Announced at TennoCon 2018, Warframe’s Fortunate update will see to that the game gets another massive expansion on par with the Plains of Eidolon expansion that released in 2017. As its approach grows nearer, it’s time to learn everything we can about the upcoming open-world expansion that will see Warframe fans take to the landscapes of Venus.

Whether you are a Fashion Framers, a lore seeker, or a marketer, there’s a little bit of everything for Warframe fans to look forwards to with the upcoming release of Fortuna. Let alone will it be the second open world in Warframe, it’ll also be one that has openly accepted some of the struggles Plains of Eidolon has and even expanded upon them in many ways.

But what exactly is there to know outside of animal hunting, hoverboarding, gigantic robotic spider-boss battles and a number of new vendors for you to explore? A lot actually and it’s time for you to also explore a new culture that focuses on the Warframes themselves, Solaris, an augmented society of slaves that call Fortuna home.

Along with Fortuna comes some massive updates that include a number of improvements that Plains of Eidolon dearly needed. Some of the information in this article comes from Tennocon 2018, but also from multiple-development streams and Tweets from the Digital Extremes team.

From the grand reveal at Tennocon 2018, where we got to see Warframe Fortuna in action and speak to members of the development team, to multiple developer streams – here are all the latest details about the upcoming Venus open-world expansion.

First off, let’s talk the release date.

Fortuna’s Release Date

As many of you already know, Fortuna is only a matter of weeks away. Those looking to explore the Fortuna itself can get ready to do so the first week of November, making Nov. 6th a highly likely date due to that being the first week of the month and a Tuesday when the PlayStation Store, Steam and the Windows Store all begin to update that very morning.

Nintendo Switch’s Warframe release date

Whether you know it or not, the Nintendo Switch version is only a matter of weeks away and is set to release on Nov. 20, 2018, for Nintendo Switch owners. Digital Extremes has not made it clear whether or not the Switch version will receive updates at the same time as the console versions or if the updates will be received at a slightly later date.

Warframe’s Fortuna Hub

Just like the Plains of Eidolon’s hub Cetus, the new city, a social hub designed around the Corpus themselves; you’ll have a lot to explore, a lot of items to craft and some amazing new features to explore. Some of these new features include neon lighting, a very Cyberpunk style setting where you’ll have a chance to explore a city brought to life by monolithic elevators, massive buildings, and neon-lit signs.

Among these signs comes canals of liquid coolant running about the city, bringing it to life as you craft your very own Moa pets, kitguns, to fishing supplies and tranq rifles for your hunts. Lore hunters, you aren’t going to be left out in the cold. If you spend some time around the hub, you’ll get quite the inside look of the culture for those who live under the hand of the Corpus and their technology-driven capitalist society.

The Fortuna’s Map for the Orb Vallis

As you can see above, the full world map for Orb Vallis, much like Cetus’ Plains of Eidolon, is absolutely massive. It even comes to life with patches of green where you can spot over ten large-scale complexes that you may get to explore. You’ll also be able to take note of some of the absolutely massive open areas that could quite possibly be brimming to life with Corpus-constructed enemies such as Moas and the likes.

In order to travel across this absolutely massive map, you’ll be using the new K-Drive Hoverboard. A new type of transportation vehicle that will work in ways much akin to that of the Archwing itself. You’ll even get to customize it with different skins, possibly different models, and you’ll even get a chance to choose what kind of deck you will use by earning standing with one of the new Warframe factions known as the Vent Kids.

Alongside the visual tweaks to the K-Drive, you’ll even get to mod it in order to alter the stats of the vehicle, something close to that of how you’ve upgraded the Archwing itself.

The K-Drive will have its own unique approach to the game just like the Archwing

If you’re expecting the K-Drive to work like the Archwing itself – don’t. Digital Extremes has already confirmed that the K-Drive will not allow you to attack your enemies or even deal any sort of damage. Instead, the K-Drive is purely a utility vehicle, one that helps you get from Point A to Point B without much hassle.

Along with the K-Drive comes special daily missions exclusive to the K-Drive itself. Each of these missions will be races that you can partake in. These races will take you through a series of gates with a limited amount of time available to you. Digital Extremes has confirmed that there will be 20 of these races at launch and they will be apart of your daily missions Tenno can accept when Fortuna launches.

