5 Best Secondary Weapons in Warframe

Warframe Secondary Weapons

In the arsenal of any Tenno, the primary weapon is typically the focal point of their destructive capabilities. However, the secondary weapon, often overlooked, can provide a crucial edge in the heat of battle. Whether it be for close-quarters combat, dealing with pesky aerial enemies, or simply diversifying your offensive options, selecting the right secondary weapon can dramatically enhance your effectiveness as a warrior of the Origin System. Join us as we delve into the realm of secondary weaponry, showcasing the finest choices that will empower you to conquer any challenge that may cross your path.

Among the vast array of secondary weapons available to Tenno, a select few stand out as the epitome of lethality and versatility. The first contender, the Akbolto Prime, is a pair of twin pistols that have earned a reputation for their unwavering accuracy and rapid-fire capabilities. Each shot pierces through enemies with surgical precision, making them a formidable choice for taking down foes at medium to long range. Meanwhile, the Lex Prime, a single-shot pistol, embodies elegance and power. Its exceptional critical chance and pinpoint accuracy make it a deadly companion for those who prefer a more calculated approach.

Venturing beyond conventional firearms, the Tenet Arca Plasmor offers a unique and devastating take on secondary weaponry. This futuristic plasma rifle unleashes a continuous beam of energy, incinerating enemies caught in its path. Its wide area of effect and impressive range make it an ideal choice for clearing out dense groups or controlling chokepoints. Additionally, the Kuva Nukor, a Grineer-engineered pistol, boasts a unique mechanic that allows it to build up a charge over time. Unleashing this charge releases a powerful energy blast that can vaporize even the most formidable foes. These are but a few examples of the exceptional secondary weapons that await Tenno in their quest for galactic domination. As you progress through your journey, experimenting with different options and discovering the playstyles that suit you best will lead you to the perfect companion for your arsenal.

Lethal Secondary: Nami Skyla

The Nami Skyla is a deadly secondary weapon in Warframe, renowned for its high damage output, versatile firing modes, and innate status effects. This dual-wielded pistol packs a punch, capable of decimating enemies with ease.

Its primary fire mode unleashes a rapid-fire barrage of bullets, dealing impressive damage and staggering foes. Alternatively, activating the alternate fire mode transforms the Nami Skyla into a powerful shotgun, excelling at close-range encounters. With a swift reload time, players can seamlessly transition between these firing modes, adapting to any combat situation.

In addition to its raw power, the Nami Skyla also boasts innate viral damage, enhancing its effectiveness against heavily armored adversaries. This viral proc slows enemies, making them more vulnerable to subsequent attacks. Moreover, headshots with the Nami Skyla inflict a knockdown effect, incapacitating even the toughest foes. Its high critical chance and status chance further increase its damage potential, making it a formidable force in the hands of skilled Tenno.

The Nami Skyla’s versatility extends to its mod customization options. Its balanced stat distribution allows players to tailor the weapon to their preferred playstyle, whether focusing on raw damage, critical hits, or status effects.

Attribute	Value
Damage	95
Critical Chance	22%
Status Chance	26%
Firing Modes	Primary (rapid-fire), Secondary (shotgun)
Magazine Capacity	20
Reload Time	1.5 seconds

Swift and Silencing: Vaykor Hek

The Vaykor Hek, a shotgun exclusive to the Grineer faction, excels in both delivering swift and devastating blows while silencing the opposition. This secondary weapon boasts a fearsome reputation among Tenno for its brutal efficiency and unique silencing capabilities.

Shotgun Prowess

As a shotgun, the Vaykor Hek unleashes a devastating spread of pellets upon its targets. Its high base damage and critical chance make it capable of demolishing enemies swiftly and effectively. Additionally, the Veilstrike mod amplifies its silenced shots, making it an ideal choice for stealthy takedowns and eliminating foes without alerting their allies.

Exceptional Silencing

What truly sets the Vaykor Hek apart is its unparalleled silencing capabilities. Every shot fired from this weapon is innately silenced, allowing Tenno to eliminate targets without attracting unwanted attention. This feature proves invaluable in Spy missions, where discretion and stealth are paramount. Combined with its impressive damage output, the Vaykor Hek becomes a formidable tool for executing covert operations.

Critical Precision: Pyrana Prime

As an iconic secondary weapon in Warframe, the Pyrana Prime is renowned for its unparalleled critical precision and devastating damage. Clad in sleek Prime aesthetics, this pistol embodies both elegance and raw power.

The Pyrana Prime’s defining characteristic lies in its utterly precise critical strike capability. With base critical chance at 30% and critical multiplier at 2.5x, it effortlessly dispatches enemies with each well-aimed shot. Its custom-designed magazine allows for a steady stream of accurate fire, making it a formidable choice even in the thickest of combat.

