Warframe beam weapons tier list: All beam weapons, ranked

Beam weapons are some of the most unique weapon types in Warframe. Being a sci-fi looter shooter, these fit perfectly with the game’s theme, and thankfully, the game provides a lot of options to select from.

One big advantage of having Beam weapons is their ability to apply status effects. Since most beam weapons fire a continuous chain, adding multishot not only increases damage but also helps stack status effects faster.

Over the years, Digital Extremes has added a lot of Beam weapons, so picking one can get confusing. We have made a tier list for all Beam weapons in Warframe to help you make the choice.

Tier listing all beam weapons in Warframe from best to worst

It's no secret that some weapons can do a job much better than others. The list below will give you a general idea of the strongest Beam weapons currently available in Warframe.

Here's what the tier list looks like:

Tiers	Primary Weapons	Secondary Weapons
S	Torid Incarnon, Tenet Glaxion, Phantasma Prime	Kuva Nukor, Tenet Cycron
A	Ignis Wraith, Ocucor, Vermisplicer, Synapse, Coda Synapse, Phantasma, Amprex, Phage, Convectrix	Catabolyst, Coda Catabolyst, Atomos Incarnon, Onos Incarnon, Synoid Gammacor, Gaze
B	Glaxion Vandal, Ignis, Spectra Vandal, Quanta Vandal	Nukor
C	Glaxion, Spectra, Quanta	Embolist, Gammacor, Atomos, Cycron

S-tier Beam weapons

There are a few Beam weapons in Warframe that stand above all when it comes to dealing damage during high-level endurance runs.

Torid Incarnon: The Torid was usually the forgotten child until its Incarnon form. The weapon originally worked as the Ogris but transforms into a Beam weapon in Incarnon form. It retains the innate toxic base, which works well with Viral builds.
Tenet Glaxion: Tenet weapons were a great refresh of the Corpus weapons, with Tenet Glaxion massively improving upon the low critical rate of the base weapon.
Kuva Nukor: Used as a primer weapon with melees like Glaive Prime, Kuva Nukor was the go-to weapon before Tenet Cycron was introduced.
Tenet Cycron: Serving as the perfect alternative to Kuva Nukor, the Tenet Cycron boasts a better critical rate and infinite ammo.
Phantasma Prime: The original Phantasma was already good at melting enemies, and to no one’s surprise, the Prime does the same job even better. This was all thanks to the addition of Galvanized mods like Galvanized Savvy.

A-tier Beam weapons

Ignis Wraith (Image via Digital Extremes)

Yet to acquire any of the S-tier weapons? Worry not, as there are plenty of others that will carry you through the Steel Path. These weapons can also dish out good damage, but require a little more investment.

Ignis Wraith: One of the best starter weapons you can get as a new Warframe Tenno with an innate heat status effect.
Ocucor: Another easy-to-acquire weapon with incredible crowd control. The built-in Radiation status of the weapon allows you to explore other status combinations.
Vermisplicer: The only good weapon is the one you pick parts for. Vermisplicer is a custom kitgun component that adds innate toxin status to the weapon, handy for a heat and viral build.
Catabolyst: Ran out of ammo? Use the empty magazine as a grenade to take the enemies by surprise.
Coda Catabolyst: A slightly upgraded Catabolyst that tosses three grenades on reload instead of one.
Synapse: The OG synapse with corrosive damage that can strip enemy armor, great for high-level content.
Coda Synapse: Coda weapons are currently some of the best additions in Warframe. The Coda Synapse adds innate punch-through to the weapon along with improved Beam length and status chance.
Atomos Incarnon: Another weapon shot up in popularity thanks to Incarnon adapters. While the weapon is a Beam type, the Incarnon evolution changes this to a grenade launcher.
Phantasma: Signature weapon of Revenant, Phantasma can easily prime enemies with status effects.
Amprex: One of the oldest beam rifles in the game, Amprex was the go-to for making elemental combinations thanks to its innate Electric status effect. With a good critical base and low mastery requirements, it serves as a good starter weapon.
Onos Incarnon: The base Onos is a projectile arm cannon; however, switching to Incarnon form turns it into a beam weapon that charges to unleash a devastating blast.
Synoid Gammacor: Gammacor itself may not be that great, but the Synoid variant massively improves the base stats to make a decent build.
Gaze: Another kitgun part for those who want to make a budget Kuva Nukor.
Phage: Featuring a direct Viral status effect, the Phage has a big spread that can be controlled by aiming down the sights.
Convectrix: An interesting Corpus weapon that is held back by a low critical chance.

B-tier Beam weapons

Glaxion Vandal (Image via Digital Extremes)

There are a few weapons that still hold up well but are overshadowed by their upgraded variants.

Glaxion Vandal: The improved variant of Glaxion, which boasts a high status chance for the innate Cold status.
Ignis: The Ignis was once the pinnacle of heat damage. Sadly, the Ignis Wraith outclasses its predecessor by a huge margin.
Spectra Vandal: An improvement over the original Spectra with better critical and status chance.
Nukor: The Nukor itself is a very good primer, but the usability ended after the introduction of the Kuva weapons.
Quanta Vandal: A massive improvement over the base variant, the Quanta Vandal can do good damage when paired with a Riven mod.

C-tier Beam Weapons

Mostly referred to as Mastery Rank (MR) fodder, these weapons are usually the go-to when it comes to increasing MR.

Glaxion: The OG freeze gun, Glaxion, was the first primary weapon with innate Cold damage.
Spectra: Made for cutting metals, the Corpus issued these as weapons for the poor infantry you mow down during missions.
Embolist: A very cool gimmick gun that would be usable if the gimmick did decent damage.
Gammacor: The weapon looks cool, but that’s the only thing we can think of in its current state.
Atomos: The base Atomos was used as a primer until a lot of better options were introduced.
Quanta: While the Vandal variation did add some usability for Quanta, the original is left untouched due to multiple other options to apply Electric status.
Cyron: The second side of the coin, one is an S-tier weapon, while the OG Cyron collects dust for those who like to have all weapons in Warframe.

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About the author

Mayank Singh Rathour is an MMO writer at Sportskeeda. He graduated from college with a degree in Business Administration and has over two years of experience as an esports journalist.

Mayank was introduced to gaming at an early age and played Contra, Double Dragon, Castlevania, etc., on his Nintendo DS. When he was a little older, Counter-Strike — a title that majorly helped develop his passion for gaming — became his favorite pastime. Though he's played a bunch of games since then, his love of CS has remained strong. Shroud, a former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro, is an inspiration to him. He's also a fan of series' esports scene, following teams like Vitality, NAVI, and The Mongols closely.

When Mayank has some free time, he plays basketball and helps people build PCs.

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Edited by Ripunjay Gaba