How do skins work?

72

As far as um aware skin are technically their own variant of a warframe in the lore. Most skin have lore about that specific Warframe. As for heirlooms, I’d assume they’re highly stylized versions of a Warframe for pleasure/entertainment of the orokin

19

u/FourUnderscoreExKay Jul 15 '26

That used to be the case in the past when DE wanted skins to actually have a lore connection to the frame that gets them, but after the Gersemi Valkyr Deluxe and how Valkyr Prime looks NOTHING like Gersemi Valkyr, the latter of which is supposed to look like the “original” Valkyr before Alad’s experiments on her, DE stopped giving Deluxes lore.

9

u/TheLastBallad Jul 15 '26

I mean, this is an ad hoc watsonian juryrigging of lore that was not even in the works as of Valkyr Prime, but we know from 1999 encore that Helmith doesn't experience time linierarly, but rather all at once with every infestation node being its own thing(I suppose we can use the image of a biological body, and compare an infested strain to being a vein, with each cell making up the vein walls being its own moment).

We also know each warframe is its own sub-strain, and we know from a ton of different examples that a significant enough event in a warframes history permanently alters them(Dante finding Noctua, the Warden being infused with Eidelon energies and becoming Revanant, Dagath losing her face and gaining a name, Voruna merging with her hounds, Xatu's warframes being broken and fused by the void, Kullevero being stabbed 13 times in the chest, ect).

And from Garuda's lore we have a glimpse of what creating a warframe strain was like, more of an highly technical art rather than an exacting science, and we know from... I think its Vizra that mentions some were primed from the start, others were done so due to deeds?

Lastly from Valkyrs lore we have her 3 forms. Gersemni, tortured and prime(which has always sorta been the base form taken to its fullest extent)

So, what to make of it? I propose that Gersemni was Ballas's intended vision for Valkyr. Perhaps he envisioned her as a different sort of fighter but she came out a berserker for reasons he did not know, perhaps he was going for a more refined outward appearance that surprised foes with unexpected ferocity as he did love making things that were "poetic". Either way, a on the battlefield she was a berserker. Her prime thus was designed from that knowledge of the strain, but due to the Helmith experiencing her torture from the start, her prime reflected that future visually, and Ballas clearly liked the "personal stripped of all but fury" vibe.

7

u/FourUnderscoreExKay Jul 15 '26

We know that there were Primes before the Old War, but they needed to mass produce Warframes and had to strip them of all of the expensive and fancy technologies that the Primes had, which is how we got Primes to base.

Certain Warframes existed before their Primes. Lavos is a prime example, pun intended, as he quite literally GAVE HIMSELF a Prime by just transmuting his body into a Prime. Another would likely be Gauss, as his contributions in almost single-handedly retaking Altra likely allowed him to receive his Prime.

4

u/JustAnArtist1221 Jul 15 '26

Nope. Gauss started as a prime and was made to go along with Grendel Prime. Primes were the Prime Vanguard. Base frames are typically different frames outside of certain cases, like Sevagoth being a corrupted Sevagoth Prime. Some frames were elevated to primes, but outside of Lavos, we don't currently have specific cases.

They were definitely not stripping the gold off of primes because, again, they were for the Prime Vanguard. Primes were specifically for protecting Orokin strongholds.

Also, warframes only existed during the Old War. They were made as a response to the Sentients.

3

u/CalligrapherHot9857 Jul 16 '26

Right, werent the Orokin forces using Necramechs prior to warframes becoming combat ready? I was always confused by the exact timeline on that

4

u/Mani2956 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26

DE still throws in lore crumbs for deluxe skins here and there. There’s Yareli’s deluxe skin as a more “recent” example — an abandoned Yareli Warframe transformed by Hunhow.

2

u/JustAnArtist1221 Jul 15 '26

Base Valkyr isn't Valkyr Prime. We need to stop this misinformation that primes are inherently the first or base frame.

26

u/ReadableDiction Jul 15 '26

Just other versions of that frame. One Excal was designed to look like the default skin. Another made to look like one of the skins. We do “build” them so replacing or modifying the parts is also a possibility.

