Warframe Tier List TL;DR
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Dante is the Warframe in the game with a versatile kit and great scaling
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Wisp is the most valuable support pick, and Saryn is still the standard choice for AOEing down dense enemy groups.
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Sirius & Orion sit in B-Tier for now. Their kit is flexible, but swapping between two builds creates more building work to get done than the current payoff justifies.
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Prime and base versions share one placement because their ability kits are identical. Improved stats and polarities rarely change the actual ranking.
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Complete Warframe Tier List
The biggest things the rankings are based on are not only damage, but utilities and buffs the frame can provide too. Also, if one frame does a similar job to the other but better, of course they’re rankings will reflect that.
|
Tier |
Warframes |
|---|---|
|
S-Tier |
Dante, Wisp, Saryn, Octavia, Kullervo, Gauss, Revenant, Citrine, Protea, Xaku, Oraxia, Mesa |
|
A-Tier |
Uriel, Harrow, Volt, Mirage, Khora, Nekros, Nova, Rhino, Nezha, Nidus, Styanax, Gyre, Sevagoth, Garuda, Dagath, Baruuk, Zephyr, Mag, Follie, Nokko, Cyte-09, Temple, Voruna, Lavos, Jade, Hildryn, Trinity, Titania, Hydroid, Wukong |
|
B-Tier |
Frost, Caliban, Nyx, Valkyr, Yareli, Gara, Grendel, Qorvex, Ember, Ash, Ivara, Vauban, Excalibur, Inaros, Oberon, Atlas, Koumei, Sirius & Orion, Equinox, Banshee |
|
C-Tier |
Chroma, Loki, Limbo |
I have not included D or F tiers, since every frame is playable and can be tuned to extremes with large investments in its build and scaling.
S-Tier Warframes
Dante
Dante is my go-to frame for running Update 43 content. He simply does everything with his kit - he can generate Overguard and restore health with Light Verse, inflict Slash through Dark Verse, and combine his casts through Final Verse for damage nuking, generating defensive buffs and more. He also receives invulnerability during Light Verse and Triumph, making his base kit easy to get off even under heavy pressure.
Other frames beat him in individual categories, but none combines this much offense and defense in one kit.
Wisp - Best Support Warframe
Wisp is the best support in the game with lots of utility to provide. Just at base strength, the Vitality Mote adds 300 maximum Health and regenerates 30 Health per second for your allies. The Haste Mote gives 20% movement speed and 30% attack speed, while the Shock Mote repeatedly stuns nearby enemies. One Wisp can therefore make the entire squad tankier, faster, and harder to suppress. Her Wil-O-Wisp also gives her added mobility and a brief invulnerability window when she teleports. Overall, she’s basically a must-pick in harder content.
Saryn - Best AoE
Saryn’s been AoE meta for a while. Her Spores spread massive Corrosive damage between targets and increase their damage while the infection remains active. The more enemies the mission spawn, the easier it becomes to keep the poison chain running. Her kit feels great with abilities complementing and activating each other, dealing extreme damage even with mediocre mods.
Her weakness lies in short missions with low enemy density because Spores may reset between groups. Her boss clearing is not so great, too, unless you run a good weapon and build.
Octavia
Octavia’s kit combines scaling reflected damage, crowd control, and squad buffs, making her an essential part of any team trying to push content. She scales with the enemies because Mallet absorbs incoming fire and returns amplified damage around itself. Resonator carries the Mallet through the room while charming enemies into following it. This protects objectives, disrupts enemy aim, and keeps the damage source moving without Octavia standing inside every group.
Kullervo - Best Melee Warframe
Kullervo makes almost any properly modded melee weapon hit far above its normal weight class. Wrathful Advance teleports him into a Heavy Attack and grants 200% additive melee Critical Chance at base strength. With a good build, red crits become a regular thing. Collective Curse links enemies and transfers 50% of the damage dealt to one cursed target across the rest of the group. That makes Kullervo’s AoE as great as his solo damage. He needs enemies within casting range to maintain Overguard, but that is rarely a problem for a frame whose entire plan involves teleporting directly into crowds.
Gauss - Fastest Warframe
Gauss turns his constant movement into offense. His entire kit is speed - from movement to fire rate and attack speed. He also has a Thermal Sunder that handles groups with Cold and Heat, with combined casts that can trigger Blast and strip Armor during Redline.
