| Preceded by |
|---|
| Spy 1.0 since Update 15.13 (2015-02-05) |
This is an espionage mission. Tenno must search through enemy ships and outposts to find Data Vaults containing crucial Intel.
The Data Vaults are guarded by a myriad of security measures, from laser traps to Sensor Drones. Tenno should attempt to extract the Intel without being detected. If the enemy detects any intrusion, Tenno will only have a short time to retrieve the Intel before it is destroyed.
Most missions will contain multiple Data Vaults, the number of successful extractions required changes by mission.
—In-Game Description
Spy (version 2.0) is a mission type where players are tasked with extracting confidential data from enemy data servers primarily through hacking.
The blueprints for the 
Ivara Warframe and her component parts are potential rewards for spy missions on all planets, with different blueprints being rewarded at different level ranges.
Mechanics[]
Corpus Data Vault on alarm.
Spy missions require players to locate consoles found in Data Vaults, which are special rooms featuring heavy security and advanced defense mechanisms guarding the console access terminals. Each mission will have three separate Data Vaults, of which all three must be breached and attempted before extraction becomes available. Players must breach the Data Vault rooms and then hack the access console in order to extract the data. If a Tenno trips over the Data Vault's security features, or an enemy activates the Data Vault's alarm, the Data Vault's defense mechanisms and enemy reinforcements become active, and a countdown timer will initiate indicating the time until the data is wiped off the server, giving players 20 to 50 seconds (depending on difficulty) in which to attempt to reach the console and hack it.
Similar to Rescue Prison Complexes, Data Vaults often feature alternate paths and tunnels that can be used to stealthily bypass the Data Vault's defenses, allowing for stealthy completion of a Data Vault. Some vault variants, especially those on Grineer Sealab and Grineer Forest tilesets will also have alternate methods of reaching the vaults by activating special map features such as high-pressure vents, or flooding.
End-of-mission rewards for Spy missions depends on the number of Data Vaults successfully hacked, with at least one vault hack needing to be successful in order to accomplish the mission.
Variations[]
Defenses[]
Apart from enemies patrolling the rooms, the Corpus and Grineer have different emplaced defenses set up around their Data Vaults, with the defenses present depending on the variant of Data Vault. The defenses present will initiate each vault's alarm if tripped. Some security measures can be disabled if nearby panels are hacked or deactivated.
Corpus[]
Grineer[]
- Sensor Bar - Data Vault alarms can be triggered by passing through energy doors that deal
Magnetic proc. Some energy doors in a Data Vault may not have Sensor Bars attached to them, making them impossible to deactivate, while others may blink on and off periodically, which can catch players unaware. These ones can also deal knockdown on top of the Magnetic proc, knocking players down. Invisible players will still activate the alarms if they pass through. - Motion Detector - Some Grineer vaults have defenses involving scanners that sweep a yellow energy curtain across an area, triggering the alarm if the curtain is touched and with some of them dealing knockdown. In one vault, these scanners are pointed directly at the data storage console; these scanners have to be deactivated using other nearby consoles to ensure safe hacking, and they only deal
Electricity proc. The damage these detectors deal, however, is considerably high. - Motion Laser/Barrier - Located in certain sections of the vault, mobile or not, these yellow beams serve a similar purpose to the two above. They can deal way less damage and occasionally a
Slash or 
Puncture proc or, similar to the Sensor Bar, Magnetic and knockdown. - Sensor Regulator - These mobile Regulator variants patrol Data Vaults, and will trigger alarms if they spot a player or take damage and survive.
- Lynx - One particular vault layout for Grineer Spy missions has an idle Lynx suspended from the ceiling of the terminal room. Should the players trip the alarm the Lynx will activate and begin attacking nearby players and Grineer alike.
- If in a Crossfire Spy hybrid mission, this Lynx will also attack and be targeted by any nearby Corpus units.
- If a player kills the Lynx, that player can receive a death mark after the mission is completed.
