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Warframe is a cooperative action game in which you play a Tenno, controlling a Warframe: a biomechanical suit with four abilities and three weapon slots. Progress means unlocking the Star Chart, collecting and levelling gear, and improving that gear with Mods.

It is a large game with very little hand holding after the first hour. The single most useful thing to know starting out is that almost nothing is permanent. Your first Warframe is not a class choice, weapons are disposable, and everything can be earned without spending money.

Your First Three Quests

1. 1.Awakening. The tutorial. Teaches movement, hacking and a boss fight, and is where you pick your first Warframe and weapons.
2. 2.Vor's Prize. Opens up Earth, the Foundry and the basics of crafting.
3. 3.The Teacher. Introduces Mods and how to install them.

Choosing a Starter Warframe

Awakening offers three. All are good, all can be re-acquired later, and none of them locks you out of anything:

Excalibur

Straightforward melee and damage

The easiest of the three to learn with. Exalted Blade gives him a reliable damage ability that does not depend on positioning, and Radial Blind is a genuine panic button.

Mag

Pulls enemies together and strips Shields

Strongest of the three against Corpus, whose Shields she removes outright. Magnetize also groups enemies, which makes her better in a squad than her damage numbers suggest.

Volt

Speed, damage and a shield for the squad

The most flexible pick. Speed helps the whole squad move, and Electric Shield is one of the few early abilities that meaningfully protects other players.

Movement

Warframe is not balanced around walking. Bullet Jump, performed by crouching then jumping, is the primary way to travel, and chaining it with a roll or an aim glide is several times faster than sprinting.

• ◆Crouch then jump to Bullet Jump. Aim it in any direction, including straight up.
• ◆Roll immediately on landing to keep the momentum.
• ◆Aim glide by holding aim while airborne, which slows your fall and steadies your shot.
• ◆Wall latch and wall run to reach vents and high ledges.