Revenant - Best Tank
Mesmer Skin is the best defensive ability in the game to build your entire setup around. Each charge completely negates an incoming attack, stuns the attacker, and gives Revenant a brief grace period before another charge can be removed.
This complete negation is much stronger than ordinary damage reduction. The number of attacks blocked can scale with Ability Strength, so a decent build can carry enough charges to move through Steel Path bosses or Archon Hunts with very little risk.
He also has Reave, an ability that drains 8% of normal enemies’ Health and Shields, increasing to 40% against Enthralled targets. Because the drain is percentage-based, it remains relevant against high-level enemies.
Citrine
Citrine is a support that specializes in healing, increasing defensive and crit of your squadmates. Her abilities are:
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Preserving Shell builds toward 90% Damage Reduction for Citrine and nearby allies. Kills and assists refresh its defensive strength, so the ability fits normal combat rather than requiring the squad to stand inside a fixed area.
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Fractured Blast applies Slash and increases the chance for affected enemies to drop Health and Energy Orbs. Those pickups also strengthen Citrine’s passive regeneration over time.
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Prismatic Gem applies Heat, Cold, Toxin, and Electricity whenever Citrine or her allies damage marked enemies. Nearby squad members also gain additional Status Chance and Status Duration. Crystallize locks enemies in place and creates crystal growths with a fixed 300% Critical Chance when struck.
Protea
Protea’s passive gives every fourth ability cast an additional 100% Ability Strength. That single mechanic improves the rest of her kit because you can deliberately line it up with whichever cast matters most at the given moment. She’s got everything in her kit - shield generation, damage, CC; she can even spawn resources such as Ammo Packs and Health Orbs at command.
Xaku
Xaku performs particularly well against high-level enemies because Grasp of Lohk steals enemy weapons and converts them into auto-targeting Void guns. Their damage scales with enemy level, allowing the ability to remain useful at all times.
Another great ability he has is Gaze, which creates a defense-stripping zone around a trapped enemy. At 200% Ability Strength, it removes 100% of enemy Armor and Shields inside the radius. Xata’s Whisper adds Void damage to equipped weapons, giving Xaku a way to amplify normal gunplay. Overall, I think the character has one of the most diverse and fun kits in the game.
Oraxia - Best Stealth Warframe
Oraxia made older Stealth-based frames obsolete with her premium Toxin damage, crowd control, and damage vulnerability application, all while not slowing down for a second.
She’s got a spider-themed kit - her Webbed Embrace that spreads through an area, cocoons targets, and increases the damage they take. Enemies poisoned by her release Scuttlers spiders when killed, extending her damage through the rest of the group. Her Predator’s Lurk passive can refresh invisibility before it expires, so she can maintain stealth while moving swiftly between objectives.
Mesa - Best Solo-Target Damage Warframe
Throughout the years, Mesa has remained one of the fastest ways to remove enemies from your screen. Her Peacemaker equips her Regulators and automatically targets enemies inside the reticle. The targeting circle narrows as she fires, and her damage multiplier rises at the same time. That’s the ability you’re going to use the most, deleting crowds as effectively as single-target bosses.