Orokin[]
- Void Rifts - Orokin Moon missions feature distortions in space-time which can send Tenno back and forth in time between the vault's present state, and a period where the Data Vault was clean and pristine. Void rifts offer one-way passage through them, and in order to return to the previous state players must find another open void rift, or open up a closed void rift by attacking it. Several routes and puzzles require traveling between each time state to avoid obstacles or activate mechanisms leading to the console.Traveling through a rift dispels active Warframe abilities.
- Orokin Spectator - Similar to Sensor Regulators, these drones are mobile sentries that patrol the vault, and will trigger alarms if they spot the player, or take non-lethal damage.
- Laser Traps - Orokin Data Vaults have active laser traps that inflict
Radiation damage and proc to any players they hit, along with raising the vault's alarm. Many laser traps are mounted on indestructible emitters, preventing players from simply destroying them. Those that can be destroyed can be safely disposed of without setting off the alarm.
Some Data Vaults may also feature security doors and pit traps that will engage and close upon alarms being triggered, which can impede a player's movement through the vault.
Whether a player succeeds or fails in retrieving the data inside the Data Vault, the vault itself will become easier to exit from: Corpus Data Vaults will have their laser defenses and any pit traps deactivated, while Grineer and Orokin Data Vaults can open alternate passages that lead to the exit.
Locations[]
Tier 1 missions are present on Earth, Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Phobos. Tier 2 missions are present on Ceres, Jupiter, Europa, and Saturn. Tier 3 missions are present on Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Sedna. Pago and Pavlov have unique drop tables.
Rewards[]
Affinity[]
Each Data Vault will reward from 1,000 to 4,000 Affinity for a successful hack (approx. 1000 + 100* the max enemy level, max 4000), which will be tripled if completed without triggering the alarms.
View Tested Vault Affinity List▾▾
Each Vault hacked will reward one item, regardless if done stealthily or not. Vaults may also be hacked in any order, regardless of their designations or difficulty; reward rotations will be determined only by the number of Vaults successfully hacked in the mission thus far. Spy missions can reward the following items upon successful completion.
Rewards[]
Notes[]
- Data Vaults can randomly have variations on their alternate passages (e.g. grates), where some passages may be impassable on a particular mission. Certain defenses may also be active in some missions while inactive in others.
- If the Cryogenic Leakage hazard is active on a Spy mission, certain ice formations may block some of the alternate passages leading to the data console.
- Since the Grineer Settlement does not normally have Cryogenic Leakage, the ice will not reduce shields or affect the rest of the level, but will still block alternate passages. It seems Grineer Settlements have a higher likelihood of having this ice effect than other planets.
- In Archon Hunt variants of Spy missions, the consoles will feature
Narmer split-screen hacking mode instead of Grineer or Corpus versions. - With the exception of the server access panel, hackable consoles inside the vaults will be one difficulty easier than the rest of the level's consoles.
- Upon successfully hacking a Data Vault without triggering an alarm or alerting enemies the affinity bonus is tripled.
- Every Data Vault alarm tripped will cause subsequent vaults to implement enemy patrols with tougher enemies, or activate additional defensive systems.
- If all three Data Vaults have had their alarms triggered and data successfully retrieved, the objective will change into an Exterminate mission, where all remaining enemies must be killed before extraction. This change will not occur if only two or less vaults had their alarms triggered, or if two or fewer data consoles have been successfully hacked.
- Failing or canceling hacks will set off the vault's alarm.
- Attempting to hack a terminal while standing on it will instantly cancel the hack, thereby setting off the alarm.
- Data Vaults are unaffected by external alarms, i.e. alarms initiated outside of them. Enemies inside Data Vaults will not be alerted even if a map-wide alarm has been initiated before the player has initiated the entrance hack. However, if the player has initiated the entrance hack and an enemy on the map raises the alarm after that, guards inside the vault will be alerted and may subsequently trigger the vault's alarm if the player doesn't dispose of them.
- Rare Storage Containers have a chance to spawn inside Data Vaults, and even the console terminal rooms.
