then they should make it 'group synergy'. For example every single handed weapons get +50% slash status duration when used with Ash/prime.

15 minutes ago, Zahnny said:

 

2. Have a completely new weapon made from scratch so older Warframes can have their own Signature weapons too

Making interesting weapon is always good. Just don't tie synergies to the frames.

[UnstarPrime]

From a balance perspective, I'm not a fan of Signature Weapon buffs, because at least in theory, that means that the weapon is under-tuned when used by other frames.  And that feels bad.

I think it's neat when frames have weapons that thematically connect with them are are released with them, but don't provide them with some kind of innate advantage.

[Tiltskillet]

I'd like DE to scrap the idea of signature bonuses and just make them innate, regardless of frame used.  Maybe if they want to keep a bit of the flavor, make it so that the specific frame gets the gimmick automatically, while other frames have to grind a bit first.   Weapons can be tied to frames purely by theme, lore, and aethetics.  And sometimes by an implied synergy in the gimmick or design of the weapon.  A good example is Knell.  People will still think of Harrow even if using him isn't a requirement to get a base 2 shot mag.

58 minutes ago, Zahnny said:

I also wanted to mention how there is at least one scenario where a Signature weapon is claimed by the game, but does not provide a bonus when used alongside their Warframe.

There are several.  The wiki has a good breakdown here; https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Signature_Weapon

Edited March 14 by Tiltskillet

[TARINunit9]

First step would be to assign a couple missing Signature Bonuses, such as the Euphona Prime and the Afentis

(and creating the Euphona Not-Prime while we're at it)

[(PSN)slightconfuzzled]

I like them. Well, as far as the thematic elements that some have. Then having them getting a Primed version. 

Don't necessarily feel that older Warframes have to have one, or that corrections be made, revisited but also not opposed either. I mean, I would like that, and think it would be cool, but I don't lose sleep over it either. I'm fine with it being more something that became more relevant in more recent times. 

[Tsukinoki]

I don't like them at all.

All that the buff means is that the weapon is made deliberately worse in its statline just so that one frame can get a small bonus while using it that no one else can benefit from.
Or in the case of weapons like the Akarius or the Acceltra, or the Knell, they are given horrible drawbacks that one frame can basically ignore.

 

While things like signature weapons aren't a bad idea, I don't like how DE has implemented them, where it's not just a "Hey this frame gets a small buff" and instead its either "This has a bad drawback that one frame ignores" or "This has a worse statline overall so that one frame gets a large buff"

[ominumi]

What bugs me is it's the weapon that gets the buff. NOT the warframe itself. I hope in the future DE consider giving warframe buffs when equipping signature weapons. Even if the buffs are minor like quicker get up time after knockback.

[(PSN)robotwars7]

meh. it's a give and take: on one hand, you know what weapons are going to be primed with whom, and they fit thematically, but on the other, the signature bonuses aren't always that meaningful, and it means some older weapons get neglected.

there are "gaps" though; Nidus Prime was a huge one since he came with infested weapons which can't be primed, so they had to pull something out, and DE chose Strun and Magnus. Wisp Prime was always gonna get Fulmin Prime, but Gunsen Prime has no link to her whatsoever, yet still got added to her PA. essentially, signature weapons will always get primed, but if a frame only has one signature weapon, the other weapon can basically be anything.

specific primes I'd like to see:

- Dual Zoren prime (ideally with "Zorencopter" air dash attacks as a nod to the good old days)

- Tonbo Prime

- Daikyu Prime

- Akzani Prime

- AkMagnus Prime (Baro can handle this one)

- Steflos Prime (inevitably coming with Citrine Prime)

- Alternox Prime (inevitably coming with Gyre Prime).

[MzKsG]

Yes, of course, since every frame now has its own Signature Weapons, why not patch the old ones, are they not worth it? I actually don't like the Signature Weapons design itself though, after all, it severely limits weapon play, but the thought that it's there and some frames have it and others don't makes me feel unbalanced. (Forgive my OCD).

[Zahnrad]

46 minutes ago, (PSN)robotwars7 said:

- AkMagnus Prime (Baro can handle this one)

Hoping Furis can be given that treatment, or a singular Dex Furis, but that probably won't happen anytime soon given Furis Incarnon exists now.

[0_The_F00l]

I don't mind them , adds a bit of flavor. Some are more effective than others for a playstyle though.

[Raikh]

Mixed bag for me. Its cool that Frames come with thematic weapons but I'm not too fond of frame specific perks. Would rather have them be general perks of the weapon that lean on the theme of the frame instead to make these wepaons a bit more unique and flavorful in general.

Another circumstnatial gripe I have with them is that it makes them automatically fated to be primed and it might cause them to not be quite as good as they could be. Some of them have been great regardless, like Acceltra or Epitaph, but I don't think its generally a great predicament for a weapon to be in.

Older Frames getting some thematic signature weapons would be cool but that would ofc also beg the question of their Primes and doing so after the fact I'd think its somewhat difficult to meet expectations proper because if these weapons turned out to be not so amazing you'd hear people asking all over the place why they bothered to drop a load of MR fodder into the game like that.

