Idle Animations

Idle animations are sets of animations played occasionally when Warframes stand still for a short time. There are three types of animations, namely Default, Noble, and Agile (which you can change in the customization screen). Beginning with Update 15, players can also 'unlock' a specific Warframe's idle animation sets for other Warframes to use (such as using Oberon's idle animations on Ember or Limbo) by purchasing them from the Market for  50 each.

The idle animations depends on what Warframes, weapon, and animations you are using. However, sometimes there are unique animations exclusive to a certain weapon loadout, usually different than every other loadouts you are using, no matter how similar they are.

There are some idle animations that only occur when unarmed, which can occur in the dojo, the Relays, with the Codex Scanner drawn, or whilst idling on board the Liset.

List of Unique Idle Animations
The unique animations include, but are not limited to:

Ash

 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Ash will unleash a cloud of smoke all over his body.
 * Noble - When idling with throwing knives (Hikou, Kunai and Despair), Ash will do a Taichi stance once in a while;
 * Noble - When idling with dual secondary guns, he will aim the guns to various directions, and after aiming at his back, he will twirl one of the guns before moving back to normal stance.
 * Noble - When idling unarmed, he will take a martial arts stance before retaking normal stance

Banshee

 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Banshee will quickly draw her right hand back and slowly push it forward, emitting energy from her palm.
 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Banshee will glance to her right, then raise her right arm in front of her and flick it to the side while grasping forward with her left hand.

Chroma

 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Chroma will stand in a hunched position (as if his pelt were weighing him down) and glance left and right occasionally.
 * Agile - When idling with a primary, Chroma will occasionally aim forward suddenly, turning right then left, then with only his head, he'll do the same while looking up.
 * Agile - When idling with a bow, Chroma will occasionally glance to the left, draw the arrow back, aim forwards, then looks right.
 * Agile - When idling with a single pistol, Chroma will rhythmically flex his fingers (similar to Nekros's Noble Animation) and occasionally unleash a roar. (Almost exactly like his announcement trailer, minus the fire and sound)
 * Agile - When idling with duel pistols, Chroma will occasionally point his left gun the left, then turns to the right as he aims his right gun behind him.
 * Agile - When idling with throwing knives, Chroma will suddenly throw his right knife onto the ground, he will then proceed to kneel down to pick it up, looking to the left as he does so.
 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Chroma will stand erect, and occasionally thrust his head up and move it, as if he were roaring.
 * Noble - When idling with a primary, Chroma will occasionally lower his gunned hand, glance to the right, then look down at his off-hand, and check it, as if searching for something small like a bug.
 * Noble - When idling with a bow, Chroma will occasionally look to the right, then left.
 * Noble - When idling with a single pistol, Chroma will occasionally shrug his right shoulder as if he were stretching/ rolling it, then aim forward with his off-hand on his elbow.
 * Noble - When idling with duel pistols, Chroma will occasionally lift up his left gun, aim and look to the right, then twirl his left gun.
 * Noble - When idling with throwing knives, Chroma will occasionally initiate a stance, starting with his right knife forward, and his left knife more towards his chest, then alternate between the knives directions. (The left knife will then be forward, and the Right closer to his chest)

Ember

 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Ember will raise her left hand and generate a small fireball.
 * Noble - When idling with dual secondary guns, such as Afuris or Akvasto, Ember will move both hands behind her head and stretch her back.

Excalibur

 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Excalibur will take a half-step back and spread his arms low to the ground while emitting energy.
 * Agile - When idling with a primary, Excalibur will aim left, and right. (Similar to the Noble Animation)
 * Agile - When idling with a single pistol, Excalibur will slide it across his throat, make his right arm turn upright, then raise it upwards, and lower I into a fist (Looks like a fist pump)
 * Agile - When holding throwing knives, Excalibur will toss one in the air a few times when idling.
 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Excalibur's animation is almost identical to his Agile dojo animation, but in a more upright stance.
 * Noble - When idling with a primary, Excalibur will look to the left behind him, then slowly shift his position to look to the right, then left again.
 * Noble - When idling with a bow, Excalibur will look left, draw the bow, aim, then resume his normal position.
 * Noble - When idling with a single pistol, Excalibur will shift his position, look at the top of his pistol, and touch it as if he were checking it for jams (The top is the barrel, needs confirmation)
 * Noble - When idling with duel pistols, Excalibur will suddenly swing his right gun down, as if he were shaking something off of it.
 * Noble - When idling with throwing knives, Excalibur will shift his stance to the left, point his left knife in front of him as he turns to the right, and toss his right knife up and catch it as he completes his turn.

