Last time around, when I raved about Warframe’s many qualities once again, I mentioned in passing that one of the things I enjoy a lot is to search for hidden vaults and stashes.
What I didn’t point out is how absolutely awesome the game actually is for ambitious scavenger hunters like myself. I would even go as far as saying that no other game I’ve played, no matter the genre, had quite as much hidden goodies on offer as Digital Extreme’s space ninja shooter – and some of these are exceptionally well hidden to boot.
So if Warframe’s usual gameplay loop is too hectic for you, and you’re as much of a sucker for treasure hunts as I am, the following alternatives might just be what the doctor ordered.
I’ll start off with my current obsession, which I indulge in pretty much every day right now: collecting Voidplumes in Zariman Extermination missions.
Back when the Angels of the Zariman update introduced this content I didn’t like it all that much and stopped engaging with it soon after I’d completed the associated story. The main reason for this is that the three new mission types are too hectic for my taste – yes, they’re even more frantic than Warframe’s usual chaos and mayhem, because there’s some element of time pressure to all of them (no actual clocks ticking, but stuff that has to be defended at all times etc). That’s doubly problematic because said Voidplumes, eight of which are scattered all over each map, are the only way to gain standing with The Holdfasts, the resident faction you may want to be on good terms with, and you can’t really go and look for these thingies when you need to hurry from one objective to the next in order to not fail the mission.
However, in addition to those Zariman-exclusive mission types there’s also a normal Extermination on offer, as some helpful Redditors (yes, those do exist) have pointed out to players who’d also wondered how the hell to farm Voidplumes reliably. So that’s the one I’ve been doing on repeat recently, and had I not gone on vacation I would most likely have maxed out my Holdfasts-standing and bought all the goodies I need by now.
So how does this work exactly?
Voidplumes, just like Ayatan statues, are interactible objects that are lying around somewhere on the map, waiting to be picked up. They aren’t hidden quite as well as some other treasure items, but you’ll not find them in any random hallway either. Usually they’re tucked away in dead ends or small rooms. If the door to such a room won’t let you in but stands a bit ajar, look through the gap, shoot the red electronic panel you will see on the wall inside and the door will open. Some areas can only be reached by dropping into a hole in the ground or smashing a panel concealing the entrance to a narrow, vent-like path – remember that destroyable objects like these flash every few seconds to make spotting them a little easier.
On the Zariman there’s also some help to be had. Glowing and humming little orbs lie around in various places that, when interacted with, spawn a golden ghost child. These apparitions will start running after a moment, expecting you to follow them. Their movement is a little erratic at times, but they leave a golden trail, a few yards in length, to make tracking them easier. They’ll eventually come to a halt next to an item of interest – mostly a Voidplume, but it can also be stuff like a rare container or an Ayatan statue if you’re lucky – and vanish soon after. If you activate such a ghost and it just stands there for a while before despawning again it means that there’s nothing to be found anymore (or it’s just buggy, which unfortunately happens sometimes).
I addition to the eight Voidplumes just lying around a couple more can be acquired per mission. Also hidden somewhere on the map are two items vaguely looking like oversized keys. These are called Zarium Accolades and must be picked up and delivered to a terminal marked by a purple symbol on the map (only if you’re somewhat near though). A Voidplume Quill then appears next to the terminal – don’t forget to take it! The accolades emit a pretty loud sound until picked up, so finding them isn’t that hard when you’re snooping around anyway. Lastly, one dormant Void Angel per map waits to be activated. I won’t go into detail about the fight here, but once it’s defeated you’ll have earned one more Voidplume, and this one’s always a Pinion (the highest tier).
Since this has almost turned into a guide anyway allow me to go on another little tangent here. The by far most important form of support, and this is true for all kinds of treasure hunts in Warframe, is having at least one source of loot radar. Warframes can be modded to provide this, but most players choose not to „waste“ a valuable ‘frame slot for it and equip their companion of choice with Animal Instinct or Primed Animal Instinct instead. You’ll have to make sure that your little friend doesn’t die until you’ve found what you’re looking for though.
Loot radar marks pretty much everything in its range that can be picked up or interacted with on your mini map, with the exception of lockers. A few item types, mods and Endo for example, have their own unique icon, but most things, including normal loot containers as well as all treasure items and special caches mentioned in this post, share the same little rectangle symbol. In order not to miss any of the rare ones I usually seek out anything and everything with such a marker, smashing and collecting stuff as I go (don’t forget to also give your companion the Vacuum mod, so they hoover in all loot for you from a distance).
The main benefit of loot radar, at least to me, is that still seeing markers on the map after clearing out the mission’s obvious “main route” is always an unmistakable sign that I must have missed something, be it a room, a vent, a balcony, an alcove, or any other place where loot might be waiting. These can be pretty well hidden at times too, and after more than 600 hours in the game I still stumble upon treasure rooms I’ve never seen before from time to time. Do note that not every such room always contains actual “treasure” though, often it’s just a bunch of normal resources. It wouldn’t be much of a hunt if you always found the good stuff right away, now would it?
