What Frame should I go for?

[Thereddic]

So I have returned to Warframe after roughly a two year hiatus and now have about 3 times as many frames to choose from. Considering that all I do with my Frost is run, gun and cast globe when things get scary, I imagine that there is a frame that will be more fun for me to play (yes, I'm sure Frost can do more than that if I know how to use him properly, but I want to try something new).

So I'm looking for a frame with the following qualities:

Durable. This doesn't have to mean takes a million bullets and likes, but I'm very bad at staying alive in Warframe, so I'd like to have some solid method of keeping myself going

Fast. I'm not talking Volt speed or anything like that, I just am tired of Frost's slooooow plooooding around. So above average speed since I like bouncing around, but I don't need to be top tier here.

Uses a bunch of abilities. The abilities are the main feature of the frame, so I'd rather look into a frame that does a bunch of stuff beyond just pointing the Soma and holding the trigger. I'd also prefer to (like everyone does, I'll bet) focus on damage or CC here. I want to be more proactive with my gameplay is the general idea. I'd prefer to avoid things that just amplify my abilities as well. As an example, from what I understand, Mirage's five-self thing just looks neat and amplifies damage dealt. I'd prefer abilities that do something more noticable than just flat number buffs.

Preferably one of the better frames. Mainly, I just want to avoid the frames that are notably weaker than others (example: Oberon). Since I'm going to be investing resources into this, I'd like to be sure that I can participate in the relative endgame with this.

 

Sorry if this is a bit vague, I'm pretty unfamiliar with a lot of how the new frames play out now. ANy advice you can give?>

[kasalaba]

Nezha is hard to get, but is just that. Quick, strong iron skin-like ability. Durable and all else. Good luck farming tho...

[MrM1]

You may try Nekros. When fullly modded, he can stay alive in all cases and you don't even have to max out his shields because he will gain health orbs all the time (and also gains free health when enemies die nearby). And also he forces enemies to drop even more loot (but I guess you already know that).

Another unique build is the ''Infinite Invisibility Loki''. No need to mod health or shields (not even armor), just aim to max out the Invisibility and you can be invisible all the time so that he can be viable for the hardest survival missions. People survive 60+ minutes with that build because they are always invisible (if you're invisible, nobody can attack you, nobody). And also when maxing out Invisibility there are still 3-4 mod slots left which you can do random stuff with (eg: more speed, parkour mods and so on)

Excalibur is a must-have. Turning your melee weapon into a range weapon with Exalted Blade is just sweet.

If you like hearing women scream (not necessary on a sexual way) then Valkyr is your best bet. Stunning enemies via screams, gaining more attack speed via screams and even getting some sick claws of death + immortality via a simple scream is just awesome.

[Cookusmeow]

Valkyr is a great choice and easy to get. 600 armor is awesome, while Hysteria makes you invulnerable

[(PSN)skins0208]

I have my fun with Mesa

[-Sharpz-]

Nezha is nice fast frame which I take into Sorties with higher level enemies. He is a fun frame to have.  He is very effective with a Huras Kubrow which would put you invisible. Check him out. 

[(PSN)Elctrcstel]

The way i see it is this: you have 3 parameters to this triangle here. you will have to pick 2 in most cases. Take (Ice)Chroma-Built for his 2 and 3, you will be casting those about every 60 seconds and he is super durable (one of the best Tanks) but he is pretty slow. Ivara-she is fast and you will use her abilities a lot. Nezha-super fast, usefull abilities, but pretty squishy (even with warding halo up).  then there is Wukong (slight exception)-decent abilities, decent speed, artificial durability due to his defy ability. Valkyr (another slight exception)- great powers, enough armor to protect a real tank, normal speed, and can become temporarily immortal with her 4.

do a little research on the Wiki and find what will fit your playstyle best.

and don't shy away from the "weaker" frames. they can surprise you.

Edited November 10, 2016 by (PS4)Elctrcstel

[-Sharpz-]

5 minutes ago, kasalaba said:

Nezha is hard to get, but is just that. Quick, strong iron skin-like ability. Durable and all else. Good luck farming tho...

You can buy him cheap in trading or trade something you have to get him. Nezha is a great frame if modded correctly.  He is fun and very effective with high level enemies.

[Archeyef]

Don't listen to these heretics. There is only one frame for you, and she is the glorious Trinity Prime. Witness the power of her fully armed and operational battle skirt (it has physics, and that's all that matters).

But seriously, Kasalaba and Sharpz are right. Nezha sounds like he might be what you're looking for. If you want to farm him you'll need to do Sorties, though.

