Beginner's guide

What is Soulframe?

Soulframe is a free-to-play third-person action RPG by Digital Extremes (creators of Warframe). You play as an Envoy — an exile returning to Midrath, a dying world being reclaimed by ancient nature and forgotten gods. Combat is melee-focused and deliberate, closer to a Soulslike than a looter-shooter.

You choose a Pact — your class — which defines your Arcanic abilities and Virtue scaling. Your starting Pact is not permanent. More Pacts unlock through story, factions, and Tuvalkane crafting after you recruit the Blacksmith (Bond 3 for pact items). Wyld variants are Founders Pack cosmetics with the same gameplay as Tethren, Sirin, or Oscelda. See All Pacts overview for the full list.

The three Virtues are:

• Courage — melee pressure, poise damage, aggressive play. Starting Pact: Tethren
• Grace — precision, dodge windows, finesse combat. Starting Pact: Sirin
• Spirit — crowd control, buffs, resource management. Starting Pact: Oscelda

Preludes note: Soulframe is in Pre-Alpha. Numbers and systems change every update. Always verify stats in-game before committing resources.

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Your first 30 minutes

Soulframe does not hold your hand. Here is what to do the moment you are set loose in the open world.

1. Follow your Sparrow Press G (PC) at any time to summon your Sparrow — your bird companion and navigation guide. It leads you toward your current objective. When lost, summon it.

2. Recruit Tuvalkane immediately You cannot craft weapons, armour, or Pacts without your Blacksmith. Head east from the starting area to a crater filled with enemies. Clear the area, collect the helmet at the centre, then follow your Sparrow to the nearby forge. This unlocks Tuvalkane at your Nightfold.

3. Start crafting as early as possible Every craft increases your Bond with Tuvalkane. Bond Level 3 is required to craft Pacts and higher-tier recipes. The sooner you start, the sooner you unlock better gear.

4. Talk to every NPC before leaving an area Some NPCs give permanent passive bonuses. Others unlock quests that cannot be triggered later. Exhaust all dialogue options — do not skip.

5. Use Spectral Sight constantly Hold your Soul Mode key to enter Spectral Sight. It highlights interactable items, reveals hidden chests, shows Mote locations, and makes Smiting enemies possible. Use it in every new area.

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Core systems explained

Virtues

Virtues are your stats. Each weapon is attuned to one Virtue (Courage, Grace, or Spirit). Investing points into the matching Virtue increases your damage with that weapon. Always match your Virtue investment to your weapon's attunement — mismatched investment significantly reduces damage output.

Preludes 15: Virtue Lith is removed. Reallocate Courage / Spirit / Grace for free per loadout in Arsenal → Virtues — no consumable cost. Read Virtues explained before respeccing for a new weapon.

The Nightfold

Your personal hub. Tuvalkane crafts gear here. Other Ancestors you recruit will also take up residence and offer services. Return here between sessions to craft and upgrade.

Motes

Glowing collectibles found throughout the world. Collecting a Mote unlocks the name of that location and adds a codex entry. Only one Mote spawns per area per in-game day — revisit regularly.

World Trees

Dead trees with spears embedded in them. Pull the spear to clear fog of war in the surrounding area. Prioritise these early to reveal the map and unlock Wevetseed fast-travel to that tree.

Preludes 15: World Trees are still solo progression for fog and travel — there is no party finder on the tree itself.

Preludes 15: At Enclaves and World Trees you can see other Envoys, trade crafted gear, and use Dispatches mail. Party invites still happen through chat — see Multiplayer & co-op and Trading.

Arcanics

Magical abilities granted by your Pact. Each Pact has three Arcanics — one per Virtue (Courage, Spirit, Grace). You can equip and use Arcanics from other Virtues regardless of your Pact, but their effectiveness scales with the corresponding Virtue investment.

Revive Shrines

Touch a Revive Shrine to activate it as a respawn point. After you die, your spirit returns to the nearest activated shrine. You can also fly as your Sparrow to your fallen body and respawn in place. Activate every shrine you pass — they are your safety net in long Fables and dungeons.

Sparrow's Tales

Short optional objectives while exploring (similar to world events on other MMOs). Completing a Tale grants Pact and weapon XP plus materials or fragments. Examples in Dermak Undercity include Fell the Mighty and Spoilt Plunder. Check your Journal so you do not leave an area before finishing nearby Tales.

Omen Beasts

Large creatures you befriend through Fables (for example Orengall the wolf). They can appear at your Nightfold after you free them. Bonding is story-driven, not a mount system in early Preludes — treat them as long-term progression rewards rather than combat pets. Optional Graces (boons) from Omen Beasts and Ancestors were refreshed in P15 — see Omen Beast & Graces.

Loot in Preludes 15 (one paragraph)

Most 1–2★ weapons now drop fully built with Craftwork and Tempers (preview on the ground). 3★ weapons still use fragments → craft at Tuvalkane. Improve favourites with Chordstone refining — separate from the metal Tempering queue at the Nightfold forge.

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Gossamer Quartz — the key early resource

Gossamer Quartz is the primary rare crafting material in early game. You need it to craft weapons, armour, and some Pacts including Garren Rood. Do not spend it on armour cosmetics early — prioritise weapon crafting.

Best sources:

• Crypts of the Circade — sarcophagi with Crypt Keys (community cites ~50% per open; verify in-game). Most reliable steady farm once you have keys.
• Rare chests — found at dungeon ends, hidden rooms, after boss fights
• Broken statues — repair with a song to guarantee a drop
• Avakot the merchant — Avakot wiki lists Gossamer Quartz at 150 Dracs (qty 1) when it appears in stock. Spawns near dungeons and during Faction Tales

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Common mistakes to avoid

Skipping Tuvalkane — without the Blacksmith you cannot craft anything. Recruit her in the first 10 minutes.

Ignoring NPC dialogue — some NPCs give permanent passive bonuses or unlock quests that disappear if skipped.

Mismatching Virtue and weapon — check the attunement on every weapon before investing Virtue points.

Entering The Torment Stag underprepared — the fight begins immediately after defeating Lady Deora with no rest between phases. Unlock your Pact Arcanics and bring a weapon with a short recovery animation before attempting it.

Spending Gossamer Quartz on armour cosmetics — it is rare early. Save it for weapon and Pact crafting first.

Deleting old weapons before reading migration rules — Preludes 15 converts many crafted weapons to Stock or Noble quality; both can be refined. Read Preludes 15 notes before clearing inventory.

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What to do next

Your main progression path after the opening:

1. Recruit Tuvalkane and begin crafting to reach Bond Level 1
2. Complete The Last Pensive quest — find Ancestor Orlick at the Pensive Tower
3. Farm Gossamer Quartz via Crypts of the Circade
4. Unlock the Nightfold weapon swap — equip a second weapon before attempting The Torment Stag
5. Complete The Torment Stag fable — this is the first major boss and unlocks Garren Rood and Faction access
6. Read How to choose a Pact before investing heavily in one playstyle
7. Find a party when you are ready for bosses — trading and Dispatches are live in Preludes 15
8. Read Envoy leveling for Rank, weapon XP, and Bond pacing
9. Read Preludes 15 notes for whole-weapon drops, Chordstones, and free Virtue allocation

New to Preludes access? Start with joining the test.

See the early game progress guide for the full priority order and checklist.