Picked up warframe in 2016, I think I have something like 5k hours in it with some breaks while I waited for the account move and off and on because I’m the last of my clan.

I’ll preface by saying I’ve spent around $300 on the game in that time, including purchasing the prime pack for Wukong as he’s my main. That said, I wholly champion DE’s minorization for three big reasons.

1. Player trades - if you look at my account I’ve got well over $2k worth cosmetics and decor. The difference between what I paid and what I have is entirely due to selling rivens and prime parts on the market and the generalities of random players that I’ve bonded with on long grinds.

2. Communty feedback - every* time DE has dropped the ball on a grind or a price, the community out cry leads to an immediate fix on the issue and account refunds of the platinum and resources uses by anyone who paid full price. Every time I come back from a break I get at least a load of forma from reworks they’ve done to something I own.

*to this day they still haven’t dealt with the Garuda release pack and the hema but I’m the only one complaining about the prior and the later is a meme.

3. Plat is just for flex - yes, doubling drops and instant builds feel exciting, but if you just casually play through the start chart and the various missions, you get all the resources you ever need. Weapons and frames are really cheap to build if you just play the game. Staggering your foundry builds gives you time to Max them out before the next one finished. Everything that actually matters in the game can be earned by playing the game. While I would complain about the ability to buy most of the late game things, the game is co-op. When I land in a match with a whale, he’s not paying to make me lose, he’s paying to make us win. I’ve never needed a doubler to get what I need, just the right build, a friend, and about 2 hours keeping your abilities up in the right room.

All in all, that FOMO you’re feeling is something trained into you by Destiny, I had it bad when I was playing. Warframe doesn’t remove content, doesn’t hold out, and your play experience doesn’t diminish if you don’t get the limited edition bobble head that comes with the prime releases. I’ve put the money I’ve spent into this game because it’s genuinely given me far more than that worth of fun and engagement. That’s $30 bucks a year over the time I’ve been playing, I spend more than that on DVDs.

Just dive in and do things, if you want to get something specific, ask in the chat, the discord, the reddit, or any of the other community resources, one of us ancients will gladly carry you through it. DM me if you need any mods, help with the basic eidolon hunt, or need credits.