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Warframe Weapon Variants Explained (2026): Prime to Prisma

Every weapon variant family in Warframe.

Last Updated on September 20, 2026

The short version

Prime, Prisma, Wraith, Vandal, Dex and the Syndicate names are better or alternate versions of a base weapon. Each family comes from one place (relics, Baro, events, syndicates) and each counts for mastery on its own. One Riven fits the whole family, and it hits harder on the weaker versions.

Researched September 19, 2026, current through Update 43.5. Every mechanic here is confirmed by two sources (the official wiki, DE patch notes, the game files); numbers we could not confirm twice are left out, not guessed.

Table of Contents

Prime

What it is: an Orokin-era upgrade of an existing weapon with better stats (varies by weapon: more damage, crit, status, or an extra Polarity slot) and a gold/white Orokin cosmetic finish.
Obtained today: Void Relics, opened by cracking a Reactant total in Void Fissure missions (or Void Flood/Void Armageddon variants), then built in the Foundry from the parts.
Tradeable: yes, individual relics and unbuilt Prime parts/blueprints are tradeable between players; a fully built and leveled Prime weapon is not.
Upgrade or sidegrade: generally a straight upgrade over the base weapon.
Mods/Riven: shares the weapon-name Riven pool with its base and other variants, but has its own Disposition value, typically lower than base (e.g. Braton 1.35x vs Braton Prime 1.25x).
Separate Mastery: yes, each Prime weapon is its own entry and gives full Mastery Rank experience independent of the base weapon.
Examples: Braton Prime, Boltor Prime, Dakra Prime.

Prisma

What it is: an enhanced-stat version of an existing weapon (stat changes vary per weapon) with a distinctive gold/white Orokin-tech cosmetic, pre-built rather than assembled from parts.
Obtained today: exclusively from Baro Ki'Teer, the Void Trader, during his rotating biweekly visits to Relays, bought directly with Credits and Ducats, no relics involved.
Tradeable: yes, but only unranked copies with no Forma and no Orokin Catalyst installed.
Upgrade or sidegrade: generally an upgrade, though the specific stat trade-offs vary weapon by weapon, check the individual weapon before assuming.
Mods/Riven: shares the weapon-name Riven pool with base/other variants, with its own Disposition.
Separate Mastery: yes, own weapon entry.
Examples: Prisma Gorgon, Prisma Grakata, Prisma Angstrum.

Wraith

What it is: a Grineer-themed reskin with improved stats over the base weapon, identifiable by a blue accent paint scheme.
Origin: created for limited-time events, Tactical Alerts, and Invasions between 2013 and 2019; most of that original event pool is long over.
Obtained today: per-weapon and inconsistent, some (e.g. Strun Wraith, Twin Vipers Wraith, Latron Wraith, Karak Wraith) still cycle through Grineer-vs-Corpus Invasions; others (Machete, Vulkar, Viper, Halikar, Ignis Wraith) now appear in Baro Ki'Teer's rotating stock instead; Furax Wraith comes from higher-level Cetus bounty rewards. Check the specific weapon rather than assuming one universal source.
Tradeable: yes for the currently-farmable ones (parts and blueprint), same unranked/no-Forma/no-Catalyst restriction pattern as other Void-Trader-adjacent variants.
Upgrade or sidegrade: generally an upgrade over base.
Mods/Riven: own Riven Disposition within the shared weapon-name pool (e.g. Strun Wraith 1.35x vs base Strun 1.40x vs Strun Prime 1.20x).
Separate Mastery: yes.

Vandal

What it is: a Corpus-themed reskin with improved stats over the base weapon, identifiable by a teal/blue-green accent paint scheme.
Origin: same 2013-2019 limited-event era as Wraith weapons, just the Corpus-flavored counterpart.
Obtained today: also per-weapon and inconsistent, Braton Vandal and Lato Vandal drop from Elite Sanctuary Onslaught rotations; Snipetron Vandal and Dera Vandal cycle through Invasions; Prova, Quanta, Supra, Opticor, and Glaxion Vandal appear in Baro Ki'Teer's rotating stock; Spectra Vandal comes from Veil Proxima Empyrean (Railjack) missions. Check the specific weapon rather than assuming one universal source.
Tradeable: yes, parts and blueprint, same unranked-copy restriction where applicable.
Upgrade or sidegrade: generally an upgrade over base.
Mods/Riven: own Riven Disposition within the shared pool (e.g. Braton Vandal 1.30x vs base Braton 1.35x vs Braton Prime 1.25x).
Separate Mastery: yes.

