Beginner's Guide

7:11 A new Soulframe Envoy starts with the Warsongs Prologue, whose choices "will decide your starting visage", then wakes on the shore of Midrath, follows the Sparrow to Grandfa's hut, is guided to cleanse a first World Tree, and tries the Spirit, Courage and Grace Pacts in the Nightfold "before committing to their path" (Digital Extremes, Nov 16, 2025 and Feb 12, 2026). From there the open island is yours: story Fables, tasks from World Tree boards, an Enclave to join and friends to bring along. Digital Extremes' Sarah Asselin played exactly this route on a "fresh, brand new account" in the Envoy Hour streams of fall 2025, and this guide leans on what she and the developers showed. Soulframe is still in Preludes, its pre-alpha, so systems change every few months; everything below is dated and true as of Oct 21, 2026. If you cannot play yet, start with How to Get Preludes Access.

Quick facts

Your first hour

The opening is a guided walk. Since Preludes 12 (Nov 2025), new Envoys "wake on the shore, follow the Sparrow to Grandfa's hut, and receive clear guidance toward cleansing the first World Tree", and the update promised "improved tutorials and refinements to early Fables" (Digital Extremes, Nov 26, 2025). Character creation is tied to the story: Digital Extremes said in its Jan 30, 2026 Devstream that your face is "based on the choices you made with mom" in the tutorial, and Verminia in the Nightfold lets you change hair, face, eye color and body type afterward. Who these people are is told on Story and Characters.

1:00:53 When you are lost, follow the bird. The Sparrow is your Spirit Guide, and in Envoy Hour of Nov 5, 2025 Asselin, lost on her way to a friend, laughs that getting lost is "a bit of a tradition" on the show and repeats the advice players give each other: "When in doubt follow the bird."

Choosing a Pact

A Pact is the power you take from an Omen Beast: it sits on your arm and gives you three Arcanic abilities, one for each Virtue. New Envoys try a Spirit, a Courage and a Grace Pact in the Nightfold before choosing (Digital Extremes, Nov 16, 2025), and the choice is not final: "if you are looking to switch Enclaves (Factions) or Pacts, this can be done in-game" (Soulframe FAQ, read Oct 21, 2026). More Pacts come from Fables, such as Orengall's and Bromius', and every Pact is described on Pacts.

9:43 Pick by play style, not by numbers. In Devstream 12 (Jan 30, 2026), CEO Steve Sinclair describes the three Virtues as archetypes: Courage "makes you a warrior", harder to kill and stronger in melee and heavy armor; Spirit is "a mage or a cleric", a "glass cannon" that casts far more; and Grace is stealthy and lethal, scaling sneak attacks, finishers and arrows from cover. The Virtue system has changed since that stream: since Preludes 15 (Jun 10, 2026) you set your Virtue alignment for each Loadout with no item to spend, so a tank Loadout and an archer Loadout can sit side by side (Digital Extremes, Jun 2, 2026). The current rules are on Virtues.

Your first Fables

25:10 Fables are the story quests, and some need finding. To begin The Shewolf Snared, the Fable in which you free the Omen Shewolf Orengall, Asselin explains that you must find a note and look for "these mysterious red lanterns". That Fable is worth doing early: since Preludes 16 (Sep 18, 2026) it ends with a wolf pup of your own, which Digital Extremes says will become your mount (Digital Extremes, Sep 18, 2026); see Wolf Pup and Mounts. The Waste Bear Fable then grows Wevetseeds, which give fast travel between cleansed World Trees "for you (and your squad)" (Digital Extremes, Nov 26, 2025). Every Fable is listed on Fables and Quests.

42:43 For smaller jobs, use the World Tree boards. Since Preludes 13 (Feb 2026), boards at World Trees across Midrath offer Faction Tales and tasks such as Sieges, so, in Asselin's words in Devstream 12, Tales "are no longer a thing of mere chance"; Sinclair adds that every World Tree now has things to do, so you are not left wondering whether an event is on a timer. Enclave rank ups still happen inside your own Enclave; the three Enclaves are compared on Enclaves, and the island itself is on Midrath.

Weapons, loot and Tempers

30:44 Do not hoard weapons you will never use. Since Preludes 15, weapons drop fully made with random Tempers (bonuses), and in Devstream 15 (May 29, 2026) Sinclair explains that you can hold a button on a dropped weapon to break it down on the spot, sending its materials to Tuvalkane's forge to upgrade the weapons you do like. The goal, he says, is to avoid "tons and tons of inventory management". Since Preludes 16 you can also dismantle weapons to reclaim their Tempers and retune eligible Legendary weapons with Tuvalkane (Digital Extremes, Sep 18, 2026). The details are on Tempers and Crafting and Weapons.

43:23 Free the animals you find. Totems, passive boons, come from charming Midrath's animals, and, as Asselin says while freeing caged creatures in Envoy Hour, also from rescuing animals from Ode cages.

