We Need A Fourth Starter Frame

[Kestral9999]

Alright, so I'll start off by saying something that we all already know. Due to the fact that it's admittedly somewhat of a tangent subject in regards to what this thread suggests, I'm going to separate this part via a spoiler:

Warframe is a lot more fun, innovative, and engaging than Destiny. Most of the things that DE does that are similar to Destiny are done much better, and as such, DE should continue to do everything they can to make Warframe stand out amongst its peers.

 

One aspect that is very similar between these two sci-fi space shooters is the fact that upon initially beginning either Warframe or Destiny, you must choose from one of three "classes". I'll explain why that should change outside of this spoiler. I've noticed that Destiny seems to have an innate "rule of three", that is, many of the game's mechanics and choices revolve around three different options. 

 

To list a few: there are three classes, three subclasses for each of them (as of TTK), a fireteam consists of a maximum of three guardians, there are three different elements for both weapons and guardians, three different grenade options for each subclass, three different jump augments, basically everything about the subclass skill tree supports the "rule of three" theory, we explore all of three different planets throughout the entire game (the moon is not a planet, who knew?), there are three control points on every map in Control.

 

Tl;dr?

Da Speeker iz da loominardy!!!

 

So, none of that is particularly pertinent to the fact that we need a fourth Frame to choose from when beginning Warframe. A squad consists of four players, so if you've begun the game with three of your friends (as I did long ago) and you all want to differentiate yourselves, you're kinda out of luck as of now. Two of you will have to choose the same frame. Seeing as we have three starting frames, two of which are male, I'd argue that it would only be right to make the fourth starting option a female to balance things out. It would also be nice to give players who want to start as a female frame a second choice. DE seems to agree that the game should be balanced in terms of representing both genders, through both the release of vanilla Frames and Primes (M-F-M-F & M-M-F-F respectively) but the one place that isn't shown the same equality is starting frame choice. I and many players would argue that should change.

 

 

I personally find Banshee the most suitable for the role. Since Loki has been removed from the lineup, squads consisting entirely of fresh players could certainly use a team oriented stealth caster with powerful AoE capabilities and an enemy detection/precision damage amplifier. She's only obtainable (without plat) via clan research, just like Volt, and I don't think I need to mention that she is heavily underutilized by the playerbase as of late. I know only a handful of players that have ever used her and I rarely even see her in public games, so making her an option from the beginning of the game might garner more appeal and make her more accessible. The only major disadvantage she presents is her low armor, which is somewhat eclipsed by her access to relatively low energy cost CC abilities.

 

 

Another decent option, and a fairly popular suggestion, is Nyx. She's not only great for crowd control but also has the single best passive aggressive defense ability in the game. The only downside to her is that she has very little armor (same as Banshee's) and her CC abilities are all high energy cost, thus increasing her learning curve and making her a bit less appealing to new players who don't have access to good mods yet. 

 

 

Ember is also a suitable contender for the fourth slot in the lineup. She's an absolute beast when it comes to fighting Infested, and her crowd control, area of effect, and damage over time oriented abilities make her well suited for most combat situations. Her being an elemental caster also accompanies Volt. Though it could be argued that they both serve somewhat of the same role, with different focuses. I also feel that her World on Fire ability being limited by duration AND energy drain is a bit of a crippling feature for new players which would lessen her viability for them.

 

 

I would consider Trinity and Saryn both contenders as well, but Trinity would severely trivialize lower level content for the entire team once a new player unlocked Energy Vampire/Blessing. And Saryn's Miasma nuke is under too much scrutiny/abuse lately to suggest for her to be accessible to fresh players

 

 

An issue that has been brought to my attention is that during the first quest, players must use their first ability and no weapons to kill several Grineer. That instantly rules out the possibility of making any frame that doesn't have a damage dealing first ability unless a change is made to the first mission. With that, it somewhat knocks Nyx out of the running and leaves us with Banshee and Ember as the best contenders.

