Warframes

"Warframe exo-armor uses unique combative technology to create the ultimate weaponry. The Warframes hold many mysterious powers and mastering one requires dedicated use."

- Warframe Official Website

Warframes are the name of the exoskeletons used in the Warframe universe. They protect the wearer with regenerating shields while allowing him or her to use special abilities such as faster movement speed, higher jumping heights or control over elemental forces.

Overview
Warframes are dynamic and do not adhere to a single archetype, allowing them to be tailored to any play style. Though there are some Warframes that excel in certain situations, they are not necessarily limited to any particular role.

The extent to which a Warframe may be customized is primarily determined by the configuration of its modules, which may be installed to upgrade certain Warframe Attributes and even alter their abilities. Further bonuses can be achieved by equipping add-ons, such as Helmets.

Every Warframe features four unique powers that allow for a large degree of control over the surrounding environment. These powers can allow a Tenno to cast virtually anything, ranging from devastating waves of energies to defensive barriers, or even mass healing.Warframes greatly augment the physical abilities of a Tenno as well, affecting natural skills like swordsmanship, marksmanship and most notably acrobatics.

New players start as an Excalibur Warframe in a tutorial session. Upon completion, players are given a choice to start the game using either Excalibur, Loki, or Mag. By default, players are allotted 2 Warframes slots, each additional slot costing  20. There are two ways to obtain a new Warframe:
 * The longer method requires the Tenno to acquire the Blueprints for the desired warframe's Chassis, Systems, and helmet from a boss, build the items in the Foundry, purchase a Warframe blueprint with credits from the market, and manufacture the desired Warframe.
 * Purchase the Warframe with platinum from the Market. Warframes acquired in this manner come with a pre-installed Orokin Reactor and their own slot.

Leveling Up

 * Main Article: Affinity

Warframes require affinity, conventionally known as experience points (XP), in order to attain higher levels. Frames level up separately from others and from the player to a max of level 30. During missions, players can be rewarded XP through actions getting such as killing enemies, using abilities, completing objectives, reviving downed teammates or simply completing the mission. With each successive level, a Warframe gains mod capacity and passive increases to shields, health, energy capacity, and 200 mastery points. Status boosts received from ranking up are calculated from the base value of the Warframe for each status, preventing modules from affecting the bonus.

Attributes
Attributes are the stats and functionality of warframes. See this page for more information. <!--

Health
Health represents how much damage a Warframe can sustain before becoming incapacitated. Health is indicated as a red numeric value at the top right of the screen. While a Warframe is losing Health, the screen's edges will begin to flash red at a pulse. Below 10% health, a loud, heart beat like sound will also begin to pulse. While most attacks will only damage Health when the Warframe's Shields have been drained, there are a few exceptions - Toxic Ancients' and Noxious Crawlers poison will bypass shields, as will Powerfists punches.

Healing
Health does not naturally regenerate. Warframes may activate equipped Health Packs or find Health Orbs to restore Health. The artifact Rejuvenation regenerates health of all team members at a rate of 1 health every 2 seconds. Certain Warframes also have Health restoration powers.

Incapacitation
Downed Warframes appear as a red cross on the mini-map and will die in 30sec without help. Warframes can be revived by holding the Use key while nearby and facing them. While being revived, a blue bar will replace the red bar and increase - once full, the Warframe is revived and may resume using all equipment and powers as normal.

Death and Revival
Upon reaching 0 health in solo mode or otherwise being a single player in a mission, or if team mates fail to get to a fallen Tenno before the red bar is depleted, the player must either revive or forfeit the game immediately. Players may reenter games with team mates in them. More revives can be purchased at 3 per revive missing by navigating to the arsenal, under the warframe selector. Every player will start the day with 4 revives for each Warframe. Revives refill at 00:00 GMT. Not more than 4 revives can be held at a time.

Energy
Energy is used to power Warframe abilities. Warframes typically have three abilities consuming low amounts of Energy (less than 100), and one ability (often called an "Ult") that uses 100+ Energy. Every Warframe begins with half of their maximum Energy, and can gather more up to a max (varies by frame, its selected upgrades, and mods).

Energy does not normally regenerate, but can be replenished via Blue Orb pickups (25 Energy), having the Energy Siphon Artifact equipped (1 energy per 2 seconds per Tenno with the same selected artifact), or by damaging targets designated by Trinity's Energy Vampire ability.

Armor
Armor mitigates a percent of the incoming damage. Armor only affects damage applied to a Warframe's Health and does not affect damage absorbed by its Shields. Armor can be increased with the Steel Fiber mod at a percentage of the starting armor, though damage cannot be reduced lower than 1 (needs confirmation).

The damage reduction provided by the armor value can be calculated with the following formula:. This works out to ~9% damage mitigation for 10 armor frames, ~33% damage mitigation for 50 armor frames, 50% mitigation for 100 armor frames, and 60% mitigation for 150 armor frames.

Note that Rhino's Iron Skin ability does not grant armor, but rather makes the frame invincible.

Shields
Shields are a Warframe's (and Sentinels) outer protective layer. Shields are indicated as a blue numeric value at the top right of the screen. Most attacks damage the Shields and only reduce the Warframe's health once the Shields are drained. If the Warframe can avoid taking damage, it's Shields regenerate after a short delay. The Shield Restore consumable can restore 150 shields (purchasable for 100). The Trinity Warframe can restore all Health and Shields with the Blessing ability.

Mods can increase a Warframe's starting Shield capacity as well as the Shield's recharge rate. Certain enemy attacks can completely drain a Warframe's Shields, but these attacks are typically ineffective against Health. -->

Origins
The name "Warframes" comes from a 1950's Boeing (Company) WWII research project equipping WWII soldiers with exoskeletons.