Arcanes are some of the more underused or even ignored systems in Warframe. To some, they just feel like optional mods that require a little extra hassle to pick, farm and equip. Admittedly the Arcane system is also one of the more confusing things to get the hang of in a game that’s already jam-packed with stuff you need to learn and master.
But when you finally get the hang of it and you pick the right Arcane for the right equipment piece for the right mission, they can be a huge help to get you through some of the game’s tougher/grindier parts.
Picking out which Arcane is objectively the “best” isn’t easy either. With the addition of the new Zariman Arcanes this April, there are currently 98 Arcanes spread out between Warframes and various weapon types.
That being said, these are what I’ve deemed to be the Arcanes that see the most use in Warframe (tell me in the comments whether you agree or not, and what you think are the best).
11. Arcane Nullifier (Warframe Arcane)
The Arcane Nullifier took a big hit in the recent Eximus update, being able to use abilities just isn’t as high-priority when enemies that are immune to them are constantly roaming around.
However, it’s still incredibly useful. Especially for newer players who are having trouble maintaining their energy reserves in missions with enemies with magnetic procs. It’s also very useful in Eidolon hunts if you can’t seem to avoid getting the magnetic status effect from injured Eidolons (protip: getting on a K-drive is also really effective in being resistant to the Eidolon’s magnetic procs).
What Arcane Nullifier does:
- Trigger: None, it is a passive effect, constantly taking effect.
- Chances of taking effect (per rank): 17% / 34% / 51% / 68% / 85% /102%
- Effect: Will give you resistance to Magnetic status effect (guaranteed resistance at max rank).
How to get Arcane Nullifier:
Currently only available from Eidolon hunts. There is a 12.05% chance of this Arcane dropping every time you kill or capture an Eidolon Teralyst.
Eidolon Teralyst Capture Guide
Arcane Nullifier Details
10. Magus Glitch (Operator Arcane)
Make your Operator more reliable with this Arcane.
Unlike the Arcane Nullifier, the Magus Glitch Arcane saw a humongous boost in usefulness from one of the new updates. Before it, this Arcane was hardly ever even used.
The said update is the Focus School System Rework 3.0 which came in April 2022. Here, the effects of Transference Static were altered. Specifically its effect on the 4th Operator death, instead of just more health debuffs, your Warframe immediately enters bleedout (or death when you’re in solo).
This increased the need to keep your operator alive tenfold and so now this Arcane is really useful in tough missions where your Operator can be taken out easily. Once maxed, the Magus Glitch simply ignores any negative effects the Transference Static comes with.
A huge lifesaver for people who love using the Operator even on regular missions.
What Magus Glitch does:
- Trigger: Transference Static (when your Operator receives fatal damage).
- Chances of taking effect (per rank): 17% / 34% /51% / 68% / 85% / 102%
- Effect: Negates Transference Static.
How to get Magus Glitch:
Can be bought from the Vox Solaris syndicate in Fortuna on Venus when you reach rank 5 (Shadow) with them. It is sold for 10,000 Vox Solaris Standing.
How to farm for the Vox Solaris Standing you need to get this Arcane
Magus Glitch Details
9. Magus Elevate (Operator Arcane)
Cheat death, and not by using Wukong. Shocking, I know.
Though risky to use when you don’t have it in max rank, when you do have it in max rank, you pretty much gain immortality.
An almost guaranteed 300 health every time you switch to your Warframe is huge! And for those of you skeptics, you can actually just spam transference in and out until you’ve reached max health. So yeah, whenever you’re having trouble surviving a mission, slap this baby on and watch your health bar shine.
What Magus Elevate does:
- Trigger: Transference In (going from Operator to Warframe).
- Chances of taking effect (per rank): 30% / 40% / 50% / 75% / 85% / 95%
- Effect: Restores 50 / 100 / 150 / 200 / 250 / 300 health to your Warframe depending on the Arcane rank.
How to get Magus Elevate:
Can be bought from The Quills syndicate in Cetus on Earth when you reach rank 5 (Architect) with them. It is sold for 10,000 Quills Standing.
How to farm The Quills Standing you need to get this Arcane
Magus Elevate Details
8. Arcane Avenger (Warframe Arcane)
You will be receiving damage pretty regularly in this game anyway so Arcane Avenger is pretty much just a free constant boost in critical chance. Unless you’re using a Rhino Warframe or anything else that completely stops damage, this should be pretty easy to activate even if the max chance of it triggering is just 21%.
