Power Duration linearly affects the duration of many Warframe abilities. Increased Power Duration usually extends the length of time that a power is active, but there are some unorthodox or otherwise counter-intuitive interactions the stat gives: for example, the maximum amount of charges for Tesla Link increases as a factor of added Power Duration. There are some instances where negative Power Duration is desirable, usually because it speeds up periodic effects like Trinity's Energy Vampire or Mesa's Shooting Gallery when augmented with Muzzle Flash.
All Warframes have a base stat of 100% Power Duration.
- Final Ability Duration = Ability Duration × Power Duration
The remaining duration of an ability is displayed on the ability's icon in the bottom right corner as a number with two places. Hence, if the remaining duration of an ability is greater than 10 seconds, it displays to the nearest second. If the duration is less than 10 seconds, it displays down to the nearest tenth of a second.
Modifiers
Modifiers combine additively to the Power Duration stat.
- Final Power Duration = Power Duration + Modifier 1 + Modifier 2 + Modifier 3 + ...
Mods
Continuity, Primed Continuity, Constitution, and Narrow Minded can all be equipped to increase Power Duration. Note that as a primed mod, Primed Continuity cannot be equipped simultaneously with Continuity on the same Warframe.
Fleeting Expertise and Transient Fortitude both reduce duration of powers.
Arcane Helmets
Arcane helmets can also reduce (or increase) ability durations. The following helmets affect Power Duration:
Energy Drain for Toggled Abilities
There are abilities like Ember's World On Fire or Chroma's Spectral Scream which last for an indefinite amount of time but drain energy with each passing tick until canceled or if no energy remains. As of Update 18.0 (2015-12-03), Power Duration affects the energy drain for these abilities: if, for example, an ability normally has an energy drain of 1.0 energy per second, at 200% Power Duration that ability would drain a point of energy every 2.0 seconds - resulting in a total of 0.5 energy per second drain.
Final Drain Rate = Drain Rate ÷ Power Duration
- The Drain Rate is the amount of energy that gets drained per second.
- When energy drain is less than about 10 per second, energy will be drained once per tick, and the time between ticks will depend on the drain rate. For example, with an ability that drains 2.5 energy per second, the game will actually consume 1 energy every 0.4 seconds. It is unknown what the minimum time is between ticks (for especially high drain rates).
- This mechanism behaves essentially opposite of how Power Efficiency affects the cost of powers.
- Without any other mods to compensate for the reduced Duration, a "High Strength and High Efficiency" build - achieved by slotting a maxed Blind Rage (+99% Strength, -55% Efficiency), a maxed Fleeting Expertise (+60% Efficiency, -60% Duration), a maxed Transient Fortitude (+55% Strength, -27.5% Duration), and a maxed Streamline (+30% Efficiency) - will have a very high energy drain.
- The resulting Duration penalty is -87.5%, leaving a Duration stat of only 12.5%, which results in a penalty of 800% before calculating efficiency. At 135% efficiency, this results in a final 520% penalty.
- Final rate = Base rate × (100% - 35%) ÷ 0.125 = Base rate × 5.2
- If efficiency mods are not included in the build, then the resulting increase is even greater: a massive 762% (without Streamline), 1000% (without Fleeting Expertise), or 1240% (without either).
Because energy drain is also affected by Power Efficiency, the chart to the right can be consulted to determine a Warframe ability's real energy drain per second. [1]
- Note that using Fleeting Expertise with Streamline adds up to 90% total Power Efficiency. The maximum final efficiency is 75% - the extra 15% efficiency can be used to compensate for a low power duration. At 90% efficiency, this means that using 40% Power Duration will still reach the maximum 75% Power Efficiency.
- Using the combination above with certain arcane helmets or Focus abilities, it is possible to reach 100% or higher efficiency before factoring in Power Duration. This will result in a 75% final efficiency, regardless of the value of Power Duration.
Similar to Power Strength, energy drain is calculated when the ability is first used. If something later changes the value of Power Efficiency or Power Duration, it will not affect energy drain unless the ability is re-cast.
Cooldowns
Most powers do not have a "cooldown" period, which is a mechanic in many similar games that disallow a player from recasting the same ability or power too frequently. However, powers in WARFRAME can often instead prevent you from recasting while the first instance is still active. Hence, if you have an ability that lasts 5 seconds long, you can only cast it once every five seconds. If you extend its duration to 8 seconds, you will not be able to cast it more frequently than once every eight seconds. This increase in uptime can be undesirable for certain abilities, such as Silence, which can be used as an on-demand stun.
