This article is part of a directory: Warframe: Complete Guide
Table of contents

Mods are a crucial part of Warframe's customization. Hundreds of Mods are available for players to find, upgrade, and use to morph weapons and Warframes to their will. With how many Mods exist in the game, not all are created equal.

Related: Warframe: A Complete Guide To The New War Quest

Some Mods have unique set bonuses tied to them and are known as set Mods. The more Mods from a certain set family are equipped, the stronger the set bonus. As with most Mods, however, some are far better than others. Here are all Mod sets ranked from worst to best.

Updated January 1st, 2022, by Charles Burgar: The New War update came with it three new Mod sets for players to chase, all of which have some interesting set bonuses and melee-unique Mods. Beyond ranking the three new Mod sets, we've overhauled this article to include information on each Mod in a given set, rewrote nearly every entry, and reranked nearly every entry to give a much better indicator of how good these sets are. We've taken into account how strong each Mod in the set is, the set bonus, and any opportunity costs associated with using these sets.

Mild New War Spoilers Ahead

19 Motus

Motus Mod Set

Set Bonus: +33/66/100% chance to become immune to Knockdown effects while airborne.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Motus Impact

(Melee)

7 V

(Madurai)

Increases range of aerial melee attacks by +2m

Motus Setup

(Shotguns)

9 V

(Madurai)

100% Critical and Status Chance for 4s after landing from a Double or Bullet Jump

Motus Signal

(Warframe, Exilus)

7 –

(Naramon)

Increases Double Jump strength by 200%

Knockdown immunity while airborne is an underwhelming set bonus, but that's not the worst part of the Motus set. The issue is that all of these Mods have been made obsolete. Motus Impact is worse than Primed Reach, Motus Setup is no longer needed since Critical Deceleration is a fantastic critical Mod for Shotguns now, and Motus Signal is much worse than any Bullet Jump Mod or Arcane. Don't bother using this set.

18 Proton

Proton Mod Set

Set Bonus: During a Wall Latch gain +17/33/50% Damage Reduction.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Proton Jet

(Rifles)

7 –

(Naramon)

During a Wall Latch gain +120% Status Chance and Critical Chance

Proton Pulse

(Warframe, Exilus)

7 –

(Naramon)

Wall Dashing grants +100% Bullet Jump Speed

Proton Snap

(Melee)

9 V

(Madurai)

Hold Wall Latch for 2s to gain +100% Toxin Damage and +50% Status Chance for 20s

Proton grants up to 50% damage reduction during a Wall Latch, a set bonus that is somewhat lacking. The Mods are also underwhelming, focusing entirely on Wall Dashing. With how Warframe's levels are structured, Wall Dashing and Latching is just never used. The bonuses you get for doing so aren't appealing enough to warrant slowing down gameplay, and most of these Mods take up critical slots that could be used to enhance your damage in a more consistent manner. Skip this set.

17 Aero

Aero Mod Set

Set Bonus: Damage enemies while Aim Gliding and put up to 5 of them to Sleep for 3/6/9s on landing.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Aero Agility

(Warframe, Exilus)

7 –

(Naramon)

100% Reload Speed while Aim Gliding

Aero Periphery

(Primary, Exilus)

5 –

(Naramon)

-50% Zoom while Aim Gliding

Aero Vantage

(Sniper)

7 –

(Naramon)

+100% Reduced Gravity during Aim Glide

Obtained from Amalgam's on Jupiter, the Aero Mod set is comprised of three Mods that boost a Warframe's mobility by enhancing Aim Gliding. With only one Exilus slot on your Warframe—which most already use to install Handspring or Primed Sure Footed—asking players to install an Aim Glide Mod in that slot is a tough sell. The set bonus, fun as it might be, just isn't strong enough to warrant sacrificing knockdown or Lua Drift Mods.

