Designing a Warframe is all about capturing the spirit of its abilities in the core design. It's important that players get a general idea of what their powers could be at a quick glance -- whether it's the ability to control fire or being the embodiment of a classic Western spirit. Equinox represented a unique opportunity for us to dive into some very complex design questions. In celebration of its final release we thought you all might like to see a little of what went into creating a Warframe meant to represent the eternal balance within us all.

For many, Yin and Yang is an abstract representation of 'light' and 'dark' or 'good' and 'evil', eternally balanced within oneself. The real truth behind Yin and Yang is far more complex than that, but in exploring what such balance means we were able to come up with a few interesting ideas for what Equinox could look like. Our main goal was to find a way to represent not just the melding of two radically different elements but to also give both Yin and Yang two distinct forms with their own set of powers and abilities.

Our early concept (shown above) gives a few variations on how we thought this could work. While each is a distinct design, it's important that the final product be undisputedly 'Warframe' in nature.

Initial sketches focused heavily on two entwined bodies, but were a little lacking in individual personality. By giving each aura its own persona we get a much clearer picture of both the individual Warframe and the balance shared between both forms while still keeping a unifying theme of balance between the two.

Apart, each Warframe is unique, but there is still symmetry shared between both Warframes when joined.

A sketch is easy enough to look at but when placed in-game there are other elements to take into consideration. Concept doesn't perfectly translate in-game. Fortunately for us, Equinox held up quite well; and with the rough basics working out we have plenty of time to fill in the gaps with extra detail.

Even when separated there is an ebb and flow to Equinox's design, making it very clear that while independent they are truly a part of something more. Fine details help flesh out each individual character and give the final Warframe two very distinct personas when separated.

We hope you've all enjoyed this quick peek into the design inspirations behind Equinox on this edition of Building Warframe. Let us know what you think in the comments and keep an eye out for more behind-the-scenes looks at what it takes to bring our dark sector of the gaming universe to life!