Another look at Fashionframe
A while back, I rambled on about Fashionframe, the cosmetic minigame everyone secretly plays as they run around killing things as gaudy space ninjas. And why shouldn’t they? There is so much customization that the only similar-looking frames you see are brand new MR0 players who have just picked up the game, running around in default Excaliburs and Volts.
But the thing is, cosmetics can be expensive. Your average standard Syandana (i.e. cape) will cost you between 50 and 100 platinum. Your average colour palette will cost you 75 platinum. Most armour sets cost 100 platinum and those that come with Syandanas cost even more. There are also Warframe and weapon skins, as well as alternate helmets, most of which cost 75 platinum for individual parts or 165 for deluxe skins, such as the Grineer-inspired Graxx series or the super sexy Harka skin for Frost.
Then there are Tennogen cosmetics. These are designed and submitted though the Steam Workshop, same way they are in Team Fortress 2 and CS:GO. But there are no cosmetic loot crates in Warframe, cosmetics are bought individually. A single Tennogen item will cost you €4.99 or €5.99. Real money. Many will probably bulk at the price, especially since you can buy a good game with that. Or standard Skyrim whenever it’s on sale. Although to be fair, the prices are steep because Valve demands a large cut on every Tennogen purchase, and Digital Extremes (the people behind Warframe) want to make sure contributors get a cut too.
Not all cosmetics though are super expensive. Throughout the year, during holidays like Christmas and Halloween, there are always themed cosmetics that cost 1 credit each. Hallween in particular can get you the Halloween colour palette, which comes in a large array of reds, oranges, yellows and greens. Combined with the 10 free colours in the Unsaturated colour pack, you can do quite a lot with colours alone. Christmas came with several skins – a Rudolph skin for Kubrows, a jingly bells skin for fist weapons and a candycane for the Caustacyst. Christmas also came with a Syandana pack for all players, thanks to everyone who sent out gifts in the Tennobaum event.
But even if you miss those events, cosmetics aren’t completely impossible to obtain. Every two weeks, Baro Ki’Teer brings with him not just rare mods that no one wants, but cosmetics as well, using several themes. Prisma cosmetics have a cloud-like effect, Vandal weapons are shiny as heck, and the Void Trader also has his own set of cosmetics. The downside to these is that they cost a lot of credits, but also cost Ducats – a currency derived from trading in Prime parts.
Still, at least cosmetics are obtainable. You can trade mods, Prime parts and other bits and pieces for Platinum, and there are sales throughout the year. Even Tennogen items can be acquired without spending real money, by selling Steam trading cards.
As for me, well, as you’ve seen from my myriad of screenshots and pictures used for Daily SPUF articles, I have a rather… distinctive colour scheme. Which amazingly, not many people have commented on. I’ve had people say I look like a banana, but a lot of people have said I look like a power ranger too, which is odd. I’ve been using the warm yellow from the Halloween colour palette combined with a blue from the Colour Saturated palette, and I use it on all my frames, as long as they’re not infected with that damn cyst. I have my own pink and black scheme for that. For Syandanas though, I just use simple stuff. Pyra on Ember, a Ki’Teer Syandana on Trinity and my Prisma Hecate Syandana on everyone else.
Because, really, I’m not a fan of all the fancy cosmetics. I like things simple.
