Polarity

Most equipment slots accept any type of Mod. However, some slots are “polarized.” Each type of Polarity has a unique symbol. Polarities include:

• Madurai - V (Damage, Powers) - Commonly dropped by Grineer.
• Vazarin - D (Defensive, Health, Armor) - Dropped by all factions.
• Naramon - Dash/Bar (Misc.) - Commonly dropped by Corpus.
• Zenurik - Scratch (Warframe Augments and Channeling Mods).
• Penjaga - Y (Sentinel/Kubrow Abilities) - Dropped by all factions (Kubrow from Feral Kubrows/Drahks).
• Koneksi - O (Fusion Core) - Dropped by all factions.
• Unairu - R - Introduced in Update 13.0 (2014-04-09) and used for certain Melee Stance Mods.

A mod's polarity type is noted in the top right corner of its card. When a mod is placed into a matching polarity slot, the cost of installing the mod will be reduced by 50%, rounding up to the nearest whole number. In contrast, placing a mod in a slot with a different polarity will increase its cost by 25%. This cost is rounded to the closest integer.

For Aura and Stance mods, polarities increase or decrease the amount of bonus mod points that the mod provides: matching polarities will increase the bonus mod points by 100%, while non-matching polarities reduce it by 20%.  

A Warframe's polarity slots differ from the slots of other Warframes. This makes certain mod builds more efficient on certain frames.

Polarization

Main article: Polarization

Players may use Forma, a rare item obtainable from Orokin Void missions or the Market, to add or change a polarity on a piece of equipment that has attained rank 30. This increases the weapon or frame's overall strength by increasing the possible mod combinations that may be placed on it. Using Forma to add/change a polarity slot will reset the equipment's rank to zero, requiring the equipment to be leveled up again. Additionally, polarization allows players to rearrange polarity slots as they see fit, including polarities that were built into the equipment to begin with. As of Update 15.1 (2014-11-05), the aura slot's polarity cannot be swapped with another slot's.

Currently, there appears to be no cap on the number of times a weapon may be 'polarized' or what polarizations are possible (on a weapon with eight blank slots, you could polarize it eight times with the same polarity if you so wish) though good judgement on how you wish to build a weapon undoubtedly means variety will serve most Tenno well.

