Ever since our preview of Soulframe back in 2024, we at Lords of Gaming have made many different critiques regarding the structure and gameplay experience of the new fantasy MMORPG that Digital Extremes is currently making. The game is now 13 major updates into its pre-alpha Preludes program that allows Digital Extremes to break, pivot, and improve many systems in the game on the fly (within reason).
I am providing this context, as soon enough, Digital Extremes will be releasing their 14th Preludes update, which includes a lot more content, and even further down the line, the 15th major update that will be completely reworking the crafting and loot systems in Soulframe. As such, before I dive into every little thing I will be outlining and critiquing in this article, I will not be commenting on the following:
- The Crafting/Loot System
- Runes
- The Story
- The Codex System
- The Melee Combat System, due to the long-teased “Martial Arts Manual” that was talked about at TennoCon last year.
I am personally very hopeful for the future of the game, as Digital Extremes nurtured Warframe into the success it is when they were basically on “death’s door” over a decade ago. I also really enjoy the general gameplay experience, and even own the $100 USD Founder’s Pack (that I purchased with my own money). With that being said, below will be a thorough critique of everything I feel hinders the experience and needs actual improvements now, more than later.
Resources Need Better Sourcing
In the upcoming Codex system rework, Digital Extremes is adding a way to see what drops from enemies for the foreseeable future. This is a fantastic change, but I think it can be taken a step further. Considering there are a lot of world resources for armor dyes and the like. I think it would behoove them to add a general area of where resources come from. Like Steel, Brass, and Iron from weapon racks. Also, if there are going to be different locations in Soulframe in the future with more and more resources, adding the general direction of resources or enemies in different areas of the game would be a boon.
Weapon Variety Needs to be More Important in Soulframe
As more and more updates for Soulframe come out, similar to Warframe, it’s always going to include a little bit of everything. Whether it’s weapons, armor, or pacts, they have a good content delivery plan right now. But that’s not to say that growing variety is actually spicing up the game. Every weapon in the game does pretty much the same thing. The same goes for armor for the most part. Let me explain.
For starters, weapons have a tier system for how powerful they can be. But each weapon is only worth using to max out the “Combat Arts” skill trees they belong to. Sure, each one belongs to a certain Virtue attunements for Courage, Spirit, and Grace. But outside of those Virtue attunements, they don’t have distinct damage types or unique quirks to any of them. Once I have the best bow I can possibly find in the game, what incentive do I have to farm out the newest one that gets added in later updates? I would prefer fewer weapons exist, so long as they have a distinct function to them, not a distinct design to them.
Armor Needs to Count More
The same (and more) can be said about armor in Soulframe. Outside of defense stats that only activate with Virtue attunement, they do not offer a clear-cut reason to use them. Case in point, the Wyld Tethren armor set that came with my founders pack is vastly inferior to the Bromius armor set I farmed for. There is no unique synergy with the pact, armor set bonuses, or even totem slots to make them more unique.
They feel mostly cosmetic for the transmog system, and not a cool thing to chase, especially for other armor sets that belong to say, Grace or Spirit, when Tethren and Bromius’ set belongs to Courage. Considering they are for long-range players. I’m not worried about damage protection when using Oscelda or Sirin; I would much rather have a useful passive set bonus for them, such as an extra charge for a certain ability or improved stealthiness.
Pacts Have an Identity Crisis
Where Warframe has, well, warframes, Soulframe has Pacts. Pacts have 3 unique abilities, and that’s about it. In a past update, they took away “Idols,” which were an “on command” super ability that was akin to something you would find in Destiny 2. They were removed from the game for becoming the “end-all, be-all” for most content in the game. They instead shifted to focusing on weapons and their viability. But that left certain Pacts, like the original Omen Beast Pacts, a little underpowered for the game’s current meta, where most Pacts ended up.
Garren Roods Pact used to have the ability to stun and weaken every enemy. Orengalls Pact used to have a quick strike that would deal good damage. Ode Tempest used to have a lightning machine gun that popped out of the shower, and what ended up being Sirin now used to have an overwhelmingly powerful bow show that could almost one-shot Bannerets. I personally miss these abilities, as I would love to have a panic button for very specific situations in the game, still, like getting that last satisfying shot at a boss in a Cogah run.
