Warframe: Tau arrives in December, free on all platforms

What lands in December

The headline act is Brysko, the 67th Warframe. Digital Extremes' Steam post pitches him as a "world-weary, noir-inspired detective" whose inner monologue is voiced by Matt Mercer. His kit includes a Hound companion, the Rain & Shine fist weapons and the Corecracker Exalted pistol.

Brysko also brings in what the Steam post calls "the first in a new class of premium Customizations": the Chimera Skin. According to that post, it works like a Protoframe: you can switch between his Warframe and Chimera aspects on the fly, for a more Sentient appearance and voice-acted dialogue. Per the press release on RPG Site, Brysko himself will be available to all players, either unlocked straight away from the Warframe Market or earned through gameplay, and he's the protagonist of Tau's single-player cinematic quest.

Then there's the map. The Steam post says Tau brings missions and new worlds in a new region of space, while there will still be "much to do in the Origin System going forward." December starts with two locations: Fornax, a mob-run ring city, and the badlands of Perita, with "many more planned for future updates." Digital Extremes describes Perita as an ecosystem that has collapsed into a hostile desert full of feuding Dazannah clans, where a chieftain's young son, Catulast, seeks help from the Tenno.

The press release on RPG Site adds a few more pieces:

• a new social hub on Fornax called MANIFOLD 90-BF;
• The Cleaving Glaive, a new allied Syndicate scavenging the Perita wasteland for Tau's secrets;
• new variants of co-op modes, including a revamped Survival mission on Perita;
• Koumei Enshoujo, Koumei's first Deluxe Skin, due alongside Tau in December.

RPG Site's own write-up also says Tau includes Portau, which it calls Warframe's first card game.

Further out, the press release says Nezha is next in line for an Heirloom Skin, with concept art shown on the stream and a release planned for early 2027.

More to come on 27 November

Tau isn't fully shown yet. Megan Everett, Community Director at Digital Extremes, said in the press release published by RPG Site: "Today is the first of two detailed looks at Warframe: Tau, and we have so much left for players to discover with us before this update arrives later this year." She added that the studio has "a ton of surprises for our next Devstream on November 27."

She also answered the obvious worry from long-time players: "the Origin System is not being left behind."

So if you're after more detail, 27 November is the one to circle. That's the next scheduled look, and the press release doesn't say whether an exact date will be announced then.

Getting ready for Tau

The press release frames Tau as following on from The Old Peace, the December 2025 update: The Old Peace "introduced players to what Tau once was," while Tau "will unearth what has become following eons of conflict."

If you want a head start, Warframe's Steam news also lists the Epoch Operation: Taubound event, which runs until 17 November, and a permanent Tau Prologue Quest that needs The Hex and The Old Peace quests completed first.

Riley's take: A space-ninja game whose next big chapter stars a hard-boiled detective with a dog, opens in a mob-run ring city and has a card game tucked into it is exactly the kind of left turn Warframe does best. The part I'd want explained before December is the Chimera Skin: a brand-new class of premium cosmetic launching with a brand-new frame is the detail players will ask about first, price and all.