Warframe allows players to control a powerful biomechanical weapon to defeat enemies all over the expansive Origin System. These Warframes themselves have abilities, powers, and a plethora of skills to defeat Grineer, Corpus, and the Infested, but what players use the most in defeating these forces are primary weapons, secondary weapons, and melee weapons. Each loadout from a Warframe will have one of each of these weapons to slot.

With Warframe approaching its decade anniversary since its release, the game has more than 400 weapons available. Like other PvE games such as Destiny 2, Outriders, and Lost Ark, Warframe has its best weapons that the community agrees are well worth acquiring. This guide will go through some of the best weapons in Warframe that you absolutely need to obtain to make quick work of your enemies, expedite levels, and hold your own against the foes that await in the Origin System.

Proboscis Cernos

The Proboscis Cernos is a bow that, when shot, will pull enemies in with tendrils, deal damage to them over time, and then explode from where the arrow landed. This weapon does take some time to craft. To obtain the Proboscis Cernos, you will have to craft the Cernos, then use the crafted Cernos to craft the Mutalist Cernos, and finally use the crafted Mutalist Cernos to craft the Proboscis Cernos.

This Primary Weapon is able to take out groups of enemies with ease. You can also aim the bow to land a shot in the vicinity of a Security Camera, which will destroy these in Spy Missions without alerting guards. The tendrils from the arrows will pull enemies in alongside inflicting damage to enemies hiding behind cover.

This is one of the best bows in the entire game, and you don't even need any sort of headshot accuracy. Just jump, glide, dodge, and roll around while taking shots in between--it's seamless and awesomely calamitous. Adding mods such as Multishot alongside increased Fire Rate will have you shooting multiple arrows that all emanate tendrils with explosions at the end. Equipping Toxic, Viral, and Blast on this weapon with Amalgam Serration plus Heavy Caliber will not just have the deadliest bow in your arsenal, but also the most satisfying to handle.

Rubico Prime

The Rubico itself is an excellent Sniper Rifle with impeccable accuracy to inflict massive damage on enemies with headshots, but its Prime version increases its already excellent

capabilities even further. With increased Damage, Critical Chance, Reload Speed, Fire Rate, and Status Chance in comparison to its vanilla version--the Rubico Prime is the prime Snipe Rifle.

One of the main types of missions you can do in Warframe is Eidolon hunting. Eidolons are massive Kaiju that roam The Plains of Eidolon at nighttime. The Rubico Prime is considered by the Warframe community as the best weapon for taking out these monstrous enemies. The Rubico Prime can snipe the weak points of the Eidolon to deal colossal damage by placing Mods such as Point Strike, Vital Sense, Stormbringer alongside Hellfire, since Eidolons are weak against Radiation damage.

Adding Vigilante Armaments with Split Chamber will allow you to shoot the weak points of Eidolon in quick succession. It's a must-have weapon for any Eidolon-hunting Tenno or players making their way through The Steel Path. Equipping the Deadeye Mod on your Warframe is the ideal choice when hunting Eidolons.

Paracesis

Spoiler warning for this one: The Paracesis is given to you by Ballas after the completion of the Chimera Prologue quest. This is one of the few weapons that increases its Max Rank to 40 rather than 30, which is what most weapons in Warframe reach. Using Forma will increase the Paracesis by two Max Ranks with each Polarization with five total Polarizations available. Each Rank increases this melee weapon’s damage towards Sentients, and with Sentients being one of the tougher enemy types in the game, the Paracesis is able to fend them off with relative ease.

Being able to wield this heavy blade with its long-range will have you eviscerating groups of enemies, leaving behind only their squishy entrails. The best Mods to equip on the Paracesis are Tempo Royale, Amalgam Organ Shatter, Fever Strike, Primed Fury, Shocking Truth, Reach, Gladiator Vice, Sacrificial Steel, and Sacrificial Pressure. Be sure to have the correct Polarizations to save Mod space. This is a superb weapon to use in The Steel Path and an exceptional melee weapon to farm Focus with, as well.

