Best weapons in Warframe for each Mastery Rank

If you are looking for the best weapons to get in Warframe for your Mastery Rank level, you have come to the right place. A weapon's Mastery Rank requirement in Warframe is usually meant to be representative of its overall power ceiling. However, many of the 500-odd weapons do not stick to this rule. Some of them are too strong, considering how early you can get them, while others may hardly be worth the effort.

Theoretically, there are several strong weapons without any Mastery Rank lock whatsoever. Specifically, all Kitguns, Zaws, and the bow Nataruk can be used at Mastery Rank 0.

The issue here is accessibility. Kitguns and Zaws are locked behind many days of Fortuna grind, while Nataruk is only obtainable a long way into Warframe's main questline.

Rather than list these anomalous outliers, we will list the best weapons in Warframe for each Mastery Rank, keeping practicality and accessibility in mind. The best weapons listed for a specific Mastery Rank in this article should be within reasonable means for a player at that respective level of progression.

Best weapons to get in Warframe for every Mastery Rank

Best weapons in Warframe at Mastery Rank 0

Burston is arguably the best gun at Mastery Rank 0, but at this level, all weapons are weak (Image via Digital Extremes)

The fledgling Tenno does not have many weapon choices in the first few hours of playing Warframe. This early on, you are supposed to be taking on very low-level enemies on Earth and Venus. The following are the best weapons you can get to handle these:

Best Primary weapon at Mastery Rank 0: Burston is a great burst-fire weapon. For a more high base damage long-range option, go for Latron if you can stand the infamous early-game Plastid grind.
Best Secondary weapon at Mastery Rank 0: Bronco is a great choice. Alternately, if you can get it to drop from Vor, Seer is quite strong at this level.
Best Melee weapon at Mastery Rank 0: Azothane, obtainable from Duviri. For a non-Duviri melee option, go with Fang.

As mentioned earlier, there are extremely strong weapons like Nataruk and Kitguns (Gaze, Catchmoon) without a Mastery Rank lock, but they are impossible to obtain if you have just started playing.

Best weapons in Warframe at Mastery Rank 1

Glaive retains its signature design from Dark Sector, Warframe's predecessors (Image via Digital Extremes)

Not many new weapons unlock at Mastery Rank 1 over Mastery Rank 0, but there are some better options here.

Best Primary weapon at Mastery Rank 1: Strun, the earliest shotgun you can get.
Best Secondary weapon at Mastery Rank 1: No new secondary weapons unlock at this Mastery Rank.
Best Melee weapon at Mastery Rank 1: Glaive is the easy winner, as its heavy attack forces Slash procs.

Best weapons in Warframe at Mastery Rank 2

Pinning enemies to walls is 50% of Boltor's fun (Image via Digital Extremes)

By this point, you should start ranking up basic mods like Serration, Hornet Strike, and Pressure Point to get your mod builds rolling. Thankfully, Mastery Rank 2 brings some good options that can carry you into the midgame with a half-decent mod build.

Best Primary weapon at Mastery Rank 2: Boltor, an automatic nail-gun, is far stronger than its alternatives.
Best Secondary weapon at Mastery Rank 2: Sonicor is a fun gimmick weapon you should not miss. Rather than outright killing them, you can have fun by ragdolling enemies ad infinitum.
Best Melee weapon at Mastery Rank 2: Orthos due to its high reach and fast attacks on any Polearm Stance.

Best weapons in Warframe at Mastery Rank 3

Tetra, the best of Corpus tech in the early game

The best weapons unlocked in this Mastery Rank are strong enough to mow down enemies up to level 30, turning early Cetus and Fortuna bounties into a cakewalk.

Best Primary weapon at Mastery Rank 3: Tetra, the much stronger tech version of Braton.
Best Secondary weapon at Mastery Rank 3: Lex, Warframe's D-Eagle.
Best Melee weapon at Mastery Rank 3: Ceramic Dagger off Nightwave Credit Shop, which you can turn into a powerhouse once you unlock the Incarnon Ceramic Dagger upgrade in the late game.

Best weapons in Warframe at Mastery Rank 4

Hek is the most popular early-game weapon for good reason (Image via Digital Extremes)

Mastery Rank 4 is where weapon unlocks start to get strong. Some of the weapons (especially Hek) obtainable at this level are good enough to carry you through the entire star chart.

