The Warframe Tau Prologue is a short story quest where you play as the Lotus and then control your own Vessel for the first time. Here is how to unlock the Tau Prologue, finish both chapters step by step, and fix the bugs players are hitting.
In This Guide:
How to Unlock the Tau Prologue in Warframe
You only need to finish two quests: The Hex and The Old Peace. After that, log in, open the Codex on your Orbiter, and look for Prologue to Tau.
If you can’t see it first make sure both quests are really marked as complete. Then update the game. The prologue arrived with Hotfix 44.1.2. And finally try logging out and logging back in. The quest shows up in your Codex when you log in.
Tau Prologue Lua Quest Walkthrough
Lua is the first chapter. It is short, and most of it plays like a cutscene.
Check your inbox. Loid tells you the Lotus is about to enter the Dark Refractory.
Go to the Sanctum Anatomica on Deimos and walk to the Dark Refractory room.
Use Transference to talk to your Operator, then step into the Dark Refractory pool.
You now play as the Lotus inside her memory. She has no weapons. She can only roll and use two abilities: Might of the Lotus (1) fires a projectile, and Voice of the Lotus (2) sends out a shockwave.
Fight the Sentients on Lua until you reach the Void Pendula. A cutscene ends the chapter, and the Vessel quest follows right away.
If the game crashes at step 3, jump to the fix section below.
Tau Prologue Vessel Quest Walkthrough
Travel to Kronia Relay above Saturn and go to the Dry Dock. Necramechs bring in your Vessel.
Customize it when asked. You pick Arturos or Zioa and choose colors. Take your time, because one early report says the Vessel may not be customizable in the Dry Dock afterward.
Open Navigation and pick the Dermacrust node on Eris.
You now control the Vessel while your Warframe floats beside it. It can’t die and has no dodge, and enemies take damage just from being stepped on. Use its fists, Stomp (1) and the eye laser, Vessel Gaze (2).
Walk toward the biggest Infested source and kill the giant creature at the top of the mountain. Then the Vessel offers it to Praghasa, and the quest ends.
All and all the prologue is short and very cinematic. Many enjoyed playing as the Lotus and the Vessel, while some wanted a longer Vessel fight.
How to Fix Tau Prologue Not Working
There are two separate problems here, and only one is fixed.
Crash or heavy lag in the Dark Refractory: fixed
This hit players on launch day. Digital Extremes linked it to crowded instances and fixed it with Hotfix 44.1.2 + 2.1 on October 15. Update the game first.
Vessel quest not unlocking after Lua: not fixed
Several players say the Vessel chapter never shows up after they finish Lua. One player got kicked to the login screen right after Lua. As of October 17, Digital Extremes says it is investigating. There is no confirmed fix, so no trick is guaranteed. Report it on the official bug thread and check again after the next hotfix.
Some players also report heavy slowdown during the Lotus’s second ability. There is no confirmed fix for that yet.
Is Tau Prologue a Limited-Time Quest?
No. The Tau Prologue is a permanent part of the Main Story, and you can replay it from the Codex whenever you want.
What ends is Epoch Operation: Taubound. It runs from October 15 to November 17, 2026, it is a one-time event, and it will not come back. The two also have different requirements. Taubound only needs Vor’s Prize, while the prologue needs The Hex and The Old Peace. You can do either one without the other, and there is no official order.
