Warframe: 8 Best Warframes for Archon Hunts

Archon Hunts are among the most challenging endgame activities in Warframe, featuring the formidable Archons as bosses. These encounters test every aspect of a player’s skill, requiring preparation, strategy, and endurance. As the pinnacle of difficulty, Archon Hunts are exactly what many veteran players have been waiting for—a true endgame challenge that pushes Warframes and weapons to their limits.

Facing the Archons unprepared can lead to a frustrating experience. These bosses are infamous for their invincibility phases and devastating attacks that can annihilate unprepared Warframes in seconds. Success in Archon Hunts hinges on survival, allowing your weapons to do the heavy lifting while your Warframe ensures you can withstand the relentless onslaught.

In this article, we’ll highlight the 8 best Warframes for Archon Hunts—those that excel in survivability, utility, and support to help you conquer these intense battles. Whether you’re tackling these hunts solo or with a team, these Warframes are essential for turning the tide in your favor. Let’s dive in!

#8: Nidus

The Nidus Warframe is a powerhouse of survivability and sustainability, making him an excellent choice for Archon Hunts. His unique mechanics allow him to scale infinitely in power while becoming nearly unkillable when built correctly.

Nidus’s Ravenous ability spawns maggots that deal damage and heal him for every enemy affected. Combined with his passive, Undying, which grants him a second chance at life if he has mutation stacks, Nidus is incredibly difficult to kill even in the toughest encounters. His Parasitic Link also provides a damage reduction for himself or his allies, offering a layer of support in team-based hunts.

When facing the Archons, Nidus’s ability to regenerate health and absorb damage makes him a reliable option for enduring their punishing attacks. His Virulence ability can also generate energy for sustained ability usage, ensuring he remains in the fight for the long haul.

Nidus thrives in high-difficulty content due to his scaling mechanics and unparalleled survivability. For players looking to weather the storm in Archon Hunts while steadily growing in strength, Nidus is a solid choice that’s as effective as he is resilient.

#7: Frost

The Frost Warframe is a defensive powerhouse and an excellent choice for Archon Hunts due to his unparalleled ability to protect objectives and teammates. His signature ability, Snow Globe, creates a protective barrier that shields allies and critical points from incoming damage, making it invaluable during the intense phases of an Archon battle.

Frost’s Snow Globe scales with his armor, so building him for durability ensures the barrier can absorb significant damage, giving the team breathing room to focus on the Archon. Additionally, his Avalanche ability provides crowd control by freezing enemies in a wide radius while stripping their armor, making it easier for weapons to deal with high-level foes surrounding the Archon.

In Archon Hunts, Frost excels in both team and solo scenarios, offering survivability and control over the battlefield. His ability to slow or immobilize enemies and protect allies ensures that players can focus on eliminating the Archon without worrying about constant interruptions from smaller foes.

For Tenno who want to bring a reliable support frame to the fight, Frost’s defensive capabilities make him a strong pick for Archon Hunts, ensuring your team stays alive and your objectives remain intact.

#6: Baruuk

The Baruuk Warframe shines in Archon Hunts with his combination of survivability, crowd control, and powerful melee damage. Known as the pacifist monk of Warframe, Baruuk’s abilities focus on avoiding damage and neutralizing threats, making him an exceptional choice for these challenging encounters.

Baruuk’s survivability stems from his Elude ability, which reduces damage from frontal attacks while active. Combined with his Desolate Hands, which sends out daggers to disarm enemies, Baruuk can render large groups of enemies harmless, reducing the overall damage output of the battlefield. His passive ability further enhances his resilience, as he takes less damage the more he avoids conflict.

When it’s time to go on the offensive, Baruuk’s Serene Storm transforms him into a melee powerhouse, unleashing devastating waves of damage with his exalted weapon, Desert Wind. This ability is particularly effective against Archon minions, clearing the field to allow teammates to focus on the boss.

Baruuk’s mix of crowd control, damage mitigation, and burst potential makes him a strong pick for Archon Hunts, ensuring both the player and their team can stay alive and dominate the battlefield. With the right build, Baruuk offers a balance of offense and defense that’s hard to beat in high-level content.

#5: Ivara

The Ivara Warframe brings stealth, precision, and versatility to Archon Hunts, making her an invaluable asset for players who prefer a strategic and methodical approach to these challenging encounters. Her abilities allow her to remain undetected, control the flow of battle, and deal massive damage when the opportunity arises.

Ivara’s Prowl ability grants her invisibility, allowing her to avoid detection and navigate the battlefield safely, even in the presence of the Archon’s devastating attacks. While in stealth, she can pick off enemies with pinpoint accuracy, using weapons like bows or sniper rifles to eliminate threats from a distance.

Her Navigator ability is perfect for guiding powerful projectiles directly to weak spots, which is particularly useful for targeting Archons or dealing precise damage during their vulnerable phases. Additionally, her Artemis Bow can unleash a barrage of arrows to clear groups of enemies or focus fire on the Archon, providing both crowd control and burst damage.

Ivara’s ability to stay alive through stealth while dealing consistent damage makes her a great solo option for Archon Hunts. For players who value finesse and tactical gameplay, Ivara’s kit ensures that she remains effective even in the most demanding encounters.

#4: Octavia

The Octavia Warframe excels in Archon Hunts due to her unique ability to empower allies, control enemies, and deal massive damage while remaining elusive. Her versatile kit makes her a strong contender for any high-level mission, including the grueling challenges posed by Archons.

