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The New War is a solo, several-hour cinematic quest with restricted access to your usual Warframe activities while it is underway. Before starting, check the quest’s current Codex requirements, prepare your Railjack and loadout, and be ready for one permanent decision: naming a character near the end.
What you need to start The New War
Warframe Support lists three requirements for accessing the quest from the Codex: a Railjack with its Reliquary Drive installed, a Necramech, and completion of Prelude to War in the Codex. The official requirement is the safest one to follow, but there is a current discrepancy: Warframe.today’s guide, reviewed September 12, 2026, says a loaner Voidrig is provided and Necramech ownership is no longer required. The sources do not resolve which guidance reflects the current in-game check, so verify the quest entry in your Codex before making a long-term purchase or setting aside time to play. Warframe Support’s New War FAQ and Warframe.today’s walkthrough state the differing advice.
The main story route includes Rising Tide, which provides a Railjack, followed by Prelude to War and then The New War. Digital Extremes’ Update 35 notes place Whispers in the Walls after The New War. Update 35 patch notes give that sequence; the Old Peace announcement says The Old Peace requires progress through The Lotus Eaters, which becomes available after Whispers in the Walls. Later quests and systems have their own gates, so finishing The New War does not automatically unlock every subsequent activity.
How to prepare before pressing Begin
Once the quest starts, you cannot count on dipping into ordinary Warframe activities to fix a weak build or change plans. Set up the equipment you expect to need before beginning.
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- Improve your Railjack. Upgrade its equipment and configure the Plexus. Support also recommends optimizing the ship and recruiting NPC Crewmates from Ticker in Fortuna; Digital Extremes recommends upgrading the Railjack before the quest. Digital Extremes’ quest guide and the Support FAQ provide preparation advice.
- Upgrade your Necramech if you have one. Digital Extremes recommends upgrading it, although the ownership requirement is disputed by the recent third-party guide. Confirm the Codex requirement before relying on a loaner.
- Choose a comfortable Warframe and weapons. Bring equipment you know how to use and upgrade its Mods. The quest includes sections with other characters and fixed or different equipment, so your normal loadout is not available for every encounter.
- Set aside several hours. Digital Extremes describes the quest as taking “several hours.” Warframe.today gives an unofficial estimate of four to six hours, reviewed September 12, 2026; actual time varies with pace and familiarity.
- Plan for solo play and limited access. The quest is solo-only. Progress saves by segment and you can pause, but Support says normal Warframe activities are unavailable until you finish and loadout access is limited.
What happens during the quest
The following stage outline is based on Warframe.today’s September 2026 walkthrough, not an official Digital Extremes stage list. It gives a spoiler-aware sense of the quest’s changing characters and activities. Skip this section if you want to encounter the story without knowing its structure. Read the secondary walkthrough.
- For My Brothers: Play as Kahl-175 in the Plains of Eidolon.
- Veso-R: Play as Veso aboard a Corpus ship.
- Railjack: Pilot the Railjack during the Sentient invasion.
- Teshin: Play as Teshin aboard the mothership.
- The Rise of Narmer: Infiltrate a Narmer outpost as the Drifter.
- Drifter’s Camp: Return to camp.
- Stolen Plates: Infiltrate Fortuna’s spaceport.
- Enemy of Enemies: Meet Hunhow and receive the Nataruk.
- Temporal Axioms: Play through a Zariman memory.
- The Wild Hunt: Defeat two of the three Archons: Boreal, Amar, and Nira.
- The Aftermath: Choose whether to continue as the Drifter or Operator for the remainder of the quest. The walkthrough describes this as a cosmetic choice.
- She Gives, We Live: Use the Paracesis and progress through Cetus and the Murex.
- Approach Praghasa: Use the Railjack and deploy the Necramech.
- On Praghasa: Disable Orphix generators and fight an Archon.
- The Final Showdown: Face Ballas.
- Conclusion: Choose the Lotus character’s identity and name.
Which decisions can you change later?
Archon order: resettable
You choose the order of the Archon fights. Digital Extremes says aborting the current mission resets that choice, allowing you to select a different order when you continue. The official quest guide explains the reset.
Drifter or Operator: described as cosmetic
The secondary stage guide characterizes the choice in The Aftermath as cosmetic. It does not identify a gameplay consequence for choosing either character.
Final character name: permanent
The name you select near the end cannot be changed by Warframe Support. The character’s appearance can be customized afterward, but do not treat the name as a temporary choice. Warframe Support’s FAQ states that the naming choice is permanent.
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What rewards do you get?
Warframe Support says these rewards are delivered through the in-game inbox after completion:
- Sirocco Amp and Sirocco Amp Skin
- Nataruk
- Rumblejack
- A Lost Time Decoration
- Ballas Narmer Staff Decoration
- Drifter Camp Captura Scene
- Three-day Affinity Booster
- Three-day Credit Booster
After the quest, Support also lists additional Nataruk, Rumblejack, and Sirocco purchases from Cephalon Simaris at a Relay for 100,000 Standing each. Check the in-game listing for current pricing. See the Support FAQ for rewards and availability.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Written by Matt Hawkins
- Illustrated by Studio Hive
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