Corpus Liches have finally arrived with Warframe's Sisters of Parvos update. By using the same Requiem system that Kuva Liches use, players can either kill or convert these Corpus Liches (known as "Sisters") to obtain new weapons and companions. Just like the Kuva Lich weapons, these Tenet weapons are extremely powerful and come with an added elemental damage effect—known as a progenitor bonus.
Related: Warframe: Every Kuva Lich Weapon, Ranked
Unlike Kuva weapons, a few of these Tenet weapons don't come from Liches. You can obtain four Tenet weapons from Ergo Glast at any Relay, requiring Corrupted Holokeys found in Railjack Void Storms. We'll be covering both Ergo Glast's inventory and all Corpus Lich weapons in this tier list. From laser scythes to a rocket launcher briefcase, here's how all Tenet weapons fare as of Update 30.5.
Tenet Livia
- Gimmick: A two-handed Nikana with extended block angle.
- Obtained From: Sister Liches
Stat-wise, the Tenet Livia is a fantastic melee weapon. It deals 247.5 base damage that can be enhanced further with the progenitor element bonus Liches give, and most of the Livia's damage is Slash. It also has excellent critical and status base stats, so why is this weapon so low on the list?
Simple: it's a two-handed Nikana, arguably the worst melee archetype in Warframe currently. They have a clunky Stance that has lackluster status procs tied to each combo. Not even the Livia's great stat package can make up for how terrible Wise Razor is. Until this archetype gets a new Stance, don't even consider buying this from Ergo until you have the other three Tenet melee weapons first.
Tenet Exec
- Gimmick: A Heavy Blade that releases multiple shockwaves after a Slam attack.
- Obtained From: Ergo Glast
As a heavy blade, the Tenet Exec is a solid weapon. It's effectively an Impact variant of the Gram Prime, featuring a unique mechanic where Slam attacks release three shockwaves that can ragdoll enemies. The shockwaves can only have their damage boosted by the Seismic Wave and Smite Mods, so this gimmick's main use is to provide crowd control.
A CC gimmick is by no means bad, but it isn't enough to make this weapon shine above its competition. Slash-focused heavy blades like the Gram Prime and Galatine Prime can output devastating Slash procs with little issue, carving through fodder and heavy armor alike. Impact damage doesn't have the same luxury. Ultimately, if you love heavy blades, you'll want to pick the Tenet Exec up. But if you're someone who already has a good heavy blade, there isn't much reason to purchase this from Ergo.
Tenet Flux Rifle
- Gimmick: Converted into an assault rifle with a set magazine size.
- Obtained From: Sister Liches
Let's be honest; the Flux Rifle hasn't been good since Damage 2.0 was implemented, an update that was released back in 2013. The Tenet version was a chance for Digital Extremes to bring this weapon to its glory days, yet they chose to buff this weapon by altering the gun's identity. Instead of a beam rifle with infinite ammo, the Tenet Flux Rifle has become the Corpus version of the Karak assault rifle.
While its crit multiplier was reduced to 1.8x when compared to its default counterpart, the Tenet Flux Rifle is a status-applying machine, firing 15 rounds a second that each have a 26% chance to apply an ailment. When coupled with Flux Overdrive (yes, you can use that Mod on this gun), the Tenet Flux Rifle eliminates its foes with thousands of Slash procs. It's by no means a terrible Primary; it's just uninspired.
Tenet Grigori
- Gimmick: Slide Heavy Attacks from this scythe release laser disks that have infinite punch through.
- Obtained From: Ergo Glast
Scythe weapons in Warframe are renowned for their hard-hitting Heavy Attacks, capable of inflicting a Slash proc so powerful that not even a Steel Path Acolyte can survive. The Tenet Grigori shakes this up slightly by replacing a Slash-focused Heavy Attack with a projectile instead.
Whenever you chain two Heavy Attacks or Heavy Attack while sliding, the Grigori will release a laser disk that will pierce an infinite amount of enemies across a short distance. The projectile deals a great amount of base damage, although the weapon's subpar 1.6x critical multiplier really limits the damage of this projectile. It's great for killing fodder or clustered enemies at a distance, giving this weapon some great versatility.
As a scythe, the Tenet Grigori sacrifices raw critical damage for a high status chance of 38%. Condition Overload builds on this weapon are fairly powerful, and it still serves as a great heavy attack weapon if you ignore the laser projectile. It doesn't beat the Reaper Prime's Slash procs, but if you're a fan of this weapon archetype, the Tenet Grigori is a great scythe that is surprisingly versatile.
Tenet Diplos
- Gimmick: These dual pistols lock onto targets while aiming, shooting two-round bursts that track to marked targets. Reloads while holstered.
