Alert

Please do not use this article for critical in-game information!
Note that special alerts such as Tactical Alerts and Gift from the Lotus alerts are still able to appear in-game. Only randomly generated alerts are removed from the game as of Update 24.3 (2019-02-27), replaced with Nightwave.

This article is archived.

The content was relevant to an obsolete version of Warframe, and has since been removed, retrieved, and/or revamped.

Succeeded by
Nightwave since Update 24.3 (2019-02-27)

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Alert missions are one-time, temporary Missions which appear randomly in place of any mission on a planet's map which a player has previously unlocked (though not necessarily completed). They can be of any mission type (noted in top of description window) and often have vague references to the mission type explained under "description."

Alerts are temporary, usually lasting between 30 and 70 minutes (doubled if the bonus award is a special item) and issued at intervals of 20 to 40 minutes. They spawn linked to a specific mission and are available to any given player until the time passes or until the player completes the alert. The timer restricts the time in which the alert can be started; the alert must be completed within one hour of expiring in order to grant the reward. There is almost always at least one alert available, and as many as 5 alerts can be available at once.

Alerts also give bonus credits almost always ranging from 2,000 to 20,000 depending on the difficulty of the mission. They also sometimes award special Blueprints and Auras that players cannot obtain anywhere else. The credits reward at the end of alert missions is increased by 10% for each additional squad member. The difficulty of the enemies has little relation to the standard difficulty of the attached standard mission. Occasionally a long alert is released with a rare blueprint for up to 24 or 48 hours.

Occasionally, Alerts will feature Nightmare Mods as rewards. Subsequently, the Alert mission will be offered as a Nightmare Mode mission, with all of the associated hazards and increase in difficulty. Nightmare Alerts will always feature the No Shields and Increased Damage challenge.

Because they are linked to mission nodes, a player can only select an Alert if they have already unlocked the node that the alert is associated with. However, another player who can select an alert can invite another player who cannot, allowing the latter to still complete the alert and receive the rewards, an act commonly referred to as "taxi-ing" in-game. Playing an Alert does not unlock the node that said alert takes place in. When selecting the node, the player will be asked whether to embark on the alert mission or the original mission of the node.

Certain special Alert missions, however, can be selected by all players regardless of whether a player has unlocked the node in which said mission appears in. Examples of such special Alerts include the "Gift Of The Lotus" alert missions that are active after a Devstream broadcast, and the Suspicious Shipments alert event.   

Like all other missions, Alert missions will sometimes feature objective changes during a mission, like a Spy mission becoming an Exterminate mission mid-way. This does not affect the reward in any way.  

As of Update 10.0 (2013-09-13), enemies in Alert Missions have their levels increased.

Tactical Alert

Main article: Tactical Alert

Tactical Alerts are special Alert missions that feature unique challenges and enemies compared to traditional Alert missions. While Tactical Alerts appear for a limited time like normal alerts, they occupy their own unique mission node within a planet, and disappear only once their designated duration has expired, making them more similar to Events.

Alert Rewards

• Cosmetic Weapon-Skin Blueprints
• Alternate Helmet Blueprints
• Orokin Catalyst Blueprint
• Orokin Reactor Blueprint
• Forma Blueprint
• Auras
• Void Relics
• Nightmare Mods (note that this automatically makes the mission run in Nightmare Mode)
•  Vauban Component Blueprints
• Any Resources, quantity dependent on rarity. (Usually 3x normal amount that can be found on a planet that drops the resource)
• 1 Kubrow Egg
• 5 Kavat Genetic Code
• 5 Synthula
• 80, 100, 150 Endo
• 20 Void Traces
• Weapon Blueprints:
  •  Ceramic Dagger Blueprint
  •  Dark Dagger Blueprint
  •  Dark Sword Blueprint
  •  Glaive Blueprint
  •  Heat Dagger Blueprint
  •  Heat Sword Blueprint
  •  Jaw Sword Blueprint
  •  Pangolin Sword Blueprint
  •  Plasma Sword Blueprint

See the special award missions on Twitter.

