In Warframe, Aya is a rare and very useful resource to any Tenno just getting started in the online game’s endless progression loop. It can be used to acquire Prime Warframes and weapons. More specifically, Aya can buy Void Relics that drop older weapons and Warframe parts no longer available via any other methods. At least not without paying real-world money. This means that farming Aya in Warframe is both necessary for completionists and lucrative for those that already have their arsenals stocked up. This guide is intended to show you the best ways to farm Aya to make either process so much smoother.
Where to Find Aya in Warframe
Let’s just cut to the chase and start off with where to find Aya. There are basically five central activity types that have a chance to drop the stuff (it’s not a guaranteed reward). These methods include:
- Any mission in The Void
- Certain Cetus bounties
- Certain Fortuna bounties
- Certain Necralisk bounties
- Certain Chrysalith bounties
Note that “Cetus bounties” includes those available during the Ghoul Purge event which occurs regularly in the Plains of Eidolon. Basically: this means you can find Aya by completing missions from any of the existing bounty hubs in Warframe, or by completing standard missions in The Void. That doesn’t include Veil Proxima missions done in your Railjack, however.
On the whole, bounties have the highest chance of dropping Aya, with higher tiers of bounties providing greater chances. This goes all the way up to Level 100 bounties: which are classified as part of “The Steel Path.” Tier 1 bounties (the lowest-level mission types), on the other hand, cannot and will not drop Aya.
Remember that you can always check a bounty’s reward pool when you hover over and select it. Even if it doesn’t tell you the exact drop rates, it will ensure you don’t forget which bounties can’t drop Aya at all.
It’s also worth noting that every applicable bounty also has multiple chances to drop Aya. Each bounty is always broken up into a series of smaller objectives, or “stages.” Of these, every stage after the first has at least a small chance to drop Aya. The resource is always marked as an “uncommon” reward for the appropriate bounties, but the drop chance does differ depending on both the bounty tier and its current stage.
For example, Stages 2, 3, and 4 of Tier 4 Cetus bounties (a.k.a. the Level 30-50 variety) have a roughly 11% chance to drop Aya. Meanwhile, the fifth and final stage has a 27-35% drop chance. The exact number further depends on the particular randomized bounty itself — as the missions available to you rotate every 150 real-world minutes.
By comparison, standard missions within The Void usually have about a 6% drop Aya drop chance. Endless missions like Survival and Defense in the region can also drop Aya at any reward rotation: every five minutes of Survival and every five waves of Defense. Though there are also better odds of getting Aya every 20 minutes and 20 waves, respectively.
The Best Places to Farm Aya in Warframe
Honestly, I hesitate to say there really is an overall “best” place to farm Aya in Warframe at all. Unlike other rare resources, the various drop rates are pretty evenly balanced by total time investment.
This leaves alternative rewards as the biggest consideration when deciding where to hunt. In which case I personally recommend:
- Ukko, a Tier 3 Capture mission in The Void
- Mithra, a Tier 4 Interception mission in The Void
- Tier 5 Chrysalith bounties
- Tier 5 Cetus bounties
The Void missions get top billing because each includes nothing but Void Relics in their drop tables. Since Aya is used to purchase a particular kind of Void Relic, players who need it are probably looking to expand their Prime collection, craft Forma, sell Prime parts for Platinum, or turn the rewards in for Orokin Ducats. Getting more Void Relics — even if they aren’t the Aya-specific ones — can speed the secondary aspects of this process along.
Ukko has a low drop rate compared to the other options on this list but can be completed in under a minute — even a solo player. Mithra, meanwhile, has the highest average drop rate overall.
As for the bounties, Cetus and The Chrysalith both offer items needed in large quantities that aren’t easily available elsewhere: Focus Lenses. Fortuna and the Necralisk, on the other hand, mostly offer blueprints and resources already available through other means (like Kuva, Credits, and Endo). This makes them less efficient as general farming locations, since the rewards you receive are less exciting or only need to be collected once.
What Do You Do with Aya in Warframe?
Now, let’s say you get some Aya. It’s time to hit up Varzia on Mars. Go to the planet on your star map and select the node “Maroo’s Bazaar.”
For those that don’t already know, this is a special social hub designed as an easy place for players to trade items. You can also speak to the titular Maroo to acquire Ayatan Sculptures on special missions — which can be used as decorations or sold for oodles of Endo. That’s not why we’re here, though. We need to speak with the soldier in the northwest section of the Bazaar (to the left of Maroo as you enter the area). Varzia is also marked with a white icon on your map, in case you lose track.
Varzia used to be part of a special event called “Prime Resurgence.” Now she’s a permanent NPC shopkeeper that sells certain items in exchange for Aya and Regal Aya. The former is what we’re here for now. Whereas the latter basically replaced the Prime Vault deals on the Warframe website. Basically, you can purchase Regal Aya with real money to directly purchase older Prime Warframes and weapons. Whereas regular Aya nets you Void Relics that drop random Prime parts — which can be crafted into the same gear currently available via Regal Aya. Albeit with a little more elbow grease.
Exactly what’s available swaps out every week. That includes the Void Relics, which is the primary thing you should buy with Aya. You can also pick up cosmetics or even Void Traces and Orokin Ducats directly. However, one Aya for five of either of these items is a pretty terrible deal; any Void Relic will get you both Prime parts that can be sold for Ducats and more Void Traces.
The real choice to make is: Do you spend your Aya right away or wait? The answer depends on what you’re looking for. Since the inventory rotates every seven real-world days, you can always hoard Aya and spend it only when whatever Void Relics you want or need are on sale. If the current Void Relics offer Mesa Prime and Limbo Prime, for example, you might not want to spend your Aya if you’ve already crafted both of those Warframes. Your Aya does not expire.
And there you have it! That’s where we recommend you farm Aya in Warframe and what to do with it when you get the stuff. Best of luck getting those Prime drops, Tenno.
