Warframe of Mind: Can we catch up in Warframe’s story before TennoCon?

I have mixed feelings about TennoCon 2019. Don’t get me wrong — I am excited as all get out and look forward to going! TennoCon is always an amazing experience; the first one ever got me playing Warframe, and each one after has accelerated the excitement with amazing expansion announcements.

However, therein lies the rub: I am also anxious because I have yet to finish up the core content before the new goodies come about each time. At last year’s convention, devs encouraged me to be sure to catch up before Fortuna launched. And I didn’t, so I’ve missed out in some ways.

Besides the things going on in life (like a job that has me playing myriad other games), I am an unapologetic slowpoke who savors story, valuing the journey over the destination. I have always played at my own pace, but doing so has been hampering my ability to immerse myself in Warframe’s newest content when it comes. This year, I aim to change that.

So here’s my goal: to finish up the current story before this year’s convention so I can be poised to dive fully into whatever is announced. (And come on, we know it will be pretty impressive!) But TennoCon 2019 is only 15 weeks away! The question is, can I do it? Can I catch up and complete all the current story content between now and the first weekend of July? I have a plan. And in this inaugural edition of Warframe of Mind, I am going to share that plan — just in case you need to travel along the same path.

Friends in ‘Frames

The top priority for me to be able to get through everything is to avoid being solo. I have more fun with friends, period. But it definitely goes beyond that. Think of it as being in training and I need good trainers. Sometimes I need someone (or three) to help me keep my eye on the prize, or help me successfully finish a harder task that I would otherwise keep throwing myself into until I got it, essentially halting my progress indefinitely. Having folks in my corner to offer me pointers or even old mods to help boost me in certain situations also can make a world of difference. And let’s not forget those great endo parties in clan allowing me to upgrade even more. That’s what friends are for.

For good runs, and bad runs,
they’ll kill by your side forever more
That’s what friends are for!

Obviously friends can’t accompany me into planet junctions, but in every other area is fair game. They can come along and help me complete the goals of the various nodes. Whether pulling me back on task or keeping me alive in harder areas, this is help I very much need right now. Those areas I’m reaching now have definitely gotten harder for me.

On top of that, friends trump PUGs. My friends still allow me enough time to experience and enjoy the mission at hand (read: wander around exploring, collect loot, poke in corners) without having it completed for me before I even zone in! Yes, that has happened to me on more than one occasion. True, a PUG will likely get it done faster, but at too great of a cost for me; if I barrel through and completely miss the journey, I’ve just totally ruined my whole reason for playing. Even when I want to ultimately arrive at the end, I mourn it as well because that means the journey is over. The journey is still — and likely will always be — the best part for me. So cheating myself out of a bunch of enjoyment just to experience other enjoyment immediately (which will still be there when I eventually do get to it) is more than counterintuitive; it’s dumb. Enjoy less just so you can enjoy faster is not my philosophy.

Another bonus is that by playing with friends, I can actually try different Warframes and weapon combinations, earning ranks in things and getting progress there as well as in the story. If I were on my own, I’d likely be stuck just using what I am best at. I love my Frost Prime and all (a lot!), but I want to experience and get comfortable with others as well. I’ve even discovered a love for other ‘Frames and gear that I wouldn’t be able to if I didn’t feel free to experiment.

Leave side missions on the side

The above sentiment almost completely smacks in the face of this next part of my plan! But hear me out. One of my biggest hurdles to finishing the story quests is my propensity to finish all the quest! I am a completionist: I don’t want to miss a single bit of flavor anywhere, so I try to clear an entire planet before moving on to the next. However, doing this is slowing me down considerably. My plan now is to (mostly) just fill those requirements that allow me to nab the next big story quest. That means focusing on completing junctions and quest prerequisites above all else. Seems easy, right?

Wrong.

I’ve got to tell you, ignoring those side quests and nodes that are unnecessary for my story progression is very hard for me! Every single time I look at my map and see all those little locked nodes I get the pull to do something about it. I have a twinge of what am I missing out on?! Once in a while I am drawn to do one or two. I know I can come back and do them later, but it is not quite the same as an organic run-through.

So I need a strategy, and here, it’s to go ahead and run these extra nodes once in a while if I must, but I can do them on my own time when friends aren’t necessarily available. Yes, that means I might end up pugging it (which causes its own drawbacks), but this way I can maximize the help of my friends and clanmates. Tied to the plan above, my friends who’ve gone beyond can also let me know which side nodes and quests might have something of note I wouldn’t want to miss and can direct me there as well as help me through. Friends are the best!

Story motivation

You know I am all about the story! What is possibly most surprising to me is how much of the story I have managed to stay spoiler-free about. After reporting on the game, attending TennoCons, and talking to devs, you’d think there was no way anything would be left to uncover. And yet there is. Spoilers are a serious hazard of this job, and I am oh-so-grateful that I still have some of Warframe’s biggest story details left to discover on my own.

That clock is ticking, however, and I am not sure how much longer it can last. So if I want the story to have the best impact it can, I need to get on the ball and do this. I need to catch up. Going so slowly that I ruin part of the story is unacceptable.

Plan progress

I’ve been following this plan for a couple weeks already, knowing I was about to undertake this column, and I have definitely progressed more than I have at any other time in the past. I have finished Stolen Dreams and am currently working toward the Second Dream quest. That’s the biggie! I’m on The New Strange and will be starting Natah. I’ll git ‘er done!

Will it be enough? Will I make it through and finally truly enjoy the Wolf of Saturn Six stuff happening right now (that I am trying to avoid)? Keep checking back both here and on OPTV to watch my progress, and let me know about yours as we push onward to TennoCon!