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Duet Night Abyss is the latest entry in the MMO looter shooter genre and a direct competitor to Warframe. Originally meant to be a gacha game, the game underwent major changes and was released as a free-to-play title to compete with Warframe. The gacha wasn’t entirely removed and is limited to character cosmetics. However, this wasn’t where the rivalry between Warframe and DNA began.Even before the decision to remove gacha, several of DNA's gameplay mechanics were inspired by Warframe, including gameplay modes, character movement, combat, and item framing. While there are a few distinctions, anyone with a background in Warframe will immediately notice the similarities.Here’s a quick comparison between both games, and is Duet Night Abyss worth playing if you like Warframe?Duet Night vs Warframe: Which one is the better game in 2025?Dute Night Abyss is the new Warframe competitor (Image via Hero Games)Before we dive into the comparison, note that Warframe has been out for over a decade. During that time, Digital Extremes provided regular updates that added loads of gameplay content. In comparison, Duet Night Abyss, released just days ago, lags in almost every area.That said, here’s how the games compare to each other at a base level:Gameplay and combat in Duet Night Abyss vs WarframeThe gameplay for DNA will feel familiar to Warframe players (Image via Hero Games)The gameplay of DNA combines Warframe's movement with the open-world mechanics of a gacha game. What I mean by that is you’ll find a lot of familiarity when it comes to exploration, traveling from point A to B, due to movement mechanics.Being able to bullet jump (Helix Leap) and performing air dashes across rooftops is oddly satisfying. Since there is no stamina bar, verticality won’t be an issue. For combat, each character has a melee and a ranged weapon, along with three character abilities, one passive and two active. While you can spam melee indefinitely, ranged weapons need ammo dropped by enemies.You can equip a melee and a long-range weapon (Image via Hero Games)The abilities you use are active ones that require Sanity (energy) to cast, while passive ones do not. As long as there is Sanity in the bar, you can spam them as much as you want. And for now, it seems the go-to way across any fight.If you’re playing solo, you also get companions in Duet Night Abyss. Using the sigils of characters you unlock, you can summon up to two of them to assist you in the open world. There’s also Geniemons, pets you can summon to fight alongside and provide various buffs. It goes on a cooldown after each use, but also has its own passive that affects everyone in a team.Despite differences, the gameplay remains the same across both games (Image via Digital Extremes)In Warframe, you control a biomechanical husk, each with four unique abilities and a passive. You can complete missions just by using your abilities, but the game also allows you to carry weapons. They include melee, a primary, and a sidearm.The abilities use energy, while most weapons, apart from melee, use ammo. To improve characters and weapons, both games use a mod system, but in Duet Night Abyss, it's called Demon Wedges.Loot and farming mechanics in Duet Night Abyss vs WarframeCommissions are the primary way to farm upgrade materials (Image via Hero Games)Loot is an essential part of both games. It’s how you level up characters and weapons. The main way to get upgrade materials is through Commissions, bite-sized missions that reward different upgrade materials. While the drops from monsters remain the same, the end-of-mission rewards are different for each commission.For farming new characters and weapons, you’ll need relevant Secret Letters and use them before starting a Covert Commission. After the mission ends, you’ll get to choose from one of the three options within the Secret Letter.The star chart in Warframe allows you access to different missions (Image via Digital Extremes)Warframe also has similar Loot and farming mechanics. There are regular drops you get from just about any mission across the Star Chart nodes, while farming a specific character requires you to crack open Void Relics in missions affected by the Void Fissure missions.In both games, the process for unlocking items and the missions you play remains the same. The only difference is the names. Relics are Secret Letters, while missions are Commissions. However, getting the items you want in Warframe is much easier, as players share rewards in co-op. DNA doesn’t allow you to share rewards with others, but instead gives you three options to choose from.Pocket-pinch and f2p friendliness in Duet Night Abyss vs WarframeSupporter packs and bundles are the main source of monetization in Warframe (Image via Digital Extremes)Besides gameplay, it’s also important to know about how much a free game is actually going to cost. The primary source