Warframe: 1999, the next expansion in the popular free-to-play online looter shooter, takes players back in time -- an alternate reality of our time, specifically. Players got a taste of what it was like to play as Arthur, the leader of Warframe 1999's new faction, the Hex, all the way back in December 2023 -- when they woke Loid and began the Kalymos Sequence.Â
But since then, we've spent our time cutting down the Corpus before they could steal the Jade Light and preventing a disastrous infestation from overrunning Cetus.
Now, the Void War saga continues, with a playable slice of content returning players to the streets of Höllvania as Arthur and his team continue their hunt for Albrecht Entrati. Here's how to play the Warframe: 1999 demo for a preview of what's coming when the expansion comes out later in winter 2024.
Read more: Why You Should Be Playing Off The Grid, a New Battle Royale, Right Now
How to play the Warframe 1999 demo
The new orbiter computer is wrapped in vines, transported from another time and place.
Next time you login to Warframe, you'll notice that your orbiter isn't how you left it. While you'd normally access your missions at a sleek, futuristic terminal located on the left side of your navigation console, there's now a completely new computer on the top deck.
This computer -- an old boxy number from the '90s covered in flowers and vines -- can be found just to the right of the update console. To access the Warframe 1999 demo, walk up to this new computer and press the interact key.
A motorcycle, a rifle, an arsenal for war
Arthur's blue Atomicycle definitely pushes the speed limit when it hits the road.
Immediately, you'll find yourself in Arthur's shoes, with a very familiar AX-52 rifle slung over your back. The novelty of this weapon has likely worn off by now -- players had the chance to use it last time they played as Arthur, and it's been usable in the Star Chart for months now after being featured as one of the Twitch drops for TennoCon 2024.
But the Atomicycle is completely new, following Warframe's pattern of dropping more vehicles with each big content drop. These motorcycles are an interesting addition and (unlike the K-Drives) feel like they're worth using.
They provide a Volt-like speed boost to enable swift travel up and down narrow city streets, and you can even bail out and use them as a makeshift explosive against your enemies. The only thing that's missing to complete a comprehensive ability kit is that famous Akira slide.
New baddies are smarter than the infested
The gameplay demo is a standard Exterminate mission. The game had me eliminate 91 targets before extraction, and it took me only 5 or 6 minutes to complete. But you won't be fighting those mindless biomechanical infested units from the last Höllvania section.
This time around, Arthur has come face to face with the Scaldra. They carry rifles and lob corrosive grenades. They pilot hovering drones that will fire down at you from above. And they wear some kind of hazmat suit that will protect their backs from your first shot.
The Scaldra are also looking for Albrecht Entrati -- but we don't quite know why.
While the Scaldra aren't any smarter than a normal Warframe enemy, it was refreshing to fight enemies who shoot back rather than melee combatants that chase the player in a straight line across the room.
It felt like there were some real stakes to fighting the Scaldra, and I used Arthur's Excalibur abilities and advanced mobility to blind the enemies or take high ground multiple times to maintain my advantage throughout the demo.
When everything is all said and done, you get a little something to take back to the Origin System.
When everything is all said and done, and you extract back to your orbiter, you'll be notified that you have a new inbox message.
Ordis attaches a new melee skin -- the Protokol Longsword Skin, aka Arthur's sword -- which you can now use on any one-handed sword in your arsenal as you hack and slash your way across the Origin System.
Although the demo is short, it was an important look into how traditional Warframe gunplay and movement will mingle with new abilities. Playing through it got me hyped for the full Warframe: 1999 expansion, which comes out before the end of the year. Players have plenty of time to prepare for the new content, which requires completing main story quests up through The Lotus Eaters as well as acquiring the Railjack and Necramech, as this official blog post explains.