Octavia’s Mallet ability serves as both a crowd control tool and a damage dealer. By placing the mallet in a strategic location, she can draw enemy fire, redirecting the damage back to them, which is especially effective against Archon minions and high-damage enemies. Combined with Resonator, the mallet becomes mobile, rolling around and keeping enemies distracted, further reducing the pressure on teammates.

Her Amp ability amplifies the damage dealt by her allies, turning the tide of battle during critical phases against Archons. Additionally, Octavia’s Metronome provides powerful buffs like increased speed, damage, and invisibility, rewarding players who sync their actions to her beat. This combination of utility and damage amplification makes her invaluable in team scenarios.

Octavia’s ability to stay invisible, distract enemies, and enhance team performance ensures she remains effective throughout the entire hunt. For players looking to bring both support and offense to the battlefield, Octavia is a top-tier choice for Archon Hunts.

#3: Wisp

The Wisp Warframe is a powerhouse in Archon Hunts, offering exceptional utility, team support, and damage amplification. Her unique abilities make her one of the most versatile choices for tackling the intense challenges of Archon encounters.

Wisp’s Reservoirs are her signature ability, providing her and her allies with buffs that boost survivability, speed, and health regeneration. The Vitality Mote ensures consistent healing for the team, countering the Archons’ punishing attacks, while the Haste Mote increases movement and attack speed, giving players a crucial edge in combat. These reservoirs are invaluable for keeping the team alive and enhancing their effectiveness throughout the mission.

Her Wil-O-Wisp ability allows her to create a decoy and become temporarily invisible, enabling her to avoid dangerous situations or reposition safely during intense fights. Additionally, Breach Surge blinds enemies and causes a surge of bonus damage, synergizing perfectly with high-damage weapons to bring down Archons and their minions quickly.

Wisp’s passive ability, which makes her invisible while airborne, further enhances her survivability and mobility. Combined with her powerful support and offensive capabilities, Wisp shines as both a solo and team-oriented frame in Archon Hunts. For players who value utility and adaptability, Wisp is a must-have for these high-level encounters.

#2: Wukong

The Wukong Warframe is an exceptional choice for Archon Hunts, thanks to his incredible survivability, versatility, and offensive potential. With abilities designed to keep him in the fight and adapt to any scenario, Wukong thrives in the high-stakes environment of Archon encounters.

Wukong’s Passive grants him three “lives” through his Immortality ability, allowing him to cheat death multiple times during battle. This makes him one of the most durable Warframes, capable of withstanding the Archons’ punishing attacks. His Defy ability provides an additional layer of protection by absorbing damage and reflecting it back as a devastating burst, making him both a tank and a damage dealer.

For mobility and crowd control, Cloud Walker allows Wukong to become invulnerable and traverse the battlefield quickly, healing himself in the process. This ability is perfect for repositioning or escaping dangerous situations during Archon phases. Additionally, his Celestial Twin summons a clone to assist in battle, doubling his damage output and creating distractions for enemies, ensuring a smoother combat flow.

Wukong’s balance of survivability, utility, and offensive power makes him a reliable option for both solo and team-based Archon Hunts. With the ability to adapt to any challenge and keep fighting no matter the odds, Wukong is a top-tier Warframe for these intense encounters.

#1: Chroma

The Chroma Warframe stands as the best choice for Archon Hunts due to his unmatched ability to boost damage, tank hits, and adapt to different combat scenarios. His versatility and raw power make him a cornerstone of success in these high-stakes encounters.

Chroma’s strength lies in his Vex Armor ability, which increases his armor and weapon damage based on how much shield and health he has lost. This scaling effect turns Chroma into a juggernaut, allowing him to deal incredible amounts of damage to Archons and their minions while shrugging off hits that would decimate other Warframes.

The Elemental Ward ability enhances his survivability further by granting buffs based on his energy color. Players can tailor this ability to specific scenarios: Heat energy grants health regeneration, Electric boosts shields, Cold increases armor, and Toxin enhances reload and holster speed. This adaptability ensures Chroma is prepared for any challenge the Archons present.

Chroma’s Effigy provides additional offensive and defensive utility, creating a hovering dragon-like pelt that deals damage to enemies and draws aggro, giving teammates breathing room to focus on the Archon.

For Archon Hunts, where survival and sustained damage are critical, Chroma’s unparalleled scaling and adaptability make him the ultimate choice. With a properly modded build, Chroma can dominate any Archon Hunt, ensuring a smooth and efficient battle for both solo players and teams.

Conclusion

Archon Hunts in Warframe represent some of the most challenging content in the game, pushing players to their limits and demanding well-thought-out strategies. The Warframes featured in this list—ranging from Chroma’s unmatched damage scaling to Wisp’s unparalleled team support—offer the tools necessary to tackle these formidable bosses. Each Warframe brings unique strengths, whether it’s survivability, utility, or offensive power, ensuring they can withstand the Archons’ punishing attacks and turn the tide of battle.

Choosing the right Warframe for Archon Hunts can make all the difference between success and frustration. By understanding their abilities and building them for the challenges ahead, players can ensure they’re prepared for the intense fights that define this endgame content. Whether you’re playing solo or with a team, these Warframes will help you rise to the occasion and conquer the toughest foes in the Origin System.