Warframe

Warframe

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The Warframe Glossary. Shortcuts and terminology.
By A1m3r
So you play WF (Warframe), which is the game made by DE (Digital Extremes), but don't understand the terminology used by players in the game? Don't worry, this guide is here to help you!

Everything is in alphabetical order, but hey, you can also press CTRL+F in your browser and look for specific key word!


I'm open to suggestions/changes.

Also, don't forget about http://warframe.wikia.com/wiki/WARFRAME_Wiki

Cheers!
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A
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
Acolytes
-
Enemies that appear seasonally and drop valuable mods like Maiming Strike.
Affinity / Exp / XP
Experience points
Experience which is needed to level up weapons and so on.
AFK
Away From Keyboard
A player who is present in the mission but doesn't play.
Alert
-
A limited time mission which appears randomly with additional item as a reward. (Can be Nitain, Endo, Vauban parts, bonus credits etc.)
Ambulance
Ambulas
Nickname for Ambulas.
AMD
Antimatter Drop
Nova's 2nd ability.
Amp
-
Item which boosts the capabilities of Operator's Void Beam.
AOE / AoE
Area of Effect
A weapon or Warframe ability which affects multiple targets within specified area.
Arbiters
Arbiters of Hexis
Syndicate.
Arcane Enhancements
-
Items that are obtainable from Eidolons.
Arcane Helmets
-
Discontinued series of helmets that add bonus stats to the Warframe. E.g. Arcane Pendragon is a Excalibur's helmet which gives him additional +15% Ability Strength, but reduces his armor by 5%.
Aug
Augment
A mod which changes the way the ability of Warframe behaves.
Aura
-
A mod which adds bonus mod capacity to a Warframe and gives benefits to you and all team members. (E.g. Rifle Amp aura boosts the damage of rifles by 27%)
AW
Archwing
-
Axi
-
Tier 4 Relics.
Ayatan Sculptures
-
Ancient Orokin treasures powered by Endo that can be found anywhere. We can trade them at Maroo's Bazaar for Endo.
B
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
Baking
Crafting / Building
Literally, building something in the Foundry.
Baro / Void Trader
Baro Ki'Teer
Appears every 2 weeks on a random Relay with random set of items you can buy for ducats.
Bere
Berehynia
The node on Sedna.
Bleed
Bleeding
One of the four Dragon Keys.
Bless Trin
-
Trinity's build that focuses on her 4th ability (big ability duration and 75% resistance to damage).
Booben
Vauban
Nickname for Vauban.
BP
Blueprint
-
BR
Blind Rage
Corrupted mod obtainable by playing Vault Runs.
Brilliant Shard
Brilliant Eidolon Shard
Resource needed to unbind a waybound. Also, tradable for 25,000 Focus points.
Broberon
Oberon
Nickname for Oberon.
Buff
-
Improving ability of something.
C
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
Cabbage
Relic
Nickname for Relics due to their resemblance to the cabbage.
Cap
Capture
The type of mission. / Word used on Interception missions where player has to "cap" the point.
Cat
Kavat
Kavat.
CC
Crowd Control
An ability to, for example, stun/blind an enemy.
Cell
Orokin Cell
Resource.
Chickenframe / Chicken frame
Ember
Nickname for Ember (look at her feets).
Clan
-
A group of players; Being in a clan gives benefits like: Clan chat, Alliance chat, access to clan researches, clan emblem.
Clantech / Clan tech
Clan researches
Weapons and other items that are bound to the clan dojo.
Clem
-
Friendly Grineer.
Codex
-
An ingame database.
Conclave / PVP / PvP
- / Player versus Player
Syndicate led by Teshin. / Players can fight with each other within the Conclave (PVP) game modes.
Corpus
-
One of the three main factions.
Corrupted
-
Enemies found in the Orokin Void levels.
Corrupted mods
-
Dual stat mods found in the Orokin Derelict Vaults.
CP
Corrosive Projection
Aura mod.
D
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
Darvo
-
Ex-Corpus merchant. Found on a Relay.
DC
Disconnect / Design Council
-
DE
Digital Extremes
Developers of Warframe.
Debuff
-
The opposite of "Buff".
Dec
Decaying
One of the four Dragon Keys.
Def
Defense
The type of endless mission.
Dese Nekros
-
Nekros' build that focuses on his 3rd ability (range related).
Devstream
-
Live stream hosted by the developers, usually at Fridays.
Disarm Loki
-
Loki's build that focuses on his 4th ability (range related). Irradiating Disarm augment mod is usually used in that build.
Disposition
-
Riven related; Indicator which shows the popularity of a weapon among the players. The bigger popularity, the lower disposition, which results in minor stats on a Riven mod of given weapon.
DM
Death Mark
For example, when you kill a boss, you are then market for death by Stalker.
DMG
Damage
-
Dog
Kubrow
Kubrow.
Dojo
-
A house of a clan.
DPS
Damage Per Second/Shot
-
Dragon Keys
-
Used to open Orokin Derelict Vault.
DS
Dark Sector
Specific missions on the planets which give bonus affinity and credits.
Ducats
-
Currency used to buy items from Baro Ki'Teer. Obtainable by selling Prime parts in Ducat Kiosk at a Relay.
Dur
Duration
Warframe's ability duration.
E
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
EB
Exalted Blade
Excalibur's 4th ability.
Effi
Efficiency
Warframe's ability efficiency.
Eidolons
-
Enemies that appear on Plains of Eidolon during night.
Elephant
Lephantis
Nickname for Lephantis.
Era
-
Refers to Relics: Lith era, Meso era, Neo era, Axi era.
Endo
-
A form of energy used to level up mods.
ESO
Elite Sanctuary Onslaught
Game mode.
EV
Energy Vampire
Trinity's 2nd ability.
EV Trin
-
Trinity's build that focuses on her 2nd ability (big ability strength and range, negative duration (negative is below 100%)).
Evac / Extract
Evacuation / Extraction
Leaving the mission.
Excalibro / Excalibutt
Excalibur
Nickname for Excalibur.
Excav
Excavation
The type of endless mission.
Exp / XP / Affinity
Experience points
Experience which is needed to level up weapons and so on.
Exter
Exterminate
The type of mission.
Exting
Extinguished
One of the four Dragon Keys.
Extract / Evac
Extraction / Evacuation
Leaving the mission.
F
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
Fashionframe / Fashion frame
-
Aesthetic appearance of a Warframe; To make Warframe "look good".
Farm
-
Playing for a long amount of time to achieve desired objective. E.g. resources gathering.
Fast Nova / Neg Nova / Speed Nova
-
Nova's build that focuses on her 4th ability (ability strength below 100%, achievable by equipping the Overextended mod). Speeds enemies up.
FE
Fleeting Expertise
Corrupted mod obtainable by playing Vault Runs.
Finisher
-
Damage type which ignores Shields and Armor, doing a direct damage to Health.
Fissure / Void Fissure
-
The type of mission where player can open a Relic and gain the loot from that Relic. When playing with others, player can select reward that dropped for other player.
Focus
-
Special abilities unlocked after completing the Second Dream quest.
Fodder / MR Fodder
- / Mastery Rank Fodder
A weapon which is described by player as not viable for endgame and is usually sold after achieving level 30 on it.
Forma
-
An item used to add polarity on a weapon, Warframe etc. Using a Forma resets the item level to 0.
Forma'd
-
When someone said he has just Forma'd a weapon, it means he added a polarity to it and his weapon is level 0.
Founder
-
A player who bought the Founder Pack between 19th December 2012 - 1st November 2013. Founder Packs contained Excalibur Prime, Skana Prime and Lato Prime which are stated by developers to never come back in any way.
FOV / FoV
Field of View
-
Frame / WF
Warframe
Short for Warframe.
G
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
G3
The Gurstrag Three
A group of Grineer assassins.
