The Warframe community is bracing itself for drama. With *The Old Peace* expansion on the horizon next year, which promises to push the story in new directions and shed more light on the tragic history of the Tenno, players have been busy preparing for potential narrative bombshells.
These major moments in Warframe’s storyline often contain reveals that alter how we interpret decade-old lore. As we make our way to Tau, there has been considerable work to ready the community for what might be Warframe’s biggest story moment to date.
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### Shifts in Narrative and Character Development
Recent updates have brought heavy shifts in narrative and character development. We’ve learned more about Albrecht Entrati and The Indifference, seen the Drifter slowly reveal their origins, and witnessed the toll that surviving Duviri has taken on them. Things have been tense, and the journey to Tau promises even more emotional weight.
Because of this, the recent Vallis Undermind update was designed to be a bit lighter—a fun, relaxed exploration of the tunnels and caverns beneath Fortuna, and the introduction of a new playful trickster: the Warframe Nokko. Plus, players get to, once again, make Corpus overlord Nef Anyo look like a chump. Perfect.
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### Revisiting Familiar Grounds: Fortuna and Orb Vallis
I sat down with Megan Everett, Warframe’s Community Director, to discuss the update and what might come next. One of my first questions was about the return to Fortuna and Orb Vallis. This move continues a recent trend in Warframe—revisiting existing locations and expanding them with fresh content.
“I think what’s good about our open worlds is that we don’t restrict ourselves in the way that we set it up and make it so that it can’t expand,” Everett explained. “Like, Plains of Eidolon, we kind of went back to last year with the Koumei & The Five Fates update, and that’s something that we never thought we would do when we made Plains of Eidolon, right?
“But it fits the narrative, and I think you see this a lot. When you do these open worlds—when we did Plains or Vallis back in the day—you always hear the comment, ‘Please don’t make this a content island and walk away.’ That’s for sure not our intention, but obviously, we need to pick and choose where we grow the story, but Orb Vallis was one that we wanted to revisit.”
For the Vallis Undermind update, the brief was simple: revisit Fortuna and Orb Vallis with an update that is fun—a palette cleanser before the heavier narrative content arrives to remind us all that the Origin System is perpetually at war with itself.
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### Meet Nokko: The Playful Mushroom Warframe
A central part of the update, and its fun vibe, is Nokko—the game’s 62nd Warframe. Nokko is unique, sporting mushroom-themed lore and abilities.
He can plant small patches of mushrooms that lull enemies to sleep and buff allies, then drop enlarged spores to nuke foes into oblivion. His idle animations are playful, and his ability to bounce on mushrooms or transform into a tiny fungus called a Sprodling adds a youthful energy to his playstyle.
Nokko’s interesting kit and fun personality have been broadly embraced by the community. But after 62 Warframes, creating fresh, distinctive abilities is increasingly challenging for the team.
I asked Everett if they worry that some Warframes might be divisive and alienate players. She responded, “I think every Warframe falls into that category because some I don’t play simply because they’re not my play style, but someone else might be absolutely obsessed with them, and that’s fine.
“That’s why we have 62 currently—so you can play the ones you want. We’re definitely feeling it now, 12 years into the game, where we really have to stretch our creative thinking about what this Warframe does that sets them apart.”
Indeed, Nokko offers a unique gameplay experience. With the right build, he can run missions without firing a single weapon, blanketing enemies in spores and mushrooms all while radiating playful mischief.
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### The Creation of Nokko and the Deepmines
Interestingly, Nokko developed naturally from the team’s desire to revisit Orb Vallis.
“What came first for us was the setting,” Everett shared. “Initially, we had a different idea, but it shape-shifted into The Vallis Undermind. From wanting to revisit Orb Vallis, we went, ‘Okay, what does Orb Vallis look like?’ The first thing was mushrooms, because even after *The New War*, there are fungi everywhere, so we took that element.
“The direction from Reb [Ford, Warframe’s Creative Director] was that this Warframe needed to feel fun and a bit whimsical. She even said on the Devstream it should feel a bit like Yareli’s younger brother. We ran with that goofy younger brother vibe and built the story around it.
“So it was the tile set first that inspired the Warframe, and then Nokko’s tone inspired the Deepmines.”
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### Deepmines: A Polished Experience Beneath Fortuna
The Deepmines—the newly added tunnels winding beneath Fortuna and home to Nokko—offer a glimpse into the ongoing polish and evolution of Warframe.
Warframe today is dramatically different from when it first launched. Sometimes changes have been monumental, other times subtle. The Deepmines demonstrate a subtle design shift with lasting impact.
Within the tunnels, players run bounties—task collections completed in stages, each dropping rewards. While bounties aren’t new to Warframe, this iteration is smooth, quick, and polished. I found myself in and out of missions with zero downtime.
Even the physical layout of the Deepmines encourages enjoyment of Warframe’s fluid movement system, allowing players to traverse quickly and elegantly.
I mentioned to Everett how respectful this felt of players’ time, seeking insight into the team’s current design philosophy amid changing ideas about player engagement across gaming.
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### Looking Ahead: Introducing Descendia
Though not the main focus of our chat, Everett offered a sneak peek at an upcoming mode called *Descendia*, planned for inclusion in *The Old Peace*.
“So on this Friday’s stream, we’re showing a new mode called The Descendia,” she revealed. “We have a new Warframe coming, Uriel—the devil Warframe. In this mode, you’re essentially going down into hell. It’s 21 floors deep. You complete floor one, fall down to floor two, and keep going down, down, down, trying to reach floor 21.
“There will be mini-boss fights, checkpoints, rewards, and characters along the way—it’s just really cool.”
A mode like Descendia could risk becoming a slog if not carefully designed with well-placed action spikes and moments of respite. But based on how seamless the Deepmines feel, I’m optimistic it will strike the right balance.
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### Warframe’s Enduring Strength
What awaits at Descendia’s bottom? Likely either the glory of victory or the sting of defeat—both fitting conclusions to such a challenge.
This exemplifies one of Warframe’s core strengths: its past is built upon, not forgotten. Balancing attention across its wildly varied aspects isn’t easy, but after 13 years in a market where similar games often fade away, Warframe’s longevity speaks volumes.
The honest dedication of the team and the ever-willing community ready to provide feedback help keep the game evolving.
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### Final Thoughts: Enjoy Nokko and the Deepmines
For now, players can sit back and enjoy Nokko and the Deepmines. With *The Old Peace* looming, my thoughts turn to those trenches from the trailer—waiting to be filled with the dead and dying.
The Vallis Undermind offers a grand distraction before the inevitable war descends upon the Origin System once more.
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Stay tuned for more updates as Warframe continues to expand and explore its rich, ever-evolving universe.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146609/warframe-community-director-interview-nokko-vallis-undermind-megan-everett
