Warframe's latest update finally added 'Stalker Mode', but it's not what you think

Modified Jun 22, 2024 19:02 IST

Warframe Stalker Mode — Stalk Granum's Chosen, not the Tenno (Image via Digital Extremes)

Stalker Mode is finally a thing in Warframe, but not in the way that many would have hoped for. Plus, the feature will be available in-game only till next month - at least in its current iteration. We are talking about the ongoing Clan Operation, Belly of The Beast - which has an option to let you play the Stalker for good measure.

However, this is not the usual Stalker you know, and one key difference makes it the complete opposite of the "Stalker Mode" originally showcased in TennoCon 2017.

How to access 'Stalker Mode' in Warframe (up till July 18)

Everything in Ordis? (Image via Digital Extremes)

Warframe's Jade Shadows update went live with the second Clan Operation of the year. Dubbed 'Belly of The Beast', the Operation takes place primarily in the Ascension game mode.

This event's vendor is none other than Ordis. By visiting Ordis in Larunda Relay, you can access the relatively unadvertised Stalker Mode of this event. Select "A Shared Purpose?" while talking to him, and you can join in an active Ascension Operation mission as none other than the Stalker.

This is not the usual Stalker invasion you are familiar with, though. The difference here is you join a party of three other Tenno as an ally - fighting alongside them with Stalker's somewhat derivative set of abilities.

To your team, you appear as a friendly Stalker - and your profile details are replaced with "???".

If you have played the Stalker from The Circuit by unlocking a specific Drifter Intrinsic, this will not feel any different. You will still be doing a regular Ascension run, and get the same amount of Vestigial and Volatile Motes.

There is one large downside though - if you die once, it's instant game over. You must be extra vigilant if you get put into a Steel Path Ascension session.

Also Read: Warframe Ascension game mode guide

Will a PvP Stalker Mode ever make it to Warframe?

Not the edgelord we deserve, but the friend we need (Image via Digital Extremes)

The straightforward answer would be we don't know. Digital Extremes have not explicitly mentioned adding a Stalker Mode recently. Yet, it is not an impossibility from a technical level.

The idea of the Stalker Mode was first unveiled during TennoCon 2017 - a system where you step into the shoes of the Stalker and invade other players for some 1v4 PvP action.

In some other subsequent DevStreams, the staff has goofed around with a developer-only version of the mode. Likewise, some players have faced the astronomically rare opportunity to play against a Stalker powered by a human brain.

The infrastructure exists in a proper PvP Stalker mode and developers have access to it. But that's about as far as it goes. There are many difficulties in actually adding a proper Stalker mode to Warframe - ranging from the game balance front to the anti-griefing measures front.

If we had to theory-craft, it is possible to tie the access of Stalker-Mode to consumable items like the Stalker Beacon, a resource that would be hard to come by. The incentive for a successful Stalker run could be exclusive cosmetic rewards or other tangible medals for the lucky few.

There remains the problem of properly balancing the PvP Stalker against the PvE power-creep, as Warframe does not have a simplified "gear score" system like Destiny 2. For this reason alone, a real Stalker Mode right now is as dead as the Conclave.

For now, Stalker-enthusiasts must remain satisfied with the huge lore drops from the Jade Shadows cinematic quest, and the opportunity to play "the Protector" in Belly of The Beast.

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