GMag / GPMag
-
Mag Warframe built with the Greedy Pull augment mod.
Golem / Jordas
-
Infested boss.
GOTL / GotL
Guide of the Lotus
A player selected by Digital Extremes staff who assists other players with missions, answering questions and so on. It's a voluntary job.
GP
Greedy Pull / Growing Power
Either augment mod "Greedy Pull" or aura mod "Growing Power".
GPMag / GMag
-
Mag Warframe built with the Greedy Pull augment mod.
Grind
-
Playing for a long amount of time to achieve desired objective. E.g. obtaining Prime parts from Relics.
Grineer
-
One of the three main factions.
H
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
H
Hosting
E.g. "H ferrite farm".
Harvester
Zanuka Hunter
Another name for Zanuka Hunter, the Corpus assassin.
HC
Heavy Caliber
Corrupted mod obtainable by playing Vault Runs.
Hexis
Arbiters of Hexis
Syndicate.
Hob
Hobbled
One of the four Dragon Keys.
HOM / HoM
Hall of Mirrors
Mirage's 1st ability.
Hydro
Hydroid
Short for Hydroid.
I
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
Infested
-
One of the three main factions.
Inter
Interception
The type of endless mission.
Inv
Invite
-
Invis
Invisible / Invisibility
E.g. Invis Loki.
IPS
Impact-Puncture-Slash
Physical damage.
J
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
John Prodman
-
The community's meme and The Index game mode enemy.
Jordas / Golem
-
Infested boss.
Jug
Juggernaut
Short for Juggernaut, an Infested enemy.
JV
Jordas Verdict
One of the trials. [This game mode has been retired at 28th Feb 2018]
K
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
KF
Kuva Fortress
Location accessible after completing The War Within quest.
Kuva
-
Resource used to re-roll Riven mod stats.
L
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
Leech
-
A player who is taken on the mission as squad filler, to increase enemy level. Usually with low level gear.
Leg Core
Legendary Core
The rariest reward from the Sortie; Ranks up any mod instantly to the maximum level without any cost of credits nor Endo.
LF
Looking for
E.g. "LF cryotic farm squad".
LFG
Looking for group
-
LFM
Looking for member
-
Lith
-
Tier 1 Relics.
Loka
New Loka
Syndicate.
LOR / LoR
Law of Retribution
One of the trials. [This game mode has been retired at 28th Feb 2018]
LOS / LoS
Line of Sight
-
Lotus
-
The guide who assissts Tenno during their missions.
LS
Life Support
Survival game mode objects.
Lunaro
-
PvP game mode where players participate in an ancient Tenno sport.
M
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
Mastery
-
Your overall account level, which is increased by leveling weapons, Warframes etc.
Maroo
-
Host of the Maroo's Bazaar (Mars). She can extract Endo from Ayatan items and she also gives weekly mission where player is able to collect a Ayatan Sculpture.
Maroo's Bazaar
-
A Relay located on Mars. Players have ability to trade items with each other there. Also, it's the house of Maroo who is able to extract Endo from Ayatan items.
Mats
Materials
Resources.
Meridian
Steel Meridian
Syndicate.
Meso
-
Tier 2 Relics.
Mob
Mobile
An enemy.
Mods
-
The "cards" you collect by playing the game. Used to modify parameters of weapons, Warframes etc. E.g. Continuity mod increases the duration of Warframe abilities by 30% when maxed.
Mot
-
The node on the Void, said to be the hardest survival mission in the game.
MP / MPrime
Molecular Prime
Nova's 4th ability.
MR
Mastery Rank
Your account level.
MR Fodder / Fodder
Mastery Rank Fodder / -
A weapon which is described by player as not viable for endgame and is usually sold after achieving level 30 on it.
N
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
Nav / Starchart / Star chart
Navigation / -
All the planets, access to missions etc.
Neg Nova / Speed Nova / Fast Nova
-
Nova's build that focuses on her 4th ability (ability strength below 100%, achievable by equipping the Overextended mod). Speeds enemies up.