Innately Polarized Weapons

Primary Weapons	Secondary Weapons	Melee Weapons
Attica - 1x Boltor - 1x  Boltor Prime - 1x  and 1x  Braton Vandal - 1x Burston - 1x Burston Prime - 1x Cernos - 1x Daikyu - 1x Dread - 2x Grinlok - 1x Harpak - Hind - 1x Javlok - 2x Karak - 1x Karak Wraith - 1x Kohm - 1x Latron - 1x Latron Prime - 1x and 1x Latron Wraith - 1x Miter - 1x MK1-Paris - 1x MK1-Strun - 1x Mutalist Cernos - 1x Opticor - 1x Panthera - 1x Paris - 1x Paris Prime - 1x and 1x Phage - 1x Quanta - 1x  Quanta Vandal - 1x Rakta Cernos - 2x and 1x Sancti Tigris - 1x , 1x and 1x Secura Penta - 1x , 1x and 1x Simulor - 1x and 1x Snipetron - 1x Snipetron Vandal - 1x Soma - 2x Soma Prime - 2x Stradavar - 2x Strun - 1x Strun Wraith - 1x Synoid Simulor - 1x , 1x and 1x Telos Boltor - 1x and 1x Tigris Prime - 1x and 1x Vaykor Hek - 1x and 1x Vectis - 1x Vectis Prime - 1x and 1x Vulkar Wraith - 1x Zarr - 1x Zhuge - 1x	Afuris - 1x Akbolto - 1x Akbronco - 1x  Akbronco Prime - 2x Akjagara - 1x Akstiletto - 1x Akstiletto Prime - 1x and 1x Angstrum - 1x  Atomos - 1x Azima - 1x and 1x Ballistica - 1x  Brakk - 1x and 1x Bolto - 1x Castanas - 2x Despair - 2x Dex Furis - Dual Cestra - 1x  Dual Toxocyst - 1x and 1x Embolist - 1x Furis - 1x Gammacor - 1x Hikou - 2x Hikou Prime - 2x Kohmak - 1x Kulstar - 1x Kunai - 2x Lato Prime - 1x and 1x Lato Vandal - 1x Lex - 1x Lex Prime - 1x Magnus - 1x  Marelok - 1x  MK1-Furis - 1x MK1-Kunai - 2x Pox - 2x Rakta Ballistica - 1x  and 1x Sancti Castanas - 2x and 1x  Secura Dual Cestra - 1x and 1x Sicarus - 1x Sicarus Prime - 1x Sonicor - 1x Spira - 2x Spira Prime - 2x Staticor - 1x Stug - 1x Synoid Gammacor - 1x and 1x Talons - 2x Telos Akbolto - 1x  and 1x Twin Grakatas - 1x Twin Gremlins - 1x Twin Kohmak - 1x Twin Rogga - 1x and 1x Twin Vipers - 1x Vasto - 1x Vasto Prime - 2x Vaykor Marelok - 1x and 1x  Viper - 1x Wraith Twin Vipers - 1x	Amphis - 1x Anku - 1x Ankyros Prime - 2x Bo - 1x Bo Prime - 1x Broken Scepter - 1x Broken War - 1x and 1x Ceramic Dagger - 1x Cerata - 1x and 1x Cronus - 1x Dakra Prime - 1x and 1x Dark Split-Sword - 1x Destreza - 1x Dex Dakra - 1x Dragon Nikana - 1x and 1x Dual Cleavers - 1x Dual Heat Swords - 1x Dual Ichor - 1x Dual Kamas Prime - 1x Dual Zoren - 1x  Ether Daggers - 1x  Ether Reaper - 1x Fang - 1x Fang Prime - 1x Fragor Prime - 1x Galatine - 1x Galatine Prime - 2x Gazal Machete - 1x Glaive - 1x and 1x Glaive Prime - 1x and 1x Halikar - 1x and 1x Heat Dagger - 1x Heat Sword - 1x Hirudo - 1x Jat Kittag - 1x and 1x Jaw Sword - 1x Kama - 2x Karyst - 1x Kesheg - 1x Kestrel - 1x and 1x Lesion - 1x Machete Wraith - 2x Mios - 1x MK1-Bo - 1x Nami Solo - 1x Nikana - 1x and 1x Nikana Prime - 1x and 1x Okina - 1x Ohma - 1x and 1x Orvius - 1x and 1x Pangolin Sword - 1x Prisma Dual Cleavers - 1x Rakta Dark Dagger - 1x Ripkas - 1x Sancti Magistar - 1x Sarpa - 1x Scindo Prime - 1x Scoliac - 1x Secura Lecta - 1x Serro - 1x Sheev - 1x Sibear - 1x Skana Prime - 1x and 1x Tekko - 1x Tipedo - 1x Tonbo - 1x Twin Basolk - 1x Vaykor Sydon - 1x War - 1x

Updated for Update 19.9 (2017-02-01)

Notes

• It is apparent to those who know the Orokin Script that some Polarities are in fact the same symbols as some numbers and vowels, either rotated or flipped:
  • Naramon () is similar to the symbol for 1, rotated counter-clockwise.
  • Madurai () is the numeral 4, which is also an upside down 2.
  • Vazarin () is the numeral 5, which is also an upside down 3.
  • Zenurik ( ) is the vowel "IH" (as in the word "Kit") rotated 90 degrees.
  • Penjaga () forms the number 10.
    • Penjaga is Indonesian for "guardian" or "protector", and mods in this category are reserved for Companions.
    • This can also be interpreted as I/O, for the fact that this polarity is only present on mods that influence companion behavior.
  • Neither Koneksi () nor Unairu () have a perfect connection to the Orokin Script, but Koneksi is similar to a squared-off vowel "OH" (as in the word "Goat"). Unairu is perhaps similar to the shape of the vowel "AYE" (as in the word "Price").
    • Similar to Penjaga above, Koneksi is also Indonesian in origin, in this case translating to "connection", reflecting how Fusion Cores are the only mods that bear this Polarity.
• According to Devstream 55, the names of the polarities correspond to old Tenno schools. These names are also used for the clusters depicted in the Star Chart 3.0 prototype also featured in the same Devstream.