TennoCon 2026: all the announcements (Brysko, Narin, Tau System, Citrine Prime)
TennoCon 2026 took place on July 10 and 11 in London (Ontario, Canada). Digital Extremes unveiled the content of the next big update, Iceblade of Narin (fall 2026): a new detective-styled Warframe, a completely new Tau System with its casino hub, a second ice Warframe, Citrine Prime, a Banshee rework and much more. Here is the complete recap.
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Brysko: a new noir-detective Warframe, exalted weapon Corecracker (revolver) and melee Rain & Shine, cards/casino theme.
- Narin: the 66th Warframe, second ice frame after Frost but "something very different" — her update is called Iceblade of Narin.
- Tau System: a new star system beyond the Origin System, home of the Sentients — hub Fornax, a ring-city with a casino and the Portau card mini-game.
- Haalvu: the first Tau-damage weapon, given as a Twitch drop — very mixed reviews across creators (FR/ES/PT/RU tested), but two points confirmed everywhere: the Tau status boosts the other elements more than it hits by itself, and automatic fire beats the burst.
- Citrine Prime confirmed, and Banshee gets a rework + her very first Deluxe skin (no Prime).
- A Deluxe skin for Qorvex, the TennoVIP world tour, and the next TennoCon dated July 16–17, 2027.
Brysko: the new Warframe
Brysko is the new Warframe revealed as the Tau System's opening act: a noir detective character, tied to the Sentients/Chimeras, voiced (in English) by Matthew Mercer. Their exalted weapon is the Corecracker, a revolver; their signature melee, Rain & Shine, knuckle dusters. The first ability shown in the demo throws explosive playing cards — a direct echo of their home system's casino theme. The rest of the ability kit hasn't been shown in detail yet.
💡 A companion (a dog) accompanying Brysko was confirmed on screen, but Digital Extremes deliberately kept its name secret for a future devstream — so we exclude it from this recap until it's official.
Narin: the second ice Warframe
The evening's second reveal: Narin, the game's 66th Warframe, a female frame with an Ice element — only the second after Frost since the game began. The team stressed that she is "not a Frost variant" but "something very different" in concept. She gives the update its name: Iceblade of Narin, expected in fall 2026. Her full ability kit hasn't been detailed yet.
Tau System: a new star system
The centrepiece of the announcement: a completely new binary star system (two suns, a first for the game), beyond the Origin System we know. Unlike a simple planet addition (like the Zariman's Angels in its day), Digital Extremes promises a full system, with architecture never seen in the game — the team's own references: Boardwalk Empire, Blade Runner and "a bit of Sopranos".
- Fornax, the Tau System's hub, has nothing in common with classic relays: a lawless ring-city, swept by a maddening "black rain", full of rackets, shady dockers and — confirmed by Japanese coverage of the lower depths — Sentients themselves; casino, card tables, a slot machine, a tavern/bar vibe with live music. The on-stage demo's goal: infiltrate the criminal organisation controlling Fornax, up to a final card duel against the Sentient running it.
- Local antagonist: the Hunra, a brutal kingpin who controls Fornax's rackets and personally distributes Bloom — confirmed as a fictional narcotic used to keep the population under control, not just a card suit in the mini-game.
- A new Sentient-type enemy faction: the Fornax Drowners.
- New systems announced: a customisable Vessel and a Railjack navigation overhaul to reach the Tau System. A second playable zone, not yet named, should accompany Fornax when the full update releases.
- Characters teased for later this year: Arturos and Zioa.
- A new card mini-game, presented as Warframe's very first original card game: Portau, with its own card suits (Blooms, Cores, Moons, Suns) — the precise rules haven't been publicly detailed.
- According to the team, the Tau System will offer a new gameplay concept rather than a simple recycling of current mission modes (defense, mobile defense…) — no further details at this stage.
💡 Our honest reading: the on-stage demo was deliberately partial (Digital Extremes never shows 100% of its content at TennoCon). The narrative details above come from the official written coverage and specialised outlets cross-checked afterwards, not from our own direct viewing — a Chinese creator (Bilibili) published a commented Fornax demo, but its exact content couldn't be verified for this recap (page blocked by an anti-bot check). Everything still unclear (mission count, whether the boss is replayable, the quest's scale, Portau's rules) is deliberately excluded rather than guessed.
Haalvu: the first Tau-damage weapon
Alongside the announcements, a primary rifle named Haalvu was distributed as a Twitch drop during the TennoCon 2026 broadcast (30 minutes of consecutive watching required on July 11-12, window now closed) — the game's very first weapon dealing Tau damage, in direct resonance with the new system. Several sentient barrels each aim at their own target automatically; the alt-fire deploys 8 floating rifles in a burst that targets up to 4 enemies at once. Its signature status, Tau, doesn't stack on itself but increases the status chance of the other elements applied afterwards — up to +10% per tier, 10 tiers maximum (+100%).
