Warframe Theories (Lore)

[BrotherIcarus]

DISCLAIMER-This is not a thread to argue which is right or wrong, nor is this a thread to flame people for their respective believes. (If you want to start a different thread discussing specific theory's)

 

This thread is simply to identify and give a brief description to every lore theory in warframe. 

 

I will the OP to include all theory's with the description of said theory in spoiler tags.

 

Note: There are ofcourse theory's that believe in the exact opposite than the ones listed but I will not list these unless they are more than simply the opposite of another theory

 

 

Tenno being energy beings. 

The Tenno are in fact energy beings

 

 

Tenno are/humans

The Tenno are/were Human

 

 

The Tenno having very few numbers.

The Tenno number in only a few thousand

 

 

Dark Sector and Warframe

That Dark sector is/isn't canon to Warframe

 

 

Hayden Tenno and Warframe

That Hayden Tenno is still alive/involved in anyway in Warframe

 

 

The origins of Valkyr

Which Warframe was Valkyr originally

 

 

Tenno are AI

The Tenno are intact AI and the warframes are just robots

 

 

Lotus is an Orokin AI

The lotus is an AI

 

 

Lotus is a non-human

The lotus is not human

 

 

Ancients are an unknown species

Infested ancients are some unknown species and not just really old infested

 

 

Void is a parallel dimension

The void is a separate dimension that runs parallel to warframes universe.

 

 

 

The Sentients are artificial beings 

The Sentients were/are a species of artificial lifeforms

 

 

The Tenno are infested

The Tenno are infected with the Technocyte virus

 

 

The Orokins are a species of Sentient AI

The Orokins were sentient AI

 

So I cannot think of any others from the top of my head. If you guys want I may list evidence and reasoning behind said theory's but note that I do not support some of them so you guys may need to help with that.  

Edited September 9, 2014 by BrotherIcarus

[UnknownBlademaster]

Don't do such threads when DE is still creating the actual Lore.

 

Also, it is unclear whether Tenno are energy or humans/humanoids. Saying Tenno are only energy is like starting a flame war between DoTa 2 and LoL.

 

And you could write more than just 1 sentece explaining each of your beliefs >.>

[BrotherIcarus]

Don't do such threads when DE is still creating the actual Lore.

 

Also, it is unclear whether Tenno are energy or humans/humanoids. Saying Tenno are only energy is like starting a flame war between DoTa 2 and LoL.

 

And you could write more than just 1 sentece explaining each of your beliefs >.>

Well this thread is just identifying the theory's not going into great detail on them. Just because the lore is still WIP does not mean we cannot have theory's on it (It means the opposite in fact) 

[SilentCircle]

Not sure if that fits into the thread, but the one thing I'd like to know is - Are we playing one entity that puts on different suit or do we control a different Tenno everytime we switch frames.

[PsychedelicSnake]

Not sure if that fits into the thread, but the one thing I'd like to know is - Are we playing one entity that puts on different suit or do we control a different Tenno everytime we switch frames.

It's still in the air.

 

Just like Ryan.

[Omnimorph]

Not to be churlish, but it's "Warframe Theories".  "Warframe Theory's" begs the question "Warframe Theory's what is/does what?"

 

To contribute: I think it quite possible that we are actually AIs but we're being told we are remnants of or descended from or connected with human beings who survived the Void/technocyte/whatever and brought back superpowers.  In actual fact, we are merely "uploads" of those beings, intelligent reflex/memory bundles.

 

This would answer to what makes people think we're "energy beings" (i.e. the fact we can "inhabit" different suits).  i.e., this is an alternative to "energy beings" that answers the same needs.

 

Also, it might make it quite poignant if we THINK we are human remnants, but are actually remnants of "uploaded" human beings, now just AIs.  This could be a "reveal" at some point later in the lore.  IOW, that could be Lotus' dirty little secret.  She's bound to have some kind of dirty little secret up her sleeve, and I think her turning out to be crazy or evil would be too much, but her ultimately having to reveal some sad news about ourselves to us would be pretty cool.

