How can I have fun with Warframe again?

[Scylax]

I've had an account of Warframe for two years. I'm mastery rank 13, I've unlocked all of the planet nodes, and I've amassed a collection of items that I'm satisfied with. Warframe has gotten boring for me, but the combat and control interface is still amazing, so I'm looking for a way to reignite my experience with Warframe and start having fun again. I decided that I would only do this under one condition though: I absolute refuse to grind for anything. This means no more spending an upwards of 36 hours grinding for the last Reaper Prime part in endless Derelict missions, no more spending hours repeating the same void missions over and over to farm for the unvaulted prime parts, no more farming for prime parts to rank up in syndicates, and no more grinding for cryotic, plastids, and polymer bundles to build items. I've ended up wasting so much time grinding for petty items in so many games that I am completely done with grinding. The problem being that everywhere I look for fun in Warframe, it's hidden behind grinding -- even recent quests.

I've thought of PvP, but I imagine I'll get bored of Warframe pretty quickly if I limit myself to just that. Is there anything else I can have fun with in Warframe that doesn't involve grinding?

Edited July 3, 2016 by Scylax

[PsychedelicSnake]

You're taking a good step on deciding to not grind. However, the next step you have to take is not viewing the general gameplay as a grind. You have said it yourself you enjoy the core mechancis and gameplay. So, build off that. If you can focus on the core gameplay, anything can be fun. Simply don't view whatever you do as a grind. It can be difficult if that is all you've seen it as for a long time, but trust me when I say you will never get bored if you just have fun for the sake of fun. I mean, I've been here since pretty much the beginning and I'm *still* here.

[TheGunSlanger]

Well, I WOULD recommend doing DE's challenges they usually set up once every few weeks for plat prizes... but they seem to be ignoring those, so my suggestion is to just be creative. See that enemy in the corner? Why shoot it with a boltor prime when you can fly in the air, do a 360, and shoot him in the head with a bow? 

[Scylax]

8 minutes ago, PsychedelicSnake said:

Simply don't view whatever you do as a grind.

The reason I'm not a fan of grinding isn't because I recognize it as grinding -- it's the two hours I meant to play the game increasing to ten and at the end not having a single thing to show for it. Even if I limited myself to two hours instead of playing until I got what I was after or an insane amount of time had passed, if I keep trying to get an item for two hours every day but a couple days in I still haven't gotten it, I'm still going to be bored.

[PsychedelicSnake]

2 minutes ago, Scylax said:

The reason I'm not a fan of grinding isn't because I recognize it as grinding -- it's the two hours I meant to play the game increasing to ten and at the end not having a single thing to show for it. Even if I limited myself to two hours instead of playing until I got what I was after or an insane amount of time had passed, if I keep trying to get an item for two hours every day but a couple days in I still haven't gotten it, I'm still going to be bored.

I think that's the problem right there. The idea that you have to get a "physical" thing out of it. Obviously we can't all play the same way, but there are often days I don't actually earn anything but I still had fun playing. It can be tough not setting your eyes on a singular thing, but it pays off when you stop doing so.

[Scylax]

Whatever game I play, I have to have a reason to play it. This might come from how often I would binge play games like Rome Total War over and over in the past, but whatever the reason, I need to have a tangible goal when I play a game in order to have fun, and it has to be something I can come back to. For instance, in Skyrim, all I ever need to do to have a great time is loot equipment off of enemies and then pile it up at my playerhome, but I wouldn't be satisfied with a counter for how many enemies I slew or generic item rewards (resources in Warframe for instance). I can't find anything in Warframe that's like that besides items and syndicate standings though.

[Lanadra]

32 minutes ago, Scylax said:

I've had an account of Warframe for two years. I'm mastery rank 13, I've unlocked all of the planet nodes, and I've amassed a collection of items that I'm satisfied with. Warframe has gotten boring for me, but the combat and control interface is still amazing, so I'm looking for a way to reignite my experience with Warframe and start having fun again. I decided that I would only do this under one condition though: I absolute refuse to grind for anything. This means no more spending an upwards of 36 hours grinding for the last Reaper Prime part in endless Derelict missions, no more spending hours repeating the same void missions over and over to farm for the unvaulted prime parts, no more farming for prime parts to rank up in syndicates, and no more grinding for cryotic, plastids, and polymer bundles to build items. I've ended up wasting so much time grinding for petty items in so many games that I am completely done with grinding. The problem being that everywhere I look for fun in Warframe, it's hidden behind grinding -- even recent quests.