While I completely agree with the reason they took them out, reigning in the abilities to then reintroduce them for content moving forward would give the Pacts a unique hook to them all. It’s what makes warframes and Destiny 2 supers so exciting, a singular moment of power lets the player feel immensely satisfied with the result if they plan right.
The Skill Trees Are Way Too Vague
I have played this game for a long time, and outside of the distinct descriptions for each skill tree node, I have no idea what to expect for the upgrades beyond the unlock. Some of the nodes describe what they do, and it’s noticeable. But when I’m leveling up combat arts or a pact, I am left guessing at how much the upgrades do. For example, when you use Oscelda, you can stand in a body of water and recharge your abilities quickly. That’s already useful and trivializes the Cogah’s ability restraints. But when I upgrade it further, I would at least like to know how much quicker those upgrades make it.
This system for both combat arts and pacts should probably be more in line with talent and skill trees found in other games. You can have branching options that allow you to carve out a distinct style, and also inform you what the passives do in more detail. This system feels like a more vague form of the Focus Tree from Warframe and could definitely use a total revamp if they are looking to make something more approachable and cohesive.
Totems (and How You Acquire Them) Need a Lot of Love, Variety, and Usefulness
Totems are little items that you slot into weapons that offer bonuses to them. These Totems are only acquirable from doing a little song mini-game with animals you come across in the world. There are two glaring flaws with this system now that I’ve had more time to play around with it. Totems, for the most part, outside of a few upgrades like attack speed, parry window increases, additional smite chance, and splitting damage to enemies, feel pretty useless.
To be as concise as I can, totems that give enhancements to the kick mechanic, smite area-of-effect, and armor stripping feel situational. Armor stripping, especially since it applies mostly to Agari (world bosses) and Bannerets (mini-bosses). I feel like Totems should be general damage or stat-based increases. Stuff more in line with Joineries to ensure that farming them gives something more noticeable.
Not only this, but the way you acquire them needs a lot of love. The mini-game is great, no complaints there. But when it comes to the fact that every animal can sometimes have a rarer Totem without any visual or audio cue to them (from what I can make out while playing). I would love to know if I should sing to the beaver instead of the mouse if the beaver drops the rarest type of Totem. Also, I would like to see Agari, Ode, and Mendicant Totems for more variety, maybe some corrupted Totems that give positives and negatives.
The Faction Reputation Grind Still Feels Limited
This is a drum I have been banging on for a while now. While a lot of strides have been taken to alleviate the grind, I still feel it’s lacking a “passive” earning state. When you grind for factions, you have only two avenues. One is the sparrow tales. However, they get very repetitive very quickly, but do give enough passive rewards and XP to warrant the time investment. The other is through droppable items in the most recent update to the game, which you can redeem at certain factions to get more reputation. What I am talking about with a passive earning state is allowing the player to earn reputation while doing other activities. Let me explain.
In recent updates, Digital Extremes has added Sieges and Operations to Soulframe. Sieges are attacks on Ode fortresses that have multiple stages and bosses with a cool finale. Operations, like the new Organ game mode, are smaller in scope and can be done much quicker. If more of these are to be added, getting a good amount of faction reputation from each completion would go a long way. Not only that, I would like to see the Agari and Cogah benefit from this passive earning state as well. Maybe toss in a little bit of reputation while killing enemies to give just a bit more progression than the two locked sources for the Faction grind.
(Most) Dungeons in Soulframe Don’t End Correctly
I can remember a time in Soulframe when dungeons, like the Undercity and the Glades, were all you could really do in the game. There are now two more (four total), with a fifth coming in Preludes 14. The dungeon design has been inconsistent throughout the implementation, however. Every dungeon so far has been procedurally generated with intricate and, honestly, breathtaking visual detail. However, the structure was strongest with the Crypt of the Circade. Let me explain.
