How to pick a Main Frame

[-GothKazu-]

I want to main someone like my clan mates and YouTubers do

DK has Nova

AGGP has Loki

Shy has Banshee (for some unknown God forsaken reason)

Etc

 

So how do you pick your main? What's yours? How'd you decide "This is the one."? If your main sucks at a specific mission type, would you use them anyway?

[Cydro_]

Don't just pick out a main. Your 'main' is often just the frame you play the most. For me it was Ash, followed closely by Volt, and now it's transitioned into Nova.

My advice is to not go with the game meta, and just try out frames until you find one that you really, really enjoy. Go with how you feel rather than what people tell you

Edited April 23, 2016 by Cydro_

[Bibliothekar]

16 minutes ago, GothKazu-EN- said:

How'd you decide "This is the one."?

It just happens, I'd say. You play and you play and you play and suddenly you realize that you've played more than 50% of your time with a certain frame. I mean, it's fortunately not like having to buy a car or a house, you can switch easily when you find something that's "better" and can just as easily switch back if it doesn't work out.

And that's basically the criteria. I have to feel comfortable playing the frame, I have to get along with its abilities and quirks (for example, I can't play Nezha because of his ultra-slide passive), I have to like how its looks. Back when ability mods were a thing, I couldn't get behind the one-trick-ponies, because they were just boring me.

18 minutes ago, GothKazu-EN- said:

If your main sucks at a specific mission type, would you use them anyway?

Why? See it like this: Just because you like pizza, just because it's your favourite food - would you want to eat pizza every day, no matter what? Maybe I want a steak one day or a nice bowl of salad. So I'll have that and not pizza. Same with frames - sometimes it gets boring to play the same one all the time or they're not suited for that particular mission. Then it's no shame to switch and play something else for a while. Just because the youtubers you mentioned always use the same frame in their videos doesn't mean they don't play anything else when they're not recording. It's just their signature frame, the one they've become known for. There's a presenter in a German kids tv show ("Sendung mit der Maus") who's known for always wearing a green sweater. But I'm quite certain he wears other things as well when not on the job.

36 minutes ago, GothKazu-EN- said:

What's yours?

I'd have to look up which one's my most-used, but it usually shifts between Trinity, Banshee, Nyx and (since her rework) Saryn.

[TyrannosauRayz]

I watched too much 'BLEACH' (anime) . And I know you know who it is.

Spoiler

Zanpakutō

Spoiler

Excalibro

 

 

[rawr1254]

Never had a "one" I play all my frames pretty much equally. But if I had to pick my most "played" frame it'd probably be Chroma.

Honestly you just pick whichever frame you've had the most success with. In my case it's Chroma with his tons of dmg/armor buffs.

But while he is my most played he isn't 100% my "I need to use him" frame.

Edited April 23, 2016 by rawr1254

[Freekiku]

You will enjoy if you are the one figuring out if u like one warframe or not, so playing them all its the ultimate mode of picking a main. And dont worrie if you dont have one, i got 15 warframes and i still dont have a favorite :p

[Prime]

Choosing your main may take some years of playing, it took me about 2. Most ppl actually main a frame because they are able to run every Mission with him, without dieing all the time. 

[Dreddeth]

Some people pick what they enjoy the most, some people pick what they think they're best at, and some people are just called to a certain frame for sentimental reasons or a particular liking for its theme.

For example, I picked Nyx due to a little of all three. I was good with her, I had fun forcing my enemies to kill their friends, and I'm rather fond of how she's one of the most Lovecraftian things in the game.

That being said, plenty of people don't have a "main" per se, but actually have two or more frames that they enjoy equally. There also people who specialize their frames for different purposes, and thus bring a different frame when they need something that their current frame just doesn't have enough of.

[achromos]

15 minutes ago, GothKazu-EN- said:

I want to main someone like my clan mates and YouTubers do

DK has Nova

AGGP has Loki

Shy has Banshee (for some unknown God forsaken reason)

Etc

 

So how do you pick your main? What's yours? How'd you decide "This is the one."? If your main sucks at a specific mission type, would you use them anyway?

 

How do you pick your main...  through trial and error.  What warframe suits your playstyle and what warframe do you find enjoyment out of the most.  I find it hard to choose "1" main.  Though mine are...

1.) Inaros:  Tanky + CC

2.) Chroma: Tanky

3.) Wukong: Being able to hit enemies with a energy stick.

4.) Ivara:  Favorite stealth frame.

5,) Saryn:  Favorite DPS frame.

