Orokin Reactor/Catalyst Advice

[(PSN)MelodiousMelody]

I realize this has been asked hundreds of times, but I'm new and not knowledgeable enough to know what I should be doing with my Reactors and Catalysts... I know that most everyone advises to wait until you obtain prime variants of weapons and Warframes. Unfortunately, that's proving quite difficult for me.

My only two Warframes are Rhino and Excalibur (unsure what to go for next). I'm trying to decide which one I should put my one reactor on. I like my Excalibur for his "jack-of-all-trades" kind of thing, but for survivability I'm not able to hold out as long in Void Missions. In contrast, I'm able to hold out much longer with Rhino and help my buddy that I frequently duo with.
I don't particularly like Rhino, but his innate knack for staying alive has helped with more intense farming. I prefer a stealthier/faster playstyle. I'm kind of stuck unable to take on the Void and other (non-Void) missions are becoming more difficult without a squad. 

I'm not exactly a fan of playing with strangers.

I do have two Catalysts that I could possibly use on my weapons instead, but I don't know what (non-prime) weapons at this point are worth upgrading.

Current loadout...

- Primary: Latron

- Secondary: Lato (which I'll be using to make a Bolto once it hits lvl 30)
- Melee: Kronen

Anyways, should I wait to use my Reactor or Catalyst(s)? Or should I use one or the other at this time? Or just any advice would be handy.

 

Edited March 20, 2016 by (PS4)MelodiousMelody

[Roboplus]

You're likely reading outdated information, Duel Zoren used to be good as a travel tool. Things changed.

If you like using slide attacks, you can definitely upgrade Koren to Boltace, as Boltace higher overall damage and bonus slide damage will hurt more per hit than Koren (that may require its stance though, if you don't have it).

I will always recommend Atterax as a excellent starter melee weapon that isn't clan tech, only requires Mastery Rank 2, is easy to craft (with the two Argon being the hardest to get), and is best paired with an-easy-to-find whip stance (if you've been hanging around in the void, you probably already have it).

It has a long reach, high crit and status chance, ties for highest melee crit damage, and is primarily Slash damage. A Slash proc from Atterax on a critical hit is devastating regardless of which faction you're facing.

It's great early off, and as you get better mods it scales through end game. I regularly use Atterax on sorties.

Edited March 23, 2016 by Roboplus

[xiaodenden]

59 minutes ago, (PS4)MelodiousMelody said:

So, far I haven't noticed much of a difference, but I'm still ranking it/improving it with mods.

Ha! That's cool. I was drawn in by the lovely designs and I'm one of those weirdos that goes nuts for armor designs. The Warframes were just gorgeous. Now that I've actually tried it out, I'm quite impressed with this game. The developers seem like a decent bunch, the fanbase doesn't seem like a toxic cesspool. The last online (related) game I ever played was Halo 3 and after one two many straws were broken I shelved it. There is only so much tolerance.

Try to get Carrier's vacuum to max rank as soon as you can, and put that mod on the upper left hand corner so it would prioritize loot collecting over everything else.  If you find a Guardian mod, I suggest using it because it immediately gives your frame shield if your warframe runs out of shield.  Definitely try to get the nightmare mod Animal Instinct so you don't need to use Thief's Wit and Enemy Sense on your frame.

Same, I find that the Warframe design has a very European sci-fi look while at the same time there is also quite a bit of Asian influence yet not straight rip off of anime junk.  I also like that the different factions have very different yet unifying aesthetics compared to one another.  The world and enemies are both beautiful and grotesque.   I totally go gaga over how gorgeous everything looks but so hard to draw fanarts for this game, lol.  Yes, some parts of the game are quite janky/buggy and one might question some game design decisions, but I will never complain about the art direction of this game.  Yeah, DE seems very receptive to players' suggestions and comments, and the community is surprisingly not as toxic as other online game communities.  Of course there are still bad apples here and there, but thank goodness for /ignore, ha.

By the way, I just remember that you're on PS4.  Looks like you're get your free anniversary weapons after you receive your next update so keep an eye on that.  

[EvilKam]

For over 2 years of Warframe, Excalibur has been my main Warframe, followed only by Nova and Valkyr.  Excalibur can make it through a LOT of content, you can really take him anywhere.  If you find yourself suffering damage, press 2, and that damage stops very soon.

