Warframe Unleashes a Torrent of News and Empyrean Expansion

On 6th July 2019, the Canadian developer and publisher Digital Extremes revealed a whole host of announcements which was led by a 30-minute live demonstration of its new cooperative space combat expansion, Empyrean, at TennoCon 2019, the fourth annual Warframe conference. Digital Extremes presented Empyrean’s new, larger-scale cooperative gameplay with fluid ship-to-ship combat, the new ground-breaking multiplayer Squad Link system, and customizable battleship options to a sold-out crowd.

The team also unveiled a movie-quality cinematic introduction to Warframe by Director Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane, Black Mirror: Playtest, The Boys, Uncharted). This re-imagination of the game’s introductory story presents Trachtenberg’s and Digital Extremes’ vision of an older era in the Warframe universe. In the Old War, the Orokin Era, when the original Warframes rebelled against their Orokin masters, flashback scenes depict them in battle against Dax Warriors in action scenes with proto-Grineer soldiers looming in the background. The new intro brings new narrative context and cinematic action to the Warframe universe.

New trailers of the open world expansion Duviri Paradox and the fourth Cinematic Quest The New War were revealed along with a contest that gives players the chance to win cash toward a trip to space.

You can watch all TennoCon videos on YouTube here.

Digital Extremes also unveiled two Warframe updates, Nightwave Series 2 and Wukong Prime Access. Both are available immediately across all platforms -- PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Nightwave is Warframe’s free, rotating seasonal system. Each Series unfolds over several weeks and tells a brand new story. By completing daily and weekly challenges, Tenno will unlock limited-time, exclusive rewards (gear, cosmetics and more) while experiencing the story as they play. In Series 2: The Emissary players will meet a strange mute child (Arlo) who emerges unharmed from the Infestation and brings with him the miraculous ability to heal the sick.

Wukong Prime is now available to earn through gameplay or purchase. The enduring, swift and unruly Wukong Prime brings eager Tenno an enhanced version of the original for the first time ever.

EMPYREAN EXPANDS DEEP SPACE COMBAT
Empyrean expands the premise of Warframe by handing players and their clanmates the keys to the powerful Railjack battleship. Prepare to soar through the Origin System, explore new territory, and fight hostile forces with serious firepower. With an in-ship interface to control speed and direction, shield deployment, offensive missile volleys and gunner fire. The ability to deploy Archwings and infiltrate enemy ships are also include and players are now armed with an arsenal of tools to fend off and destroy enemy opposition. Player ships can be upgraded, take damage, and be customized, among many other things.

New details from TennoCon 2019 bring an even deeper level of freedom, power and cooperative gameplay:

• Connect the Community With Squad Link!: This ground-breaking multiplayer system connects the world of Warframe in an entirely new way. Transcend beyond your solo objective and connect with the larger community by reaching out to other Tenno squads using the Squad Link. In multi-objective missions from space, players can call up on other squads of active players to help the bigger cause -- lower enemy ship shields, steal valuable data, and more.
• Assault, Steal and Pilot Enemy Ships: Players can now infiltrate opponent ships using Archwings and command them in a variety of missions. Become a swashbuckling #Spaceninja, Tenno!
• Customize and Upgrade Everything: The Drydock is your Railjack’s personal space garage. Build out and upgrade your battleship’s Equipment, Cosmetics, Systems and Reinforcements with a huge array of options, name your ship, and beautify it all by customizing primary, secondary and tertiary colors, accents, decals and more.
• Revenge: Enemies have begun adapting to Tenno lethality, and from it kingpins will emerge! Players familiar with Warframe’s in-development Kingpin system will be rewarded with a first look at how these reactive enemies behave, starting with the Kuva Lich, Emra Rok, in an epic boss fight on the capital ship.
• Graphics Upgrade: Digital Extremes is dedicated to providing the single best graphic fidelity to AAA free-to-play gaming. Using a completely re-written rendering technology (“Deferred Renderer”) in its proprietary Evolution Engine, Warframe’s graphics have never looked better.

A BIGGER STORY
The new introduction to Warframe builds a bridge between two eras. For the first time, players can catch a glimpse of the original Warframes fighting in the Old War using their robust Abilities and incredible fighting skills. Couched in a larger narrative, the three enticing flashback sequences are designed to introduce players to choose one of their first chooseable Warframes (Excalibur, Mag and Volt). The new six-minute introduction sets up players with a better understanding of the universe they are about to embark on with a deep, meaningful and more comprehensive storyline for Warframe.

“Getting to work so collaboratively with the dev team at DE has been an awesome experience,” says Great Guns’ Director Dan Trachtenberg. “As a massive fan of the game myself, having logged in hundreds of hours of play time, it’s been so much fun crafting a story that both sets up the universe for new players in a pretty epic way, while sprinkling it with moments that, I hope, make it doubly rewarding for hardcore fans with a better understanding of the game’s lore.”

Digital Extremes plans on incorporating the new introduction in late 2019/early 2020.

ROADMAP TO THE FUTURE
The Devstream crew revealed several additional surprises on stage. After the massive Empyrean demo ended, Digital Extremes delivered a new Duviri Paradox update trailer. Following the first two open worlds, The Plains of Eidolon and Fortuna, the Duviri Paradox takes players on a reality-bending journey of the surreal. Digital Extremes teased players with the third open world comprised of an ominous new environment where Operators have grown up to become mature adults.

Digital Extremes also unveiled a new trailer from the fourth entry in Warframe’s narrative series with The New War. The team’s short teaser video relays a new chapter in the saga of the Lotus and the rise of the Sentients.

WIN CASH TOWARD A TRIP TO SPACE!
This year’s TennoCon moves the space needle even further with a spectacular opportunity. In this incredible contest, Digital Extremes will offer players a chance to win $250,000 USD toward a trip to space by playing Warframe in the “Become a Real #SpaceNinja” sweepstakes today. Strap in and prepare for the Gs! Get full details here.

All efforts behind TennoCon are designed for the benefit of Digital Extremes’ players and this year’s charity partner Canadian Mental Health Association, Middlesex Branch (CMHA Middlesex). CMHA will receive a portion of proceeds from TennoCon ticket sales as well as from online donations during the live show. CMHA helps to bring a greater understanding of self-care and mental health to the digital and gaming industry at large. For more, click here.