Combat

40:07 Soulframe's combat is third-person fighting with "blade, bow, and magick", slower and more deliberate than Warframe's, built on blocking, dodging, parrying, Smite finishers and the Arcanic abilities of your Pact. "This is a slower game than Warframe", a developer says in Digital Extremes' Devstream 12 of Jan 30, 2026, but the team is not going for a "really slow" feel either: turning to strike a new target takes a split second, "maybe three or four frames". Your melee, Magick and ranged power scales with your three Virtues, and what you swing or shoot is on Weapons. Soulframe is in Preludes, its pre-alpha on PC, so everything below is as of Oct 21, 2026 and still changing.

Quick facts

The pace

Digital Extremes set out to make combat calmer than Warframe's from the start. Creative Director Geoff Crookes told PCGamesN in 2022: "Warframe is a very fast-paced, frenetic game, so we have to keep reminding ourselves to rein it in." Lead Designer Scott McGregor described "a simpler approach" in 2025, in which a one-on-one fight "could end up being a minute or so" (MobileSyrup, Jul 24, 2025). PC Gamer, after the TennoCon 2024 demo, called it "a slower, more deliberate pace to its melee-heavy combat compared to Warframe's space ninja acrobatics".

22:09 Even the first public gameplay looked like that. In Digital Extremes' 2023 "Preludes: Gameplay" video, from a build long since replaced, the Envoy duels an armored boss in a misty swamp, trading single blows with a foe swinging a heavy mace rather than cutting through crowds.

Melee, bows and Magick

Melee weapons hit hardest up close and scale with Courage; bows and flyblades scale with Grace; Magick staffs and wrist casters scale with Spirit (Devstream 12 overview, Feb 1, 2026). Each Loadout carries a main weapon and a Sidearm, and you can swap Loadouts, weapons and Pacts as a fight demands. Melee weapons have light and heavy attacks; bows and Magick weapons have a Charged Shot (Preludes 14, Apr 17, 2026). Grace builds deal much more damage to unaware enemies, from finishers, ground stabs and arrows "from the trees", as the developers explained on Devstream 12.

31:09 Melee also has a way to win back health. In Devstream 9 of Sep 12, 2025, the developers warned that Preludes 11 would make the early game harder (faster archers, quicker enemy specials, a "slightly smaller" parry window that Combat Arts can widen) and introduced a "health regain" mechanic for melee: damage you take is temporary for a moment, and striking the enemy back quickly restores some of it, "to give you an incentive to play kind of up close and sweaty". Digital Extremes called it "Health Regain (proper name pending)" in its Devstream 9 overview (Sep 15, 2025).

Block, dodge and parry

38:18 Blocking became something you can rely on in Preludes 13 (Feb 12, 2026). In Devstream 12 a developer estimated that "30% or maybe even 50%" of enemy attacks on the live build were unblockable, leaving players in "this kind of dodge spam situation"; the rework made unblockable attacks rare and situational, throttled how often large enemies use them "so that you can make a tanky courage base build and just block and duel with them", and stopped a feathered block from jumping between targets while you try to parry.

You can parry in Soulframe, and Preludes 16 made it stricter. Digital Extremes "improved our parry timing and inputs to make them feel tighter once pressed and to make deflecting incoming blows more satisfying", and reduced attack magnetism so attacks "don't lunge as aggressively towards your foes": "You'll have to get within your Weapon's ideal range to strike true!" (Preludes 16 at Devstream 197, Sep 4, 2026). The dodge is part of some Pacts too: the Duelo Pact's passive Chamariz leaves a clone that holds an enemy's attention after you dodge.

Camera, lock-on and feel

30:34 January 2026 went into "a significant push on combat feel". The developers list target switching, "reduced skating", keeping an ideal distance, a camera that is less tight on the action and pulls out when several enemies attack, and reworked "melee lock on" and distance closing; the player physics are "way less slippery and icy". Digital Extremes' written summary: swapping targets "more responsive and instant", "Fewer unblockable attacks", and "Multiple block inputs should now prevent excessive target swapping" (Devstream 12 overview). Preludes 13 also reworked combat sound, so "a shield on a sword will sound different from a shield against the body".

Smite, Runes and Spectral Sight

Smite is Soulframe's finishing blow, and since Preludes 14 it powers your Rune. "Smiting enemies stores a Rune charge, which can be used at your discretion", and a Rune fires with a Heavy Attack (melee) or Charged Shot (bows and Magick); "Rune ranks determine how many charges you can hold" (Preludes 14). The three Runes of Preludes 11 are Everflame, Archstorm and Alca's Breath, earned from named open-world bosses now called Agari (Preludes 11, Oct 8, 2025). After player feedback, Runes "now activate with Spectral Sight + Heavy/Charged Attacks", and a dedicated keybind followed in Preludes 14.5 (Devstream 14 overview, Apr 27, 2026). Spectral Sight is the Envoy's sight mode that reveals souls and hidden clues, also used for Orlick the Bicameral's research tasks.

Since Preludes 15 (Jun 10, 2026), Totems give stat bonuses and buffs for "Pull Smite and Rune Abilities" tied to your Virtues (Digital Extremes, Jun 10, 2026), and a weapon's Tempers can raise your Smite chance (see Tempers and Crafting).

Damage types and weather

Soulframe's damage includes Physical, Magick and Voltaic, and Stagger is a weapon property: Orst-III's Tempers, for example, can add "increased Heavy Attack damage, Stagger, or even added Voltaic Damage" (Preludes 14.5, May 12, 2026). Armor gives Physical and Magick Defense (Preludes 13). Since Preludes 16, weather changes fights: "Lightning storms empower Voltaic energy!", and some weather reduces enemy perception ranges (Digital Extremes, Sep 18, 2026).