- Syndicate Death Squads have a significant delay between the red flicker and their actual attack when the target is in a Data Vault, much longer than normal. This does not affect Field Bosses such as Stalker.
Tips[]
- Inexperienced players should never enter a vault that is already occupied by another player, as this increases the risk of triggering alarms after the player already inside avoided doing so. Instead, wait outside the vault in case that player triggers the alarms to rush in and help salvage.
- When hosting public Spy missions wait until the squad has fully loaded into the mission before entering a vault, as they may spawn on top of a security beam and inadvertently trip the alarm.
- Ciphers can be used to instantly hack consoles. Should an alarm be tripped, the Liset's Security Override Air Support ability can be used to pause the data destruction timer for a few precious seconds. However, be aware that Air Support has a 10-minute cool-down between uses.
- Initiating a hack on the console in an unusual position (such as standing on top of a console) or sliding near the console may cause the hack to automatically cancel, thereby setting off the alarm.
- If there is a general alarm while traversing the level, disable it just outside of a vault. Any previously alerted enemies won't reactivate the alarm unless they were already in the process of doing so.
- Enemies in a vault will spawn once their entrance door is interacted with. Taking too long on the hack may cause enemies to progress along their patrol routes.
- On Grineer or Orokin Spy missions, be careful when triggering Syndicate weapon effects, as they can unexpectedly trip Sensor Regulators or Orokin Spectators while not dealing enough damage to kill them. Consider temporarily switching to a weapon without one, especially if the squad is doing multiple vaults simultaneously.
- Companions do not trigger traps, allowing free usage inside Data Vaults. However, they can still trigger the alarms if they attack enemies.
- Various Warframes can use their Abilities to assist in completing vaults faster:
Ash can use his 
Shuriken Ability to destroy Security Cameras and kill guards silently, while using 
Teleport to bypass barriers and obstacles and 
Smoke Screen to be become invisible, however alarms will still be set off if Ash touches a laser.
Atlas's 
Petrify can petrify guards, cameras, and Sensor Regulators, stopping them in their tracks, and also making them unable to see him even if he walks right in front of them.
Equinox's Night Aspect using 
Rest can put guards to sleep, allowing for easy evasion during the duration of the ability.
Ivara's 
Quiver's Sleep Arrow can put enemies to sleep, and Noise Arrows will attract guards to the Arrow's location without alerting them.
Limbo can make various parts of both Corpus and Grineer Spy Vaults trivial. 
Cataclysm can be used to destroy Corpus Cameras on the other sides of walls. 
Banish is silent, allowing silent kills on vault guards from within the Rift Plane. Additionally, Banish prevents its targets from using consoles and thus they are unable to trigger an alarm.
Stasis can be used to stop enemies in their tracks, which allows Limbo to easily circumvent them during their patrols and give him time to hack consoles. However, although targets frozen by Stasis will be unable to move or vocalize for the duration of the ability, they will still be able to see Limbo if he runs in front of them. Deactivating Stasis after Limbo has been seen in this manner will immediately alert them, which can be especially dangerous if a Sensor Regulator is alerted this way.- Being in the Rift can also completely avoid detection from lasers, however enemies can still see a player in the Rift.
- Rift Plane prevents any form of hacking, but this can be circumvented by using the Operator.
Loki can use 
Decoy and then 
Switch Teleport to bypass barriers and obstacles.
- However, Decoy appears to be able to trigger Grineer Sensor Bars if it touches them, i.e. when placed on a conveyor belt.
- Loki can use
Invisibility to evade the guards' sight, however alarms will still be set off if he touches a laser.
Mirage's 
Sleight of Hand can be used to disable Cameras in Corpus vaults. This will also affect consoles however (on both Corpus and Grineer maps), prompting enemies to try and raise the alarm, which may be an intended effect, as the resulting explosion may kill the guard, or at least prevent them to use the console until Sleight of Hand expires. Note that Sleight of Hand does not affect laser barriers in Corpus vaults. It also seems that activating Sleight of Hand too close to a Sensor Regulator can cause it to trigger the alarm.
