How to Choose a Pact

Quick decision tree

Your Pact is the closest thing Soulframe has to a "class" — three Arcanic skills, Virtue alignment, and long-term identity. Loadouts swap freely; Pact swaps at Tuvalkane cost time and materials. Use this tree first, then read the sections below.

| Stage | Unlock gate | Pact picks (editorial tier) | Next step | |-------|-------------|----------------------------|-----------| | Early | Character creation | Tethren S · Sirin B · Oscelda A | Match starter weapon Virtue pips | | Mid | Torment Stag | Garren Rood B — Spirit control / factions | Garren builds | | Mid | Waste Bear | Bromius S — AOE tank | Bromius builds | | Mid | The Shewolf Snared | Orengall B — pack hunter / Spirit | Orengall builds | | Late | Oden line / Chordstone | Ode Tempest S+ — Courage melee endgame | Ode builds | | Late | Mestra Carmo | Duelo S — Grace duelist burst | Duelo builds |

Full rankings: see the Pact tier list on the index — we do not duplicate that table here. Tiers reflect overall kit strength for Preludes 15, not every Virtue route; Courage / Grace / Spirit gaps are large — check each pact's collapsible Virtue route reference.

P11 honesty note (Duelo): community/video claims say bleed stacking (Olho por Olho) and Bravado perfect-dodge slow were weakened after Preludes 14 — not confirmed by this site. The S tier reflects Flintlock + Duo Duelo core burst, not bleed reliance. Details on the Duelo pact page.

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Virtues map to Pact slots

Every Pact exposes three Arcanics tied to Courage, Spirit, and Grace (in that order). Your point totals should support the weapons you plan to use:

| Virtue | Typical weapons | Pact role | |--------|-----------------|----------| | Courage | Long blades, heavy, polearms, shields | First Arcanic | | Spirit | Magick staves | Second Arcanic | | Grace | Bows, short blades, rapiers | Third Arcanic |

Read Combat mechanics for attunement pips, parry timing, and Combat Arts before you lock points in. See also Virtues explained — Preludes 15 respec is free per loadout (no Virtue Lith).

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Early Pacts (available after tutorial)

These three appear in the first hours. Best beginner pick: align Virtue to your starter weapon, then pick the matching row — Tethren if you like front-line melee (strongest overall starter tier).

Tethren — melee bruiser · S

• High Life from Courage; strong front-line sustain
• Good with long blades and heavy weapons
• Sample build: Tethren melee bruiser · all Tethren builds

Sirin — Grace assassin · B

• Bows, short blades, stealth finishers
• Third Arcanic scales with Grace — invest accordingly
• Sample build: Sirin bow AoE · Stealth (advanced) · all Sirin builds

Oscelda — Spirit caster · A

• Magick staff scaling; crowd control and support
• Spirit also reduces Arcanic cooldowns globally
• Sample build: Oscelda spirit support · all Oscelda builds

Practical rule: match your starter weapon's Virtue pips (Wulder, Thistle, Gwylen) on day one, then commit to the Pact that shares that Virtue focus.

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Mid-game unlocks

Garren Rood · B — after Torment Stag

Unlocked after The Torment Stag. Spirit-heavy control, summons, and faction systems. Requires Gossamer Quartz to craft the pact item — farm before you commit.

• Sample build: Garren spirit control · all Garren builds
• Spirit polearms: mid-game Rook vs endgame Gathannan — comparison
• Pairs with elite hunting once Agari are on the map

Bromius · S — after Waste Bear

Unlocked via The Waste Bear Omen Beast Fable. AOE tank with armor steal — strong Courage front-liner once Neath'uns opens.

• Bromius pact page · all Bromius builds

Orengall · B — The Shewolf Snared

Spirit pack-hunter with wolf transformation. Unlocks mid main quest — see Main quest Fable table.

• Orengall pact page · all Orengall builds

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Endgame picks

Ode Tempest · S+

Tied to the Oden weapon tree and Chordstone refinement in Preludes 15. Expect Courage melee with Sinecure-themed gear and longer craft queues. See Oden & Tempering and the Duelo beat in Main quest before you respec everything for Ode.

• Ode Tempest pact page · Ode Tempest melee build · all Ode builds

Duelo · S — Mestra Carmo

Grace duelist unlocked via The Wreck of Mestra Carmo (Navalha rapier questline). Flintlock pierce + Duo Duelo ghost-clone burst — top Grace DPS when mastered.

• Duelo pact page · Duelo melee Grace build · all Duelo builds
• P11 note: bleed / perfect-dodge slow nerfs are community claims only — tier is based on core clone burst, not Olho por Olho stacking.

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Decision checklist

1. Weapon family you enjoy — attunement beats flavor text
2. Solo vs group — Garren and Oscelda bring more control/support
3. Craft budget — Garren Rood and Oden lines eat rare metals
4. Second weapon slot — unlock Nightfold weapon swap before Torment Stag
5. Experiment in Arsenal — Virtue is free per loadout in Preludes 15 (no Virtue Lith); Pact choice is slower to undo
6. Check the tier list — editorial /pacts table before a long Faction grind

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Related reading

• All Pacts overview — 12 playable pacts, Arcanic slots
• Pact tier list — full S+ through B rankings with playstyle column
• Beginner's guide — Nightfold, Tuvalkane, Sparrow systems
• Virtues explained — free respec per loadout (Preludes 15)
• Combat mechanics — parry, finishers, Combat Arts
• Early game progress — quest order through Torment Stag