Along with the K-Drive, the Archwings aren’t being left out. You can still use them to travel around Orb Vallis and initiate combat against your enemies while using it.

Hunting will be a part of Fortuna

Unlike the Plains of Eidolon update, fishing was really the only way for you to really gather reputation and materials needed for the Ostron in Cetus. This time around, you will be hunting, but not in the sense of harvesting parts from the creature, but rather, you’ll be tranquilizing animals in order for conservational matters.

For each species, you will need a specific lure and a tranq rifle, both of which you will be able to obtain from The Business in Fortuna’s hub area. All you need to do analyze some clues you’ve been assigned to find, track down the animal and find some footprints of theirs before tracking them down. Once you do, it’s time to lure them in with a lure that mimics their sound in order to draw them in before dart them, tag them, and wait for a drone to take them away to a place where they will be safe.

But don’t think you’re safe while roaming about Orb Vallis. There are dangers that await you.

Corpus Strongholds and giant mechanical spiders will have a presence in Orb Vallis

When exploring Orb Vallis, you’ll have to keep in mind that you aren’t alone, just as you weren’t in the Plains of Eidolon. The surface area of Venus is going to be dangerous and you will need to liberate it as you explore. You will need to prepare adequately in order to do so as they will each bring their own challenges with them including reinforcements.

One major change from your time in the Plains of Eidolon and Cetus is that you won’t have to venture back into Fortuna in order to turn in your quests, but rather, you will find a Solaris United agent returning to you, allowing you to obtain your reward for the hard work you have completed. This negates the need for backtracking constantly in order to continue on with what you were doing.

The only downside in regards to strongholds is that they will reset between your missions. You will have to clear them out once again if you go back into Orb Vallis after logging off or leaving Orb Vallis altogether in order to go to the dojo or a mission within the system.

But these strongholds aren’t the only threat you have that quietly awaits you as you explore. Along with the Corpus threat also comes a new and unique threat within the Corpus dominated lands. You now have gigantic mechanized spiders that will creep about along Orb Vallis and will be summoned if you kill too many of their mini-selves. Think of this as something on par with the Juggernauts that the Infested have as reinforcements.

The Story of Fortuna

Last but not least, the story. As you already know, Warframe loves its lore and Digital Extremes is not shy about giving their fans want they want and need to drive the story further. Just like in Plains of Eidolon, Fortuna will feature two factions known as both the Corpus and the Solaris United. These two factions are both different in what they need and want. The Corpus are the big dogs in town and they’re the oppressors of the Solaris United, a rebel faction fighting back against the Corpus debt-driven slavery programs they have.

In Fortuna, Nef Anyo runs the show and you may even remember him from your past endeavors. He’s a real jerk that guy and now, you get to see just how bad he actually is. On the other end of the rope, you have Eudico, the leader of the Solaris United. He and his people look to fight back against their oppressors, the Corpus and their debt-driven society that enslaves their people in order to pay off their debts.

As a tireless effort in restoring order, the Solaris work endlessly to keep the coolant flowing and the planet from becoming uninhabitable and now they seek help from the Tenno to aid their efforts.

Fishing and mining get refined

Sometimes, just sometimes, you like to fish or find your way off the beaten path to mine up some valuable minerals needed to craft. Those of you that do can rejoice starting today. Digital Extremes has revealed that fishing and mining are back and both with brand new items to use.

For miners, you’ll want to visit an NPC by the name of Smokefinger when Warframe: Fortuna drops. He’ll sell you a fast-ignition, high-intensity mining tool that you can use to superheat mineral deposits found scattered across the land of Orb Vallis itself.

On top of it, you can visit The Business in order to obtain an electrified spear where you can catch robotic Servofish that swim about the coolant lakes and rivers of Orb Vallis. Both the minerals and the fish can be turned in for Standing with their respective factions in order to help you obtain new items that await you in Fortuna.

Will Railjack be apart of Fortuna?

No. Railjack itself is an entirely new update that will launch separately from Fortuna and quite possibly sometime in 2019. We’ll keep you updated when we learn more about it.

What platforms will it be on?

All, Switch included. We just don’t know if the Switch version will launch with Fortuna available at that time.

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About the Writer(s):

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the borders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook.