Mastery Ranks are yet another way to progress in Warframe, but if you’re still in the early game, you can rank up without ever having to feel the grind.
Mastery Ranks go from level 1-30, and there are an extra 10 levels beyond that called Legendary Ranks. Ranking up grants you access to more loadouts, a bigger supply of extractors, and increased maximum reputation with syndicates. More importantly, though, some powerful weapons and blueprints are locked behind certain Mastery Rank thresholds.
Ranking up requires Mastery Points, and those can be earned from a ton of different activities. For the most part, newcomers can earn points by sitting back and playing Warframe, but the higher your rank, the more strategically you’ll have to approach your gaming sessions.
Taking on missions
When you’re a Warframe beginner, the best source for Mastery Points is the Star Chart itself. Every time you clear a new node, you make some progress toward your next Mastery Rank. To make your way through Warframe’s many quests, you’ll already need to be working your way around the map, so the easiest way to rank up early on is to just sit back and play the game without thinking about Mastery Ranks at all.
Every node has a set amount of Mastery Points that it gives out the first time you complete it. Unlocking new planets by clearing planetary Junctions always grants 1,000 points. By the time you finish every node and Junction, you’ll have ranked up plenty of times.
Get into the grind
After your Star Chart is complete, you’ll need to approach ranking up a little more purposefully. Ranks for Warframes, weapons, companions, Archwings, K-Drives, and Necramechs will grant Mastery Points all the way up to level 30. You’ll have passively ranked up certain pieces of equipment by clearing the entire Star Chart, but after that you should focus on finding new pieces of equipment and getting them to level 30.
Ranking those core components grants Mastery Points, but so does ranking your Intrinsics. While working on your other gear, level up the Railjack and the Drifter whenever you can for a cool 1,500 points.
Test your skills
Earning Mastery Points is just the first part of the process. When you reach the threshold for a new rank, you’ll have to take a test that will challenge your abilities. These start out with pretty easy objectives – like killing small waves of weak enemies with your primary weapon – but they gradually get more difficult the higher your rank goes. You’ll eventually be fighting waves of monstrous enemies or bullet-jumping your way through complicated obstacle courses.
You can only attempt a test once every 24 hours, so if you fail you’re locked out for the rest of the day. Luckily, there’s a way for your Tenno to study up on the material beforehand. If you head to the Cephalon Simaris at one of the Tenno Relays that float around most planets, you’ll be able to take a practice version of the test before tackling the real thing. When you’re ready, you can blast your way through the test and earn your next Mastery Rank.
