Warframe has been one of the best free-to-play games available for years. One of the biggest reasons for this is the large number of characters (A.K.A. Warframes) that players can choose from. Each of these Frames has multiple ways that they can be built to wreak havoc across the galaxy. Over time, these Warframes have become more difficult to play.
While earlier Frames can be thrown together with little knowledge of how they work, newer Frames can be extremely difficult to figure out. This is partially due to the way their abilities work together. Yet, some Frames are more intuitive, and great for newer players to pick up.
Updated August 10, 2021, By Aden Carter: The team behind Warframe has continued to add new characters into the game. At this point, there are forty-seven Warframes to choose from, all with widely different abilities. This isn't even counting the expansive list of Prime variant Warframes. Digital Extremes is always hard at work to create the best characters, but even the newer Warframes are confusing to learn. Recent Warframes like Sevagoth have been confusing players since release — but still, others remain that are beginner-friendly and easy to pick up.
14 Easy: Rhino
Rhino is one of the early Warframes that players can pick up in the game by simply farming the Frame's pieces from Jackal. Players can find this boss on Venus in the mission Fossa.
Rhino is one of the earlier Warframes that was released, but he still holds up as one of the best. As the basic tank Frame, he can handle the harsh battles that others can't. His Iron Skin ability protects the player from getting damaged, while his other abilities allow the player to plow through enemies and buff allies.
13 Complicated: Harrow
Harrow is one of the more difficult Warframes to get and one of the more difficult to learn. Each one of this character's pieces comes from killing void fissure enemies, completing a spy mission on Pago, and completing rotation C spy missions.
His abilities are mainly focused on giving buffs to allies. This sounds easy, but it can be very hard to go from hard-hitting characters like Rhino to a character that requires the player to read ally health and shields. Knowing when to cast each of Harrow's abilities is the hardest part of learning the character.
12 Easy: Excalibur
Excalibur can be built in a few ways, but newer players have a habit of using his Exalted Blade ability. Players who want to obtain Excalibur can unlock him by farming Lech Kril on Mars. Each time the player completes the mission, they will get a random piece of Excalibur.
Excalibur's abilities are pretty self-explanatory. Exalted Blade lets players run around with a glowing sword that can kill enemies quickly when built right. Slash Dash allows players to rush forward and slash through multiple foes. Finally, Radial Blind flashes a blinding light that paralyzes enemies and blinds them for a short period, and Radial Javalin throws a projectile that impales enemies to walls.
11 Complicated: Lavos
Lavos is the alchemist Warframe that commands the different elements to annihilate enemies. The only problem is that it can be a little tricky to get a handle on the different abilities as they all work together. Each ability imbues the next ability with an element type.
This type of ability chaining is something that newer players could have a problem with, because the starting characters don't require it. Most of the starting characters have standalone abilities that can be used more than others.
10 Easy: Khora
Khora may seem difficult because she uses one of her abilities to command her pet, Venari. Despite that, though, this Warframe is actually easy to learn. Most of the time, players can just ignore Venari, as she will attack enemies on sight.
Using the other abilities is simple. Strangledome encases an area in a dome made of metal that traps enemies, Whipclaw hits enemies with a whip, and Ensare traps an enemy in living metal. Players can obtain Khora by completing standard Sanctuary Onslaught missions.
9 Complicated: Equinox
Equinox is hard to learn and can be annoying to obtain. This is because Equinox is two Warframes in one; the day form and the night form. Players can obtain all of Equinox's parts by defeating Tyl Regor on Uranus. Each part drops randomly, and there are eight of them to obtain.
Aside from the annoyance of farming, players will need to get used to a character that has more abilities than normal. The Metamorphosis ability changes Equinox from day form to night form and vice-versa. Each form has three different abilities that the player can use as well.
8 Easy: Volt
Volt is one of the Warframes that a player can choose to start with, but gamers can also get him by buying the blueprints from a clan Dojo.
Volt's abilities are simple and easy to enhance with various upgrades. His Shock ability shoots out a lightning bolt that shocks enemies, while Speed, predictably, makes him move fast. Electric Shield places a shield on the ground to block projectiles, which players can also pick up. Lastly, Discharge lets Volt shoot out a storm of electricity in a small area.
7 Complicated: Nidus
Nidus isn't as complicated as some Warframes, but he is a challenge for new players who switch from easier Frames. To unlock the components to build Nidus, players need to complete rotation C of the salvage mission on Oestrus, Eris.
What makes Nidus more complicated than other Warframes is the switch in playstyle. Most Warframes use the standard energy system to use their abilities. Nidus uses energy, but he also uses mutation stacks. This can be a little confusing to players who first use this Warframe, and so making a build for Nidus can prove to be difficult at first.
6 Easy: Atlas
Atlas is known as the rock Warframe, because he uses rocks to create rockslides, summon missions, and petrify enemies. He is a powerhouse that most new players can get used to quickly.
Atlas has one of the highest armor ratings of any of the Warframes, and players can easily create builds for him. Most players stick to creating a build that increases his final ability, Rumblers. This ability summons rock missions, which fight alongside Atlas to take down enemies.
5 Complicated: Limbo
Creating a good Limbo can be hard. Even veteran players have admitted that Limbo is still one of the most complicated Warframes to use, and he has been around since 2014. Limbo is the rift walker Warframe, meaning that he can teleport enemies into another dimension and pull them back out.
His final ability, Cataclysm, creates a massive area of rift energy that puts players and enemies in the rift world. Players can usually find two different Limbos, good or trolling. Troll Limbos tend to send allies into the rift so they can't do anything during a mission.
4 Easy: Banshee
Banshee is the original sound Warframe that came out before the days of Octavia. Released all the way back in 2013, Banshee turns sound into a deadly weapon that she can use to silence her attacks or deal devastating damage to surrounding foes.
Banshee doesn't take much skill to operate, and most players are able to figure her out pretty quickly. Focusing on ability range and duration will ultimately make Banshee a deadly siren that can take out foes in a heartbeat.
3 Complicated: Protea
Like Vauban, Protea is a technology-based Warframe that uses various tools to destroy her enemies. One ability uses multiple grenades, while another gives her the ability to reverse time. It always seems like things go off the rails whenever a player gets the ability to rewind time.
Many players spam Protea's abilities before using her final ability, which is a mistake. Protea should always use her final ability first before spamming the rest of her abilities. This will increase the damage that she deals overall.
2 Easy: Hydroid
Hydroid is known as the water Warframe. He commands the sea to call forth devastating water attacks that can knock enemies down and pull them into the murky deep.
The main ability that players tend to use when playing Hydroid is Tentacle Swarm. This ability scales off of ability duration, range, and strength. This ability causes tentacles to swarm across an area, picking up enemies or smacking enemies who walk by them. It is an important ability to use during defensive missions. Builds for Hydroid are easy to make and they generally use the same ability stats.
1 Complicated: Sevagoth
Released this year, Sevagoth is one of the most difficult Warframes to learn because of the vast number of abilities he has access to. Sevagoth's abilities fill what is called the Death Well. Once full, the Death Well is used to summon Sevagoth's shadow.
Shadow has its own set of abilities that are separate from Sevagoth's. This means that when players make a build for Sevagoth, they are technically making a build for two characters. This can make it difficult to know exactly how to build the character.