 

IOW, we are software ghosts, copies, shadows of the original Tenno, who think we're Tenno, but our being AIs is precisely what gives us our strength and our ability to inhabit different Warframes than our original ones, learn from experience, etc. We may, ultimately turn out to be better than the original Tenno.  But the discovery of our true nature will be traumatic.

Edited September 9, 2014 by Omnimorph

[ElHefe]

DISCLAIMER-This is not a thread to argue which is right or wrong, nor is this a thread to flame people for their respective believes. (If you want to start a different thread discussing specific theory's)

 

This thread is simply to identify and give a brief description to every lore theory in warframe.

 

What a great format!  Both in terms of content but more so its organization ...

Feels like riffling through a filing cabinet

Also, the unequivocal rejection of belligerence in the disclaimer is a most welcome necessity

 

Listed below are other familiar theories:

 

1. The Lotus is an Orokin AI

2. The Lotus is a nonhuman

3. The Ancients are a species distinct from the Infested

4. The Void is an alternate/parallel universe

5. The Sentients are artificial beings

6. The Tenno possess the Technocyte Virus

 

Will be following this thread very closely ... 1+ 

 

@ Omnimorph ... you are not being churlish - just precise

If at all possible, the thread title should be changed to reflect its actual content and purpose ...

 

Perhaps:  "A Compendium of Community Conjectures on Warframe Content"

It may be a bit clunky but it is a comprehensive descriptor

Edited September 9, 2014 by ElHefe

[BrotherIcarus]

Not to be churlish, but it's "Warframe Theories".  "Warframe Theory's" begs the question "Warframe Theory's what is/does what?"

 

To contribute: I think it quite possible that we are actually AIs but we're being told we are remnants of or descended from or connected with human beings who survived the Void/technocyte/whatever and brought back superpowers.  In actual fact, we are merely "uploads" of those beings, intelligent reflex/memory bundles.

 

This would answer to what makes people think we're "energy beings" (i.e. the fact we can "inhabit" different suits).  i.e., this is an alternative to "energy beings" that answers the same needs.

 

Also, it might make it quite poignant if we THINK we are human remnants, but are actually remnants of "uploaded" human beings, now just AIs.  This could be a "reveal" at some point later in the lore.  IOW, that could be Lotus' dirty little secret.  She's bound to have some kind of dirty little secret up her sleeve, and I think her turning out to be crazy or evil would be too much, but her ultimately having to reveal some sad news about ourselves to us would be pretty cool.

 

IOW, we are software ghosts, copies, shadows of the original Tenno, who think we're Tenno, but our being AIs is precisely what gives us our strength and our ability to inhabit different Warframes than our original ones, learn from experience, etc. We may, ultimately turn out to be better than the original Tenno.  But the discovery of our true nature will be traumatic.

Nice catch.

 

And that theory is just, look my mind is blown I hadn't even thought of that but it makes so much sense.

[BrotherIcarus]

What a great format!  Both in terms of content but more so its organization ...

Feels like riffling through a filing cabinet

Also, the unequivocal rejection of belligerence in the disclaimer is a most welcome necessity

 

Listed below are other familiar theories:

 

1. The Lotus is an Orokin AI

2. The Lotus is a nonhuman

3. The Ancients are a species distinct from the Infested

4. The Void is an alternate/parallel universe

5. The Sentients are artificial beings

6. The Tenno possess the Technocyte Virus

 

Will be following this thread very closely ... 1+ 

 

@ Omnimorph ... you are not being churlish - just precise

If at all possible, the thread title should be changed to reflect its actual content and purpose ...

 

Perhaps:  "A Compendium of Community Conjectures on Warframe Content"

It may be a bit clunky but it is a comprehensive descriptor

Thank you, I knew that if I didn't specify otherwise this thread would of turned into a rant about which theories are right and wrong.

[Sixty5]

The problem is that there is so much conflicting information that it is hard to figure out what is correct or not.

Take the energy beings/humans thing.

Vor STATES that we are energy beings, this is supported by frame fluidity and what ordis says.

