8 December 2025

“War is Hell” Warframe Dev Talks Love Among The Devil’s Triad

By newsgame

Warframe’s upcoming Devil’s Triad side story, released alongside the Old Peace update, introduces three compelling characters who players can get to know, befriend, and even fall in love with. When developing The Devil’s Triad, the Warframe team adapted and expanded the romance system introduced in Warframe: 1999 to create a darker, “gothic” feel. The story of these three characters is truly one that explores the idea that “War is Hell,” but also highlights peoples’ abilities to find love and connection in even the darkest of times.

Game Rant spoke to members of the Warframe development team: creative director Rebecca Ford, lead writer Adrian Bott, and principal writer Kat Kingsley about the process of creating the Old Peace update and Devil’s Triad story. They discussed bringing back romance while making it feel distinct from Warframe: 1999’s implementation of the system and how The Devil’s Triad focuses on the personal horrors of war. The team also provided a few hints of what players can look forward to when going on dates with Roathe, Father Lyon Allard, and Marie Leroux.

Devil’s Triad Romances Use A “Grim KIM” System To Convey A Dark Tone

In Warframe: 1999, players built relationships and potentially developed romances with members of the Hex using the Kinemantik Instant Messenger system, or KIM. Kat Kingsley revealed that The Devil’s Triad will use a similar messaging system, but that its interface will be kept distinct from the one used in 1999.

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Due to the darker tone of The Devil’s Triad, the system was internally nicknamed “Grim KIM,” or “GIM.”

“We brainstormed several other options before we settled on ‘Grim KIM,’ or ‘GIM,’ and breaking the characters out into a separate tab with a new color scheme and even a new soundtrack to ensure that Lyon, Marie, and Roathe were not clashing with their more contemporary-to-us counterparts from 1999.”

Kingsley also revealed that the romance in The Devil’s Triad will feature a “massive tonal shift” compared to the Hex relationships in Warframe: 1999, calling it “Dark Gothic Romance.” Wisp, Harrow, and particularly Uriel — the game’s first Orokin Protoframe, described by Rebecca Ford as a “picture-perfect antagonist” – are significantly darker, more tormented characters than the Hex members players could previously build relationships with.

The members of the Devil’s Triad have been through the horrors of the Descendia, a new reverse tower game mode with a layered design inspired by Hell itself, which will challenge even the best Warframes in the game. What the three experiences will inform the bonds they can create with the player, which, Kingsley explained, leads to extremely complex platonic and romantic stories:

“The other major challenge was the sheer complexity of these characters. Despite only having three characters, half the size of the Hex, this expansion rivals, if not exceeds, the work and magnitude of the original romance system for Warframe: 1999.”

Romances In The Devil’s Triad Will Feature Both Story And Mechanical Differences

Although it utilizes the same KIM system for players to deepen bonds with the three characters, Adrian Bott feels that romancing Roathe, Lyon, and Marie will feel very different than getting closer to the Hex members in Warframe: 1999 or chatting to the new characters introduced in Techrot Encore. Bott discussed the mechanical and storytelling differences that players might encounter during the Devil’s Triad romance segments:

“I’d say expect more freedom of choice and opportunities for discovery in their story. Players can still go down either a romantic or platonic relationship with the Triad members, who are all extremely different from one another in how they like to converse. If you’ve engaged with the KIM system in Warframe: 1999, there are even potential moments for conversational crossovers for the Drifter.”

In Warframe: 1999, the romances between players and members of the Hex were very tied to the game’s 1999 setting, including a moment where players could choose to spend New Year’s Eve 1999 with their romantic partner. This sweet scene could conclude with players sharing a kiss with their partner as the clock struck midnight. These romantic moments were generally popular with Warframe players, and many were eager to know if something similar would be included in the Devil’s Triad storyline.

Adrian Bott confirmed that players will indeed be able to go on dates with the members of the Triad, and that there will be more date options compared to Warframe: 1999. Describing the system, the Lead Writer said:

“We’re also adding a new component we’re calling ‘Captura Dates’ that you can go on with a Triad member if you’ve maxed out their relationship in the romance route. You’ll be able to go to one of five different date scenes within Captura, our photography mode. Naturally, kisses are also part of the experience.”

The Triad’s Story Emphasizes That War Is An Internal Hell

While there will certainly be adorable moments such as kissing during Captura Dates, the central narrative arc of the Devil’s Triad side story is an extremely serious one that addresses one core theme: “War is Hell.”

When developing The Devil’s Triad, the team at Digital Extremes found themselves continuously returning to the exploration of this recurring theme as they worked to write a rich, compelling story that could potentially rank among Warframe’s best quests. The two new game modes, The Perita Rebellion and The Descendia, both examine the nature of war in two different ways, as Adrian Bott explains:

“The Descendia is an exploration of the ‘hell’ that is Roathe’s memory, as articulated through the Drifter’s mind. Lyon and Marie are accompanying us on that journey, as loyal allies and spiritual support. We come back to the throughline that ‘War is Hell’ frequently, but, while the Perita Rebellion is largely an external hell, the Descendia is more of an introspective one.”

At the center of this ‘introspective Hell’ is Roathe, also known as Uriel, the first Orokin Protoframe to appear in Warframe’s story. Rebecca Ford revealed that the team listened to player feedback requesting more antagonistic Protoframes, and that Roathe underwent significant development as the team developed his role in the narrative and his potential romantic story with the player:

“There was an obvious ‘Well, if we make our first Orokin Protoframe, then we’ve got ourselves a picture-perfect antagonist to start off the arc.’ That was very intentional, and will play out with a branching narrative across The Devil’s Triad side story, depending on players’ choices.”

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Ford also praised René Zagger, Elsa Perusin, and Will de Renzy-Martin, who portray Roathe, Marie, and Lyon respectively. “Bringing to life a new set of Protoframes might be one of the most daunting parts of a new update,” Ford said. However, the three actors were immediately able to connect with their characters and offer suggestions for how to portray and embody them. “They have such a breadth of knowledge around character work already, so, when they enter the booth to record, there is a back and forth that happens, which, I’m told, is more uncommon in this sphere.” Ford is extremely excited for players to get to know — and potentially fall in love with — the three new Protoframes.

Warframe players can experience The Old Peace and The Devil’s Triad when the next update launches on December 10, 2025. They will experience a rich, layered story centered around the Old War and the Tau System, with three complex and dark new characters to befriend or romance. The Warframe developers are excited to bring the romance system back after introducing it in Warframe: 1999, and are looking forward to players bonding with the Devil’s Triad when the side story debuts.