Frost

 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Frost will place his hand on the ground, creating a tiny version of his Avalanche power for a brief moment.
 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Frost will hold out his left hand generating a small amount of frost before smashing it into the ground wiping it in a brief arc across the floor.
 * Agile - When idling with a thrown weapon equipped, Frost will thrust both his hands forward before seemingly ripping something apart.

Hydroid

 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Hydroid will take a step back and do a battle roar.
 * Agile - When idling with dual secondary guns, Hydroid will have his guns crossed in front of him and then shoot several shots upwards with his right gun.
 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Hydroid will cross his arms, look around and then sigh.
 * Noble - When idling with dual secondary guns, Hydroid will look at each side and then throw his head back as if he was laughing.
 * Noble - when idling with dual swords, Hydroid will spin both blades and brandish them menacingly.

Limbo

 * Noble - When idling with a primary, Limbo will put the weapon down, then tip his hat.
 * Noble - When idling with throwing knives, Limbo will transfer the knife from his left hand to his right and juggle them.
 * Noble - When idling with dual secondary guns, Limbo will briefly spin the guns from his hands, then levitate the guns in front of him, spinning and moving them in mock-firing movements before returning them to his hands.
 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Limbo will twirl around, then tip his hat.
 * Agile - When idling with a primary, Limbo will levitate it in his hands, while his hat will also levitate off his head.
 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Limbo will bend down, then levitate his hat off his head.

Loki

 * Spin.png - When idling with throwing knives, Loki will grasp a knife behind his back, calmly throw it over the front of himself and catch it with the same hand.
 * Noble - When idling with dual secondary guns, such as Afuris or Akvasto, Loki will twirl both guns around on his fingers (Will also work with single guns).
 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Loki will vibrate before slamming his hands together.

Mag

 * Agile - When idling with throwing knives, Mag will drop both knives and magnetize them in the air, compelling them to hover under and then around her right wrist, and finishing by flinging one knife into her left hand.
 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Mag will place her hands together in front of her to create a ball of swirling energy that disappears as she puts her hands back into position.
 * Noble - When idling with throwing knives, Mag will throw the other knife to her right hand, and then magnetizes both knives, making them float. She will then spin the suspended knives on her hand in a similar manner to a dreidel, and then tosses it back to her left hand.
 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Mag will raise and tense her left hand, generating energy in the palm, and then release it.

Mesa

 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Mesa will point her left hand in front of her and mime firing a pistol.
 * Agile - When idling with a primary, Mesa will cross her arms, primary still in hand.
 * Agile - When idling with a bow, Mesa will kneel down, aim the bow to the right, slowly aiming towards her, then rapidly aims left and draws the arrow, as if expecting a sneak attack.
 * Agile - When idling with a single pistol, Mesa will twirl the gun, kneel slightly, then give an imaginary foe the beaconing gesture. then shake her gun. (Possibly to indicate she wants to duel)
 * Agile - When idling with dual pistols, Mesa will twirl her guns around her fingers in a fashion similar to Loki, albeit vertically rather than horizontally, then assume a battle stance.
 * Agile - When idling with throwing knives, Mesa will make a movement, putting the knives together, and pretends to grind/bransish them against one another, then finishes it with a quick slash outward
 * Noble - When idling with a primary, Mesa will lift it above her shoulder with her right hand, stand and glance for a few seconds, the. Returns to her normal position
 * Noble - When idling with a bow, Mesa will glance left and right.
 * Noble - When idling with single pistol, Mesa will twirl her gun around her finger. She may occasionally aim behind herself.
 * Noble - When idling with dual pistols, Mesa will again twirl both guns around her fingers in a more upright posture.
 * Noble - When idling with throwing knives, she will occasionally twirl the knife in her right hand, shift her stance to a sort of lean, with the right knife to her side, as she tosses the knife in her left hand once.
 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Mesa will kneel to the ground, wipe her fingers on the ground and look at them, as if she was tracking something.

