A local System Tenno emerges triumphantly from yet another clan’s Dojo after successfully completing a trade. Two Tenno had entered, but only one would survive the trade. For the other, the Dojo would become their final resting place once the trade was finished.

CLAN GALVANIZE DOJO, LOCATION UNKNOWN—A local System Tenno walks away from the Trading Post in an unfamiliar Dojo. It was a simple exchange of goods for Platinum between HoffMan, MR16, and Alburt, MR14. Only one of these Tenno would be able to go on after the transaction. A mere 25 Platinum had cost the unfortunate Tenno everything.

The trading system within Warframe was openly embraced by Tenno when it was originally added in Update 11. It was hailed as the most significant change to the game which truly let Warframe become Free To Play. Now if a Tenno did not want to purchase Platinum directly, they could trade items within Warframe to acquire Platinum from other Tenno. However, the Tenno learned over the years that this system was truly a curse masquerading as a blessing. A honeypot designed to torment and punish innocent Tenno for trying to earn Platinum through gameplay. The trading system brought with it a tidal wave of bans, blotting out the existence of tens of thousands of Tenno from Warframe forever.

Many Tenno have been lured into these dangerous trades without ever realizing it. The bans are not always instantaneous, but when two Tenno complete a deal within the Dojo, only one of them will be able to carry on. “It’s not about being lucky.” said HoffMan in regards to the trading process, “It’s about living on the edge. It’s about seeing all the possible realities and seizing the one you want for yourself. That’s how I’ve come this far. That’s how I know I won’t end up like them.”

A fringe group of Tenno had set out on the same path of life-or-death gambling as HoffMan in the past year, but only a few had managed to come as far as he had. In January of this year, 1500+ Tenno had been banned as a result of trading roulette. We sent our field reporters out to follow the trails of some of these banned Tenno, but very few trails led to warm bodies. After suffering the shame of being banned from Warframe, the former Tenno often committed themselves to sudoku in a final act to redeem their honor.

Either through sheer luck or divine fate, HoffMan has now completed over 100 trades without being flagged for an automatic ban in this past month alone and has gained notoriety among the Tenno. HoffMan’s perceived invulnerability to bans has inspired others to foolishly follow in his footsteps. Their ambitions are often short-lived and met with a grim outcome.

“I try not to think about it, you know?” said HoffMan when asked about what happened to his trading partner Alburt. “You have to decide, in that moment, if it’s worth the risk. And they knew the risk they were taking when we stepped up to that Trading Post. I’m no hero, but I know I’m no villain either. I guess all I can say is that I hope he finds peace.”

Our field reporters managed to track down Alburt for a last minute interview before the ban would come for him.

“I don’t know what’s left for me. I don’t know what else there could be for me. Hopefully I can move on with honor like those before me. If only I had never traded…” said Alburt, dazed by the finality of the trade.

The interview was cut short as Alburt drop to his knees to prepare for sudoku. Our field reporters left the scene to respect his private final moments, capturing one last image of the Tenno before he was lost forever to the ban.

Sources confirmed Alburt’s ban the next day.

At press time, sources report that HoffMan got logged out and was unable to log in to their account for a minute but then remembered they had left caps lock on and then got in just fine so don’t worry about it things are probably fine.