Best Side Characters In The Game

Having been going for 12 years now, Warframe has seen a lot of content come and go, with a huge number of characters, big and small, making appearances throughout. From the moment a new Tenno awakens, they are thrust into a vibrant universe full of unique people and factions, from the Ostron on Earth to the Solaris on Venus. From allies to enemies, each character leaves an impact on the player as they navigate through the story, whether this impact is lasting or not.

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This article looks at some of the most memorable side characters in the game, some of which may appear in main story missions; however, they don’t all feel like major players in the overall plot. Several entries have multiple characters grouped due to their position as a team, or their simultaneous introduction to the game. Spoilers for The New War, The Whispers in the Wall, and Warframe: 1999 below. Proceed with caution.
7

Baro Ki’Teer

The Void Trader

Appears every two weeks on the weekend in a random relay

Most players will be familiar with Baro Ki’Teer, being a unique trader that appears every other weekend in a random relay, in a similar ilk to Xur from Destiny 2. Unlike Xur, however, Baro Ki’Teer brings several unique items that can be both hugely powerful weapons and mods, or simply interesting cosmetics. Baro’s arrival is always a huge community event, with major Warframe coverage sites and content creators making an entire bi-weekly tradition out of exploring his wares. While relatively unimportant to the lore of the game, only appearing in the Sands of Inaros questline, Baro is a fan-favorite character that has some incredible interactions with the player, depending on the gear they choose to wear around him. His prices may be steep, but the wares he offers are second-to-none and deserve the reverence he requests.
6

The Cephalons

AI Allies

Ordis is seen in the Orbiter and the Drifter’s Camp

Cephalon Cy is seen during Railjack missions

Cephalon Simaris is seen in relays

Cephalon Suda leads one of the factions a player can pledge to

The Cephalons can be seen all across the game, some being key characters in the player’s journey, others being merely used for side content, each with a unique personality and level of importance. Cephalons are the digitized forms of people, taking on the form of AI constructs of light and sound. The main Cephalon that all players will engage with is Ordis, the player’s personal Cephalon companion and the AI that commands their ship. Other notable Cephalons are Cephalon Cy, the Cephalon in charge of maintaining the player’s Railjack, Cephalon Suda, the leader of one of the factions a player can join, and Cephalon Simaris, owner and curator of a digital library the player can help fill by scanning and digitizing enemies. Ultimately, the only Cephalons a player is forced to interact with are Ordis and Cy, both being present in main quests; however, the others are important for those looking to fully explore the content Warframe has to offer.
5

Kahl

Grineer Defector

Kahl is a playable character during The New War quest and is seen in the Drifter’s Camp after the Veilbreaker quest

During the New War questline, the player is given the chance to take control of several new characters, including a member of the Corpus and Grineer armies. The Grineer seen in The New War is Kahl, who goes on to become the main character of the Veilbreaker quest, and a recurring character that lives in the Drifter’s Camp on Earth.

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Each week, the player can return to Kahl in order to play a new mission as the Grineer defector, where he embarks on various journeys to save his brothers and build up the camp, adding new vendors and bringing together those who were previously enemies. Kahl is a genuinely compelling character, humanizing the Grineer and Corpus in a way not seen anywhere else in the game, as well as allowing players to obtain powerful Archon mods, as well as build the warframe Styanax.
4

Techrot Encore Protoframes

1999 Just Got A Little Busier

Kaya, Minerva & Velimir, and Flare are all seen in Höllvania

With Warframe’s newest expansion, Warframe: 1999 Techrot Encore, four new characters were introduced to the group of Protoframes seen in the initial questline in 1999. Kaya, Mineva, Velimir, and Flare all reside in the Höllvania mall with the other members of the Hex, providing the player with various wares, new game modes, and new KIM message options. The growing list of protoframes offers players new looks into how the humanized frames appear, and provides even more for players to do in 1999. While Minerva and Velimir are all but confirmed to appear in the game’s next big update, Isleweaver, the other two Protoframes from Techrot Encore have yet to play a major part in the story in the same way the members of the Hex have. They each have unique personalities, with Flare being split between a rock star and a demon, and Kaya being an overly inquisitive younger person. With the next update returning to Duviri, it’s unlikely they will feature anytime soon; however, with Kaya’s constant questioning around time travel, it may only be a matter of time.
2

The Cavia

Animal Experiments

Fibonacci, Tagfer, and Bird 3 are all seen in the Sanctum Anatomica

The Cavia are a group of scientific experiments gone wrong that first appear during the Whispers in the Wall questline, with Loid touting them as simple nuisances left behind by Albrecht Entrati after one of his experiments with the Void. However, upon finding a cipher with which their language can be understood, the player finds out that the Cavia are all sentient and well aware of the nature of the events surrounding their trip into the Void. While they are a part of the main quest, being a key in the Tenno’s ability to follow Entrati back to 1999, the Cavia don’t receive the full development of their characters unless the player chooses to continue exploring the Sanctum Anatomica content. Fibonacci, Tagfer, and Bird 3 all have various interesting things to say, with Fibonnaci voiced by the award-winning Neil Newbon. They are a wonderful group who deserve more love than they receive, especially after Entrati’s experiments and subsequent abandonment of them.
1

Clem

Clem is seen in relays as a member of Steel Meridian or standing near Darvo

Clem is many Warframe veterans favorite character, being one of the earliest examples of an enemy turned friend. The player rescues Clem in the quest A Man of Few Words, in which they are introduced to a Grineer defector only capable of saying the word Clem. They soon find out that he has a cloning mutation, stunting his growth both physically and verbally, but giving him the ability to disobey the word of the Grineer queens.

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Clem can then be repeatedly saved in a weekly mission which rewards the player with a clone of the character that they can summon in missions, making him accessible at anytime player gear can be used. The original Clem moves to the relays, working with both Darvo as an informant (Darvo being one of few characters who can fully understand Clem’s speech) as well as being a vendor for Steel Meridian. Clem is somehow one of the most charming characters in the game, while maintaining his ability to only speak his own name.