Neo
-
Tier 3 Relics.
Nerf
-
Something that's too strong and needs to be nerfed (or was nerfed recently).
Neut
Neutralize
Used on interception type of mission. E.g. Neut A = neutralize point A.
Nightmare mods
-
Dual stat mods obtainable by completing Nightmare mission.
NM
Narrow Minded
Corrupted mod obtainable by playing Vault Runs.
NM
Nightmare
A mission's difficulty modifier. Completing the mission, awards player a Nightmare mod.
NM LOR / NM LoR
Nightmare Law of Retribution
One of the trials. [This game mode has been retired at 28th Feb 2018]
Node
-
A mission.
NS
Nano Spores / Neural Sensors
Either "Nano Spores" or "Neural Sensors".
Nuke
-
Ability to kill many enemies at once.
O
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
OD
Orokin Derelict
Tileset similar to the Orokin Void, mainly occupied by the Infested.
ODA
Orokin Derelict Assassinate
Lephantis boss fight.
ODC
Orokin Derelict Capture
-
ODD
Orokin Derelict Defense
-
ODE
Orokin Derelict Exterminate
-
ODSab
Orokin Derelict Sabotage
-
ODS
Orokin Derelict Survival
-
ODV
Orokin Derelict Vault
A spot in the Orokin Derelict which awards player a Corrupted mod when opened.
Orokin
-
Ancient civilization that ruled the Solar System for a period of time.
Oven
Foundry
Nickname for the Foundry.
Overext
Overextended
Corrupted mod obtainable by playing Vault Runs.
P
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
Pancake / Pizza
Team Restores
Consumable items used to restore either ammo, health, energy or shields.
Parkour rooms
Principle Challenge Rooms
Principle Challenge Rooms located on Lua. After completing they reward a Drift mod, different for each room.
Passive
-
May refer to Warframe's passive ability or Focus School passive abilities.
PBR
Physically Based Rendering
-
PC
Price Check
Shortcut used in trading channel.
Perrin
The Perrin Sequence
Syndicate.
Pizza / Pancake
Team Restores
Consumable items used to restore either ammo, health, energy or shields.
Plat / Pl / Pt / P
Platinum
Currency in Warframe. Either obtainable by trading with other players or by purchasing for real money.
PM / PST / Whisper
Private Message / Please Send Tell / -
-
Pod
Cryopod
The object we defend during a defense missions.
POE / PoE
Plains of Eidolon
-
Potato
Orokin Catalyst / Orokin Reactor
Blue potato = Orokin Catalyst; Golden potato = Orokin Reactor.
Prime
-
A better variant of standard weapons, Warframes etc. but also unique items like Euphona Prime, which doesn't have a standard variant.
Prime Access
-
Limited time bundle available to buy at warframe.com for money, which introduces new Prime items like Warframe, weapons and cosmetics.
Prime Time
-
Live stream hosted by the Warframe staff, usually at Thursdays.
Primed disappointment/salt
-
Used to describe the not valuable rotation of Baro Ki'Teer items.
Primed mod
-
A 10-rank mod which is expensive to rank up. Obtainable from Baro or by trading with other players.
Proc
Programmed random occurence
A status effect.
PST / Whisper / PM
Please Send Tell / - / Private Message
-
Purple text
-
If someone's text appears purple in the chat, that person is a chat moderator who has been selected by Digital Extremes staff. It's a voluntary job.
PVE / PvE
Player versus Environment
Essentialy, a game vs AI.
PVP / PvP / Conclave
Player versus Player / -
Players can fight with each other within the Conclave (PVP) game modes.
Q
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
QT
Quick Thinking
A mod.
R
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
Rad
Radiant
The highest refinement of a Relic.
Radshare / Rad share
Radiant share
When player says he is hosting a radshare, it means he wants everyone in the squad to have the same relic with the radiant refinement.
Redtext / Red text
-
Mysterious DE employee who posts announcements into the game chat, usually about upcoming Update/Hotfix.