Mirage

 * Agile - When idling with single pistol, Mirage will do something that looks like taunting an enemy.
 * Agile - When idling with dual pistols, Mirage will aim different directions.
 * Agile - When idling with bow, Mirage will stand straight pull a bowstring readying to shoot. After playing this animation Warframe will turn ~45 degrees clockwise (maybe a bug).
 * Noble - When idling with single pistol, Mirage will look left then stand on one leg and aim pistol forward.
 * Noble - When idling with dual pistols, Mirage will look around suspiciously.
 * Noble - When idling with bow, Mirage will look around suspiciously and slightly pull a bowstring.
 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Mirage will lean forward, and make a gesture similar to blowing a kiss.

Nekros

 * Adc.png and Noble - When idling unarmed, Nekros will concentrate energy in his left hand, then in his right hand, then raises his energy filled hands to the sky. Same animation as Shadows of the Dead.
 * Agile and Noble - When idling with throwing knives, Nekros will spin one of them on his finger like a dreidel.
 * Agile and Noble - Nekros will hold a bow with his left hand only, unlike other Warframes.
 * Agile - When idling with bow, Nekros will take the arrow to his right hand, spin it around on his fingers, and put it back.
 * Noble - When Wielding a single pistol, Nekros rhythmically flexes the fingers in his off-hand. Occasionally running it across an imaginary surface before catching what is presumed to be a bug, looking at it, then crushing it before tossing it.

Nova

 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Nova will glance left and right.
 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Nova will create a ball of antimatter between her hands, similar to Antimatter Drop.

Nyx

 * Agile - When idling unarmed, she will hover in a meditation pose similar to the one seen during Absorb while releasing energy around her. (Bug: The energy is the default green rather than the selected energy color.)
 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Nyx will casually hover her feet off the ground, in a pose halfway between standing and meditation.

Oberon

 * Agile - While idling with throwing knives, Oberon will flick one to being held between two fingers, he will then look around cautiously before casually tossing it up and catching it..
 * Agile - While idling with dual pistols, Oberon will rise to stand on one foot, crossing the pistols across his chest with a flourish, pointing them both upward before returning to his normal stance.
 * Noble - While idling unarmed, Oberon will cross his arms at the wrist, followed by a sweep across to the right, fist in a claw motion and tensing his muscles.

Rhino

 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Rhino will take a half-step forward, raising both arms and swinging them downward in an intimidating gesture.
 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Rhino will hunch forward and flex his arms.

Saryn (Warframe)

 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Saryn will step back with her left leg into a battle-ready stance.
 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Saryn will open her hands wide and send toxic effects out of them much like the animation during Miasma.

Trinity

 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Trinity will bring her right hand to the side of her head, then sweep her hand downward and generate a burst of energy.
 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Trinity will crouch down and generate energy from her hands, then sweep her arms upward.

Valkyr

 * Agile - When Idling unarmed, Valkyr will go into a fit of rage, adding the visual effects of Hysteria to her body for a moment.
 * Agile - When idling with a rifle or other two handed primary, Valkyr will cautiously glance left and right.
 * Agile - Valkyr will always hold a one handed secondary weapon up as if she were aiming it, unlike other Warframes. She will also make short, angry movements, much like when unarmed.
 * Agile - When Idling with any dual pistols, Valkyr will slide one across her neck threateningly, then point them in separate directions.
 * Noble - When idling with any primary bow weapon, Valkyr will kneel down and draw the bowstring.
 * Noble - When idling with any throwing knife, Valkyr will twirl the right knife back and forth between her fingers, a few flicks, and then returning it to the normal hold.