Best Primary weapon at Mastery Rank 4: Hek is generally considered the best early-game weapon in Warframe. Slap on the Scattered Justice Augment mod, and this shotgun becomes the highest per-shot damage obtainable at this level of progression.
Best Secondary weapon at Mastery Rank 4: Viper Wraith, the first Wraith variant you can unlock. Alternately, you can turn your Lex into an Aklex.
Best Melee weapon at Mastery Rank 4: Xoris, the only melee weapon with infinite combo duration.

Best weapons in Warframe at Mastery Rank 5

Consider yourself lucky if you get invaded by the Stalker because he just might drop the Dread (Image via Digital Extremes)

The best weapons in Warframe for Mastery Rank 5 make you much better equipped to deal with endless game modes. This Mastery level will give you the first taste of what has been the de-facto meta for a long time: area-of-effect weapons.

Best Primary weapon at Mastery Rank 5: Dread for single-target DPS, and the Incarnon Dread later on. If you get unlucky with Stalker drops and haven't got a Dread blueprint yet, go with Ignis.
Best Secondary weapon at Mastery Rank 5: Atomos for single-target, Kulstar for area damage.
Best Melee weapon at Mastery Rank 5: Atterax, an old-school community favorite whip.

Note: Mastery Rank 5 also grants access to Kuva Liches and Sisters of Parvos, which unlock Kuva and Tenet weapons, respectively. Even though these weapons claim to have a Mastery Rank, you can get them at any level.

These will beat most pre-MR10 weapons listed here. As long as you slot Hunter Munitions, a Tenet Tetra or a Kuva Bramma lets you power through the entire game without turning to anything else.

Best weapons in Warframe at Mastery Rank 6

Soma is the "ol' faithful" for Warframe veterans (Image via Digital Extremes)

In addition to the following weapons, which are arguably the best in Warframe for this Mastery Rank, you can also get Rubico. While not universally useful, Rubico is the earliest anti-Eidolon weapon with any meaningful impact.

Best Primary weapon at Mastery Rank 6: Soma, one of the strongest assault rifles to get in the early and mid-game.
Best Secondary weapon at Mastery Rank 6: Rakta Ballistica, likely the only viable mini-crossbow weapon. Note that Brakk far outperforms its competitors at MR6—if you are lucky enough to get its components, that is.
Best Melee weapon at Mastery Rank 6: Dual Ichor, which you can infuse with an Incarnon later on.

Best weapons in Warframe at Mastery Rank 7

Synoid Gammacor is arguably the best Syndicate-based secondary (Image via Digital Extremes)

By this point, you should max out your base damage mods for primary and secondary weapons. With enough damage overhead, the weapons at this Mastery Rank can easily deal with all trash mobs until level 50.

Best Primary weapon at Mastery Rank 7: Zarr for one of the best explosive weapons pre-Mastery Rank 10. Alternatively, you can try Sobek with Acid Shells.
Best Secondary weapon at Mastery Rank 7: Synoid Gammacor, a secondary that can be built to deal with any faction. Also upgradable to Incarnon Gammacor.
Best Melee weapon at Mastery Rank 7: Cerata, the best anti-Corpus melee weapon.

Best weapons in Warframe at Mastery Rank 8

Epitaph will be a permanent addition to your arsenal as one of the best primers (Image via Digital Extremes)

At Mastery Rank 8, a player is supposed to be at Warframe's mid-game in terms of overall progression. In practice, you can already get your hands on Steel Path-worthy equipment. Mastery Rank 8 grants access to powerful weapons from the Entrati faction on Deimos.

Best Primary weapon at Mastery Rank 8: Cedo, one of the best shotguns in Warframe.
Best Secondary weapon at Mastery Rank 8: Epitaph, a legendary wrist-mounted secondary that pays dividends even at level cap.
Best Melee weapon at Mastery Rank 8: Hate if you get the blueprint to drop. Otherwise, go for Dragon Nikana.

Best weapons in Warframe at Mastery Rank 9

Ignis Wraith is hands down one of the best weapons that you can take to any mission type (Image via Digital Extremes)

At this level, you should have an expansive enough arsenal to start juggling Sorties.

From here on out, there are any number of critical-based weapons you can pick up, slap Hunter Munitions on, and coast along the normal star chart with ease. However, the good weapons will additionally offer useability and other perks.

The best weapons to get at this Mastery Rank are:

Best Primary weapon at Mastery Rank 9: Ignis Wraith, arguably Warframe's most popular weapon of all time.
Best Secondary weapon at Mastery Rank 9: Tysis, an underrated status primer.
Best Melee weapon at Mastery Rank 9: Vastilok, a Gunbalde that can turn into one of the best armor-stripping tools in Warframe for bosses thanks to Shattering Impact.

