Seriously how do you main a Warframe?

[phoenix1992]

Just now, DatDarkOne said:

Try getting them to understand the difference between Effective and Over Powered.  I've seen this term over used, abused, and completely lose it's original meaning.  

PST wanna buy some End Game?

But not the scrub Sortie/Bonties/Mot End game, it is my specific type of End Game that only end gamers end game.

[Sajochi]

Just now, DatDarkOne said:

Try getting them to understand the difference between Effective and Over Powered.  I've seen this term over used, abused, and completely lose it's original meaning.  

 Try getting people to understand the difference between fact and opinion. It's essentially the same level of headache. 

[(PSN)CoolD2108]

Oh you can. You'd be suprised how well you can. Most frames offer a certain flexibility and strategys to handle high level content, where it becomes less important what knife you use but rather how well you handle it.

Sure, there's also low level rushing but really... any frame can wield a ignis for similar results.

[DatDarkOne]

5 minutes ago, Sajochi said:

 Try getting people to understand the difference between fact and opinion. It's essentially the same level of headache. 

I can't give you all the upvotes you deserve for that one post.  

[Misgenesis]

I main flexibility too....in the form of Saryn.

As mentioned maining doesnt necessarily mean exclusively using one frame, i see it as 'best with X'

[MrForz]

Il y a 2 heures, ugoooo a dit :

As a this main,....

As a that main,...

Sounds problematic in a game like this, isn't it?

Having some favourites that you enjoy is normal, but you can't bring the same knife to every gun fight.

I main flexibility, prefer some Warframes to some missions and gladly choose whatever team requires or needs. 

If I feel like cosplaying ninjas, I go solo and pick whatever I like. If I want to do something with people, I will choose the most helping.

Cheers,

It's meme material at this point I'm afraid.

[DreamsmithJane]

3 hours ago, ugoooo said:

Having some favourites that you enjoy is normal, but you can't bring the same knife to every gun fight.

A "main" is whatever you use the most, and default to when not compelled to use something else. It doesn't mean that's the only thing you use.

1 hour ago, Alcatraz said:

I believe "main" is an over used substitute for "favorite" and feels to me, cringy.

You know what makes me cringe? When people describe things as "cringy". Talk about "over used"...

[Alcatraz]

11 minutes ago, DreamsmithJane said:

You know what makes me cringe? When people describe things as "cringy". Talk about "over used"...

Welcome to the World Wide Web. A place where you're going to meet a lot of people. And by meeting these people, you're going to see words that others have used, used again by others. Rather they were there to see it used before and go; "Gee that guy used this word already, I better not so it doesn't get over used." 

 

[StinkyPygmy]

Considering you can blitz most content regardless of the frame you play i'd say na, its not an issue at all. I personally main Saryn and Banshee, but I can play other frames just as effectivly.

[TheGrimCorsair]

It's pretty easy when you're Hydroid. Can do just about everything but give other frames power.

[Rekkou]

By the game design alone, any warframe can be used for any mission.

Some missions are easier with certain warframes, some missions are harder with certain warframes. But there are no missions that are impossible to complete with or without certain warframes. Those are how missions were made. DE aren't going to make a mission that can only be completed by certain warframes.

Most warframes are actually designed with balance of offense, defense, crowd control and utility. Not every warframe have them, but most of them will have enough that they can handle various situation.  Can't defend effectively, then kill more effectively. Can't survive enemies attack, then stop the enemies from attacking you. Can't stealth, then rush.

And on top of all that we still have gears and focus that can compensate warframe weakness. Need extra damage? corrosive procs, Kavats, Madurai and Helios can help you. Need extra hand? just summon spectre or turrets. Need stealth but no Loki, Ash or Ivara? Shade and Kubrow can help you.

So Yes, you can bring the same knife to every gunfight, because you're allowed to bring more than a knife to the gunfight.

 

 

[DirePresent]

As a Volt main, I horribly miss his speed whenever I change my frame, guess things like that explains why people mains a specific frame.