Excalibur was known as a "noob frame" that you ditched as soon as you got anyone else.  It was a point of pride that I farmed T3 missions with my Excal, and anyone taking the time to check my profile saw that he was my most used, which was impressive for a player sitting at high mastery.  After his rework, he's legitimate end-game ready, and a top-tier frame.

My advice:  You want to build for Radial Blind, and simply remember that Exalted Blade needs some attention.  Max Stretch is an absolute must, and you have to have max Streamline with a bit of Fleeting Expertise.  Make RB as cheap and spammable as you can.  I use a near-max Overextended, offest by Intensify.  Duration suffers with Fleeting, so continuity or primed continuity are mandatory.  Round out with the highest redirection and vitality you can stand.

Since Exalted blade inherits your WEAPON'S mods, it doesn't matter TOO much what weapon you choose.  You can take a 4 forma Skana, and just make sure every mod slot is filled with a max rank mod.  The sole exception:  I like using an unranked lifestrike to give me some healing ability, which will be plenty with your Exalted Blade.  Yes, you're EB does less damage because of Overextended.  With a 4-forma weapon, you still do LOTS of damage, but killing with Excalibur's power is really just a nice side effect.  

Stopping the map in an instant is what REALLY makes him shine.  Your crowd control stops the bad guys, and then their accuracy is terrible.  If things get tough, press 2 again.

Nova is a similar case.  She's easily killed, but when all the enemies are hit with a 175% or higher strength Molecular prime, they move like turtles, greatly reducing their threat to you, and all the while suffering double damage from everyone's attacks.  Her crowd control is nothing short of fanatastic.

Edited March 23, 2016 by EvilKam
Fixed a sentence with poor grammar.

[(PSN)MelodiousMelody]

4 hours ago, xiaodenden said:

Try to get Carrier's vacuum to max rank as soon as you can, and put that mod on the upper left hand corner so it would prioritize loot collecting over everything else.  If you find a Guardian mod, I suggest using it because it immediately gives your frame shield if your warframe runs out of shield.  Definitely try to get the nightmare mod Animal Instinct so you don't need to use Thief's Wit and Enemy Sense on your frame.

Same, I find that the Warframe design has a very European sci-fi look while at the same time there is also quite a bit of Asian influence yet not straight rip off of anime junk.  I also like that the different factions have very different yet unifying aesthetics compared to one another.  The world and enemies are both beautiful and grotesque.   I totally go gaga over how gorgeous everything looks but so hard to draw fanarts for this game, lol.  Yes, some parts of the game are quite janky/buggy and one might question some game design decisions, but I will never complain about the art direction of this game.  Yeah, DE seems very receptive to players' suggestions and comments, and the community is surprisingly not as toxic as other online game communities.  Of course there are still bad apples here and there, but thank goodness for /ignore, ha.

By the way, I just remember that you're on PS4.  Looks like you're get your free anniversary weapons after you receive your next update so keep an eye on that.  

I think I've max'd vacuum and moved it to upper left corner. I believe I have Guardian installed as well. I think it's helping, just need to tinker with it I'm sure. It's only level 13 I think (if memory serves). I'll keep an eye out for Animal Instinct!

I agree! I can't help but love the designs.
Oh, do you draw fanart? :3

I, myself, am whipping something up. Slowly.

Annoyingly I've been launched out of maps... but other than that, nothing too terrible agitating. Okay, loading in two seconds slower than everyone else and them having already completed the mission. LOL.
Also high level Spy Missions with Corpus consoles, impossible for me!

I'm entirely impressed by the community. Intimidating (but that's just me), but everyone seems friendly enough.

I'll have to keep an eye out! All for free stuff. Thanks for the heads up.
 

[xiaodenden]

13 hours ago, (PS4)MelodiousMelody said:

I agree! I can't help but love the designs.
Oh, do you draw fanart? :3

I, myself, am whipping something up. Slowly.

Annoyingly I've been launched out of maps... but other than that, nothing too terrible agitating. Okay, loading in two seconds slower than everyone else and them having already completed the mission. LOL.
Also high level Spy Missions with Corpus consoles, impossible for me!

I'm entirely impressed by the community. Intimidating (but that's just me), but everyone seems friendly enough.

