Grineer

The Grineer, swallowing colonies whole, their clones flood the system from a hidden, toxic womb. The Twin Queens, the sisters, have sent their most beloved commanders on an urgent mission. To protect the twisted crusade they have begun. To transform the scattered colonies into an empire. To see that the Tenno, hidden and asleep, will never awaken.

—Lotus

The Grineer are the first enemies encountered by newly reawakened Tenno. They utilize technologically crude and undeniably effective weapons. Many Tenno have fallen because they underestimated the firepower of Grineer machines.

To a man, the Grineer are clones; products of ancient, half-remembered technologies. Grineer soldiers are produced in industrial quantities. All are genetically defective, their genome damaged by the invasive cloning procedures used to birth each generation as centuries have seemingly passed. As a result, they have a life cycle that is limited to only a fraction of a normal lifespan. Indeed, it could be argued that the Grineer are better at fixing broken bodies than they are at making ones that function to begin with. Their homeworld is a ruined, barely habitable Earth. They are people acting on an ultimate xenophobia, fueled by hereditary madness, and a burning hate of anything and anyone not like themselves. In the end, should they succeed, there will only be Grineer left alive in the Origin System.

In battle, the Grineer use heavy armor coupled with attrition and ambush tactics. While they are fairly weak individually, they are a potent threat in groups, able to lay down withering streams of fire at all ranges from behind cover. Specialty troops use more advanced weapons, and many are even issued comparatively advanced reactive armor to give them an edge.

The armor on the average Grineer deserves special mention because it makes them the faction with the highest resistance to damage (aside from the Tenno). Coupled with several elemental resistances and the fact that the relatively common Elite Lancer is heavily armored makes them the most durable faction, with their Medium and Heavy units becoming absolute bullet sponges at higher levels. The Grineer have also made advancements in teleportation, with the Flameblades utilizing it to blink close to the enemy for a vicious melee attack, and the Commanders possessing an ability similar to the Switch Teleport of Loki, leaving the victim confused and in the midst of the Commander's troops. Even Captain Vor uses teleportation in battle, though his abilities might originate from his Janus Key.

Weaponry[]

Main article: Category:Grineer

Fittingly for a military power like the Grineer, they have developed a wide variety of weapons and equipment used in their ceaseless conflicts with the Tenno, Corpus, and Infested. Ranging from simple pistols to heavier rifles, shotguns, and machine guns; to missile launchers, flamethrowers, and melee weapons featuring superheated surfaces. Grineer weaponry is largely conventional or industrial in operation. Grineer aesthetics largely eschew right angles and instead have a curves-and-spot-welding look, perhaps indicative of the large amounts of tough, temperature- and shock-resistant Ferrite and Alloys used in Grineer construction and manufacturing - a Grineer rifle isn't laboriously cast or machined for precision; it's pressed from molds, quickly filed down, and assembled by the billions, designed with as many loose tolerances as possible to further streamline the process. Fittingly enough, Grineer weaponry isn't generally designed to be used against the Grineer, being primarily engineered to deal Impact damage with their weapons for use against the Corpus and their shield systems, or Slash for use against the Infested. Many Grineer weapons also lack full stocks, relying on their wielder's augmented strength and/or heavy, padded armor to absorb the recoil. Other Grineer weapons simply are too large or heavy for other races to consider practical, whether they be hydraulically-assisted axes or hammers, or flail-like whips that include a set of grinding blades.

...Not that this stops the Tenno from making use of them if able.

Despite their manufacturing processes being centered around mass-production, Grineer engineers are fiendishly clever in incorporating unusual and unorthodox ideas and new technologies into their weaponry, even if such technology is not something they'd otherwise have much familiarity with. A good example of this can be seen in Captain Vor's Seer; this is a long-ranged pistol with sniper optics that incorporates Orokin technology. Other good examples include the Jat Kittag - a Grineer warhammer that incorporates a series of jet engines to allow it even more destructive force. As of the most recent updates, the Grineer have, despite the best efforts of the Lotus, developed primitive microwave and plasma weapons as well as a rifle that fires guided projectiles. These weapons are reserved for the elite of the elites among the Grineer, such as a fearsome Nightwatch corps.

