Warframe: Best Bows, Ranked

Highlights

• Warframe
  offers a variety of bows with unique mechanics, allowing players to strategically take down enemies.
• The game features a range of bows and crossbows, catering to different playstyles and preferences for combat.
• Players can enhance their gameplay by choosing the right bow for their missions, whether it’s high damage or crowd control.

Warframe has tons of different weapon types across its Primary, Secondary, and Melee options. Players have a lot to do in this game with many different areas and mission types to play through, meaning there are different loadouts required at times and the need for players to have multiple options for the great PvE multiplayer combat they will encounter.

Not all bows in Warframe are created equally, with some having naturally higher base stats or more potential for upgrading over others. Bows play into the space ninja aesthetic and are some of the most satisfying weapons that players can use to vanquish their enemies and progress through the Star Chart.

Updated by Rhenn Taguiam on April 6, 2024: With TennoCon 2024 teased to happen on July 19 to 20, 2024, fans of Warframe may be eagerly awaiting news as to just what other surprises the game offers them for the rest of the year. After all, the Dante Unbound update has just released a new character in the fame of Warframe Dante, a chronicler whose kit incentivizes granting statuses to enemies and buffing allies. Fans of Warframe who want to elevate their long-distance plays may want to consider using a Bow instead of the traditional firearm to secure victory at a distance. Among Bows that Warframe fans should add to their arsenal of must-use armaments include a Bow that can become the perfect Corpus killer, a Bow with a unique Incarnon Form, as well as Bows that pack a lot more punch when used in conjunction with headshots.

20 Lenz

Primary Fire Damage: 50

The Lenz is a Corpus Bow that is pretty dissimilar from other bows with its own unique mechanics and different base stats compared to most normal bows. The Lenz has a small ammo pool but mitigates this by firing Cold procs that later turn into Blast procs.

When upgraded with Warframe‘s must-use mods, the Bow has the potential to deal consistent damage to foes at close range, especially when focusing on effect procs. Players can obtain the Lenz via the Energy Lab in the Dojo, which players must join a Clan to access.

19 Zhuge

Primary Fire Damage: 100

Players enjoying their long-distance plays can put a spin to their Warframe gameplay with the Zhuge, an automatic Crossbow notable for its high accuracy and silent nature. Among its accolades include having the highest critical multiplier (3%) among bows and ties with the Attica and the Panthera alongside their Prime counterparts for full-auto armaments.

The Zhuge also possesses the special on-kill Crossbow visual, wherein bodies killed will follow the bolt until they get pinned on walls and damaging creatures in their path. Since mods count the Zhuge as a Bow, it can benefit from effects that grant an additional Fire Rate and the Bow-only 30% Chance to Explode (Thunderbolt).

18 Attica

Primary Fire Damage: 80

While the Attica is the second Crossbow the game introduced, Attica was the first in Warframe gameplay to ever feature a full-sized type of armament. Inspired by the Repeating Crossbow of the Chinese, the Attica retains the high critical chance and decent firing rate as with its similar counterpart Zhuge.

When using the Attica, its Auto trigger is more practical to use in bursts to maximize aim, especially with its limited mag size. However, Attica’s natural knockback stat incentivizes focusing on one target or strafe-firing multiple foes, as both will push enemies further from the player. Using the Thunderbolt Mod with the Attica is more practical compared to other Bows, especially the Crossbow’s multiple shots per second can trigger the Explode effect much faster.

17 Paris

Primary Fire Damage: 160

At first glance, the solid blue hues of the scale-like Paris can make it seem like an elegant Warframe weapon. However, its gray-and-black Incarnon Form is a testament to how deadly the weapon can get in the right hands. The weapon’s Puncture Damage focus is emphasized further with its high crit chance and even higher reload speed, with a charged shot option that deals much higher damage while retaining decent reload speed.

Where Paris can potentially shine is its Incarnon Form, as this mode’s charged shot can deal much higher damage with high reload speed. Due to its better firepower when charged, players are encouraged to get more tactical when timing their shots against foes. When they start charging, they can sprint to get a better position while finishing their charge. Likewise, they can cancel their charges via reload to avoid expending a shot, allowing them to maximize shots at clustered foes.

16 Cernos

Primary Fire Damage: 190

The wing-like protrusions of the Cernos is perhaps the reason why its Mutalist Cernos variant has quite the menacing appearance. However, even at its base form, the Cernos can become quite a useful weapon for players who want to add a unique spin to their Warframe gameplay. Both the weapon’s uncharged and charged shots boast high critical chance and decent reload speed, allowing players to capitalize on the power of timing charged shots to dispatch foes.

The weapon’s high Impact Damage encourages shield depletion on enemies first in order to capitalize on the Bow’s damage option. Due to this nature, the Cernos can become an effective weapon against Corpus units as they boast high shields but lower average health. Maximizing Critical Delay (Mod) can theoretically boost the weapon’s critical chance to 103.3%, practically guaranteeing criticals.

