Soulframe is finally open to everyone. After years of invite-only Preludes playtests, Digital Extremes will let any PC player download its free-to-play fantasy action RPG starting Nov. 6, PC Gamer reports.
The open alpha arrives just ahead of what the Warframe studio calls one of the biggest structural changes the game has seen. Prelude 17, titled Verse of the Veilands, is planned for later in November and reworks the opening hours so new players have a clearer path into the world.
In the update, the open land of Midrath has been corrupted by siphons placed by the alien Ode faction. Players complete votives, Soulframe’s word for missions, to learn each region’s song and cleanse it. Restored regions return to the lush look players know, with activities like fishing and new resources unlocking along the way.
“Scott and I were just talking yesterday about, aesthetically, how nervous we are about this change,” creative director Geoff Crookes told Rock Paper Shotgun, “because the game has gotten a lot of really great feedback on how cosy it is, how beautiful the world is, and you’re going to enter a game that is much more unforgiving and harsh at first glance.”
Lead designer Scott McGregor said the change came from players who finished the opening story quests and then did not know where to go. “I think this is probably one of the biggest, most violent changes we’ve made to the structure of the game in a long while,” he said.
Verse of the Veilands also lets players raise their Omen wolf pup into a full-grown wolf they can ride, and adds a new Pact, Soulframe’s version of a class. The Ode Shrike is a poacher-style loadout with spike attacks, throwable bolas and a dart that attaches a balloon to enemies and lifts them away.
Digital Extremes admitted the update was still being tuned days before the presentation and may not be finished by Nov. 6. The plan is to release it before the end of November, so new players may want to wait for it before diving in.
Soulframe joins a busy season for free fantasy games on PC, following launches like Aion 2’s worldwide free-to-play release earlier this fall.
