Warframe: Tau Arrives Free on Xbox in December, With Matthew Mercer’s Noir Detective Brysko

Warframe: Tau arrives on Xbox in December, and it’s free. Digital Extremes used Devstream 198 to give the first of two detailed looks at the update, which takes Warframe beyond the Origin System for the first time and introduces Brysko, a noir detective Warframe voiced by Matthew Mercer.

There’s no exact December date yet, but there’s another Devstream on 27 November, and Digital Extremes is promising more there. Warframe is free to play on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, so there’s nothing to buy to get in. You just need the patience to drag your Tenno across a whole new star system.

A new star system, and a new story chapter

Warframe: Tau heads to the Tau star system with a new single-player cinematic story chapter. It also brings new versions of co-op modes, including a revamped Survival mission on Perita, a moon of Fornax. The update has a new Tau Star Chart, which launches with two locations:

• Perita: a war-ruined wasteland. Last December’s The Old Peace update showed players what Tau once was. This is what’s left of it.
• Fornax: a mob-run ring city, home to MANIFOLD 90-BF, a new social hub full of characters, rivals and lore to dig into.

Out on Perita you’ll also meet the Cleaving Glaive, a new ally Syndicate scavenging the wasteland for Tau’s secrets. Digital Extremes says Tau will grow with each update after this one, so Perita and Fornax are only the start.

Meet Brysko, the 67th Warframe

Brysko is the 67th Warframe and the protagonist of the Tau quest. He draws on detective noir, and his inner monologue is voiced by Matthew Mercer (The Legend of Vox Machina). The Devstream went through his kit, which includes a Hound companion, Rain & Shine fist weapons and an Exalted magnum called Corecracker. A trench coat, a fedora, a dog and a revolver, then. Nobody can say he isn’t committed to the bit.

When Tau arrives, you’ll be able to unlock Brysko instantly from the Warframe Market or earn him through play. He also leads a new kind of cosmetic, the Chimera Skin.

New skins for Koumei and Nezha

Koumei gets her first Deluxe Skin, Koumei Enshoujo, alongside Tau in December. Further out, Nezha is getting an Heirloom Skin, co-designed with Mati Tapia and Stephan Sotelting of Sumo Digital and due in early 2027. If you’d like Portau, Tau’s card game, on your actual table, the Portau card collection and playmat are up for pre-order on the official Warframe merch store.

“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,” said Megan Everett, Community Director at Digital Extremes. “We have a ton of surprises for our next Devstream on November 27, so please stay tuned for more!”

Warframe launched in 2013, and Digital Extremes says it now has more than 90 million players.

Warframe is free on the Microsoft Store.

More on Warframe: our Warframe hub and Warframe: Everything We Know.

Source: Digital Extremes press release; Digital Extremes; Warframe.com; Microsoft Store.

So, are you signing up for Brysko’s detective agency, or still busy with the Origin System? Tell us on X or Facebook.