Generalist Frame

[FreyrPrime]

Hello,

I'm looking for a good middle of the road Warframe that'll remain viable into endgame. As a new player my resources are pretty limited and I don't want to spread myself too thin chasing multiple frames.

I currently have access to Nidus, Volt, and Frost Prime, with Nidus being my most used. I unfortunately missed out on picking Excalibur, which I kind of regret since he seems to be a solid middle road choice, and I won't have access to him till nearly the end of the star map.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[xXDeadsinxX]

You’re going to need to be more specific by, ‘Generalist frame’. Do you like Tankier type warframes? Or do you like CC type frames? What role do you like using.

[(XBOX)ultimategamerjr]

You can always get excalibur again by fighting Ambulas. Granted that farming Ambulas sucks imo.

[FreeWilliam]

So you're mostly trying to flesh out your options?

Looking at the three you have, it's a pretty fun mix and you've already got endgame-worthy frames...so I think we're more talking about specific endgame situations, right?  If I had those three and was only allowed to have one more than your lack of stealth kind of jumps out...which makes me think Ivara.

Ash and Loki also are great frames, but I think Ivara's friendlier when it comes into exploring a map stealthily.  She's also the best at luring a bunch of bad guys into the same place and making them all fight each other with a rad-proccing Lecta.  

Another option would be to go with less defensive and more manipulative control frame.  If you're wanting to stupidly long survival/defense missions, I kind of like Octavia because of how well she scales.  That's just a personal choice among like a dozen frames though, and I could talk myself into any of them. 

 

[FreyrPrime]

10 minutes ago, xXDeadsinxX said:

You’re going to need to be more specific by, ‘Generalist frame’. Do you like Tankier type warframes? Or do you like CC type frames? What role do you like using.

By Generalist Frame I meant something that performs well in most situations. Something that has damage, toughness, and a bit of utility but doesn't actually excel at any of it like a more specialized frame would.

Maybe what I'm looking for doesn't really exist, but I'm hoping for some kind of direction I can work towards going into  'end game'

[FreeWilliam]

1 minute ago, FreyrPrime said:

Maybe what I'm looking for doesn't really exist, but I'm hoping for some kind of direction I can work towards going into  'end game'

Oh! I see where your brain is!  

I was there too, turns out I was wrong.  That whole concept just doesn't work with Warframe like it does with some other games.  You can do too many different things and for every 'You need to have X and Y to handle Z' you've got a dozen people saying 'Or I could do this.  See, it works great!' and proving it. 

What ends up being important is having frame/weapon combos that you can take into pretty much any situation you run into (why I mentioned stealth...spy missions might occasionally annoy you with those three, but I've seen people run spy missions with Rhino and Atlas)

Your three frames are great to start with, and by the time you start hitting the tougher content then the conversations become about mods and specific weapon loadouts, and you'll have figured out how you like to play by then too!

[FreyrPrime]

4 minutes ago, FreeWilliam said:

Oh! I see where your brain is!  

I was there too, turns out I was wrong.  That whole concept just doesn't work with Warframe like it does with some other games.  You can do too many different things and for every 'You need to have X and Y to handle Z' you've got a dozen people saying 'Or I could do this.  See, it works great!' and proving it. 

What ends up being important is having frame/weapon combos that you can take into pretty much any situation you run into (why I mentioned stealth...spy missions might occasionally annoy you with those three, but I've seen people run spy missions with Rhino and Atlas)

Your three frames are great to start with, and by the time you start hitting the tougher content then the conversations become about mods and specific weapon loadouts, and you'll have figured out how you like to play by then too!

Okay awesome. I'll aim for a more CC based frame and a stealth frame next then.

I admittedly was looking a Equinox and Loki, but Ivara seems interesting as well. Thank you again

[NoXHeart]

Rhino is a good all around frame that works incredibly well early game and can still hold his own late game with the right mod set up, and can be gotten easily very early on.

Rhino charge isn't too good on its own, but with the iron charge augment you get a temporary armor boost that will increase your iron skin's health when casting it.

Iron skin soaks up damage while preventing knockdown and statuses, incredibly useful.

Roar gives a straight up percentage damage increase to you and your allies.

Stomp has great range and practically freezes enemies for a short time, can be spammed to defend objectives with max power efficiency.

 

Edited November 27, 2017 by NoXHeart

[nickelshark]

Rhino is an excellent choice as well as frost. Both are very versatile and scale well into late game content. Rhino has good support and cc along with one of the best self defense abilities in the game.

Frost also sports a lot of good cc and has one of the best team oriented defense abilities in the game.

[FreeWilliam]

3 hours ago, FreyrPrime said:

Okay awesome. I'll aim for a more CC based frame and a stealth frame next then.

I admittedly was looking a Equinox and Loki, but Ivara seems interesting as well. Thank you again

I'm gathering that you'll have quite a few of them soon enough.  

If Plat's at a premium, I'd also look into how hard some of those frames are to get.  Rhino for example is VERY easy to get in-game, while Atlas is a nightmare (I spend most of Archwing having no idea where I am, so I just up and bought him). 

Equinox is fun, she brings a lot to the table and is very powerful, and as a bonus you can do some really quirky things with her.  Loki is HUGELY popular and for good reason.  You can't go wrong with any of those frames IMHO.

You've also got at least two frames that you can happily tank with (Frost is underrated there, and Nidus is great), but the Rhino advice was good in that Nidus just feels weird to tank with and he won't give you the same experience (he's awesome though!).  Wukong, Atlas, Rhino, Chroma, Nezha, Valkyr, and many others are great there.  I'd try to grab one or two of those (and I know I'm missing some obvious ones).  They have a different 'dive into the fray' feeling than Nidus, you might like it!

[Mefira]

I had that mentality as well but warframes endgame is pretty lacking so it is best to work with frames that are good at doing a couple of pretty important things. IMO frames that can farm focus/affinity, endo, and credits efficiently and effectively are a top priority.

Nidus (or nekros) is excellent for farming endo since you can get together with a party of nekros and farm Vod arena for endo.

Focus and affinity generally go hand in hand so frames like equinox, banshee or saryn are great for doing stuff like hydron or bere. Special mention goes to equinox who can utilize the stealth affinity bonus with some of her builds. Of course, you can build utility frames like rhino or trinity that can get in on those premades but since they dont contribute to the dps, theyre not the most efficient choice. 

Mesa is great for running the index and is a great way to top up on credits whenever you open a credit booster from login rewards. Rhino or Nezha are good choices for index point carriers.

I would also recommend a stealth frame like loki since there will be some times where that ability can come in handy like unveiling rivens. 

As for actual content, stuff like sorties/bounties can be done by any meaningfully geared/built frame. Raids (trials) arent typically worth doing since the time and effort does not really match the reward. 

[(PSN)VaNiDgE]

I think frost is a good all rounder, he a tad tanky and has a good AOE attack, a precision type attack and a defensive abilities. i been able to solo nearly everything except interception with him and he can really help the team. 

[(PSN)samumon89]

The problem with using a tank like rhino/inaros or a stealth frame like loki for progressing through the "mid-game" is you can learn to rely too much on certain things and not learn other important aspects of the game. E.g. I played rhino for a while at like MR3 or something, and whilst it makes everything super easy, changing to a non-tank frame I was like "why do I just die all the time", then started learning to move better and play smarter.

Most frames have some use in "end-game", all the ones you have can be used in sortie 3s (certain missions at least). Just keep playing all your frames and acquiring new ones. Diversity makes the game so much more fun, for me at least. Best to get good with all of them :)

[Coldie93]

You might want to consider Nova.. She is my go to frame.

She has decent sprint speed which is good for running around.

Null Star gives her 5% dmg resistance for every orb (not that useful)

Antimatter drop deals huge amount of burst (can deal 300k dmg with a fully charged Orb at 140% power str)

Wormhole is good for moving around open fields

Molecular Prime is one of the most powerful ults as it slows enemy down and lets you deals twice the damage to them.

She isnt the tankiest frame but that wont really matter if the enemies are slowed with MP or dead from AMD explosions.

[mosaickle]

Honestly, unless you mod everything to oblivion, for casuals like me, the more 'end game' you get, the more you'd want frames who specialize. 

[(XBOX)ThermalStone]

 

Rhino is a great frame for beginning players.  He lets you tackle content that would be too difficult because his Iron Skin keeps you alive.  Frost does thebsame thing when you have to keep something else alive.

Nyx is easy to acquire and mod and provides great crowd control.  

For end game, Mesa is a wonderful blend of tank and damage output but she takes a lot of rare and primed mods.

 

[FreeWilliam]

15 minutes ago, NSDBL said:

Honestly, unless you mod everything to oblivion, for casuals like me, the more 'end game' you get, the more you'd want frames who specialize. 

So much this!

I find myself playing with weird variants of frames and weapons a whole lot more than optimal builds, and it just gets weirder when the synergies start coming into play.  Every day in groups of randos I'm running into some new fun Magic: The Gathering style combo, except with explosions and space ninjas. 

 

[bakaban]

11 hours ago, FreyrPrime said:

Hello,

I'm looking for a good middle of the road Warframe that'll remain viable into endgame. As a new player my resources are pretty limited and I don't want to spread myself too thin chasing multiple frames.

I currently have access to Nidus, Volt, and Frost Prime, with Nidus being my most used. I unfortunately missed out on picking Excalibur, which I kind of regret since he seems to be a solid middle road choice, and I won't have access to him till nearly the end of the star map.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

You have Nidus! It is my go to frame for pretty much any mission, especially sorties! He tanks, he does stupid amounts of damage, he can cc very well and when he spaws his infested garden can even play team-healer. You don't even have to invest much into modding him!