Best weapons in Warframe at Mastery Rank 10

Stahlta is a criminally underrated weapon (Image via Digital Extremes)

As your Mastery Rank goes double digits, the variety of weapons available to you opens up greatly. There are many options here, but the best weapons in Warframe for Mastery Rank 10 are:

Best Primary weapon at Mastery Rank 10: The criminally underrated Stahlta, which easily has one of the most powerful alt-fires in Warframe.
Best Secondary weapon at Mastery Rank 10: Knell, which rewards skill with high damage output.
Best Melee weapon at Mastery Rank 10: Glaive Prime, a straight upgrade to Glaive. The high price of Glaive Prime on the open market, however, compels us to provide an alternative. You can consider Stropha, the strongest gunblade in the game.

Best weapons in Warframe at Mastery Rank 11

Dual Toxocysts develop into one of the best Incarnons in the game (Image via Digital Extremes)

At this point, you should have more than enough firepower to clear out the star chart. This unlocks Arbitration, paving the way for you to farm Galvanized mods. To suit this, Mastery Rank 11 also opens the door to the true end-game weapons.

Best Primary weapon at Mastery Rank 11: Synapse, which is arguably the most underrated single-target weapon in Warframe.
Best Secondary weapon at Mastery Rank 11: Dual Toxocyst, which has a top-tier Incarnon upgrade.
Best Melee weapon at Mastery Rank 11: Skiajati, which you get for free from 'The Sacrifice' quest.

Best weapons in Warframe at Mastery Rank 12

By this point, you are supposed to be at Warframe's end-game, dipping your toes in the Steel Path. Due to this, primers, Galvanized mods, and armor-stripping are essential. The best weapons in Warframe at this Mastery level incorporate both critical and status chances for hybrid scaling.

Best Primary weapon at Mastery Rank 12: Burston Prime, thanks to its Incarnon, is currently the best assault rifle in the entire game.
Best Secondary weapon at Mastery Rank 12: Hystrix Prime, the primed variant of a fun gimmick secondary that can switch elements.
Best Melee weapon at Mastery Rank 12: Nikana Prime, one of the all-time fan favorite melee weapons in Warframe.

Best weapons in Warframe at Mastery Rank 13

As hideous as it is powerful, Bubonico remains a sleeper hit for self-sufficiency (Image via Digital Extremes)

At Mastery Rank 13, you have a large number of weapons that you can use for endurance runs. For these high-level long runs, make sure to use faction damage multiplier mods for double-dip scaling.

At this point, you will have tried most, if not all, subclasses for guns and melee weapons, letting you hone your preferred playstyle.

Best Primary weapon at Mastery Rank 13: Bubonico, an arm-cannon that functions similarly to Cedo. Alternately, if you want something with no damage falloff, many swear by the Trumna.
Best Secondary weapon at Mastery Rank 13: Zylok Prime, with its Incarnon upgrade, can be a good area-damage secondary.
Best Melee weapon at Mastery Rank 13: Galatine Prime, one of the best heavy-blade weapons.

Best weapons in Warframe at Mastery Rank 14

Even though you get it the earliest, Laetum turns out to be the strongest Incarnon weapon (Image via Digital Extremes)

This Mastery Rank currently unlocks the best weapons according to the ongoing Warframe meta: Incarnon weapons. While the Incarnon Genesis weapons in Warframe have superseded some of these in specific cases, the original Incarnon weapons still represent the peak power level attainable in Warframe.

Best Primary weapon at Mastery Rank 14: Phenmor, the only assault rifle boasting great DPS without railroading you into a critical chance build.
Best Secondary weapon at Mastery Rank 14: Laetum, a contender for the best secondary in the whole game.
Best Melee weapon at Mastery Rank 14: Innodem, the Incarnon dagger that turns into a pocket-Greatsword with massive effective range.

Mastery Rank 15 and above

At Mastery Rank 15 and above, you effectively have full access to all the 500-odd weapons with no further Mastery Lock. The only weapon to unlock at this Mastery Rank 15 is the secondary Aklex Prime—except for Kuva and Tenet weapons, that is.

Kuva and Tenet weapons all display Mastery Requirements ranging from 13 to 16, but as mentioned earlier, Mastery locks are not enforced for these weapons. To learn more about these endgame weapons, you can consult our guides on the best Warframe Kuva weapons and best Warframe Tenet weapons.

Check out other guides on this game from Sportskeeda:

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