A-Tier Warframes
A-Tier frames are powerful enough for endgame content but usually require more setup or higher investment builds:
|
Warframe |
Why It Ranks in A-Tier |
|---|---|
|
Uriel |
Infernalis, Demonium, and Brimstone rotation provide high Heat damage and vulnerability, but the demon-management loop requires you to be more involved in the gameplay than Dante’s rotation. |
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Harrow |
This frame’s kit is one of the best for gun support builds, but requires you to get kills to keep it going. |
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Volt |
Speed, Electric Shield, and Discharge keep him essential for Eidolons farming, though his strongest damage-oriented builds want different stats. |
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Mirage |
Enormous weapon damage, but she has fewer defenses than the S-tier frames. |
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Khora |
Whipclaw and Strangledome have excellent damage and CC, and extra loot, but stationary play can get boring. |
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Nekros |
Desecrate remains the best mobile farming ability, while Shadows of the Dead adds respectable defense to his kit, but the damage is almost completely absent from his kit. |
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Nova |
Molecular Prime can slow enemies, speed them up, and double incoming damage, making her excellent in specific missions and almost useless in others. |
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Rhino |
Iron Skin, Roar, and Stomp form an extremely reliable all-round kit, but newer frames offer more mechanical layers beyond simple durability. |
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Nezha |
Warding Halo, Blazing Chakram, and Divine Spears combine speed, 90% reduction, vulnerability, and control with very little friction. |
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Nidus |
Update 43 raised his normal Mutation cap to 200 and improved stack generation, but fast-paced missions can still interrupt his setup and make him super awkward to play. |
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Styanax |
Rally Point, Tharros Strike, and Final Stand cover Energy, stripping, Slash damage, and Overguard when Intrepid Stand is equipped. |
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Gyre |
Cathode Grace and Rotorswell can chain Electric crits through entire rooms, but losing the kill loop hurts badly. |
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Sevagoth |
His kit offers good scaling and gun support in exchange for a painful Forma bill. |
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Garuda |
Bloodletting supplies Energy, Dread Mirror blocks damage, and Seeking Talons primes forced Slash, but the Health loop demands attention. |
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Dagath |
Doom, Grave Spirit, and Rakhali’s Cavalry combine vulnerability, Critical Damage, survival, and stripping through a busy rotation. |
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Baruuk |
Serene Storm destroys Steel Path groups once Restraint is lowered; reaching that state is the only meaningful drawback. |
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Zephyr |
Turbulence shuts down projectile damage, while Tornado multiplies weapon output and controls large groups on suitable tiles. A very good frame, just not as good as some other options on the list. |
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Mag |
Magnetize and Crush are cool abilities, but the frame is just dated by the current power level standards IMO. |
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Follie |
Her sketch selection can solve several mission types, but choosing and maintaining the correct props adds a sizeable knowledge check, making the frame sort of hard to play. |
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Nokko |
Stinkbrain and Sporespring provide sustain and status control after the mushroom setup is established, cool but not as strong. |
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Cyte-09 |
His value drops sharply when the player cannot consistently land weak-point shots. |
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Temple |
Overdrive, Ripper’s Wail, and Exalted Solo become powerful when the Backbeat rhythm is maintained correctly. |
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Voruna |
Fangs of Raksh is an exceptional primer, while Shroud of Dynar and Ulfrun’s Descent go all in on the stealth playstyle with melee executions. |
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Lavos |
Catalyze scales with unique status types, and Transmutation Probe resets cooldowns, though repeated elemental infusion feels cumbersome. |
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Jade |
Ophanim Eyes, Symphony of Mercy, and Glory on High deliver healing, stripping, vulnerability, and aerial damage through active management. |
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Hildryn |
Pillage powers her shield economy and removes defenses, but shield-hostile enemies and modifiers remain a direct weakness. |
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Trinity |
Blessing, Link, and Energy Vampire still make squads extremely safe, but modern Energy and Overguard tools reduce her necessity. |
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Titania |
Razorwing is unmatched for fast objectives, although cramped tilesets and constant collisions can turn that speed against her. |
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Hydroid |
Plunder and Tentacle Swarm now provide stripping, tanking, control, Corrosive damage, and loot support from one build. |
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Wukong |
Cloud Walker and Celestial Twin make solo progression effortless, but his squad contribution remains fairly limited. |
B-Tier Warframes
B-Tier frames remain Steel Path viable but usually have a narrower specialty, an outdated mechanic, or a better alternative elsewhere in the roster.
