How To Ease The Polarizing (Forma) Grind

[(PSN)B0XMAN517]

Right now if you use a forma to polarize a slot everything is reset back to zero and you're left leveling your frame/weapon naked (without any mods). This becomes a real chore because you level a little bit, quickly hit a point where your unmodded item becomes useless, extract, add a mod or two, and repeat.

 

What I'm proposing is Warframe apply the dark sector pvp level system to a forma'd item.

 

How the dark sector level system works (for those who don't know)

Your modded Warframe/weapon starts the conflict lvl 0 and as you gain expierience you unlock mod slots, in game, per the following system.

 

 

Warframe Mod Slot Activation Slot 1 2  3   4   5   6   7   8

Mod Slot Activation Level                3 8 12 16 20 24 28 30

 

Primary Mod Slot Activation Slot 1 2  3   4   5   6   7   8

Mod Slot Activation Level            6 9 14 18 23 25 29 30

 

Secondary Mod Slot Activation Slot 1 2  3   4   5   6   7   8

Mod Slot Activation Level                  5 8 12 17 22 29 30 30

 

Shotgun/Sniper Mod Slot Activation Slot 1 2  3   4  5   6   7   8

Mod Slot Activation Level                          4 8 13 18 26 30 30 30

 

Melee Mod Slot Activation Slot 1 2 3 4    4   6   7   8 

Mod Slot Activation Level          3 5 9 12 18 21 25 29

 

 

 

 

How it would work in pve

Adding a forma would still reset your item lvl, but would allow you to fully mod said item unlocking mod slots as you level up, following the above system.

 

Ideally when you add a forma the mod slots would show the level they become available to remove confusion.

 

I'm sure there are plenty of cons that are not coming to mind so any criticism is appreciated.

 

Edit: Your mod capacity would supersede your mod slot activation level. Example - if your lvl 2 melee weapon can fit 4 mods you wouldn't need to wait until it's level 12 to use them).

Edited May 5, 2015 by (PS4)B0XMAN517

[9tailboy]

Well we don't need to unlock mod slots, earning mod points is enough as a reward into leveling weapons and warframes, unless you are allowed to pre-build weapons and warframes and they unlock when you earn enough points like in dark sector pvp.

[Kthal]

What you are suggesting wouldn't directly remove the grind, I disagree with that description, but I strongly support the concept.

 

Having the mods remaining installed, coming online as the rank/point goal is met would be fantastic for re-ranking, and I actually think it would change the whole ranking dynamic (in a good way) if it would work on the first time ranking too.

 

 

 

Also, what grind?

Edited May 5, 2015 by Kthal

[(PSN)B0XMAN517]

Well we don't need to unlock mod slots, earning mod points is enough as a reward into leveling weapons and warframes, unless you are allowed to pre-build weapons and warframes and they unlock when you earn enough points like in dark sector pvp.

 

The part I made bold is exactly what I'm proposing.

[(PSN)excat_56]

This could work if you could add multiple polarities at a time (super/prime forma) type thing. As is, in most cases, just 1 forma isn't enough to give you the extra capacity you are seeking, and it isn't until forma 4/5/6 you get to that point. 

 

If you are sitting at a full 60 points, and cut a max serration in half, from 14 to 7, that leaves you with 7 points, and chances are, you aren't forma'ing to just add a 7 drain mod, so that system would be of no real benefit aside from making the re-level less painful as you could stick it out longer while leveling up. 

 

The other side of the argument would be, why can we not do that with ALL weapons? Just pre-build our load out, from left to right, top to bottom, and as it levels, it unlocks the mods for use in the game? 

I think we really need a place that we have full access to weapons and frames, where we can put whatever mods and polarities are will for a test a tune type session. Sure, you can look at base stats and say, hey, I want to make this build for this weapon. 5 forma's later....you are done with it finally, and it's not quite what you were expecting. Well, hell...I want to try "THIS" build, so now, I have to go and change 2 polarities to try this new build..... which may or may not be what you were wanting to achieve. 