[Shaw1996]

even though I use Valkyr 50+% of the time, I use other frames like Frost Prime, Oberon Prime, Nidus, octavia, and Nekros. I don't have every frame built though. The issue about me is I would miss the Ripline mobility, Attack speed and armor buff, and self healing when i play a different. Inaros, Oberon Prime, Trinity Prime, and Nidus have Self healing too and Oberon can give himself extra Armor but they don't have the Mobility and Attack speed buff. Harrow is probably the closest but he focus on Gunplay instead of Melee and he don't have the Armor buff or Mobility. Beside that, he's pretty close.

Edited December 20, 2017 by Shaw1996

[Gandergear]

Maining a frame is synonymous where you will take that frame, guaranteed, if there is nothing specifically preventing you from taking it (team composistion, incompatible mission type), it doesnt mean you get to try to bring your gara as a replacment for an eidolon hunt

[(PSN)MrNishi]

On MrNishi: 

I'll blatantly admit to being a Valkyr-main, because of high-effective health and Paralysis (Now Prolonged Paralysis)

Have 2 Multi Forma Valkyr Primes (like one 4 forma and the other  is 8 or 9)and a 10 Forma Normal Valkyr

Valkyr is my Go to Corpus Spy Warframe because I can use Prolonged Paralysis as either an Anti-camera or make all Humanoids/Moas lay on the floor while I hack the Spy Vaults.

(Nullifiers with Shields down get full Prolonged Paralysis stun duration as the Nullifier bubble does not dispel Prolonged Paralysis stun)*

Before Prolonged Paralysis was ground knockdown I used : Paralysis + WarCry and Original Prolonged Paralysis for easy headshots with a run'n'gun build.

4400-ish hours and over 50% of that time has been Valkyr/Valkyr Prime usage.

No Permanent Hysteria. Just spamming Prolonged Paralysis and then dispatching the pile with Melee or switching to Operator for some kiddie kills.(Lens on Amp seems to Focus level at higher rate, especially with Prolonged Paralysis stun  + Radiation/Viral Lacera counting piled enemies as unalerted state when switching to Operator for Stealth kill affinity)

I often dabble with Banshee/Octavia/Harrow and the usual Trinity/Vauban/insert Recruit requested frame.

 

Since PoE I have been playing Valkyr Prime more often: Pulling enemies in and then switching to Operator for easy Amp grenade lobbing. 🤗

 

The newer Operator Abilities with Focus 2.0, make it even easier to stay as the same Warframe for every mission.

Octavia definitely fits the bill for bringing a single knife to every fight. Octavia doesn't care what weapon of limitation has been placed as long as she can eventually get a power cast.Defense/Mobile defense/Riven Challenges/Sortie Assassination/Spy/etc.. (I am just awaiting Augment set before I seriously invest (only 6 formas in at the moment)

Just like Amesha + Fluctus/Grattler for most AW easy mode, aside from Golem when Odonata + Velocitus or PoE Itzal Blink (mobility)& Cosmic Crush (loot)

 

On other accounts I have a Mag Prime main and then a Nekros Prime main, but they are more of limited by slot availability and thus I choose to only invest formas into what Frames and weapons will get me through Sortie content.

Edited December 20, 2017 by (PS4)MrNishi

[Rhekemi]

 

Quote

Having some favourites that you enjoy is normal, but you can't bring the same knife to every gun fight.

1

Very often warframes aren't the knife or the gun, they're just the hands holding the Galatine Prime, War, Tigris Prime, (Rivened) Opticor, or (Rivened) Sicarus Prime.

When players build for self-sustainability and if the mission doesn't depend on any one warframe's specific powerset, team composition is irrelevant. 

This is why running your favorite or main isn't problematic, detrimental to the team, or unhelpful.

It's only problematic, detrimental, or unhelpful if you don't know what you're doing.

Whether you actually can main a warframe in Warframe, whether you actually should, and whether people understand the difference between a main and a favorite is irrelevant.