Nova's 
Wormhole can also easily bypass parts of various vaults, especially Corpus ones, as going through Worm Holes does not trigger Laser Barriers or Sensor Bars.
Octavia's 
Metronome can turn herself invisible by crouching to the Mandachord melody, but she can still trigger alarms if she touches a laser.
Titania can teleport past laser grids without setting them off in her 
Razorwing.
Valkyr can use 
Rip Line to quickly navigate obstacles, as well as silently destroy Security Cameras. Valkyr can use 
Paralysis to destroy Security Cameras on the other sides of walls.
Wisp's Passive Ability allows her to maintain invisibility while airborne.
Wil-O-Wisp's decoy will not trigger lasers, allowing Wisp to deploy a decoy through the barrier and then teleport past them. However, the decoy will still alert guards if they spot it.- Avoid using Shock
Reservoirs as it can hit Grineer Sensor Regulators and alert them.
Wukong can use 
Cloud Walker to easily traverse unseen, while also being able to slip through Laser Barriers without setting off alarms.
- If intending to brute force, stock up on Ciphers, bring a Warframe with immunity to knockdown like Atlas,
Rhino or Valkyr or equip 
Sure Footed ( Primed) or 
Unairu's 
Poise.
Master's Summons can be used to teleport a MOA Companion equipped with Security Override through walls and doors.- The Operator's Void Mode will allow them to traverse unseen by enemies, but they will still trigger alarms on touching a laser. Void Sling also will still set off alarms if used to sling through barriers.
- If having trouble solving advanced Corpus consoles, see User blog:Jrjjue/Advanced Corpus Console Hacking.
- While Spy Sorties prevent Ciphers from being used to accomplish hacking, Air Support is still allowed, which means the Liset's Override can still be used to pause the timer.
- Additionally,
Perspicacity will allow auto-Hacking consoles in Sortie missions.
- Additionally,
- Parazon mods Untraceable and Runtime are particularly useful for non-stealth Warframes, as they are triggered and refreshed each time a successful hack is performed.
Trivia[]
- Oddly, the Spy 2.0 Codex entry still shows the previous Grineer Spy 1.0 terminal, although it has been completely discarded from the game.
- The Grineer vault with Lynx is roughly identical to the room that was only available in Grineer Spy 1.0 missions.
- Before Spy 2.0 was added, the room used to contain a Jackal instead of Lynx. The Jackal however, served no purpose and could not be activated.
Media[]
Warframe Spy 2.0 Submersible Rooms Walkthrough Guide
Warframe Kuva Fortress Spy Mission Rooms
Patch History[]
Update 36.1 (2024-08-21)
- Reduced the amount of enemy spawns around the Spy Vault during the Vox Solaris Quest to make that section a bit less difficult for new players.
- This level reduction has also been applied to Venus Spy missions below level 20.
Update 35.5 (2024-03-27)
- Fixed Clients being unable to pass through a door in Kuva Spy missions.
- Fixed Clients being unable to pass through a door that appears unlocked in Pago’s (Kuva Fortress) Vault C room.
Update 34.0 (2023-10-18)
- Fixes towards Companion MOAs with Security Override being unable to hack certain terminals in Jupiter Spy missions, resulting in pathing issues.
- Fixed wall panel in Corpus Ship Spy vaults flickering in and out of view.
Update 32.3 (2023-02-15)
- Fixed floor texture flickering issues in front of the vault in the Amalthea, Spy mission on Jupiter.
- Fixed crash related to the Lua Spy coop doors.
Hotfix 32.2.10 (2023-01-18)
- Fixed the VFX for the Lua Spy Rifts and puzzle pressure plates being invisible if the “Visual Effects Intensity” slider in the Accessibilities options is turned all the way down.
Hotfix 32.2.9 (2023-01-11)
- Fixed collision remaining after destroying a wall in the Lua, Pavlov Spy mission making it impossible to enter and complete the vault.
