What Am I Doing Wrong?

[(PSN)ResidualKibbles]

I'm not sure if I'm just terribad at this game or if I'm missing something.  I've been playing F/TPS games for around 15 years and I'm pretty damn fair at them.  I've only been playing this game for a few days, however.  I have a level 16ish Nova Prime (yeah, I was tempted by instant goodies for money) and I feel like I'm constantly getting wrecked.  I'm dying on missions classed level 5-8 or so.  Is it generally a struggle before you get a good mod base?  Should I be using a sturdier Warframe?  Did I forget how to brain?  Any beginner advice (and 'frame suggestions) would be awesome.  Thanks and sorry if there was a resource other than the sticky that I missed.

 

PS, I came over from Destiny because no profile port from 360 to PS4.  Pretty glad I did so far, even with all the deaths haha.

[armedpoop]

Well, you shouldnt be using nova 1st, she is really, really squishy. Just use the starter you chose 1st till you can start ranking up some mods, and get a good frame mod base. Namely redirection and vitality. Make sure you rank those up as soon as possible. Then id say work on getting a rhino till you feel like you are comfortable, then start using nova again.

[Zedera]

Try not to stay out in the open, especially with Nova, who is basically a walking paper bomb. Lots of things out there will wreck even sturdy frames at your level if they don't take cover, such as Heavy Gunners, Hellions, Elite Crewmen, Shockwave Moas...Generally even at level 30, without mods for health and shields, you will still get wrecked. This game is very mod heavy yes, and the starting weapons don't help. Speaking of which, what are your starting weapons? You won't be casting much, even with Nova, until you get the flow and streamline mods to help with casting. Find some weapons that you feel comfortable with and stick to them while you cycle out other parts of your kit to get familiar with what the game has to offer.

[(PSN)WiiConquered]

You really need mods to start becoming effective. As you aquire them you'll find the game becomes easier.

[Maou]

Firstly, Nova may it be prime or not is a relatively squishy frame, hence why people call her the *Glass Cannon*

 

second, maybe your not moving around that much, try shooting while running(not trying to offend)

 

thuuurd, Maybe your guns modded wrong, no matter how *high end* your toy gun is, its going to be crap if you don't mod it right.

 

lastly, your new, its natural even for well versed players who has played f/tps so don't sweat it that much, experience is the best weapon imo.

 

oh and do headshots.

 

For a tip : weaknesses

 

Grineer: Puncture ~ 

Corpus: Electricity/Ice ~

Infested: Slash/Fire ~

Edited February 5, 2015 by Xuimma

[xlraistlx]

Is it generally a struggle before you get a good mod base?

Sadly yes, very.

 

Just work you way through Mercury and Venus and then get a Rhino, which it is propably the cheapest warframe, and it will help you get some of the "essential mods" if not all.

 

Said mods: Streamline, Focus, Flow, Stretch, Redirection, Vitality, multishots, base damage mods and elemental mods.

[geninrising]

Glad to have you! Ok so pretty much we see this all the time and where most go wrong is the levels versus difficulty thing. Additionally modding may be a part of the problem you face. Generally I found that among my clan mates what we needed to do first of all is isolate your primary build of mods you should work from. I found amongst the new users that utilizing Rhino as a beginner is the optimum strategy until you have gotten the mod base that you mentioned. He is available from the second boss you encounter Jackal.

 

Various traits are great for leveling but without an expansive mod selection you are kind of left in the lurch. So as a sort of cushion for your lack of power I say concentrate on survivability. Whenever I level a frame from 0-30 my focus is simply surviving in order to ensure I obtain appropriate exp in order to level. To do this you should focus on using Vitality and or Redirection . If you can get either one or both of these mods maxed out you can ensure you easily survive any challenges in the solar system.

 

An additional trait of the affinity system you may not be aware of is how exp is portioned out amongst your frame/weapons/sentinels and Kubrows.

