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Warframe's upcoming Angels of the Zariman update has one of the largest Focus reworks we've seen since the Plains of Eidolon update. Operators are getting some major mechanic and passive changes to make them easier to use and more fluid with Warframe's core combat.
While some Focus nodes have been nerfed or removed outright with this rework, the overall Focus system should allow for more flexibility and usability across most Warframe content. This guide will go over every change Operators are getting in U31.5, and we'll cover every single Focus node change that was showcased on the April Devstream.
All of the information provided below has been taken from the April 8th Dev Workshop and Devstream. Expect the values listed to change on release.
General Focus Changes
Before we jump into the changes in each Focus school, it's important you understand the overall changes that Focus is receiving. Digital Extremes has made major changes to how Operators work and their relation to Warframe's core gameplay loop. Without further ado, here are the major changes coming in U31.5:
- Operators now have abilities. Operators have two abilities they can use at any time, acquired from their Focus school.
- Void Blast is gone. Meleeing as your Operator will now transfer you into your Warframe at your Operator's location.
- Void Dash has been replaced with Void Sling. Sling is a more controllable version of Void Dash that can be charged to cover greater distances.
-
The Focus Pool is getting removed. Any Focus points spent on your pool will be refunded as Radiant Eidolon Shards once the update launches.
- You'll still need to farm Focus for specific schools.
- Operators are now client-side. This means you won't have horrible stutters or delays transferring to your Operator if you aren't the host.
- Nearly every Focus node has been overhauled. We cover this more later in the article.
Arguably the most controversial change—beyond some Focus node changes—is the switch to Void Sling. Instead of pressing the jump button while cloaked to teleport, you will now hold the input to create an ephemeral image of yourself up to a certain distance. Letting go of the key will teleport you to the location.
Is Void Sling A Net Nerf?
This change sounds bad on paper, but there are a few things to consider:
-
Tapping the jump key will instantly teleport you a short distance.
- From Devstream footage, this seems slightly shorter than max-rank Void Dash is currently capable of.
- Holding the key lets you curve the teleport around corners or cover, and you'll travel further.
- Void Sling seems to preserve momentum after the dash.
Accounting for all of these changes, it seems that Void Sling will be a slightly worse way to quickly teleport around the map than the current Void Dash. However, you'll have far more control over where you're going, and you can make some long-range teleports without much hassle. Spam-teleporting is still possible, although it remains to be seen if the momentum of Void Sling can make up for the lost distance traveled. In our view, this seems similar to the conversion from "Coptering" to Bullet Jumping back in U17. We'll lose a little bit of overall speed, but the additional control will be more than worth it.
All Madurai Changes
Change Overview
-
Madurai can now buff Warframe cast speed, Amp crit chance, and debuff enemies to take more damage.
- It can also chain Void Sling further than any other Focus school.
- Void Strike saw an overhaul. It now grants bonus damage for an eight-second duration and has a 40-second cooldown.
- Phoenix Talons now buffs Operator Amp damage as well as IPS damage.
Did Void Strike Get Nerfed?
For Eidolon hunting, yes. For everyone else, it got a massive buff. Void Strike's current use is to build up a massive damage multiplier for your Amp's next eight shots, making it trivial to pop an Eidolon's shield. The limited shots meant it was nigh-useless for shotguns and other high-pellet weapons, and the damage bonus required build up while playing passively.
This reworked version is a buff for most players since it:
- Works for a duration, not for a number of shots.
- Grants 1,000% more damage while active instead of its current variable rate.
- Activities instantly.
- Grants ammo efficiency with a Focus upgrade.
This buff is nothing short of incredible for general gameplay and should make taking out tanky units (Kuva Liches, Nox units, Profit Taker limbs, etc.) much easier. With that said, it has a 40-second cooldown, meaning you can't keep Void Strike up for an entire Eidolon hunt.
That sounds like a massive nerf for Eidolons, yet consider the other Focus passives that buff Amp damage. Power Transfer is incredible when paired with Virtuous Shadow. No Quarter from Naramon could shift the meta if it stacks multiplicatively with Unairu Wisp, and Unairu Wisp itself is much easier to grab. A four-player squad can choose to alternate Void Strike buffs throughout a hunt, or the meta will shift to some of these new nodes. Only time will tell.