However this is contradicted by the ember prime lore where the girl who has the fire powers is still evidently a girl, as well as lines from kril and other bosses, and indeed from the fact that we bleed (so can moas, but I'd say that is hydraulic fluid)

Regardless until the lore is sorted out, the only real cannon we have is that which is in our head

If you think the Tenno are fish and the orokin were dolphins, then your theories are just as correct as any other.

Basically, Headcannon OP, DE pls nerf

[BrotherIcarus]

The problem is that there is so much conflicting information that it is hard to figure out what is correct or not.

Take the energy beings/humans thing.

Vor STATES that we are energy beings, this is supported by frame fluidity and what ordis says.

However this is contradicted by the ember prime lore where the girl who has the fire powers is still evidently a girl, as well as lines from kril and other bosses, and indeed from the fact that we bleed (so can moas, but I'd say that is hydraulic fluid)

Regardless until the lore is sorted out, the only real cannon we have is that which is in our head

If you think the Tenno are fish and the orokin were dolphins, then your theories are just as correct as any other.

Basically, Headcannon OP, DE pls nerf

Yes but this thread is not to validate any theory over the others just to compile them into one place. 

[Angelus_de_Mortiel]

I have heard this argument: Sentients are/are not some form of AI.

 

Argument #1: Sentients are/were some form of AI. The Orokin classified Sentients by that name denoting their self-awareness. An advanced AI would have a rapid pace of adaptation, which is why the Orokin failed more the more technology they used to combat the Sentients.

 

Argument #2: Sentients are/were not some for of AI. The fact that Orokin called an enemy "sentient" may denote that the Orokin was, in fact, the AI. This would explain the advanced AI defenses in the Void (i.e. Corrupted). The Orokin technology was ineffective against the Sentients because they fought in a more primal and unpredictable way.

 

I, personally, am still up in the air as to which would be a better story point. One has a solid villain that is easily feared, the other has a potentially mind-blowing plot twist.

[Gelkor]

I always figured Tenno were energized techno-cyte goo.

[Samoth95]

Ok, time to answer some stuff...

 

On Dark Sector, it IS canon to Warframe. The devs SAID so in a Devstream, unless they've gone back on that statement in a more recent one somewhere.

 

This game (as in Warframe) takes place quite far in the future, so it's probably safe to assume Hayden is dead (that and the Proto Armor Excal skin was said to be recovered from somewhere...like a corpse without a corpse. Far enough perhaps for absolute decomposition to occur...or the Technocyte advanced it).

 

Lotus could very well be an Orokin AI - she has been around long enough to have memories of Tenno fighting against Sentients (see the Mirage quest), which means she's probably not a human. Or that she was and had a copy of herself uploaded into digital space for when the Tenno awoke (or to watch and wait in case they needed to be awoken).

 

As far as the Sentients...no one knows, but my favorite theory is that they're like the Recursive Colony was in Global Agenda: A race of robotics that have reasons for being anti-human (although in GA it was just "hive mind that wants more electronic resources and doesn't really care what gets murdered in the process - in that game's world, people have proven the RC isn't a threat if you wear ZERO electronics). Perhaps most of them are hive-minds with some higher sentience at the top of their food chain. Their name could come from the ability to forcibly takeover nearby electronics and convert them to their side via giving them Sentience, hence the name given to them.

This explains why the Orokin forces had to use guns that weren't tech-based: things like classic revolvers or machine guns weren't electronic and thus couldn't be corrupted (and I suggested time to corrupt is directly related to size of entity - hence preventing people from saying "why not just brainwash the ships?"), and the Tenno being biological weapons as opposed to pure electronic to be successful against the Sentients. It also explains away the purpose of the Infestation - another nonelectronic method of combatting the enemy. The 'multifaceted eye' seen in the Mirage quest could also be a sort of camera (see: space Skype) for the Sentients, or a higher entity (going back to GA again, the Colony Eye. Look it up).

Edited September 9, 2014 by Samoth95

[ElHefe]

@ Angelus_de_Morteil ... nice post and I share your ambivalence and your assessment of plot implications

 

Take a look at this thread as a number of interesting points are to be found there:  https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/285959-what-we-know-about-the-sentients-spoilers-about-mirage-quest/

[BrotherIcarus]

Ok, time to answer some stuff...

