Spring is in the air in Warframe, and so are a bunch of bouncing Grineer tanks. A major overhaul update has revitalised the Plains Of Eidolon, the free-to-play shooter’s original open-world zone. Digital Extremes have returned to Earth to polish up the environment, bringing it more in line with the scenic Venusian landscapes of Fortuna. That means more greenery, some new boss fights, more animals to rescue, and some new grinding opportunities for those who have brought their hoverboard back home. The devs even reckon it’ll run smoother, too. Below, an update trailer.
Warframe's Plains of Eidolon, the game's first open-world space, has been updated today. It originally launched in 2017, flinging all sorts of activities and threats at wandering players. Since then, Warframe has only grown, both in size and ambitions, so Digital Extremes has returned to Eidolon to give it a visual overhaul, new enemies and even more diversions. See what you're in for above.
Terrain textures, dynamic lighting, the day and night cycle and more have all been improved, and it should run smoother, to boot. It looks good! It's been a wee while since I visited, and I didn't find it especially dated (it's only a couple of years old), but I won't turn my nose up at a makeover and performance improvements.
As for new things to do, you can now track and trap animals in the Plains, either finding them as you walk around or using Echo-Lures to call them. Start collecting them and you'll net yourself a badge and some adorable Floofs.
If you're looking for something a bit more dangerous, there's a new type of Grineer machine causing problems. Tusk Thumpers are big defence platforms on legs and come in three varieties: regular vanilla, Bull and Doma. Apparently they don't have an obviously vulnerability, so taking them down will involve finding their weak spots, and you'll need to do it quickly. You'll also be able to get Thumper Floofs! So many toys.
Thumpers giving you trouble? Maybe you just need to stick some weird devices on your hands and feet. You'll look ridiculous, but the Korrudo Grineer sparring weapon will amplify all of your attacks. It might just be worth the mockery.
We’ve added a suite of improvements, including updated terrain textures, dynamic lighting, richly detailed trees and foliage, as well as a more nuanced day/night cycle. Plus, with all the technical improvements, the Plains runs smoother than ever!
SAVE THE CREATURES OF THE PLAINS
You can now track and trap animals in the Plains! Master Teasonai will be your source for Echo-Lures as you work to get these animals to safety. Echo-Lures are not required as these animals continually roam the Plains, but calling them will bring them running (or flying!). A Conservation Badge and new Floofs from Master Teasonai await your efforts.
MERGOO An avian of ridiculous appearance found along coastal regions and by large bodies of water. Mergoo circle and squawk at the sight of marine predators. Many an Ostron fisher owes their life to these odd little birds. Killing one is considered very bad luck.
New Kuaka and Condroc variants can also be found throughout the vast Plains of Eidolon!
NEW ENEMIES: TUSK THUMPERS INBOUND
Reports of a new Grineer machine have spread to Cetus. Vay Hek has deployed Tusk Thumpers -- mobile defense platforms that are just as efficient as they are deadly. Be prepared to encounter three menacing Thumpers of increasing size and difficulty: the Tusk Thumper, the Tusk Thumper Bull, and the Tusk Thumper Doma.
Without a vulnerability to use to your advantage, you’ll need to identify and expose their weak spots to take them down as quickly as possible. Take too long, and they’ll release reinforcement drones.
When you're done with this roaming threat, make sure to pay a visit to Nakak! Trade in Resources to get a new Tusk Thumper Floof - there's one for each type of Thumper for you to collect!
NEW TENNO REINFORCEMENT
Expand your personal armory with the newest Grineer Sparring Weapon.
KORRUDO Powerful pneumatic grips and toecaps amplify every blow. Four ways to deal twice the pain.
Time flies when you’re having fun, and six years have just whizzed past playing space-ninja loot n’ shooter Warframe. I can’t think of many other games that have changed as drastically since launch, either. What was once a scrappy last-ditch attempt to keep the lights on at Digital Extremes is now a sprawling free-to-play monster with its own annual convention. To celebrate this endurance, for the next two weeks players will get a few cosmetic goodies just for logging in, and a complete matching set of gear for hacking and slashing through some low-level bonus missions.
783 billion enemies killed. Nearly 50 million registered Tenno. 1.8 million Floofs earned.
Thank you for an incredible 6 years, Tenno!
Celebrate with us and log in on March 27 at 2 p.m. ET until April 10 at 2 p.m. ET to receive the new Liset Dex Skin and Excalibur Dex Noggle for free! You’ll also be able to earn all previous Dex items by completing special Anniversary Alerts.
The full list of previous Dex Items available is as follows:
Dex Furis
Dex Nouchali Syandana
Dex Dakra
Dex Sybaris
Excalibur Dex Skin
But act quickly, these Alerts are only available until April 10!
You still have time to save 15% off Tenno-designed 6th Anniversary merchandise from For Fans By Fans, plus a chance to win Mesa Prime Access! Order before March 31 at 11:59 PM PST, by using discount code: 6YEARS at checkout.
Warframe is celebrating its sixth—yes, sixth!—anniversary and to celebrate, Digital Extremes is dropping a freebie into your inventory later this week.
Unlike PUBG's celebratory dusty baseball cap, Warframe will be awarding its players a new and exclusive Liset Skin. There's bonus gifts for new players, too; last year's Dex Excalibur skin will be reissued, along with "all its previous anniversary gifts".
If you're wondering what's next for Digital Extreme's fan-favourite shooter, community director Rebecca Ford and creative director Steve Sinclair recently laid out an entire Warframe roadmap for 2019, confirming not just the return of the TennoCon convention, but also details of new Warframes in the works, too.
Steven awarded the MMO a hearty 86 when he reviewed Warframe last year, stating that while "Warframe doesn't rub it in your face, there's a wealth of lore and story to unearth—especially once you get to more recent, ambitious story quests." Impressed by the "colorful" NPCs, he praised the game for its "a sprawling world with stories to tell, people to meet, and loot to farm."
It's not every day you hear about six-year-old online games continuing to grow, but Warframe seems determined to buck the trend. This week the game marks its sixth year of life and record numbers of players - and is celebrating by giving out goodies for all.
Originally released back in 2013, Warframe received a... less than favourable review from Eurogamer, but over the past six years has evolved into a slick and popular title.
2018 appears to have been a particularly big year for Warframe: according to Digital Extremes, the game's registered player base grew from 38 million in March 2018 to "nearly" 50 million in March this year. The game also saw "new peaks for daily active users and monthly active users in 2018", something corroborated by Steam's own stats, which show the game saw an all-time peak of 132,201 concurrents on the platform five months ago.