|
Warframe |
Why It Ranks in B-Tier |
|---|---|
|
Frost |
Snow Globe and Avalanche are excellent abilities for objective defense, especially when built around Overguard and stripping augments, but on-the-move missions expose his limitations. |
|
Caliban |
Sentient Wrath, Lethal Progeny, and Fusion Strike together create a unique playstyle that covers vulnerability application and defense stripping through a slightly awkward casting flow, but the numbers tuning feels off. |
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Nyx |
Psychic Bolts strips defenses cheaply and Chaos disrupts groups, though both are slower than simply killing the same enemies. |
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Valkyr |
Frame has a strong melee–oriented kit based on increasing its durability, but Kullervo and Baruuk convert similar investment into wider damage. |
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Yareli |
Sea Snares and Merulina support powerful secondary builds, provided the tileset allows a hoverboard to pass through its doors. |
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Gara |
Splinter Storm can scale extremely well and protect objectives, but maintaining the damage loop becomes repetitive, and frame has nothing going for it besides that. |
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Grendel |
Nourish, Regurgitate, and Pulverize offer strong buffs, stripping, and tanking with a downside of needing to maintain constant gut management. |
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Qorvex |
Chyrinka Pillar and Disometric Guard make him durable and effective in corridors, but his handling feels heavier than competing tanks. |
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Ember |
Immolation, Fire Blast, and Inferno still work, although Heat and Energy management make her busier than modern casters. |
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Ash |
Smoke Screen and Blade Storm scale well against durable targets, but manually marking groups is slow by current standards. |
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Ivara |
Prowl and Quiver dominate Spy and controlled solo missions while clashing with the pace of most public squads. |
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Vauban |
Bastille and Flechette Orb own stationary chokepoints but lose much of their value once the squad moves on. |
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Excalibur |
Radial Blind and Exalted Blade remain intuitive and usable, though Incarnons and modern melee frames have passed his damage ceiling. |
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Inaros |
Sandstorm and Scarab Shell make him extremely difficult to kill, but most of his offense still comes from equipped weapons. |
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Oberon |
Renewal and Hallowed Ground provide healing, cleansing, and Armor, with more upkeep than newer support kits require. |
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Atlas |
Landslide scales properly through Rubble and a stat stick, but reaching and maintaining the full loop takes time. |
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Koumei |
Decrees and triple-six casts can become extremely powerful, but random outcomes make short missions inconsistent. |
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Sirius & Orion |
The dual-frame kit includes healing, stripping, grouping, support, and Blast damage, but swapping and maintaining two builds adds friction. |
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Equinox |
Mend, Maim, Rest, and Rage cover many roles, but splitting them between forms makes both building and casting more cumbersome. |
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Banshee |
Sonar offers absurd damage multipliers, and Silence disables abilities, but her defenses leave little room for mistakes. |
C-Tier Warframes
C-Tier frames still have useful builds you can try out, but their kits are too narrow and dated to compete with the stronger options above.
|
Warframe |
Why It Ranks in C-Tier |
|---|---|
|
Chroma |
Vex Armor and Elemental Ward produce large buffs, but most of his practical kit consists of maintaining two timers and doesn’t get much going for him besides that. |
|
Loki |
Invisibility and Radial Disarm remain reliable for Spy missions, but having almost no damage in the build makes the frame feel outdated. |
|
Limbo |
Cataclysm and Stasis can lock down objectives perfectly, but poor Rift management can interfere with teammates and mission pacing; he’s a nostalgia frame more than anything else. |
Best Warframe for Solo Play
Revenant is the easiest solo option. Mesmer Skin completely removes most of the danger, and his remaining build slots can focus on weapons or mission utility.
Kullervo is my preferred aggressive solo choice if you can negate damage by moving and hitting things before they hit you. He has everything - mobility, Overguard, healing, single-target damage, and crowd clearing without depending on teammates.
Wukong is the best comfort pick for progressing through unfamiliar missions. Cloud Walker provides both healing and mobility, and his additional lives and clone make mistakes less punishing.
Best Warframes for Farming
Use Nekros when the squad will move through the level or kill enemies across a wide area. Desecrate works around corpses without requiring every enemy to die inside one specific ability.
Use Khora when the squad can camp a controlled location. Pilfering Strangledome groups enemies, increases loot dropped, and works well with high-density Survival farming.
Choose Hydroid when you want crowd control, armor stripping, survivability, and loot support all in one setup.
Best Warframes for Beginners
Excalibur has the most straightforward starter kit. Radial Blind provides crowd control, and Exalted Blade acts as a dependable weapon before their regular arsenal is properly modded.
Volt has better long-term building potential, and Mag has a higher technical ceiling, but Excalibur asks for the least game knowledge and gets you feeling like a space ninja instantly. He remains useful throughout the entire game, from the introductory missions to the very endgame. His skills scaling is excellent, and getting speed buffs is something you’ll appreciate a lot after running hundreds of missions. He requires more defensive awareness and better positioning than Excalibur, but he eventually becomes valuable in Eidolons, Sanctuary Onslaught, speed farming, and several boss setups.
Mag is the hardest starter to build and get going, but arguably has the highest combat ceiling. Magnetize can multiply projectile damage, Pull controls enemies, and Polarize supports defense stripping and shield recovery. You’ll control low-level defense missions effortlessly with her, and that’s a huge upside. I don’t think the Rhino makes the list since he doesn’t have anything distinctive going for him. From the very early stages of the game, he’s been a very solid frame but with a weird kit that basically makes him a tanky weapon platform.