15 Nagantaka Prime

Primary Fire Damage: 173

The Primed variant of the Nagantaka Crossbow comes with a pristine gold sheen, making the Nagantaka Prime quite the attractive weapon to accompany a player in their Warframe gameplay. Stats-wise, the weapon boasts better magazine size, burst firing rate, and overall critical chance and base damage. A unique property of the weapon is its +50% reload speed when proccing headshots, encouraging players to be more precise when aiming.

Interestingly enough, the Nagantaka Prime also comes with two firing modes. On top of its primary mode is a burst shot that uses all the remaining ammo in the current magazine, releasing shots at x2.3 its firing rate. The corpses of units the Nagantaka Prime kills will also have their bodies follow the arrow that killed them. Not only does this pin said bodies to walls, but this also damages surrounding opponents.

14 Rakta Cernos

Primary Fire Damage: 235

Although most Bows in the RPG further diversify Warframe gameplay with more tactical long-ranged incursions via its charged attacks, the Rakta Cernos boasts the fastest charge time among Bows in the game. The Red Veil-exclusive Bow also packs a punch with higher base damage and a natural Blight effect, although it suffers from a slightly lower status chance and critical chance compared to its counterparts.

Compared to the base Cernos, Rakta Cernos does boast much higher DPS, be it through burst or sustained. Its possession of more Polarities also paves the way for better customization, making the Rakta Cernos a more practical ranged weapon to train with, especially when higher-level Bows could make better use of the crit chance this weapon is missing.

13 Zhuge Prime

Primary Fire Damage: 50

The Zhuge Prime is the upgraded version of the original Zhuge automatic crossbow, boasting higher firing rates, magazine size, and critical chance in exchange for overall dec recess in reload speed, reserve ammo, and status chance. Since the caveats of the Zhuge Prime make it deal less overall DPS, it’s not the kind of heavy weapon players will want to carry like the Zhuge.

However, Warframe gameplay may enjoy the presence of the Zhuge Prime with faster empty magazine reloads and bolts that explode upon hit. Despite its disadvantages, Zhuge Prime, as a primary weapon, still has the distinction of having the second-highest base damage among all full-auto weapons, falling behind the tie-breaker of the Panther and the Zhuge. The bow’s high base accuracy and innate silent nature make the Zhuge Prime perfect for stealth builds that go into more action-heavy gameplay.

12 Cernos Prime

Primary Fire Damage: 276

The Primed version of the original Cernos Bow, this brilliantly designed Cernos Prime excels at killing multiple enemies at once due to its horizontal arrow spread when fired. It also has an Alternative Firing Mode that shoots arrows vertically and deals extra Headshot damage.

The Cernos Prime can be obtained through the Abandoned Derelict Caches on Corpus Railjack missions, having been permanently unvaulted by Digital Extremes. Players should pair the Cernos Prime with a great melee weapon to make it extra effective against enemies.

11 Dread

Primary Fire Damage: 168

Obtained from the Stalker that spawns in to kill players who have recently assassinated a boss, the Dread is one of Warframe’s best Bows and is advised for any early-game or mid-game player. It has extremely high Slash damage and the highest Critical Chance stat out of the game’s Bows. It also has a very high Status Chance. Pair this with one of the best original Warframes for a fun, nostalgic loadout.

Players should definitely look to get the Dread as soon as possible, especially if they enjoy using bows. However, there are multiple better bows available that players should look to move on to when they are at the appropriate stage of the game.

10 Paris Prime

Primary Fire Damage: 180

Compared to the original Paris, the Paris Prime adds a flair of elegance to the Warframe weapon alongside higher base damage, status chance, as well as higher critical chance on top of a double critical damage multiplier. Despite possessing a slower reload speed, players can circumvent this setback through charge-cancelling.

At its core, players should use the Paris Prime remembering that they can maintain a Charge while sprinting as well as sliding from the air and do charge cancels via reloads. Doing so maximizes a player’s per-shot damage while they evade enemies for another reload-to-charge maneuver.

Tenno, who uses the Paris Prime efficiently at further distances, can develop the weapon into a critical firehouse. Players can do this by using the Point Strike Mod, which at Level 5 can add a whopping +150% Critical Chance to the Bow, practically guaranteeing each shot as a crit.

9 Prisma Lenz

Primary Fire Damage: 56

While the Lenz is already useful in Warframe gameplay as an AOE-specializing exploding Bow, the Prisma Lenz upgrades the weapon’s performance not just with higher maximum ammo but also faster charge time, status chance, and critical multipliers. Its arrows explode immediately after making contact with an enemy, releasing guaranteed Cold Damage before unleashing another Blast-heavy burst.

Due to this inclination towards heavy AOE, the Prisma Lenz can enhance their gameplay with Warframes and Mods that significantly increase the radius of AOE bursts (Firestorm), as well as reducing self-Stagger from self-inflicted bursts (Cautious Shot). Players should also consider using Fire Rate mods, as this essentially doubles the bonuses their attacks receive on impact.

8 Mutalist Cernos

Primary Fire Damage: 205

The Mutalist Cernos is an Infested variant of the Cernos, trading the original weapon’s critical chance for an immense increase in status chance. Additionally, the Cernos produces damage clouds with each arrow impact, wherein its Toxin spores translate into its Infested Warframe lore origin.

