Warframes

"Warframe exo-armor uses unique combative technology to create the ultimate weaponry. The Warframes hold many mysterious powers and mastering one requires dedicated use."

- Warframe Official Website


 * For the game itself, see WARFRAME.

Warframes are the name of the exoskeletons worn by the Tenno, in the Warframe universe. They protect the wearer with regenerating shields while allowing him or her to use special abilities such as faster movement speed, higher jumping heights or control over elemental forces.

Overview
Warframes are dynamic and do not adhere to a single archetype, allowing them to be tailored to any play style. Though there are some Warframes that excel in certain situations, they are not necessarily limited to any particular role.

The extent to which a Warframe may be customized is primarily determined by the configuration of its modules, which may be installed to upgrade certain Warframe Attributes and even alter their abilities. Further bonuses can be achieved by equipping add-ons, such as Helmets.

Every Warframe features four unique powers that allow for a large degree of control over the surrounding environment. These powers can allow a Tenno to cast virtually anything, ranging from devastating waves of energies to defensive barriers, or even mass healing. Warframes greatly augment the physical abilities of a Tenno as well, affecting natural skills like swordsmanship, marksmanship and most notably acrobatics. New players start the game by picking either the Excalibur, Mag, or Volt, and playing through the tutorial. Eventually, they may craft or buy other Warframes later in the game.

Acquisition
All Warframes can be acquired by two different ways:

Foundry
Every Warframe is comprised of three parts and a main blueprint:

To acquire the parts of the desired Warframe, players have to first obtain the blueprints of the parts by completing various Assassination missions, Quests, or Clan Dojo research. After each part has been built in the Foundry using various resources, players can then purchase the Warframe's main blueprint with from the Market to complete the final construction process. Note that s do not come installed with built Warframes.

Market
Warframes can also be purchased in the Market with. Any Warframes acquired in this manner come with a pre-installed  and their own slot.

Leveling Up
Warframes require affinity, conventionally known as experience points (XP), in order to attain higher ranks. Frames rank up separately from others and from the player to a max of Rank 30. During missions, players can be rewarded XP through actions getting such as killing enemies, using abilities, completing objectives, reviving downed teammates or simply completing the mission. With each successive rank, a Warframe gains mod capacity and passive increases to health, shields, energy capacity, and 200 mastery points. Status boosts received from ranking up are calculated from the base value of the Warframe for each status, preventing modules from affecting the bonus.

Since Update 15, Warframe Abilities unlock and rank up with affinity. Maximum Rank for Abilities is Rank 3.

Attributes
Attributes are the stats and functionality of Warframes such as Health, Armor, Shields, Energy, Stamina, and Movement Speed. Each Warframe is made unique with a different combination of these and their powers.

Cosmetics
Every Warframe thus far can equip various kinds of alternative equipment or skins. These cosmetic items include Helmets, Idle Animations, and holographic Emblems.

Some of these items are available by default, some can either be bought from the Market or found as blueprints via the Alerts system. They can all be equipped in the Customize Colors page under Select Skin.

Origins
The name "Warframes" comes from a 1950's Boeing (Company) WWII research project equipping WWII soldiers with exoskeletons, as mentioned by Steve Sinclair during Devstream #1.
 * Such a project did not actually exist and never saw development or research with Boeing, which never developed significant military ground equipment of any kind until 2014. It's likely that the creator was referring to a failed system referred to as Hardiman, which was developed by General Electric in the mid to late 1960s, just prior to America's involvement in the Vietnam War.