I've thought of PvP, but I imagine I'll get bored of Warframe pretty quickly if I limit myself to just that. Is there anything else I can have fun with in Warframe that doesn't involve grinding?

No grinding no grinding no grinding? Ehh, maybe you should just call it quits then..? I mean, it's not going to change.

There's only so many things you can ''creatively'' do to distract yourself from what farming Derelict the entire day for 1 prime part actually is, grinding, you can pretend it's not, get creative, keep things fresh by switching weapons and frames every run, but in the end, when you realize you spend the last 8 hours in ODD without getting what you were doing it for, you can't call it anything else then grinding.

I will repeat, it's not going to change, sticking often crucial parts in an utterly stacked drop table, such as ODD rotation C, is just business strategy, the whole mental battle to steer you towards that Mag Prime vault page, rather then farm it out.

Edited July 3, 2016 by Artorius-Alter

[PsychedelicSnake]

Just now, Scylax said:

Whatever game I play, I have to have a reason to play it. This might come from how often I would binge play games like Rome Total War over and over in the past, but whatever the reason, I need to have a tangible goal when I play a game in order to have fun, and it has to be something I can come back to. For instance, in Skyrim, all I ever need to do to have a great time is loot equipment off of enemies and then pile it up at my playerhome, but I wouldn't be satisfied with a counter for how many enemies I slew or generic item rewards (resources in Warframe for instance). I can't find anything in Warframe that's like that besides items and syndicate standings though.

I don't really know what to say, then. Warframe, as a free to play game, is built around the player getting stuff to get more stuff. You can either commit to it or deny it, or sometimes find the middle ground. Not much else a player can do beyond that, though. If your general goal in similar games is to get stuff, then the best I can say is to find your own way to have fun while doing so.

[Lanadra]

5 minutes ago, PsychedelicSnake said:

I don't really know what to say, then. Warframe, as a free to play game, is built around the player getting stuff to get more stuff. You can either commit to it or deny it, or sometimes find the middle ground. Not much else a player can do beyond that, though. If your general goal in similar games is to get stuff, then the best I can say is to find your own way to have fun while doing so.

For some people, me included, progressing towards a tangible goal is how we have fun.

In any game, Warframe included, I want to see myself progress, preferably at a decent rate, if I don't see it, I grow annoyed, and eventually pissed, not everyone can just switch to ''just have fun to have fun, don't worry about obtaining something''.

[Scylax]

8 minutes ago, PsychedelicSnake said:

You can either commit to it or deny it, or sometimes find the middle ground ... If your general goal in similar games is to get stuff, then the best I can say is to find your own way to have fun while doing so.

I think that's the problem: I like getting stuff, and in Warframe, there is no middle ground. The only two states that exist are you don't have an item and you do have an item. You could say that the part gathering is the middle ground, but generally the time to get those is so spread out that it doesn't really seem like any progress is being made (at least in my experiences). In Skyrim, I can see that pile of equipment growing ever so slightly each time I kill an enemy, while in Warframe, I only make progress towards getting stuff every couple of hours (if that). I've bought platinum to get stuff in the past, but that's not really a sustainable habit, so I think I'll have to limit myself to only playing Warframe when new quests come out and I'm constantly engaged.

Edited July 3, 2016 by Scylax

[bowiespoon]

play exclusively with friends.
 Play missions with weak gear

 play with strange builds

utilize the movement system fully.

[PsychedelicSnake]

Just now, Artorius-Alter said:

For some people, me included, progressing towards a tangible goal is how we have fun.

In any game, Warframe included, I want to see myself progress, preferably at a decent rate, if I don't see it, I grow annoyed, and eventually pissed, not everyone can just switch to ''just have fun to have fun, don't worry about obtaining something''.

Never said people can just switch to it. The thing is, the fun of Warframe's "grind" is centered around whether or not the player has fun with the base mechanics and gameplay. If they can have fun with the most basic stuff, then they'll have fun no matter what they do. That's how I am. I can grind if I choose to and I'll still have fun, but I'll be having fun anyway.

