Invisibility is not merely a simple stealth solution in Warframe. Going invisible does make all in-game factions unable to trace you since your footsteps make no noise. However, the much larger benefit comes from the evasion of enemy attention altogether. Invisibility is invincibility in this game, with the exception of Acolyte attacks and stray status effect hazards.
From conditional Shade sentinel buffs to Wisp’s passive, there are over a dozen ways to trigger invisibility in the title. Not all of them come with the same utility or have the same duration. When it comes to Warframe abilities that grant this buff, there are varying degrees of dependability.
Listed below are arguably the five most reliable on-demand camouflage solutions.
Ranking the 5 best invisibility abilities in Warframe
5) Ivara – Prowl
Like all single-cast camouflage abilities on this list, Prowl makes Ivara invisible for a potentially infinite duration.
Unlike all other abilities on this list, Prowl imposes several movement restrictions on Ivara. She can only walk, and any parkour maneuver other than rolling dispels the invisibility instantly.
The tradeoff here is twofold. Firstly, as long as Ivara has some energy economy to offset the upkeep, this is the only single-cast permanent invisibility in the game. This pairs up with the other part of this ability: pickpocket.
Prowl is the only way in the game to generate additional loot from an opponent without killing them, meaning you can potentially continue a Survival mission indefinitely without a single kill.
4) Ash – Smoke Screen
Ash has one of the only two invisibility methods that shipped with the first closed beta build of the game. Smoke Screen is in many ways similar to Loki’s invisibility. It can be cast mid-air at a decently high cast speed.
The mild difference between the two is the extra utility Smoke Screen grants. Even though Excalibur is the poster boy of Warframe, Ash fits its ‘ninjas play free’ flyers perfectly. To keep in tune with Ash’s ninja theme, Smoke Screen also temporarily stuns enemies in an area of effect when cast.
This stun, however, is scarcely worthy of notice due to how quickly it expires. It is best treated as an interrupt, which essentially makes Smoke Screen just a shorter version of Loki’s invisibility. With the Smoke Shadow augment, however, you can turn it into a support skill by granting the same camouflage to your allies in range.
3) Voruna – Shroud of Dynar
The newest Warframe among those on this list, Voruna is an unlikely candidate for a camouflage ability. A lot of her kit revolves around a durable melee brawler playstyle. The Shroud of Dynar ability, however, gives her a great deal of flexibility in playstyle purely based on the invisibility.
Tapping it grants Voruna invisibility that expires upon attacking. If this attack is a melee swing, it deals enhanced critical damage with a guaranteed bleed proc. The intended combo here is to use melee to break out of invisibility and channel her other abilities for far greater damage output.
Purely used for its invisibility element, Shroud of Dynar grants Voruna a 14-second camouflage at base ability duration. This is comparable to Ash’s Smoke Screen with the added benefit of doubling her movement speed while invisible.
2) Octavia – Metronome
Octavia is the only Warframe with theoretically infinite scaling in all domains of Warframe. Naturally, her accouterments would be incomplete without some form of invisibility. This, too, is woven into the tunes of her Mandachord.
Unlike the rest of this list, Octavia’s invisibility is not attained with a simple spellcast. Rather, it is part and parcel of her Metronome ability. If you time your crouch with the beats of Metronome, you will gain invisibility that scales with ability duration.
The duration can be refreshed at any time by repeating the ordeal. It does not break from any action, including shooting, melee, and console interactions. Allies in range of Metronome can also harness the same invisibility – all they have to do is dance to your tunes.
1) Loki – Invisibility
Loki was the king of beginner-friendly invisibility when the game launched, and he continues to retain his crown to this day. One could argue that the impact of Octavia’s party-wide invisibility trumps Loki’s basic kit in 2023. While it is basic, it is still Invisibility in its purest form.
Loki’s Invisibility is the most fire-and-forget way to camouflage yourself in the game. Other frames have preconditions and extra frills attached to their camouflage-oriented abilities, but Loki’s is the most energy-efficient and offers great base duration to boot.
Just like Ash’s Smokescreen, Invisibility has no cast point. It can be cast in the middle of parkour and almost all animations in Warframe. This includes mid-air animations, rolling, and even wall-latch. The only exception is the recovery window after staggers and knockdowns.
Not only is Loki’s invisibility persistent across all actions, but it can also be used as a pocket silencer. With the Hushed Invisibility augment, Loki can both be invincible and benefit permanently from Stealth multipliers on any weapon.
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