Free to Play done right: Why Warframe has spoiled me

If you've followed me for any amount of time, you know that Warframe is one of those games that I outright love. I might even be a little bit obsessed with it! I've shared pictures from Tennocon, introduced fellow Tenno to Steemit, shared funny moments and streamed the damn game on more than a few occasions. It's no secret, you know!

But I've been thinking about the game as of late, especially considering I started playing Warframe 4 years ago on the Xbox One. What drew me to Warframe? Why do I keep coming back? What's so special about this sci-fi shooter that makes me want to continue playing? This came up in my head as Tennocon approached last July. How do I explain what makes this gigantic game so great without overwhelming people? How do I share personal moments with people stopping for a brief chat?

As I thought about it, one phrase stood out:

There's no way they're giving away this game for free...

It defied all conventions about free to play games in the modern era. For too long, we have been inundated by lootboxes and premium game time and "gib mony pl0x" cash grabs that Warframe's economy and monetization system seems so completely out of place in the free to play ecosphere.

And yet, here we are. A game that simply cannot be pay to win. It just doesn't happen. You cannot pay money and go straight to endgame content. Sure, you might cut down your building times or spend your plat on some awesome new spiffy cosmetics. But you cannot go straight to The Limbo Theorem, you're not gonna be able to do sorties, hell, you won't even see half the planets without playing the game!

And when you get down to it, that's a brilliant move. It engages players, encourages them to actually play the game (gasp!), and it breeds a community that helps one another.

Actually, that brings me to the second point. The community help drive the in-game economy as much as anything else. Digital Extremes made a very wise decision in allowing players to sell prime parts, kubrow genetic codes, and other items for platinum. the premium currency. They restricted it to a few specific types of items that can be traded, and made it so that it is 100% possible to play the game without spending a dime.

At the same time, people will go out and buy plat, simply for the sake of supporting the developers. The community behind Warframe is nothing short of awesome. They are some of the kindest, friendliest, most welcoming people in the world. It's a community that is incredibly collaborative. Go look in general chat, you'll find people offering to help newcomers learn some of the ins and outs of Warframe. It's so awesome to see that!

I have a bit of a chuckle lately, @itsapril started playing World of Warcraft. With the release of Battle For Azeroth, she resumed her subscription. I looked at what Blizzard is charging for their content, and I realized Warframe is offering a similarly massive amount of content, and doesn't require upfront payment to access it. It's strange, really. Playing an amazing free to play game has spoiled me with regards to other awesome games. With the upcoming release of WoW Classic, I cannot see them charging $15 per month to access the classic servers. It's simply not worth that kind of investment. $5, maybe. But Warframe has definitely made me reconsider what I think is fair for any online game.

So yeah, that's kind of all I have with this. What do you think of Warframe? Have you played it? Would you check it out based on what I describe here? Is there another free to play game that does it better? Sound off in the comments below!

All images taken in-game by me or downloaded from the Warframe Fan Kit and used with permission.

OP Gaming is an awesome group of awesome people, too OP to be put down! If you like talking about gaming, writing gaming posts, or if you want to hang out with some awesome gamers, OP Gaming is the place to be! Click the image below to join our discord!

Already a member, or simply want to help us grow so we can reward our members even more? Please consider delegating SP to our cause: 25SP,50SP, 100SP, 250SP, 500SP Contact any of the admins in the discord if you need help!