Since the Empyrean update, Railjack missions have been available for those ready to take on the challenge of piloting their own Railjack and battling varied enemies in the Proxima regions of space.
Once you have a Railjack at your disposal, you can team up with others or choose to head out solo to complete these missions, earn greater rewards, and progress further in the game.
For those who are just starting out, let this be a beginner’s guide to doing Railjack missions so that you can quickly hop into the fray and start experiencing everything this mode has to offer.
Railjack Mission Mechanics
How To Start Railjack Missions?
Once you have a Railjack ready and you’re prepared to head into a mission, you can either hop onboard directly from your Orbiter or go to your Clan Dojo’s Railjack Dry Dock to start your own mission.
If you select a mission from the Star Chart without boarding your Railjack first, you’ll join someone else’s mission instead of hosting your own, unless your matchmaking settings are set to solo.
You can choose different missions as you go, but you’ll begin in the Earth Proxima, progressing through other Proximas by completing nodes and investing in Intrinsic ranks to unlock them.
Destroying Fighters
You will always be tasked with taking out a number of fighters, with the amount varying based on the mission and its difficulty level.
The farther you progress from the first missions, the more fighters there will be, and all must be destroyed along with other objectives to complete the mission successfully.
Players can use their Railjack to fight enemies or exit the ship at any time to deal damage in different ways or handle other objectives.
Among all Archwings available, Amesha is a favorite choice due to its survivability and strong crowd-control abilities.
Destroying Crew Ships
In addition to destroying enemy fighters, most missions will also include crew ships that you are required to destroy as part of completing the main objectives.
These ships are tough to destroy with only Railjack weapons, as heavy attacks like dome charge-equipped weapons or powerful ordnance are required.
Aside from using dome charges, you can leave your Railjack and board enemy crew ships, dealing damage from the inside while managing any enemies you encounter.
To enter a crew ship, fly behind it and interact with the boarding point, which will place you inside where enemies are present, so be ready for combat or move carefully.
Once inside, you may either eliminate all enemies or head straight to the reactor, which can be destroyed using your weapons from within.
On higher-level missions, you may first need to hack a console connected to the reactor to take down its shield before you can destroy it.
After the reactor is destroyed, a countdown timer shows how long the ship has before it explodes, giving you a limited window to exit.
You can leave the crew ship immediately after destroying the reactor, using the Omni tool to teleport back or flying out to continue in Archwing mode without waiting for the explosion.
Hijacking Crew Ships
Aside from destroying crew ships immediately, players have the option to hijack them, allowing full control of the ship to use as they see fit.
This lets you fight alongside your Railjack by attacking enemies directly or using the crew ship to absorb damage from other hostile ships.
To hijack a crew ship, approach the pilot seat and either perform a finisher or attack normally to force the pilot out and make the seat available.
Be sure to clear nearby enemies first to avoid being killed while piloting, and remember that crew ships also have gunner seats for teammates to join you.
Once hijacked, you can use the crew ship freely to take out fighters and other enemies, giving you an additional advantage in battle.
At any point, you can destroy the ship’s reactor and exit whenever you no longer need the crew ship, returning to your Railjack or continuing the fight in Archwing mode.
Main Objectives
Main objectives may appear in different missions alongside the requirements to still defeat fighters and destroy crew ships.
There are different types of objectives, but most involve you or someone from your squad leaving the Railjack to infiltrate a facility or ship and either destroy, sabotage, or assassinate a target.
Usually, players split up to complete each part quickly, with one team dealing damage from the outside and the other handling the inside tasks.
The objectives will be shown by a waypoint you need to follow, and while it’s up to you whether you want to do the objective first or last, doing it last is often best to keep your Railjack safe.
Once you arrive at the objective location, the waypoint will direct you to the entrance, and going near it will prompt you with the option to enter.
After entering the destination, you will need to follow a series of smaller objectives that usually involve hacking consoles on the inside and destroying targets on the outside.