 

On Dark Sector, it IS canon to Warframe. The devs SAID so in a Devstream, unless they've gone back on that statement in a more recent one somewhere.

 

This game (as in Warframe) takes place quite far in the future, so it's probably safe to assume Hayden is dead (that and the Proto Armor Excal skin was said to be recovered from somewhere...like a corpse without a corpse. Far enough perhaps for absolute decomposition to occur...or the Technocyte advanced it).

 

Lotus could very well be an Orokin AI - she has been around long enough to have memories of Tenno fighting against Sentients (see the Mirage quest), which means she's probably not a human. Or that she was and had a copy of herself uploaded into digital space for when the Tenno awoke (or to watch and wait in case they needed to be awoken).

 

As far as the Sentients...no one knows, but my favorite theory is that they're like the Recursive Colony was in Global Agenda: A race of robotics that have reasons for being anti-human (although in GA it was just "hive mind that wants more electronic resources and doesn't really care what gets murdered in the process - in that game's world, people have proven the RC isn't a threat if you wear ZERO electronics). Perhaps most of them are hive-minds with some higher sentience at the top of their food chain. Their name could come from the ability to forcibly takeover nearby electronics and convert them to their side via giving them Sentience, hence the name given to them.

This explains why the Orokin forces had to use guns that weren't tech-based: things like classic revolvers or machine guns weren't electronic and thus couldn't be corrupted (and I suggested time to corrupt is directly related to size of entity - hence preventing people from saying "why not just brainwash the ships?"), and the Tenno being biological weapons as opposed to pure electronic to be successful against the Sentients. It also explains away the purpose of the Infestation - another nonelectronic method of combatting the enemy. The 'multifaceted eye' seen in the Mirage quest could also be a sort of camera (see: space Skype) for the Sentients, or a higher entity (going back to GA again, the Colony Eye. Look it up).

There is this disclaimer at the top of the post you should consider reading it.

[ElHefe]

Thank you, I knew that if I didn't specify otherwise this thread would of turned into a rant about which theories are right and wrong.

 

My dear old Dad - may he be enjoying Diablo 10,000 on a warm fluffy cloud now - once said:  "Don't let the bastards get you down"

To which I have added:  "But if they do, just make sure you get up first"

 

[Angelus_de_Mortiel]

Ok, time to answer some stuff...

 

On Dark Sector, it is canon to Warframe. The devs SAID so in a Devstream, unless they've gone back on that statement in a more recent one somewhere.

 

 

DISCLAIMER: What I am about to say has to do with one word, and not actual content of the post I am quoting.

 

I keep seeing this term "canon" misused on a frequent basis here...

 

I think there is some confusion of what the definition of canon is in this particular context. Let's cover some bases here:

 

 

Canon (n.) a collection or list of sacred books, or the works of a particular author or artist, accepted as genuine.

 

 

One creative work is not canon to another, per se. However, they, together, form canon. Does that make sense?

 

Furthermore, the developers mentioning it does not make it cannon... as their words are not an artistic work unto itself. In other words, it must be in some form of creative media that DE produces in order for it to be considered "canon" (e.g. movie, game, poem, short story, codex entry).

 

Just for everyone's information.

 

(NOTE: This post was intended for educational purposes, and not to flame anyone.)

Edited September 9, 2014 by Angelus_de_Mortiel

[RoboDoge]

This whole thread is nonsense and random guessing. Lore is non existant in Warframe, and we can only guess what is what.

 

 

Until people at DE start doing some proper work on lore, i wont bother myself with it. Funny thing is, as London, Ontario being educational center, that DE cannot find some aspiring student ( writing ) that would work for them and be involved in lore creation.

