My Growing Obsession With Volt

Sometimes I wonder if there is something wrong with me. Like an overactive imagination or something. Start doing something enough and it starts to affect my dreams. The dream I had the other day involved me as Volt running round desperately failing at jumping puzzles, trying to make friends with a random Mag while gathering information so I could write a series of Daily SPUF articles, as the soundtrack from the Binding of Isaac: Rebirth played in the background.

I must be insane.

But the thing is, Volt is popping up everywhere in my head. Really, I shouldn’t be surprised. I’m lately going through a period of anti-productivity and self-loathing, really only just keeping up with work and the things I have to do. Warframe is quite happily filling up that anti-productivity hole, while giving me a character I can both relate to and (virtually) throw around.

“Relate to? What? Volt is just a stupid machine thing!”

You know who else is? Tahnok-Kal. That stupid red Bionicle character who had exactly zero personality outside of being proud, boastful, merciful and the leader of the Bohrok-Kal. Doesn’t matter though, because I took Tahnok-Kal’s electrified corpse and turned him into my own character, someone who is emotionally unstable, blaming himself for the team’s failure, and realising that next time, he should probably kill those pesky Toa before they kill him.

Volt though has a different personality entirely. While many of my characters generally fall into three categories: outgoing and happy, strong and leader-y and quiet and insecure, Volt has gone somewhere else completely.

In my head, Volt is a quiet but always happy character. Volt is glad to see you, that you’re taking him on a mission. He doesn’t say that he’s happy, but he’s always got a bright look in his eyes and he gives a little squeal of joy every time he uses Speed on his whole squad. But my version of Volt is also a bit slow. He’s not dumb, oh no, he’s just forgetful and easily distracted. It might take him a second to realize that extraction is downstairs, not upstairs, or that you shouldn’t shoot explosive barrels with a flamethrower, but Volt will work it out eventually.

There’s other things though that attract me to Volt. Volt’s not exactly the best Warframe around, but he’s not the worst. He’s an average frame. He’s not the prettiest frame around (that weird thing between his legs, eh…) and he definitely isn’t the strongest, but I could very easily make a Rethan out of him.

Volt’s kit is also rather simple but nicely rounded. Auto-aim lightning bolts, a team-wide speed boost, a shield he can carry around that blocks everything but arrows and a nice ‘ultimate-like’ ability which causes everyone in a circle to be electrocuted so I can punch everyone in the face.

Sadly, Volt Prime is a 100% upgrade from normal Volt, so I end up using Volt Prime a lot. Volt is energy hungry, and Volt Prime starts off with 100 more energy than Volt – essentially double. He’s also got a bit more armour but both versions still die to a stiff breeze. I pretend that they’re the same character, but I often take Volt to relays and fun places occasionally so he doesn’t get dusty. When I get a spare Orokin Catalyser, I’ll put it on Volt, so he can stand up to his Primed self.

But the thing that gets me the most is how he stands. Volt stands slightly hunched over, like I do. And occasionally, he’ll realize he’s standing all hunched, that it’s bad for his back, and he’ll straighten himself up. Just like I do. I don’t know why, but that stupid little detail is what makes me so unwilling to let Volt go and try out other Warframes.

Then again, I’ve got Trinity, the game’s premier healer, being built in my magical gun making machine. So this opinion might soon change.