Boons, healing and dying

16:18 The beasts and Ancestors you save come back to help. Since Preludes 14.5 (May 2026), Sinclair explains in Devstream 15, one of the Omen Beasts or Ancestors you have freed appears "every 23 hours" somewhere in the woods near where you log in, offering a boon that lasts for the day; some of the stranger boons cost the harmony you earn by charming animals. Digital Extremes calls the feature Grace from Gods and Ghosts (Jun 2, 2026).

39:20 Hit back to heal. Devstream 9 (Sep 12, 2025) showed a health regain mechanic for Preludes 11: after you take damage, part of the loss is temporary, and if you strike an enemy quickly you get some of it back, which rewards fighting "up close". How the rest of combat works (parries, Smite, Spectral Sight) is on Combat.

Playing with friends

52:01 You do not have to play alone. "This is easy mode," Asselin jokes in Envoy Hour: invite a friend into your game and they can help you through Faction Tales. Parties hold up to four Envoys since Preludes 14.5 (May 2026; three before), and players have traded equipment and sent mail since Preludes 15. The same codes that come with an invite can be shared with a friend (redeemed on soulframe.com's Redeem Code page). Everything about groups is on Co-op and Multiplayer.

Hard mode: The Cogah

When the island feels easy, brew The Cogah. Digital Extremes calls it "A diegetic difficulty (hard mode) option" (Nov 26, 2025): a Fey war ritual drunk as an elixir. Agari, the named bosses that roam Midrath, drop the Agaric mushrooms needed to brew it; under the ritual enemies are tougher, Arcanics slower and healing scarce, group members must revive each other, and "If all Envoys perish, the Cogah ritual ends" (Digital Extremes, Nov 16, 2025). The Agari are listed on Bosses and Agari.

Protect your account

6:42 Your progress is meant to stay. Asked in the Founders FAQ video of Nov 19, 2025 whether there will be more resets, Sinclair answers: "we're not going to do any resets"; if a system is reworked, Digital Extremes will refund points or give like-for-like items, as it does in Warframe. The Founders page says the same: "No, there will be no more account resets in Soulframe Preludes" (Founders, read Oct 21, 2026). Turn on two-factor authentication, EnvoyGuard, as well: it also unlocks the Wanderquill Spirit Guide skin (Digital Extremes, Apr 27, 2026).

Frequently asked questions

What should I do first in Soulframe? Play through the Warsongs Prologue, follow the Sparrow from the shore to Grandfa's hut, cleanse your first World Tree and try the three Pacts in the Nightfold. Then start the Fables, beginning with The Shewolf Snared, which gives you a wolf pup.

Which Pact should I pick in Soulframe? Pick the play style you enjoy: Courage for tough melee, Spirit for casting, Grace for stealth and bows. Soulframe lets you switch Pacts in game later, so the first choice is not permanent.

Can I play Soulframe solo? Yes. Soulframe can be played alone from start to finish of the current content, or in online co-op parties of up to four players.

How do I level up in Soulframe? In Soulframe your Envoy, your weapons and your Pacts all level up through play. Fables, World Tree tasks, Sieges and Agari are the main sources of experience and loot as of Oct 21, 2026.

Does Soulframe have a hard mode? Yes. Soulframe's hard mode is The Cogah, an elixir ritual brewed from Agaric mushrooms that Agari drop; it raises enemy strength and ends if every Envoy in the group falls.

Will my Soulframe progress be wiped? Digital Extremes has said there will be no more account resets in Soulframe Preludes; reworked systems are refunded instead.

How do I fast travel in Soulframe? Soulframe's fast travel uses Wevetseeds, which grow after The Waste Bear Fable and let you travel between cleansed World Trees with your party.

Sources

• Soulframe Devstream 11 Overview, Digital Extremes, Nov 16, 2025
• Preludes 12: Wylds, Digital Extremes, Nov 26, 2025
• Soulframe Founders and Preludes 12 Update Available Now, Digital Extremes, Nov 26, 2025
• Preludes 13: A Triquetra of Virtues, Digital Extremes, Feb 12, 2026
• Soulframe Devstream 14 Overview, Digital Extremes, Apr 27, 2026
• Soulframe Devstream 15 Overview, Digital Extremes, Jun 2, 2026
• Soulframe Preludes 16 Update Available Now, Digital Extremes, Sep 18, 2026
• Soulframe FAQ, Digital Extremes, read Oct 21, 2026
• Soulframe Founders, Digital Extremes, read Oct 21, 2026
• Soulframe on Steam, Steam, read Oct 21, 2026
• Envoy Hour #6, Soulframe, Nov 5, 2025 (video)
• Founders FAQ with Steve and Sarah, Soulframe, Nov 19, 2025 (video)
• Soulframe | Devstream 9, Soulframe, Sep 12, 2025 (video)
• Soulframe Devstream #12, Soulframe, Jan 30, 2026 (video)
• Soulframe Devstream #15, Soulframe, May 29, 2026 (video)