16 Jugulus

https://www.shacknews.com/article/119538/warframes-heart-of-deimos-update-will-focus-on-the-infested-faction

Jugulus Mod Set

Set Bonus: Slam attacks manifest Tendrils to lash enemies within 3/6/10m dealing 25/50/75 Puncture Damage. Cooldown: 12/9/6s.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Jugulus Barbs

(Melee)

9 –

(Naramon)

  • +90% Puncture
  • +60% Status Chance

Jugulus Carapace

(Warframe)

9 D

(Vazarin)

  • +60% Armor
  • +90% Health

Jugulus Spines

(Pistols)

9 –

(Naramon)

  • +90% Puncture
  • +60% Status Chance

Introduced with the Heart of Deimos update, the Jugulus Mod set grants increased Puncture damage for weapons, status chance, and some survivability buffs for your Warframe. The set bonus causes heavy attacks to skewer targets within 10 meters of impact, dealing 75 Puncture damage and stunning them for three seconds. While a fun bonus, the Mods from this set are lacking and the set bonus has a six-second cooldown that is unmoddable. And for the Mods themselves, they focus on the worst IPS damage type in the game: Puncture. You're better off running a 60/60 Status Mod or a Mod from the Carnis set.

15 Mecha

Mecha Mod Set

Set Bonus: Companion marks a target every 60/45/30/15s for 3/6/9/12s. Killing the target applies their Status Effects to all enemies within 7.5/15/22.5/30m.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Mecha Empowered

(Warframe, Aura)

7 –

(Naramon)

+150% Extra Damage against a Marked Enemy

Mecha Overdrive

(Kubrow)

11 V

(Madurai)

  • +60% Status-Link*
  • +90% Status Duration

Mecha Pulse

(Warframe)

9 V

(Madurai)

Killing a Marked Enemy grants +60% Armor for 20s for each enemy within 30m

Mecha Recharge

(Kubrow)

9 V

(Madurai)

+90% Shield Recharge

*Shares the modded status chance of your primary weapon.

Kubrows got their own Mod set with the Mecha set. This collection of Mods increases a Kubrow's Shield recharge, grants Status-Link with its owner, and marks targets to spread status effects while granting its owner Armor. Mecha Pulse is arguably the most interesting Mod in this set, yet it takes up a core Warframe Mod slot that could be used to enhance your abilities or survivability. The set bonus is nothing to write home about either. Spreading Status Effects is not a worthy tradeoff for the opportunity costs this set presents.

14 Strain

Strain Mod Set

Set Bonus: Your Helminth Charger grows up to 2/4/6/8 Cysts over 6/12/18/24s that erupt every 25s to spawn a maggot.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Strain Consume

(Warframe)

5 –

(Naramon)

Dead maggots within 5m are consumed, restoring 4% missing Health

Strain Eruption

(Helminth Charger)

5 –

(Naramon)

Maggots explode on death, dealing 4% of an enemy's current Health as Corrosive Damage to any enemy within 8m

Strain Fever

(Helminth Charger)

9 V

(Madurai)

Helminth Charger gains +30% Damage per Cyst

Strain Infection

(Melee)

9 V

(Madurai)

Melee attacks gain +20% Critical Damage per Cyst

Similar to Mecha, Strain is a strange Infested themed Mod set that relies on Cysts and the Helminth Charger, a unique Infested Kubrow. And just like the Mecha set, the benefits of using these Mods are minor at best. Increasing your critical damage and regaining HP from Cysts might be the strongest effects on here, yet only Cysts spawned from your Helminth Charger count towards this set. Any Cysts spawned from Nidus or the Pathocyst don't count, significantly limiting what this set is capable of. If you truly need an HP restore method, use the Martyr Symbiosis Mod on your favorite Vulpaphyla companion.

13 Nira

Warframe Nira's Hatred Mod

Nira Mod Set

Set Bonus: Increases damage from Slam Attacks by 100/200/300%.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Nira's Anguish

(Warframe, Exilus)

9 D

(Vazarin)

  • +15% to Bullet Jump
  • +15% Aim Glide/Wall Latch Duration

Nira's Contempt

(Whips)

9 V

(Madurai)

  • +90% Melee Damage
  • +60% Status Chance

Nira's Hatred

(Warframe)

9 D

(Vazarin)

  • +150% Health
  • +15% Ability Duration

The Nira Mod set enhances the damage of Slam Attacks, arguably the least used aspect of melee weapons in Warframe. The damage bonus itself is quite large, yet the full set requires that you use a Whip for your melee weapon—an archetype that doesn't weave Slam Attacks with any combos.