Pair this with weapons that have even just a somewhat decent critical chance and you’ll notice the difference in your damage output in no time.
What Arcane Avenger does:
- Trigger: When you receive damage.
- Chances of taking effect (per rank): 4% / 7% / 11% / 14% / 18% / 21%
- Effect: Gives you an added 7.5% / 15% / 22.5% / 30% / 37.5% / 45% critical chance for 2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 10 / 12 seconds depending on the Arcane rank.
How to get Arcane Avenger:
Currently only available from Eidolon hunts. There is an 11.70% and 11.24% chance of this Arcane dropping every time you kill or capture an Eidolon Hydrolyst respectively.
Eidolon Hydrolyst Kill/Capture Guide
Arcane Avenger Details
7. Eternal Eradicate (Amp Arcane)
This is the most consistent/easiest to trigger Arcane for boosting your Amp’s damage output. Having to simply use an Operator ability (which you’ll be using all the time anyway) to trigger it makes it really convenient against Sentient enemies or even on the updated Eximus enemies (for those that don’t know, the new Eximus Overguard is 50% weak to your Amp’s Void damage).
The only issue with this Arcane is that for Eidolon hunts, it gets beaten by the next entry in effectiveness…
What Eternal Eradicate does:
- Trigger: Using an Operator ability.
- Chances of taking effect (per rank): Will always activate when trigger condition is met.
- Effect: Increases Amp damage by 10% / 20% / 30% / 40% / 50% / 60% depending on Arcane rank for 8 seconds.
How to get Eternal Eradicate:
Can be bought from Cavalero of the Holdfasts syndicate in the Chrysalith when you reach rank 1 (Fallen) with them. It costs 5,000 of Holdfasts Standing.
How to farm The Holdfasts Standing you need to get this Arcane
Eternal Eradicate Details
6. Virtuous Strike (Amp Arcane)
The go-to for most players in Eidolon hunting. Despite being harder to trigger than Eternal Eradicate, increasing the critical damage by 60% is WAY better than increasing the base damage by 60%. And since the current meta Amps for Eidolon hunts try for a really high critical chance, you’ll still be able to get the Arcane to take effect relatively regularly.
What Virtuous Strike does:
- Trigger: When you deal critical damage.
- Chances of taking effect (per rank): 5% / 10% / 15% / 20%
- Effect: Increases critical damage by 15% / 30% / 45% / 60% for 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 seconds depending on Arcane rank.
How to get Virtuous Strike:
Can be bought from The Quills syndicate in Cetus on Earth when you reach rank 4 (Instrument) with them. It is sold for 10,000 Quills Standing.
How to farm The Quills Standing you need to get this Arcane
Virtuous Strike Details
5. Molt Efficiency (Warframe Arcane)
This Amp is basically a free boost to your ability duration with its incredibly simple trigger of just having your shields active.
Any Warframe that needs lots of duration will greatly benefit from having this Arcane equipped on them. Well, any Warframe that has shields that is.
What Molt Efficiency does:
- Trigger: Whenever shields are active.
- Chances of taking effect (per rank): Always active when shields are up.
- Effect: Increases your ability duration by 1% / 2% / 3% / 4% / 5% / 6% per second for 6 seconds depending on Arcane rank. This means you can reach a maximum additional ability duration of 6% / 12% / 18% / 24% / 30% / 36% depending on Arcane rank.
How to get Molt Efficiency:
Can be bought from Cavalero of the Holdfasts syndicate in the Chrysalith when you reach rank 3 (Guardian) with them. It costs 7,500 of The Holdfasts Standing.
How to farm The Holdfasts Standing you need to get this Arcane
Molt Efficiency Details
4. Molt Vigor (Warframe Arcane)
When you want to maximize a Warframe’s Ability duration, or perhaps you just want some duration on your Warframe but have already filled out your mod slots this is the Arcane for you.
With the incredibly simple trigger of just having your shields on, it might as well just be a passive effect! Use the Molt Vigor to extend your Warframe’s reach over your helpless enemies.
What Molt Vigor does:
- Trigger: Using an Operator ability.
- Chances of taking effect (per rank): Will always activate when trigger condition is met.
