Warframe finally unveils its next update, and one frame's free for now

As a new Warframe player, Koumei and the Five Fates is the update I’ve been waiting for. Overhauling some of the more frustrating parts of the onboarding experience, while simultaneously adding a swathe of new Japanese-inspired content, it’s exactly what I needed ahead of the highly anticipated Warframe 1999. From new frame Koumei to the Caliban rework, there’s a lot to unpack.

Let’s start out with Koumei, the titular Warframe. Referred to as the ‘Dice Maiden,’ her kit revolves around the idea of randomly generated numbers, or RNG. We see her string up enemies like marionettes with her ultimate, deal randomized damage and stat effects based on dice rolls, and even predict the future. We know that creative director Rebb Ford loves Baldur’s Gate 3, and I’m feeling a little bit of Faerûn in the multiplayer game‘s newest addition.

Warframe Koumei abilities

Here’s a brief rundown of new Warframe Koumei’s abilities:

• Thread together Kumihimo traps to both damage and inflict random status ailments based on dice rolls.
• Predict the future with Omikuji to learn what fateful actions are needed in the moment to earn a special buff.
• Summon protective Omamori charms to orbit Koumei and randomly convert damage into extra health or shields.
• Grab the strings of fiends’ fates themselves with the Bunraku ultimate ability and puppeteer them like marionettes with status effects.

While at first a bit of an odd concept, I think Koumei sounds absolutely amazing to play. I like the randomness; the high risk, high reward, and I love the dice integration. Plus, she looks gorgeous, and that soundtrack slaps.

But while Koumei is the star of the show, we can’t forget Caliban. In Koumei and the Five Fates, the Heir of the Twin Kingdoms is getting a full rework and will be free for a couple of weeks to celebrate.

There’s also a whole new mission type called Shrine Defense. Fight back waves of enemies until the dreaded Infested Oni appears to exert its wrath for murdering its minions. Completing Shrine Defense will net you Koumei’s component parts, as well as her signature weapons: the ‘Amanata’ polearm and ‘Higasa’ gunbrella (yes, I’m obsessed with that last one).

Of course, you can always pick up Komei and her accessories using the Warframe Market, and I am very tempted by that Orihime helmet

Finally, the new player experience has received a bit of an overhaul, which is music to this writer’s ears. Hatching your first Kubrow will take a minute, versus 48 hours, unowned mods now show full descriptions and their drop locations as opposed to ‘????’, and the new ability popup now shows which keybind the power is bound to – that latter one is an absolute lifesaver.

General updates include the ability to favorite equipment (finally), Void Relics now display whether or not rewards are owned or are currently being crafted, and purchasing Arcana from vendors now shows how much Arcana you have per rank.

According to the latest Dev Workshop, several other adjustments are on the cards, too, including a system that better distinguishes story quests from Warframe and side quests, an update to loading screen tips to make them more informative for new players, and fresh planetary arrival screens to help highlight targets and objectives.

Warframe’s Koumei and the Five Fates arrives on Wednesday, October 2, bringing with it Koumei herself, the Caliban rework, and all of the changes mentioned above. If you log in between October 2 and Wednesday October 16, you’ll also receive Caliban for free.

Digital Extremes has announced that a brand-new demo will drop for Warframe 1999, so why not check out our Warframe 1999 preview from this year’s TennoCon to get in the mood? Additionally, if you’re diving in again to experience the new update, why not check out our list of Warframe codes to score some free gear?

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