[Warframe Rework] Nekros, The Warden Of Death (With Artwork)

[Jamescell]

Intro And Reasoning:

For quite a few reasons Nekros deserves a rework. This rework creates abilities that all interact with Nekros' summoned unit. Furthermore, Nekros no longer summons a swarm of enemies that clutter the map. Instead he only summons one unit, which is more in-line with Warframe's gameplay/the Tenno dynamic and will work in a more polished manner than the current ability does. The term Husk refers to the summoned unit in the fourth ability. This rework aims to create a very polished kit. However, that means a lot of things are drastically changed as the current abilities are very hard to polish without significant changes. All art courtesy of my partner on this project bionicle fusion. It's not that the current Nekros is absolutely horrible, but he isn't polished, occupying the theme of death so that a cooler/better undead/necromancy themed kit cannot be made. These abilities also work with all of the current augments. The kit also aims to give Nekros a stronger identity by giving him more supportive abilities that interact with the theme of death.

Artwork for the Husk (4th Ability Summon):

Details for the Husk (4th Ability Summon):

The husk's stats scale based on the level of the most recent enemies Nekros has killed. This feature allows the husk to stay useful on all levels of play. The Husk itself would utilize unique AI and animations for combat. The Husk attacks with powerful melee claws that at the very least stagger if not knock down enemies with large sweeping attacks. Upon its death, the husk will simply perform a death animation and disappear. The husk prioritizes enemies that nekros directly damages first and enemies that directly damage nekros second. The husk can be removed from the battlefield at any time by using Soul Punch directly on the husk. If Nekros is more than (about) a room away the husk will teleport to nekros.

Passive, Death Bringer: Nekros gains a small buff to power strength that lasts for a duration after killing an enemy or reviving an ally. Buff can stack but has a cap.

Ability 1, Soul Punch: Nekros casts a free-targeted soul punch in a medium/small AOE. Enemies hit are ragdolled and debuffed for a duration. Debuffed enemies take bonus damage the lower their % health. The Tenno Husk will explode if Soul Punch is cast on it, amplifying the AOE of Soul Punch.

Ability 2, Desecrate: Nekros desecrates the bodies of fallen enemies and marks all living enemies nearby for a short duration. Corpses and the corpses of marked enemies will emit small AOE pulses that buff allied armor and stagger enemies. Enemies also drop extra ammo cartridges.

Ability 3, Sacrifice: Nekros bestows an ally with increased health and extra bleedout time (if they are Tenno) for a duration. While active, other allies nearby will be healed a % of the target's health lost. If untargeted, Nekros will cast the ability on himself.

Ability 4, Summoning: Nekros summons a Tenno husk- a Tenno construct fueled by the energy of fallen enemies. Husks attack enemies with melee claws and taunt enemies in a medium/large AOE. The stats of a husk are always stronger than most enemies, but scale based on the level of recently killed enemies. Only one husk may be active at a time.

Thoughts? Comments? I'd love to hear ideas and feedback regarding the kit! I will seriously consider suggestions and most probably respond with my thoughts. The kit has been updated twice now following ideas in the comments.

Edited January 2, 2016 by Jamescell

[DarkRuler2500]

Epic artwork.

Epic abilties

Epic concept.

DE, please do this!

 

I'm for alternate 3 btw

Edited September 5, 2015 by DarkRuler2500

[(XBOX)BURRITO DEVIL]

Me want

[Shifted]

I'm not saying it's bad, but it's so different you could make a new frame with it.

 

I don't think nekros' abilities are so bad to ask for a complete rewrite. They just need buffs (yeah, pretty major buffs).

[Jamescell]

^Updated introduction description to more accurately address this. 

[Akiryx]

This seems cool but tbh I'm more a fan of this rework suggestion https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/490489-nekros-20/

[-S--Nightmaric]

WOO first founder with a good idea!

[Nelsoncell]

The Husk is taking companions to the next level. Something that can wreak havoc beside you sounds awesome and would be far more interactive than sentinels or kubrows. Great idea for a rework or maybe a new warframe entirely.

[Jamescell]

This seems cool but tbh I'm more a fan of this rework suggestion https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/490489-nekros-20/

This seems cool but tbh I'm more a fan of this rework suggestion https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/490489-nekros-20/

Why?

[saintsman12]

NopeNope​nope nope nope. What is everyone's problem with nekros? "Oh he's a farmer, that doesn't fit his character" well, pluto, god of death was also god of wealth. that sort things out?

[(PSN)Cerata_]

NopeNope​nope nope nope. What is everyone's problem with nekros? "Oh he's a farmer, that doesn't fit his character" well, pluto, god of death was also god of wealth. that sort things out?

No. That really doesn't sort things out.

[Archwizard]

NopeNope​nope nope nope. What is everyone's problem with nekros? "Oh he's a farmer, that doesn't fit his character" well, pluto, god of death was also god of wealth. that sort things out?

