Warframe Farming Resource Guide: Best Missions per Item

Warframe Farming Resource Guide: Best Missions per Item

Let's be honest, Tenno. We've all been there. You see that shiny new Warframe blueprint, a devastating weapon, or a crucial segment for your Orbiter. Your heart fills with excitement... until you check the crafting requirements. "Neural Sensors x5." "Argon Crystal x2." "Tellurium x1." And suddenly, the dream is replaced by the grim reality of the grind.

But what if the grind didn't have to be a painful, mind-numbing chore? What if you knew exactly where to go for the fastest, most efficient resource farming? This guide is designed to be your one-stop shop, your ultimate codex for turning resource scarcity into abundance. We're not just listing resources; we're providing a strategic blueprint for the best missions, the most effective tactics, and the secrets to maximizing your yield per minute. Let's turn you from a struggling scavenger into a resource-hoarding master.

The Golden Rule of Farming: Boosters and Smeeta Kavat

Before we dive into specific locations, let's address the two biggest force multipliers in your farming arsenal:

Resource Boosters: Purchasable from the market for Platinum or occasionally as a Daily Tribute reward, a Resource Booster doubles all pickups for 3 days. This is the single best investment for a dedicated farming session. If you're planning to farm a lot of one thing, this pays for itself in time saved.
Resource Drop Chance Booster: This is even more powerful. It doesn't double what you pick up; it doubles the chance for resources to drop from enemies in the first place. Stack this with a regular Resource Booster for astronomical gains.
Smeeta Kavat: This loyal companion has a random charm buff called "Affinity & Resource Chance." When it procs, it gives you a 120-second buff that grants a massive boost to resource drop chances and sometimes even doubles your pickups. It's RNG-based, but over a long farming session, it makes a tremendous difference.

With these in mind, let's get to the good stuff.

The Essential Planetary Resources

These are the building blocks of almost everything in the game. While they drop on their respective planets, some locations are far superior to others.

Neural Sensors: A notorious bottleneck for new and veteran players alike.
- Best Mission: Cameria, Jupiter (Dark Sector Survival). Dark Sector missions have innate resource drop chance bonuses for that planet's resources. Cameria offers a great balance of enemy density and ease of navigation. Stay for 20 minutes, and you'll likely have a dozen or more.
- Alternative: Themisto, Jupiter (Assassination). If you need just a couple quickly and want a chance at the Alad V assassination drop, this is a fast, albeit less efficient, option.
Neurodes: Another classic bottleneck, especially for early-game weapons and Frames.
- Best Mission: Assur, Uranus (Dark Sector Survival). Similar to Cameria, the Dark Sector bonus is key. The Grineer units on Uranus drop Neurodes at a reasonable rate, and the survival format ensures a constant stream of enemies.
- Alternative: Earth and Deimos Sabotage caches have a high chance to reward Neurodes. On Deimos, the Cambion Drift is also excellent, especially with a resource booster, as the unique "fish" and "mining" resources can be traded for Neurodes at Father's shop.
Orokin Cell: Absolutely vital for Prime gear and many Dojo weapons.
- Best Mission: Helene, Saturn (Dark Sector Defense). This is a legendary farming spot, and for good reason. Not only do you get a ton of Orokin Cells thanks to the Dark Sector bonus, but you also farm massive amounts of Affinity to level your gear. It's a two-for-one deal that is unmatched.
- Alternative: Gabii, Ceres (Dark Sector Survival). Another solid Dark Sector choice. Some players prefer the survival flow over defense.
Gallium: Found on Mars, it's a common requirement for early to mid-game gear.
- Best Mission: Augustus, Mars (Dark Sector Survival). The pattern continues. The Dark Sector survival is your best friend for consistent, booster-friendly Gallium income.
Control Module, Morphics, Ferrite, etc.: For these more common resources, any Dark Sector mission on their respective planet will serve you well. Running a few rounds of Laomedeia, Neptune (Dark Sector Defense) will net you a mountain of Control Modules, for instance.

The Specialized and Rare Resources

These require more specific farming strategies and often come from unique sources.