[trunks013]

13 minutes ago, kasalaba said:

Nezha is hard to get, but is just that. Quick, strong iron skin-like ability. Durable and all else. Good luck farming tho...

Trade chat a lot of tenno are trying to get rind of nezha part if i remember correctly.

[KotoKuraken]

Inaros. Naturally tankiest frame in the game, can easily heal himself with most of his abilities and any finisher move, and has plenty of cc.

You could literally do a build around duration and range, with a Vitality, Steel Fiber, and Rage added in there, and can handle pretty much anything just blinding everything too big or powerful for you.

Or you could go for a more advanced approach and mod around Strength and Duration to cast Scarabs on enemies, healing your teammates and yourself pretty well.

Or you can go for the Devouring thing to eat enemies alive and use Sandstorm to toss them against the walls. Repeatedly.

Edited November 10, 2016 by KotoKuraken
Cloudy Tentacles Compel You

[Urlan]

Nezha is Oberon mixed with Volt and Rhino and in a more fragile overall body without energy no less. A good choice for a warframe, but if Oberon is not a concern due to being outclassed by specialists, I doubt that another all-rounder would fill the gap. Consider Chroma or Inaros for durability mixed with damage, though mind that both do their killing with weapons rather than abilities for the most part. Valkyr would be another good option according to your specifications. You will find specialists tend to suffer early without optimal mod support but generally scale better on their favored missions.

[Insizer]

Zephyr: She can move around a map like no one's business and her 3rd is one of the best defense abilities in the game. The problem is that she doesn't do any damage really and her kit isn't too useful in restricted areas.

Valkyr is also a good option: She is one of the most durable frames in the game and is melee focused. She is also pretty fast and mobile. Her ult's augment mod makes her jump across maps basically.

Frankly, it is hard to find a frame that is both durable and fast.

[-Ryuurei-]

Hmm, let me list a few and explain below why them: Saryn, Zephyr, Trinity, Nyx, Nova, Nezha, Excalibur, Mesa.

Nezha, Zephyr, Trinity and Mesa each have damage reduction abilities, allowing them to take hits effectively. Saryn has an augment that makes Molt heal you over time and her prime has a massive energy pool for QT.

Saryn, Excal (with a certain build), Nyx and Nova can all be considered casters to some degree. Nyx and Nova get their durability from CC.

Nezha, Zephyr, Excal and Nova all have some form of mobility skill.

Each of them is a great choice with its own pros and cons in comparison though, so watch some videos and see what looks best to you.

[Sador1978]

Nova, Mistress of Space and Time
She's fast and has decent armor for a "caster" frame.  Here's the kicker, a high Power Strength Molecular Prime turns EVERY hostile in range into a slow motion target.  Some places that are difficult to parkour into are no sweat because of her Wormhole ability, which can also help with team mobility.

Heavy Gunners aren't very dangerous when they are reduced to firing every 1 shot/sec instead of the 20 shots/ sec they usually have.  Besides, what's not to love about throwing balls of pure antimatter around.

Method of acquisition: Kill the boss on Europa a LOT.

Oberon, The Forest Lord
The Forest Lord is tough, quick(ish) and on certain maps can have an army of pissed off cats and dogs(well, neutral at the very least).  He does well on most maps, even with a low power pool.  His two attack powers have a 100% Radiation Status chance.  That is if they don't kill everything outright.  He can also cure status and heal.  He needs a revisit, though not necessarily a full rethink on some of his stuff, but he's a good solid Frame who's only real failing is that he's hard to FashionFrame on his default skin.

Method of acquisition:  Kill LOTS of Eximus class units.  (In all seriousness though, it's entirely possible to have Oberon before you even get to the Boss that drops Rhino)

If you've completed The Second Dream(and if not, why haven't you?), then you might go for my 3rd favorite Warframe:

Titania, The Faerie Queen
Titania is a recent addition that brings actual flight into the ground maps.  She can also buff several different, powerful buffs concurrently.  Can CC a LOT of hostiles(presuming your team doesn't get trigger happy on the poor ragdoll who's actually do the work) and her 4 ability is to shrink down and unleash a swarm of Razorfly class attack drones which fly around independently shredding any poor sap they get close to and drawing agro from Titania herself while she flies around with her Dex Pixia machine pistols which gain benefit from certain Primary weapon mods and are generally good for ruining someone's day.

Method of acquisition:  Complete the quest, "The Silver Grove".  This will require you to have a scanner.  Helios won't work if you have all the info on the various plants around.

Anyway, welcome back and good luck. 