0:33 The Preludes 16 teaser shows the result: after a pass through dynamic weather, it ends on an Envoy fighting armored foes in a rain-soaked courtyard with a glowing blade and red Magick, the white wolf pup at their side (see Wolf Pup and Mounts).

Bosses and harder fights

28:01 The biggest tests are the Agari, named open-world bosses. In the TennoCon 2026 Devstream of Jul 11, 2026, an Envoy fights the Mendicant Reinbreaker, the horse-and-rider Agari, in a dark, ruined marsh, its name across the top of the screen. More bosses are on Bosses and Agari.

For a harder game, The Cogah is "A diegetic difficulty (hard mode) option", a Fey war ritual brewed as an elixir from the Agari's mushrooms (Digital Extremes, Nov 26, 2025). Under it, enemies are stronger, Arcanics slower and Health Elixirs scarce; group members must revive each other, and the ritual ends if every Envoy falls (Devstream 11 overview, Nov 16, 2025). Fighting together is on Co-op and Multiplayer.

How combat changed

Combat has been rebuilt more than once in public. Crookes said in Dec 2024, "We hear the feedback around combat and lack of social features" (PC Gamer, Dec 7, 2024). Preludes 11 (Oct 8, 2025) raised the early difficulty and added Health Regain, Totems and Runes; Preludes 13 (Feb 12, 2026) reworked the camera, target switching, blocking and sound; Preludes 14 (Apr 17, 2026) tied Runes to Smite; Preludes 16 (Sep 18, 2026) tightened the parry and cut magnetism. Each update is listed on Preludes Updates.

Is Soulframe a Soulslike?

Soulframe is not called a Soulslike by Digital Extremes, which describes it as a "fantasy action RPG"; "Souls-like" is one of the tags Steam users have applied to its store page. The name invites the comparison, but the studio's own words are about a slower, deliberate game than Warframe with blocking, dodging and parrying, not about punishing difficulty. PCGamesN wrote in Dec 2024 that the title "simply doesn't fit the game". How it compares with its sister game is on Soulframe vs Warframe.

Frequently asked questions

Is Soulframe a Soulslike? Digital Extremes calls Soulframe a "fantasy action RPG", not a Soulslike; "Souls-like" is only a Steam user tag. Its combat is slower and more deliberate than Warframe's, with blocks, dodges and parries, and an optional hard mode called The Cogah.

Can you parry in Soulframe? Yes. Soulframe has a parry, and Preludes 16 (Sep 18, 2026) made its timing and inputs tighter.

Does Soulframe have lock-on? Yes. Digital Extremes reworked Soulframe's melee lock-on and target switching for Preludes 13 in Feb 2026, so swapping targets is near instant.

Is Soulframe hard? Digital Extremes made Soulframe's early game harder in Preludes 11 after feedback that it was "a little on the easy side", and The Cogah elixir is an optional hard mode. Melee fighters also get Health Regain, which returns some lost health if they strike back quickly.

What is Smite in Soulframe? Smite is Soulframe's finishing blow; since Preludes 14 each Smite stores a Rune charge that a heavy attack or charged shot spends.

What is Spectral Sight in Soulframe? Spectral Sight is the Envoy's sight mode in Soulframe that reveals souls and clues, and Runes fire with Spectral Sight plus a heavy or charged attack.

Can you dodge in Soulframe? Yes. Soulframe has a dodge, and since Preludes 13 fewer enemy attacks are unblockable, so you can block more and dodge less.

Sources

• Soulframe Devstream 12 Overview, Digital Extremes, Feb 1, 2026
• Soulframe Preludes 16 at Warframe's Devstream 197, Digital Extremes, Sep 4, 2026
• Soulframe Devstream 9 Overview, Digital Extremes, Sep 15, 2025
• Preludes 11 Arrives!, Digital Extremes, Oct 8, 2025
• Soulframe Devstream 11 Overview, Digital Extremes, Nov 16, 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
• Preludes 14: The Duelo, Digital Extremes, Apr 17, 2026
• Soulframe Devstream 14 Overview, Digital Extremes, Apr 27, 2026
• Preludes 14.5: Ode'n Tempers, Digital Extremes, May 12, 2026
• Soulframe Preludes 15 Update Available Now, Digital Extremes, Jun 10, 2026
• Soulframe Preludes 16 Update Available Now, Digital Extremes, Sep 18, 2026
• Soulframe on Steam, Valve, read Oct 20, 2026
• Soulframe interview, PCGamesN, updated Feb 23, 2023
• London, Ontario's Digital Extremes on Soulframe, MobileSyrup, Jul 24, 2025
• Great news: Soulframe will have customizable moms, PC Gamer, Jul 20, 2024
• Soulframe shows off a new teaser trailer and a cool giant wolf, PC Gamer, Dec 7, 2024
• Soulframe's identity, PCGamesN, Dec 28, 2024
• Soulframe Devstream #12, Soulframe, Jan 30, 2026 (video)
• Soulframe | Devstream 9, Soulframe, Sep 12, 2025 (video)
• Soulframe | Preludes: Gameplay, Soulframe, Aug 27, 2023 (video)
• Soulframe - Preludes 16: Of Hook & Hound Teaser, Soulframe, Sep 4, 2026 (video)
• Soulframe | Devstream 16 - Live from #TennoCon 2026!, Soulframe, Jul 11, 2026 (video)