The Tenno are no strangers to close-range combat, but sometimes completing a Mission doesn't mean you need to get your hands dirty. In the hands of a seasoned marksmen a sniper rifle can take care of enemies with brutal precision, all without leaving the comfort of a well-protected defensive position.

Sniper rifles were a class of weapons that were difficult to use for a marginal payoff, trading long range and high damage for extensive reload time and a low rate of fire. The Second Dream gave sniper weapons some extra help to keep up with the faster pace of Warframe's combat with some exciting new mechanics.

Enter the Rubico, a Tenno sniper rifle designed to provide tremendous damage at a distance. A fancy new sniper rifle that the Tenno could call their own, the Rubico's design draws inspiration from a few sources. As a Tenno weapon it's clear to see that each of these original concepts all similarly share a lack of hard edges, with some allowance left for a unique ammo drum clip.

The ammo drum itself is a nod to Orokin design. Intentionally elaborate but functionally deadly the Rubico combines the foreign design of Orokin and Tenno technology with some very familiar sniper gunplay. The independent color of the ammo drum didn't quite make the cut, but a close look in the Arsenal will reveal all the fine detail left on the rotating chamber has been left intact!

The final product is a weapon designed to sit between Vectis and the Soma in design, with a default coloring that would make Loki feel right at home. Rightfully so, as the Rubico was originally designed to accompany the agile trickster, but needed a bit of extra polish before it was ready to be released in the wild.

By polish, we of course mean the Second Dream's revamped sniper scopes.

Each weapon was given a unique concept made to encompass the spirit of their original design, while also giving necessary information to the player in an unobtrusive way. This means that in addition to creating a unique design our artists needed to be aware of leaving room for:

· A per-hit combo counter.

· Unique weapon buffs.

· Range and zoom rank indicator.

· Ammo count (where applicable).

Even the Rubico's artistic scope had a few different iterations, some of which may have been a little more distracting than others…

More than simply giving a stat buff to an existing class of weapons The Second Dream gave sniper rifles an extra bit of personality any time a player gets ready for a headshot. We hope that fans of the long-range execution have enjoyed this look at the Rubico, as well as the quick peek behind-the-scenes at the sniper scope HUDs that didn't make the cut!

-DE_Adam