Warframe dev shares drop rates for nearly all the free-to-play game's loot

Warframe developer Digital Extremes has released an evolving list of nearly all the pieces of loot found in the PC version of the free-to-play game, complete with the exact chance players have of encountering each item. 

The full document sorts items by where they drop and then offers the rarity and drop rate. The loot table and corresponding rates for each item are generated from internal data and are set to update automatically whenever the developer pushes a patch.

In addition to boosting transparency for its players, this table has the added bonus of offering other developers insight into how this free-to-play game distributes loot and maintains a balance between those who craft gear and those who opt to pay real-world money for items instead.

Rather than sell random-chance lootboxes, Warframe gives players the option to either purchase an in-game currency that can be spent on new weapons and items or earn the parts required to craft those items through gameplay. By making the drop rates for crafting materials known, players can now better decide if they should gather materials manually or pick up an item through microtransactions.

It's also worth noting that a handful of other microtransaction-friendly games have made the odds for loot drops known, but for the most part, those publications have been led by legal requirements in countries like China rather than the developers themselves.