Related: Best Looter Shooter Games Out Now

For what it's worth, Nira's Contempt is a great Mod to pair with the new Verdilac Whip, available from Narmer Bounties once you complete The New War. Beyond that, these Mods struggle to compete with current offerings. Amar's Anguish is better than Nira's Anguish, and +15% Ability Duration is much less impactful than the Efficiency and Strength that Boreal and Amar give, respectively. Unless you plan to use the Verdilca, you're better off using other Mods. Do grab Nira's Hatred if you play a Warframe that needs as much Ability duration as possible.

12 Synth

Synth Mod Set

Set Bonus: Holstering Primary and Secondary weapons reload 5/10/15/20% of the Magazine per second.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Synth Charge

(Pistols)

9 V

(Madurai)

+200% Bonus Damage on final shot. Requires Magazine 6 or higher

Synth Deconstruct

(Companion)

9 V

(Madurai)

Enemies injured by the Companion have a 25% chance to drop a Health Orb when killed

Synth Fiber

(Companion)

7 V

(Madurai)

Health Orbs increase Armor for Companions by 100% for 12s

Synth Reflex

(Warframe, Exilus)

7 V

(Madurai)

+100% Holster Speed

Synth Mods grant holstered weapons passive reloading per second as a set bonus. While niche, this is a great way to bypass the long reload speed times of weapons like the Trumna or Quellor. The Mods themselves are also useful because Synth Fiber allows you to grab Health Orbs even when your HP is full. This opens up some interesting builds that utilize Equilibrium, Health Conversion, or any other Mods that rely on Health Orbs. If you have a few Mod slots left and want some utility in your build, the Synth set is a great choice.

11 Carnis

Warframe Xaku in the Cambion Drift

Carnus Mod Set

Set Bonus: Killing an enemy with a Heavy Attack grants 10/20/30% Evasion and immunity to Status Effects for 2/4/6s.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Carnus Carapace

(Warframe)

9 D

(Vazarin)

  • +60% Armor
  • +90% Health

Carnus Mandible

(Melee)

9 –

(Naramon)

  • +90% Slash
  • +60% Status Chance

Carnus Stinger

(Pistols)

9 –

(Naramon)

  • +90% Slash
  • +60% Status Chance

Carnis grants status immunity and 30% evasion for six seconds with all three Mods installed. It's a solid set bonus that pairs nicely with an otherwise mediocre group of Mods. Increased Slash and status chance is niche but useful for weapons that don't want to dilute their pool of damage types for proccing status effects. Overall, the Carnis set is a solid set for weapons that focus on applying frequent Slash procs.

10 Saxum

https://wccftech.com/everything-we-learned-about-warframes-heart-of-deimos-expansion/

Saxum Mod Set

Set Bonus: Lifted enemies explode on death, dealing 10/20/30% Enemy Max Health as Impact Damage in a 4/8/12m radius. Cooldown: 6s.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Saxum Carapace

(Warframe)

9 D

(Vazarin)

  • +60% Armor
  • +90% Health

Saxum Spittle

(Pistols)

9 –

(Naramon)

  • +90% Impact
  • +60% Status Chance

Saxum Thorax

(Melee)

9 –

(Naramon)

  • +90% Impact
  • +60% Status Chance

Saxum is a three-piece Mod set that turns lifted enemies into bombs when killed, dealing 30% of their total HP as Impact damage in a six-meter radius when slain. This set bonus is strong enough to warrant building around, yet the Mods themselves are less than stellar. Impact just isn't a good damage type, and Status Chance is easy to come by with the plethora of Status Chance Mods that exist for Primary and Secondary weapons. If you're going to use the Saxum set, only use it for the powerful on-kill set bonus.