When you kill an enemy via power use it goes 100% towards your frame affinity(exp). When you kill anything with a weapon or when a friendly unit nearby kills something via any means you get 25% to your frame/25% to primary weapon/25% to secondary weapon/25% to melee weapon. Remember that even if a weapon is ranked 30 it will still take it's portion of the affinity. Therefore if the content allows you may decide to remove your melee/primary/secondary in order to level the other things faster. Also keep in mind you must have 1 weapon equipped at all times. To unequip a weapon go to the weapon you wish to remove in the arsenal and choose equip, then in the top left hand slot you will find the unequip button.

[Mcl_Blue]

I'd be delighted to help you get around, but as you can see, I'm on PC. =(

[(PSN)WiiConquered]

I'd like to caution against getting Rhino, something many players here are advising. As someone who made that decision, Rhino hurt my enjoyment and understanding of the game tremendously, and I don't think I'm alone in that by any stretch. The problem with Rhino is that he has some abilities that make low levels an absolute joke, while in high levels become painfully useless. Therefore, any time that would've been spent learning skills (granted, this game doesn't require a ton of it) that would help you at high levels will just be missed. Then you'll have more trouble learning at high levels.

[geninrising]

I'd like to caution against getting Rhino, something many players here are advising. As someone who made that decision, Rhino hurt my enjoyment and understanding of the game tremendously, and I don't think I'm alone in that by any stretch. The problem with Rhino is that he has some abilities that make low levels an absolute joke, while in high levels become painfully useless. Therefore, any time that would've been spent learning skills (granted, this game doesn't require a ton of it) that would help you at high levels will just be missed. Then you'll have more trouble learning at high levels.

The point is not to rely on Rhino for end game. The point is to allow the gentleman the ability to progress through content and acquire the various mods to make the other frames more survivable and powerful. IMO that is precisely why Rhino is the second frame you acquire and he fills the role admirably.

 

And as far as the time investment this game requires, many of us are well over 1,000 hrs in game without acquiring everything within it. This game is just as massive a time sink as every other MMO you can find on the market today. The only difference being that you can directly buy your way past various time/rng gating mechanics in the game by purchasing things directly from the market or trade channel.

[(PSN)Pharen]

I'm not sure if I'm just terribad at this game or if I'm missing something.  I've been playing F/TPS games for around 15 years and I'm pretty damn fair at them.   snip-

Nova prime is a squishy, high damage frame. You'll want to upgrade mods like redirection and vitality first. Also make sure you aren't using broken mods (has a crack through the picture and usually can only be upgraded 3 times), they aren't worth upgrading.

 

Warframe is pretty punishing from the start, but you'll find that it gets easier when you get used to the controls, the enemy AI, and get better mods. Also I would recommend playing Co-op as often as you can, joining a clan can help you with this.

Edited February 5, 2015 by (PS4)Pharen

[LABAL]

Starting with Nova is not a bad decision. Take your time to get used to everything. Learn the inner workings. After a few ranks you will be able to trade yourself some mod cards.
With current level scaling, everyone will have to rely on "shoot around the corners/dastardly hide behind your teammates" tactics at some point, because "shoot them before they shoot you" doesn't work as your enemies have a pinpoint accuracy, lock on to you forever, concentrate fire on a single target and start shooting before you could even point your weapon at them. There are few countermeasures, one of them being Nova's Molecular Prime that slows down enemy movement as well as fire rate.

[(PSN)WiiConquered]

The point is not to rely on Rhino for end game. The point is to allow the gentleman the ability to progress through content and acquire the various mods to make the other frames more survivable and powerful. IMO that is precisely why Rhino is the second frame you acquire and he fills the role admirably.

 

And as far as the time investment this game requires, many of us are well over 1,000 hrs in game without acquiring everything within it. This game is just as massive a time sink as every other MMO you can find on the market today. The only difference being that you can directly buy your way past various time/rng gating mechanics in the game by purchasing things directly from the market or trade channel.

I think you misunderstood me a couple times. I'm not saying to rely on Rhino for endgame. My point is that Rhino teaches players bad habits that leave players unprepared for the highest levels from a skill level. Changing frames doesn't improve the skill of the player or remove the bad habits Rhino may have left. In the parenthesis I wasn't talking about a time commitment. I was saying there isn't too much skill to overcome to be adept at the game, so it's definitely up to Kibbles as to what s/he wishes to do, but a lot of players used to Rhino do struggle for a while when they reach levels where Iron Skin isn't as godly.

