A Glimpse into the Future of Warframe at TennoCon 2025
Attending TennoCon 2025 in London, Ontario, has been an unforgettable experience. This event marks the ten-year anniversary of Digital Extremes’ Warframe expo, and it’s clear that the future of the game is looking incredibly promising. The team behind the long-running free-to-play action game is clearly excited about what they have planned for players in the coming months. This year’s event is the biggest TennoCon yet, featuring major reveals and a live concert called the ‘TennoConcert,’ which celebrates the music of the Warframe universe.
A New Frontier: Tau System
One of the most exciting announcements was the introduction of the Tau System, a distant region home to the sometimes-antagonistic Sentients. Players have been eagerly waiting for this expansion, and while the full Tau System won’t arrive until 2026, there’s a sneak peek coming in late 2025. This update, titled ‘The Old Peace,’ will allow players to astral-project themselves into a past time period of Tau, offering a glimpse into the Sentient civilization before its downfall.
During an extended live gameplay demo, players saw a friendly Sentient named Adis enrolled at the Tauron Academy alongside them. Adis trains with the player, including a showdown with an enormous Sentient mech named Hunhullus. The demo also showcased friendly Sentient teachers, pre-collapse Grineer soldiers in golden armor, and a preview of the next frame to receive the Primed treatment: Caliban Prime.
Enhanced Gameplay and New Features
The Tauron Academy isn’t just about classes and sparring; it’s a military training ground. When separatists cause trouble, players are dispatched via orbital drop into a warzone. DE demonstrated several new features, including an improved parkour system with enhanced wall-running, new enemy types, and a new Focus school. This school includes a spectacular ability involving summoning a ridiculously large energy sword. The developers described it as a ‘limit break’ power, confirming plans to revamp the existing Focus system to match the power of the new Tauron Focus school with new ‘ultimate’ abilities.
Musical Numbers and Unusual Elements
As expected in Warframe, there was a moment when a character broke into song. The game is known for its space ninja theme and unexpected musical numbers, such as the previous update featuring evil clones of a 90s boy band.
Details and Side Stories
Digital Extremes’ Community Manager Megan Everett confirmed that ‘The Old Peace’ won’t be as expansive as the actual Tau update in 2026 but still looks like a substantial expansion. A navigation console seen in Tauron Academy showed at least three separate locations, with one explored in the live demo being fairly large.
The update will also feature a ‘side story’ focusing on mad scientist Albrect Entrati. He created the human ‘protoframes’ seen in the Warframe 1999 update, and more are on the way. However, these new characters won’t be hanging out at Höllvania Mall with the other protoframes. Instead, the ‘side story’ will focus on the Devil’s Triad: two new protoframes named Father Lyon Allard and Marie Leroux, along with a new frame, the devil-themed Uriel. Uriel will be the 63rd frame added to the game.
Upcoming Updates and Content
Warframe fans may have noticed that there are currently only 61 unique frames. A Fall 2025 update will feature a smaller handful of new content, including the 62nd frame. Megan was tight-lipped about details, only hinting that “he’s a fun guy.” The update will also include a rework of the Oberon warframe, a stylish deluxe skin for Lavos, and a new narrative quest, The Teacher, designed to provide a canonical tutorial for the game’s complex modding system.
Looking Ahead
As someone who plays the game and has invested time in similar live-service titles, it’s impressive how Digital Extremes continues to innovate. From a simple gray corridor shooter to hoverboards, space combat, and time-traveling adventures, the game consistently introduces new and exciting elements.
The full Tau update next year is expected to be the biggest yet, possibly the largest update in the game’s history. While details remain scarce, it seems that the present-day Tau system will offer a different experience than the one in ‘The Old Peace.’ The team is working hard to perfect the 2026 update, ensuring it meets the high expectations of the community.