Due to its nature as an Infested weapon, the Mutalist Cernos, as a primary weapon, possesses the highest status chance among all bows in the game. Moreover, the bow’s pinpoint accuracy and inherent silent properties make it a decent sniper for some of the best Waframes in the RPG, with the Toxin kicker making it an excellent initiating weapon. After all, a clear headshot to the face followed by a DOT that spreads around the target’s comrades can signal the Tenno to rush in for the kill.

7 Kuva Bramma

Primary Fire Damage: 187

The Kuva Bramma is a Kuva Bow that has a small ammo capacity but deals massive Blast damage, allowing players to deal with higher-level enemies even when they are formed into a group. It is essential for keeping up with the pace of the game’s frequent speedy ninja battles.

Players will obtain this after unlocking the Kuva elements of Warframe and kill a Kuva Lich that has been generated with the weapon. As with all Kuva weapons, players can trade certain Kuva Liches with others, helping them to obtain different weapons.

6 Cinta

Primary Fire Damage: 800

The swirling nature of the Cinta makes it one of the more elegant Bows a player may encounter in Warframe gameplay. The weapon’s association with the Dax Arcus and the Duviri can make it quite a decent find for players, especially those looking for a challenge with its unique Perfect Shot mechanic. At its core, the weapon already boasts high total damage and decent reload speed, which can be increased further depending on the type of charged shot the players want to pull off.

It’s with these two (2) unique charged shots where the Cinta becomes a gimmicky but worthwhile Bow. Its charged shot has an incredible critical chance and critical multiplier but admittedly takes time to pull off. However, when players fire as soon as the charged shot becomes a yellow reticle, they release a perfect shot instead. This type of projectile now releases Heat Damage with a guaranteed knockdown and infinite body punch-through.

5 Artemis Bow

Primary Fire Damage: 1280

Unlike other weapons that players can encounter in their Warframed gameplay, the Artemis Bow is both an ordinary Bow and an Exalted Weapon of Ivara and Ivara Prime. This slender bow transforms into an elegant winged variant in its Prime form and, when fired, can release up to seven (7) arrows at once in either a horizontal or vertical spread. This alone transforms the Artemis Bow into quite the efficient multi-target monstrosity, especially when combined with its 1m punch through.

Interestingly enough, the Artemis Bow can also combine all its arrows into a single Concentrated Arrow shot. When hitting a headshot, this Concentrated Arrow unleashes a Burst Damage explosion with guaranteed Impact Damage. The headshot itself only takes the damage of a single bow with no augments.

4 Nagantaka

Primary Fire Damage: 159

With a skeletal wing-like aesthetic with bloody undertones, the Nagantaka is a thematically appropriate signature Crossbow for the Warframe Garuda. The bow’s semi-auto firing with a high-status chance is complemented with an alternate fire that releases all other rounds in rapid-fire action. Moreover, the Nagantaka gets a reload speed boost whenever it kills an enemy via headshot. Garuda also grants punch-through when wielding the weapon – making it much deadlier when working with the merciless Warframe.

At its core, the Nagantaka as a primary weapon boasts incredible base accuracy and high ammo reserves, with its silent primary fire making it a decent stealth weapon. Moreover, while it only ranks third among bows with the highest status chance, it ranks the highest among all semi-auto rifles. The Nagantaka also has the second-highest base damage across all weapons of the same rank.

3 Proboscis Cernos

Primary Fire Damage: 279

The Proboscis Cernos is a variant of the Cernos family of Bows and is an enhanced version of the Mutalist Cernos. This weapon pulls enemies in before activating a large explosion dealing Viral damage, making it great for crowd control and capable of taking down higher-leveled enemies due to its higher damage output. Players using the best Warframes and this weapon will find that more often than not they carry the team.

The Proboscis Cernos can be acquired by purchasing the Blueprint of the market, making it extremely more accessible than a lot of the other best Warframe bows. There is no reason not for players to look at obtaining this weapon as quickly as they can.

2 Daikyu

Primary Fire Damage: 700

Despite its asymmetrical nature, the Daikyu is one of the most potent Warframe weapons for players who know their way around Bows. Its higher projectile speed and status chance have a caveat of a longer draw time, with the absence of decreased damage on early release, making Daikyu a timing-intensive weapon. However, the Daikyu’s charged shots have a 3-meter punch through, the highest of all bows.

Additionally, the weapon as a primary firearm boasts overall high damage, giving it the highest base shot damage among all bows and the fastest projectile speed in the same category. Meanwhile, it places second regarding status chance on bows and projectile speed for all primary weapons. Players who can work around the Daikyu’s lack of a high-speed charge can have a sniping bow on their hands.

1 Nataruk

Primary Fire Damage: 450

Among Warframe Bows, the Nataruk boasts some of the highest damage stats courtesy of its high Critical Chance that can get even higher when charged. Releasing an attack just before a full charge already boasts much higher DPS, with both Full and Perfect Charges having infinite Punch-Through that can devastate grouped mobs in this free open-world game.

The Nataruk is obtained by completing The New War quest, which will require players to complete many different precursor quests, have a strong loadout, and have good knowledge of the game.