9 Boreal

Warframe Boreal's Contempt Mod

Boreal Mod Set

Set Bonus: Reduces damage by 20/40/60% while airborne.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Boreal's Anguish

(Warframe, Exilus)

9 D

(Vazarin)

  • -75% Gravity while Aim Gliding.
  • +60% Aim Glide/Wall Latch Duration

Boreal's Contempt

(Polearms)

9 V

(Madurai)

  • +90% Melee Damage
  • +60% Damage from Status Effects

Boreal's Hatred

(Warframe)

9 D

(Vazarin)

  • +150% Shield Capacity
  • +15% Ability Efficiency

On the surface, the Boreal set is nothing to write home about. Anguish is outdone by Parkour Arcanes and Mods, +15% Ability Efficiency can't exceed the 175% Efficiency cap (although it does let you achieve 145% efficiency without using Fleeting Expertise), and gaining damage resistance is nothing to write home about.

So why is the Boreal set not at the very bottom of the list? It's due to one Mod: Boreal's Contempt. The 60% damage increase to all Status Effects is absurd, drastically improving the damage of Slash, Heat, Toxin, and just about every DoT Status Effect. It also seems to work like a Bane Mod, applying this multiplier twice instead of just once. Polearms are already tuned towards outputting a torrent of Status Effects, making Boreal's Contempt an excellent Mod for the Orthos Prime or Guando Prime. Boreal's Hatred also has some very niche uses, but don't bother with Boreal's Anguish or this set's bonus effect.

8 Tek

Tek Mod Set

Set Bonus: Your Kavat marks a 3/6/9/12m zone every 60/45/30/15s that inflicts 50/100/150/200 Damage per second to enemies within the zone.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Tek Assault

(Kavat)

9 V

(Madurai)

Kavat has a 60% chance to ignore Lethal Damage and be immune for 4s

Tek Collateral

(Warframe)

5 –

(Naramon)

+100% Critical Damage when inside the Marked Zone

Tek Enhance

(Kavat)

11 V

(Madurai)

+30% Kavat Ability Duration

Tek Gravity

(Melee)

9 V

(Madurai)

Slam Attacks in the Marked Zone pull all enemies within 15m

As Mecha grants Kubrows unique buffs, so too does the Tek set grant Kavats some new features. Most notably, the Tek set allows Kavats to mark locations that apply damage to targets inside. This set bonus is lacking in terms of damage, but some of the Mods in this set are must-haves for your Kavat. Tech Assault gives your Kavat a 60% chance to ignore death, allowing them to survive longer in Steel Path and Arbitrations.

Tek Enhance is the real star of the show. This Mod enhances the duration of all Kavat abilities by 30%. This works wonderfully on the Smeeta Kavat's Charm buff, extending the duration of the double resource buff by an additional 36 seconds. In essence, Tek Enhance and Assault are must-have Mods for any Kavat. With that said, don't even bother with Tek Gravity; its pull rate is set to five meters per second and relies on your Kavat placing the Tek ring in a convenient location—something it rarely does.

7 Gladiator

Gladiator Mod Set

Set Bonus: +10/20/30/40/50/60% Critical Chance per Combo Multiplier.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Gladiator Aegis

(Warframe)

9 D

(Vazarin)

+45% Armor

Gladiator Finesse

(Warframe)

9 D

(Vazarin)

Drain Energy to stop Lethal Damage with 60% Efficiency

Gladiator Might

(Melee)

9 V

(Madurai)

+60% Critical Damage

Gladiator Resolve

(Warframe)

9 D

(Vazarin)

+180% Health

Gladiator Rush

(Melee)

9 –

(Naramon)

+6s Combo Duration

Gladiator Vice

(Melee)

9 V

(Madurai)

+30% Attack Speed

The Gladiator Mods are a solid alternative to using Blood Rush on your melee weapon, scaling your melee weapon's critical chance with your combo multiplier with each Mod you install. The full set bonus is just as powerful as Blood Rush, yet this will take up six Mod slots instead of Blood Rush's one. Of course, you can stack both effects together to achieve absurd critical ratings, but this is simply overkill for most weapons and could be mimicked by using Sacrificial Steel.

