The Solaris Prisoners are apart of the latest update, the Deadlock Protocol. You can't free those guys until you can get Granum Crowns, and the guys you get those from only start spawning (once per mission) after you complete the accompanying Quest. I don't think you can do the Quest until you get up to at least Neptune on the starchart, though...

 

Ah, that would do it. At least they have some decently-sarcastic lines while they're stuck!

 

Fun times. Cracked into Phobos a little bit, still leveling up my mook-masher, built a Kraken on a whim, got ganked by Stalker for the first time...

I think I need to go do some quests, 'cause random missions and leveling things up are starting to grate a little bit again. Intercept and Spy are still my least-favorite mission types, and good void leveling up my hammer and new pistol is slow. Was, in a way, finally glad to see Stalker; he's been threatening me ever since I jobbed Jackal back on Venus.

 

Progress, again! Beat up Lt. Kril on Mars, did the Archwing quest, unlocked (but haven't fought) Sgt. Iliad and Vay Hek (fools, air, etc.), plus some other miscellaney...good play.

I've seen a lot of people rag on Archwing, but I'm finding it pretty fun! There are definitely some janky bits (some animation hiccups, and boy they do not give you any tutorial for what your energy abilities become), but I've already put several levels on the flight hardware and jammed some mods in. I wouldn't want to play this mode all the time, but it is a nice spice; in a game that's already quite anime, it's very anime.

Still slowly leveling my Fragor and Kraken, but they are moving - leveling pistols and slow melee weapons is still just so...uh...slow. And I finally got a stance for my staff - hadn't used it in a while, so I stuck the stance and a maxed speed mod on it, and holy void it turned into a blender. Similar damage and better reach than my heatbrand sword, but with fewer options for elemental damage.

Finally, finally got a shotgun as well. Or, almost. I've been sitting on scads of shotgun mods for ages, but didn't have an actual gun. Some random drop in one run gave me a Boar blueprint though, and I have everything I need except plastid. Just bouncing off Phobos for it every once in a while at the moment - first time I've been more than trivially short of a resource. Go figure.

 

Archwing when introduced was WAY worse than what it probably is now. Also, Iztal is pretty much unquestionably the best one.

lol you don't have the Brakk yet, I take it.

The Hek is insanely fun. They Vaykor Hek is basically double the magazine and a whole bunch of other benefits.

 

Archwing has gotten better but content for it is still very sparse. I don't think I've gone out of my way to do Archwing missions aside from when I need to get Cryptographic ALUs to fight the Razorback.

 

Nah, Amesha is the best all-rounder now as all Archwing have blink, with the tanky abilities, energy generation, and force field bubbles.

 

I still don't like the archwing stuff.

 

Been pounding sand a bit more; no story progress since my last post, but I did finally max my Boltor's level and a find a second Ayatan sculpture. I can't be the only one who thinks the Ayr looks like a faucet, right? Other than that, still putting levels on the hammer and pistol, one kill at a time.

Got the third Glassmaker crime scene and I'm a little baffled - I found the first four evidence items suspiciously easily, but the fifth is eluding me. Spent about twenty minutes on the map before taking a break.

 

Got progressing again. Solved Glassmaker scene 3 (damn Grineer PDA looked like a floor light), beat up Sgt. Iliad a few times (are we sure he's actually a boss?), opened up Ceres, and I've actually started building Mag parts! Alas, I need a Control Module, which means either a Cetus bounty, or way the hell out there on the map. Guess I get to run around Cetus for a while.

Not looking forward to pushing through Ceres, since the first two missions after the initial Exterminate are either Spy or Intercept, but...eh. Still my least favorite missions, but I still have my bow for sniping and I did pick up a silencer pistol mod somewhere. Although...didn't check the factions. I have quickly learned that a bow is way too slow for Corpus missions - nigh-impossible to pop Ospreys with it, and when there are four of the blighters...