 

 

My 'main' has shifted several times.  So, I just stick with a top 5.  I decided upon those five because it fits my playstyle.  I like to get into the thick of things and crack some skulls with melee if need be.  Though I also love bows, and I adore the idea of spreading DoT's all over the place.

 

If any of those five suck for a mission, which... the only mission that would be even remotely hard would be Defense, defending a objective is Frosts speciality and if we don't have a frost I switch to them.

 

Having a "Main" doesn't mean you refuse to play others.  It would be counterproductive to the general goal of getting a reward for time spent.

[Exinanis]

How to choose a main

1.Pick a frame that fits in with your playstyle / Pick a frame whose powers you love to use

2.Decorate with Magical Space Glitter and make Main frame look fab

3.I don't have a third. Never thought you would read this far

 

For me I enjoy using melee and being passively tanky. Valkyr with her Warcry and innately high armour was the perfect choice.

[Hemmo67]

basicly i trynot to get into the group of players who main this or that

because switching around is fun from time to time and u won't get immediatly screwed in sorties if u need to change from valkyrs tanky style into something like nova who is squishy but powerfull at cc

but if i was to name out some that i use lot would be valkyr, volt prime, ember prime and limbo (not in said order)

[Lijka]

See what's mose fun for you. It does not need to be meta frame. If you love it and get good with it, you can play it in the endgame. There are some awesome Oberon and Banshee players out there.

Experiment, first and foremost you need to have fun and it does not matter if it's with a meta frame or one of the weaker ones.

For me it's Excalibur at the moment, but it used to be Frost and for  time even Nezha. I put forma into my Mesa and Oberon and they are more than enough for my, personal endgame. I don't do raids, though.

 

22 minutes ago, GothKazu-EN- said:

So how do you pick your main? What's yours? How'd you decide "This is the one."? If your main sucks at a specific mission type, would you use them anyway?

Maining a frame does not, in any way, exclude using others. Excalibur is my go to frame, but when I do spy, I will take Loki. If I go for long, solo T4 Interception I take Ash. Excal can do it, sure, but I'd rather have it done and over with asap. Admittedly I could take Mirage to make it even quicker but I happen to enjoy Ash, while Mirage not so much.

[Dabus87]

In all honestly, why would You limit yourself ? Playing one frame makes people burn out faster - change frame and load out often and You will enjoy the game more. 

[ashrah]

that is frame u enjoy most.....for me loki is somthing special that is only frame i put 5 forma on.....second is ivara...

[PaladinBlanc]

Personnaly, my favorite frame ( as in aesthetic as in gameplay ) is from far away Trinity. She was the first i crafted, the first i wanted to play with, and i'm never fed up with playing her. But i play other frames who please me as well ( Ivara / Frost ) or others i think they would be necessary to the mission ( Loki / Nova ).

[-dicht.Amducias-]

use what does the specific task you want to do in a mission the best so dont use a main

[ClinkzEastwood]

Play all of them.

The  one you like the most will be your main.

[MonkeyWaffles]

 

1. Choose one or more frames you have ease of access to.
2. Play with it.
3. Find out what sort of play-style you like (or don't like), based on your previous plays.
4. Do wiki research and find other frames similar to your favored play-style.
5. Get the frame(s).
6. Play with them.
7. Enjoy, and have fun.
8. Feed the fun ones with potatoes and formas.
9. Enjoy more, have more fun, and don't mind the grind.
10. Obsess about unfair RNG and how X or Y or Z is OP / underwhelming.
11. Be jaded.
12. Quit playing.
13. Come back again when there are enough new frames (and other content) to play with.
14. Go back to step #5 & Repeat.

 

The cycle continues...

[Serbian2G]

I usually main the one that suits my style of play so i guess it would be Rhino for now. But my goal is to have all of them eventually :P

Edited April 23, 2016 by Serbian2G

[Omnimorph]

9 hours ago, Cydro_ said:

Don't just pick out a main. Your 'main' is often just the frame you play the most. For me it was Ash, followed closely by Volt, and now it's transitioned into Nova.

My advice is to not go with the game meta, and just try out frames until you find one that you really, really enjoy. Go with how you feel rather than what people tell you

I very much agree.  Because of the nature of the game, you've always got a new frame "on the boil" as it were - building it or learning it.  At the same time, for your bread and butter missions, over time you tend to gravitate to a few frames that you love the most, and you start to lavish more forma on them, get really interested in the minutiae of their builds, etc. 

It just emerges over time, although I'd say that as with most other games, people generally have pre-set preferences for "caster/ranged" frames over "melee" frames.  That said, although I generally prefer "caster" types and tend to main Nova, Banshee and Volt, I also really enjoy Ash and Rhino.