Related: Warframe: How To Trade For Items And Platinum

If you're someone that loves melee weapons, however, this set should be on your radar. Gladiator Rush, Might, and Vice are all fantastic melee Mods for newer players—provided you can get your hands on them. The Gladiator Warframe Mods aren't great on their own, yet the Gladiator set bonus is so strong that the opportunity cost is justifiable for some builds. For those that don't own Blood Rush or want to go all-in on critical hits, the Gladiator set is one of the better set Mods you'll find in Warframe. Endgame players can steer clear of this set unless they want all of their melee weapons to red-crit.

6 Sacrificial

Sacrificial Mod Set

Set Bonus: Enhances mods in this set by 0/25%.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Sacrificial Steel

(Melee)

16

(Umbral)

  • +220% Critical Chance (x2 for Heavy Attacks)
  • +33% Damage to Sentients

Sacrificial Pressure

(Melee)

16

(Umbral)

  • +110% Melee Damage
  • +33% Damage to Sentients

While the Sacrificial Mod set only has two Mods, both Mods are incredibly strong. Sacrificial Pressure grants slightly less damage than Pressure Point in exchange for a damage multiplier against Sentients—arguably Warframe's toughest faction. Sacrificial Steel is even stronger, granting nearly double what True Steel grants alongside Sentient damage. When used together, both Mods make each other stronger. If Sentients ever become a major threat in Warframe, this set will be the defacto Sentient-slaying choice for melee users. As it stands, the critical chance increase from Sacrificial Steel makes this set more than worth running on most melee weapons.

5 Vigilante

Vigilante Mod Set

Set Bonus: 5/10/15/20/25/30% chance to enhance Critical Hits from Primary weapons.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Vigilante Armaments

(Primary)

9 –

(Naramon)

+60% Multishot

Vigilante Fervor

(Primary)

9 V

(Madurai)

+45% Fire Rate (x2 for Bows)

Vigilante Offense

(Primary)

9 –

(Naramon)

+1.5m Punch Through

Vigilante Pursuit

(Warframe, Exilus)

9 –

(Naramon)

+30 Enemy Radar

Vigilante Supplies

(Primary, Exilus)

9 –

(Naramon)

Converts unused Ammo Pickups into Primary Weapon Ammo. Pistol Ammo gives 6 and Shotgun/Sniper Ammo gives 12.

Vigilante Vigor

(Warframe)

9 D

(Vazarin)

+60% Shield Recharge

Vigilante is focused on making Primary weapons stronger. When all six Mods are equipped, Vigilante will grant the player's primary a 30% chance to gain 100% critical chance on that hit, effectively raising it by a critical tier. The Mods themselves are great as well, providing Enemy Radar for newer players and Multishot for all primaries including shotguns. Best of all, Vigilante Supplies can be put in the primary Exilus slot to grant extra critical chance and ammo mutation at once, acting as the only Exilus Mod that increases your weapon's DPS.

4 Amar

Warframe Amar's Contempt Mod

Amar Mod Set

Set Bonus: Teleport to a target within 10/20/30 meters on using a Heavy Attack.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Amar's Anguish

(Warframe, Exilus)

9 D

(Vazarin)

  • +15% to Bullet Jump
  • +15% Sprint Speed

Amar's Contempt

(Dual Daggers)

9 V

(Madurai)

  • +90% Melee Damage
  • +30% Slash

Amar's Hatred

(Warframe)

9 D

(Vazarin)

  • +30% Armor
  • +15% Ability Strength

If you wanted to turn your Warframe into a teleporting whirlwind of death, look no further than the Amar set bonus. This is easily the best Mod set added in The New War update, featuring a set bonus that allows you to teleport to a target within 20-30 meters upon using a Heavy Attack. This not only makes Heavy Attacks easy to land, but it also gives your Warframe an additional means of moving between groups of enemies.

The Amar Mods are also solid. Amar's Anguish is a solid Exilus Mod, Contempt gives Dual Daggers a solid damage increase they desperately need, and Hatred gives Strength-hungry Warframes a new way of min-maxing. If you're going to farm Narmer Bounties to craft Caliban, keep your eyes peeled for these Mods.

