What is Riven disposition in Warframe?

The total number of weapons in Warframe will likely exceed 500 by 2023. These are all unique weapons, with no two being the same. The variegation is done both through flavor and functionality. Each weapon corresponds to different classes as well as the distinct design hijinks of different in-game factions. Implementing balance, however, is another tale altogether. Oftentimes, there is a gulf of difference in relative power level between older and newer weapons meant to fulfill the same niche.

To keep the flow of new content fresh, the shiny new equipment often has to one-up what came before - which is a common phenomenon in long-standing live service games. The balance goal of Digital Extremes seems to be parity of usage among all Warframe weapons. This is even more apparent in the new Incarnon Genesis system that significantly buffs legacy weapons from the earliest patches.

One of the biggest pushes toward this balance, however, came earlier in 2016. This year, update 19 took an ambitious stride, completely changing weapon tier lists in Warframe, thanks to Riven mods.

For less-used weapons, a god roll Riven can dramatically enhance its viability. On the other hand, its stats on the most popular weapons can often make it inefficient for taking up a mod slot. This is ensured through the 'Riven Disposition' mechanic.

What are god roll Rivens in Warframe?

Rivens in Warframe can be rolled only with Kuva (Image via Digital Extremes)

Riven mods include the name of a specific weapon, which indicates the only weapon that can be slotted into. In the case of weapons that have different variants, this Riven can be slotted on all variants. For instance, for Lenz, it can also be slotted on Prisma Lenz.

The other component of a Riven mod's name concerns the kind of stats it provides. Rivens can provide up to three positive stats and one negative stat. The type and number of these stat boosts are randomized. They can be rerolled for a new set of random stats at the cost of Kuva. The resource price has a steep increase until it caps out at 3500 Kuva per roll.

Each weapon tends to have its specific desirable stats. Some may benefit more from extra multishot, while others benefit more from raw +slash modifiers. A Riven roll that provides the best-case scenario stats with the highest numbers possible is called a 'god roll' by the community.

Warframe Riven Disposition: How to check a weapon's Disposition, and how does it affect Rivens?

This is where you can check Riven Disposition for any weapon you own (Image via Digital Extremes)

Every weapon in Warframe has its own dynamic 'Riven Disposition' stat. This can be viewed in the weapon's mod menu, represented by five circles that indicate the weapon's Disposition rating on a scale from 1 to 5. This rating only provides a generalized estimate by putting it on different ranges of Disposition value:

In-game Riven Disposition	Actual Disposition Value Range
1 Out of 5	0.5 - 0.69
2 Out of 5	0.7 - 0.89
3 Out of 5	0.9 - 1.1
4 Out of 5	1.11 - 1.3
5 Out of 5	1.31 - 1.55

The following are the main points to remember while gauging Riven Disposition.

The more a weapon is used globally by the player base, the lower its Disposition gets.
The lower a weapon's Disposition, the weaker the numbers on all of its Rivens.
Newly release weapons always start with the lowest possible Riven Disposition value.
Dispositions update every three months depending on meta shifts and affect stats on all Rivens globally and accordingly.

Note that Riven Disposition may vary significantly between different variants of a weapon, meaning the same Riven mod's stats will differ when slotted on each one. For example, a Kohm Riven will provide higher stats on a Kohm than on a Kuva Kohm.

Generally, the Riven Disposition is not the only be-all and end-all in Warframe for assessing how powerful a weapon can be made. Even with the strongest Rivens, some weapons simply cannot hold a candle to the meta equipment.

A good practice is finding weapons that have been recently buffed or spotting powerful sleeper weapons that somehow fly under the radar.

A Prime example of this would be Incarnon Genesis. Since the actual weapons were released long ago, they will often have a decent Riven Disposition. Lex Prime, for example, has four out of five Dispositions despite how overpowered Incarnon Lex is at the moment.

Another use case where Riven Disposition comes in handy is finding good stat sticks. You generally want to only use the highest Riven Disposition melee weapons as your stat stick. This could be because you don't care for the actual weapon's stats but rather that on the Riven itself that gets fed to your pseudo-exalted.