Edited November 10, 2016 by Sador1978

[John89brensen]

What you want my friend is Ivara.

2 hours ago, Thereddic said:

Durable. This doesn't have to mean takes a million bullets and likes, but I'm very bad at staying alive in Warframe, so I'd like to have some solid method of keeping myself going

Ivara is very squishy, and at high levels can be easily killed. BUT, she can turn invisible for insanely long periods of time, much longer than Loki. Her invisibility consumes energy per second, if you move it consumes more, stand still and the cost will be minimal. I've been invisible for well over 30 minutes in void missions, with specific builds.

 

2 hours ago, Thereddic said:

Fast. I'm not talking Volt speed or anything like that, I just am tired of Frost's slooooow plooooding around. So above average speed since I like bouncing around, but I don't need to be top tier here.

The only downside to Ivara is that if you try to sprint, slide, or bullet jump you will break out of invisibility. Plus, while invisible she walks instead of moving at normal speed. That being said, there are ways around this, you can use a combination of double jumps and rolls to cover ground quickly, or use one of Ivara's specialized arrows (dashwire) that will put a zipline pretty much anywhere in the map (Ivara can sprint and slide on ziplines).

2 hours ago, Thereddic said:

Uses a bunch of abilities. (...) I'd rather look into a frame that does a bunch of stuff beyond just pointing the Soma and holding the trigger. I'd also prefer to focus on damage or CC here. I want to be more proactive with my gameplay is the general idea.

So this is where Ivara shines. Her kit offers a lot of oportunities on how you engage the enemy, she has damage, cc and utility skills.

The first ability Quiver lets you choose from 4 different arrows: The first arrow type, cloak arrow, creates a bubble of invisibility. You can shoot this arrow at companions, other players, even the enemy, creating every time a bubble where you and your buddies will be invisible. The second arrow type, dashwire, creates a zipline between you and the point of impact, the zipline has no time limit, and you can create up to 4 at the same time. This is the only pleace where Ivara can sprint while invisible. Next, is the Noise arrow, pretty simple, just makes noise that distracts the enemies, as long as they are not alerted (otherwise is pretty useless). Lastly, is Sleep arrow, puts the enemies to sleep for a certain amount of time, its an area attack, so one arrow can put to sleep a lot of enemies.

Her second ability Navigator lets you get control of any projectile you fire (this means no hit scan weapons). This includes, throwing knifes, arrows, the glaive, rockets, grenades, and the arrows from the Quiver skill.

Prowl is her third ability. It will turn you invisible, and when close to enemies you will pickpocket them. Like i mentioned before this has no time limit, you can mod Ivara to reduce enery consumption and remain invisible for longer periods of time. Also like i said before you cannot sprint, or bullet jump, and you will move at walk speed. Firing an weapon will temporarily break the invisibility, but this can be remedied with either a Hush mod, or by using a bow.

And finally Artemis Bow. Ivara will create a bow that deals a ton of damage and fires multiple arrows at the same time. The damage is affected by the mods you are using in your primary weapon (bow and rifle mods). This ability can one shot multiple high level enemies.

Also Ivara enemy radar as a passive ability.

 

So there it is, Ivara. She is a frame that encourages creativity, and has a kit that allows her to tackle multiple situations.

Edited November 10, 2016 by John89brensen

[Gorila_Azul]

Durable... fast... uses its abilities a lot...

Yep. You just described Nezha, the most fun frame in the game, imo.

I can give you two of his parts, if you want.

[DatDarkOne]

Here are my two recommendations that fit all of your criteria.  Ivara and Titania both fully satisfy the 3rd one by having really good abilities as well as ones that do good damage also.  Both have good survivability and speed.  In Ivara's case, you will sacrifice some speed depending on how you build and use Prowl.  Outside of Prowl she's one of the faster frames.  Titania is the easier of the two to get by a large margin. 

 

6 hours ago, Sador1978 said:

Titania, The Faerie Queen
Titania is a recent addition that brings actual flight into the ground maps.  She can also buff several different, powerful buffs concurrently.  Can CC a LOT of hostiles(presuming your team doesn't get trigger happy on the poor ragdoll who's actually do the work) and her 4 ability is to shrink down and unleash a swarm of Razorfly class attack drones which fly around independently shredding any poor sap they get close to and drawing agro from Titania herself while she flies around with her Dex Pixia machine pistols which gain benefit from certain Primary weapon mods and are generally good for ruining someone's day.

Method of acquisition:  Complete the quest, "The Silver Grove".  This will require you to have a scanner.  Helios won't work if you have all the info on the various plants around.