Enemies[]

Grineer have a dual classification system. Primarily, they are classified by their armor class - Light, Medium, and Heavy - which describe their base armor and their shared damage multipliers. Secondarily, they are classified by their role or engagement style. Light units primarily utilize melee weaponry and rush their attackers. Medium units use rifles and shotguns and tend to find good cover and engage at all ranges. Heavy units are normally outfitted with non-standard weapons (ex: Gorgon, Ogris etc.) and typically have various roles in combat based on their loadout.

Light[]

Light Grineer units mainly consist of melee units with decent damage and low durability. Some have special abilities.

Main article: Butcher

Butcher

Main article: Flameblade

Flameblade

Main article: Powerfist

Powerfist

Main article: Scorpion

Scorpion

Main article: Shield Lancer

Shield Lancer

Main article: Guardsman

Guardsman

Medium[]

Medium troops make up the bulk of the Grineer army. They are not particularly dangerous when alone, but in groups they can pose a serious threat.

Main article: Ballista

Ballista

Main article: Eviscerator

Eviscerator

Main article: Hellion

Hellion

Main article: Lancer

Lancer

Main article: Elite Lancer

Elite Lancer

Main article: Scorch

Scorch

Main article: Seeker

Seeker

Main article: Trooper

Trooper

Heavy[]

These units are the strongest and toughest of the Grineer. Apart from the Grineer Commander, these units don't take advantage of cover. Most Heavy Grineer cannot seem to retaliate while under attack, showing a vulnerability to status effects; therefore it is possible to dispatch lone Heavy units easily with sustained firepower. Heavy units typically have significant base Health and armor.

Main article: Bombard

Bombard

Main article: Commander

Commander

Main article: Drahk Master

Drahk Master

Main article: Heavy Gunner

Heavy Gunner

Main article: Napalm

Napalm

Main article: Manic

Dashing in for quick strikes before falling back to the shadows, the Grineer Manic is difficult to catch and deadly to ignore. Although only a few Manics will spawn in a given Grineer mission, its speed and damage make it a devastating enemy to face.

Main article: Hyekka Master

The Hyekka Master is a Grineer unit who can summon Hyekka, vicious quadruped cats that will attack their master's enemies.

Utility[]

The utility enemies of the Grineer are dangerous in their own right, such as the Roller, one of the most infamously annoying enemies in the game.

Main article: Drahk

Drahk

Main article: Latcher

Latcher

Main article: Roller

Roller

Main article: Regulator

Regulator

Main article: Sensor Bar

Sensor Bar

Main article: Arc Trap

Arc Trap

Main article: Grineer Target

Grineer Target

Main article: Warden

Warden

Main article: Power Carrier

Power Carrier

Main article: Spark

Spark

Main article: Manic Bombard

Manic Bombard

Main article: Hyekka

The Hyekka is a quadruped cat-like animal bred by the Grineer for use in combat. It appears to be a hairless version of the Feral Kavat, with a stubbier snout and a stouter appearance. In addition, it only has one tail, opposed to the many feathered tails that the feral kavats usually adorn on their rears.

Archwing[]

Troops deployed in Archwing game mode.

Main article: Ogma

Ogma

Main article: Dreg

Dreg

Main article: Lancer Dreg

Lancer Dreg

Main article: Temporal Dreg

Temporal Dreg

Main article: Dargyn

Dargyn

Main article: Shield Dargyn

Shield Dargyn

Main article: Hellion Dargyn

Hellion Dargyn

Main article: Shield-Hellion Dargyn

Shield-Hellion Dargyn

Submersibles[]

Troops which appear in the Submersible Archwing portions of the Grineer Sealab tileset.

