Warframe 1999 is, for me, the coolest thing to come out of the game in years. Set in the Germanic-style world of Höllvania, the update added everything from a dating simulator to an infested boy band, and is the sole reason I chose to pick up my katana and dive on into the Origin System. But Arthur and the Hex’s story isn’t over yet, as Techrot Encore is bringing a lot of new 1999-themed content, continuing the saga and expanding out the game’s already impressive roster. With the release date finally set in stone, we caught up with design director Pablo Alonso to talk all things Techrot and Temple.
For me, the real highlight of this update is Temple, the brand new music-inspired Warframe. Dropping alongside their protoframe Flare and equipped with their sentient lich guitar Lizzie, their aim is to “become the ultimate work of art and transcend the boundaries of gender and biology alike,” earning them the title of ‘the flame of revolution.’ They’re a character I’ve immediately fallen in love with, and that’s before you even look at their gameplay.
I was obsessed with the dice-roll mechanics that accompanied Koumei, one of my favorite frames ever made, but Digital Extremes has taken it up yet another notch with the multiplayer game‘s newest arrival. Inspired by glam rock and all things anarchy, Temple’s kit revolves around a metronome that empowers your abilities if you cast them on beat. Given that they’re a heat-based Frame (excited Ember main noises), they’ll be dishing out a lot of fire damage while simultaneously debuffing foes and powering up allies.
I ask Alonso about Temple’s design philosophy because, while we’ve seen a music-based Warframe before with Octavia, Temple is very different and fully rooted in 1999’s world. “It’s all about rhythm, that’s what we want to incentivize,” he tells me. “The metronome was our first idea; it was the center, so we asked, ‘how do we build around it?’
“It brings some restrictions of its own. For example, we often have abilities with long cooldowns – that doesn’t work with a metronome because you want to be constantly casting them. We had to be mindful of that, but we also didn’t want you to be spamming them. We also didn’t want you to have to be staring at the metronome all the time.
“I think we’re in a pretty good spot right now where, as you’re playing, you kind of get into the rhythm and begin to fall in [line with] it.”
Temple isn’t the only addition to the Warframe 1999 family. Digital Extremes has revealed that Frost, Nova, and Saryn are all getting their own unique protoframes. Velimir II, Kaya, and Minerva (each frame’s 1999 alias respectively) will all be joining the mainline cast, with Velimir and Minerva playing lovers on the brink of divorce, and Kaya lending her scientific genius to the cause.
The Höllvania Central Mall has also been expanded out to include a new zone, The Round Table, which is basically an old English-style pub (UK Tenno rise up). All of the new protoframes will be housed here, and the existing characters will have fresh spawn points that move them around the map, making the world feel more alive.
Note that, unlike the core Hex cast, the four new protoframes cannot be romanced. They all have their own unique storylines, however, and I can’t wait to find out more.
We’re not done with Temple, however, as they’re also the star of the game’s brand-new Defense mode, aptly entitled Stage Defense. Taking place in Solstice Square, a brand new location, you’ll run into Temple, who’s pouring their heart out onstage following the loss of their bandmates. Your job is to keep them safe for three waves instead of five, which is a pre-established game-wide change to all Defense missions.
When I ask Alonso about designing Temple’s unique mode, he tells me that the team is very “rule of cool” when it comes to its approach. “Temple just playing on a stage – that sounds cool! The fiction of the stage with Temple just playing there lent itself more to that static defense.
“We really have upped how many new missions we release, and part of that has been finding a balance of bringing older missions back and adding a twist, or making something brand new. In this case, we really loved that old Defense mission in Lua where the ground breaks down and it feels like such an unexpected moment. In 1999, we’ve already established that there’s the ‘upper floor’ [and] then there’s the ‘lower floor,’ so it made sense to double down on that. Then we’ve got the one big threat with the Heretic that comes with explosives to blow Temple up.”
As mentioned before, Defense missions can now be completed after three rounds, which Alonso tells me “wasn’t a trivial change.” Instead, the focus is to cut down on “the amount of time spent waiting; Warframe is at its most fun when you’re moving around and shooting.” It’s a sentiment I can echo as a relatively new player who’s struggled to complete the early grind because missions can take a while. Given that 1999 adds so many new mechanics and toys with others, it feels like the perfect time to introduce a change like this.
Stage Defense is only one of two modes dropping in Techrot Encore, however. You’ll be able to join Minerva and Valimir on Warframe’s toughest mission type yet, Temporal Archimedea, which tasks you with surviving three back-to-back, randomly selected missions, each with their own upgradable modifiers that give the action a somewhat roguelike feel.
Then, to further celebrate James Conlin, who debuted as Ollie in the base 1999 experience in conjunction with Make-A-Wish, there’s a new Atomnicycle arcade-style racing game in the Höllvania Central Mall. Reminiscent of things like Mario Kart or, for me, Sonic Riders, it’s one of Pablo’s highlights of the update. “It’s just a fun mode,” he laughs.
There’s also the Technocyte Coda boss fight, which has you seek out various members of the now-corrupted On-Lyne in a battle for the ages. Then there are, of course, various new weapons and cosmetics (Gyre Deluxe looks stunning), as well as an eerie ‘pimple’ system that attaches a little yellow globule to your neck that’s only ‘curable’ by rooting out your internal infestation.
There’s a lot going on in Warframe 1999, and Digital Extremes confirms that the Techrot Encore update will be dropping on Wednesday March 19. It’s free on all platforms, and I know for a fact I’ll be diving in on day one.
If you, like me, are strapping on your ninja shoes and getting ready for the next chapter of the 1999 saga, here’s our list of all the currently active Warframe codes so that you can score some new cosmetics. Alternatively, if you’re looking for something new to play in the meantime, here’s our rundown of the best free PC games.
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