To further enhance its critical potency, the Pyrana Prime synergizes seamlessly with critical chance and/or damage mods. Equipping mods like “Point Strike” and “Vital Sense” amplifies its base critical chance, while “Critical Delay” and “Critical Deceleration” prolongs the critical multiplier window. By tailoring its build to maximize critical performance, the Pyrana Prime transforms into a deadly laser, capable of obliterating enemies with pinpoint accuracy.

Stat	Value
Damage	150
Critical Chance	25%
Status Chance	25%
Fire Rate	1.5
Magazine Capacity	6

Critical Stats:	Pyrana Prime:
Base Critical Chance:	30%:
Base Critical Multiplier:	2.5x:

Crowd Control Master: Knell

The Knell is a secondary weapon in Warframe known for its exceptional crowd control capabilities. It is a single-shot pistol that fires explosive rounds that detonate upon impact, creating a large area of effect. The Knell has a relatively small magazine size, but it compensates with its high damage and crowd control potential.

Unique Mechanics

The Knell has several unique mechanics that make it a particularly effective crowd control weapon:

Explosive Rounds: The Knell’s rounds explode upon impact, damaging and knocking down nearby enemies.
High Damage: The Knell has a high base damage, making it capable of eliminating large groups of enemies with a single shot.
Status Effects: The Knell has a high status chance, which allows it to apply status effects such as radiation, viral, and magnetic to enemies.
Precision Shots: The Knell can charge its shots to deal increased damage and knock down enemies. This makes it an excellent weapon for taking out high-value targets or interrupting enemy abilities.

Versatile and Effective: Gammacor Prime

The Gammacor Prime is an exceptional secondary weapon that stands out for its versatility and effectiveness. Its balanced stats and unique abilities make it a valuable asset in a wide range of combat scenarios.

With its high critical chance and status chance, the Gammacor Prime excels at both burst damage and sustained damage. Its innate ability to proc electric damage on headshots further enhances its offensive capabilities.

In addition to its damage potential, the Gammacor Prime also offers exceptional utility. Its secondary fire mode releases a wave of energy that stuns nearby enemies, making it perfect for crowd control.

Augment Mod: Lethal Torrent

The Lethal Torrent augment mod further enhances the Gammacor Prime’s crowd-control capabilities. When equipped, each headshot with the Gammacor Prime stuns nearby enemies within an increased radius and causes them to take increased damage from your abilities.

Stat	Value
Damage	16 (Impact) + 16 (Puncture) + 9 (Slash)
Critical Chance	22%
Status Chance	22%
Magazine Capacity	15
Fire Rate	10
Accuracy	45

Explosive Potential: Zakti

The Zakti, a Grineer secondary weapon, unleashes explosive potential with its unique characteristics:

High Explosive Damage: The Zakti’s alt-fire charges a powerful explosive projectile that deals massive area damage on impact.
Automatic Fire: In its primary fire mode, the Zakti fires a rapid barrage of explosive rounds, allowing for sustained damage output.
Large AoE: The explosions from both fire modes have a significant AoE radius, making it effective against groups of enemies or large targets.
Blast Status: The Zakti’s explosions inflict blast status, which knocks down and disorients enemies, providing additional crowd control.
Crit Chance: The Zakti has a high critical chance, making it capable of delivering devastating critical hits with the right mods.

Modular Design: The Zakti features various mods that enhance its damage, status, and utility, allowing players to customize it for specific scenarios.

Stat	Value
Damage	125 (primary fire) / 375 (alt-fire)
Critical Chance	20%
Status Chance	20%
Magazine Size	16
Fire Rate	10 rounds/second (primary fire)

Overall, the Zakti combines explosive damage potential with crowd control and customization, making it an exceptional secondary weapon for handling both single targets and groups of enemies.

Stealthy Assassin: Lex Prime

The Lex Prime is a secondary weapon in Warframe that combines precision and stealth, making it the perfect choice for stealthy assassins and long-range takedowns. Its high critical chance, low recoil, and pinpoint accuracy allow for efficient elimination of enemies from afar, without alerting them to the user’s presence. The weapon’s sleek design and elegant craftsmanship also make it a fashionable choice for those who appreciate aesthetics in their arsenal.

Precision Engineering

The Lex Prime boasts an impressive 20% critical chance, making each shot more likely to deal extra damage to the target. This, combined with its low recoil and high accuracy, allows for precise and consecutive headshots, quickly taking down enemies with minimal effort. The weapon’s versatile magazine size of 15 rounds provides a good balance between firepower and ammo efficiency, ensuring that users can stay in combat for extended periods.

Silent Strike

The Lex Prime is exceptionally quiet, making it ideal for stealthy assassination missions. Its low noise signature allows users to approach unsuspecting enemies and eliminate them before they even know they are present. This stealthy advantage gives users a significant edge in espionage and sabotage operations, as well as in open combat where surprise and precision can turn the tide of battle.

