10 Best Primary Weapons in Warframe

With every major update, Warframe continues to draw in new players eager to explore its unique blend of fast-paced action, intricate customization, and captivating alien aesthetics. While the game has built a loyal fanbase, its steep learning curve, numerous systems, and limited tutorials can feel overwhelming for newcomers.

As players progress through the game, the difficulty ramps up, making it essential to equip both strong mods and powerful weapons. While mods play a critical role in enhancing performance, choosing the right primary weapon can make all the difference in surviving tougher challenges and dominating enemies.

In this guide, we’ll explore the 10 best primary weapons in Warframe, each offering exceptional power, versatility, and utility to suit a variety of playstyles. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned Tenno, these weapons will help you excel on your journey through the Origin System. Let’s dive in!

#10: Ignis Wraith

While it may no longer dominate the meta, the Ignis Wraith remains a top choice for mid-game players seeking a reliable and powerful beam weapon. Its accessibility and performance make it an excellent addition to any arsenal. The standard Ignis is available at Mastery Rank 5, while the upgraded Wraith variant can be acquired from Clan Dojos at Mastery Rank 9.

Boasting impressive status chance, a fast fire rate, and a primary focus on Heat damage, the Ignis Wraith excels at melting unarmored enemies and serves as a potent status primer. It’s a forgiving weapon for new players, requiring minimal mod investment to complete the Star Chart, and with some upgrades, it can hold its own in Steel Path missions.

To maximize its potential, equip a Viral and Hunter Munitions build to tear through armored foes effectively. However, it’s worth noting that while the Ignis Wraith is exceptional for clearing crowds and standard enemies, it struggles against tougher opponents like Acolytes or boss units without additional support. Despite this, its versatility and ease of use make it a valuable weapon for Tenno at all stages of their journey.

#9: Fulmin Prime

When it comes to beginner-friendly weapons, few can rival the versatility and power of the Fulmin and its upgraded Prime variant. The standard Fulmin can be crafted at Mastery Rank 8, while the Prime version becomes available at Mastery Rank 12, offering a significant upgrade for players ready to tackle more challenging content.

The Fulmin seamlessly switches between two firing modes: a full-auto lightning rifle for mid-to-long-range combat and a shotgun mode reminiscent of the Arca Plasmor for devastating close-range blasts. With infinite ammo, excellent critical and status chances, and easy accessibility, this weapon is a solid choice for clearing the Star Chart with ease.

A few Forma can elevate the Fulmin to a lethal option in Steel Path missions, and its Prime variant takes this performance to the next level. With a moderate level of investment, the Fulmin Prime can become a formidable weapon, capable of dispatching enemies in even the toughest encounters. Its versatility, power, and beginner-friendly design make it a must-have for Tenno looking to expand their arsenal.

#8: Kuva Hek

Few weapons in Warframe offer the sheer satisfaction of the Kuva Hek—a quad-barreled shotgun that sends enemies flying with devastating force. With its high damage output and relatively low Mastery Rank requirement, the Hek is an excellent choice for early-game players. Additionally, the Scattered Justice augment mod from Steel Meridian grants a massive 200% multishot, transforming the base Hek into a powerhouse when paired with a simple damage-focused build.

While the default Hek starts to struggle in tougher content like Arbitrations and Steel Path, its Kuva variant more than compensates. The Kuva Hek boasts significantly improved base stats and the ability to fire four rounds simultaneously, delivering incredible burst damage. This makes it highly effective against Acolytes and Steel Path bosses.

Although it doesn’t quite match the sustained DPS of weapons like the Felarx, the Kuva Hek serves as an outstanding alternative for players who haven’t unlocked Incarnon weapons. Its combination of accessibility, raw power, and versatility ensures its place as a top-tier option for players progressing into higher-level content.

#7: Kuva Tonkor

When it comes to clearing a room full of enemies in seconds, few weapons can rival the Tonkor and its upgraded Kuva variant. This breech-loaded grenade launcher delivers massive area-of-effect damage with impressive efficiency. Boasting one of the best ammo economies among non-regenerating AoE weapons, the Tonkor allows players to fire up to 30 grenades before exhausting their reserves—far more than most explosive weapons, which are often limited to two reloads.

