Section 4 of 9

Weapons

Types, stats, and how to get new weapons.

Warframe's arsenal contains hundreds of weapons spanning dozens of archetypes. From humble Grineer rifles to Corpus energy pistols to ancient Orokin swords — your weapon choices shape how every mission feels.

Three Weapon Slots

Your Warframe carries three weapons simultaneously. Swap between them at any time in mission:

1Primary

Rifles, shotguns, bows, snipers, launchers, and beam weapons. Your main damage tool. Examples: Braton, Soma, Hek, Paris, Lanka, Amprex.

2Secondary

Pistols, akimbo secondary sets, secondaries with unique mechanics. Good for situations where your primary runs dry. Examples: Lato, Lex, Kunai, Castanas.

3Melee

Swords, hammers, daggers, claws, polearms, and more. Melee also has a stance mod slot for combos. Powerful in close range and often used for Exalted abilities. Examples: Skana, Heat Sword, Fragor.

Key Weapon Stats

Base DamageRaw damage per shot/hit before modsHigher is better as a baseline
Critical ChanceProbability each hit deals crit damageAbove 20% is generally worth building crit
Critical MultiplierDamage multiplier on a critical hit2.0x = double damage on crits
Status ChanceProbability of inflicting a status effectAbove 20% makes elemental procs reliable
Fire RateShots per second for firearmsAttack speed for melee
Magazine SizeRounds before reloadingSmall magazines hurt sustained DPS
Reload SpeedTime to reload in secondsCritical for low-magazine weapons
Punch ThroughBullets/attacks pass through this many surfaces/enemiesVery powerful for dense enemy groups

Starter Weapons

All new Tenno begin with the following MK-1 weapons — these are functional but limited compared to craftable gear:

  • MK-1 Braton (Primary Rifle) — Reliable, accurate, moderate fire rate. A solid starting point for learning how rifles feel.
  • MK-1 Kunai (Secondary Throwing Knives) — Decent damage, silent, good for stealth missions. Slower fire rate.
  • Skana (Melee Sword) — Standard sword with good reach. Fast attacks, mediocre base damage, but moddable for great results early on.
Tenno Tip
Don't sell your starter weapons immediately. Every new Warframe and weapon earns Mastery Rank experience (MR XP) the first time you level it to rank 30. Selling and re-buying the same item doesn't give MR again. Level everything to 30 and keep it until you have more experienced judgment about what to sell.

How to Get New Weapons

  • Market Blueprints (Credits). Visit the Market (from your Orbiter) to browse hundreds of weapon blueprints. Most blueprints cost 15,000–50,000 Credits. Purchase the blueprint, then craft it in your Foundry using Resources.
  • Foundry Crafting. Most weapons take 12–24 hours to build once resources are gathered. Check the Foundry regularly — items craft in the background while you play.
  • Syndicates. After completing quests and gaining reputation with the six Syndicates, you can buy unique weapons from their offerings. Some of the best endgame weapons are Syndicate-exclusive.
  • Events & Nightwave. Periodic events and the Nightwave challenge system reward limited weapons and blueprints. Don't miss them.
  • Quests. Several weapons are quest rewards — the Broken War (from The Second Dream), Paracesis, and others.
  • Trading. At Mastery Rank 2+, you can trade with other players in a Clan Dojo or at Maroo's Bazaar for rare blueprints and built weapon parts.

Primary Weapon Categories

Rifles / ARGeneral-purpose automatic weaponsExamples: Braton, Soma, Baza
ShotgunsHigh damage at close range, falloff at distanceExamples: Hek, Sobek, Tigris
BowsSilent, high burst damage with charged shotsExamples: Paris, Dread, Daikyu
SnipersLong-range, slow fire rate, high damage per shotExamples: Lanka, Vectis, Rubico
LaunchersExplosive area damage, complex ammo economyExamples: Tonkor, Ogris, Bramma
BeamContinuous hitscan damage, unique status applicationExamples: Amprex, Synapse, Ignis