Modularity and Customization

The Lex Prime is highly customizable, offering a wide range of mod options that can enhance its performance even further. Users can equip mods that increase critical chance, damage, or magazine size, tailoring the weapon to their specific playstyle and preferences. Additionally, the Lex Prime’s sleek design allows it to be easily paired with various cosmetics, from elegant skins to eye-catching attachments, allowing users to express their individuality while dominating the battlefield.

Stat	Value
Critical Chance	20%
Accuracy	25
Magazine Size	15
Noise Level	Low

Bouncing Blast: Sonicor

The Sonicor is an exceptional secondary weapon in Warframe that excels in stunning and disorienting enemies. Firing high-velocity, bouncing projectiles, the Sonicor inflicts significant damage upon impact and sends foes reeling with its potent sonic blast. This unique mechanism makes it incredibly effective against groups of enemies, as the projectiles can ricochet off surfaces and strike multiple targets effortlessly.

Sonic Disruption

Beyond its direct damage output, the Sonicor also has a stealthy advantage. Its bouncing projectiles create a loud, piercing noise that can distract and confuse enemies, making it easier for you to navigate stealth missions without being detected. This sonic disruption gives the Sonicor an additional utility beyond its combat prowess.

Modding the Sonicor

To fully unleash the Sonicor’s potential, proper modding is crucial. Here are some recommended mods:

Mod	Effect
Hornet Strike	Increases damage
Split Chamber	Fires a second projectile
Serration	Increases damage
Vigilante Armaments	Increases critical chance
Magnum Force	Increases punch-through

Experiment with different mod combinations to optimize the Sonicor for your preferred playstyle and mission types.

AOE Domination: Castanas

When it comes to unleashing devastating area-of-effect (AOE) damage, few secondary weapons can match the Castanas. These dual-wielded wrist-mounted gauntlets fire explosive projectiles that explode on impact, covering a wide radius with deadly shrapnel.

The Castanas’ primary fire mode releases a steady stream of explosive projectiles, perfect for mowing down hordes of enemies or clearing out tight spaces. By holding down the fire button, the projectiles can be charged for additional damage and increased explosion radius.

The Castanas’ alternate fire mode launches a large, bouncing grenade that explodes multiple times, ensuring maximum AOE devastation. This mode is particularly effective against heavily armored enemies or groups of tightly-packed foes.

To further enhance the Castanas’ AOE capabilities, consider the following:

Mod	Effect
Blast Radius	Increases explosion radius
Split Chamber	Fires an additional projectile
Seeking Force	Projectiles home in on enemies
Vigilante Supplies	Increases magazine capacity and reload speed

With the right combination of mods, the Castanas can transform into an unstoppable AOE powerhouse, capable of annihilating entire enemy formations with effortless ease.

Status Infliction: Kulstar

For maximum status affliction, the Kulstar reigns supreme. This shotgun-like secondary weapon unleashes a devastating barrage of rockets, blanketing enemies with an avalanche of elemental effects. Its innate high status chance, combined with the innate multishot of its rockets, ensures a staggering number of status procs per shot.

Modding the Kulstar for status is a straightforward process. The key to maximizing its potential is to stack elemental damage mods like Toxic Barrage, Malignant Force, and Jolt. These mods increase the base elemental damage of the rockets, resulting in more frequent and potent status inflictions. It is also wise to slot Vigilante Armaments for increased multishot, further amplifying the number of rockets fired and the status procs applied.

To enhance the Kulstar’s effectiveness in a specific damage type, equip elemental mods that correspond to the desired status effect. For example, equipping Corrosive Projection with Cold damage mods will massively increase the likelihood of inflicting both Corrosive and Cold procs, shredding enemy armor and slowing their movement.

Table: Recommended Mods for Kulstar Status Build

Mod	Description
Toxic Barrage	Increases Toxin damage
Malignant Force	Increases Viral damage
Jolt	Increases Electric damage
Vigilante Armaments	Increases multishot

Best Secondary Weapons for Warframe

When it comes to choosing the best secondary weapon for Warframe, there are a few things to consider. First, what is your playstyle? Do you prefer to stay at a distance and pick off enemies from afar, or do you like to get up close and personal? Second, what kind of damage do you want to deal? There are weapons that deal physical damage, elemental damage, and even status damage.

Once you’ve considered these factors, you can start narrowing down your choices. Here are a few of the best secondary weapons in Warframe:

Twin Grakatas: These dual-wielded machine pistols are a great choice for players who like to get up close and personal. They have a high rate of fire and a good amount of damage, making them perfect for taking down groups of enemies.
Lex Prime: This single-shot pistol is a great choice for players who prefer to stay at a distance. It has a high accuracy and a good amount of damage, making it perfect for taking down enemies from afar.
Sonicor: This sonic weapon is a great choice for players who want to deal status damage. It fires a sonic blast that can knock down enemies and stun them, making them perfect for crowd control.
Ogris: This single-shot rocket launcher is a great choice for players who want to deal massive damage. It fires a large rocket that can take down even the toughest enemies.