Dex

What it is: a purple/gold-accented anniversary variant with altered stats from its base counterpart, given out to celebrate Warframe's yearly anniversary.
Obtained today: only during the annual Anniversary event window (a free login gift or short challenge), not purchasable or farmable outside that period.
Tradeable: no, confirmed untradeable.
Upgrade or sidegrade: varies by weapon; several ride a different base weapon's Riven family than their own name suggests (Dex Furis shares the Afuris Riven family, not a standalone 'Furis' pool), so treat each Dex weapon individually rather than assuming a uniform rule.
Mods/Riven: has its own Disposition value but pulls from its associated base weapon's Riven family.
Separate Mastery: yes, own weapon entry.
Examples: Dex Furis, Dex Sybaris, Dex Nikana.

MK1

What it is: a deliberately weaker starter-tier version of a weapon, meant for brand-new players.
Obtained today: direct Market purchase for 15,000 Credits, no Mastery Rank requirement and no crafting/blueprint needed.
Tradeable: no, confirmed untradeable.
Upgrade or sidegrade: a downgrade, MK1 weapons are explicitly weaker than the standard version of the same weapon, meant to be replaced once you can afford or build the full version.
Mods/Riven: can take Rivens, and shares the same Riven family/Disposition as the standard weapon (e.g. MK1-Braton uses the same 'Braton' Riven family at the base Braton's 1.35x Disposition).
Separate Mastery: yes, its own weapon entry with its own Mastery Rank experience.
Examples: MK1-Braton, MK1-Paris, MK1-Strun.

Syndicate weapons: Rakta, Sancti, Synoid, Secura, Telos, Vaykor

Prefix	Syndicate	Example weapon
Rakta	Red Veil	Rakta Cernos
Sancti	New Loka	Sancti Tigris
Synoid	Cephalon Suda	Synoid Gammacor
Secura	Perrin Sequence	Secura Penta
Telos	Arbiters of Hexis	Telos Boltor
Vaykor	Steel Meridian	Vaykor Hek

What they are: six weapon lines, one per major Syndicate, each adding a unique radial proc/effect on top of a normal weapon (health orb pulses, armor strips, energy restores, etc. depending on the line) plus a colored cosmetic finish.
The actual prefix-to-syndicate pairing (verify this carefully, it is commonly misremembered): Rakta = Red Veil, Sancti = New Loka, Synoid = Cephalon Suda, Secura = Perrin Sequence, Telos = Arbiters of Hexis, Vaykor = Steel Meridian. Cephalon Simaris does not have a prefix line of its own, it sells standalone Sanctuary weapons (e.g. Gazal Machete) instead.
Obtained today: purchased with that Syndicate's Standing once you reach a high enough rank (commonly the second-highest or highest rank tier), for roughly 100,000-125,000 Standing depending on the weapon.
Tradeable: yes, but only unranked copies with no Forma and no Orokin Catalyst installed, matching the Void-Trader-style restriction.
Upgrade or sidegrade: a sidegrade, you gain a syndicate proc effect in exchange for a somewhat lower Riven Disposition than the base weapon (e.g. Vaykor Hek 1.15x vs base Hek 1.20x).
Mods/Riven: shares the weapon-name Riven pool with base/other variants, own Disposition.
Separate Mastery: yes, each is its own weapon entry.

Kuva, Tenet, and Coda (brief, full mechanics covered in the Lich/Sister/Coda explainer)

What they are: three sibling 'Adversary system' lines whose defining feature is a rollable bonus damage element and percentage (25-60%) rather than a fixed stat change, see the companion Kuva/Tenet/Coda explainer for the full mechanic.
Obtained today: Kuva only from vanquishing a Kuva Lich; Tenet from vanquishing a Sister of Parvos or buying pre-rolled melee/speargun copies from Ergo Glast; Coda by spending Live Heartcells with Eleanor in the Höllvania (1999) hub.
Tradeable: not directly as a finished weapon. Kuva and Tenet weapons can only change hands indirectly, by trading the still-living Converted Lich/Sister before it's vanquished. Coda weapons are untradeable, full stop.
Upgrade or sidegrade: an upgrade, and the only variant families where you additionally choose/raise the bonus percentage yourself after acquiring one, via Valence Fusion.
Mods/Riven: shares the weapon-name Riven pool with base/other variants where one exists, but typically at a very low Disposition (e.g. Kuva Bramma 0.65x, Tenet Diplos 0.75x, Coda Bassocyst 0.55x).
Separate Mastery: yes, and uniquely these can be leveled past Rank 30 up to Rank 40 with 5 Forma for extra Mastery points (4,000 total instead of 3,000).
Examples: Kuva Bramma, Tenet Arca Plasmor, Coda Bubonico.