 

Loki pretty much makes Spy a breeze once you memorize all the paths (except the Corpus "U" room if any one of those air vents in the turnaround have unbreakable bars on them, never did find a way past that issue) because of invisibility, Ash too though admittedly Ash is a colossal pain in the ass to unlock ever since they made his parts drop from Manics (I got mine back when Tyl Regor was little more than a fancy flameblade model painted blue).

You might consider a shade sentinel, those have invisibility procs and might make your life easier.

However, unless you're with three other people you can trust, NEVER do a spy with randoms. Some people will eschew the greater reward for stealth by simply tripping the alarm first and then spamming auto-solves on the ciphers to blitz the mission.

 

Alas, I'm lacking pretty much everything in that entire department - Excal has no bunkmates, Taxon is my only sentinel, and my memory is not that sharp. I'll get through it eventually, I just find Intercept and Spy to be the least fun mission types in general; I either can't keep up, or I get lost and lose because I have no idea what I did to set things off. Part of it likely is my preference for solo play though.

Speaking of missions, I did poke my head into the summer event - it's goofy and ridiculous and I kind of love it. Max rank Splashatron.

 

Shade is pretty easy to get - the blueprint should be available from the market.

As for what sets things off, basically just pay attention to where the security cameras are, stay out of sight of all enemies (or stealth kill them), and do not touch any hazards like lasers. Learning how to use the overlay map toggle is also helpful if you get lost often.

 

Ran a bunch of Invasions today.
Adaro was full of heavy units. Like I saw more Napalms and Heavy Gunners than I did any other enemy, which made getting the Electricity kills for Nightwave difficult when running that node.

 

Oh man, this is the most progress I've made in a single shot since tutorial leveling. After remembering how to read the void-damned map, I punched through a couple more Phobos missions and into that particular tendril of the Void. That got me the control module I was looking for in spades, and while I admit I caved after taking a couple more runs at Sgt. Iliad and bought the overall blueprint for her from the market, I now have Mag building! So excited to try out a new 'frame. I think I also have all three of the sub-blueprints for Oberon now, but I'm in no hurry to need to buy another roster slot. Mag does mean I need to stack up plastid for the shotgun again, but I'll take new 'frame over new gun any day.

While I was buying stuff, I realized I have Venus' map actually cleared, so I went ahead and picked up extractor plans (I am somewhat amused, however, that an extractor or DNA stuff for the spacedog are more expensive than a core blueprint for a warframe). I misunderstood how the pet system changed, apparently - no more stasis locking doggos. And beyond that, Nightwave points, finally checked out the Leverian Museum (neat way to do some lore), and found my third Ayatan sculpt - just a Vaya, but it's pretty neat-looking. Mag will be done mid-week, and I'm looking forward to trying her out.

 

Tennocon is live on twitch. Watch for free stuff.

 

Boom! Pulled Mag out of assembly, got a bunch of levels on her and getting used to how she plays. Definitely a switch from Excalibur, that's for sure -at first blush I'm missing the extra burst damage most of Excal's abilities gave, but I also definitely see the possibilities in Mag's stuff that I need to learn (#2 then #3, or #3 then #2?). Regardless, yeeting people around with Pull is fun, and I've managed a really swish looking kill a few times - not sure how I did the timing, but yank-spin-stab while they're down is pretty badass. Hadn't been to Cetus free-roam in a while, so went fishing and Grineer-hunting for a few of those levels; still detest the flyers, though it appears you can yoink the pilots right out of the damn things.

Outside of the new gal, took stock of my inventory...one, plastids for a shotgun again, always lacking; two, I do actually have all the blueprints for Oberon. Not sure of materials as yet, but I theoretically could wind him up too. If anyone around here uses him, is he decent for solo play? Looking at his stuff, obvously the healing wave won't get as much use without a team.

 

He's pretty good. I played around with him for a while. Decent enough.

 

One of the augment mods for Oberon changes those healing powers to be more offensive IIRC.

 

I'll keep that in mind! Unsure if I'm going to build him any time soon since I got working on Mag, but I do like him aesthetically. Speaking of aesthetics - little Mag winging a Fragor around is entirely too amusing.