The standard Tonkor becomes available at Mastery Rank 5, making it an excellent choice for early-game players. For more advanced Tenno, the Kuva Tonkor is a clear upgrade, offering significantly enhanced critical stats and base damage. This makes it a devastating option for Steel Path missions, where it can dispatch heavily armored enemies with sheer explosive power.

To handle tougher foes like Acolytes, consider equipping Hunter Munitions to generate powerful Slash procs that bypass armor and deal damage over time. Whether you’re a beginner or a veteran, the Kuva Tonkor is an explosive powerhouse that’s as fun as it is effective.

#6: Tenet Arca Plasmor

The Tenet Arca Plasmor is a powerhouse of destruction, capable of vaporizing most enemies with a single shot. This plasma shotgun fires a wide energy projectile that obliterates anything in its path. With over 1,000 base damage (boosted further by a strong progenitor bonus) and an impressive critical chance for a shotgun, the Tenet Arca Plasmor is a force to be reckoned with. Its exclusive Radiation damage grants a 75% bonus against Alloy Armor and Murmur units, making it particularly effective against some of the game’s toughest enemies.

With the right build, the raw power of this weapon reaches unparalleled levels. Mods like Critical Deceleration and Primed Ravage, combined with a Primary Arcane, enable the Tenet Arca Plasmor to tear through Steel Path enemies with ease. Even Acolytes, known for their durability, won’t stand a chance—just fire in their general direction, and watch them disintegrate.

Unlike many weapons that rely on Slash procs to deal with armored units, the Tenet Arca Plasmor doesn’t need gimmicks. Its sheer damage output erases foes outright, earning it a reputation as the BFG of Warframe. If you’re looking for devastating power and crowd control, this weapon delivers in spades.

#5: Cedo

The Cedo, Lavos’ signature shotgun, is a devastating weapon with a built-in Condition Overload effect. Its power scales with the number of status effects inflicted on a target, and this synergizes multiplicatively with mods like Galvanized Savvy. In practical terms, applying multiple status ailments can enable the Cedo to obliterate enemies in a single shot, making its damage scaling truly unparalleled.

The weapon’s secondary fire further enhances its potential by releasing a glaive-like projectile that ricochets between targets, exploding on impact and applying a random status effect with every detonation. By boosting the Cedo’s multishot, you can turn it into the ultimate status primer, setting up targets for its primary fire or synergizing with other Condition Overload-based weapons in your arsenal.

With its ability to apply every basic status effect and deal massive damage to afflicted enemies, the Cedo is an exceptional weapon for high-level content. Whether you’re shredding Steel Path enemies or dismantling boss health bars, the Cedo’s versatility and sheer destructive power make it a must-have for any Tenno.

#4: Burston Prime

According to its Codex entry, the Burston Prime we wield today is merely a replica of its original design. With average base damage and critical stats, it has long been overshadowed by other weapons. However, the introduction of Incarnon Genesis Adapters has breathed new life into this once-overlooked rifle, unveiling its true potential.

The Incarnon Evolutions dramatically enhance the Burston Prime’s base damage and critical stats, but the real game-changer is its Incarnon Form. In this mode, the weapon transforms into a high-powered minigun, firing explosive Heat-infused rounds with devastating precision. Unlike many other Incarnon weapons, the Burston Prime boasts an enormous magazine size of 600 rounds, far exceeding its standard ammo reserves.

Triggering the Incarnon Form is straightforward: land a few headshots with its primary fire, and the weapon shifts into a supercharged mode that feels akin to a boosted Acceltra or Soma. While it may not have the highest raw damage of all Incarnon weapons, its ability to sustain Incarnon Form for extended periods more than makes up for it, enabling continuous, high-impact damage over time.

If you’re a fan of rapid-fire, explosive weapons, the Burston Prime with its Incarnon Adapter is an excellent addition to your arsenal and well worth the effort to obtain.

#3: Latron Prime

The Latron Prime, a designated marksman rifle (DMR), has long been a reliable yet overshadowed weapon. However, the introduction of its Incarnon Genesis Adapter has transformed it into one of Warframe’s most potent area-of-effect (AoE) weapons, rewarding precision and accuracy with devastating results.