[(PSN)ResidualKibbles]

Wow, I didn't expect this many responses so quickly!  I'm used to the obnoxiously trollish community of other games haha.  Thank you all for the info.  In regards to my starter frame, it was unfortunately Volt.  He's even more squishy for me (I picked him because I love electricity).  So majority suggest Rhino with one saying to avoid.  I'll keep that in mind and check some stuff out for him.  A couple other 'frames I have been considering are Frost, Ash, and Valkyr.  Any opinions there?  

 

In regards to the weapons I'm using, it's Soma Prime (19), Vasto Prime (13), and Dual Ether (14) (as I indicated, victim of instant gratification for real skril).  I have Braton (9), MK1-Paris (9), Lato (8), and Skana (10) as well. 

 

xlraistlx, I'm going to try that Mercury and Venus crunch to see what I can get, but a lot of those are the missions I'm dying on haha.

 

geninrising:  Excellent, so basically focus on a few mods that stack health and shields until I'm more comfortable/have a better mod base.  Do multiples of the same mod stack?

 

Edit:  Don't worry about time invested or bad habits.  I played EQ, FFXI, vanilla WoW, and various KMMOs, so I'm used to stupidly large amounts of grinding and different habits for different classes :D

Edited February 5, 2015 by (PS4)ResidualKibbles

[(PSN)ResidualKibbles]

Starting with Nova is not a bad decision. Take your time to get used to everything. Learn the inner workings. After a few ranks you will be able to trade yourself some mod cards.

With current level scaling, everyone will have to rely on "shoot around the corners/dastardly hide behind your teammates" tactics at some point, because "shoot them before they shoot you" doesn't work as your enemies have a pinpoint accuracy, lock on to you forever, concentrate fire on a single target and start shooting before you could even point your weapon at them. There are few countermeasures, one of them being Nova's Molecular Prime that slows down enemy movement as well as fire rate.

 

This may sound awful, but how does one trade for mods?  I was actually looking for that option, but the only thing I found was the random packs for plat.

[elele]

Do multiples of the same mod stack?

 

You can fuse them to upgrade them. Generally aim to get around 500/500 shield/HP to comfortably tank some minor incoming fire (unless you're CCing the enemies). 

[elele]

This may sound awful, but how does one trade for mods?  I was actually looking for that option, but the only thing I found was the random packs for plat.

 

There is a trade channel in "chat". You can buy mods from other players. If you go that route, I suggest you buy maxed Vitality, Redirection, Serration. Don't pay plat for anything less than 9/10 upgraded mods as they would be a rip off (upgrading a mod from lvl 9 to lvl 10 requires the same amount of effort to lvl from 1 to 9). 

[(PSN)ResidualKibbles]

There is a trade channel in "chat". You can buy mods from other players. If you go that route, I suggest you buy maxed Vitality, Redirection, Serration. Don't pay plat for anything less than 9/10 upgraded mods as they would be a rip off (upgrading a mod from lvl 9 to lvl 10 requires the same amount of effort to lvl from 1 to 9). 

 

How much plat should I be looking at for those mods?  My last excursion with player driven economy was PoE, and people gouged like crazy there.

[(PSN)thefndodge]

How much plat should I be looking at for those mods? My last excursion with player driven economy was PoE, and people gouged like crazy there.

On ps4 you should be looking to pay around 100p for maxed vitality and redirection. Dont buy r9 vitality or redirections, they are not worth it.

Edit...100p each for maxed redirection and vitality. Also check out the warframe wiki about catalysts, reactors, and forma. Although your Nova prime, vasto prime and soma prime came with reactors and catalysts installed. Also check out the PS4 clan recruiting sub forum to find a clan. I'd recommend Dark Aura, but don't want to be too self promotional. ;)

Edited February 5, 2015 by (PS4)thefndodge

[armedpoop]

Wow, I didn't expect this many responses so quickly!  I'm used to the obnoxiously trollish community of other games haha.  Thank you all for the info.  In regards to my starter frame, it was unfortunately Volt.  He's even more squishy for me (I picked him because I love electricity).  So majority suggest Rhino with one saying to avoid.  I'll keep that in mind and check some stuff out for him.  A couple other 'frames I have been considering are Frost, Ash, and Valkyr.  Any opinions there?  

