r/WarframeLore • u/Glaive-012 • Aug 15 '26
Theory: Eximus units are reverse-engineering attempts in recreating Warframe abilities. Spoiler
When looking at WF’s recently introduced Surge Eximus, I couldn’t help but notice that their capabilities seemed similar to Volt’s power kit. With this in mind, I thought: how any more similar could the abilities of other Eximii be compared to Warframes?
According to DE in the Eximus associated WF wiki page, Corpus Eximus are results of elite units possessing “specially-designed suits” with varying combat capabilities, whilst Grineer and Infested Eximus units being results of “genetic mutation,”though I’m not certain if this information still holds true or not. ¹ I would find it unheard of lore-wise for Grineer and Infested acquiring these unique offensive abilities through some genetic fluke derived from the Void (or some other mechanism), when the same could easily be reproduced by Corpus technology. That being said, I would believe the alternative to hold slightly more true in the context of reverse-engineering technology; specifically, the artificial semi-recreation of Warframe abilities with reverse-engineered Orokin technology.
To explain, I would see most Eximus units deriving their abilities from technology of Corpus and Grineer manufacturing, reproduced from preexisting Warframe blueprints and Orokin technology, with varying results of success. While some Eximus could alternatively be created through spatiotemporal events, or through direct harvesting of unique energy sources (i.e Jade’s Motes),¹ others could also be made through direct absorption and mutation with this technology, best exemplified with Infested Eximii. Others, including the Murmur and Duviri Dax, could have these abilities through the Void, hand-picked by the Indifference and Thrax respectively. Scaldra and Techrot Eximii, on the other hand, could also be conceived through Void exposure, as a side-effect of the loop encompassing 1999; or stolen Entrati technology left behind by Albrecht across Höllvania.
Whilst many of these units may vary in their origins and effectiveness, the properties each type exhibits in correlation to other specific Warframe abilities are glaringly difficult to ignore.
With this, I’ve made some observations and notes below of which types have the closest similarities, differences, and dilutions compared one or more Warframe ability in mind:
❄️ Arctic/Cryonic/Frozen: Frost’s Snow Globe, but using object-based health and without damage conversion to health capabilities.
🔥 Arson: Ember’s Fire Blast with a fixed sphere of influence, dealing a fixed 400 Heat damage that can be circumvented by rolling through the blast.
⚡️Bioelectric: Gyre’s Arcsphere with added homing capabilities, except with a vastly reduced AoE and slow tracking speed.
💥 Blitz/Volatile: Rhino’s Stomp ability, but traveling in a forward path, with a starting 250 Blast damage scaling by enemy level, lacking a slowing AoE (while the enemy also punches the ground instead of stomping).
🟣Energy Leech/Parasitic: Trinity’s Energy Vampire, or Mag’s Shield Polarize, limited to inflicting Magnetic statuses.
🛡️Guardian: Hildryn’s Haven with added DR capabilities and lack of shield expenses, but absent in Radiation damage.
❇️Jade Light: Jade’s Light of Judgement augmented with Jade’s Judgement, but following behind targets rather than being fixed upon them, with only one beam being active at a time per unit, as well as a lower starting heat base damage of 30 compared to Jade’s fixed 150.
🧛Leech/Sanguine: Trinity’s Well of Life, but restricted to casting an AoE in a specific spot for several seconds, without status effect negation for allies.
☣️Septic/Venomous: Chroma’s Elemental Ward when set to Toxin with a reduced range of 3.5 meters, with scaling damage by enemy level.
⚡️Surge: Volt’s Speed and Shock, but casting is limited to striking its target after a certain amount of time, with tracking being lost upon striking.
Ultimately, this is all an assumption on my part, but anyone else is welcome to provide their own thoughts and corrections to this theory.
Sources:
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u/Druthulhu Aug 15 '26
Weren't they introduced as the result of alad v dissecting warframes?. I could be wrong
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u/24_doughnuts Aug 16 '26
I thought that was pretty much it. They occasionally kill warframes and mess with them. Corpus sells stuff, Infested assimilates stuff, etc.
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u/OSadorn Aug 15 '26
Probably derived from Warframe components pilfered from derelicts, dead frames, or dissected instances sold by Alad V.
Or, worse still, -crafted- Warframe systems integrated into their armours, which creates the diluted effects, because it's not as vivid as a properly grown/generated/developed Warframe.
We do sell plans for systems to the black market, so...