 

It's less that it "doesn't fit his character", and more that it doesn't create an interesting or engaging playstyle due to the stacked RNG elements and long cast time. Further, the perception of him as a farmer is so pervasive that players use him more for that than his thematic role as a necromancer - and get highly upset if you aren't when you're in a mission with him, because they can be very protective of their loot. The loot system is presently sort of borked anyway, leading a lot of players to feel forced into using Meta frames like Nekros more frequently - and paradoxically, for the loot system to remain unchanged because we seem so satisfied with Desecrate. It's a bandaid for a much bigger issue.

 

Personally, it's more of a matter of the ability just not meshing with the rest of his kit. He can summon a party even on Solo, but his only way to support others is with health orbs, which mobs can't pick up, nor would they navigate to them if they could, nor would they be a sufficient form of healing for your meatshields in the majority of cases anyway. 

 

Finally, I don't think anybody enjoys having a bunch of extra ability slots hanging off that aren't useful. Builds for Desecrate actively cripple his other three abilities, and the reverse is also true; there's min-maxing, and then there's having abilities feel like they belong in separate kits because they're completely exclusive. You're stuck with 1 button or 3, but in spite of shipping with 4, it's a rare build that uses all 4.

[Syln]

lot's of very interesting idea of rework lately ^

here's a like from me :p

[Benny8]

im not sure how this would work as a rework, perhaps it would work better as a new frame entirel,y the change between the nekros we have known and loved for so long is simply so drastic, the only resemblance they share is their apperance.

[Jamescell]

im not sure how this would work as a rework, perhaps it would work better as a new frame entirel,y the change between the nekros we have known and loved for so long is simply so drastic, the only resemblance they share is their apperance.

 

Well, you have a summoned unit, you have soul punch, you have a utility heal...

 

And the significant changes are the point. Nekros should be reworked because his currently abilities lack cohesive mechanics and polish. Each frame occupies a certain theme, which is why it's important to get the abilities right instead of focus on how much they resemble the current abilities.

 

Reworks are to add polish to the game, not to bandaid things. For the most part bandaiding won't give you polished abilities, just more effective ones.

 

The very nature of "bandaids" and tweaks limits the amount of change an ability can undergoe. The less a poorly designed ability is changed, the more poorly designed it stays.

Edited September 7, 2015 by Jamescell

[Rhekemi]

Even though he's level 30 with a potato, I don't use Nekros enough to judge. He was mostly level fodder for me. He looks great, and was fun to play, but I don't use him much now as I prefer to play other supportive roles (when I'm not in other roles) most of the time.

 

That said, I like this rework. It actually does have more thematic cohesion than the current Nekros, and I'm a fan of Husk. 

 

Good job.

 

Btw, I think it's possible to use Augment Mods to let him still farm, if that is how players choose to play him. That way he could have this more offensive/defensive/cohesive theme, while still being able to help farm if he's players chosen farmhand.

Edited September 7, 2015 by Rhekemi

[Kilseth]

YESTERDAY U SAID TOMORROW , JUST DO IT DE, DO IT

[(PSN)devack13]

I've been fighting in the Rework nekros war for a long time but this one is vary impressive nicely done well balanced and cool at the same time! 

Edited September 8, 2015 by (PS4)devack13

[(PSN)the_elemental123]

I love the idea of the Husk, however the ability can be tweaked a bit more to fit Nekros a little better. rather than him summoning something, why not have him use the corpses of the slain enemies to form a mass of bones, flesh, and armor and summon that to aid him? Further, the more enemies you kill (with a cap, of course) would increase the size, power, and duration of the monster, and his looks/abilities/animations could change in relation to which faction Nekros is facing.

Edited September 8, 2015 by (PS4)the_elemental123

[Jamescell]

 

I love the idea of the Husk, however the ability can be tweaked a bit more to fit Nekros a little better. rather than him summoning something, why not have him use the corpses of the slain enemies to form a mass of bones, flesh, and armor and summon that to aid him? Further, the more enemies you kill (with a cap, of course) would increase the size, power, and duration of the monster, and his looks/abilities/animations could change in relation to which faction Nekros is facing.

 

This would fit the theme of a necromancer more, but not a Tenno with necromancy/death themed abilities. It would be very hard to balance. The ability would most likely either snowball and be too powerful, or just not stack enough to be effective.

[Akiryx]

Why?

I prefer the abilities in it, they just seem more handy and befitting.

 

I also am not a huge fan of your first ability, simply because by the time an enemy is at low health, that damage bonus is not going to be all that useful. I'd prefer it be a targeted, small AoE, and the damage increase based on the highest percentage of health, rather than low.

Edited September 9, 2015 by Akiryx

[Rexlars]

I would actually play Nekros with this kit. 

 

The only suggestion I have is for #3. 

 

I'd change the healing AOE to heal WHILE the power is active rather than at the end. This would make for nice combinations with Valkyr (Hysteria), Trinity (Link), & Rhino (Iron Skin), where they could tank incoming damage & essentially become a healing beacon for allies in range. This would also lessen the similarities between this power & Equinox's Night form's Ult. 