I'll have to keep an eye out! All for free stuff. Thanks for the heads up.
 

Not as much as I like, but I do.  I'd love to see what you make.  If you don't mind, please send me a PM in the forum when you're finished so I can check it out. :3 

Launching out of the map is one of my favorite bugs, haha.  I don't do it intentionally but it's funny when I'm not doing anything important or missing out some nice loot.  I like taking screenshots of weird things happening in game.

High level Corpus spy is annoying but you can cheese it with Limbo + Huras Kubrow or Shade.  Build some ciphers if you're having trouble with the hacking minigame or if you're running out of time because you triggered the alarm or enemy is shooting at you while you're hacking.

[(PSN)MelodiousMelody]

24 minutes ago, xiaodenden said:

Not as much as I like, but I do.  I'd love to see what you make.  If you don't mind, please send me a PM in the forum when you're finished so I can check it out. :3 

Launching out of the map is one of my favorite bugs, haha.  I don't do it intentionally but it's funny when I'm not doing anything important or missing out some nice loot.  I like taking screenshots of weird things happening in game.

High level Corpus spy is annoying but you can cheese it with Limbo + Huras Kubrow or Shade.  Build some ciphers if you're having trouble with the hacking minigame or if you're running out of time because you triggered the alarm or enemy is shooting at you while you're hacking.

Will have to remember to do that! I haven't worked on anything for a while. Busy, busy farming.
xD

Gah! Not when I'm soloing it... cause then I'm stuck, lonely like a last pickle in a pickle jar.
Ugh, my PS4 insists on recording everything for me. Lovely.

I've just discovered ciphers! OMG, it's a breeze now. Just got to make like 100x of them before load out (else I'll forget). Problem with those Corpus consoles, I can't see a darn thing.

Oh, obtained a Ash and Loki Prime set today. I'm a happy camper.
Got to figure out trade as well, phew! Oh, I don't know if I asked, but how does one gain access to Maroo's Bazaar? Several peeps have told me it should be readily accessed, but I am unable to access it. It's there, just, there is no tileset that I can get to it from.
: /

[Sloan441]

Ciphers are very nice, but don't get too reliant on them. They're for convenience, not a substitute for competence when hacking the assorted puzzles.

They don't work in sorties. When you're ready for that level of the game, you must be able to do the hacking with no help from the ciphers. Again, they're nice to have for convenience, but make sure you can actually do the puzzles--the hardest variants of them.

[(PSN)MelodiousMelody]

8 hours ago, Sloan441 said:

Ciphers are very nice, but don't get too reliant on them. They're for convenience, not a substitute for competence when hacking the assorted puzzles.

They don't work in sorties. When you're ready for that level of the game, you must be able to do the hacking with no help from the ciphers. Again, they're nice to have for convenience, but make sure you can actually do the puzzles--the hardest variants of them.

That's the problem I just can't for those high-level Corpus ones. I can't see the lines very well, I have to study them in the first few milliseconds that ultimately costs me the mission. I have to roll with other more competent hackers, or bring ciphers (which are very helpful).

 

But your right, mustn't get complacent with these things. I don't like to use something like ciphers typically, but I literally cannot see and process the Corpus consoles in time. Now, lower level Corpus or (any) Grineer consoles? Forget about it, I love those things, could do them all day.
I honestly don't think I can ever do those Sorties. They seem nigh impossible for me (which is accurate at my current level of possible). Lol.

[Sloan441]

When DE put the grineer puzzles in they about drove me nuts. I didn't get these and just used ciphers. Heck with it. Then came the sorties...

So, you simply have to learn to do them. The time limit on corpus ones can be a bit frustrating, but it's just a matter of learning how to do them. I still occasionally fat-finger a corpus puzzle, but even the hard ones I can do without too much trouble. The more you do them, the better you get at them. You'll get where you can recognize what's coming at a glance.

Same with grineer. At first, these I simply couldn't get my head around (didn't want to...you have ciphers, yes?). However, with sorties, you have to learn to deal with them. Loki Prime helped me with this. I got him only very recently and when leveling up, I made a point of hitting the low to mid level grineer spy missions and doing the hacking the hard way. There's no time limit and it's simply a matter of timing. There are marks on the puzzle to gauge cursor rotation and once you figure out how to lead with your reaction time, they become very simple; easier than the corpus ones, in fact.

