Soulframe Vadagar Pact: Everything We Know So Far
The Soulframe Vadagar Pact is the first concrete look at a dark counterpart to the current Virtue system. Digital Extremes announced it at TennoCon 2026 (Devstream 16, July 11, 2026) as part of the Warsongs update planned for fall 2026. Here is what has been officially confirmed so far and what is still open.
Important: as of October 11, 2026 the Vadagar Pact is still not playable. Since the announcement, Preludes 16 โOf Hook and Houndโ (September 18, 2026) has shipped with fishing and wolf pup training, while Warsongs still has no date. Soulframe remains in its early Preludes phase, and Digital Extremes devstream reveals traditionally show work in progress, not final values.
Everything in this article comes from TennoCon 2026 announcements and can still change before the Warsongs release.
๐ What is the Soulframe Vadagar Pact?
So far, progression in Soulframe is built on the Virtues Courage, Spirit and Grace, which existing Pacts draw on. The Vadagar Pact flips that idea: instead of Virtues, players draw their power from corrupted counterparts called Vespers.
Creative Director Geoff Crookes stressed at TennoCon that this is not a rigid good-versus-evil system. He explicitly named Knights of the Old Republic and BioShock (specifically the Little Sisters) as references. The pact is meant to be more flexible than the classic alignment system fans know from Warframe. According to Crookes, real growth in a story about redemption doesn't happen without some measure of despair and fear.
For context: Soulframe is still in its Preludes phase, the early access stage before the actual release. Earlier major systems like Pacts or Virtues were introduced and tuned step by step over several updates. The Vadagar Pact will likely follow the same pattern, so the TennoCon presentation is a first look, not a finished feature set.
๐ฉธ Ichor and Vespers: the mechanics behind it
At the center is a corrupting substance called Ichor. If you take the Vadagar Pact, you channel this Ichor to unlock a completely new skill set. According to the official TennoCon recap on soulframe.com, Omen beasts take on this Vadagar form when they are trapped in Ichor, and the Envoy walks the same path.
Vadagar already exist as enemies today: the community-run wiki at wiki.avakot.org lists the Vadagar Stag, for example. The pact is powered by the three Vespers named so far. The recap gives the names. The mapping to the Virtues comes from footage of the demo and is not officially confirmed:
- Wrath: per the demo, the counterpart to Courage
- Death: per the demo, the counterpart to Spirit
- Doom: per the demo, the counterpart to Grace
According to coverage of TennoCon (not mentioned in the official recap), equipping the pact even changes the entire UI to reflect its corrupted look. That is a much more visible signal than the plain skill swap of the existing Pacts.
| Aspect | Known status (TennoCon 2026) |
|---|---|
| Resource | Ichor (corrupting) |
| Power source | Vespers instead of Virtues |
| Named Vespers | Wrath, Death, Doom |
| UI effect | full change when the pact is equipped (per coverage) |
| Release | fall 2026, with the Warsongs update |
๐ Abilities: what was shown?
On stage the developers demonstrated a set of new attacks that clearly lean toward control and attrition rather than straight melee:
- Exploding boomerangs as a ranged option
- Binding vines or tentacle attacks that hold enemies in place
- Corrosive mount attacks: a summoned, corrupted horse leaves muddy, damaging puddles behind
An alternative healing mechanic was also hinted at: instead of the usual methods, โAlcaโ healing is supposed to work in more unusual forms under the Vadagar Pact. Concrete values, skill names or a full ability list have not been shown yet.
๐ก Context: an extra path, not a replacement
Important for anyone already using Pacts: the Vadagar Pact is described as an additional progression path next to the existing Virtue system, not a replacement. It is tied to the new Warsongs Fable quest due in fall 2026. According to coverage, the developers left open whether the system will be expanded afterward.
The update's story is told through that quest. It introduces the character Tempest Bayor, voiced by Ben Starr according to coverage. The official recap describes Bayor as an Envoy like you, but sworn to the Synod and the Ode, accompanied by the raven Kress. Whether and how this character connects directly to the Vadagar Pact is not clear from the announcements so far. Details are still missing.
Thematically, the Vadagar Pact fits something Digital Extremes has stressed for Soulframe from the start: the island of Midrath tells a story of decay and rebuilding, of characters caught between despair and redemption. A pact that lets players deliberately open themselves to corruption instead of only fighting it adds a new angle to that story without fully overturning the role of guardian of the Virtues.
โจ What is still open about the Soulframe Vadagar Pact
Despite a fairly detailed TennoCon presentation, key questions remain unanswered:
- No specific date within โfall 2026โ has been given
- It is unclear whether there will be more Vespers beyond Wrath, Death and Doom
- No full ability list or skill tree has been shown
- It is also open whether the pact can be combined with the wolf companion or other existing systems
- It is unclear whether and how existing progress in Virtues and Pacts affects the Vadagar Pact
โ Soulframe Vadagar Pact FAQ
Is the Vadagar Pact playable yet?
No. It has only been announced and is due with the Warsongs update in fall 2026.
Does the Vadagar Pact replace the current Pacts or Virtues?
Not as things stand. It is described as an additional, parallel progression path.
What exactly is Ichor?
A corrupting substance that players channel under the Vadagar Pact to access the new moveset and the Vespers. Details on how to obtain it have not been shared.
Do I need the wolf companion or other systems to unlock the pact?
There is no official statement on that yet. If you want to raise your wolf companion regardless, you can do that right now.
Note: this article is a preview based on the TennoCon 2026 announcement (Devstream 16). The Vadagar Pact is still in development, and every detail mentioned here, including Vespers, abilities, UI effects and the release window, can change before Warsongs actually ships. Once the pact is live, we will update this guide with verified values. If you want to learn the basics of Soulframe first, see the beginner guide, and for the current content state the Preludes 16 overview.
Checked against coverage from mmorpg.com and wccftech.com and the official TennoCon 2026 recap on soulframe.com. Rechecked on October 11, 2026 against the recap and the news page on soulframe.com: Warsongs has still not been released. Status: Preludes 16 with Hotfix 6 as of October 2026.