of monetization for Warframe is the supporter packs. They can contain cosmetics, resource drop boosters, or even a character and their weapons. Other places you can spend money on Warframe are direct in-game cosmetics purchases and premium currency packs.As for how much Warframe may cost you, the answer would be zero. You can get all the in-game items, apart from premium cosmetics, by simply playing the game. Even the premium currency is tradable alongside multiple items, allowing you to earn without spending money and make purchases in the in-game store.Cosmetic gacha is the primary way of monetization in DNA (Image via Hero Games)Duet Night Abyss features both direct purchase and a gacha system. Hero Games originally planned to include playable characters and weapons in the gacha system, but decided not to. Instead, only the cosmetic items are a part of that system.You can get all characters and weapons in the game without spending any money. If you do decide to get the cosmetics, Duet Night Abyss will likely be more expensive, as a single pull costs 160 Lunar Crystals, and a bundle containing 6480 costs $99.To sum up, both games are entirely free to play and don’t require you to spend money. However, maxing out a single character and weapon may take longer in DNA as an f2p layer due to multiple layers of RNG.Graphics and performance comparison in Duet Night Abyss vs WarframeDNA features cel-shading with soft lights (Image via Hero Games)When it comes to Graphics, both games differ completely. Duet Night Abyss uses anime cel-shading with bright environments, while Warframe goes for a more realistic approach. Both games also use different game engines, so a direct comparison is difficult due to player preferences.However, despite good graphics and visuals, DNA still needs a little more polish. Performance, for the most part, remains stable; however, there are occasional lags after multiple cutscenes. Additionally, a few animations and interactions, like jumping and wall climbing, could use more polish.Warframe leans more towards realism (Image via Digital Extremes)Warframe also felt dated until a recent update that overhauled lightning, making the game look much better. As for performance, the game is very stable and has system requirements lower than most MMOs. Getting stuck while bullet jumping around a corner in Warframe is mostly a skill issue, but that doesn’t mean the game is perfect.Story comparison in Duet Night Abyss vs WarframeWarframe features an extensive lore (Image via Digital Extremes)In terms of story/campaign, both games have a unique one. Warframe is all about being a space ninja and fighting various enemy factions throughout space and time. You start by traveling across multiple planets, uncovering their story while helping people, and before you know it, the game puts you in the middle of a war and has you travel across dimensions.The best way to describe the game is stories within a story, but despite all that, DE has managed to keep the story connected to one thing or another. If you’re a lore buff, it’s something you don’t want to miss.Duet Night Abyss features a simple story (Image via Hero Games)Duet Night Abyss has a linear story that is easy to understand, but requires you to read a lot of on-screen text. As mentioned, the game just launched, and the campaign is nowhere near complete, so it’s hard to say how impactful it’ll be.Character customization in Duet Night Abyss vs WarframeBoth games feature good character customization options (Image via Hero Games)Lastly, being able to show off your character drip to others is a tradition across MMOs. Both games in this field have some extensive customization options. They include headgear, back attachments, and footsteps, spawn animations/ships, and other accessories.However, Duet Night Abyss is relatively new, and while the potential is there, it currently offers fewer options across the board. Warframe, on the other hand, allows players to mix and match colors apart from basic customization. It helps players create something unique from the same piece of cosmetics.Which MMO Looter Shooter to play in 2025: Duet Night Abyss or Warframe?Taking the crown away from Warframe will take time (Image via Digital Extremes)Comparing both games next to each other, there’s no doubt that Warframe has a lot more content and is more polished. However, when it comes to playability, DNA is also completely free-to-play and a little forgiving in terms of gameplay mechanics and combat.It’s easy to say there’s no harm in trying both, or the one with visuals and art style that’s more immersive to you, but my recommendation would be Warframe. The reason for that would be faster character acquisition, which allows you to get into the action as soon as possible.Check out other related guides and features:Best Berenica build in Duet Night AbyssDuet Night Abyss: The Gone girl walkthroughHow to get Psyche in Duet Night Abyss