[corrosivePaladin]

Only Mastery 13? Mate you gotta get the other weapons. Give them a try. Try odd mod combos. Who cares about Meta Damage/DPS. Just look for and try out different weapons and find what you actually find to be fun.
 Like the Panthera. We all know it's poopoo for damage, but hek does it feel good to use. Like when you use that same weapon type in Dead Space. Mess around with more oddball builds too. It doesn't hurt. All it will do is offend the sweaty meta kids. Do you really care what a Giant Dad thinks?
 

[Scylax]

1 minute ago, corporatePaladin said:

Only Mastery 13? Mate you gotta get the other weapons.

Yeah that's what I've been doing for the longest time, except that doesn't sustain a fun experience and goes against my rule of no grinding.

[PsychedelicSnake]

2 minutes ago, Scylax said:

I think that's the problem: I like getting stuff, and in Warframe, there is no middle ground. The only two states that exist are you don't have an item and you do have an item. You could say that the part gathering is the middle ground, but generally the time to get those is so spread out that it doesn't really seem like any progress is being made (at least in my experiences). In Skyrim, I can see that pile of equipment growing ever so slightly each time I kill an enemy, while in Warframe, I only make progress towards getting stuff every couple of hours (if that). I've bought platinum to get stuff in the past, but that's not really a sustainable habit, so I think I'll have to limit myself to only playing Warframe when new quests come out and I'm constantly engaged.

It seems to me you want instant gratification. I don't mean that in the normal negative way, by the way. I use the term because it's the appropriate descriptor for what you are describing. Games like Diablo and Path of Exile have a similar kind of "loot system" to Skyrim in that you get to use the thing right away. Warframe, on the other hand, is built in the opposite direction. There's time between getting the thing and using the thing. As much of a cop-out answer as it sounds, Totalbiscuit said it best. Warframe's loot gratification won't be for everyone, but if you truly enjoy the core mechanics and gameplay regardless of anything else, you'll be having fun whether you get the thing or not.

[(PSN)O_o_II_II_o_O]

6 minutes ago, corporatePaladin said:

Only Mastery 13? 

So what? Great to see some playing the game for enjoyment as opposed to equipping weapons just for Mastery. People are obsessed with levels.

 

If you are burnt out you are burnt out. Can't force these things. Move on and one day perhaps you will get the buzz again.

[Lanadra]

Another thing is, you don't have to endlessly perpetuate your staying, I treat Warframe like all the MMO's I play, I return when it has new stuff for me to do and enjoy, I leave when I get bored, usually it'll mean a few months of absence for me, but hey, it works for me.

It's not black and white, it's not an ''either you play for years on end, or you quit permanently'' thing like so many people tend to think.

Edited July 3, 2016 by Artorius-Alter

[Azrael]

5 minutes ago, corporatePaladin said:

Only Mastery 13? Mate you gotta get the other weapons. Give them a try. Try odd mod combos. Who cares about Meta Damage/DPS. Just look for and try out different weapons and find what you actually find to be fun.
 Like the Panthera. We all know it's poopoo for damage, but hek does it feel good to use. Like when you use that same weapon type in Dead Space. Mess around with more oddball builds too. It doesn't hurt. All it will do is offend the sweaty meta kids. Do you really care what a Giant Dad thinks?
 

I agree with this. I don't care about your MR, but a lot of the fun I get out of this game is messing around with new weapons. I also love taking non-meta weapons and making them good. Then I take my new non-meta weapons to high-level missions and just enjoy playing with it and testing it's limits. Recently me and 2 friends did a MK-1 braton only T4 survival, and my next plan is to take my Lato around the star chart, killing various bosses and beating various missions with it. I give myself challenges and mess around with different builds and playstyles. I learn how to use frames I'm not used to,  or abilities I don't usually use. Anything that's not meta or known for being strong is especially attractive to me. I like testing the limits of things I'm not supposed to use. 

[FLSH_BNG]

Start tutoring new players, take on a pupil/student and show them the ropes. Help them to get things.

I've helped 3 other players get really good at this game and managed to help get them more than a few things they needed; they've returned the favor as well.