Relay
-
A hub station where players can interact with each other. You can find Syndicate rooms, Darvo, Teshin and Cephalon Simaris there.
Relic / Void Relic
-
Orokin object which can be opened within Fissure mission. Awards Prime stuff and Formas blueprints.
Rep
Reputation
Syndicate standing.
Rhino Buff / Roar Rhino
-
Rhino's build that focuses on his 3rd ability (strength related build to provide buff).
Riven
-
A random weapon-bound mod which is a reward from the Sortie. Its stats can be re-rolled with Kuva.
RJ
Radial Javelin
Excalibur's 3rd ability.
RNG
Random Number Generator
-
Roar Rhino / Rhino Buff
-
Rhino's build that focuses on his 3rd ability (strength related build to provide buff).
Rotation
-
Pool of awards, described as A, B, C. E.g. 5th and 10th wave on defense rewards item from rotation A, 15th wave - B, 20th wave - C, cycle resets, 25th, 30th wave - A, and so on.
Rotten Salad / Spoiled Salad
Mutalist Alad V
Nickname for Mutalist Alad V.
S
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
Sab
Sabotage
The type of mission.
Salad V
Alad V
Nickname for Alad V.
SD
Second Dream
A quest which unlocks Focus and gives ability to play as Operator.
Set
-
All pieces needed to build something.
Sharkwing / Shark wing
-
Underwater Archwing.
Shrek
Vay Hek
Nickname for Vay Hek.
Simaris
Cephalon Simaris
Can be found on a Relay.
Skilltree / Skill tree
-
Focus related. A tree of skills in each Focus School.
Slova / Slow Nova
-
Nova's build that focuses on her 4th ability (big ability strength). Slows enemies down.
SoonTM
Soon trademark
Very popular meme among Warframe players.
Sortie
-
A set of 3 missions where enemies have a big level. Accessible after completing The War Within quest.
Spacedad / Space dad
Teshin
Nickname for Teshin.
Spacemom / Space mom
Lotus
Nickname for the Lotus.
Speed Nova / Fast Nova / Neg Nova
-
Nova's build that focuses on her 4th ability (ability strength below 100%, achievable by equipping the Overextended mod). Speeds enemies up.
Spoiled Salad / Rotten Salad
Mutalist Alad V
Nickname for Mutalist Alad V.
Stalker
-
Mysterious assassin who tries to hunt us down, after we kill a boss.
Starchart / Star chart / Nav
- / Navigation
All the planets, access to missions etc.
Str
Strength
Warframe's ability strength.
Suda
Cephalon Suda
Syndicate.
Surv
Survival
The type of endless mission.
Synd
Syndicate
-
T
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
T1 / T2 / T3
Tier 1 / Tier 2 / Tier 3
-
Tank
-
A player who can take large amount of damage.
Taxi
-
Giving someone a lift to a mission (usually Alert) which he hasn't unlocked yet.
Tenno
-
Basically, we.
TennoGen
-
Content created by the community which is distributed through the Steam Workshop. Digital Extremes staff select their favorite items and implement them into the game.
Teshin
-
The Conclave/PVP master. Can be found on a Relay.
TF
Transient Fortitude
Corrupted mod obtainable by playing Vault Runs.
Tomato
Exilus Adapter
Nickname for Exilus Adapter.
TP
Transporter / Teleport
May refer to Transporter (object which allows players to quick-travel accross the Dojo) or Warframe abilities like Loki's Switch Teleport / Ash's Teleport.
Treasure room
-
A room located in any Void mission. Player is required to do some parkour in limited time before the final gate closes, then he can destroy containers there that can drop random mods.
Trial
Raid
A 8-man mission. When completed, awards a Arcane Enhancement. [This game mode has been retired at 28th Feb 2018]
Tridolon / Trio
-
In short, Eidolon Teralyst, Gantulyst and Hydrolyst.
Trin
Trinity
Short for Trinity.
