Warframe just got one of its most ambitious updates in 12 years. The Old Peace launched on December 10, 2025, across all platforms, dragging players through the buried memories of the Old War with WWI-inspired trench combat, gothic romance systems, and demon-themed Warframes. Digital Extremes isn’t just adding content. They’re rewriting what a live-service game can do with its own history.
War Is Hell and You’re Living It
The Old Peace takes players into the Tau system during a fragile period of peace between the Orokin and their Sentient creations. This isn’t the slick space ninja action Warframe is known for. Instead, you’re controlling a remastered Operator traversing muddy trenches on the planet Perita, fighting through memories that were buried for protection. The entire concept started with two words during a writing meeting: “Trench Warframe.”
Creative director Rebecca Ford spent months reading World War I novels to nail the aesthetic. The result is oppressive skies, brutal combat zones, and the crushing weight of young soldiers thrust into devastating conflict. The update adds two new experimental mission types that completely change how Warframe feels. The Perita Rebellion runs 12 minutes of tactical objectives with militaristic pacing, while The Descendia sends players on a reverse tower dive into literal hell itself.
Meet Uriel and The Devil’s Triad
The star of this update is Uriel, the 62nd Warframe and the most demonic design Digital Extremes has created. Uriel fits perfectly into the “devil on the battlefield” vibe that defines The Old Peace, completing a concept that originated with the game’s first art director Michael Brennan. But Uriel isn’t alone. Three new Protoframes form The Devil’s Triad, each with their own gothic romance storylines that rival the entire cast from the 1999 expansion.
Lyon serves as the loyal grounding presence, Marie brings alluring tragedy, and Roathe carries grief and guilt through every interaction. Unlike the neon-drenched nostalgia of Warframe: 1999, The Devil’s Triad leans into gothic romance, aristocratic decadence, and doomed intimacy. Players can romance or befriend each character through an expanded messaging system called G.I.M. (Grim K.I.M.), complete with its own soundtrack, color palette, and UI identity.
Tauron Strikes Bring Anime Energy
One of the biggest gameplay additions is the Tauron Focus Expansion, which adds Ultimate abilities to each of the five Focus Schools. These Tauron Strikes are massive, screen-filling attacks inspired by anime series like Dragon Ball Z, Jujutsu Kaisen, Fate/Apocrypha, and Attack on Titan. Ford admits she listened to the Attack on Titan soundtrack repeatedly while designing these abilities to capture that same energy.
Each Ultimate ability unlocks through new skill tree nodes using resources from The Perita Rebellion. These aren’t small tweaks to existing systems. They’re cinematic abilities that can turn the tide of battle, featuring giant swords, energy beams, and archery attacks that feel ripped from the best moments of mecha anime but remain distinctly Warframe in execution.
Why This Update Matters
Twelve years into its life, Warframe refuses to play it safe. While other live-service games struggle with long-term fatigue and player burnout, Digital Extremes keeps reinventing what their game can be. The Old Peace represents the studio’s most experimental storytelling yet, blending historical metaphors with sci-fi spectacle in ways that shouldn’t work but absolutely do.
The update also sets the stage for something fans have wanted for years. In 2026, Warframe will finally take players to the modern-day Tau system, moving beyond the Origin System for the first time. The Old Peace serves as the emotional foundation for that journey, exploring the cost of war through the eyes of children forced to become warriors.
Everything Else in The Old Peace
Beyond the major additions, the update includes a complete Operator and Drifter graphical remaster that Ford compares to jumping from PS3 to PS5. Players are prompted to re-edit their characters before starting the new content. The update also introduces the Anarchs, a new enemy faction made up of Dax soldiers, Grineer, and even commandeered Prime Warframes as mini-bosses.
A new Bayonet weapon class fits the WWI aesthetic, Voruna gets a Deluxe skin, and Caliban Prime appears both as an environmental set piece and a boss fight. Most remarkably, Excalibur Prime becomes temporarily playable during one quest mission, marking the first time in years that this legendary frame has been accessible to players who missed the original founder’s program.
FAQs
When did The Old Peace update release?
The Old Peace launched on December 10, 2025, at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET / 4 PM UTC across all platforms including PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, and iOS.
What is The Old Peace about?
The update explores buried memories of the Old War during a fragile peace between the Orokin and Sentients in the Tau system, featuring WWI-inspired trench warfare and the emotional cost of conflict.
Who is Uriel in Warframe?
Uriel is the 62nd Warframe with a demonic, devil-themed design. This frame represents the “devil on the battlefield” concept and fits perfectly into The Old Peace’s dark, gothic aesthetic.
Can you romance characters in The Old Peace?
Yes, The Devil’s Triad introduces three new Protoframes (Lyon, Marie, and Roathe) with expanded romance and platonic relationship paths through the G.I.M. messaging system, including kiss interactions and Captura Dates at max relationship level.
What are Tauron Strikes?
Tauron Strikes are new Ultimate abilities for each Focus School inspired by anime series. These cinematic abilities include giant sword attacks, energy beams, and archery moves that can dramatically shift battle momentum.
Is Excalibur Prime playable?
Yes, for the first time in years, Excalibur Prime becomes temporarily playable during one quest mission in The Old Peace, though it remains unavailable for general use outside this specific content.
What new game modes does The Old Peace add?
The update introduces two new modes: The Perita Rebellion (a 12-minute tactical trench warfare mission) and The Descendia (a reverse tower dive into an infernal nightmare that gets harder the deeper you go).
Does The Old Peace prepare for future content?
Yes, The Old Peace sets the stage for 2026’s major expansion into the modern-day Tau system, marking Warframe’s first journey beyond the Origin System.
Looking Forward
Digital Extremes has been developing Warframe for over a decade, and The Old Peace proves they’re not running out of ideas. The update combines historical inspiration, gothic storytelling, anime spectacle, and classic space opera music into something that feels distinctly Warframe while pushing boundaries the game has never touched before. Early 2026 will bring the usual Echoes update expanding Old Peace content, followed by the long-awaited journey to modern-day Tau. For a free-to-play game entering its teenage years, Warframe shows no signs of slowing down. If anything, it’s getting weirder and more ambitious with age, and the community couldn’t be happier about it.