So, prime warframes are suposed to be like ''master crafted'' versions and even then, they are just blueprints of the actual Orokin era frames, like a 3D copy of something high quality.

Should prime warframes be stronger then the ''non orokin'' made frames like Oraxia (probably) and Qorvex, or the overall tech should made possible for other ppl (not Orokin) to make better or at least on par with the prime frames?

We have met some actual Orokin/old war era warframes like Sevagoth, but he wasn't in his prime form for some reason in the Call of the tempestarii quest.

We know Yareli knew ballas and thought he was fucking cringe, so she was there, but the waverider quest reveals her ''normal'' frame form back when planets where being taken by the grineer, which should be a relative ''newish'' faction, probably relatively post war.

These are just some examples, now here's the thing.

Where do we put Jade, umbra and Stalker? they should be from somewhat the same-ish time period?

Maybe Umbra is the oldest frame and something VERY VERY special, should we consider Umbra as the defacto stronger warframe both physicaly AND ''mentally'' ?

Umbra feels like the ''protagonist powerup'' pre war arc to face the biggest challenge.

And that takes me to Jhon warframe, our beloved Excal.

We can argue he is the ''canon'' warframe of our protag, its in every poster, advertasing and its the warframe our drifter version used while going to 1999, which implies that if the drifter was ''bound'' to the Zariman for a long time and the only other warframe in duviri is Kullervoh which is deadge/locked up then it means Excal trully is our warframe that was already ''bound'' to us as young Tenno.

Which means Xcal ALSO is from that time, and theres no reason that i know of to believe he is a ''cheaper'' copy of his prime version, a version that DE intentionally didnt gave us ''free access'' to so tecnically we should have started with a prime warframe from the get go.

If our ''powerup'' wasn't like discovering a long lost actual orokin era ''alive'' xcal prime, but was meeting Umbra, should it imply that umbra is a ''bigger powerup'' then a prime warframe or at least a more special powerup?

Same thing for Stalker, we've seen he has killed many other warframes before, maybe even the tenno controling it, so he GOTTA be stronger then the average warframe/tenno right?

''Average/prime'' warframes and the outliners.