Since TennoCon in 2018, the players of Warframe have been waiting breathlessly for the next evolution of the game. Throughout the years the game has evolved from a hallway shooter to having two large, beautiful open world zones to shoot, enemies, ride hoverboards, robotic fish eels, and pop Plague Star pimples. Well, that is all about to change drastically in the next year of updates to Warframe. Grab your ticket to Mars on Elon Musk’s upcoming Space X launch, because Warframe is about to take you and your squad to the next open world. Oh, and you might need to operate the Railjack guns because space is not a relaxing drive.
Empyrean Deep Space Combat
Squad Link
First things first, we have known about Empyrean (Codename: Railjack) since last year’s TennoCon. As usual, the developers for Warframe have taken the initial concept of space combat they showed last year and changed it drastically. They not only made the idea of space combat mixed with Archwing, and normal ninja ground combat, and added a raid-like function called Squad Link. Squad Link gives the ability to call upon other squads in the game to help you and your squad complete a mission. This is a groundbreaking concept for Warframe! Now while you are in a mission, you can send out the call for help. The beacon for help acts as a link between clan members or your alliance. Unlike traditional raiding, the squad link only links the squads to where they are. For example, If the primary space team calls for help, a squad in a regular mission or in one of the open worlds can answer that call. They can assist from where they are. The “away team” can knock out ship shield generators and other side mission types of objectives to help complete the mission.
Last year this was a big worry of mine because I am a solo Warframe player. I was afraid that space was going to be too vast and to keep people connected. I did not want to get in a mission and struggle through it without out a way to call for help. Even though people will still need friends online or need to be in a clan, alliance, the system still gives the ability for solo players to seek help.
Railjack Customization
With the Empyrean update comes spaceships you can customize. Right now, players can decorate their obiters, but not to the level of what is going to be able to be done for a person’s Railjack warship. Railjack will have a drydock that is located in the clan dojo. When the player builds the dry dock, they will have access to their Railjack warship. This is where the player can customize, equip, craft, and prepare for what is to come. The customization will encompass, but not limited to, adding parts, upgrading weapons, and building a crew. The customization is close to building a loadout for your Warframe.
Graphics Upgrade
Empyrean will also bring with it a new graphics upgrade. For the first time in Warframe, there is going to be dynamic lighting. Ever since Plains of Eidolon, the team has been upgrading the old tilesets and different aspects of the particle effects. The new graphics update is a total overhaul of the graphical engine. The new rendering technology is called “Deferred Renderer.” As seen in the new 30-minute demo video of Empyrean, the graphics are top-notice. Go watch the video again and see the intricate details of shadows and the explosions. There is no doubt, Warframe does not look like a 6-year-old game.
And there is MORE…
Because TennoCon has a massive amount of new reveals this year, there will be several more articles to come. If you are an old veteran or a new player, keep an eye out for more information. This is the year of the new player!