Main article: Darek Draga

Darek Draga

Main article: Draga

Draga

Main article: Shock Draga

Shock Draga

Sikula

Main article: Sikula

Sikula

Bosses[]

Main article: Bosses

Bosses are officers within the Grineer faction.

Main article: Captain Vor

Captain Vor

Main article: Councilor Vay Hek

Councilor Vay Hek

Main article: General Sargas Ruk

General Sargas Ruk/Main Tab

Main article: Kela De Thaym

Kela De Thaym

Main article: Lieutenant Lech Kril

Lieutenant Lech Kril

Main article: Tyl Regor

Tyl Regor

Main article: The Grustrag Three

The Grustrag Three

Main article: Sprag

Sprag

Main article: Ven'kra Tel

Ven'kra Tel

Defenses[]

Various defenses are utilized by the Grineer, ranging from pre-spawned turrets or inflatable, deployable cover.

Main article: Rampart

Rampart

Main article: Blunt

Blunt

Trivia[]

Before 10 was implemented, the Grineer troops used to speak fluent English, which was then changed to the Grineer language in order to retain the lore of the Grineer aggressively disliking anything not Grineer.
- One of the more infamous voice lines from pre-Update 10 Grineer was "Combat formation Bravo!". It was jokingly explained by a DE staff member that a key requirement of Formation Bravo is to never mention anyone's mother. Other joking fan interpretations of Formation Bravo refer to the "enemy tower" bug.
- Other popular lines from pre-Update 10 were "Stay close to the walls." and "Hey, leave my mother out of this."
So far, the Grineer are the only voiced faction to have a strong direct aggression against the Tenno, speaking their name during their attacks in their language.
- They also have been heard saying Wafram, as in Warframe, when spotting one themselves.
- The same applies to many phrases the Grineer use, such as yelling "attaf!" instead of "attack!" and "ket clem!" instead of "get them!" (The Grineer word "clem" has been created into a fictional fan character whose name is the word itself. DE has stated in a Devstream that he is the Medallion Merchant for the Steel Meridian in their syndicate room as well.) Clem was later added to the game as a full character.
- In essence, Grineer still speak English, but since Update 10, it has been adjusted to account for their decaying flesh and how that might affect their speech, essentially giving them a speech impediment.
- In a Devstream, DE has stated that the Grineer are British.
When playing an Invasion mission, while the player has sided with the Grineer, they still will cry out quotes like Tenno Scum, because although the AI is allied with the player the voice choices still do not alter. The same goes with Shadow Grineer, shouting at other Grineer the same anti-Tenno aggressive lines.
The Corpus nicknamed the Grineer as the "dogs", not because of their degraded appearances but to their aspect of extreme servitude towards their leaders (and possibly creators), the Twin Queens. This was mentioned by Alad V during The Gradivus Dilemma.
Their name "Grineer" seems to be a portmanteau of the words "Genetically" and "Re-engineer" which makes sense given the lore behind them.
In 13.2, the female Grineer received an audio overhaul. Speaking in a deeper and more aggressive tone, with long pauses and slurs, adding viability to their genetic deterioration.
Despite the Grineer being a xenophobic race, in the trailer for Vor's Prize, which was shown at the end of Devstream 32, Captain Vor and the Twin Queens are heard speaking in English. Sargas Ruk and a number of other notable Grineer speak the language as well.
As evidenced by Grineer Lancer's Synthesis imprint, the Grineer existed in the same time period as the Orokin. This is further confirmed by the Arid Eviscerator's imprint.
- The Operator will also mention that "the Grineer used to be builders."
According to the Liset's Radio, the Grineer use Solar Rails, possibly in a sort of ongoing partnership with the Corpus (who are known to be the faction controlling the transport network) or a faction of them; while the Rail Control dispatcher's voice sounds closer to Corpus, he always closes his communications with "Glory To The Queens". They also control mining colonies by attacking them and killing anyone that opposes them (e.g. Rebels).