Knowing what you're doing (and not costing the team the mission) and having fun is all that matters.

Do what you want and let others do whatever they want as long as the above statement remains true.

I also agree with many of the fine points raised by others (Kalec, MagPrime, Dreddeth, Baterial, just about everyone to a degree, even if I disagree in other ways).

That said, something I think you ought to keep in mind is that language is a living thing. Having a main, or maining a character in gaming has different meanings to different people and different games. It doesn't make any one meaning wrong. Despite my feeling that a "main" best fits traditional role-based MMOs (think WoW, LoL, Rainbow Six Siege, etc.) and pure PVP titles (think Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Injustice, etc), lexicographers (the people who put dictionaries together for a living) take usage into account when defining a word or when redefining it, adding new meanings.

Again, usage matters because language is a living thing. (No, this doesn't mean that some usages and definitions aren't just plain wrong. Of course they are.) The term "main", like all language, evolves to suit the user's purpose. I think it's evolved to suit purposes here in Warframe, too.

Because Warframe is not a game that neatly fits into any one category, can't be neatly described by any one traditional term, and isn't a hardcore PVP game or a traditional role-based MMO (where the team lives or dies based on you knowing your role), I think it's perfectly okay for people to use "main" to mean "favorite" or "warframe I use most of the time" or any of the meanings so many members in this thread have already ascribed to it.

Think of Warframe as the UK and something like Injustice 2 as the US. Main can mean two different things on both sides of the pond and still be correct.

Usage.

Context.

On 12/19/2017 at 6:25 PM, DatDarkOne said:

Easy.  Like this....  Hehehe

MagPrime said it best though with the following...

 

That's pretty close to what I'd call maining. I'm far too casual and uncommitted to put in that much work into a single warframe.

I'll put forma on anything, eventually, but potatoes come first. Fashion I will most certinaly put on anything. All my 'frames should look good (to me). Doesn't matter if I rarely wear them.

My favorites, my most used, those that serve my purposes best and suit my playstyles well, and those that have the most forma are probably all one and the same. Excalibur, Nyx, Rhino, Frost, Saryn, Mag, Nova, Trinity, Nekros. I loved Mag before her rework and never learned how to play her afterwards. I don't rely on Rhino much for anything anymore, nor Excalibro. I haven't seen my Nyx in ages. I'm more likely to take Nekros to farm these days, or to take Saryn for maximum death and CC, or Nova. Nova's probably the only one of my original faovirtes I still rock.

I'm sure I'm forgetting one of my favorites, but I would never say I main any of them, though. Too much I don't know, and I'm too casual.

 

Edited February 5, 2018 by Rhekemi
Typos, etc. Found more typos, etc.

[(PSN)TertulSee]

9 hours ago, ugoooo said:

As a this main,....

As a that main,...

Sounds problematic in a game like this, isn't it?

Having some favourites that you enjoy is normal, but you can't bring the same knife to every gun fight.

I main flexibility, prefer some Warframes to some missions and gladly choose whatever team requires or needs. 

If I feel like cosplaying ninjas, I go solo and pick whatever I like. If I want to do something with people, I will choose the most helping.

Cheers,

I play other frames but I always go back to Nekros. What’s so hard to understand?

[MagPrime]

1 hour ago, (Xbox One)Cubic Clem said:

So yeah.. how does one main a frame? 

There are dozens of responses answering this.  Scroll up. 

[phoenix1992]

1 hour ago, (Xbox One)Cubic Clem said:

Uhm... I slap that much forma on every frame and every weapon.. does that mean I 'main' every Warframe? :'D I REALLY understand the OP.. I also wondered how people can main stuff when you're often forced to play different warframes.. for example Nova is my most used frame, but I don't consider her my main frame.. she's just good in public play to ensure a mission success.. bc people die less .. bc.. u know.. everything's slow..

 

Mate please read the full sentence, slapping formas is just the start.

[OoKeNnEtHoO]

The real problem is slots.