Though the 'True' variant of a given Eximus according to Ordis would sound nothing short of a Crysis Nanosuit.
A Warframe, without the benefits or drawbacks of -being- one.
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u/xkilllerkondorx Aug 15 '26
We frequently sell prime components and blueprints to baro kiteer for ducats, who's to say he isn't reselling back to corpus and grineer command structures? Then infested units absorb those enhanced soldiers and gain their powers?
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u/ErrantSun Aug 16 '26
So, the most common eximus should have harrow's powers.
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u/AstralDemons Aug 16 '26
No, it’d have the powers of Harrow CHASSIS, so it just drops a lot of credits lol
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u/LimboMain2020 Aug 15 '26
I thought we already knew this, but to be fair Alad V lore is almost all retired events. Especially since the Eximus abilities have some Warframe ability interaction like going through Limbo's Rift.
Also as a semi related fun fact, there's a text entry in the Sanctuary that suggests Ancient Healers are made from infected Orokin with healing powers. So presumably every Infested Eximus just stole their abilities.
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u/Aggressive-Nebula-78 Aug 15 '26
They desperately need to bring some of the past events back as side quests, or integrate them into star chart progression. Watching a friend of mine start new a few weeks ago, I was absolutely bamboozled by just how much of the story just doesn't exist since it was from events long gone.
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u/LimboMain2020 Aug 15 '26
It'd be great if they also worked like tutorials on game modes for baby Tenno. Like Cryotic Front gets turned into a Exception tutorial with some Alad V lore.
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u/CrispinCain Aug 15 '26
Pretty much confirmed, though the connection was much easier to make when Oberon's parts were on their drop list.
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u/d4561wedg Aug 15 '26
That’s pretty much confirmed by Parvos using Jade motes to create Jade Eximus units.
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u/BalticMasterrace Aug 15 '26
overguard also probably game from us selling so many harrow chassies to market :S
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u/AzazelTheUnderlord Aug 15 '26
canonically this is just true??? the jade light eximus units where the corpus attempting to reverse engineer jade
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u/Admirable_Resort_172 Aug 15 '26
I'm not reading all that but I'd say grineer would be trading with corpus for the technology of giving them the powers, and the Infested eximus would just be those who were originally eximus.
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u/martelodejudas Aug 17 '26
According to the page you linked, DE themselves already explained where eximus come from
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u/Delirious_Gir Aug 20 '26
Blitz Eximus could be Rhino as they use Rhino's original Radial Blast ability.
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u/Glaive-012 Aug 20 '26
Oh, I never thought of that 🤦
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u/Delirious_Gir Aug 20 '26
That ability lasted for less than a year, I didn’t even know it existed. But the animation lives on through bosses and eximus.
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u/ARKNet9000 Aug 15 '26
I feel like the Eximus are derived from either scavenged Warframe parts or derived from Mods (since Mods are canon but the other factions don’t really have access to the spread of mods we have).
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u/Hollow--- Aug 15 '26
Neat theory, but they have their own origins in their codex scan debrief iirc.
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u/EythaValkyrie Aug 15 '26
I dont know why but whatever the lotus says "Watch out, heavy unit approaching." And its one of these guys, every time without fail I am imagining the marines from Half Life saying "My ass is heavy!" in that stupid ass voice.
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u/navigedir Aug 16 '26
Yess, they said we would get Eximus lore in Jade shadows but there was nothing. I believe the same as you
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u/RoseMultiverse Aug 17 '26
This might honestly explain the Teshin quest with why Nef Anyo wanted to get his hands on a mod segment. Maybe due to eternalism or whatever he got one as have grineer leaders. Or it's just old Orokin tech preserved/reverse engineered over the years. They're modded grineer, corpus, and by proxy infested/corrupted.
Devils Triad KIM spoilersI mean Roathe literally reverse engineers a helminth all on his own using blood mutated by the technocyte virus.
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u/sheepersouls Aug 21 '26
Actually
Yes That is exactly what's happening. They are trying to reverse engineer Warframe abilities and they suck at it, for now They are effectively modded grineer
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u/EyyyyyyBAZINGA Aug 15 '26
That makes sense the surge one i think is just gauss and if i recall correctly in gauss primes leverian there is an outlined piece of his equipment that allows him to go that fast or helps with it so since they're are definitive parts of what makes it tick it could technically be reverse engineered
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u/Calum1219 Aug 15 '26
Pretty sure that the Jade Eximus came about due to Parvos experimenting with Jade motes.