Spy

Spy (ver 2.0) is a mission type where players are tasked with extracting confidential data from enemy data servers.

The blueprints for the Ivara Warframe and her component parts are potential rewards for spy missions on all planets, with different blueprints being rewarded at different level ranges.

Mechanics
Spy missions require players to locate consoles found in Data Vaults, which are special rooms featuring heavy security and advanced defense mechanisms guarding the console access terminals. Each mission will have three separate Data Vaults, of which all three must be breached and attempted before extraction becomes available. Players must breach the Data Vault rooms and then hack the access console in order to extract the data. If a Tenno trips over the Data Vault's security features, or an enemy activates the Data Vault's alarm, the Data Vault's defense mechanisms and enemy reinforcements become active, and a countdown timer will initiate indicating the time until the data is wiped off the server, giving players 20 to 50 seconds (depending on difficulty) in which to attempt to reach the console and hack it.

Similar to Rescue Prison Complexes, Data Vaults often feature alternate paths and tunnels that can be used to stealthily bypass the Data Vault's defenses, allowing for stealthy completion of a Data Vault. Some vault variants, especially those on Grineer Sealab and Grineer Forest tilesets will also have alternate methods of reaching the vaults by activating special map features such as high-pressure vents, or flooding.

End-of-mission rewards for Spy missions depends on the number of Data Vaults successfully hacked, with at least one vault hack needing to be successful in order to accomplish the mission.

Variations

 * Spy Alert missions will require a minimum number of vaults successfully hacked in order to be complete the mission: Normal Alert missions require a minimum of 2 vaults hacked, while Corpus Merchant Ship Alerts require all 3 vaults hacked.
 * Spy Sortie missions always require all 3 vaults hacked, and do not allow the usage of Ciphers.

Defenses
Apart from enemies patrolling the rooms, the Corpus and Grineer have different emplaced defenses set up around their Data Vaults, with the defenses present depending on the variant of Data Vault. The defenses present will initiate each vault's alarm if tripped. Some security measures can be disabled if nearby panels are hacked or deactivated.

Corpus

 * Security Camera - Security Cameras in Data Vaults will trigger alarms if they spot the player. It is possible to instantly destroy them without triggering the alarm.
 * Laser Barriers - Tripping over laser barriers in Data Vaults triggers the alarms. Unlike the normal Laser Barriers, those found in Data Vaults have a variety of mechanisms to confuse players, such as laser barriers that move, and barriers that periodically deactivate. Invisible players will still activate the alarms, but players in the Rift Plane will not. Additionally, Ivara can bypass through lasers if Infiltrate is equipped.

Grineer

 * Sensor Bar - Data Vault alarms can be triggered by passing through energy doors that deal proc. Some energy doors in a Data Vault may not have Sensor Bars attached to them, making them impossible to deactivate, while others may blink on and off periodically, which can catch players unaware. Invisible players will still activate the alarms if they pass through.
 * Motion Detector - Some Grineer vaults have defenses involving scanners that sweep a yellow energy curtain across an area, triggering the alarm if the curtain is touched. In one vault, these scanners are pointed directly at the data storage console; these scanners have to be deactivated using other nearby consoles to ensure safe hacking.
 * Sensor Regulator - These mobile Regulator variants patrol Data Vaults, and will trigger alarms if they spot a player or take damage and survive.
 * Spark - A unique variant of the Bombard can appear as reinforcements if multiple Data Vault alarms have been tripped.
 * Lynx - One particular vault layout for Grineer Spy missions has an idle Lynx suspended from the ceiling of the terminal room. Should the players trip the alarm the Lynx will activate and begin attacking nearby players and Grineer alike.
 * If in a Crossfire Spy hybrid mission, this Lynx will also attack and be targetted by any nearby Corpus units.

Orokin

 * Void Rifts - Orokin Moon missions feature distortions in space-time which can send Tenno back and forth in time between the vault's present state, and a period where the Data Vault was clean and pristine. Void rifts offer one-way passage through them, and in order to return to the previous state players must find another open void rift, or open up a closed void rift by attacking it. Several routes and puzzles require traveling between each time state to avoid obstacles or activate mechanisms leading to the console. Traveling through a rift dispels active Warframe abilities.
 * Orokin Spectator - Similar to Sensor Regulators, these drones are mobile sentries that patrol the vault, and will trigger alarms if they spot the player, or take non-lethal damage.
 * Laser Traps - Orokin Data Vaults have active laser traps that inflict damage and proc to any players they hit, along with raising the vault's alarm. Many laser traps are mounted on indestructible emitters, preventing players from simply destroying them. Those that can be destroyed can be safely disposed of without setting off the alarm.

Some Data Vaults may also feature security doors and pit traps that will engage and close upon alarms being triggered, which can impede a player's movement through the vault.

Whether a player succeeds or fails in retrieving the data inside the Data Vault, the vault itself will become easier to exit from: Corpus Data Vaults will have their laser defenses and any pit traps deactivated, while Grineer and Orokin Data Vaults can open alternate passages that lead to the exit.

Rewards
Each Data Vault will reward from 1,000 to 4,000 Affinity for a successful hack (based on the tier of the mission you are on), which will be tripled if completed without triggering the alarms. The Affinity earned is dependent on the complexity of the Vault, and corresponds with enemy level.

Spy missions can reward the following items upon successful completion. Each Vault hacked will reward one item, regardless if done stealthily or not.


