why are so many warframes missing prime versions?

[nugdolf]

are they planned to come with updates or will they just never come? i'm new to the game so that's probably why i don't know

[☭Zubenko Michail Petrovich☭]

most of the prime waframes are prime vaulted but i think they will come back in a while

[Aino]

That, and Prime versions for Warframes come out a fairly long time after the regular version of the Frame is released. So, Hildryn Prime, for example, will be several years down the line - if the development keeps going even at that point.

[Anirv[PL] 🚀]

Technically, every Warframe beside Excalibur (his prime version was exclusive for foundators) will get a Prime version sooner or later even if it makes no sense lore wise. We will get 1 or even 2 more this year (Gara and Nidus)

[StormX]

They are not missing. They are just Vaulted (can not be farmed) or on the waiting list. Vaulted frames get unlocked for a few months every year (its a rotation system up to the devs). A frame has a lifetime of round about three years at this moment, then it gets a prime version.

Only Exception is: Excalibur Prime and his 2 weapons (those were Founder Packet rewards)

Oh and there is only one Umbra frame.

[Shard of Manus]

Any Warframe that isn't yet primed will receive a Prime version according to the release schedule. New Primes are released approximately every 3-4 months, and are in order of the original release dates of the Warframes - with the exception that the cycle runs as Male/Male - Female/Female.

i.e. Our most recent Prime was Octavia, and prior to that was Nezha. So, even though Nidus was released before Octavia - we will see Gara Prime before Nidus. Then Nidus and Harrow. And so forth.

[nugdolf]

that has to be the strangest system i've ever heard of

[StormX]

Its not that strange once you collected a bunch of frames. The prime versions are about 5% stronger in stats and are mostly a prestige object. The fact that every frame in existence can be obtained in its normal version thru gameplay (or quests) gives the game a lot of freedom and story potential.
The prime frames are all obtained thru the Relic system and thus totaly disconnected to the story (in gameplay story telling). And once you got the prime of a frame you wont feel the urge to get the normal version in most cases.

[󠀡󠀡]

Shard of Manus님이 먼저 게시:

Any Warframe that isn't yet primed will receive a Prime version according to the release schedule. New Primes are released approximately every 3-4 months, and are in order of the original release dates of the Warframes - with the exception that the cycle runs as Male/Male - Female/Female.

i.e. Our most recent Prime was Octavia, and prior to that was Nezha. So, even though Nidus was released before Octavia - we will see Gara Prime before Nidus. Then Nidus and Harrow. And so forth.

How do you know Gara is next?

[Anirv[PL] 🚀]

󠀡󠀡님이 먼저 게시:

Shard of Manus님이 먼저 게시:

Any Warframe that isn't yet primed will receive a Prime version according to the release schedule. New Primes are released approximately every 3-4 months, and are in order of the original release dates of the Warframes - with the exception that the cycle runs as Male/Male - Female/Female.

i.e. Our most recent Prime was Octavia, and prior to that was Nezha. So, even though Nidus was released before Octavia - we will see Gara Prime before Nidus. Then Nidus and Harrow. And so forth.

How do you know Gara is next?

Check her release date. Warframes release dates means that they will be released in similar order (with only difference being the female-female and male-male rule)

[Thundercracker]

AnirvPL 🚀님이 먼저 게시:

We will get 1 or even 2 more this year (Gara and Nidus)

those are two i'd expect to not have primes because lore.

[Basho]

the wiki is a great place for a lot of info.
if you look at the article about "warframes", you can see the list of frames at the top of the page:
https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Warframes

the ones in yellow text are the ones that have prime versions.
prime versions have been released roughly once every 3 months, though this is not a stated rule.
the order of "priming" does not necessarily mirror the release order of the frames themselves.
for a while now, the pattern have been an alternating "2 male, 2 female", but this also in not a stated rule.

when a new prime frame is released, the oldest one currently active is "vaulted" along with the prime weapons that came with it.
this means the associated relics are removed from drop tables and can no longer be acquired. already owned relics and parts are kept and can be used though.

the vaulted items are then "unvaluted" from time to time, usually 2 frames at a time, with their associated weapons. these unvaulted frames/weapons have their relics added to certain drop tables and can be acquired again for a limited period of time before they are vaulted again.
i cant say for certain how long they stay unvaluted, but i think around a month is pretty accurate.
when frames/weapons are unvaluted, they also become available for purchase if you are so inclined.

there is a list of currently vaulted items, along with dates of vaulting and last unvaulting, here:
https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Prime_Vault
(scroll down and click to expand "view retired items list")

hope that explains most of the prime stuff.

[peppermint hollows]

Dr Gori님이 먼저 게시:

AnirvPL 🚀님이 먼저 게시:

We will get 1 or even 2 more this year (Gara and Nidus)

those are two i'd expect to not have primes because lore.

Every frame will have a prime, DE has said as much before. Besides, lore doesn't matter as much to them as making money (and this isn't even intended to big a dig on them, this is just a fact), so they'll do it regardless.

[peppermint hollows]

AnirvPL 🚀님이 먼저 게시:

Technically, every Warframe beside Excalibur (his prime version was exclusive for foundators) will get a Prime version sooner or later even if it makes no sense lore wise. We will get 1 or even 2 more this year (Gara and Nidus)

It will definitely be 2, maybe 3. Prime access always lasts around 2-3 months, and there are way more than 3 months left in the year, even by the time Octavia Prime's access finishes. Which I expect will be in April, maybe May at the latest.

I don't think there has ever been a year when we only get 2 primes.

[Thundercracker]

peppermint hollows님이 먼저 게시:

Dr Gori님이 먼저 게시:

those are two i'd expect to not have primes because lore.

Every frame will have a prime, DE has said as much before. Besides, lore doesn't matter as much to them as making money (and this isn't even intended to big a dig on them, this is just a fact), so they'll do it regardless.

i'd expect the umbra treatment. meaning "a prime that is not prime." it doesent have to be "umbra," i'd almost expect "wraith" for gara, and "vandal" for nidus.

you see, gara was one of those "single operator" kinds of frames, as the lore refers to gara herself as if she was her operator.

nidus wasent the nidus we know till after it was "corrupted" by the infested. a theoretical nidus prime should not actually look like nidus, have nidus' powers, or even be named "nidus."

[Shard of Manus]

Dr Gori님이 먼저 게시:

AnirvPL 🚀님이 먼저 게시:

We will get 1 or even 2 more this year (Gara and Nidus)

those are two i'd expect to not have primes because lore.

Everyone that says this clearly doesn't actually know the lore surrounding either Gara or Nidus, because there is nothing that prevents these guys from getting Primed.