The Modding System is the heart of Warframe's customization and power progression. Mods are cards that you slot into your Warframes, weapons, and companions to enhance their stats and abilities. Each item has a Mod Capacity, which increases as the item levels up. Mods also have a Drain, which is subtracted from the Mod Capacity.
Mod Types:
- Damage Mods: Increase base damage (e.g., Serration, Pressure Point).
- Elemental Mods: Add elemental damage (e.g., Hellfire, Cryo Rounds). Combining elements creates new damage types (e.g., Heat + Cold = Blast).
- Utility Mods: Provide various benefits like reload speed, fire rate, or critical chance.
- Survivability Mods: Increase health, shields, or armor (e.g., Vitality, Redirection).
- Ability Mods: Enhance Warframe abilities (e.g., Flow, Streamline, Continuity, Stretch).
Polarity:
Mod slots and mods can have matching polarities (symbols like V, D, or -). If a mod's polarity matches the slot's polarity, its Drain is halved. If they don't match, the Drain is increased. You can change a slot's polarity using an Orokin Reactor (Warframes/Companions) or Orokin Catalyst (weapons) to double Mod Capacity, and Forma to add or change polarities.
Upgrading Mods:
Mods can be upgraded using Endo and Credits. Upgrading increases their effectiveness but also their Drain. Prioritize upgrading essential mods first.