[ElHefe]

@ Angelus_de_Mortiel ... a useful distinction which illustrates an essential fact about fiction (and the arts in general)

 

Namely, authors often rework, revise and repurpose older works when producing a newer work

Original themes, ideas, plots, characters and such are refined and recast

In this way, the newer work ranges from being a conceptual off shoot to a direct extension

 

Much of the debate regarding the relevance of DE earlier work Dark Sector and newer project Warframe originates from a failure to appreciate the distinction between an outright serial and two separate works that share a common vision (spirit) or specific story elements   

Edited September 9, 2014 by ElHefe

[(PSN)DragonPrince16]

the tennos are corrupted by the void like the corrupted crewman and heavey gunners in the void the lotus is like there ghost

[(XBOX)Etsoree]

You know they confirmed that Dark Sector isn't canon YET, right?

[Angelus_de_Mortiel]

RoboDoge, on 09 Sept 2014 - 4:57 PM, said:

This whole thread is nonsense and random guessing. Lore is non existant in Warframe, and we can only guess what is what.

Until people at DE start doing some proper work on lore, i wont bother myself with it. Funny thing is, as London, Ontario being educational center, that DE cannot find some aspiring student ( writing ) that would work for them and be involved in lore creation.

No. They need to finish the game's main story that was started on in Update 14, then fill in the lore. Lore, by itself, is useless. It is background information for the game's overall narrative.

ElHefe, on 09 Sept 2014 - 5:08 PM, said:

@ Angelus_de_Mortiel ... a useful distinction which illustrates an essential fact about fiction (and the arts in general)

Namely, authors often rework, revise and repurpose older works when producing a newer work

Original themes, ideas, plots, characters and such are refined and recast

In this way, the newer work ranges from being a conceptual off shoot to a direct extension

Much of the debate regarding the relevance of DE earlier work Dark Sector and newer project Warframe originates from a failure to appreciate the subtle distinctions between an outright serial and two separate works that share a common vision (spirit) or specific story elements

Exactly. My point was mainly that darkSector is not "canon" of Warframe, but rather they together form the canon.

Edited September 10, 2014 by Angelus_de_Mortiel

[RoboDoge]

No. They need to finish the game's main story that was started on in Update 14, then fill in the lore. Lore, by itself, is useless. It is background information for the game's overall narrative.

 

 

 

 

My point was mainly that darkSector is not "canon" of Warframe, but rather they together form the canon.

Lore by itself isnt useless, because good lore will increase immersion and players can get a feel about world in which game is set up. You know why are you doing something, and whats the story behind all of that.

 

 

Now we are just like mindless zombies, running around and farming for something constantly without any explanation why we are doing that.

[Angelus_de_Mortiel]

Lore by itself isnt useless, because good lore will increase immersion and players can get a feel about world in which game is set up. You know why are you doing something, and whats the story behind all of that.

 

 

Now we are just like mindless zombies, running around and farming for something constantly without any explanation why we are doing that.

 

 

See, we are describing the same concept using different terminology but coming to the same point:

 

My terminology:

 

Main Story: The game's narrative is designed to provide motivation, plot, and emotion to the universe. It is the reason the universe exists, and is the reason you want to be in it.

 

Lore: A byproduct of the game's narrative. It is the background information, the history, the backstory. It is anything that is not explicitly given in the course of the game's narrative.

 

The reason why I say that lore, by itself, is useless is precisely because it is defined by the main story. Without the main story, lore has no definition, and thus has no purpose (as it's purpose is to provide definition of background details).

 

My complaint for a long time now is that DE needs to stop adding new gameplay features (such as Archwing) and spend a few updates focusing on the main story. Think of it like an episode of a TV show (In Warframe's case it would be a Quest released every week or two) covering what the Tenno are doing, why, and the big picture. Obviously the story would need to be open-ended because it is an MMO game.

 

I sometimes wonder if DE is cautious about finishing story content because they think a lot of people are only waiting for that before they skip off to another game. I think this is silly, as each Call of Duty has a short-but-sweet main story, and people play those games for years for just the multiplayer.

 

As a person in the creative world, that is the one thing that infuriates me to no end about Digital Extremes: They are hands-down one of the most dedicated and talented studios I have seen, yet sometimes their priorities appear conflicted at best (and completely backwards at worst).

Edited September 10, 2014 by Angelus_de_Mortiel