You learn a lot more about the game and get your knowledge of the lore reinforced as well when you teach it to other players.

Take up the mantel of Tutor/Sensei; it's how I manage to keep going as long as I have.

 

I'm looking to get another of my friends into the game soon too, He's waiting for his PC parts to arrive, then I'll have my fourth student.

[PsychedelicSnake]

Just now, Artorius-Alter said:

Another thing is, you don't have to endlessly perpetuate your staying, I treat Warframe like all the MMO's I play, I return when it has new stuff for me to do and enjoy, I leave when I get bored, usually it'll mean a few months of absence for me, but hey, it works for me.

This is good to do as well, if all else fails. If you can't have fun, forcing it will only make it worse. Take a break and come back when the feeling strikes you if it comes to that.

[PrVonTuckIII]

My steps to solving burnout:

1) Stop using meta weapons/builds.

2) Use the randomize feature.

3) Roleplay.

4) Try challenging yourself or friends using said randomized loadouts.

5) Just do anything other than grind.

If all else fails, then take a break from WF, and play something else. Or do something useful with your life. :P

[(PSN)Nyxn607]

I won't speak for others, but when I play warframe I set a goal for myself for the day.  For example,  Today I will level up my archwing, that is it.  If I only get 1 level I met my goal, the rest of my time to play is for fun.  Another day I might say that I want to use up all of my tier 1 void key's just because I don't like them sitting around.  Someday's I don't even set a goal, I just do what looks to be interesting.  I see someone in recruiting wanting a group for hyena?  Sure. I'll hop in.  Someone else wants to do 60 rounds of ODD, sure why not.

To me warframe is an escape from the monotony of life, I grow tired of the games that only have a certain amount of content to play and never grow upon it.  With warframe you know that there will be new content ... soon^tm .  It might also help that I don't get to play every day, I am lucky if I get 2 days a week to play.

To sum up my point, instead of looking at the game and trying to figure what you are going to do that day, instead randomly join groups that look interesting. Do something you wouldn't normally do, like take a loki with no duration into a teir 4 survival just to see how far you can go as a personal challenge.  It might spruce things up for ya.  I hope this helps you, good luck tenno!

[Lanadra]

2 minutes ago, PsychedelicSnake said:

This is good to do as well, if all else fails. If you can't have fun, forcing it will only make it worse. Take a break and come back when the feeling strikes you if it comes to that.

Exactly, if you're not having fun anymore and find yourself going ''why do I even still launch this game?'' then it's a clear sign to take a break and move to another game, I recently had it with GW2 before I switched over to playing Warframe again, at some point you're simply burned out, at some point you feel like you've had enough of the new stuff and want something else again.

[(PSN)CrackFoxLegend]

Honestly man, the best way I can think of is to take a nice long break. I took a 7 month break a while back and when I came back, it was like a totally different game. I would suggest doing it now though, before the big changes start rolling out. That way when you come back, there will be tons of new things to discover and do.

[Arceus255]

Try having fun with builds; I recently found Chroma extremely satisfying to use against lephantis on a max strength build, and one-punch atlas is a pretty fun build in itself. Branching off of that I found atlas's walls max strength to be very fun to play with, and really, just think of ridiculous builds. Challenge yourself with them.

[Mcl_Blue]

I would advise you try to help some friends through the game. Outside of grinding for the newest gear, I've done almost everything there is to do in Warframe. I literally have no reason to play by myself. But I do still like playing, and it pains me that I have nothing to do in the game. What has been alleviating this is helping my friends get the stuff I already have. Materials, frames, guns, Prime parts, quests, you name it. It's a good motivation that helps me get through the more boring, mindless parts of the game, and in the meantime I'm slowly amassing resources for the Sibear, which is much better IMO than just doing 6 hours of Excavation daily until I have enough for it.

If you don't have any friends that play Warframe, you could always look for newbies to teach. For me, that hasn't worked quite as well, but it seems to be great for a lot of people.

Outside of that, I'd really advise you take a break from Warframe, go play other things in the meantime, and then come back when there's some cool new content to do. It's not much, but it does help in keeping the game fresh.

The best solution out of these, IMO, really is to play with friends, though. That one goes the longest way in deterring burnout.