Top 10 Warframe Best Primary Weapons (And How to Get Them)

Updated:

18 Aug 2022

What Are The Best Warframe Primary Weapons?

There are literally hundreds of weapons to choose from in Warframe, consisting of primary, secondary and melee weapons. You definitely don’t have enough time or Weapon slots to try each out, so you turn to online lists for rankings.

If you are looking for the best primary weapon, you came to the right place. There are all sorts of primary weapons, including grenade launchers, lasers, flamethrowers, and sniper rifles.

Below is a list of the top 10 primary weapons and how to get them. Mastery rank varies, and some are easier to get than others. Make sure to try some (or all!) out though, you might find your new favorite weapon.

10. Tonkor (Grenade Launcher)

Hurl mayhem and destruction with this Grineer grenade launcher.

Starting off our list is Tonkor, a Grineer-made grenade launcher. Tonkor deals huge amounts of damage with each shot, and the grenades also cause their own puncture damage from coming in direct contact with an enemy. Grenade launchers also have some pretty epic unique mods, like Adhesive Blast (chance to stick to surfaces) and Firestorm (improves blast radius).

Stats:

75 Puncture
650 Blast Damage
25% Crit Chance
10% Status Chance
3.17 rounds per sec (1 round per mag)

What's good about Tonkor:

High Crit Chance and Base Damage
Deals Blast Damage (great against Machinery Grineer and Fossilized Infested)
Blast radius of 5m, so accuracy is less important in terms of total damage

How to Get it:

You can buy the blueprint for Tonkor at the market.

9. Boltor Prime (Rifle)

Fires Orokin designed bolts that are faster and sharper but with reduced range.

When you were Mastery Rank 2, you may have built yourself Boltor, only to realize it’s a pretty average rifle. Fortunately, at MR 13, you can build Boltor Prime. This automatic rifle shoots ‘bolts’, that pin enemies to walls; much like bows.

Stats:

4.6 Impact
41.4 Puncture
46 Total Damage
12% Crit Chance
34% Status Chance
10 rounds per sec (60 rounds per mag)

What's good about Boltor Prime:

High fire rate
One of the highest status chances in all primary weapons
90% of Total Damage is Puncture, which is great against high armor

How to Get it:

Like all Prime weapons, Boltor Prime is only available in void relics. Unfortunately, it is currently vaulted, and the parts can’t be obtained through any relics that are currently in game. If you want Boltor Prime, you could go to Warframe Market and trade platinum for the blueprints or wait for it to be unvaulted.

8. Soma Prime (Rifle)

Known for taking down whole squads with its single massive clip, few weapons were as feared as the Prime Soma.

Did you look at the total damage for Soma Prime and think, “How is this in the top 10 with only 12 total damage?” With a fire rate of 15 rounds per second, Soma Prime can hold up to 800 rounds. The low damage on individual shots is made up for with the huge magazine size and fast fire rate, averaging about 180 damage per second at base stats.

Stats:

1.2 Impact
4.8 Puncture
6 Slash
12 Total Damage
30% Crit Chance
10% Status Chance
15 rounds per sec (200 rounds per mag)

What's good about Soma Prime:

Huge magazine size (better for crowds with little time to reload)
High Slash and Puncture damage good against high HP and armor
One of the highest Crit Chances of automatic rifles

How to Get it:

Like all Prime weapons, Soma Prime is only available in void relics. Unfortunately, it is currently vaulted, and the parts can’t be obtained through any relics that are currently in game. If you want Soma Prime, you could go to Warframe Market and trade platinum for the blueprints or wait for it to be unvaulted.

7. Dread (Bow)

Dread is the calling card of the Stalker. It fires arrows that can decapitate.

Dread is one of the weapon blueprints that drops from the Stalker. Although Dread isn’t a gun, it rightfully has a place in the top primary weapons and is definitely the best bow in the game. Dread has an impressive 50% critical damage when charged. If you quick-fire without charging, the chance is 25%, which is still more than many other primary weapons.

Stats (Charged):

10 Impact
10 Puncture
180 Slash
200 Total Damage
50% Crit Chance
20% Status Chance

What’s Good about Dread:

Along with all bows, arrow kills enemy and pins them against wall, damaging any other enemies in their path
High slash damage, good against enemies with high HP
Highest critical chance out of all weapons (tied with Lenz)

How to Get It

You can get the blueprint for Dread by killing the Stalker. If you successfully kill him, there is about a 38% of it dropping, so you may have to kill him a few times before the blueprint drops.

6. Vectis Prime (Sniper Rifle)

Once thought destroyed, the newly uncovered Vectis Prime revives Tenno martial traditions.

If you’ve made it to Mastery Rank 14, then you should definitely consider making Vectis Prime. Vectis Prime only has a magazine capacity of two, but it deals the second highest base damage of all sniper rifles (just below Lanka when charged). This sniper rifle is perfect for enemies with strong armor and shields and is always a good option to use for Eidolon Hunting.

Stats:

140 Impact
157.5 Puncture
52.5 Slash
350 Total Damage
30% Crit Chance
30% Status Chance
2.67 rounds per sec (2 rounds per mag)

What’s Good about Vectis Prime:

Fastest Reload Speed of all sniper rifles (0.85sec)
40-60% Bonus Headshot Damage when zoomed (highest headshot bonus on list)
Good for Eidolon Hunts

How to Get it:

Like all Prime weapons, Vectis Prime is only available in void relics. Unfortunately, it is currently vaulted, and the parts can’t be obtained through any relics that are currently in game. If you want Vectis Prime, you could go to Warframe Market and trade platinum for the blueprints or wait for it to be unvaulted

5. Vaykor Hek (Shotgun)

Forged in the fires of rebel struggle, this shotgun is a force for liberation.

