The gilded gourmand explodes onto the scene. Grendel Prime is the latest Prime Warframe, combining the endless hunger of the basic version with a new, ornate stylization. With Grendel Prime under your control, you can Pulverize the competition and Feast on your foes.

To prepare for his new buffet, Grendel has been visually reborn for his Prime Access debut. That process begins with our amazing art team, who imagine new styles for all your favorite Warframes. Grendel Prime’s initial design was created by Warframe Associate Art Director Marco Hasmann, so we spoke with him about the process of making a Prime Warframe out of the primal devourer. 

Where do you generally start on the process of designing a Prime Warframe?

I usually try and determine the main features of the character—what are its powers about, what's the style and vibe—then reiterate on it, trying to push on those qualities and incorporate more elements to reinforce the main themes.

It's also important to identify which parts of the model can be easily enhanced with the classic Prime gold trims and Orokin styled elements; which parts of the original mesh to keep and what can be easily remodeled to make for a cooler character and silhouette.

What were the key facets of Grendel that you wanted to enhance for his Prime iteration?

The huge maw on the abdomen was of course a prime candidate for that treatment. I wanted to have a scary set of teeth and tusks to underline its voracious appetite and aggressive temperament. From there the jump to a boar-like tusked helmet was very intuitive.

The Prime Warframes generally come with Signature Weapons. While those are designed by other artists, did the preliminary concepts for the Masseter and Zylok Prime affect your work on Grendel Prime?

The concept for the Warframe was done prior to the Prime version of the weapons, if I remember correctly. They didn't inform the character in this instance!

Grendel Prime is more ornate compared to his counterpart. What inspired the new design for you?

The main intention with these Prime Warframes is to show the "original" Orokin creation. We always aim to portray the opulence and intricate gold detailing of the faction and try to include those features wherever we can in the design, making effectively a more polished and luxurious version of the standard counterpart.

What facets of Grendel Prime’s design were particularly interesting to you?

As with all Primes, it is always interesting to review and reiterate on the original design, trying to push on the luxurious Orokin look while still staying true to the Warframe's identity. It's always a fun and interesting process.

The maw was definitely the most fun to work on; designing the teeth with some interesting dynamic lines, curved and intersecting fangs and spiky protruded golden accents. Have it be as interesting as possible, while still retaining the ability to actually open with the least clipping possible.

Which parts of Grendel Prime’s design, if any, were challenging for you?

The shoulderpads were the most challenging. I experimented initially with having extra tusks there, but that was feeling overly-busy very quickly. I ended up settling on a much tamer option to keep the attention on its main point of interest and keep the overall design more bottom-heavy with the skirt accessories and tusks.

You can devour everything Grendel Prime brings to the table in our current Prime Access. Satiate your hunger and gain instant access to the Prime Warframe, his signature Prime Weapons and Accessories, 90-Day Affinity and Resource Boosters, and more.