 

Feel free to leave feedback in the comments below, even if it's in favor of a different frame to take the fourth slot in the lineup. I may end up making a strawpoll of the more popular answers to consolidate the general consensus.

 

And yes, I only mentioned the spoiler bit because it provides the illusion of necessity for my suggestion based on predispositions regarding a comparable yet widely loathed alternative.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Kestral9999

[Axeroix]

Im not sure about Banshee but I agree compeltely on the Idea that since a max squad is 4 that there should be 4 starter frames

[(PSN)OMGITSNUKERXD]

A fourth starter frame would be good.But I think that mag should be replaced.

[Kestral9999]

Im not sure about Banshee but I agree compeltely on the Idea that since a max squad is 4 that there should be 4 starter frames

Well, I outlined why I personally found her well suited for the line-up. But I'd like to hear your thoughts in opposition to her or in favor of another.

[(PSN)OMGITSNUKERXD]

Well, I outlined why I personally found her well suited for the line-up. But I'd like to hear your thoughts in opposition to her or in favor of another.

Maybe Nyx

[BrokeDown]

Loki X3

[Kestral9999]

Maybe Nyx

Hm, I find that Nyx (either in replacement of Mag or as a fourth option) would be a bit more difficult to use for newer players compared to Banshee/Ember/Mag who don't have the proper mods to utilize her skills.

[blazekan5]

New players will probs not be able to master the arts of banshee.

[CGs_Knackie]

Why not but it does necessary to keep the current starters and maybe to add Rhino. Banshee would be a bad idea because this one isn't easy to using at the beginning unlike Rhino f.e.

Edited August 31, 2015 by CGs_Knackie

[Kestral9999]

New players will probs not be able to master the arts of banshee.

I'd disagree, Banshee was the first frame I ever built on XB1 and I had only a handful of mods at the time (I'd never used her on PC/PS4). The idea of a frame that could control sound never really intrigued me to begin with. But, I had a blast learning to use her and found that she was very well balanced. 

[Kestral9999]

Why not but it does necessary to keep the current starters and maybe to add Rhino. Banshee would be a bad idea because this one isn't easy to using at the beginning unlike Rhino f.e.

Rhino is easily obtained on Venus, and should remain as such. 

 

I'm also under the impression that the starting lineup should remain gender balanced.

[maimus]

Maybe Nyx

Yes, Nyx would be a good starting frame candidate for a 4th slot.

[Thumper3]

 

Seeing as we have three starting frames, two of which are male, I'd argue that it would only be right to make a fourth starting option a female to balance things out a bit. It would also be nice to give players who want to start as a female frame a second choice.

 

I always wonder about those people that "want to play a female character" in a game.  LOL  Unless there is some benefit or differentiation based on that, choosing a video game character based on sex of the character is......weird.

 

But for symmetry sake I would agree, two males, two female......works out.

 

 

I also agree Banshee would be a good choice, her skill set and powers are good and rounded, offering some CC as well as team buffs making her a good rounded frame.  Rhino would be a good alternate just because he does very well with low level content making a squad with him more likely to succeed in the beginning.

 

I would argue against Nyx as that frame is a more focused and situational frame that may turn off new players.

[Kestral9999]

I always wonder about those people that "want to play a female character" in a game.  LOL  Unless there is some benefit or differentiation based on that, choosing a video game character based on sex of the character is......weird.

 

But for symmetry sake I would agree, two males, two female......works out.

 

 

I also agree Banshee would be a good choice, her skill set and powers are good and rounded, offering some CC as well as team buffs making her a good rounded frame.  Rhino would be a good alternate just because he does very well with low level content making a squad with him more likely to succeed in the beginning.

 

I would argue against Nyx as that frame is a more focused and situational frame that may turn off new players.

