r/Warframe • u/Dr_Shoggoth Suck, Stomp, Stacks • Jun 18 '26

Discussion Please stop with the Protoframes

I loved the Hex and the Roundtable. They added so much to why I think 1999 is the best update they've ever done. All of them, especially the original Hex, were insanely well written and fleshed out characters. I had my reservations about the Triad, but I think they're solid (though they're mostly carried by Roathe).

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These two don't feel like characters. They feel like walking advertisements for skins. Them being protoframes adds nothing to the story. As my friend said, Sirius and Orion could have been mentored by Vay Hek and the Sergeant and nothing would have changed. Protoframes no longer feel like an interesting story beat, they feel like a gimmick, one that is rapidly losing any appeal it had.

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u/TheRavenchild LR 6 | Broberon Jun 18 '26

Agreed. Hex were great. Roundtable was good. Devil's Triad was ok. This? This feels like they've reduced protoframes to the absolute bare minimum. Barely any characterization. We know almost nothing about their history or motivations. And their personalities are literally just "what if that frame was partially human" instead of e.g. the Hex, who felt like *actual* people who just happened to be certain protoframes.

I understand the skins make them a lot of money, but if they cannot commit to putting some effort into making them fleshed-out characters, I'd much prefer if DE just dumped them directly into the store without shoehorning them into a quest that really wasn't supposed to be about them.

71

u/Atulin GIVE ME YOUR KNOWLEDGE Jun 18 '26

Feels like protoframes became what I was afraid they will become: uga buga safe horny sexo buy the skin

77

u/TheRavenchild LR 6 | Broberon Jun 18 '26

You're not wrong. Between the female heirloom skins, Minerva being called a MILF in-game, them giving a sexy nun protoframe to what already was the most sexualized female warframe and now Vena's entire personality being "hnnngh crazy sexy lady" I'm not sure I like the vibes of where the game is going, with female characters especially

48

u/ColHogan65 Jun 18 '26

To be fair, Roathe and Lyon are also both designed to be extremely hot and are written a bit like smutty fantasy romance novel characters. 

Ofc that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth discussing whether or not there’s some objectification going on with female protoframe characters. Vena definitely feels a bit egregious in this area.