Argon Crystals: The "here today, gone tomorrow" resource. They decay after 24 real-life hours.
- Best Mission: Any Void Capture mission, like Hepit in the low-level Void or Ukko in the high-level Void. The strategy is simple: equip a fast Warframe (like Volt or Titania), sprint to the capture target, secure them, and then open every single container and locker in the nearby tiles. Argon Crystals have a high chance to drop from breakable containers in the Void. This is a speed-running method, not an enemy-killing method.
- Alternative: Void Armageddon or Survival if you want to combine Argon farming with other Void-specific rewards like Relics.
Tellurium: This space-faring resource only drops from Archwing missions or in open-world areas during ground missions.
- Best Mission: Ophelia, Uranus (Survival). This is the quintessential Tellurium farm. The Grineer Sealab tileset is considered an "Archwing-enabled" area, so enemies have a chance to drop Tellurium. It's also a fantastic spot for Polymer Bundle farming. Bring a Pilfering Swarm Hydroid, a Nekros, or a Khora to maximize your loot rolls.
- Alternative: Archwing missions like Salacia, Neptune (Mobile Defense) are also effective but are generally less popular than Ophelia.
Cryotic: You can't get this from enemies; you earn it by defending Excavators.
- Best Mission: Hieracon, Pluto (Dark Sector Excavation). This is the go-to for a reason. It's a high-level mission that also drops a lot of credits and Axi Relics. The key is efficiency: don't try to run every single excavator at once. Focus on one or two at a time to ensure they don't get destroyed. A well-coordinated squad can farm thousands of Cryotic per hour here.
Oxium: This is dropped exclusively by Oxium Ospreys, which self-destruct on a suicide charge. You must kill them before they explode to get the Oxium.
- Best Mission: Io, Jupiter (Defense). This mission has a high and consistent spawn rate of Corpus, including Oxium Ospreys, especially in the earlier waves. It's also a great Meso Relic farm. A nuking frame like Saryn or Mirage can wipe the ospreys out before they have a chance to charge.
- Alternative: Galatea, Neptune (Sabotage) is known for a specific room that can spawn a large group of Oxium Ospreys, but it's less consistent than Io.

Open World Resources: A Different Kind of Hunt

The open-world landscapes (Plains of Eidolon, Orb Vallis, Cambion Drift) have their own unique resources, primarily gathered through Mining, Fishing, and Conservation.

Plains of Eidolon (Cetus):
- Iradite & Grokdrul: Common from resource nodes and enemies.
- Cetus Wisp: The big-ticket item. They spawn around the edges of the large bodies of water, especially at night. The most effective method is to create a dedicated "Wisp Run" route using a fast Warframe (like Titania or Gauss) and an Archwing launcher, circling the lakes at the start of a free roam. A Loot Detector or Animal Instinct mod is essential to see them on your mini-map.
Orb Vallis (Fortuna):
- Toroids: The equivalent of Cetus Wisps but for Fortuna. The most efficient farming spots are specific, high-level enemy bases:
  - Vega Toroid: Drop from enemies at the Spaceport.
  - Calda Toroid: Drop from enemies at the Enrichment Labs.
  - Sola Toroid: Drop from enemies at the Temple of Profit. The strategy is to bring a loot-frame (Nekros, Khora, Hydroid) and a strong defensive frame (like Gara or Frost) and camp inside these bases, killing endlessly for 5-10 minutes at a time. The drop rate is low, so be prepared for a session.
Cambion Drift (Deimos):
- Necraxx & Thaumic: Gathered from mining.
- Fish Parts: The unique "fish" here are actually floating, worm-like creatures. Catching them yields resources needed for the Helminth segment and Xaku. The best advice for open worlds is to use the dedicated tools: the Sunpoint Plasma Drill for mining and the appropriate fishing spears and bait. Always check with the local vendors to see what tools you need for the highest-tier resources.

Advanced Loot Strategy: The Power of the Loot Frame

To truly master resource farming, you must understand and utilize "loot frames." These Warframes have abilities that directly increase the amount of loot you receive.

Nekros: His Desecrate ability has a 54% chance to cause slain enemies to drop additional loot. This is a straight-up multiplier to your resource income. It's the most popular and reliable loot frame.
Khora: Her Pilfering Strangledome Augment Mod ensures enemies killed while trapped in her Strangledome have a 100% chance to drop additional loot. It's also a fantastic crowd-control ability.
Hydroid: His Pilfering Swarm Augment Mod causes enemies grabbed by his Tentacle Swarm to have a 100% chance to drop additional loot. It can be a bit less reliable than Khora's dome but is still very effective.
Atlas: His Ore Gaze Augment Mod petrifies enemies with his first ability, and petrified enemies have a 50% chance to drop additional loot when shattered. It's less common but can be stacked with other loot abilities.

Pro-Tip: These abilities do not stack with each other. You only need one in a squad. However, they do stack with Resource Boosters and the Smeeta Kavat's charm buff. The ideal farming squad is one loot frame, a DPS frame to kill quickly, a support frame for energy/survival, and a speed frame like Nova to help with mobility.

Tenno, the path to resource mastery is now before you. No more wandering aimlessly, hoping for that one drop. With this guide, you have a targeted, efficient plan for every resource the Origin System can throw at you. Equip your boosters, summon your Smeeta, squad up with your friends, and happy farming