PvP 2.0 has just arrived on PC as part of Warframe: Sanctuary and with it comes a slew of changes that dramatically alter the way Tenno test their skills against each other. Whether you're new to PvP and want to test out the changes, or are a Conclave veteran looking for a new challenge, knowing how to best prepare for Cephalon Capture is half the battle.

Anyone that missed our PvP edition of Building Warframe on our new PvP 2.0 design philosophy can check out the full article here. Otherwise, let's start with the basics.

Choosing a Warframe
A huge portion of PvP 2.0's rebalance has been an intense focus on creating a level playing field, and that means restricting what weapons and Warframes can be immediately used in Conclave. The following Warframes are enabled for Cephalon Capture:

• Mag
• Chroma
• Excalibur
• Frost
• Rhino
• Volt

Future Warframes will be made playable as balance revisions continue to be made -- and just like a regular Mission, the Warframe used will largely depend on the individual playstyle. Organizing abilities and roles with a Squad before a match is highly recommended.

A great example would be deciding to use Volt for speed-running the Cephalon back to base, or Rhino for Iron Skin. Likewise, Frost and Chroma make for excellent base defenders, provided the player has acquired enough energy to use their more expensive abilities.

Weapons Selection
Cephalon Capture is a game mode that encourages players to always be on the move, whether searching for a new defensible location, hunting down the enemy Cephalon, or trying to return your team's Cephalon back to base. Because of this, choosing a weapon is more than just a question of how much damage it does. Instead, players should focus on how adept they are at firing under pressure.

Approved Primary Weapons:
• Latron
• Latron Wraith
• Braton
• Braton Vandal
• Grakata
• Mk1-Paris
• Paris
• Mk1-Strun
• Strun
• Boar
• Gorgon
• Gorgon Wraith
• Gorgon Vandal

The following list of approved primary weapons gives a good range to choose from, and each comes with its own unique strategy. Tools of precision, like the Latron and Paris, reward players able to track their enemies at a far range, while the Braton, Grakata and Strun offer the security of high fire rates at mid to close range. Tenno caught from a focused assault will go down quickly, but ammo conservation should be a high priority. Please note that Prime variants are also permitted.

Ammunition, just like energy, can be found all over the level -- a resource to be gathered and possibly stolen, depending on your team's strategy.

The same recommendations for choosing a Primary weapon carry over to Secondary weapons. In a way, what secondary weapon you choose can be even more important.

Approved Secondary Weapons:
• AkFuris
• Mk1-Furis
• Furis
• AkLato
• Lato
• Lato Vandal
• AkLex
• Lex
• AkMagnus
• Magnus
• Cestra
• Dual Cestra
• Furis
• Kohmak
• Kunai
• Mk1-Kunai
• Sicarus

Carrying the Cephalon requires one hand just like a Data Mass, which means that enemies outside of sword distance are going to present a very real problem. A hard-hitting sidearm with heavy recoil is a great choice for destroying an enemy that's wandered too close, but keeping the enemy at an advantageous range is the greatest challenge with Secondary weapons. Please note that Prime variants are also permitted.

Approved Melee Weapons:
• Skana
• Dual Skana
• Bo
• Fang
• Furax
• Gram
• Kogake
• Ripkas

Melee is by far the most difficult of weapons to manage in PvP, offering tremendous risk for incredible reward. Able to cut down shields and deal quick punishment to the enemy, melee can easily save your life in a heated duel. Please note that Prime variants are also permitted.

More importantly, unlike Primary or Secondary weapons, Melee weapons are deadly under a much wider range of scenarios. Slam attacks can render multiple enemies unable to fight by knocking them down, leaving them open to weapons fire or close-range finishers. An equipped melee weapon can block enemy fire at the cost of stamina, and is even capable of greater damage through channeling -- sacrificing energy to bolster a weapon swing.

As a final note, we'd like to mention that all new weapons and Warframes released will be tweaked to function in PvP from this Update onward. This progress will be in addition to rebalancing older weapons and Warframes to function properly in this new Conclave environment.

Working Together
Veteran Tenno may find a lot of this information redundant on paper, but the truth is that in practice PvP 2.0's competitive limitations demand far more from a player's individual skill than Dark Sectors ever required. Teamwork and communication are key, but utilizing the full range of abilities a Warframe is capable of will earn victory.

Team composition and weapon selection are critical to success, but communication plays just as large a role. Unlike Dark Sectors, each map in Cephalon Capture has been designed with multiple entry and exit points, meaning that sitting back in hope of creating a bottleneck may not yield the best results.

We hope this beginner's guide gives Conclave-ready Tenno a better idea of how to prepare themselves for Cephalon Capture and our exciting PvP 2.0 overhaul. Be sure to give plenty of feedback on our latest game mode and look forward to future PvP announcements as we continue to expand and improve the Conclave experience.

Hone your skills, work together, and above all else have fun.