Well, it seems weird to you but for some reason I've always found that I enjoy playing as female characters in games more often than males. Maybe I just enjoy the idea of a female doing all the awesome things that I do in games as opposed to the typical 30~ year old, gruff, short-brown haired male that you typically see in games? Maybe it's to subconsciously combat a skewed demographic involving most main characters' gender and the victimization of females for the sake of plotlines? I dunno, could be something as simple as not liking the more masculine aesthetics of certain characters.

 

I've met some players who don't like playing as female frames, they're proponents of genderswapping frames because of it, so it stands to reason that the opposite mentality exists. Why not cater to it?

 

I realize you're in agreement with me, I'm just inviting further discussion on that aspect.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Kestral9999

[CGs_Knackie]

I'd disagree, Banshee was the first frame I ever built on XB1 and I had only a handful of mods at the time (I'd never used her on PC/PS4). The idea of a frame that could control sound never really intrigued me to begin with. But, I had a blast learning to use her and found that she was very well balanced. 

She's awesome and useful but a beginner will be not able to use properly her so I keep my position, this is a bad idea to letting her as starter.

[(PSN)Ninja_Reaper_916]

Rhino is good where he is at but I think nyx would fit

[Kestral9999]

She's awesome and useful but a beginner will be not able to use properly her so I keep my position, this is a bad idea to letting her as starter.

Can you explain why you feel that way?

 

Personally, I have experience using her with beginner mods because she was the first frame that I built on XB1. That was also my first time using Banshee, even though it was on my least played platform. I found that she was well balanced, her abilities were simple, yet substantial. Starting off with what equates to a force push was quite enjoyable and a good alternative to Mag's Pull. It was great for those moments when I found I was being swarmed from one direction by the enemy. Once I unlocked Silence, I found that it served very well for both stealth play, and as a radial stun when things got hairy and the enemy encompassed me. Then came Sonar, which helped both myself and my teammates take down heavy enemies more quickly for a serviceable amount of time. And of course finally came Sound Quake, which may not be great for damage, but when it comes to holding a target-capless, semi-large radius group of enemies in place for several seconds at a time, the only thing that comes close is Vauban's Bastille. And even that has a target cap.

 

Keep in mind, this was while I was using cracked mods for sustainability and no ability mods whatsoever. All of her abilities felt like they justified their energy cost for the most part and they were straightforward and simple to use. I would suggest slightly decreasing the drain of Sound Quake or amping the damage just a bit, as it is a bit of an energy sink as of now, assuming she does end up being made a starter.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Kestral9999

[(PSN)OMGITSNUKERXD]

it should be 4 starter frames.2 male and 2 female.

[Kestral9999]

Rhino is good where he is at but I think nyx would fit

I have no issues with making Nyx the fourth starter save for the fact that she has a slightly higher learning curve than Banshee, in my opinion.

[zoboso]

Nyx cannot be chosen because of how the New player quest is set up. Do agree on Banshee or Ember.

[MagPrime]

Banshee should be added to the starter line up.  Like Kestral mentioned, she provides amazing CC and stealth abilities.  I personally believe that she would be the perfect bridge for ne players to get over the hump of their mods not letting them break into new content.

[Kestral9999]

Nyx cannot be chosen because of how the New player quest is set up. Do agree on Banshee or Ember.

What exactly do you mean by her not being viable because of the Vor's Prize quest? I'm assuming that's the quest you're referring to.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Kestral9999

[Ezariel]

WE NEED A FOURTH STARTER FRAME

 

Oberon

[Kestral9999]

WE NEED A FOURTH STARTER FRAME

 

Oberon

 

I'd prefer no males unless they are suggested as a replacement for the current males in the lineup, and honestly Volt is the only option to replace since Excalibur is DE's poster boy.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Kestral9999

[MagPrime]

I'd prefer no males unless they are suggested as a replacement for the current males in the lineup, and honestly Volt is the only option to replace since Excalibur is DE's poster boy.

A 2:2 gender ratio is a nice touch.  There was another thread about adding a 4th starter and during the conversation it come out that there have been a few female players turned away due to only having one female Warframe to choose from.