Can you romance Kaya and Minerva in Warframe Techrot Encore?

Warframe‘s 1999 Update let you shack up with the Protoframes, so if your first thought in the update was “can I romance Minerva or Kaya?” you weren’t alone. This time, though, the answer is quite different.

While you could easily romance any of the Hex with 1999, developer Digital Extremes had other plans for the Protoframes in Techrot Encore. The update brought four new people to the mix: Kaya Velasco (Nova), Minerva Hendricks (Saryn), Velimir Volkov II (Frost), and Flare Varleon (Temple), all with a different narrative purpose.

If you’ve already fallen for Kaya or Minerva, though, don’t expect them to take up the Backroom couch any time soon. Here’s what you need to know if you want to romance Minerva or Kaya in Warframe‘s Techrot Encore.

Can you romance Minerva in Warframe Techrot Encore?

You can’t romance Minerva in Techrot Encore. She’s in a relationship with Velimir Volkov II, the Protoframe for Frost—and while the couple seems doomed, you can seemingly help them patch things up through KIM. Minerva is also worried about her assignment.taking down her adoptive daughter, Major Rusalka, which puts a lot more on her plate.

Even if the conversation path leads to the end of the relationship, though, Minerva is bound to need some time on her own. Besides, you can only interact with Minerva and Velimir as a couple instead of individually, so it’d be pretty awkward to hit on her while Velimir is around.

Can you romance Kaya in Warframe Techrot Encore?

Minerva’s complicated relationship with Velimir precludes you from romancing her. But Kaya, who seems single and ready to mingle, isn’t available as a romance option either. Sure, she’s trying to fix the time loop, but apparently there’s no way to rewind to a timeline where you can take her out on a date. Bad news if you’ve fallen for her charming voice and quirky demeanor. There’s a valid reason behind those decisions, though.

Why can’t you romance the Protoframes in Techrot Encore?

It may seem disappointing that you can’t get a New Year’s Kiss from the new batch of Protoframes, but this was a deliberate decision from Digital Extremes. The Hex are available as romance options, which pepper their stories and how you connect to them. For Techrot Encore, however, the studio went in a different direction.

The Drifter’s narrative goal in Techrot Encore is to help the new Protoframes navigate their ordeals, according to the update notes. This is a bit of a departure from the themes in 1999, where love—platonic or romantic—features as a way to fight off the Indifference. Because of this new premise, Drifter’s role is more of an advisor and a friend, rather than potentially a life partner. The story and character development that shone in 1999 is still around, though it doesn’t end up with Kaya or Minerva moving into your Backroom. At least we can always romance Eleanor.