💡 First verdict, same day (tested at level cap that very evening by Pandaahh): base damage judged weak ("it's decent, not incredible, most weapons beat it"), automatic fire clearly more effective than the burst despite the multi-targeting, and a weapon that visibly "runs out of breath" past level 5,000 — the video's title sums up the feeling: "not made for level cap", at least as is. Its real strengths: 210 ammo and a near-instant reload (0.5 s). Take the verdict with a pinch of salt — it's a release-evening test, without a refined build; Pandaahh plans to retest it. It can no longer be obtained via Twitch drop, but should return via Baro Ki'Teer or a future Tau System vendor.
💡 The international community is split — cross-checked across three independent creators who tested it the next day (Spanish, Brazilian, Russian): opinions range from very positive ("the most broken weapon in the game" per a Spanish creator) to very negative (a Russian creator: "the weapon didn't keep its promises", its auto-targeting misses even at point-blank range), with a measured Brazilian take in between ("not the most broken thing in the world, but decent"). Two points, though, come up in all four languages tested (French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian): the Tau status mainly acts as a status multiplier for the other elements, not a strong standalone damage source; and automatic fire consistently beats the burst for killing. Still an early verdict — to be retested with refined builds.
Citrine Prime
Citrine Prime was confirmed for the arrival of Iceblade of Narin — only the Steflos Prime pistol has been shown at this stage, the Corufell melee hasn't been confirmed in a Prime version yet. In the meantime, standard Citrine remains an excellent area buffer thanks to her Preserving Shell, which stacks damage resistance and offensive bonuses on the whole squad.
Banshee: rework + Deluxe (but no Prime)
Requested for years by the community, the Banshee rework is confirmed, together with her very first Deluxe skin — the first since 2016. Careful not to confuse things: no Banshee Prime was announced at this TennoCon, despite what you may have read elsewhere. The new abilities' details weren't shown; we'll update the Banshee build page as soon as the content is testable.
Other announcements
What we don't know yet (honesty first)
For accuracy's sake, we deliberately exclude from this recap several things heard in the source video that we couldn't confirm through official sources:
- The name of the companion tied to Brysko — Digital Extremes hasn't revealed it yet.
- The precise release date of Iceblade of Narin — only the "fall 2026" window is confirmed; any more precise date heard in live reactions was creator speculation.
- The explicit presence of the Man in the Wall and a "Murmur giant" in the Tau System cinematic trailer — these are genuine Warframe lore elements, but nothing confirms they literally appear in that precise sequence.
- Brazil and Australia as TennoVIP tour stops — only Seoul, Xi'an, London and Glasgow are confirmed to date.
The source video
This recap builds on the live reaction by Pandaahh Warframe Chronicles, a French creator already featured in our builds, with @DaDeean (in French):
Tennocon 2026 : Banshee Rework, Système Tau, Brysko et Citrine Prime Feat @DaDeean
Pandaahh Warframe Chronicles · YouTube
Watch the video ↗Frequently asked questions
Who is Brysko, the new Warframe from TennoCon 2026?
A noir detective Warframe, tied to the Sentients/Chimeras, with the Corecracker exalted weapon (revolver) and the Rain & Shine melee. Their first ability throws explosive playing cards, echoing the Tau System's casino theme.
Is Banshee getting a Banshee Prime?
No. TennoCon 2026 confirmed an ability rework and her very first Deluxe skin (the first since 2016) — but no Prime.
What is the Tau System?
A new binary star system (two suns) beyond the Origin System. Its hub, Fornax, is a lawless ring-city with a casino and a new card mini-game, Portau — controlled by a local kingpin, the Hunra.
When does the Iceblade of Narin update release?
Digital Extremes is targeting fall 2026, no precise date. It should bring Narin, Citrine Prime, the Banshee rework and her Deluxe, as well as Qorvex's Deluxe.
What is the Haalvu and is it worth it?
The game's very first Tau-damage weapon, given as a Twitch drop during TennoCon (window now closed). Opinions differ across creators (tested in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian) — from very positive to very negative. Two points confirmed everywhere: the Tau status mostly boosts the other elements rather than dealing damage alone, and automatic fire consistently beats the burst.
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⚙ Builds mentioned in this guide: Citrine · Banshee · Frost · Qorvex · Steflos · Corufell · Banshee Prime