Vitality + steel fiber for a very good buffertank.

Stretch + cunning drift to increase range so you can grab more enemies with your 2 (this is your biggest help to the time. Enemies in your larva are harmless, so keep spamming that skill!

Transient fortitude (optional) to decrease duration (lets you cast 2 faster one after the other to build up clumps of enemies)

Rage or Hunter Adrenaline: when your health drops due to enemy fire 40 (rage) or 45 (hunter adrenaline) % of damaged health is turned into energy. Since nidus doesn't have shields, every stray bullet means a dose of precious energy!

That leaves you with 1 or 2 slots left over to slot in for example armored agility or a gladiator aegis/resolve.

How to play Nidus:

Group enemies with 2. While being pulled in and inside the ball of flesh, enemies can't hurt you. Great cc!

If there are 3 or more enemies that you can hit in one line or in the larva ball, cast 1. As soon as you hit 3 enemies, your 1 will generate enough energy to cast again. If you hit more than 3, you get free energy!

If you are under heavy fire, cast your 3 on the biggest bastard out there and have him facetank the lionshare of the damage directed at you.

Cast your 4 to heal yourself and allies. But also use the maggots that spawn in the garden to build up mutation stacks faster. You do this by casting 2 closeby so your maggots can run up and attack enemies in the ball. Then you cast 1. Every maggot you hit alongside the enemies explodes, deals extra damage and gives you a mutation stack. You can go from 10 to 40+ mutationstacks in one go with this, as long as you group up enough enemies and give your army of maggots enough time to cover them.

As for weapons, I like to play melee only on Nidus. His 2 drags the enemies to your feet, ready to blend into minced meat with your blade of choice. If you equip both rage and hunter adrenaline, you recover energy so fast you can just channel your melee all the time and nearly double your damage output!

Edited November 28, 2017 by bakaban

[(PSN)Sumugan_PS]

11 hours ago, FreyrPrime said:

Hello,

I'm looking for a good middle of the road Warframe that'll remain viable into endgame. As a new player my resources are pretty limited and I don't want to spread myself too thin chasing multiple frames.

I currently have access to Nidus, Volt, and Frost Prime, with Nidus being my most used. I unfortunately missed out on picking Excalibur, which I kind of regret since he seems to be a solid middle road choice, and I won't have access to him till nearly the end of the star map.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

The best Generalist frame is in my opinion Frost Prime and you already have him! He is my most used frame, followed by Ivara and Titania (and Nekros and Hydroid for farming).... He is easy to build, very defensive and decent offensive abilities... Great team player and great CC abilities... I would recommend that you focus on building him up, modding him properly and forma a few times... Get a few augment mods.... He is worth the investment and is good for any type of mission...

[MagPrime]

I take Mag Prime everywhere.  /shrug

It's really dependent on your playstyle.

[(PSN)CoolD2108]

vor 12 Stunden schrieb FreyrPrime:

By Generalist Frame I meant something that performs well in most situations. Something that has damage, toughness, and a bit of utility but doesn't actually excel at any of it like a more specialized frame would.

Maybe what I'm looking for doesn't really exist, but I'm hoping for some kind of direction I can work towards going into  'end game'

It does, you can choose from

Inaros - tough tank with self healing, healing support and Cc.

Oberon - jack of all, depending on your build excellent tank with radiation Cc and godly healing.

Harrow - pretty much a support/Cc frame but gains from his stuff a lot.

Rhino/Nezha - flexible ward users, good beginner choices.

Wukong - good tank and one of the better exalted ability users imo, if you fancy melee that is

Personall reccomendation: Ash. Pure DD with a really high damage potential and defense. No cc whatsoever but so frickin strong that he can be brought to anything. Kinda unique tho. gotta like it.

Edited November 28, 2017 by (PS4)CoolD2108

[FreeWilliam]

2 hours ago, bakaban said:

As for weapons, I like to play melee only on Nidus. His 2 drags the enemies to your feet, ready to blend into minced meat with your blade of choice. If you equip both rage and hunter adrenaline, you recover energy so fast you can just channel your melee all the time and nearly double your damage output!

I like your style!  Nidus is my go-to for the laziest melee in the game :)

2 hours ago, bakaban said:

Transient fortitude (optional) to decrease duration (lets you cast 2 faster one after the other to build up clumps of enemies)

@FreyrPrime to add a bit of explanation...Nidus' Larva (the thing that slurps the bad guys in a ball) is kind of the opposite of something like Vauban's Vortex when it comes to when it looks for mobs.  It only sees mobs that exist when you hit 2, so you have to recast to get new mobs that show up.  You can only have one out at once, so you'll eventually converge on Max Range Min Duration Nidus eventually even without our help ;)

[Alexter]

Il y a 16 heures, FreyrPrime a dit :

my resources are pretty limited

Go on Nekros or Hydroid + Vacuum Sentinel. Your resources won't stay pretty limited