- Obtained From: Sister Liches
The Tenet Diplos is only this low on our tier list due to how its gimmick works. As a bullet-hose secondary, the Diplos is surprisingly good. Featuring excellent critical stats and a solid 14% status chance per bullet, this weapon is more than capable of carving through enemies in Warframe's most challenging activities.
Related: Warframe: A Complete Guide On Riven Mods
Unfortunately, this weapon falls apart once you start aiming. While ADSd, this gun will mark up to eight targets. Firing in this state will launch two bullets per locked target that will track to the enemy's location. The lock-on requires that you directly aim at the target, the bullets will attempt to land center-mass, and the damage of each shot isn't amplified at all. For a bullet-hose secondary, launching two bullets that body shot will only irritate the enemy you're damaging, making this gimmick practically worthless.
If you can ignore the Diplos' gimmick, this weapon serves as an excellent workhorse weapon that can compliment more situational primary and melee weapons. It deals solid damage, can apply status effects easily with the right Mods, and automatically reloads itself when not currently held. It's just a shame that the lock-on mode leaves a lot to be desired.
Tenet Arca Plasmor
- Gimmick: Plasmor shots ricochet off hard surfaces.
- Obtained From: Sister Liches
One of the most anticipated Tenet weapons from the Sisters of Parvos update, the Tenet Arca Plasmor gives this fan-favorite shotgun a well-deserved boost to its lethality. The Tenet version features significantly more base damage, higher critical damage, and longer effective range.
Are those buffs enough to bring this weapon back into the meta? Probably not, mostly due to this weapon's inability to land headshots. But is it enough for Arca Plasmor fans to consider farming this variant? Absolutely. An additional element and 350 additional base damage—not including the progenitor buff—is a massive damage boost. The ricocheting projectiles are mostly a novelty, although this can lead to some solid add-clear potential in small tilesets like the Grineer Galleon.
Overall, if you love the standard Arca Plasmor, the Tenet version is a fantastic upgrade. For those that want this weapon to return to its pre-nerf days where it could land headshots, it's still not quite there yet. Most AoE weapons will generally serve better, but there's no denying that this plasma shotgun is incredibly fun to use.
Tenet Agendus
- Gimmick: This sword & board's Heavy Attack fires an Arca Plasmor projectile.
- Obtained From: Ergo Glast
While the Tenet Arca Plasmor can't land headshots, the Tenet Agendus' Heavy Attack can. This sword & board has a Heavy Attack that launches a projectile just like the Arca Plasmor, except this can land headshots and scales off combo multiplier.
Before you get too excited, the animation for firing this projectile is rather long and can easily get you killed in Steel Path. Fortunately, the weapon itself is powerful and serves as a sidegrade to the Silvia & Aegis Prime. It features more damage and a better Heavy Attack than the Aegis, although its Electric base damage prevents a Viral and Heat damage combination on this weapon. Radiation and Viral is possible, which does give this weapon some absurd damage output against most factions. Those that love the Silvia & Aegis should give the Agendus a try.
Tenet Detron
- Gimmick: Has an alt-fire that empties the magazine quickly.
- Obtained From: Sister Liches
Don't let the Tenet Detron's base stats fool you. It looks worse on paper, featuring lower base damage and a shorter effective range. This is overlooking three things:
- The progenitor buff gives this weapon more base damage than the default and Mara variants at 60% effect.
- It fires three more projectiles each shot.
- This weapon has far better critical stats.
This is the first Detron variant that can be built as a hybrid, allowing this weapon to output some absurd damage without compromising on status application. And this weapon is still the status-inflicting pocket shotgun that Detron fans are familiar with. With ten projectiles that each have an 18% chance of proccing a status effect, this weapon can easily apply dozens of status effects in a single shot when built right.
When you take into account the weapons' alt-fire, which allows the Tenet Detron to empty its magazine in a second, it's hard to argue that this gun is anything less than a fantastic pocket shotgun. Whether you need a Condition Overload primer or just a good secondary, the Tenet Detron has you covered.
Tenet Spirex
- Gimmick: Each shot explodes, damaging enemies in a small radius while inflicting a guaranteed Impact proc.
- Obtained From: Sister Liches
If the Tenet Spirex were released in early 2021, it would have widely been considered the worst weapon on this list. However, this weapon's slow fire rate and guaranteed Impact proc every shot makes it a prime candidate for the Hemorrhage Mod—giving Impact procs a high chance of inflicting a Slash proc.
