Soulframe Patch Lets Players Allocate Wolfpup Stats

Raising a dog takes patience. Raising a virtual one shouldn't have to, and Digital Extremes seems to agree. The latest patch for Soulframe, the studio's multiplayer RPG, gives players direct control over how their wolfpup grows. That's the companion that joined the game in the most recent major pre-alpha build, and until now its development was largely out of your hands.

The headline change is simple: you can now decide where your pup's stats go. That's a meaningful shift for a pet that, only one build ago, was brand new to the game.

Hand-picked stats, with a catch

The process is about as straightforward as it gets. Open the wolfpup's stats screen, hold the "add" button in the interface, and the points land where you want them. No guesswork, no hoping the system nudges your companion in the right direction.

There is a catch, though. Any stats you assign this way are permanent, at least for now. Digital Extremes says respec options are being worked on for a later date. Until they arrive, it pays to think before you hold that button down.

To make room for the new system, every wolfpup's stats have been reset. That might sting a little for players who had already been shaping their companion. But it also means everyone starts from the same clean slate, free to build the pup they actually want rather than the one they ended up with.

Auras get more useful

Stat allocation isn't the only thing aimed at Soulframe's four-legged sidekick. The patch also expands how the wolfpup's auras work.

First, the game now gives you more information about them. That sounds minor, but it matters a lot in a system where you're making permanent decisions. Second, auras now grant virtues on top of whatever benefits they already provided. In other words, they do more than they did before, without losing anything.

Digital Extremes has also changed how quickly the pup earns experience for certain stats. On top of that, the studio has applied a list of fixes to the companion. The patch doesn't frame these as a dramatic overhaul. Taken together, though, they point to a companion that's getting serious attention during pre-alpha.

Rare chests get a refresh

Outside of the pup, the patch touches one other area: rare chests. Their loot tables have been updated with two goals in mind. The first is to make finding one feel more exciting. The second is to help players farm rare resources.

Anyone who has cracked open a "rare" chest only to find something forgettable will understand the motivation. If a container is labelled rare, it should feel like an event. Loot tuning is a familiar lever in online RPGs right now, too. Dungeons and Dragons Online is experimenting with lucky loot in its Update 82 testing, for example.

Our Take

On paper, this is a modest patch. Read in context, it suggests Digital Extremes is listening closely to how players treat the wolfpup and is willing to adjust quickly. The pup only arrived in the last major build. Within one patch it has gained manual stat allocation, clearer aura information and stronger aura effects. That's a fast turnaround.

The permanent nature of stat choices is the part worth keeping an eye on. Locking players into decisions before respec tools exist is a bold move in a pre-alpha, where systems can shift under your feet. It's worth watching how soon those respec options show up, and whether the reset gets repeated if the stat system changes again.

For anyone tracking upcoming multiplayer RPGs, Soulframe remains a game still finding its shape in public. That puts it in similar territory to titles such as Nova Era: Atom and its Steam playtest. If the wolfpup keeps getting this level of care, it could become one of the game's defining features rather than a simple companion.