Bugs

• When clicking on an alert mission on the planet view, then clicking the "Cancel" button, if a level is located under the area you clicked you will be put into the lobby for that level. Can be very annoying when all you do is click cancel and you are thrown into a game. Use the "Escape" key instead to avoid this issue.
• After Update 11.5 on the PS4, alert missions sometimes will have no enemies at all. This makes Exterminate alerts impossible to do, and other missions very easy. This seems to happen most often with missions against the Infested.(Unconfirmed as to if this keeps Capture targets from spawning as well)
• Sometimes in Survival alerts, life support won't drop at all, or will not be deployed by Lotus other than the initial one. This makes this alert impossible to do unless a Nekros is with you.

Trivia

• Although most alerts usually have no correlation to the date they appear on, certain alerts occurred during significant events and dates;
  • To commemorate the successful Pluto flyby of the New Horizons probe, a 24-hour alert appeared on Outer Terminus, Pluto on July 14, 2015. The alert rewarded 8,100 Credits 8,100 and 10 rare  Fusion Cores.
  • On January 11, 2016, a 24-hour Rescue alert, named "Spiders From Mars" appeared on Spear, Mars and rewarded 8033 Credits 8033 and an Orokin Catalyst blueprint. This was a tribute to singer David Bowie, who had died the day before, with the title being a reference to both his first breakout album (The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars), and the name of his original backing band. According to Rebecca Ford, the credit reward was a rough numerical spelling of "Bowie" (8033 = BOEE = Bowie).
  • To celebrate the 100th devstream that occurred on November 3rd, 2017, three alerts appeared: a Sabotage mission for an Orokin Reactor, a Mobile Defense mission for an Orokin Catalyst, and a Capture mission for a Rifle Riven Mod.

Patch History

Hotfix 24.2.3 (2018-12-19)

• Fixed Nightmare Alerts not being called out as such in World State Window.

Update: Specters of the Rail 0.0 (2016-07-08)

• The Alert generator has had some trimming done with the removal of Void Keys and some Credit Alerts which ultimately reduces the time it takes to complete an Alert Cycle from approximately 15 days to approximately 10 days. All Credit Alerts now have a chance to spawn with a random Fusion Core as well. With this faster Cycling through Alerts, you should see more things you want return faster!

Update 15.0 (2014-10-24)

Alert System Changes

• Tilesets used for alerts now align with those appearing in the underlying planet region (i.e. no more Corpus Outpost alerts in Phobos). *Shipyards and Infested Corpus tilesets now available, Grineer Galleon & Corpus ships are free to appear in any area (because space ships).
• Enemy factions for alerts now align with their associated planet, infestation however can still appear anywhere.
• Update enemy levels for Alerts to align with current star chart topology.
• Added some new items to the mix: Oxium, Argon, R5 Fusion Core Pack, Kubrow Egg.
• Slightly increased frequency of Resource Alerts.
• Alerts no longer occur on Boss Nodes.
• Added the new U14 Mercury nodes to node list of eligible Alert Locations.
• Cleared out some nonsensical alert descriptions.
• 40% chance of Hive missions on Eris, home of the Infested!

Update 14.0 (2014-07-18)

• Completing an Alert on a node you have locked no longer unlocks the node underneath.

Update 11.2 (2013-12-04)

• Changed Banshee Alt Helmet Alerts to include style type, “Reverb” or “Chorus”.
• We now display active Alerts whether or not the planet has been unlocked to improve awareness.

Update 10.8 (2013-11-13)

• Fixed Credit Alert mission rewards giving double the advertised amount; changed Credit Alerts to give better rewards based on difficulty of the Planet that the Alert appears on.

Update 8.3 (2013-07-04)

• Doubled the length of alerts for rare rewards.
• Alert System 2.0 is live

Update 7.10 (2013-05-03)

• Can no longer join alert missions after they’ve expired.
• Replaying an alert mission that you’ve already successfully completed will no longer award credits.

Update 5.0 (2012-12-18)

• Introduced