It has been a few weeks since TennoCon 2023. Where Digital Extremes celebrated ten years of Warframe in so many interesting ways. From parts of the team showcasing an extensive look at their new IP Soulframe. As well as the new heirloom cosmetic packs that generated controversy in the community. To three major updates coming to the game in the next year to come. This whole event has sent the community soaring into hype I am very happy to be a part of. Considering one thing: I did not know where the story of Warframe was going, and now I do. But is it the direction I wanted? Well let’s take a look!
Into The Abyss of Dagath
The Abyss of Dagath is going to be the first major update to come from the roadmap they laid out. It will be an update that will most likely coincide with the Nights of Naberus and have an interesting way to earn Dagath. But it is going to be an update that kicks off more of a focus on the Entrati family of Deimos. As the story of Dagath will be told by Grandmother on Deimos.
In this update there will also be a ton of changes coming. Ranging from a full-on companion rework that will change kubrows/kavats and sentinels for the better. As well as a Hydroid, and Yareli rework that the community is clammoring for, All of this will come next month and more details will come from their next devstream this month. In their recent future of Warframe trailer, they also showed how she will look in game with her weapon. You can find that here.
But this is only the appetizer for the next two major updates coming to the game. The first being “The Whispers in the Walls” update.
The Next Major Cinematic Narrative Arc Begins in Warframe
The Whispers in the Walls update is going to kick off a new cinematic narrative arc for Warframe. As the showcase for it started with a lengthy cutscene showing someone with a long coat and kavat that we learned was Albrecht Entrati. His story in the game aligned with the introduction of the game’s main villain and there are audio logs detailing that horrifying encounter. So, seeing him in the gameplay demo and then following it up with an introduction to a new zone underneath the Necralisk was very significant for me.
The new area of the game known as the Entrati Labs has so many mad scientist lab vibes. Limbs of lifeless bodies protruding from the environment filled with deadly robots and a new weapon type called the Grimoire to use was continuing to impress me. It felt like such a different ambiance to go for than what Warframe usually goes for… until they showed all is not what it seems.
The Whispers in the Walls is going to start confronting the main villain of the game, and they made an incredible sequence of the Kiddo staring at a staircase that gets torn away into a different dimension, adding a second biome to the Entrati Labs and a whole new enemy faction. This dimension shifting area, a new weird weapon type and strange new foes are all so fascinating. But very little in the way of story details were given until the end of that gameplay demo, where they transitioned into the biggest surprise of the show: Warframe 1999.
A Blast From the Past
Warframe: 1999 is going to be update that follows up on the story starting with Whispers in the Walls. This started with honestly a very cool cutscene leading to some character introductions and ending with Albrecht Entrati seemingly causing a catastrophe. In this update, players may be playing as yet another new character known as Arthur. But who he and his companion are and what they will be doing is unknown. But thanks to an interview from PCGamesN we got some details:
She doubles down that Warframe 1999 “is Warframe,” however. “The only thing that is not Warframe is that’s it’s 1999 – but you’ll have to wait and see how it is Warframe. It’s certainly an exciting new look for the game, though, and it feeds into the different experiences that the team wants to provide us with. -PCGamesN
At a glimpse, what it may become is an update similar to The Duviri Paradox, where players were put into another character’s shoes for a story that works its way into the main narrative. But with both Whispers in the Wall and 1999, something is changing in Warframe. That is coherence with its story delivery, a problem a lot of players have with the game.
A Clear Vision for Warframe
I started playing Warframe in 2016, and this game has evolved tremendously in so many meaningful ways. From general content delivery and what type of content comes. As well as how much more fluid the gameplay has gotten. But when it comes to the story, it was very foggy with loose connections that did delivery a compelling narrative. So many different story quests with cinematic elements to them leading up to a fantastic finale in The New War. But when it came to Angels of the Zariman and The Duviri Paradox it felt like Digital Extremes was filling in blanks.
But when it comes to these next two major updates, it feels like moving forward in a clear direction. The story needed to start confronting the main villain, and they are starting just that. With the return of a very important character in Albrecht Entrati and him potentially being the main villain. Whispers in the Walls will start a story, but instead of leaving players in the dark after. They will know Warframe: 1999 is coming the year after. So what information is learnt in this update will start theories among the community.
This is what I always wanted to see for the game. Back years ago, Bungie teased three major expansions with The Witch Queen, Lightfall and The Final Shape. This was a brilliant move on their end to keep their community in the know. Digital Extremes is doing the same while having release windows ready for players to latch onto. All of this is coupled with the fact that both updates will work in tandem with each other. Even Abyss of Dagath will be Deimos centered so players can get used to that environment.
Letting the Past Go?
In another article I made, I mentioned that some stories do need closure or progression. The Worm Queen is still on her own and missing her sister. Alad V is seemingly missing, Pazuul is controlling Narmer but to what to end? While Thrax remains just in Duviri with so much more potential to tap into. I am very disappointed these stories may never get resolved, but I am also very excited for these two updates. They look new, energetic and amazingly realized on the surface alone. The fact the first two updates come in a few months, and Warframe: 1999 comes next year is so exciting to me.
I just hope that they stick the landing, and hopefully tie in these other stories somehow. Because this new direction may give the game some much needed coherency for onlookers to get interested in.