- Effect: Adds 15% / 21% / 27% / 33% / 39% / 45% ability strength to the next ability cast in your Warframe.
How to get Molt Vigor:
Can be bought from Cavalero of the Holdfasts syndicate in the Chrysalith when you reach rank 1 (Fallen) with them. It costs 5,000 of The Holdfasts Standing.
How to farm The Holdfasts Standing you need to get this Arcane
Molt Vigor Details
3. Primary Merciless (Primary Weapon Arcane)
Some Arcanes may have monstrous stats but are too specific or hard to trigger to be of much general use like Primary Deadhead which requires you to have a weapon that can consistently deal headshots. That Arcane may have a larger damage boost than Primary Merciless, but it’s also significantly harder to trigger, and that’s why I decided to put Primary Merciless on this list due to it being useful in more situations.
However, if you have a loadout that fits, feel free to use Arcanes like Primary Deadhead and Primary Dexterity instead as the three Primary Arcanes are very similar.
What Primary Merciless does:
- Trigger: 1st effect triggers whenever you perform a kill. 2nd and 3rd effects are passive, constantly taking effect (take note: the 2nd and 3rd effects only become available at max Arcane rank).
- Chances of taking effect (per rank): Will always activate when the trigger condition is met.
- Effect: This Arcane has 3 effects
1st effect: Increases primary weapon damage by 5% / 10% / 15% / 20% / 25% / 30% for 4 seconds depending on Arcane rank. This effect can stack 12 times which means you can reach a maximum additional primary weapon damage of 60% / 120% / 180% / 240% / 300% / 360% depending on Arcane rank.
2nd effect: Primary weapon reload speed increases by 30% at max rank.
3rd effect: Primary weapon maximum ammo increases by 100% at max rank.
How to get Primary Merciless:
This Arcane drops from Acolytes in Steel Path missions. There is a 16.67% chance of this Arcane dropping from any of the Acolytes.
Here’s how to kill and farm Acolytes in The Steel Path
Primary Merciless Details
2. Cascadia Overcharge (Secondary Weapon Arcane)
Another super easy-to-activate Arcane with a ginormous effect. The Cascadia Overcharge gives you an unbelievable 300% critical chance for your secondary weapon just by having overshields.
A little fun fact, the Cascadia Overcharge actually used to be even more overpowered. It use to provide that 300% critical chance to ALL weapons, and not just your secondary. Turns out that was a mistake and got corrected fast. Damn shame isn’t it?
What Cascadia Overcharge does:
- Trigger: Whenever overshields are active.
- Chances of taking effect (per rank): Will always activate when trigger condition is met.
- Effect: Increases secondary weapon critical chance by 50% / 100% / 150% / 200% / 250% / 300% depending on Arcane rank.
How to get Cascadia Overcharge:
Can be bought from Cavalero of the Holdfasts syndicate in the Chrysalith when you reach rank 5 (Angel) with them. It costs 10,000 of The Holdfasts Standing.
How to farm The Holdfasts Standing you need to get this Arcane
Cascadia Overcharge Details
1. Arcane Energize (Warframe Arcane)
And here it is. The single most wanted Arcane in Warframe. The game is mostly PvE, it’s also a game where skills play a huge role (despite the new Eximus update). So it’s no surprise that an Arcane that provides energy for skill to your teammates will make it this big.
Arcane Energize is so valuable, that a fully ranked Arcane Energize easily trades for 1,300 platinum. That’s amazing news for people who have extras and bad news for people who don’t have it yet, back to farming.
What Arcane Energize does:
Trigger: When you pick up an energy orb.
Chances of taking effect (per rank): 10% / 20% /30% / 40% / 50% / 60%
Effect: Gives your allies within 5 / 6 / 7 / 10 / 12 /15 meters 25 / 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 / 150 energy depending on Arcane rank. This has a cooldown of 15 seconds.
How to get Arcane Energize:
There are two ways of getting this Arcane.
There is a 5% chance of getting an Arcane Energize whenever you capture, not kill, an Eidolon Hydrolyst.
Eidolon Hydrolyst Capture Guide
There is a 1.41% chance of Arcane Energize dropping in rotation C of the Orphix mission in Veil Proxima.
Orphix Guide (you will need to take down 12 Orphix to get a rotation C reward)
Arcane Energize Details
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