Focus 3.0 Madurai Nodes
Madurai Waybounds |
||
---|---|---|
Node |
Type |
Effect |
Inner Gaze |
Passive |
Increase Energy for Amps and Void Beam by 40%. |
Eternal Gaze |
Passive |
Increase Energy Regeneration Rate for Amps and Void Beam by 60%. |
Madurai Abilities |
||
Node |
Type |
Effect |
Void Strike |
Ability |
Consumes all energy to increase damage for 8 seconds. Deal 10% additional damage for every percentage of energy consumed. 40-second cooldown. |
Void Fuel |
Ability Augment |
40% Weapon Efficiency for Operator and Warframe while Void Strike is active. |
Contamination Wave |
Ability |
Emits a Void wave lasting 2 seconds that drenches enemies with Void Contamination making them 25% more vulnerable to Operator Damage for 20 seconds. |
Distilled Contamination |
Ability Augment |
Killing an enemy affected by Contamination Wave makes all affected enemies 25% more vulnerable while also making the effect last 10 seconds longer. Maximum 3 stacks. |
Madurai Passives |
||
Node |
Type |
Effect |
Phoenix Talons |
Passive |
Physical Damage and Operator Damage increased by 25%. |
Power Transfer |
Passive |
100% Amp Critical Damage for 20 seconds on switching to Operator. 50% Casting Speed on switching to your Warframe. |
Chained Sling |
Passive |
50% Energy Efficiency on Consecutive Void Strings. |
Sling Strength |
Passive |
Switching to your Warframe after a Chained Sling adds 40% Ability Strength for 20 seconds. |
All Naramon Changes
Change Overview
- Executing Dash is now an ability, and Naramon users now have a miniature Rhino Stomp ability.
- You can execute finishers as your Operator.
- You can convert Combo Count into Amp damage.
Naramon's most notable passives—Power Spike and Affinity Spike—saw no changes. You can still retain Combo Count just as easily as before, and this will still be an excellent school for Focus farming due to Affinity Spike.
Focus 3.0 Naramon Nodes
Naramon Waybounds |
||
---|---|---|
Node |
Type |
Effect |
Mind Step |
Passive |
Increases Operator Movement Speed by 30%. |
Far Sling |
Passive |
Increases Void Sling Speed by 120%. |
Naramon Abilities |
||
Node |
Type |
Effect |
Void Levitation |
Ability |
Creates a 6m wide shockwave lasting 4s that inflicts Lift Status on all enemies it touches. |
Lethal Levitation |
Ability Augment |
Additional 50% Damage per Lifted enemy attacked by Operator. Lasts for 60 seconds, and stacks up to 4x. |
Sling Stun |
Ability |
Increases the width of the next Void Sling by 40%, and enemies hit are vulnerable to Finishers, taking 30% more finisher damage. |
Killer's Rush |
Ability Augment |
Initiating a finisher as Operator switches to Warframe, increasing melee Critical Chance by 50% for 40 seconds. |
Naramon Passives |
||
Node |
Type |
Effect |
Power Spike |
Passive |
Melee Combo Counter now decays while out of combat by 5 every few seconds, instead of depleting completely. |
Affinity Spike |
Passive |
Kills from Melee Attacks grant 45% more Melee Affinity. |
Opening Slam |
Passive |
Performing a Slam as Operator switches to Warframe and grants double Combo gain for 20 seconds. |
No Quarter |
Passive |
Transfer to Operator with 8x Combo Multi to increase Amp damage by 100% for 40 seconds. |
All Unairu Changes
Change Overview
-
Unairu users now have Primed Sure Footed and immunity to slows as a passive.
- You must swap to your Operator every 40 seconds to maintain this buff.
- Unairu Wisp now procs off an ability and tracks to allies in Affinity Range.
- Can now fully strip shields with their second ability.
Unairu saw some of the largest buffs in Focus 3.0. Poise gives your Operator and Warframe immunity to knockdowns, staggers, and slow effects. You also gain additive armor, a means of countering Transference Static, and Unairu Wisp is far easier to give to allies.
Focus 3.0 Unairu Nodes
Unairu Waybounds |
||
---|---|---|
Node |
Type |
Effect |
Last Gasp |
Passive |
Revive your Warframe by transferring to Operator and killing enemies before the Revive Meter drains, 15 seconds. Each kill fills the Revive Meter by 30%. |
Vengeance |
Passive |
Currently unknown. |
Unairu Abilities |
||
Node |
Type |
Effect |
Caustic Charge |
Ability |
Launches an energy bomb that explodes with an 8m radius, stripping 75% of enemy armor. Cast again to detonate in-flight. |
Unairu Wisp |
Ability Augment |
100% chance to summon an Unairu Wisp per enemy hit by Caustic Strike. The Wisp will seek out the nearest ally within Affinity Range, increasing Operator damage by 100% for 20 seconds. |
Magnetic Flare |
Ability |
Cast to create an 8m radius field that lasts for 30 seconds and disables the shields of any enemy that enters it. |
Magnetic Boost |
Ability Augment |
Void Sling out of a Magnetic Flare to refresh its duration and increase its radius by 100%. |
Unairu Passives |
||
Node |
Type |
Effect |
Poise |
Passive |
Gain immunity to slow, stagger, and knockdown effects for 40 seconds after transferring between Operator or Warframe. |
Stone Skin |
Passive |
Increases Armor for the Warframe and Operator by 200. |
Reinforced Return |
Passive |
Warframe is invulnerable for 4 seconds after Operator is downed. Press the interact key as the Operator falls to bring the Warframe to the Operator's location. |
Static Purge |
Passive |
100% chance to clear Transference Static on kill while Reinforced Return is active. |
All Vazarin Changes
Change Overview
- Guardian Shell has been reworked to behave as a group-wide Iron Skin ability.