 * -| PC =
 * -| PS4 =
 * -| XB1 =

Tips

 * If there is a general alarm as you traverse the level, wait until you arrive at a vault to disable it. Any previously alerted enemies won't reactivate the alarm unless they were already in the process of doing so.
 * When you enter a vault, the alertness levels of most enemies outside it will drop, and they will not follow you in (though they may patrol through the now unlocked doors.) It is advisable to wait a moment in the vault's antechamber in case you unknowingly encounter one of the exceptions. Exceptions include:
 * Drahk
 * Drahk Masters
 * Rollers
 * Latchers
 * Melee units (e.g. Scorpions, Butchers, Prod Crewmen, etc.)
 * Shockwave MOAs
 * Any Infested
 * Timing in the vaults is based on when you begin to hack the door. If you take longer on your hack, enemies will have progressed along their patrol routes.
 * It is possible to trigger the alarms inside the vault by attempting to hack the entrance console while sliding. The same is true of consoles inside the vault, because sliding away will force the hack to cancel.
 * On Grineer or Orokin Spy missions, be careful when triggering your Syndicate weapon effects. If it unexpectedly occurs when you are in a vault, it is likely to trigger Sensor Regulators or Orokin Spectators across the entire vault, as the proc damage may not be enough to kill them. Consider temporarily switching to a weapon without one, especially if your squad is doing multiple vaults simultaneously (the Affinity earned from a completed vault is instant and enough to fill up an empty effect meter).
 * Companions do not trigger traps, allowing free usage inside Data Vaults. However, they can still trigger the alarms if they attack enemies.
 * Various Frames can use their powers to assist in completing vaults faster:
 * Limbo can make various parts of both Corpus and Grineer spy vaults trivial, as being in the Rift Plane allows you to walk through laser barriers and energy doors without triggering an alarm. Cataclysm can be used to destroy cameras on the other sides of walls. Banish is silent, allowing silent kills on vault guards from within the Rift Plane.
 * Loki can use Decoy and then Switch Teleport to bypass barriers and obstacles.
 * However, Decoy appears to be able to trigger Grineer Sensor Bars if it passes through them, ie. when placed on the conveyor belt.
 * Loki can also use the cloaking ability to evade guards sight, however beams will still be set off if you pass through them.
 * Similarly, Ash can use his Shuriken ability to destroy Security Cameras and kill guards silently, while using Teleport to bypass barriers and obstacles and Smoke Screen to hide from view, although beams will still be set off if Ash passes through them.
 * Valkyr can use Rip Line to quickly navigate obstacles, as well as silently destroy Security Cameras.
 * Mirage's Sleight Of Hand can be used to disable Cameras in Corpus vaults. This will also affect consoles however (on both Corpus and Grineer maps), prompting enemies to try and raise the alarm, which may be an intended effect, as the resulting explosion may kill the guard, or at least prevent them to use the console until Sleight of Hand expires. Note that Sleight of Hand does NOT affect laser barriers in Corpus vaults. It also seems that activating Sleight of Hand too close to a Sensor Regulator can cause it to trigger the alarm.
 * A Nova using Worm Hole can also easily bypass parts of various vaults, especially Corpus ones, as going through Worm Holes does not trigger Laser Barriers or Sensor Bars.
 * An Equinox in Night Aspect using Rest can put Sensor Regulators to sleep, allowing for easy evasion during the duration of the ability.
 * Wukong can use his Cloud Walker to easily traverse unseen, although he will still set off alarms if you make contact with Laser Barriers.
 * Ivara's Sleep and Noise arrows are all of great help. Sleep arrows put enemies to sleep for few seconds, Noise arrows will attract enemies to the arrow's location without alerting them.
 * Ivara's cloaking ability, Prowl, allows her to move around unseen, but lasers will still trip the alarms if touched. With the Augment Infiltrate, however, Ivara can prowl right through security lasers without triggering alarms.
 * Ivara's Dashwire arrow can help navigate certain laser-based traps that would otherwise require accurate jumps and acrobatics.
 * If you don't mind setting off alarms, just stock up on Ciphers, bring a frame with immunity to knockdown like Atlas, Rhino or Valkyr and simply smash-and-grab your way through.
 * If you are having trouble solving advanced Corpus consoles, try this user guide.
 * While Spy Sorties prevent Ciphers from being used to accomplish hacking, Air Support Charges are still allowed, which means that the Liset's Air Support Override still works. That said, though, be aware that Air Support still has a 10-minute cooldown timer between-uses, so if you wish to have the "safeguard" of being able to activate an Air Support at each of the 3 vaults in a Sortie, it would be wise to plan-ahead and set aside at least 30 minutes to run that mission.

Trivia

 * Oddly, the Spy 2.0 Codex entry still shows the previous Grineer Spy 1.0 terminal, although it has been completely discarded from the game.
 * The Grineer vault with Lynx is roughly identical to the room that was only available in Grineer Spy 1.0 missions.
 * Before Spy 2.0 was added, the room used to contain a Jackal instead of Lynx. The Jackal however, served no purpose and could not be activated.

Bugs

 * Neptune Laomedeia has a bug which does not unlock the last door before the extraction point, so even with all 3 data packs the mission cannot be completed.
 * Spy missions sometimes fail even if no data is lost.
 * Occasionally hitting a barrier directly outside the vault will trip the alarm.
 * Occasionally, in the Grineer "conveyor belt" vault, the visual effect for the blast effect walls will not render. They still behave normally. Their location can be identified by the frame in place where it normally is, with a yellow tint to it.
 * In solo mode, triggering the alarm, then dying and using revive will freeze the timer, giving unlimited time to hack the console.
 * It is possible to trigger a data deletion alarm even after the data is extracted. This causes the timer to continue counting down, and leads to mission failure.
 * Occasionally, in Corpus/Infested spy vaults with the walls of lasers that flash on and off, an opening that does not appear to have a laser grid will still cause knockdown and trigger the alarm when passed through.
 * It will still be on/off in line with the other flashing laser walls, so those can be used to predict when to go.

Media


Spionage