TWW
The War Within
Quest obtainable from the Codex. After completing, player is able to play Sorties.
U
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
Ult
Ultimate
Warframe's 4th ability.
Umbra
-
Variant of Excalibur Warframe. "Umbra" stands for "Shadow" in latin.
Unvaulted item
-
An item which previously was unobtainable to get (farm), but returned to the game drop tables. (Also, can be bought for real money at warframe.com, similar to Prime Access.)
V
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
Vault run
-
A game, usually Orokin Derelict Exterminate, where each player in the squad must have a Dragon Key equipped. Players' objective is to look for the Vault and open it. Reward is a Corrupted mod.
Vaulted item
-
An item that is no longer obtainable from ingame drops. Player who possesses vaulted item is permitted to keep it though.
Veil
Red Veil
Syndicate.
Void
-
Orokin themed tileset.
Void Fissure / Fissure
-
The type of mission where player can open a Relic and gain the loot from that Relic. When playing with others, player can select reward that dropped for other player.
Void Relic / Relic
-
Orokin object which can be opened within Fissure mission. Awards Prime stuff and Formas blueprints.
Void Trader / Baro
Baro Ki'Teer
Appears every 2 weeks on a random Relay with random set of items you can buy for ducats.
VOIP
Voice Over Internet Protocol
Voice communication.
W
Shortcut / Key word
Expanded form / Synonym
Description
Waybound / Way bound / Way-bound
-
Focus abilities that passively improve the stats of the Operator.
WF / Frame
Warframe
Short for Warframe.
Whisper / PM / PST
- / Private Message / Please Send Tell
-
WOF / WoF
World on Fire
Ember's 4th ability.
WP
Waypoint / Way point
-
WTB
Want To Buy
Shortcut used in the trading channel.
WTS
Want To Sell
Shortcut used in the trading channel.
WTT
Want To Trade
Shortcut used in the trading channel.
WTTF
Want To Trade For
Shortcut used in the trading channel.
26 Comments
Nightstalker 2 Jul, 2018 @ 12:32pm 
yeah, they only TEMPORARILY return the item, and last time they did it was with ember, loki, and frost prime as well as a few of their weapons, but they put the relics on cetus' bounties. and when zephyr came out, they replaced the relics with hers. meaning unvaulting is only temporary, and usually for something that's been vaulted a while.
A1m3r  [author] 2 Jul, 2018 @ 8:03am 
Updated, thanks :cupup:
Nightstalker 1 Jul, 2018 @ 2:21pm 
just a question, have you heard of unvaulted? it basically means they temporarily brought the prime back into the rotation for a special thing thats happening. when they do, they never bring it back for good. they just bring it back for a bit and then re-vault it like with ember, frost, and loki prime just recently.
ThePHiLsTeR [¬º-°]¬ 30 Jun, 2018 @ 6:11pm 
^^ thanks
A1m3r  [author] 30 Jun, 2018 @ 5:46pm 
Hey, thanks ThePHiLsTeR. Sure, you can link it, cheers!
ThePHiLsTeR [¬º-°]¬ 30 Jun, 2018 @ 4:52pm 
Hey man, great guide. You mind if i link it in one of my guides?
Nightstalker 4 Mar, 2018 @ 12:32am 
well, it looked like garden. must have been imagination. also, vaulted is common shortform for vaulted relic. just thought i'd toss another thing onto the glossary.
A1m3r  [author] 3 Mar, 2018 @ 8:31am 
I haven't updated it for a while but I have no idea what garden you are talking about.
Nightstalker 25 Feb, 2018 @ 9:49pm 
might wanna spellcheck the earlier entries, i saw one of them having garden in its explanation when it as clearly intended to be something else. also, some tenno refer to speed nova as speedva, like how they refer to the opposite as slowva or slova. and rhino is commonly a buff rhino or stomp rhino, self explanatory what the job is. oh, and i've herd rels used for void relics too. hope these help.
Traxadel 8 Dec, 2017 @ 10:25am 
Holly smokes, this is an awesome work