So, now I simply do the puzzles to keep my hand in and keep ciphers around just in case of flubbing a puzzle or otherwise screwing up an approach and getting spotted. Emergency use, as it were. And sometimes you simply can't be bothered and they're there for your convenience.

Lastly, again with the sorties. You simply can't rely on random people in spy sorties--and there are a lot of them. That's why you have to learn the hacking puzzles. If you have a dedicated team and someone can hack, great. In the land of the PuG, however, it won't happen. You must be able to do them and running solo with Loki or Ivara is simply the best way to get past them in sorties.

[Djego27]

On 20.3.2016 at 3:57 PM, KuroShiranui said:

You could wait for until Excalibur Umbra comes, eventually. The thing is we don't know when. 

Considering you can't farm Rhino Prime anymore, I guess adding a potato to your Rhino would be good in the long run.

As for Latron, upgrade it to Tiberon and potato that. 

As for Lato, craft AkJagara instead. You'll need Akbolto (which needs 2 Lato as crafting components) and Dual Skana. 

Melee is a bit of a choice. You can use Kronen as a crafting component for Boltace, which primarily deals puncture. Kronen deals primarily slash. Both damage types has its pros and cons.

 

ps: Potato refers to Reactor/Catalyst. It's easier to refer it as such.

Tiberon was my first weapon I did put a potato on and it is quite solid for dps, got ok ammo economy and is pin point accurate at long range. Only downfall is that it falls off very hard in 40+ minutes survival or 40 waves of defence against armor, by the lack of status.

Today I would most likely just go for the Tonkor, Hek or Tigris, that are very close to the Tiberon for MR restrictions but have much higher damage output. You will also get the dex syberis soon, that is also a extreme solid weapon and beats the Tiberon in nearly every aspect.

As for secondary the akbolto is very solid, since you will struggle with armor early on. If you have somebody in the clan that can run a few T4 missions with you, the lex prime is not hard to get and one of the top end secondary weapons in the game. The mara detron also show up soon for baro on PS4 and it is definitive worth picking up if you can.

As for frames, something that is good at getting materials and void keys would be the the best, I guess mag or ember are your easiest options for that.

 

[xiaodenden]

21 hours ago, (PS4)MelodiousMelody said:

Oh, obtained a Ash and Loki Prime set today. I'm a happy camper.
Got to figure out trade as well, phew! Oh, I don't know if I asked, but how does one gain access to Maroo's Bazaar? Several peeps have told me it should be readily accessed, but I am unable to access it. It's there, just, there is no tileset that I can get to it from.
: /

Congrats on getting Ash P and Loki P sets.  :)

I have no idea why you can't access Maroo's Bazaar.  I've never had trouble getting there, and I don't know if you need to satisfy some sort of condition (finish Stolen Dream quest? *shrugs*) to unlock/access that node or is it a bug.  It's pretty much a relay on a low level planet so I doubt it's MR-locked or anything like that.  Back when we still had a relay on Earth, it definitely wasn't MR-locked.  Sorry, I can't help you there.  :(

[(PSN)MelodiousMelody]

1 minute ago, xiaodenden said:

Congrats on getting Ash P and Loki P sets.  :)

I have no idea why you can't access Maroo's Bazaar.  I've never had trouble getting there, and I don't know if you need to satisfy some sort of condition (finish Stolen Dream quest? *shrugs*) to unlock/access that node or is it a bug.  It's pretty much a relay on a low level planet so I doubt it's MR-locked or anything like that.  Back when we still had a relay on Earth, it definitely wasn't MR-locked.  Sorry, I can't help you there.  :(

Thanks, excited to try them out. Hurr, probably fail, but whatever. I'll die looking fabulous. Lol.

Huh, I'm starting to think it's a bug. It seems like it's suppose to be readily accessible. I just completed Stolen Dreams a day ago or so, no dice. I suppose I'll have to contact DE about it.
Thanks anyways.
 

[(XBOX)Archibald Jax]

A piece of advice on the corpus hacks-

Line up the outer ring first, then spin the center until it solves. That's been my method for as long as I can remember, and I have been designated the hacker on sorties by everyone I play with.