Update 32.1 (2022-11-02)
- Fixed locked doors on Corpus Ship Spy missions not opening when hacked by Clients.
Hotfix 32.0.3 (2022-09-14)
- Fixed being unable to complete the Pavlov Spy mission on Lua due to the floor panels not activating when stepping on them.
Update 31.2 (2022-03-16)
- Fixed Vault C being impossible to complete after breaking control panels in Pago, Kuva Fortress Spy mission. As reported here: https://forums.warframe.com/topic/1300573-alt-route-in-pago-no-longer-working/
Update 30.9 (2021-11-11)
- Fixed the Harmonious Pillars puzzle in Pavlov, Lua being far more difficult to complete for Clients due to the clues displayed on the wall not lining up with the order that the pillars must be activated in.
Update 30.7 (2021-09-08)
- Harrow Neuroptic Blueprints can now be obtained from the first vault in Pago. Mod and Relic rewards have been swapped on Pago, and drop rates increased slightly.
- Fixed a Client bug causing the moving laser wall to stutter irregularly inside Corpus Ship Vault E.
- Fixed a puzzle on Lua Spy missions (Pavlov) that was unintentionally unsolvable.
Hotfix 30.0.1 (2021-04-13)
- Fixed issues with the Spy mission progress tracker on the player HUD not correctly updating.
- Fixed a few issues with doors and panels in a Corpus Spy vault.
Hotfix 27.3.15.1 (2020-04-17)
- Fixed a script error that could occur in Spy missions as a Client under hostile network conditions.
Update 27.3 (2020-03-24)
- Enemies inside Void Fissure Spy vaults that are not engaged in combat will no longer become Corrupted.
- This fixes enemies in Void Fissure Spy vaults setting off alarms when becoming Corrupted.
Update 25.7 (2019-08-29)
- Moved Spy mission on Neptune Laomedeia to Nereid on the main path.
- Replaced Spy mission on Laomedeia with Disruption since it’s off the main path (ice planet hijack gets removed in the process as it has Jupiter in its skybox).
- Lua Spy Mission Changes:
- Added shiny overlay to destroyable loot crates and made the surrounding glass more transparent.
- Updated door materials to be consistent with other updated doors.
- Slowed the music memory puzzle to reduce difficulty.
- Fixed Lua Spy vault markers sometimes displaying differently between Host and Clients.
- Fixed issues with Vents in the Corpus Ship Spy vaults always being closed.
- Fixed foggy-looking floor reflection in Metis, Jupiter’s Spy Vault.
Hotfix 25.3.2 (2019-07-12)
- Changed Spy panic buttons in the entrance hallways of Spy Vaults to stop enemies using them and setting off the alarm when outside the vault in Gas City, Grineer Fortress, and Sealab tilesets.
- Increased brightness of the grey ABC markers in Lua Spy missions.
- Fixed Wisp’s Wil-O-Wisp ability setting off laser beam alarms in the Gas City Spy Vaults.
Update 25.1 (2019-06-05)
- Fixed Ivara’s Infiltrate Augment Mod still triggering alarms from Laser Doors in the Gas City tileset.
- Fixed seeing Spy Vault lasers from outside the Gas City tileset.
Update 25.0 (2019-05-22)
- (Undocumented) New Spy Vaults have been added to Corpus Gas City
Update 16.7 (2015-06-04)
- A new Spy Mission is available on Earth, Cambria! This Mission contains Spy Vaults unique to the Earth tileset, including unique security measures for day and night cycles!
Update 16.3 (2015-04-09)
Spy Expansion:
- 3 new Spy Vaults have been added to Corpus Spy Missions
- 3 new Spy Vaults have been added to Grineer Spy Missions
- Players will now see a greater variation in what Spy Vaults appear in Missions, with each tileset randomly generated from existing vaults.
- Each Vault (old or new) contains randomly altered features that will make replaying a familiar vault less predictable but still open to multiple solutions.