-
Vazarin users now have Vauban's Vortex as an ability, healing allies when dashing through CC'd targets.
- Protective Dash has remained unchanged.
- Operators can now more easily heal ally Operators.
- Mending Soul also doubles your revive speed.
Unfortunately, Digital Extremes has not buffed Vazarin's ability to heal defense objectives. However, this school's Protective Dash and other support-themed passives have been untouched or buffed. The healing passives likely won't see any use, although Guardian Shell has potential.
Focus 3.0 Vazarin Nodes
Vazarin Waybounds |
||
---|---|---|
Node |
Type |
Effect |
Enduring Tides |
Passive |
Increases Operator Health by 150%. |
Rejuvenating Tides |
Passive |
Increases Operator Health Regeneration by 4/s. Effect is doubled while controlling a Warframe. |
Vazarin Abilities |
||
Node |
Type |
Effect |
Guardian Shell |
Ability |
Cast to manifest a barrier on the Operator and allies in Affinity Range. It is invulnerable for 4 seconds when first created, and damage inflicted while it's invulnerable will be added to its base health of 500. |
Guardian Break |
Ability Augment |
When the Guardian Shell breaks, your Warframe Shield Regeneration rate is increased by 150%, and Regeneration Delay is reduced by 90% for 8 seconds. |
Void Snare |
Ability |
Launches a projectile that spins up a vortex trap on impact. Tap again to detonate mid-flight. Trap lasts for 8 seconds. Void Sling through trapped enemies to grant allies within Affinity Range 100 Health. |
Protective Sling |
Ability Augment |
Allies touched by Void Sling are granted immunity from damage for 5 seconds and healed 60% over 5 seconds. Costs 10 Energy. |
Vazarin Passives |
||
Node |
Type |
Effect |
Mending Unity |
Passive |
Increases Affinity Radius by 25m. |
Mending Soul |
Passive |
The next 4 revives are instantaneous. All following revives have their speed increased by 100%. |
Void Regen |
Passive |
Void Mode starts healing at +10 Health per second, increasing by 10 per second up to a maximum of 50. |
Squad Regen |
Passive |
When Void Regen reaches its maximum, it is applied to Operators within Affinity Range for 40 seconds. |
All Zenurik Changes
Change Overview
-
Energizing Dash is now an ability decoupled from dashing.
- It has not been nerfed.
-
Heavy Attack Efficiency has been removed.
- It has been replaced with a free ability cast once per minute.
- Temporal Blast is now an ability.
- Void Dashing can now disarm targets.
Energizing Dash is now called Wellspring and saw no nerfs. In fact, it arguably got buffed if you take advantage of Hardened Wellspring. Temporal Blast can now be cast as an ability to slow targets, and your Void Sling can disarm targets. Unfortunately, Heavy Attack Efficiency has been removed outright from Zenurik and has not been added to any other Focus school.
Focus 3.0 Zenurik Nodes
Zenurik Waybounds |
||
---|---|---|
Node |
Type |
Effect |
Void Siphon |
Passive |
Increases Operator Energy Regeneration by 90%. |
Void Flow |
Passive |
Increases Operator Energy by 90%. |
Zenurik Abilities |
||
Node |
Type |
Effect |
Wellspring |
Ability |
Creates a well of energy for 8 seconds. Allies passing through the well gain 5 Energy/s for 30 seconds. |
Hardened Wellspring |
Ability Augment |
Recast Wellspring while in a Wellspring to increase its size, boost its duration by 20 seconds, and grants 20% Ability Strength to those inside. |
Temporal Drag |
Ability |
Emits a radial burst slowing any enemy it touches by 80% for 10 seconds. |
Temporal Shot |
Ability Augment |
Precision headshot damage increased by 100% on enemies afflicted with Temporal Drag. |
Zenurik Passives |
||
Node |
Type |
Effect |
Energy Pulse |
Passive |
Energy pickups grant 50% additional Energy over 5 seconds. |
Inner Might |
Passive |
Allows abilities to be cast without using Energy or Shields but requires 60 seconds to recharge. |
Disarming Sling |
Passive |
Slinging through enemies has a 50% chance to disarm them. |
No Quarter |
Passive |
Killing a disarmed enemy increases the Operator's energy regen rate by 10% for 10 seconds. 4 Max Stacks. |