Digital Extremes has released Soulframe Preludes 16: Of Hook and Hound following Soulframe Devstream 17, adding fishing, the first stages of wolf pup training toward an eventual mount, and a new dynamic weather system, according to PCGamesN. The update also brings fresh gear upgrade paths and a reworked Tempers system, part of a broader push to make the fantasy game’s world feel more alive and reactive.
Here’s the context: Digital Extremes has been building Soulframe as a distinct identity apart from its long-running Warframe, and Preludes 16 is the latest numbered milestone in that ongoing alpha test. Players can join a queue for a random chance at an alpha invite, or buy a Founders pack starting at $29.99 / £24.99 for immediate access. Senior Community Manager Sarah Asselin has previously noted that opening development this early was scary but has driven substantial improvements, calling Warframe’s community-first approach the blueprint for how the studio wants to run Soulframe – a philosophy echoed in how other live projects like ongoing survival-game content development keeps evolving well past initial release.
Honestly, this is a smart way to differentiate a slower fantasy game from a decade-old shooter without abandoning combat depth. The wolf pup system trains five stats through encounters, dungeons, votives, fetch, petting, and fishing trips, with a cap that prevents maxing every stat and each stat shaping both the pup’s behavior and the aura it grants the player. The weather system carries real mechanical weight too – rain encourages resource growth, fog offers cover, and lightning storms amplify Voltaic damage – the kind of systemic interplay that outlets covering dynamic weather affecting visibility and gameplay elsewhere have flagged as a meaningful design lever rather than cosmetic flourish.
Digital Extremes CEO Steve Sinclair framed the update’s tone directly during the devstream: “I’m really excited how this update does feel like some of the MMO -light features,” he said. “There are a lot more casual things you can do – but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been working on the core combat experience and other stuff as well.”
The update’s parallel systems stack up as follows:
- Wolf pup training – five stats build through encounters, dungeons, votives, fetch, petting, and fishing trips; pups rest at the Nightfold when energy runs low
- Fishing – begins with the “Minnow’s Hook” quest and a first lure; catches become snacks, pup treats, or are released for other rewards
- Dynamic weather – rain, wind, fog, and lightning affect resources, cover, and Voltaic damage output
- New gear – the Suit of the Sleeve armor set, plus weapons Grimana, Wreath, and Gystalt
- Tempers rework – dismantling weapons teaches Tuvalkane their Tempers for ten points each, with six new Tempers added and swappable Epithets for legendary-rank weapons
- Party matchmaking – now supports revival shrines and dungeons
Combat also got attention beyond the new systems. Senior Gameplay Designer Joe Buck confirmed a fix for a parry-window bug, explaining there was “a 0.15-second delay from when you pressed block until the parry window kicked in,” alongside a separate fix for a parry cooldown timer that could cause hits during correct blocks. Digital Extremes also reduced “warp assist” pull on short-ranged weapons, a change Sinclair admitted made the team nervous but says “feels right” in practice – a numbered patch cadence not unlike the discrete systems overhauls seen in other games’ major numbered updates.
What remains unclear is how long the wolf pup’s path to becoming a rideable mount will take, since the primary source only confirms this is an eventual goal rather than a scheduled feature. The report also doesn’t specify how many fish species or lures exist beyond the starting one, and the long-term balance of capped pup stats, weather effects, and the new Tempers economy will only be proven out through further alpha testing.
What to watch: keep an eye on how Digital Extremes iterates on the wolf pup system as it edges toward mount status, and whether community feedback reshapes the weather, Tempers, or matchmaking systems in subsequent alpha passes. No further release date or milestone beyond Preludes 16 has been confirmed.
Does fishing, weather, and pup training give Soulframe a real identity separate from Warframe, or is this still early-alpha padding around the core combat loop? And which of these systems – pup bonding, fishing, weather, or the Tempers rework – would you jump into first if you got alpha access today?