 

The forma system is broken. It's nice, but it really hurts the versatility of using a weapon in a variety of different ways. 

[ReneClaw]

So you level the weapon or frame to 30 like normal, but then you use a forma and the mod slots turn red meaning it can't use the mods in them, you can add and remove the mods from the red slot including the new polarity, it just can't be used.

 

But by exercising the weapon you can re-engage those slots thus being able to use the mods in that slot including the slot with the new polarity.  As a bonus, the weapon will activate the slots DURING the mission and that mod will activate DURING the mission.  Hope I summed it up.

[(PSN)B0XMAN517]

This could work if you could add multiple polarities at a time (super/prime forma) type thing. As is, in most cases, just 1 forma isn't enough to give you the extra capacity you are seeking, and it isn't until forma 4/5/6 you get to that point. 

 

If you are sitting at a full 60 points, and cut a max serration in half, from 14 to 7, that leaves you with 7 points, and chances are, you aren't forma'ing to just add a 7 drain mod, so that system would be of no real benefit aside from making the re-level less painful as you could stick it out longer while leveling up.

 

You're right, all this system is meant to do is make the re-leveling less painful and allow you to stick it out longer, but sticking it out longer means you'll reach max level faster. The affinity bonus at the end of the mission rewards more xp based on how many levels you gain during the mission, with an added bonus for starting unranked (going from 0 to 20 bumps you to 30 while going 1 to 21 does not). You'll always have to repeat this process for every forma; DE makes money selling boosters.

 

This isn't about removing the grind it's about easing it.

 

 

The other side of the argument would be, why can we not do that with ALL weapons? Just pre-build our load out, from left to right, top to bottom, and as it levels, it unlocks the mods for use in the game? 

 

One might argue that formae(?) are a special item that serve a unique purpose and that's why this system would be limited to polarizing, but I don't see why we couldn't do that with all weapons. Your weapon should evolve as it levels and with the current system it doesn't (in game).

Edited May 5, 2015 by (PS4)B0XMAN517

[(PSN)excat_56]

You're right, all this system is meant to do is make the re-leveling less painful and allow you to stick it out longer, but sticking it out longer means you'll reach max level faster. The affinity bonus at the end of the mission rewards more xp based on how many levels you gain during the mission, with an added bonus for starting unranked (going from 0 to 20 bumps you to 30 while going 1 to 21 does not). You'll always have to repeat this process for every forma; DE makes money selling boosters.

 

This isn't about removing the grind it's about easing it.

 

 

 

One might argue that formae(?) are a special item that serve a unique purpose and that's why this system would be limited to polarizing, but I don't see why we couldn't do that with all weapons. Your weapon should evolve as it levels and with the current system it doesn't (in game).

 

 

You are correct, DE makes money selling boosters, in sort. I, and MANY others, have 90 day boosters from Prime Accessories, which is where they make their real money though. It's easy enough to sell 4 prime parts to get yourself a week booster, and in such, DE actually isn't making any money off of it, since it's "free money" you are using. I for one don't see the point in buying the small boosters. Accessories comes with 12 weeks of boosters, which is 960p (for affinity) and 960p (for credit) boosters. So that right there is 1920p in boosters (plus the additional plat you get for buying it). 

 

I for one don't think the grind should be removed, but in turn, the grind should be worth the reward. In other words, I shouldn't spend 5 days building forma, and leveling a weapon, to in the end be "stuck" with that weapon with having to invest further days into it when the eventual new mod comes out. (I'm a supporter of DE's recently proposed and question about "super/prime forma"). Instead, when you put your 6th forma (or 2nd "super/prime forma") into a weapon, it is then fully "unlocked", allowing you to change polarities on slots as needed without needing to re level at all, but more like moving polarities, it just removed all the mods from the weapon and you remod from there. 

 

I went off on a bit of a tangent, sorry, lol. I do think alleviating the grind to unlocking mods though, would be a welcome addition. We are shoving a catalyst into the darn thing after all. Surely that makes our guns a bit smarter, right??