All Warframe Damage Types, Explained

The free-to-play game gives players many tools and weapons to work with, but what do they all do? Each physical weapon is split between three damage types, while the elemental weapons have more depth.

Melee Damage Types

• Impact - The staggering physical damage type. By default, this damage type will cause enemies to flinch for one second but can be increased with continuous hits or investment. It also increases the HP threshold when using a Parazon finisher (Mercy) by 4% per stack (up to 10 stacks for 80% total HP). It does well against shields, but against Corpus and Grineer bodies, it does less than the other damage types.
• Puncture - Causes the Weakened status effect, reducing the target's damage output by 30% for six seconds. This can stack up to 10 times, with each additional stack weakening by 5% for a total of 75%. They deal less against shields by dealing more damage to armored enemies as it ignores some of the enemy's defense while increasing the base damage of the weapon.
• Slash - Causes the Bleed status effect, dealing True damage for six seconds equal to 35% of the weapon's base damage after a one-second delay. Unlike the other status effects, Bleed has no limit and can continually be stacked. Slash damage is weak against armor, but Bleed bypasses armor as True damage isn't reduced by anything. Slash damage does do increased damage against Flesh, with a major increase against the Infested.
  

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Primary Elemental Damage

• Cold - Causes the Freeze status effect to reduce the movement speed, fire rate, and attack speed of the target by 25% for six seconds. Every additional proc decreases this further by 5% for a total of 70% at the maximum 10 stacks. Cold does well against standard Shield enemies but suffers against Infested.
• Electricity - Causes the Tesla Chain status effect, stunning the affected target(s) for three seconds and dealing damage equal to 50% of the weapon's base damage (and any additional damage multipliers) for six seconds in a 3-meter radius. If the Tesla Chain hits an enemy's head, You can make a second headshot. Enemies affected by electricity are covered in blue electricity with lines connected to each enemy. Electric damage is useful against Machinery and Robotic enemies but does less damage against Alloy Armor.
• Heat - Causes the Ignite status effect, dealing 50% of the weapon's base damage per second for six seconds after a one-second delay. Ignite strips up to 50% of armor for two seconds, but the enemy will regain their armor over time once the Ignite effects end. Stacks are not limited either so continually stacking this damage over time effect can be done. Ignited enemies panic for four seconds, and affected enemies will be visibly on fire. Heat is effective against things without armor or shields, but deals decreased damage to enemies with a shield.
• Toxin - Causes the Poison status effect, working like the Ignite status effect. However, it bypasses shields. Enemies affected by Poison have a green toxin leaking from their bodies. It's especially useful against Corpus flesh and proto-shielded, but less damage against Grineer Machinery, Corpus Robotics, and Fossilized Infested.

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Secondary Elemental Damage

By combining two primary elemental types, a new damage type can be used with various effects.

• Blast - Created by using Cold and Heat, Blast causes Inaccuracy. This decreases accuracy by 30% for six seconds and can reach up to 75% accuracy loss at 10 stacks (each stack after the first reduces accuracy by 5%). Enemies affected by Blast will have sparks and a cloud over their heads to indicate this effect. This damage type is useful against Grineer Machinery and Fossilized Infested while doing less damage against Ferrite Armor and Infested Sinew.
• Corrosive - Created by using Electricity and Toxin, Corrosive causes Corrosion. This reduces armor by 26% for eight seconds. Additional stacks after the first decrease this further by 6%, up to 10 stacks for a total of 80%. Enemies affected have a green, electric effect placed over them. This damage type is useful against Ferrite Armor and Fossilized Infested but decreases damage Proto Shield using Corpus.
• Gas - Created by using Heat and Toxin, Gas creates a Gas Cloud. This effect creates a 3-meter radius gas cloud that deals 50% of the weapon's base damage for six seconds to anyone inside. This can stack up to 10 times and increase in size up to 6 meters. Each stack after the first increases the size by 0.3 meters. This damage type is useful against Infested (Not Fossilized or Sinew) but decreases damage against Grineer Cloned Flesh and Corpus Flesh.
• Magnetic - Created by using Cold and Electricity, Magnetic causes the Disrupt status effect. This effect causes damage to shields to increase by 100% for six seconds, with each subsequent stack increasing this damage by 25%. This caps out at 325% at the maximum 10 stacks and has blue rings around the affected target(s). This damage type is useful against Corpus Shield and Proto Shield but does decreased damage against Alloy Armor.
• Radiation - Created by using Electricity and Heat, Radiation causes the Confusion status effect. This causes the affected enemy to attack its allies for 100% more damage for 12 seconds. The time can't be stacked, but the damage they deal increases by 50% each subsequent stack for a total of 550% at 10 stacks. However, against Kuva Lich, this increases the damage they take from allies but not their own damage. It can only get up to four stacks for a total of 250% damage taken. Damage against these enemy types won't make them attack each other unless more than one enemy is affected by Confusion. Confused enemies are labeled with a purple mass around them. This damage type is effective against Alloy Armor, Corpus Robotic, and Infested Sinew but deals less damage against Corpus Shield, Infested, and Fossilized Infested.
• Viral - Created by using Cold and Toxin and causes the Virus status effect. This causes the affected enemy to take 100% more damage when dealing damage to their Health for six seconds. Each additional proc adds 25% more damage dealt for a maximum of 325% at 10 stacks. This increases DoT effects like Bleed as well. Enemies affected by this effect are coated in the color of the weapon's Energy color that caused it. This damage type is effective against Grineer Clone Flesh and Corpus Flesh but deals less damage against Grineer Machinery and Infested.

Those are the main damage types you can expect to encounter playing Warframe and their effects against each enemy. Dealing with various enemy types can be difficult, but using the right tool for the job and making builds or upgrading mods can make this a breeze. The game has plenty of ways to play around, experiment, and customize your weapons and Warframe to cater to your playstyle.

For more on how to make farming a lot easier, check out How to Farm Orokin Cells in Warframe on Pro Game Guides.