On Running Too Quickly

So the other day, I was testing stupid builds on Volt and seeing how fast I could do low level capture missions. The best I managed was 65 seconds, achieved with a rather basic Speed build, but also requiring a lot of luck. The map I got turned out to be very small so I could get through it super fast.

Unfortunately, Warframe is not a great game to speed run because the majority of maps are randomly generated. What I got for the 65 second Capture Mission was not normal, normally you’re looking at about 150-200m to reach the target and 500-600m to get to extraction. And that’s assuming you don’t get the teleporting capture target.

But it’s obvious from my video that I could have gone faster. My movement speed while not using Speed wasn’t huge, and I also fluffed those two first jumps. I could have probably shaved a good ten seconds off had I been more accurate with my movement.

The problem is though that you reach a point where movement speed is too fast. In MANY of my attempts, I’d ruin a perfectly good capture by running into a doorway or getting stuck on a piece of the scenery. That’s partly the map’s fault but it’s mainly me who’s to blame because I’m not quick enough to react.

But Volt isn’t the only speedster frame. Volt actually only has base movement speed, but is known as the speedster because of his Speed ability. If you want a fast sprint speed all the time, then Loki’s your guy. He has the highest sprint speed in the game, and doesn’t need a forma to use Sprint Boost, an aura which increase sprint speed for both you and your team mates. And which also coincidentally popped up while I was recording that 65 second mission.

Anyway, yes, Loki is actually a bit faster when it comes to running alone, but he can teleport too, using Switch Teleport. Only problem is that Switch Teleport requires a target to switch with in the first place, and using a decoy isn’t always the most effective thing to switch places with.

If you REALLY want to go fast though, then perhaps it’s better to think with portals and use Nova.

Nova has it all. Crowd control, massive damage, instant teleportation, utility, awesome sound effects and a great body. When it comes to speed, her weird portal ability (which doesn’t really fit the rest of her kit – feels like something Vauan would use) allows you to go stupidly fast in straight lines. While Nova may lack the speed boosts that Volt has or the sprint speed that Loki has, her easy to use, instantly teleporting portals essentially remove corridors.

Heck, if you REALLY wanted to go fast, you could take a Nidus with a Volt, a Loki and a Nova, use his parasitic Link on the Volt for extra power strength, then have Volt use the speed boost and have Nova create portals as everyone runs through a map. You could even take the Loki out completely and swap him for an Equinox for even more power strength on Volt’s Speed. There’s loads of ways you could go too fast.

The problem is, you end up going so fast you can’t control it. Or at least you need a lot of practice to be able to move quickly at those high speeds. And I’m not very good at that. You also miss all the pretty scenery though, which is a shame. But more importantly, you have to sacrifice survival mods to get these high speeds. The build I used, I wouldn’t ever take on a normal (level 20+) mission because I’d die in a few hits. Volt, even Volt Prime, has little armour and not great base levels of health.

Funnily enough, this speed build is nothing like my normal (Happy Volt) build. My normal build is actually a nice mixture of survivability, duration and power strength, resulting in a rather sturdy build that will get one anywhere. And even more amusingly, my Capacitance build is identical to my Happy Volt build, just with Shocking Speed replaced with Capacitance.

But more on those later.

Luckily, we don’t go fast enough to do DC’s Flash levels of stupidity.