What is Damage Attenuation in Warframe

Archons are the sole reason why Damage Attenuation exists (Image via Digital Extremes)
Archons are the sole reason why Damage Attenuation exists (Image via Digital Extremes)

Damage Attenuation is a core part of Warframe's damage mechanic umbrella. It is frequently utilized in its endgame activities as an additional form of challenge and build restriction to overcome and diversify one's builds. Damage Attenuation is often called Adaptive Damage Scaling or Scaling Damage Reduction.

Warframe's damage profiles and interweaving mechanics are as complex as they come, with multiple moving parts and systems working in tandem. Likewise, the damage output against enemies follows various rules and restrictions before appearing as the final result. This article will delve into how Damage Attenuation functions and is distinct from other damage reduction mechanics.


Damage Attenuation in Warframe: How does it work and why it's different from normal damage reduction?

My solution while dealing with Archons (Image via Digital Extremes)
My solution while dealing with Archons (Image via Digital Extremes)

Damage Attenuation is a method to reduce a player's outgoing damage against an enemy based on the total damage per second output in a certain amount of time. It is based on a formula that calculates the damage multipliers or modifiers and produces a percentage value of the damage reduction. Even then, different enemies can possess different magnitudes of reduction.

Simply put, if your weapon's burst DPS is higher than a specific threshold, you will deal significantly less damage. This special mechanic exists to make high-end enemies not feel like a complete pushover, as Warframe's damage output can be a little crazy sometimes. For example, shotguns like Kuva Hek can deal tons of damage on their first hit, but the next shot will be considerably weaker.

There are a great many enemies affected by Damage Attenuation mechanics across all of the factions. The list of these enemies is as follows:

  • Acolytes
  • Amalgams
  • Amalgam Machinist
  • Archon
  • Condrix
  • Deimos Jugulus
  • Deimos Saxum
  • Demolishers / Demolysts
  • Eidolons
  • Empyrean Corpus
  • Guardian Eximus
  • Hyekkas and Hyekka Masters
  • Juggernaut (Behemoth)
  • Kuva Thralls
  • Lephantis/Hemocyte
  • Leaping Thrasher/Deimos Therid
  • Necramechs
  • Orphix
  • Prosecutors
  • Sentients/Shadow Stalker
  • Raknoids
  • Tarask Bursa
  • Terra Crewmen and Vapos Rangers
  • Tusk Thumpers
  • Treasurer

While the list is extensive, in actual gameplay terms, you will only need to worry about Archons, Eidolons, and the Shadow Stalker. This Damage Attenuation can occasionally become an issue while fighting Juggernaut and other enemies listed above, mostly because of Sortie restrictions.

Also Read: Warframe Incarnon weapon tier list (January 2025)

Certain enemies also have an additional factor while calculating Damage Attenuation, as they do not account for the incoming hit's Critical Hit modifiers. Therefore, using Critical Hit-based weapons against these factions is generally a better option overall. These enemies are as follows:

  • Amalgams
  • Amalgam Machinist
  • Condrix
  • Empyrean Corpus
  • Deimos Jugulus
  • Deimos Saxum
  • Demolishers / Demolysts
  • Leaping Thrasher / Deimos Therid
  • Necramechs
  • Orphix
  • Tarask Bursa

Sentients and the Shadow Stalker are considerably easier to deal with as their inherent Damage Attenuation can be removed with a single hit of Void-type damage, either your operator or a subsumed Xata's Whisper ability. Acolytes are a little special as they have a capped damage value of 14,600 against single-shot attacks but have no such resistance against Critical Hits.

There isn't any one-stop solution for this problem, as it was specifically created to give a sense of challenge against some of Warframe's strongest enemies. The only way to get ahead of Damage Attenuation is to make a durable Warframe that can survive after you fire your strongest shot.

Weapons with higher-than-average single-shot profiles, such as Kuva Hek and historically the Kuva Bramma, have always fared better against enemies with Adaptive Damage Scaling. Subsuming damage amplifying Warframe abilities like Rhino's Roar or Mirage's Eclipse can significantly augment the one-shot potential.


Check out our other Warframe guides and articles:

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Edited by Ripunjay Gaba
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