Consoles found inside need to be hacked, which will then expose outside targets that also need to be destroyed to progress the objective.
Destroying the outside targets will move the objective to the next step, which usually requires repeating the hacking and destruction cycle once more in larger facilities.
After you have hacked and destroyed the minor targets, you will usually have a main target inside that must be either destroyed or hacked as well.
For assassination missions, you simply need to infiltrate, head straight to the target, and eliminate them, just like a standard assassination mission.
Ramsleds
During missions, crew ships or facilities will sometimes fire Ramsleds at your Railjack, which can penetrate the hull and allow enemies inside to breach your ship.
Ramsleds can be shot down while approaching, but if they reach close range, they will explode and spawn enemies inside the Railjack.
The enemies appear at the breach location, and you will see the Ramsled inside the ship once it has opened.
It is important to deal with these threats quickly, as the enemies can damage your Railjack or attack you and your squad while inside.
Railjack Maintenance
Restocking Railjack Payload
Your Railjack relies on resources to operate most of its equipment, so keeping its payload stocked during missions is essential.
The payload consists of Revolite for repairs, Dome Charges for artillery, and Munitions for ordnance, all of which are consumed as you fight and repair your ship.
At the rear of the ship is the Resource Forge, where you can craft or replenish these payload resources using materials collected during the mission.
The Railjack has four Forge stations in the aft section, each with a short cooldown after use, allowing you to refill your payload while still in the mission.
Before returning to Dry Dock, you can refine unspent resources to nearly double them and ensure you start your next mission with a full supply of Revolite, Dome Charges, and Munitions.
Omni Tool
The Omni tool is one of the most important pieces of gear you can bring into a Railjack mission, and you can access it directly from your gear menu while onboard.
It’s used to repair any damage your ship takes, from minor hull hits to fire or electrical hazards, and consumes Revolite from your payload.
Once you’ve unlocked the right Intrinsic rank, the Omni tool can also teleport you back onto the Railjack from outside, making it handy for staying alive and getting back into action.
Repairing Railjack
Your Railjack can take damage whenever it is exposed to enemy fire or when Ramsleds breach the ship, releasing enemies inside.
The Omni tool is used to repair hazards and damage, and it can be accessed from your gear menu or a bound hotkey during a mission to keep your ship in fighting condition.
Aim at the damage icons on the ship and hold the fire button to start repairs. Some sections also feature a mini‑game that instantly fixes the damage if completed correctly.
NPC crew can assist during missions if you assign an Engineer, automatically repairing hazards and hull breaches without needing you to manually use the Omni tool.
If critical damage occurs, a hull breach will appear as a red icon and must be repaired within the timer or the mission will fail.
Finishing Missions
Once you have completed a mission, you can either return to your Drydock or continue on to another mission to keep progressing in the Railjack content.
Be sure to refine any resources stored in your Railjack’s Resource Forge, as this converts them into your inventory and ensures nothing is lost when the mission ends.
Most squads will always refine their payload before extraction to maximize the amount of resources collected and take full advantage of any bonuses or Intrinsic effects.
Tips
- Try to play with a squad when starting out, as missions can take longer and be more difficult when unprepared.
- Amesha is a solid choice for Archwing missions due to its survivability and ability to restore energy over time.
- Use Operator mode to bypass certain enemies inside crew ships or facilities when needed.
- Do primary objectives last to avoid leaving your Railjack unguarded while you are away.
- Farming lower-level missions first helps gather resources, parts, and avionics before tackling harder content.
- Always refine your collected resources at the Resource Forge before extraction to ensure nothing is lost.
Verdict
Railjack missions offer a unique mix of space combat, ship management, and team coordination that makes them one of Warframe’s most engaging experiences.
Mastering your Railjack, coordinating with a squad, and keeping your ship maintained are key to completing missions efficiently and safely.
With practice and upgrades, even the toughest missions become manageable, and the rewards make the effort worthwhile.