In its Incarnon Form, the Latron Prime becomes a grenade launcher, firing projectiles that ricochet off surfaces and explode on each bounce. These explosions can clear entire squads of Steel Path Grineer with ease. Pairing it with abilities like Mag’s bubble or using it in confined spaces amplifies its destructive potential, leaving enemies with virtually no chance of survival.

What sets the Latron Prime apart is the versatility offered by its S-tier Incarnon Evolutions. Players can customize the weapon to suit their playstyle, whether by enhancing critical chance, enabling full armor stripping through Puncture procs, or boosting headshot damage for even greater lethality. These options make it effective in both its standard and Incarnon modes.

With its incredible damage output, ease of use, and adaptability, the Latron Prime has become a must-have weapon for fans of precision shooting and AoE destruction alike.

#2: Felarx

The Felarx, a fully automatic shotgun available from the Holdfasts faction aboard the Zariman, stands out as one of Warframe’s most devastating weapons. Like other Holdfasts weapons, it boasts Incarnon capabilities, offering an Incarnon Form and a variety of powerful evolution passives. However, unlike most Incarnon weapons, the Felarx’s alt-fire isn’t its main highlight. While its akimbo pistol mode is effective at clearing groups of enemies, its primary fire already excels in this area, rendering the alt-fire more situational.

What truly sets the Felarx apart is its unparalleled damage scaling. The Overwhelming Attrition T5 Evolution grants a massive 2,000% multiplicative damage bonus to non-critical hits 50% of the time, allowing it to deliver consistent bursts of devastating damage. This effect synergizes with Galvanized Savvy, much like the Cedo, resulting in multiplicative scaling that can unleash millions of damage per second.

The Felarx’s raw power makes it a top-tier choice for obliterating high-level enemies, including Liches and Acolytes, with ease. Its combination of versatility, unmatched damage potential, and effortless crowd control cements its place as one of the most effective weapons in Warframe.

#1: Torid

The Torid is a weapon with a storied past, once a dominant force in Warframe that eventually fell victim to power creep over time. However, with the introduction of Incarnon Genesis Adapters, this classic weapon has undergone a remarkable transformation, reclaiming its place as one of the most devastating primary weapons in the game.

What sets the Incarnon Torid apart is its simplicity and sheer destructive power. Unlike most Incarnon weapons, it doesn’t require precision headshots to activate its Incarnon Form—landing direct hits is enough to charge it. Once activated, the Torid transforms into a Toxin-infused beam weapon similar to the Amprex but far deadlier. This concentrated beam can target up to six enemies simultaneously, spreading devastating Toxin damage across groups with incredible efficiency.

In its Incarnon Form, the Torid boasts exceptionally high critical stats, unleashing a flurry of orange crits that melt through even the toughest enemies. With the right build focused on critical damage, the Torid becomes an unstoppable force, capable of annihilating hordes of enemies in mere seconds. Think of it as the Kuva Nukor’s bigger, more destructive sibling.

If you’re looking for unparalleled crowd control and raw power, the Incarnon Torid is a must-have for any Tenno seeking to dominate the battlefield.

Conclusion

In Warframe, selecting the right primary weapon can make all the difference in conquering increasingly challenging missions and enemies. From the crowd-clearing power of the Torid to the precision and versatility of the Latron Prime, each weapon on this list offers unique strengths that cater to different playstyles and combat scenarios. The introduction of Incarnon Genesis Adapters has breathed new life into many classic weapons, transforming them into top-tier choices for both new and veteran Tenno.

Whether you’re shredding through hordes of enemies with the Felarx, melting high-level foes with the Tenet Arca Plasmor, or enjoying the versatility of the Fulmin Prime, these weapons stand out as the best of the best. With the right mods and builds, these primary weapons can help you conquer the Steel Path, tackle tough bosses, and dominate the Origin System.

Experiment with these weapons, customize them to fit your playstyle, and unleash their full potential. With these tools in your arsenal, no enemy in Warframe will stand a chance.