Free to Play and Arcs

5:05 Soulframe is free to play: it costs nothing to sign up, download or play, Steam lists it as free, and Digital Extremes calls each Preludes update "always free", as of Oct 21, 2026. Its premium currency is Arcs, which Digital Extremes defines as "Relic coins of the ancient Fey. Arcs are Soulframe's premium in-game currency, typically acquired by purchasing with real-world money." Arcs are spent at Zenith's Wares, the shop of the Nightfold's camel vendor, and on Bestitching. Digital Extremes has tuned that shop in public: in the Founders FAQ video (Nov 19, 2025), Sarah Asselin raised players' "negative reactions" to Dracs shown for sale for Arcs, and Steve Sinclair answered that the items were placeholders, that "I have the ick when I see the Drax for arcs", that it would not be in the release, and that starting slots and their prices would get a balance pass so they would not need "free arcs or uh paid for arcs". The optional paid bundles are on Founders Packs; how to get in for free is on How to Get Preludes Access.

Quick facts

Is Soulframe free?

Yes. Anyone can sign up at soulframe.com for free and is drawn for an invite, at 2,000 invites a week as of Oct 21, 2026, and Open Preludes, announced on Oct 15, 2026, will remove the wait for everyone on PC. Digital Extremes' press release for Preludes 16 says "Each new Preludes update brings a host of welcome changes, always free", and calls the current build its "ongoing closed free Alpha test available for PC". Paying is optional: a Founders bundle only skips the invite queue and adds cosmetic and convenience items, and Digital Extremes calls Founders "an optional purchase".

What Arcs buy today

Arcs already have uses in Preludes, though Digital Extremes is still building these systems. Bestitching, added in Preludes 11 (Oct 8, 2025), gives one armor piece the look of another while keeping its stats; the patch post said it "incurs a cost of Arcs, a premium Currency" and that "All Envoys have been given a small amount of Arcs while we work on these systems in Preludes". Zenith's Wares, which opened with Preludes 12, sells Envoy Forge crafting sets for Arcs: Thawtide's Plenty during the winter event, and the Avex bow and Falx blade from Feb 26, 2026, each of which can also be earned. Zenith also sells Motif bundles (profile icons). Founders bundles include 1000 Arcs each, or 3500 with Paragon, but Arcs cannot buy the individual items inside Founders bundles.

What can be earned instead

14:35 Most paid items have a free route. Every Envoy Forge set sold at Zenith's Wares can also be built from Fragments earned in play: the Avex and Falx from completing The Organ, Thawtide's Plenty from defeating Thawtide Hunters. Bestitching can be paid with Moonsteel Thread instead of Arcs. In Envoy Hour 6 (Nov 5, 2025), Asselin explained a hotfix that made weaving Moonsteel Thread with Verminia permanently unlock an armor's look, after which "all previous bestitches were undone", all threads were refunded, and Digital Extremes "added an extra three Moonsteel threads to everybody". How Moonsteel Thread is earned in play is not set out on an official page, as of Oct 21, 2026. Gear, Tempers and crafting are on Tempers and Crafting.

Bought weapons and randomness

27:51 Weapons bought for money come at a fixed quality, not a random roll. A developer explained in Devstream 15 (May 29, 2026) that purchased weapons "are fixed at noble quality with a specific uh pre-selected um set tempers on them so that you're not playing a slot machine", and that they can be raised to the Legendary class through crafting like any other weapon; Founders weapons work the same way, so "We're not playing with randomness uh when you're um supporting the game that way." The Preludes 15 overview confirms that "Founders' equipment and equipment acquired from Zenith will have both pre-selected Craftwork and set Tempers by default", while weapons dropped in the world roll random Tempers at varying quality.

Is Soulframe pay to win?

Digital Extremes has not made a "no pay to win" pledge in those words, as of Oct 21, 2026. What it has said: bought weapons start at noble quality, below Legendary, and are upgraded through the same crafting as dropped ones; Founders bundles mix cosmetics, Arcs, Pacts and weapons, and the Wyld Pacts, weapons and Talismans "will be available again at a later date after Soulframe Founders ends". The one lasting exclusive is the Paragon Greatsword. Whether that adds up to pay to win is for players to judge as the game's economy settles; the shop, prices and slot counts are still pre-alpha.

3:19 The Paragon Greatsword is the only item kept to one Founders tier. Sinclair compared it to Warframe's Founders exclusive: "it's a bit like Excalibur Prime, but it's not", because a Paragon Founder will be able to make a blueprint so other players can craft their own, with the Founder's name "stamped into it". The Founders page says that gift version is planned, with details "not finalized".

Trading

24:16 Players can trade equipment with each other since Preludes 15 (Jun 10, 2026). In Devstream 15 the developers tied it to the new random drops: players hoping for gear "that you didn't get lucky enough for" could trade for it, "another thing that's coming in P15". The Preludes 15 overview says "Envoys can trade equipment amongst themselves in Enclaves or by World Trees", and a mailbox arrived with it. Founders items are the exception: "you cannot trade or sell these items between players." Whether Arcs can be traded has not been stated, as of Oct 21, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is Soulframe free? Yes. Soulframe is free to play on PC, and every Preludes update is "always free"; a Founders bundle is optional and only buys instant access and extras.

Is Soulframe pay to win? Digital Extremes has made no "no pay to win" pledge for Soulframe, as of Oct 21, 2026; bought weapons come at a fixed noble quality and are upgraded through the same crafting as dropped weapons.

What are Arcs in Soulframe? Arcs are Soulframe's premium currency, "Relic coins of the ancient Fey", typically bought with real money and spent on Bestitching and at Zenith's Wares.

Can you earn Arcs in Soulframe? No way to earn Arcs in play has been published, as of Oct 21, 2026; Digital Extremes gave every Envoy "a small amount of Arcs" in Preludes 11, and Founders bundles include 1000 or 3500.

Does Soulframe have microtransactions? Yes: Soulframe sells Founders bundles at soulframe.com and Arcs, its premium currency, which buy Bestitching and items at Zenith's Wares.

Can you trade in Soulframe? Yes. Since Preludes 15 (Jun 10, 2026), Soulframe players can trade equipment in Enclaves or at World Trees, but Founders items cannot be traded.

Sources

• Soulframe Founders, Digital Extremes, read Oct 20, 2026
• FAQ, Digital Extremes, read Oct 20, 2026
• Soulframe Preludes 16 Update Available Now, Digital Extremes, Sep 18, 2026
• Soulframe Founders and Preludes 12 Update Available Now, Digital Extremes, Nov 26, 2025
• Preludes 11 Arrives, Digital Extremes, Oct 8, 2025
• Happy Thawtide, Digital Extremes, Dec 16, 2025
• Envoy Forge: Avex and Falx, Digital Extremes, Feb 26, 2026
• Soulframe Devstream 15 Overview, Digital Extremes, Jun 2, 2026
• Soulframe on Steam, Steam, read Oct 20, 2026
• Founders FAQ with Steve and Sarah, Soulframe, Nov 19, 2025 (video)
• Envoy Hour #6, Soulframe, Nov 5, 2025 (video)
• Soulframe Devstream #15, Soulframe, May 29, 2026 (video)