A Paladin Reborn: Digital Extremes Oberon Rework

Digital Extremes recently unveiled the much-anticipated Oberon rework during Devstream #189, and the response has been a mix of excitement, curiosity, and cautious skepticism. The official “Warframe | Oberon Rework Developer Workshop” video walks through many of the changes and design philosophy behind this overhaul.

What’s Changed?

According to the developer workshop and forum commentary, Oberon’s kit has been substantially retooled with the goal of making him feel more like a supportive paladin rather than a patchwork “jack-of-all-trades.” Among the major shifts:

• Armor Buff: Oberon’s base armor is being boosted significantly—going from ~185 to 385 (and Oberon Prime from 240 to 450). This increase helps his durability in frontline or supportive roles.
• New Passive – Righteous Negation: The old passive, which primarily benefited companions, is replaced. Now, when Oberon or allies pick up a health or universal orb, they gain a “Righteous Negation” charge (up to 3). This grants brief invulnerability to damage, depleting charges as damage is blocked.
• Smite has been overhauled. The target will have Overguard and Armor stripped, lose 35% of their current health (to a cap), and be staggered to open melee finishers. Nearby enemies take splash damage, and Eximus units are prioritized in dense groups. The seeking projectiles aspect is removed.
• Hallowed Ground gets a quality-of-life (QoL) revamp. Instead of arcs, it becomes a full circle; height is increased to hit flying/double-jumping enemies; the number of simultaneous grounds is reduced (from 4 to 3) due to increased radius. Nullifiers no longer outright destroy it—they only nullify its effects for those inside. The healing from Renewal while standing in it is doubled.
• Renewal is simplified: rather than a static zone, it follows Oberon, with flat energy cost regardless of number of allies healed. Cast range now scales with affinity range. The Iron Renewal armor buff is reworked so it no longer needs to be tied to presence on Hallowed Ground.
• Reckoning, his ultimate, is refined to do more damage, give Oberon bonus armor per enemy hit, and scale with Radiation status. It also now only targets enemies in Oberon’s line of sight. Surviving enemies have their armor reduced, and there’s a 50% chance of dropping health orbs upon kills.

The devs emphasize that many of these changes are subject to further tuning before release. The underlying philosophy is to lean into Oberon’s paladin identity: more protection, clearer roles, and stronger synergy with allies rather than just being a patchwork support frame.

Questions & Reservations

The community’s reaction is varied, though with a broadly positive lean. On the official forums and Reddit (especially threads tied to Devstream #189), many players express excitement about the new passive and the dramatic armor increase, seeing them as overdue boosts for Oberon’s durability and identity. Some players comment that the new passive feels “Mesmer shield style,” highlighting how the visual shield charges offer clearer feedback.

There’s also cautious optimism. Some forum users note that while Smite’s new direction is bold, removing the seeking projectile effect might reduce flexibility. Others are curious how abilities will scale into high-level content: some IRL players wonder if the armor buff will be enough to withstand endgame damage.

Within creator circles and on YouTube, commentary is more mixed. Some content creators hail this as one of the more meaningful reworks, calling Oberon’s new passive “super cool” and the armor shift overdue. Others caution that changes like line-of-sight limitations on Reckoning or the reduced number of ground zones could dilute his utility in certain builds.

One video titled “Warframe: Oberon Rework leaves a lot more to be desired” voices skepticism, pointing out that while the base ideas are strong, there are still missing pieces—like how well these changes meld in practice, or whether performance and animations will keep up.

Strengths and Possible Weak Spots

From what we know—and watching the dev video—I see several things that look promising, and a few risks worth keeping an eye on.

On the plus side, Oberon’s identity feels more focused now. The passive ties into healing orbs, giving him a more proactive support feel (rather than passive overlap). The armor buff gives him breathing room to survive tougher fights. Smite’s rework gives him a strong single-target presence, while Reckoning’s synergy with Radiation feels like it can slot nicely into builds that emphasize status damage.

That said, some of the changes might feel restrictive in high-pressure scenarios. Limiting Reckoning to line-of-sight could reduce its flexibility in chaotic fights. Reducing the number of Hallowed Ground zones may curtail positional strategies. And while the new passive is visually crisp, its real value will depend on how often orbs can be acquired in typical combat. If orbs are scarce or contested, players may struggle to accumulate charges fast enough.

Also, the practicality of ability combos and mods will matter. Energy economy, casting speed, cooldowns, and Synergy with other frames will all influence whether Oberon’s changes feel empowering or burdensome.

The Oberon rework is scheduled to arrive with the Vallis Undermind update (expected October). Players who log in between October 15 and 21 will receive a free Oberon and a built Forma to test his revised kit. Although there are still a few things to watch out for after release:

• How well the “Righteous Negation” mechanic plays in hectic missions (drops, feedback, cooldowns)
• Whether the armor buff allows Oberon to survive high-damage final waves
• If the line-of-sight constraint on Reckoning feels limiting or balanced
• Energy costs vs healing / support output under real mission conditions
• How synergy with other Warframes will feel in group content
• Community feedback on usability, animations, and overall feel

All in all, the Oberon rework looks to be a meaningful overhaul—one that could finally elevate a frame many players felt had been underpowered for years. The road ahead will be in how well it plays, how polished the execution is, and whether the balance tuning holds up in the wild.