[sly_squash]

I don't like them.

I don't like feeling I have to use X with Y.

For me, it's an even bigger problem with the new merged Archon Shards that give lots of bonuses to specific status effects, because now it largely restricts usage of that entire frame to specific weapons built for specific elements.  It's all very binding and feels like a house of cards that can fall apart if even one element of the combination gets nerfed or omitted.

[PrideB4TheFall]

...

Nm

Edited March 15 by PrideB4TheFall

[PollexMessier]

I hate them. Both in the idea that they're more powerful when used with their respective frame, and how much they limit the priming of weapons not associated with a frame.

[Voltage]

It would be cool if every Warframe had a signature weapon that compliments their base kit/playstyle, but the flip-side with that is how they force Prime Access weapons. The reason I mostly dislike Prime Access nowadays is that they are too predictable. Very rarely do we see a Prime Access like Nidus Prime where the weapons are completely up in the air and we wait in anticipation for DE to throw a curve-ball. Likewise, most Prime gimmicks reside within signatures, so interesting mechanics like Pyrana Prime's "ephemeral akimbo" mode are long gone from the scope of new variants, which is quite unfortunate.

I don't see anything wrong with signatures as a concept, but their dictation what Primes come with for gear does make it pretty boring, especially when so many of these weapons are underwhelming to begin with, or their "signature bonus" is weak.

The only way for new gear to really shine is having a never-before-seen gimmick mechanic. Otherwise it's just another gun in the sea of oversaturated options.

Edited March 16 by Voltage

[Tiltskillet]

It's probably just the randomness of who responds to forum threads, and could be very different on a different day, but I'm surprised to see so many negative responses about signature weapon perks being tied to the frame. 

[PR1D3]

 

On 2024-03-14 at 6:08 PM, quxier said:

Making interesting weapon is always good. Just don't tie synergies to the frames.

I actually like it when weapons have some kind of synergy with the frame that emphasizes the 'basic' way of using the frame. It actually helps indirectly inform the player of a standard way of using the frame if they need a starting point. Even though this flies over the head of the playerbse.

On 2024-03-14 at 6:52 PM, TARINunit9 said:

First step would be to assign a couple missing Signature Bonuses, such as the Euphona Prime and the Afentis

(and creating the Euphona Not-Prime while we're at it)

Funny coincidence and great that you bring these. Now I did see that someone wished that the buff for the signature was frame specific. Stynax's Sheild Crit buff does double with Spearguns as a soft incentive to use them with him. However he does have a nice mechanical synergy with it that kind informs of a way to use it. I know people trash it but it's dethroned my Scourge Prime as my favorite Speargun. If you have a grouping tool with defense strip it's nice. Stynax's Combo of his Spear/1 then Sheild/2 finish with Afentis shot. I personally use it with Mag with Pull and Fracturing Crush. But I digress. The point being that it low key tells you about the basic combo of Spear group and sheild to deal with enemy groups (ignoring the 4 and nourish spam people only want to do with him).

The Euphona Prime may not have stat bonus when used by Banshee but it does have a mechanical synergy, but weirdly enough it won't really 'work' per se or at least as well if you're not using the Augment for Sonar. You use slug to proc the first sonar, it resonates, once you have enough sonar spots on enemies then you use the buckshot mode. Then it The spread hit multiple Sonars and get the damage multipliers. Also at that point you're nearly guranteed to spread more Sonars without being as accurate as you were in the beginning.

So honestly, I prefer when it's a mechanical/playstyle/strategy synergy than a stat buff. But hey if they want to add a free stat buff, I won't reject it.

Edited March 22 by PR1D3

[quxier]

On 2024-03-16 at 4:41 PM, Tiltskillet said:

It's probably just the randomness of who responds to forum threads, and could be very different on a different day, but I'm surprised to see so many negative responses about signature weapon perks being tied to the frame. 

Why is it surprising? You have weapon but not frame. Your weapon is like myriads of similar weapons. Or you want to use different frame with certain gimmick but you cannot.

[Tiltskillet]

Just now, quxier said:

Why is it surprising?

Because in previous threads about this, I've felt like I'm one of very few people who've disliked  perks being immutably bound to a signature frame.

[Zahnrad]

1 hour ago, Tiltskillet said:

Because in previous threads about this, I've felt like I'm one of very few people who've disliked  perks being immutably bound to a signature frame.

One of the reasons why I think it's interesting to bring up old topics every once in a while, to see how opinions differ either from different people voicing their opinions or the subjective opinion changing with the game or over time.

[Tiltskillet]

32 minutes ago, Zahnny said:

One of the reasons why I think it's interesting to bring up old topics every once in a while, to see how opinions differ either from different people voicing their opinions or the subjective opinion changing with the game or over time.

True, it is interesting. Although at the same time I don't read too much into one thread. I think a lot just depends on who happens to be on the forums when a thread is near the top. 

And even if we are getting a representative cross section of forum posters, they may skew a lot differently than the playerbase in general.