Really, there aren't any outright duds amongst any of the frames, all are endgame capable up to lvl 100 mobs at least, and tbqh your bread and butter stuff usually doesn't go above lvl 60-70 mobs most of the time anyway.

So yeah, play what you enjoy using, stick potatoes and many formas on those things, and you will be a happy bunny.  Over time you'll get to understand the meta for yourself anyway, and have your own opinions about it.  Don't take forum gabble about what's "top tier" and what "sucks" too seriously, it's just a general guideline.  For example, even when Ember "sucked", I encountered some Ember players who came top damage in 40/40 content.

The more you personally enjoy using a frame/weapon, the better you will be at it, and often better than someone who's just using a meta frame/weapon because they're following the herd.  And if you're worried about finding teams, you'll eventually have and learn to use the "most requested" frames anyway, so don't worry about it too much.

Edited April 23, 2016 by Omnimorph

[xiaodenden]

I think finding a frame that you main is a very natural process.  You build and try out a bunch of frames and you find some that fit your play style more than others.  I have a couple of favorite, go-to frames for general purposes, but I'm comfortable with most frames and do switch frames regularly depending on the mission type.  Being flexible is even more important when it comes to sorties and their different conditions. 

My favorite frames to use are Excalibur, Volt Prime, Nezha, and Frost Prime.  I find them all very good in all sorts of conditions, I use all their abilities, and I like their looks. I guess I sort of main Nezha at the moment because he's my "new" favorite frame, but I have a feeling I'll be using Volt Prime a lot again after the rework.

[CrazyValkyr]

As many have pointed out. Try your way around the game, with various frames. I feel that this is one of the biggest appeals of the game - that there are so many possibilities how to enjoy the game, suiting your own style and natural gaming tendencies. There are people who may be telling you that something's the best thing; and that may be true, for them. But, preferences and style are different from person to person. Find your own flavor & have fun with the process - is what I'd say. :3

[EvilKam]

For me, it was simple.  I started off with Excalibur, and learned that without a reactor or good mods, Radial Blind worked on level 35 enemies just as well as it worked on level 1 enemies.  This is back when Excalibur "sucked", and was only used by "noobs".  Well, that's not true, Excal had his fans, sure, but we were a tiny minority.

I realized that I valued Utility more than some direct damage power that would fall off after 30 minutes of a defense mission.  I also enjoyed using Excalibur and doing very well with him, which forced haters to respect Warframe's poster-boy.  Finally, I was dead flat broke at the time, so the idea of buying extra slots was nothing more than a cruel joke to me.

As such, Excalibur is my most used frame, and always has been.

[Sloan441]

One 'frame can't do it all. You need a variety of warframes of differing capabilities in your armory.

Early on, your options are limited, so you end up using one quite a bit. However, as mission types diversify, you should, too. Also, things do get harder and just powering your way through content won't always work. You'll need both stealth and control 'frames to get things done--at least without too much drama.

Early on, I was a big proponent of Trinity and Banshee--mostly because they were about all I had. Trin was handy for team use (duh), and my clan was a good deal more active then. You should try as many warframes as possible. You'll find some you like that you didn't expect you would (for me, this was Vaubon).

[-GothKazu-]

Guys, I didn't say I would ignore other frames or LITERALLY ONLY USE SUCH&SUCH CUZ REASON.

I mean a favorite frame. The frame you pick up when you're just messing around and not actually trying to TryHard/EndGame/GetRekt the game.

How do you pick your "this is mine. There are many like them but this one is mine <3" Warframe

[Sloan441]

Well, you don't really "pick" them, they pick you.

You just find certain warframes you really like as you play and you gravitate to that warframe. It won't always be the same one. I've gone through phases of playing a lot of Trinity, then Banshee, then maybe Saryn (I played a LOT of Saryn when key farming before Lua was reduced to a backwater--enough to displace Banshee as my most used warframe).

Lately, I've been doing a lot of void farming for forma and old prime pieces about to go into retirement. Trinity Prime has been the warframe of choice because, a) I like her, b) she can rank up weirdo weapons like snipers while doing it, and c) the denizens of the void can't do much about it. It's about the only excuse I have to play her because most PuGs don't make particularly good use of support 'frames and it reminds me of the good ol' days of farming mods in mid-tier infested survivals when I was a new player--and Trin was my go-to 'frame for that.

I didn't pick any 'frame past farming up what looked interesting or was the new warframe on the block. Some just gelled with how I liked to play and allowed me to do stuff I liked to do. Simple as that.