Warframe’s sizeable roster is about to get a little bigger thanks to the arrival of Jade in the upcoming Jade Shadows cinematic quest update. Aside from a fancy new frame, Jade Shadows also comes with a roughly 25-minute quest that dives into the Stalker’s tragic origins, a new Ascension game mode, and a handy balance rework for damage types.
Of course, the star of anyWarframeupdate is the new frame itself, and Game Rant sat down withWarframecreative director Rebb Ford to discuss the team’s process for bringing Jade into the game. She spoke about Jade’s origin as a concept by the game’s 3D artist Mike Skyers, revealed a compelling lore secret about Jade, and weighed in on how Jade compares to some of the game’s other airborne frames.
Jade’s Angelic Choir Theme Is The Opposite of Stalker
Thematically, Jade feels like the polar opposite of her quest update co-star the Stalker, with a musical and angelic theme that contrasts heavily with the Stalker’s ominous, predatory, and threatening demeanor. Ford says that the idea for a “Choir” Warframe can largely be attributed to 3D Artist Mike Skyers and that she wound up being a perfect fit for the story they were going for. Jade’s second ability, Symphony of Mercy, taps into themusical themequite strongly, cycling through three different songs that offer various benefits to her allies.
“I can say that Jade at a concept level again came from Mike Skyers and there’s one detail that we haven’t shared about Jade that we intended to keep completely private until release. We knew the Jade Light was very important to her, and her angelic theme and choir theme and wings just felt like such a natural opposite to Stalker in so many ways.
We’ve recorded over a dozen people to do choir for her sound; she’s really musically involved with the choir theme. Then the design team just went and said, ‘Okay, so we have an angelic theme and Jade Light. Let’s work out on paper something that touches all those themes in a way that feels unlike any other Warframe.'”
Jade is also heavily tied to some intriguing lore that fans have been speculating about for some time: the Jade Light. Jade Light was understood to be an Orokin method for executing lawbreakers, but its exact nature has been a mystery. True to her name, Jade wields Jade Light, and although this givesWarframefanssome insight into how Jade Light works, a few new questions are also raised about Jade and this strange, deadly power.
Jade Is An Aerial Support Frame
In gameplay terms, Jade isa support Warframethrough and through, but with the potential to be an angel of death via her ultimate ability. As mentioned, her Symphony of Mercy ability cycles through three buffs that increase ally Ability Strength, Weapon Damage, or Shield Regeneration while her Ophanim Eyes ability casts her gaze at friend and foe alike to either strip the armor from enemies or revive downed allies from a distance.
“She has these areas of support: she has this ability to debuff enemies and then her ultimate—which really surprised me when I hit the four button the first time—is she just takes flight and it’s so liberating and freeing because when you go through her quest and you start actually flying around the level of attacking from the air, it’s just a very different way to pilot a Warframe. Hildryn is a tactical airborne unit, Titania is a little bug, and Jade is this graceful and glorious creature that can rain down from the skies.”
Jade’s Glory on High ability allows her to fly, and Ford remarked that it feels quite unlike the otherflying frames such as Hildrynand Titania. With an angelic and graceful musical theme and an arsenal of helpful supporting skills, Jade sounds like a welcome addition toWarframe’s co-op play.
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Confront warring factions throughout a sprawling interplanetary system as you follow the guidance of the mysterious Lotus and level up your Warframe, build an Arsenal of destructive firepower, and realize your true potential across massive open worlds in this thrilling, genre-defining third-person combat experience.BECOME A POWERFUL WARRIOR: Enter your Warframe: a bio-metal suit of untold power. Unleash its Abilities and wield a vast array of devastating weaponry to effortlessly annihilate hordes of enemies on sight. And when the slaughter is over, you can earn or instantly unlock 40+ different Warframes - each with a unique suite of powers - to re-experience the mayhem any way you want.BATTLE ALONGSIDE FRIENDS: Form a Squad with your friends and earn valuable bonus Rewards when you complete Missions together via highly collaborative, co-op gameplay. Utilize your Warframe’s Abilities to heal allies, redirect enemy fire, and achieve your objectives. Stuck on a particular challenge? In-game matchmaking makes it easy to connect with friendly Tenno whenever you need an extra hand.DISCOVER AN EPIC STORY: Marvel at the sweeping history of the Origin System as you experience Warframe’s massive cinematic narrative spanning 5 separate expansions and 30+ story-based Quests. Discover the power within and experience your first taste of invincibility with one of three original Warframes before you begin your journey, develop your skills and seek out the truth behind your awakening.
