Warframe has been getting more and more, delightfully bizarre over the past couple of years, main as much as final yr’s time-travelling, NPC-romancing blast again to 1999. And issues are about to get even wilder when developer Digital Extremes invitations gamers to start out kicking boy band butt in its new Techrot Encore replace, arriving on nineteenth March.
Techrot Encore sees Digital Extremes constructing on final yr’s 1999 replace by introducing a spread of latest gameplay programs. That begins with the introduction of the Technocyte Coda – a corruption of Warframe’s in-game 90s boy band On-lyne, whose members (Harddrive, Zeke, Drillbit, Packet, and DJ RoM) will randomly seem in ranges till gamers defeat them.
It is an adversary system – initially because of launch final yr till it ballooned into one thing extra expansive – that works equally to Warframe’s Kuva Lich and Sisters of Parvos. As such, gamers – who’ll must have accomplished The Hex quest first – cannot have a Lich or Sister tied to them in the event that they wish to expertise the Technocyte Coda. Oh and be warned that you will acquire a steadily rising pimple till you handle to defeat your bothersome boy band foe.
On high of that, Techrot Encore provides 4 new Protoframes to 1999’s Höllvania Mall, which has been expanded to supply entry to the grungy The Spherical Desk pub. Right here, gamers can meet Velimir (the Protoframe of Frost) and his ex-wife Minerva (Saryn), in addition to good younger engineer Kaya Velasco, the Protoframe of Nova. And lastly, there’s the David Bowie-inspired Flare – the one surviving member of a band known as Temple, and the Protoframe for the sport’s musically inclined, talking-guitar-wielding sixtieth Warframe, Temple.
All these characters have a presence within the mall, which means you’ll be able to discuss to them on the planet, or delve deeper into their backstories by means of conversations utilizing 1999’s AOL-inspired KIN system. You will not, nonetheless, be capable of romance any of the brand new NPCs. Not even the guitar.
Away from the story stuff, Kaya’s your port of name for accessing Techrot Encore’s powerful new Temporal Archimedea missions. These could be performed for varied rewards, and have a stackable sticker-inspired increase system gamers can discover to achieve benefits whereas out within the subject. That is alongside Flare’s new Stage Defence missions, which see gamers venturing out to Solstice Sq.. Right here, their job is to guard Temple from incoming foes throughout three waves (all Defence missions have been lowered to 3 waves within the new replace) as he rocks out on stage in mourning for his bandmates.
Rewards for efficiently finishing a Stage Defence mission embody Techrot Heartstrings. These could be given to Flare at The Spherical Desk to get Temple’s blueprints should you’re not fortunate sufficient to obtain them as a mission reward. Temple, by the way, is a heat-based Warframe with a definite musical twist, provided that he – and his sentient guitar Lizzy – acquire an assault increase if gamers handle to forged his talents on the beat.
Pyrotechnics, for example, causes Temple to rock out on guitar and unleash pillars of fireplace, which could be doubled if deployed on the beat. Overdrive, in the meantime, is a crit debuff that spawns a circle of subwoofers to stun enemies, and may lengthen the period of Ripper’s Wail if on-beat. Talking of which, this one’s a buff capability that heals participant and makes them invulnerable for a time, all whereas giving hearth harm to allies. Touchdown on the beat makes therapeutic twice as efficient. And at last there’s Exalted Solo, which turns Lizzy right into a flame thrower (as a result of why not!) that may be augmented with extra electrical energy assaults.
And there is a lot extra! Techrot Encore additionally contains a new Rainbow Street-inspired bike-racing arcade recreation generally known as Ollie’s Crash Course, and brings new Ollie-themed cosmetics, together with an Ollie floof. That is alongside an enormous vary of changes and high quality of life improvents, together with Warframe augments for Gyre, Qorvex, Koumei, and Wisp, plus a Pseudo Exalted Rework for Kora, Atlas, Gard, and Ash. Gamers may also anticipate a shortened Star Chart path – making it simpler to entry the Second Dream quest and the wild new content material Warframe’s added in the previous couple of years. There’s additionally simpler Archwing crafting, plus adjustments to make The Duviri Paradox and the The Hex Quest extra replayable. And most fun of all, there’ll lastly be a option to replay Fortuna’s iconic We All Elevate Collectively cinematic.
All this can be accessible when Warframe’s expansive (and free) Techrot Encore replace launches for PlayStation, Xbox, Change, and PC on nineteenth March.