Soulframe Preludes 11: Bear Fables, Root Dungeons, and the First Founder Envoys

Why Soulframe’s latest update actually matters

Soulframe’s Preludes Update 11 is the biggest swing yet for Digital Extremes’ cozy-but-feral fantasy experiment, and it caught my attention for two reasons: it adds a proper narrative dungeon and progression systems that finally feel like the studio’s DNA, and it quietly sets the stage for Founders-always a flashpoint for DE after Warframe’s Excalibur Prime era. If you’ve been circling the closed PC pre-alpha queue wondering when there’d be enough game to chew on, this update is a real step toward that answer.

Key takeaways

• Update 11 adds a cinematic Fable, The Waste Bear, plus the Neath’uns dungeon-actual authored content, not just a new tile.
• Fashion finally arrives: Hues (dyes) and Bestiching (transmog) make “Fashionframe” energy canon in Soulframe.
• Weapon growth gets teeth via Runes and Totems-think elementals plus passive stat totems earned through play.
• Founders teased with the first three Envoys—Galene, Pothia, Josalfar—raising fair questions about exclusivity and FOMO.

Breaking down Update 11: dungeons, a bear god, and sharper steel

The headliner is The Waste Bear Fable, a story-led encounter that pits you against the Wazzard of Wastes and lets you redeem the corrupted Omen Beast, Bromius. It’s not just lore: finishing the Fable unlocks an actual gameplay pact with Bromius. The abilities hit different tones—Wevetroot sends thorny rows out in front of you, Rump Thump brings a satisfying Ursine ground pound, and Song of Growth buffs nearby armour. This is the kind of mythic utility that gives Soulframe its identity beyond “Warframe but swords.”

Finish the Fable and you also open entrances to the Neath’uns—root-choked caves full of ichor you physically cleanse, with living root bridges, pockets of spiders, and corrupted Sproutfolk. It’s a clever blend of pilgrimage and puzzle that doubles as a systems tutorial without feeling like homework. That’s been DE’s sweet spot since the best of Warframe’s Quests, and it fits here.

Combat and encounters get fatter with new sub-bosses scattered across Alca—names like Discharged Nimrod, Etheldred the Weaver, Kabocha, and Wraith of Wastes. It reads like a Soulsborne bestiary, but the practical win is reasons to roam. And yes, they heard feedback: the “return of kicking,” new dodge/block animations, improved hit feedback, and a loot table rebalance all scream “pre-alpha course correction.” If you’ve felt the combat needed more weight, this looks like honest iteration rather than a content dump.

Fashionframe energy: Hues, Bestiching, and the grind question

Customization finally arrives in a meaningful way. Through Verminia—the rat witch who literally “tastes” colour—you brew Hues (dyes) and Bestitch armour appearances using Moonsteel and Figments gathered in the world. It’s a neat narrative wrapper that ties cosmetics to Soulframe’s synesthetic lore rather than a store menu. DE knows players live for style; Warframe’s fashion meta practically became endgame. The difference here is how grounded it feels: recolours and transmogs that are earned via play and story beats, not a credit card minigame.

Progression-wise, the new Runes and Totems system is the clearest nod to DE’s modcraft. Totems are passive Attack/Defense/Utility boosts you earn by rescuing fauna—beavers, deer, ducks, hares, rats, squirrels—while Runes are elemental augments (Everflame, Archstorm, Alca’s Breath) you rip from sub-bosses. If Warframe’s Mods were a sprawling deckbuilder, this feels like a curated subset: readable, thematic, and tied to in-world actions. The caveat? We need to see the drop rates post-rebalance. A satisfying loop lives or dies on how generous those sub-bosses and chests actually are.

Founders are coming: hype and healthy skepticism

Digital Extremes also floated early Founders details: the first three Founder Envoys will be Galene, Pothia, and Josalfar. The names hint at mythic lineage—Galene reads like a sea nymph, Josalfar evokes the Norse light elves—which tracks with Soulframe’s nature-first pantheon. Founders will invite instant access to Soulframe Preludes (plus a few friends) and “exclusive items and gear” meant to leave a lifetime mark on the world.

Here’s where history matters. Warframe’s Founders gave true exclusives (hello, Excalibur Prime) that remain controversial a decade later. If DE wants goodwill from day one, “exclusive” should lean cosmetic, commemorative, or early variants rather than best-in-slot gear that fractures the community. Pricing, tiers, and platform timing are still unannounced; clarity on those will determine whether this feels like community building or engineered FOMO. Also, note the fine print: Preludes is PC-only right now, so console Tenno—sorry, Envoys—are still window shopping.

Small signals that matter right now

Three faction-themed starting armour sets (Alca’s Children for magicks, Kith of Kings for physical, Silent Rose for stealth) show DE shaping identities early rather than relying on later respecs. The new “auto-drop pickup” and UI/VFX passes are unsexy but essential quality-of-life work that acknowledges this is still a pre-alpha. And the studio’s language around tying systems to story—Bromius’ redemption, Verminia’s synesthesia—suggests Soulframe is doubling down on “feel” and meaning, not just loot treadmills. That’s a good sign for a game pitched around restoration instead of extraction.

Creative Director Geoff Crookes stresses emotional storytelling, and you can see it in how the Fable nudges you toward Courage, Spirit, and Grace. That human layer is what separated The Second Dream and The New War from standard live-service fare; if Soulframe can bottle that lightning with its slower, weightier combat, DE may have something that stands on its own rather than living in Warframe’s shadow.

TL;DR

Preludes 11 finally brings authored content, meaningful fashion, and readable progression to Soulframe, plus a tease of Founders with mythic-flavored Envoys. It’s still PC-only and firmly pre-alpha, but the direction is promising. The big watch item now: how DE handles Founder exclusivity and the generosity of the new loot economy.