Warframe's bonkers 1999 update sneaks out today: Y2K, dating, boy bands, motorbikes—it's gonna be a weird weekend

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Warframe: 1999 Official Gameplay Trailer - Launching December 13 on All Platforms - YouTube

Warframe's weirdest update is due out today, Digital Extremes announced at The Game Awards last night. And that's saying a lot, for a game that absolutely revels in the strange. But this time we've got an alternate history of the turn of the millennium, an old Earth city to explore, a bunch of new pals sporting prototype warframes to hang out with and date, and a corrupted '90s boy band to fight.

The free-to-play shooter has been gearing up for this update for a while, and the Drifter's mission to figure out what the heck is going on in the far-flung future will soon take them back in time to an alt-history where Earth is on the cusp of the 21st century and dealing with the apocalyptic techrot.

While you're on your wee holiday, you'll encounter a new syndicate, the Hex, and a singleplayer quest where you'll get to know the protoframe members of the syndicate, all of them living inside an abandoned mall. Together you'll fight two new enemy factions, the Scaldra Army and Techrot Infestation, and search for the source of this end-of-days crisis in the city of Höllvania.

To get around the city, you'll be able to zip around on your new mount: the atomicycle, which is just a wee bit more agile than your typical motorbike. During your downtime, you'll also be able to chill out and chat with your new mates on IM, and eventually start to romance them. This isn't a one-off deal, either, as you'll be able to replay the campaign and make different choices.

There's a heck of a lot of new stuff to get to grips with in addition to all the above. A side-scroller minigame you'll be able to play in the mall; fully voiced, customisable cosmetics in the form of the new Gemini skins, allowing you to change the look of Excalibur, Mag, Volt, Nyx, Trinirt and the 59th warframe, Cyte-09, so that they match their 1999 appearance even when you're back in your own timeline; four new mission types, including the first ever PvPvE mode, Faceoff; and naturally a bunch of extra goodies available for purchase in the marketplace.

It's a good thing I'm going to be on holiday soon, because there's a lot to dig into.

Digital Extremes hasn't announced when exactly today the update will roll out today, but it's a Canadian dev, so expect it to come out a bit later in the day here in Blighty, likely in the early evening over here, or late morning/early afternoon EST.

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Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.

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