Mutalist

What it is: an Infested-reskinned version of an existing weapon with a toxin/status-focused stat spread, gained by literally consuming a copy of the base weapon during crafting.
Obtained today: blueprint bought from the in-game Market, then built in the Foundry, the recipe consumes 1 copy of the base weapon plus Credits and Infested resources (e.g. Mutalist Cernos needs 1 Cernos, Plastids, Cryotic, and Nano Spores).
Tradeable: no, confirmed untradeable.
Upgrade or sidegrade: a sidegrade, Mutalist Cernos, for example, trades critical chance for much higher status chance plus a lingering toxin-cloud effect versus the base Cernos.
Mods/Riven: has its own dedicated Riven pool/Disposition, separate from the base weapon's Riven family (unlike Prime/Vandal/Wraith/Prisma, which share the base weapon's pool).
Separate Mastery: yes, its own weapon entry.
Examples: Mutalist Cernos, Mutalist Quanta.

Umbra, not actually a general variant family

'Umbra' is not a reskin line the way Prime, Vandal, or Wraith are. It refers specifically to Excalibur Umbra (a unique version of the Excalibur Warframe) and his Exalted Umbra Blade, a melee weapon summoned by that Warframe's ability, not a craftable/purchasable item with its own acquisition path.
Our weapon database has exactly one entry containing 'Umbra': Exalted Umbra Blade. There is no broader family of 'Umbra' weapons across other weapon types.
'Umbra Forma' and Umbral mod sets are separate, unrelated systems that also use the Umbra name, don't confuse them with a weapon-variant line.

Mara Detron

What it is: a Void Trader-exclusive variant of the Detron with better crit chance, status chance, magazine size, and accuracy/range than base Detron.
Obtained today: Baro Ki'Teer only, for 200,000 Credits and 500 Ducats, subject to his rotating stock (not guaranteed every visit).
Tradeable: yes for unranked/no-Forma/no-Catalyst copies, notable because most Baro Ki'Teer items are not tradeable at all, making Mara Detron an exception.
Upgrade or sidegrade: a clear upgrade over base Detron.
Mods/Riven: shares the Detron Riven pool; the specific Disposition value versus base Detron could not be independently double-confirmed this pass (flagged below as uncertain).
Separate Mastery: yes, own MR9 entry (base Detron is MR6).
Examples: (single weapon, Mara Detron itself).

Carmine Penta

What it is: a faster-firing, double-magazine variant of the Penta grenade launcher.
Obtained today: originally a China-region exclusive tied to a Platinum-purchase rebate, made available worldwide starting Update 29.10 (March 2021); currently drops from Corpus mystery-loot caches in Pluto and Veil Proxima Empyrean/Railjack missions.
Tradeable: yes, parts and blueprint.
Upgrade or sidegrade: an upgrade for sustained fire (2x magazine, much higher fire rate) at the same per-grenade damage as base Penta.
Mods/Riven: shares the Penta Riven pool, own Disposition (slightly lower than base Penta).
Separate Mastery: yes, own weapon entry.
Examples: (single weapon, Carmine Penta itself).

Ceti Lacera

What it is: a crit-focused variant of the Lacera whip-glaive with faster attack speed, traded off against lower status chance than base Lacera.
Obtained today: introduced in Operation: Scarlet Spear (2020), then reissued through several later Operations and now available annually during the October Nights of Naberus event, not currently offered through Nightwave.
Tradeable: yes, blueprint tradeable since Update 29.6.
Upgrade or sidegrade: a sidegrade, trades status chance for crit chance and attack speed versus base Lacera.
Mods/Riven: shares the Lacera Riven pool, own Disposition (lower than base Lacera).
Separate Mastery: yes, own MR12 entry (base Lacera is MR7).
Examples: (single weapon, Ceti Lacera itself).

Which version should you build? A quick rule of thumb

If a Prime, Vandal, Wraith, or Prisma version of a weapon you want is available to you, build that one, they're built to be straight upgrades over the base weapon and cost nothing extra in gameplay terms once you have access.
If only a Syndicate version (Rakta/Sancti/Synoid/Secura/Telos/Vaykor) or Mutalist version is available, decide based on if you want the proc effect (syndicate) or the status/element shift (Mutalist) enough to accept the Riven Disposition trade-off, otherwise the base weapon with a good Riven can outperform it.
Kuva/Tenet/Coda versions are worth hunting specifically for weapons that don't have a Prime/Vandal/Wraith upgrade path, since their rollable bonus element and Valence Fusion let you tailor them further than any other variant.
MK1 and Dex weapons are not meant to be end-game picks, MK1 exists purely so new players have something to use before Mastery-gated weapons open up, and Dex is a cosmetic/anniversary flex with situational stats, not a build target.
One-off items (Mara Detron, Carmine Penta, Ceti Lacera) are worth grabbing if you can get them cheaply/easily, but none of them are mandatory, they're side-grades or modest upgrades over an already-available base weapon, not unique power spikes.