It is not free so people who do not trade or want to spend money have to "main" certain frames.

That said, "Maining" a frame doesn't have to mean the person must only play 1 frame because that will be really boring and not a smart thing considering how often nerfs can occur (more so in the early days).

I am an Excalibur "main" but I also use Trinity, Loki and Frost (slightly less but still about) as much, depending on the mission type. Also, in order to keep things fresh, I also select frames at random when I go leveling new weapons and recently it is Nidus, Chroma, Rhino and Trinity.

This is also a very effective coping mechanism I have developed over playing for 4 years to deal with having a "main" nerfed especially on a frequent basis (In the earlier days, I really only played Excalibur mostly so after 8 or so nerfs, it does take a toll).

[ugoooo]

Do you wanna know why "maining" sounds silly?

Because you are implying that you know the frame well, better than another Warframe. While this might seem to be true, it also means that you don't know how to play well enough with others. This is at basic, lack of knowledge rather than mastering one. 

I can't say that I can play every Warframe at their full capacity, even though it is the one that I play the most. So if I say I main the one that I know the most, it means I don't know how to play with others rather than mastering that frame.

 

[phoenix1992]

1 hour ago, ugoooo said:

Do you wanna know why "maining" sounds silly?

Because you are implying that you know the frame well, better than another Warframe. While this might seem to be true, it also means that you don't know how to play well enough with others. This is at basic, lack of knowledge rather than mastering one. 

I can't say that I can play every Warframe at their full capacity, even though it is the one that I play the most. So if I say I main the one that I know the most, it means I don't know how to play with others rather than mastering that frame.

 

That's a lot if implying there mate, that comes from a lot of feeling about things. 

[(PSN)MrNishi]

9 hours ago, Shaw1996 said:

even though I use Valkyr 50+% of the time, I use other frames like Frost Prime, Oberon Prime, Nidus, octavia, and Nekros. I don't have every frame built though. The issue about me is I would miss the Ripline mobility, Attack speed and armor buff, and self healing when i play a different. Inaros, Oberon Prime, Trinity Prime, and Nidus have Self healing too and Oberon can give himself extra Armor but they don't have the Mobility and Attack speed buff. Harrow is probably the closest but he focus on Gunplay instead of Melee and he don't have the Armor buff or Mobility. Beside that, he's pretty close.

I feel you on Valkyr's mobility: specifically her soft landing where I can disregard what height I am falling from and know that nothing will interrupt my action/attack when I land. Hoping they give Ripline a slight tweak where Ripline allows Aim-glide to reset so that she can maintain floatiness between airborne Ripline casts or wall clings between casts. (Currently Ripline doesn't really reset the Aim-glide/Wall Cling duration)

Harrow is pretty effective for Melee, as long as he is paired with a high-range melee. Also melee combos that score easy headshots are a huge plus. 

(Need to be able to attack the enemies others might be trying to gun down)*

 

[(XBOX)Morph0]

For farming, sorties or alerts etc I main volt / capacitance and opticor or dread for bow only sorties. Wish the score boards showed more of the contributions.

I have built him as more a Support CC spike dmg dealer. Capacitance converting 3% of all damage to overshields usually means 1.5k -2.5k shields for each player. 4 endless spam means next to 0 dmg being taken consistently and opticor + volt shield has seen 50 to 100k per multishot on lvl 100 raptors and 1-2 shotting ambulas on the sorties.

Lastly if anyone is meleeing the speed spam with CC lock means they go to work with little risk.

Seriously underrated frame before and after the update.

[(PSN)Ozymandias-13-]

16 hours ago, Kalec said:

Maining a frame does not mean to never play other frames. Maining a class in an MMO does not mean you can't play other classes.

^ This.

I have 4 main frames that I play the most, I also play literally every other frame regularly and switch frames almost every single mission depending on what I feel like or whose good at that objective.

"Main" means "primary" in this usage. It doesn't mean "exclusive" in any usage of the word I'm aware of.