 

In regards to the weapons I'm using, it's Soma Prime (19), Vasto Prime (13), and Dual Ether (14) (as I indicated, victim of instant gratification for real skril).  I have Braton (9), MK1-Paris (9), Lato (8), and Skana (10) as well. 

 

xlraistlx, I'm going to try that Mercury and Venus crunch to see what I can get, but a lot of those are the missions I'm dying on haha.

 

geninrising:  Excellent, so basically focus on a few mods that stack health and shields until I'm more comfortable/have a better mod base.  Do multiples of the same mod stack?

 

Edit:  Don't worry about time invested or bad habits.  I played EQ, FFXI, vanilla WoW, and various KMMOs, so I'm used to stupidly large amounts of grinding and different habits for different classes :D

Volt is actually a really good starter. If you use him, make sure to equip and rank up your redirection. He has high shield capacity. Also, make sure to use his 1st ablility to stun enemies while you are reloading (it wont stop the reload) also use his 3 to put up an energy shield that not only blocks all bullets, but increases crit damage and adds electricity damage to your gun fire that is shot thru the shield.

 

Build soma prime for crit chance and damage. So you would want Point Strike, Serration, and Vital Sense (if you have one). Make sure you max out point strike as soon as possible, as it will make a world of difference for the damage output. 

[geninrising]

geninrising:  Excellent, so basically focus on a few mods that stack health and shields until I'm more comfortable/have a better mod base.  Do multiples of the same mod stack?

No the same card will not stack, in fact it will not let you equip it at all. You can however acquire other mods that bolster survivability. Vigor-bonus to shields and health simultaneously, Constitution(nightmare mod for later) bonus ability duration and knockdown resistance, Fast Deflection-increased speed of shield regeneration(does not speed up the regen delay only the rate at which you regain shields once regen begins), Equilibrium-gains health from energy drops and energy from health drops(orbs), In certain instances Steel Fiber-increase in armor will help(only recommended for Rhino and Valkyr as armor is not very effective damage mitigation that only affects health and not shields).

 

On to my reasons for suggesting Rhino to help with planet clears and access to various mobs to get more mods. Rhino is a very forgiving frame for the majority of the game. He will allow you a much greater level of survivability than any other frame that you can get till you hit Jupiter(Valkyr is there). Also Rhino is capable of utilizing Steel Fiber better than the majority of frames barring inclusion of Valkyr.

 

My emphasis on survivability is the reason for said suggestion but remember this, Iron Skin(IS from here on out) will not carry you beyond the planets nor in fact will it guarantee your survival even there. What you need to do on your time as Rhino is work at learning the frame WITHOUT using IS. What separates the good Rhinos from the bad is constantly spamming IS thinking it will always work just the same and be god mode. IS should be used to catch incidental bullets you could not dodge via mobility and utilizing the terrain to your advantage. Additionally remember that IS is CC and Proc immunity(procs are like slash damage dots, fire dots, poison dots, and many others lol)

 

Look here if you need any info on anything we discussed. You can look up frames and their skills/statistics as well as literally anything else you want to know about warframe from the mods to what enemies have a chance to drop them.

http://warframe.wikia.com/wiki/WARFRAME_Wiki

Edited February 5, 2015 by geninrising

[(PSN)Santar0s]

Message me on psn and ill help you get a rhino, shouldnt take too long. Nova isnt one of my favorites. Frost is tanky, like Rhino.

[Zedera]

Volt IMO is the best of the starters atm because he's one of the hardest frames to get later on if you didn't get him at the start. The shield, if you set it up, increases the damage of anything you fire through it, and beam weapons that you can get later on get infinite range. Speed just benefits the whole team, and imo makes him one of the best frames for capture missions because of this. And his two damage abilities aren't the worst out there.