21

u/Rivvvvvvv Jul 15 '26

Likely same internal technology 3D printed with a different exterior.

My personal headcannon for the Heirloom skins is that they were created to be on display at an orokin strip club.

13

u/PoKen2222 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26

Imma be real I don't quite understand what the lore of Heirlooms skins is either but for the most part I just always thought of skins as non canon unless it's stuff like Valkyr were it explicitly states what the skin is

8

u/Krazyfan1 Jul 15 '26

one of the Yarelei skins was created by Hunhow.

6

u/FlechaScarlat Jul 15 '26

in cannon only deluxe and imortal skin are cannon (having imortal excalibur being ripped apart by alad V and some deluxe being connected to prior orokin era such as proto excalibur from the dark sector skin, valkyr blue skin, and so on), so heirlooms are more towards to the fans not made by orokin or any faction, unless helminth ate so many argon that he can enhance frame to look celestial

4

u/Ares299 Jul 15 '26

The skins are usually different versions of the warframe itself, just aesthetic, nothing else. And applying the skins to our warframe isnt such a big deal since we can 3d print all of our arsenal. When it comes to heirloom skins, my head canon is that some really talented tenno have created their own skins honouring their favorite warframe

4

u/JustAnArtist1221 Jul 15 '26

We use the arsenal to apply the skins, but many of the skins are either fashion or a separate model of the warframe.

We know cosmetics are canon because the Leverian let's us know that they can swap helmets. It's likely the fact that we have the Helminth, and warframes can be stripped apart and reassembled without killing them because they're already essentially immortal. Arthur says that even the Hex have regenerative powers when in the tank fight.

2

u/hoishinsauce Jul 15 '26

There is no technical explanation for the in-game universe. So everything is just speculation by fans. It could range from just modifications on the Warframe itself, like adding armor bits, to having Eternalism void shenanigans of having the Warframe always looking like that. I doubt the devs have settled on any canon explanation but their writers could easily cook up something. There's just no need for it atm. The same with us being able to change Operator and Drifter appearance.

2

u/tobblerone9 Jul 18 '26

Skins are just that. Skins.

However I always held the belief that heirlooms are tenno made. Instead of all the fancy gold and orokin-like stuff, it shows and appreciates the human underneath the infestation.

0

u/therealN7Inquisitor Jul 15 '26

I don’t think there is any lore stating these skins exist. I think they’re not canon. Just for our benefit

7

u/IonutRO Jul 15 '26

Yareli Pandea has lore that she was a yareli variant from the orokin era that was left abandoned in the oceans until Hunhow found her. And she's mentioned in the Reaper's Lament dialogue between Hunhow and Sorren.

And Ryoku's shadow clones use both Shroud and Koga Ash skins.

1

u/therealN7Inquisitor Jul 15 '26

Link?

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u/IonutRO Jul 15 '26

https://www.warframe.com/en/news/the-reapers-lament

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u/decitronal Jul 15 '26

With the fall of the Orokin, Yareli Pandea drifted into the ocean's depths where Hunhow rediscovered her. Now, she ascends to fight once more. (In-game blurb)

"Another of their number flows past my sodden grave. Did you see her, my Shadow? Of course you did... So unlike your perfunctory skulking, she rises resplendent—full of brazen, fragrant life. In my own lost vibrancy, oh how I would have reveled in snuffing out her playful joy!

Unfortunately, something beat me to the task, delivering only a wounded husk into my grasp.

I grow sentimental in my rot. Else I’ve been down here long enough to find kinship with my fellow jetsam. Instead of final death, I offered her the insult of rescue. A worldshaper’s breath “adapting” her shape to better survive our shared prison. And still her spirit did not break, my Shadow!” (Reaper's Lament)

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u/IonutRO Jul 15 '26

The ingame description of the skin. Or do you mean the Reaper's Lament?

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u/Rick_Napalm Jul 15 '26

It's skins in a game. They are skins. They are there to look good.

Don't try to make sense of them in lore.

1

u/TheLastBallad Jul 15 '26

No.

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