Vauban

 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Vauban will take a quick step forward with an arm motion similar to a hammer-fist strike, then step back to his original position.
 * Agile - When idling with a primary, Vauban will aim forward, glance right, then left in short bursts, then trails abit as if focusing on something, then return to normal.
 * Agile - When idling with a bow, Vauban will lean back, and pull back the arrow, and move it around as if he were aiming for a target.
 * Agile - When idling with a single pistol, Vauban will hold it up high, then occasionally twirl it over his right shoulder, and aim down the sights, cupping the magazine/ butt of the gun in his left hand.
 * Agile - When idling with duel pistols, Vauban will stand erect, cross his pistols, glance sharply right to left, then return to a hunched stance while having his shoulders shrugged, as if to either scare something off, or become more alert.
 * Agile - When idling with throwing knives, Vauban will sharply point the one in his right hand downwards, stand in a defensive stance while looking right, then shifting the knives to his left as he glances in that direction.
 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Vauban will hunch forward quickly and clench his hands into fists, similar to Rhino's Noble dojo idle.
 * Noble - When idling with a primary, Vauban will crack his neck by shrugging and rolling his head, then look around cautiously, aiming to the left, then as he turns to the right, he will become eased.
 * Noble - When idling with a bow, Vauban will occasionally look around.
 * Noble- When idling with a single pistol, Vauban will look around cautiously.
 * Noble - When idling with duel pistols, Vauban will lift up the right pistol slightly for a few seconds, then shift his posture. As if he were listening for something, then relaxing.
 * Noble - When idling with throwing knives, Vauban will occasionally throw the one in his right hand up and catch it

Volt

 * Agile - When idling unarmed in dojo, Volt will spread his arms slightly and tremble briefly as he generates electricity around him.
 * Noble - When idling unarmed in dojo, Volt steps forward, spreading his legs apart, and pushes one arm out in front of him, releasing a shower of sparks from his palms.

Zephyr

 * Agile - Zephyr is the only Warframe that possesses a fully animated alternate animation. By default, it will idle with a pose similar to Sprinter's Crouch.
 * Agile - When idling unarmed, Zephyr will generate a single, miniature version of Tornado.
 * Agile - When idling with a primary, Zephyr will stand erect, hold her gun in only her right hand, and look to the right in what appears to be a panicked state, then calm down while looking to the left.
 * Agile - When idling with a bow, Zephyr will look and aim to the left very quickly, look right, then aim right, then checks ahead of her.
 * Agile - When idling with a single pistol, Zephyr will turn her torso to the left, hold her gun to the left, aim left, then forwards in short bursts, then twirl her gun above her head as she returns to normal.
 * Agile - When idling with duel pistols, Zephyr will usually hold her guns up high, occasionally checking either her arms or her guns.(it could be either, or she's looking at the ground too)
 * Agile - When idling with throwing knives, Zephyr will shift her posture to the right, and perform certain maneuvers with her knives.
 * Noble - When idling unarmed, Zephyr will look left and right.
 * Noble - When idling with a primary, Zephyr will look to the right then left, and repeat a second time, but aiming her primary instead of not.
 * Noble - Whe idling with a bow, Zephyr will look left and right without aiming her bow.
 * Noble - When idling with a single pistol, Zephyr will simply aim the weapon in front of her, as if looking for something.
 * Noble - When idling with duel pistols, Zephyr will aim forward, similarly to her single pistol animation, but will hold her left pistol forwards, with the gun rotated clockwise at a roughly a 90 degree angle.
 * Noble - When idling with throwing knives, Zephyr will look left and right, then suddenly cross her arms and squat down, slowly outstretching her arms.

Trivia

 * Noble Animations tend to have a Warframe behave more calm, collected, experienced, professional, and wiser. (I.e, Limbo's skill in his levitation, Vauban cracking his neck, and other frames tending to glance around their surroundings for extended periods of time)
 * This behavior could imply that Noble frames are more experienced, and more aged than their Agile counterparts.
 * Agile Animations tend to have the Warframe act more energetic, attentive, and clumsy, and cocky at times. (I.e, when Chroma aggressively throws his knife onto the floor and picks it up, Mesa beckoning a pretend foe to a duel by gesturing to them and shaking her gun, and Valkyr's fits of rage and threats)
 * These actions could indicate that Agile frames are inexperienced and possibly younger than their Noble counterparts.