 

5 hours ago, John89brensen said:

What you want my friend is Ivara.

Ivara is very squishy, and at high levels can be easily killed. BUT, she can turn invisible for insanely long periods of time, much longer than Loki. Her invisibility consumes energy per second, if you move it consumes more, stand still and the cost will be minimal. I've been invisible for well over 30 minutes in void missions, with specific builds.

And finally Artemis Bow. Ivara will create a bow that deals a ton of damage and fires multiple arrows at the same time. The damage is affected by the mods you are using in your primary weapon (bow and rifle mods). This ability can one shot multiple high level enemies.

Also Ivara enemy radar as a passive ability.

 

So there it is, Ivara. She is a frame that encourages creativity, and has a kit that allows her to tackle multiple situations.

Word of note.  With certain weapons and build, Ivara can stay invisible continuously far longer than any others. 

[MrPhixit]

Inaros - 3000 Hp with no shields (Rage mod works wonders) and if you go down you can self revive by aiming at enemies. He has a blind ability for CC and the scarab swarm. He literally eats the health from enemies and if they die they become a Sand clone. If you been away for awhile this is the frame that's going to be a lot more fun than the others.

[xiaodenden]

Sounds like Nezha is your frame to try.  He's extremely speedy and mobile.  He's quite tanky with his Warding Halo but you should also rely on his mobility to survive.  All of his powers are useful for yourself and the team, and to play him effectively you will need to use all his abilities.  He's got healing/status removal for yourself and teammates, and his Warding Halo augment Safeguard is amazingly useful.  He's great for crowd control and his damage isn't too shabby either.  He's great for soloing and in a team.  I take him to high level missions all the time.  His parts drops from sorties, but you probably can get all his parts cheap from other players.

You should also check out Equinox if you like to use different powers.  A lot of people tend to run around with her 4th day form power Maim, but she's actually a lot more than that.  Her night and day forms allows you to use different strategies and play style in a single frame, and her augments are quite interesting as well.  As Equinox you can play support or deal damage (even in the same session since you can switch her forms anytime you want in game).  I'm not very good at using her, but those who main her can vouch for her greatness.  I don't think you can get bored with her if you like to experiment.  The only thing bad is farming and building her parts (3 parts per aspect, 2 aspects need to be build before you can build the main frame), and she's one of the few frames I would recommend buying from the market because it's such a huge pain.

If you're interested in mobility and wide range of powers, Titania might be good but she's pretty squishy so you'll need to rely on her powers and mobility to stay alive.  I also find she's kind of hard to mod, but I admit I haven't spent enough time on her to figure out good builds for her.  Not sure if she's end game frame, but she's definitely not bottom tier frame.

Inaros is extremely tanky and his powers are pretty fun/interesting.  I think his speed is average but I guess you can always slap a Rush or Mobilize on him?!  He's pretty easy to mod and he's a quest frame so no constant farming of bosses.

Some older frames (Volt, Excalibur, Mag, Mesa, and Nekros are some that I can remember right now) got reworks fairly recently so I recommend you revisit them to see if you like them.  I was already a huge fan of Volt, but his rework makes him even better. 

[Desperado14]

Mesa can be tanky with abilities, and a very proactive and offensive frame.  also ash/ ash prime.  

[John89brensen]

13 hours ago, DatDarkOne said:

Word of note.  With certain weapons and build, Ivara can stay invisible continuously far longer than any others. 

I am aware, i used to solo T3S with Ivara. I said 30 minutes as an average estimate, because even if you dont run out of energy (and with the correct set up that should take a good while) there are other factors that might force you to break out of stealth ,like a nullifier spam.

[DatDarkOne]

37 minutes ago, John89brensen said:

I am aware, i used to solo T3S with Ivara. I said 30 minutes as an average estimate, because even if you dont run out of energy (and with the correct set up that should take a good while) there are other factors that might force you to break out of stealth ,like a nullifier spam.

It wasn't directed at you fellow Tenno.  It was giving more information to those that might not know this such as OP.   

Spoiler

By the way, my Pox and Akstiletto Primes love meeting Nullies.  Pox being the more fun one to use.  hehe

  Happy Hunting Tenno!

[John89brensen]

2 hours ago, DatDarkOne said:

By the way, my Pox and Akstiletto Primes love meeting Nullies.  Pox being the more fun one to use.  hehe

The Pox sounds like an interesting alternative, gonna give them a try. I usually go with Hikou Prime, for the speed, then sleep arrow + Dark Dagger with CL.