When it comes to the Undercity, the Glades, or Neath’uns, they are massive, loot and enemy-filled, with multiple, evergreen reasons to farm them. But the Crypt of the Circade has a limited number of reasons to go into it, with a single, simple boss and puzzle at the end of it. This is what made the Crypt the strongest dungeon to me. Sure, the other three dungeons are much larger and more fun to get lost in. But having a distinct secret puzzle with a unique one-time treasure and a guaranteed boss fight in it makes the Crypt feel more climactic.
As it stands, the Undercity, the Glades, and Neath’uns only have a single unmarked entrance off the beaten path that lets you find a boss within them. I am unsure why these entrances that do not highlight the boss encounter in any way, shape, or form aren’t just the structure. I feel every time you enter a dungeon, it should have a guaranteed boss to make that long dungeon crawl feel more satisfying, like the Crypt is. It would be cool to see the Vadagar corrupted Omen beasts reused for the Glades and Neath’uns runs, since the boss designs are really amazing.
Seeking Out a Cure for Loneliness in an Online Game
In an article from Steven Weber of MMORPG in November last year, he stated the following:
Despite an active LFG channel and the potential for co-op play, Soulframe feels like a single-player experience with multiplayer features barely tied on.
This is something I personally didn’t think much about until I realized how much the potential of a seamless matchmaking experience this game can host. When entering a dungeon, there is an area outside the door leading into it. Similar to how faction enclaves can host players in an instance, I would personally like to see a system similar to that which allows for public matchmaking to kick in and add myself to someone’s game or vice versa. However, it has to be done without messaging other players (I’m an introvert, sorry), and only leaving after a dungeon is completed.
I feel like this could be taken a step further, where the world trees could send out little S.O.S. signals like Monster Hunter to have a player join to do an operation, siege, or a Sparrow’s Tale. While Soulframe is an online MMORPG, it feels more single-player with only an invite feature to make that online play function. In my entire time playing it, I have never played with another player and would just love to have matchmaking to fix that.
The Cogah Needs a Little More Incentive
The Cogah is essentially a hard mode with multiple debuffs that acts as an open-world boss rush. My only problem with it right now is that it feels like only a skill check for endgame players. I would like to see better rewards added to it. A unique armor set or weapon that can only be earned from completing a full run, for example. I think there should be an XP boost given to the mode that increases with each boss you take down to incentivize grinding in the Cogah. Also, please lower the amount of sap needed to brew the potion and let us use the world trees to fast travel.
I would like to see the Vadagar Omen Beasts be bosses that are marked on the map. Not to mention the same should apply to the Mendicant King as well. The Cogah is a great concept for the endgame. But it should have more incentives put into it.
There are a lot of Technical Issues in Soulframe Still
This part is the hardest to write about, as Digital Extremes is still fighting the long battle against the static pose warframe animation bug that everyone who has played the game has experienced more than once. But when it comes to Soulframe, it is still in its infancy and has some consistent bugs that I have run into more than once.
The most consistent is in the Glades. Sometimes I can just find a giant light square that just covers either a door or the ground.
During an Organ game mode run, I got trapped in a little Ode cage that, despite killing everything around me, I could not leave until it despawned on its own. Also, sometimes when I zipline down the Organ itself, my camera can get stuck when it does the little mission complete screen. While these sound small on the surface, they are the biggest issues I can recall off the top of my head. I have also seen clips of Envoys getting launched upwards in the Glades.
In Conclusion
As it stands, leaving out a handful of topics to critique, Soulframe has a lot of systems and content that need a lot more love and care put into them. Beneath the troubles I have is an amazing fantasy MMORPG that scratches a peculiar itch I didn’t know I had. How the game sounds, plays, and especially the technical performance go above and beyond my expectations at times. But I can almost see just how much better it could be for the general public if everything were tightened up more and felt more passively rewarding, like most online games and even Warframe.
Digital Extremes is known for its ability to act on player feedback, and as someone who started at Preludes 7, I have seen so many noticeable changes and improvements. But there are a lot more steps that need to be taken, at least in my eyes. I just hope the developers feel the same, as Soulframe can not only persist in the years ahead like their marquee title, but shine like it too.
Disclaimer – This critique is made for the current version of Soulframe on April 11th, 2026. (Preludes 13)