3 Umbral

Umbral Mod Set

Set Bonus: Enhance mods in this set by 0/25/75%.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Umbral Fiber

(Warframe)

16

(Umbral)

  • +110% Armor
  • +11% Tau Resistance

Umbral Intensify

(Warframe)

16

(Umbral)

  • +44% Ability Strength
  • +11% Tau Resistance

Umbral Vitality

(Warframe)

16

(Umbral)

  • +440% Health
  • +11% Tau Resistance

Vitality, Steel Fiber, and Intensify have seen Primed versions with the Umbral Mod set. When these Mods are used together, they become even stronger. All three Mods combined grant 770% increased HP, 187.5% increased Armor, and 66% increased Power Strength alongside an immense amount of damage resistance against Sentients. It's one of the strongest Mod sets in Warframe that is reigned in by being tied to the Umbral polarity. If you want to put these Mods on other Warframes without polarizing the rest of your slots, be prepared to use an incredibly rare Umbral Forma to make your build work.

2 Hunter

Hunter Mod Set

Set Bonus: +25/50/75/100/125/150% Companion Damage on enemies affected by Slash.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Hunter Adrenaline

(Warframe)

11 V

(Madurai)

Converts +45% of Damage on Health to Energy

Hunter Command

(Beast)

9 V

(Madurai)

Applying a Slash Status to an enemy causes the Companion to attack them for 6s

Hunter Munitions

(Primary)

9 V

(Madurai)

+30% chance to apply Slash Status on Critical

Hunter Recovery

(Beast)

9 V

(Madurai)

+30% Companion Lifesteal-Link

Hunter Synergy

(Beast)

9 V

(Madurai)

+30% Critical Chance-Link*

Hunter Track

(Primary)

9 V

(Madurai)

+30% Status Duration

*Shares the modded critical chance of your primary weapon.

Most builds in Warframe take advantage of the Hunter Mods in some way. Hunter Munitions turns any critical weapon into a Slash-proccing machine while Hunter Adrenaline is a stronger version of Rage. Hunter Synergy and Hunter Recovery make Companions worthwhile allies in combat, and the set bonus even grants Companions increased damage. This set is fantastic for a wide range of Warframe weapons and Companion builds. Keep an eye out for these Mods whenever the Plague Star event or Ghouls return.

1 Augur

Warframe Plains Mesa

Augur Mod Set

Set Bonus: 40/80/120/160/200/240% Energy spent on abilities is converted to shields.

Mod

(Slot)

Cost

(Polarity)

Effect

Augur Accord

(Warframe)

7 D

(Vazarin)

+180% Shield Capacity

Augur Message

(Warframe)

7 –

(Naramon)

+24% Ability Duration

Augur Pact

(Pistols)

7 –

(Naramon)

+90% Damage

Augur Reach

(Warframe)

7 –

(Naramon)

+30% Ability Range

Augur Secrets

(Warframe)

7 –

(Naramon)

+24% Ability Strength

Augur Seeker

(Pistols)

7 V

(Madurai)

+30% Status Duration

Newer players and veterans alike can take advantage of the Augur Mod set. It grants weaker versions of essential Mods such as Continuity, Stretch, and Hornet Strike. Unlike most early-game Mods, the Augur Mods still hold value in the endgame. You can stack the effects of Augur Reach and Secrets with other ability-enhancing Mods, and you can use this set's overarching bonus to make just about every Warframe invincible.

By far the strongest aspect of the Augur Mods is their ability to let Warframes exploit shield gating. Whenever your shields break from a full charge, you'll gain 1.3 seconds of invulnerability. You can use this window to cast a few abilities to fully recharge your shields, allowing you to reactivate this invulnerability period indefinitely. You can even pair a few of these Mods with Brief Respite to make this easier on Warframes with a larger base shield capacity. Min-maxers and new players alike should consider farming for a full Augur set whenever they can.

Next: Warframe: Top Prime Weapons, Ranked