Related: Warframe: A Complete Guide To Railjack
That Mod is important to mention because the Spirex has a fantastic 2.4x critical damage multiplier with a 26% chance to crit. Build this gun for high critical damage and a little bit of status, and you end up with a Corpus version of the Lex Prime that can inflict high-damage Slash procs with ease. This makes the Spirex excellent for killing Acolytes, armored targets, and even fodder enemies due to the gun's innate AoE explosion with each shot. So long as you can avoid staggering yourself with this gun, the Tenet Spirex is one of the best secondaries you can farm from Sister Liches currently.
Tenet Tetra
- Gimmick: Has an alt-fire that expends 80 ammo to launch a plasma grenade.
- Obtained From: Sister Liches
Even after a nerf, the Tenet Tetra remains one of the best Tenet weapons you can obtain from a Sister Lich. This Corpus assault rifle features significantly more base damage, higher critical stats, and high status chance. Most assault rifles aren't used in Warframe due to their lack of AoE add-clear, something that this weapon solves with its alt-fire.
For the high cost of 80 ammo, you can fire a plasma grenade that deals an absurd 1,250 base damage—which can be further increased from your progenitor bonus and Mods. It has a massive eight-meter radius, making it slightly larger than the Stahlta's alt-fire. The Tenet Tetra is actually very similar to the Stahlta, featuring a solid primary fire mode with a fantastic alt-fire that can clear rooms for you. While the AoE explosion from the Tetra is slightly weaker than the Stalhtas, this gun's primary fire mode is so good that it more than makes up for it. Those that love the Stahlta, assault rifles, or want to disintegrate enemies with a massive explosion should get this gun as soon as possible.
Tenet Cycron
- Gimmick: Beams chain between two targets.
- Obtained From: Sister Liches
If you've used the Kuva Nukor, the Tenet Cycron is effectively the same weapon, firing a beam that chains between targets. This beam weapon has a monstrous 40% status chance with a fire rate of 12 rounds per second. Unlike the Tenet Flux Rifle, the Tenet Cycron kept its infinite ammo gimmick, replacing a fixed magazine with a recharging battery that doesn't have ammo reserves.
For those that don't own a Kuva Nukor, this weapon is a must-own. The beam's ability to chain between targets and the gun's high status chance makes it the best Condition Overload primer in the game. Just a second of continuous fire will inflict enough status effects to outright kill most targets. Those that somehow survive are heavily weakened, pairing nicely with any glaive.
However, if you own a Kuva Nukor, there isn't much reason to pick up this weapon. It lacks the monstrous 5x critical multiplier that the Kuva Nukor does—something that you can take full advantage of using Arcane Avenger or the Galvanized Crosshairs Mod. This weapon's status chance is also 10% lower than the Nukor, meaning it is a slightly worse primer for Condition Overload weapons. When you take all of this into account, the Tenet Cycron is less of a sidegrade and more of a slight downgrade from the Kuva Nukor. Don't let that dissuade you from farming this gun, as the Kuva Nukor is considered by many the best secondary in Warframe. Being just under that is nothing to sneeze at.
Tenet Envoy
- Gimmick: Fires laser-guided rockets that can be controlled by aiming. Reloads while holstered.
- Obtained From: Sister Liches
The Corpus must have some eventful board meetings to create a rocket launcher that can fit into a briefcase. Even that description doesn't do this weapon justice. The Tenet Envoy is effectively a Kuva Bramma with laser-guided projectiles and an eight-round magazine.
Each rocket from the Envoy deals 125 damage from the projectile and 800 Cold damage from the explosion itself. Cold damage is notable in that it can be turned into Viral by obtaining an Envoy with a Toxin progenitor. This allows your rockets to deal massive damage to unarmored targets and debuff anyone that survives. Hunter Munitions is an obvious synergy here, allowing your Viral-infused rockets to inflict Slash as well to clean up any armored targets that survive.
Why Not Use The Kuva Bramma Instead?
All of these things can be done by the Kuva Bramma, yet this weapon exceeds the Bramma due to two things:
- The Envoy reloads itself while holstered.
- You can guide each shot.
The latter seems like a serious gimmick at first glance. Guiding your rockets doesn't sound useful until you realize that these rockets are incredibly mobile. They can turn 180 degrees on a dime, be led around corners, or directed to land right in the middle of a cluster of mobs. Even if you miss, the Envoy's laser will redirect the rocket to land at your designated location. Need to carpet bomb an area? Fire eight rockets into the air, then aim at a certain point to land all eight rockets simultaneously.
Of course, if you just want to nuke a hallway of enemies, you can fire unguided rockets by hip-firing without penalty. It might not deal as much damage as the Tenet Tetra's alt-fire, but this weapon can be fired eight times before it needs to reload—which can be done by using your melee weapon for a bit. Plus it's a rocket launcher in a briefcase. Corpus weapons don't get more unique than that.
Next: Everything You Need To Know About Warframe In 2021