What to do, in order

When you see an unfamiliar weapon name with a prefix (Rakta, Sancti, Kuva, Prisma, etc.), assume it's a variant of the weapon named after the prefix, and look up that base weapon to compare.
Check whether the variant needs to be crafted from the base weapon (Mutalist does) or is entirely separate (Prime, Prisma, Syndicate, MK1 are not built from the base weapon).
Before spending Platinum or trading for a variant, check whether it's actually tradeable in your intended condition, several families (MK1, Dex, Mutalist, Coda) never are, and most others only trade unranked with no Forma/Catalyst.
If you already own a good Riven for the base weapon's name, it will carry over to Prime/Vandal/Wraith/Prisma/Syndicate versions of the same weapon, you don't need a second Riven.
Prioritize building Prime, Vandal, Wraith, or Prisma versions first when available; treat Syndicate, Mutalist, Dex, and the one-off items (Mara Detron, Carmine Penta, Ceti Lacera) as optional side-grades to pick up opportunistically.
Save MK1 weapons for your very first missions, swap to the full version (or a better variant) as soon as you can afford or build one.

What players get wrong

What people think	What is true
Rakta is New Loka, Sancti is Cephalon Suda, Synoid is Cephalon Simaris, and Telos is Steel Meridian (the pairing players often repeat from memory).	The correct pairing is Rakta = Red Veil, Sancti = New Loka, Synoid = Cephalon Suda, Secura = Perrin Sequence, Telos = Arbiters of Hexis, Vaykor = Steel Meridian. Cephalon Simaris doesn't have its own prefix line.
A Riven mod rolled for a base weapon (say, 'Braton') won't work on that weapon's Prime, Vandal, or Wraith versions.	One Riven mod works across the entire shared-name family (base, Prime, Vandal, Wraith, Prisma), but each version has its own Riven Disposition value, so the same Riven's stats display differently depending which one it's equipped on.
Any special-looking weapon variant can be traded like Prime parts, just maybe with restrictions.	Several families are flatly untradeable regardless of condition: MK1, Dex, Mutalist, and Coda weapons cannot be traded at all. Prime, Prisma, Wraith, Vandal, and Syndicate weapons can only trade unranked copies with no Forma and no Orokin Catalyst installed. Kuva/Tenet weapons can't be traded as finished items at all, only the still-living Lich/Sister can be traded before it's vanquished.
'Umbra' is a weapon-reskin line the same way 'Prime' or 'Vandal' is, so you might see an 'Umbra' version of other weapons someday.	Umbra currently refers only to Excalibur Umbra (the Warframe) and his unique Exalted Umbra Blade, it is not a general weapon-variant family and there is no broader 'Umbra weapons' line.
Dragon Nikana and Gazal Machete are variant versions of the Nikana and Machete.	Despite the naming pattern, neither is a variant: Dragon Nikana has its own separate Riven pool distinct from the standard Nikana family, and Gazal Machete is a standalone Cephalon Simaris clan-research weapon, not a reskin of the base Machete.
Every weapon variant is automatically better than the weapon it's based on.	Prime/Vandal/Wraith/Prisma/Kuva/Tenet/Coda are generally upgrades, but Syndicate weapons, Mutalist weapons, Dex weapons, and Ceti Lacera are sidegrades that trade one stat for another, and MK1 weapons are a deliberate downgrade meant only for brand-new players.

Glossary

Term	Meaning
Riven Mod	A randomized mod tied to one weapon or weapon family, whose stat rolls are scaled by that weapon's current Riven Disposition.
Riven Disposition	A per-weapon multiplier (shown as 1 to 5 dots/stars) that scales how strong a Riven mod's rolled stats are on that specific weapon; it can differ between a base weapon and its Prime/Vandal/Wraith/Prisma/Syndicate versions even though they share one Riven pool.
Void Relic	An item opened in Void Fissure missions that can drop Prime weapon/Warframe parts; the primary way Prime gear is obtained today.
Baro Ki'Teer	The Void Trader, an NPC who visits Relays on a recurring schedule selling Prisma weapons and other Void-exclusive items for Credits and Ducats.
Ducats	A currency earned by trading unneeded Prime parts to Cephalon Simaris, spent with Baro Ki'Teer.
Orokin Catalyst / Reactor	A consumable that doubles a weapon's (Catalyst) or Warframe's (Reactor) mod capacity; installing one on a variant typically blocks that copy from being traded.
Forma	A consumable used to reset a weapon's rank to 0 in exchange for changing/adding a polarity slot; also used to push Kuva/Tenet/Coda weapons past Rank 30 up to Rank 40.
Standing	Reputation currency earned with a Syndicate, spent (among other things) on that Syndicate's signature weapon variant.
Sidegrade	A variant that trades one stat or capability for another rather than being a flat improvement or downgrade.
Progenitor system / Adversary system	The umbrella mechanic behind Kuva Liches, Sisters of Parvos, and Technocyte Coda, covered in detail in the companion Kuva/Tenet/Coda explainer.