[CrashLegacy14]

For the previous version of this build, see here

 

 

Introduction: For quite a few reasons Nekros deserves a rework. This rework creates abilities that all interact with Nekros' summoned unit. Furthermore, Nekros no longer summons a swarm of enemies that clutter the map. Instead he only summons one unit, which is more in-line with Warframe's gameplay, and will work in a more polished manner than the current ability does. The term Husk refers to the summoned unit in the fourth ability. This rework aims to create a very polished kit. However, that means a lot of things are drastically changed as the current abilities are very hard to polish without significant changes. All art courtesy of my partner on this project bionicle fusion. It's not that the current Nekros is absolutely horrible, but he isn't polished, occupying the theme of death so that a cooler/better undead/necromancy themed kit cannot be made. These abilities also work with all of the current augments. 

 

Artwork for the Husk:

 

Ability 1, Touch of Death: Nekros marks an ally or enemy for a duration. Marked enemies take increased damage based on how much of their health is missing. Marked allies receive an armor buff based on how much health is missing. The Husk will prioritize marked enemies to attack.

 

 

Ability 2, Soul Punch: Nekros casts a free-targeted soul punch in a medium/small AOE. Enemies hit are ragdolled and slowed for a duration. The Tenno Husk will explode if Soul Punch is cast on it, amplifying the AOE of Soul Punch.

 

 

Ability 3, Sacrifice: Nekros bestows an ally with increased health and extra bleedout time (if they are Tenno) for a duration. At the end of the duration, or when the ally loses all health, other allies nearby will be healed a % of the health lost. If untargeted, Nekros will cast on himself.

 

 

Alternate 3, Desecrate: Nekros desecrates the bodies of fallen enemies and marks all living enemies nearby for a short duration. Corpses and the corpses of marked enemies will emit small stacking AOE pulses that heal allies and stun enemies for a short duration.

 

 

Ability 4, Summoning: Nekros summons a Tenno husk- a Tenno construct fueled by the energy of fallen enemies. Husks attack enemies with melee claws and taunt enemies in a medium/large AOE. The stats of a husk are always stronger than most enemies, but scale based on the level of recently killed enemies. Only one husk may be active at a time.

 

 

To the build itself.

 

- Mark of Death: I personally like the idea of the damage dealt to target increasing as its health declines. That said it feels like the debuff/buff are secondary to being used to give the Husk orders. I suppose that's okay, but overall the ability doesn't much stand out.

 

- Soul punch. There's two problems I have with this power as you present it. First is that you have a 'aoe indicator' in the image that makes it look like you intend for there to be an 'aiming phase' so you can get the blast where you want it. If that's true, how do you plan to map that? Thanks to the way DE's bound the power keys, that can't be a hold function so you'd have to go with a toggle. Kinda reminds me of Dragon Age in that regard. 

My second problem is that you describe The ability as free aim - like Ember's Fireball - yet turn around and say 'if there is no target, he casts on self' which only really works if it's a targeted ability like the current Soul Punch. Pick one.

 

- Sacrifice. I can see what you're doing her but letting a player drain the health of another player is going to open up the ability to trolling, which is something to avoid. However, if you stick with it, Rexlars' suggestion is a must have. Having to wait until your target dies to provide the healing is going to make this a lot less desirable when you have targets that regenerate their health using life steal weapons or the like. 

 

- Desecrate: This is pretty solid. Not exactly what I'd have done, but solid.I definitely prefer this over the current version and would honestly work equally well in either this build or the in-game build. actually, it'd probably work better with Shadows of the Dead. 

 

- Summoning: There's that 'medium-ranged aoe' descriptor I've warned you about before. tsk tsk. I'm not going to bother arguing over the Husk thing anymore and your belief that Shadows of the Dead 'doesn't fit with Warframe's game play'. I did like the Husk producing ability as your first ability since it would always be available to Nekros no matter his level, that though is just preference. Now a solid win in my opinion is that you have every ability having some effect on the Husk, it gives the build a sort of synergy we just don't see very often in a Frame's kit. 

 

Overall, I'd actually suggest kicking Touch of Death to the curb and moving Soul Punch down to 1, Sacrifice as 2, and slot Desecrate into 3. ToD just doesn't really have much of a use except for guiding he Husk where you want and there's got to be other ways of doing that. Maybe simply have the Husk prioritize any target you personally injure?

[Jamescell]

I would actually play Nekros with this kit. 

 

The only suggestion I have is for #3. 

 

I'd change the healing AOE to heal WHILE the power is active rather than at the end. This would make for nice combinations with Valkyr (Hysteria), Trinity (Link), & Rhino (Iron Skin), where they could tank incoming damage & essentially become a healing beacon for allies in range. This would also lessen the similarities between this power & Equinox's Night form's Ult. 

good suggestion. thank you.

[Jamescell]

@CrashLegacy14

I don't mention that soul punch would be cast on Nekros if he doesn't target an enemy. I think you're confusing soul punch with sacrifice.

Edited September 12, 2015 by Jamescell