Next on the list of shinies are resource caches, and man, if you’re really into searching every last corner of the map, however long it might take, these are for you!
Resource caches can be found as an optional objective in most Sabotage missions, as well as select Exterminate and one specific Hive mission. The Lotus will inform you at the start if there are any, and the UI keeps track of how many you’ve already opened. They look like the normal lockers you find pretty much everywhere, only with a white glow instead of the usual green, as seen above. They also emit a sound, making honing in on their exact location a little easier once you’re near enough to hear it. The hard part is getting that near in the first place.
You know those awfully long elevator shafts that appear in some Uranus missions? I once found a cache halfway down such a shaft, tucked away between some steel framework. I never, ever would have looked there had I not seen a blip on the loot radar for a few milliseconds on the way down. They’re placed very much out of the way sometimes, is what I’m saying.
If they’re that hard to find and also optional, why even actively look for them? Well, to be honest, I’ve had runs where I’ve found all three and didn’t get much for my efforts. But they do have nice things on their loot tables that you won’t get anywhere else, a couple useful mods for example, as well as parts for the rare Xiphos landing craft. Also, a real treasure hunter doesn’t do it just for the rewards, right? Right??
Now we’re getting to rare stuff that’s not exclusive to certain mission types. In every mission (possibly with the exception of those occupied by the Infested, I’m not sure on that one) there’s a chance for either a rare or a reinforced storage container to spawn. These look similar to the bog-standard containers of that particular tileset, just with some kind of glow and a humming sound to make them more prominent. The reinforced specimens also look a bit more fancy. Both show up on loot radar, but like all treasure items just with a normal rectangle icon.
If you’re like me you’ll smash them before even realizing that they’re not just a normal container most of the time, but that’s ok because you’ll get the special loot regardless. The first two items will depend on the tileset you’re in: first off you’ll always get either a Detonite Injector (Grineer), a Fieldron (Corpus) or a Forma (Orokin and Zariman), all built and ready to use. Additionally there’s a chance to snag a blueprint for the Mantis landing craft, which one will again depend on the faction you’re facing. The third special item is a random 30 minute booster if it’s a rare container, while the reinforced one will treat you to a full hour – which is also the only difference between the two. Some credits and Endo round out the package, and rarely you’ll get a random weapon blueprint as a bonus.
However, since these containers can spawn almost anywhere, but only have a low chance of actually doing so, it’s not really worth it to play specific missions just to look for these. Unless…
What if you had the means to know whether or not a mission contains something worth your while right from the start? Enter Golden Instinct.
This is one of the Helminth’s unique abilities, which, once unlocked, you can replace any Warframe ability with. When used it sends a spark towards the nearest rare container, Ayatan statue, syndicate medallion, or unscanned fragment or Kuria (some of the game’s mostly lore-related collectibles that have to be scanned instead of picked up). I believe its color depends on your Warframe’s chosen energy color, so pick one you can see well for this.
The great thing about Golden Instinct is that it already has a 200m radius by default. Word is using it on a ‘frame with 200% or more ability range is enough to cover the whole map, no matter the tileset, which means that you can immediately exit and restart the mission if it doesn’t find anything. Using Lavos instead of any other ‘frame adds the benefit of being able to use Golden Instinct more often (thanks to his ability that lowers all other skills’ cooldowns), making actually finding the shiny, once you’re in a mission that has spawned one, much easier.
The catch is that this ability is the last thing you’ll unlock, at Helminth level 15. When I realized that it’s something I really want mine was only at level 7, unfortunately, because I’d only ever used the Helminth when I actually needed it for something specific. What can I say, I usually don’t level stuff up just because, I’m too lazy for that. Of course now I’m constantly giving various abilities to my Warframes, just so I can remove them again and feed the Helminth with resources, and I’ve also farmed some more duplicate ‘frames to also feed to it. Currently it’s at level 11, so I’ve got still a ways to go. Once I’ve reached 15 I’ll be sure to share my own experiences with Golden Instinct. Can’t wait.
Another thing in Warframe I’d classify as treasure hunting is searching for and plundering Orokin vaults. Where to find and how to open these hasn’t changed since I talked about them in my guide to rare mods, if you’re interested. I’ve only tweaked my own approach insofar that I equip all four dragon keys now, which means that I’m always able to open the vault, as long as I manage to find it.
The hobbled key slows running and walking speed down significantly, yes, but I use speedmods to compensate for that at least somewhat. More importantly though, other forms of movement, most notably jumping and bullet jumping, aren’t affected by the key at all, so that’s how I move around almost exclusively when vault hunting. Works like a charm.
There’s even more I could talk about, like the secret labs on Jupiter or the Halls of Ascension on Lua. Suffice it to say, Warframe really has a lot to offer if you like to search for hidden treasures, and it’s just one more aspect of the game’s design that I absolutely love.
Now if you’ll excuse me, those treasures aren‘t gonna hunt themselves.
Mailvaltar 