Stropha

The Stropha is a gunblade that shoots shockwaves and can be used to cut enemies in the vicinity. Though it only shoots one shockwave at a time, the shockwave itself is powerful due to its punch-through effect. Being able to shoot through multiple enemies will make fast work of enemy swarms.

The Stropha is also one of the best weapons to use on Deimos for fighting Necramechs. Necramechs can be tough to take on alone in hitting their weak points, but due to the Stropha, you can shoot through their bodies straight to their weak points. Just like how the Rubico Prime is the best weapon for Eidolon hunting, the Strophra is the best melee weapon to fight Necramechs.

The Stropha also has the highest critical chance and critical multiplier of all of the gunblades in Warframe. Some of the best Mods for the Stropha are Gladiator Might, Sacrificial Steel, Sacrificial Pressure, Volcanic Edge, Shocking Truth, and Reach.

Pyrana Prime

The Pyrana Prime is a Secondary Weapon, and, naturally, the Prime version of the Pyrana. The Prime version has a higher critical chance, less damage fall-off, better reload speed, and bigger magazine size, though, its fire rate alongside its damage output is lower than the vanilla Pyrana.

The Pyrana Prime does have a unique skill to compensate for its mitigated fire rate and lessened damage. After you kill three enemies in swift succession, a second ethereal Pyrana is created and accompanied by double the magazine size with an increased fire rate to unleash terror on any enemies caught in your line of sight. Some of the suggested Mods for the Pyrana Prime are Primed Target Cracker, Primed Pistol Gambit, Galvanized Diffusion, Lethal Torrent, and Hornet Strike.

When comparing Primary or Secondary Weapons, many Primary Weapons outclass the Secondary Weapons in power, efficiency and/or usage, but the Pyrana Prime proves that it can hold its own and even be more powerful than many of Warframe’s Primary Weapons.

Kuva Nukor

The Kuva Nukor is a Secondary Weapon that can be obtained after defeating a Kuva Lich. This beam weapon is able to chain its beam through enemies and even corpses to deal heavy Radiation damage to as many as three enemies at the same time. Outside of the Radiation damage type, Kuva weapons like the Nukor come with a free elemental bonus. Like the Paracesis, the Kuva Nukor can reach Rank 40 with Polarizations, so you can place many high-cost Mods due to the increased capacity.

Some of the recommended Mods for the Kuva Nukor are Ruinous Extention to increase the beam length, Galvanized Shot to increase the status chance after kills alongside three elemental Mods with Frostbite, Pistol Pestilence, and Scorch to generate Cold, Toxin, and Heat damage respectively. Since the Kuva Nukor starts at 30% damage on initial firing and ramps up to 100% damage over time, you will want to increase its fire rate with Lethal Torrent to reach 100% of its damage as soon as possible to vaporize foes in the area hastily. You will also certainly want to equip Primed Mods in the form of Primed Target Cracker and Primed Pistol Gambit to increase critical damage alongside critical chance. The Kuva Nukor even has the highest critical multiplier of all weapons in the game. Shred waves of enemies with its beams.

There might be weapons in Warframe you may enjoy that are not considered the best or are considered weak in comparison to our list, but you should absolutely find the feel, quality, and play styles that best fit you. The weapons listed here are all must-haves to aid you in the game, but you should still try to find what works best for you as a player since Warframe is all about player choice. Take the time to understand how each of these weapons may shine in different or specific circumstances, such as the Rubico Prime or the Stropha for Eidolon hunting and Necramech Bounties, respectively. Be sure to unlock each of these weapons’ potentials through the use of Forma, Orokin Catalyst, upgrading Mods, and wielding each in missions and you'll be on your way to becoming one of Warframe's best-equipped players.

For more on Warframe, please, check out our tips for Warframe beginners, our Warframe Tier List according to Digital Extremes, and our interview with one of the developers on Prime Resurgence’s return.