Vaykor Hek is a variation of Hek, sold by Steel Meridian. Vaykor Hek is basically an upgrade of the original, with an innate Justice Effect. All syndicate weapons and mods have effects specific to them, with Justice belonging to Steel Meridian. Justice deals 1,000 Blast damage to enemies within 25 meters, recovers 25% max health, and increases armor by 15% for 30 seconds; this is triggered by gaining affinity.

Stats:

78.75 Impact
341.25 Puncture
105 Slash
525 Total damage
7 Pellets dealing 75 damage each
25% Crit Chance
25% Status Chance
3 rounds per sec (8 rounds per mag)

What's good about Vaykor Hek:

Very high Puncture Damage (great against high armor)
Radial Justice proc for 1000 damage
Narrow Pellet Spread for increased accuracy and damage

How to Get it:

You can get Vaykor Hek by reading the Rank of General with Steel Meridian and buying the gun directly from their offerings page.

4. Phantasma (Shotgun)

Irradiate enemies with a continuous stream of deadly plasma. Charging secondary fire releases a glob of plasma that erupts with homing bomblets on impact.

Phantasma is Revenant’s signature gun, dealing beams of radiation along with a secondary fire of plasma bombs. Like the primary fire, the plasma bombs deal radiation damage. These bombs can be charged to increase the damage of the explosion and released projectiles.

Stats:

25 Impact
50 Radiation
75 Total Damage
3% Crit Chance
37% Status Chance
5 Beams dealing 15 damage each (10 Radiation and 5 Impact)
12 rounds per sec (11 rounds per mag)

Secondary Fire

15 Impact
73 Radiation
88 Total Damage
3% Crit Chance
37% Status Chance
2 rounds per sec (11 rounds per mag)

What's good about Phantasma:

Innate Punch Through effect
Secondary Fire shoots Plasma Bombs, each with a 5m radius and 5 additional projectiles
When equipped by Revenant, magazine size increases by 4

How to Get it:

You can by the blueprint for Phantasma at the market.

3. Ignis Wraith (Rifle)

A blood-red variant of this destructive flamethrower.

Ignis Wraith comes in 3rd place for top primary weapons. This weapon is a bit difficult to come by, currently only being offered by the Void Trader. While Ignis Wraith is listed as a rifle, the gun functions as a flamethrower, dealing high amounts of heat damage while covering your entire screen in flames.

Stats:

35 Heat
17% Crit Chance
29% Status Chance
8 rounds per sec (200 rounds per mag)
Beam thickness of 0.15m
Beam reaching up to 27m

What's good about Ignis Wraith:

Heat Damage effective against Infested and Grineer
Requires no aim (wide beam radius good for crowd control)
Regular Ignis works just as well, and is easier to get

How to Get it:

There are a few ways to get Ignis Wraith. Originally, the blueprint was part of Operation: The Pacifism Defect event. The event has ended; however, you can still buy Ignis Wraith from Baro Ki’Teer if he has it in stock. Ignis Wraith can also be bought from Warframe Market for a small amount of platinum.

2. Arca Plasmor (Shotgun)

Stagger targets with blasts from this Corpus engineered plasma shotgun. Surviving enemies are consumed with radiation.

Arca Plasmor is a Corpus plasma shotgun dealing high amounts of Radiation Damage. While considered a shotgun, Arca Plasmor shoots waves of Radiation in a spread up to 30m. These waves require little aim and can be shot in the general direction of a group of enemies.

Stats:

600 Radiation
22% Crit Chance
28% Status Chance
1.1 rounds per sec (10 rounds per mag)

What's good about Arca Plasmor:

High Radiation damage (Radiation status effect is Confusion)
Wide bullet range (covers almost the entire screen and doesn’t rely on aim)
Innate Punch Through

How to Get it:

You can research Arca Plasmor in the energy Lab of your Clan Dojo.

1. Tigris Prime (Shotgun)

An artifact of exquisite beauty. A weapon of deadly purpose.

Tigris Prime comes in 1st place with its insane amount of base damage. Many Warframe players across the internet agree that Tigris Prime is the best primary weapon available. While Arca Plasmor is excellent for crowd control, Tigris Prime is the best option for single, high-level targets.

Stats:

156 Impact
156 Puncture
1248 Slash
1560 Total Damage
8 Pellets dealing 195 damage each
10% Crit Chance
30% Status Chance
2 rounds per sec (2 rounds per mag)

What's good about Tigris Prime:

Essential for high-level missions and Sorties
Second highest base damage of all weapons (behind Exergis)
Duplex Trigger Type, allowing two rapid shots

How to Get it:

Like all Prime weapons, Tigris Prime is only available in void relics. Unfortunately, it is currently vaulted, and the parts can’t be obtained through any relics that are currently in game. If you want Tigris Prime, you could go to Warframe Market and trade platinum for the blueprints or wait for it to be unvaulted. The normal version of Tigris is great too, with a base damage of 1050. You can buy the blueprint from the market.