The first update of 2026 has arrived in Warframe, and Update 41.1 wastes no time putting the spotlight squarely on one of the Origin System’s most tactical and methodical minds. Vauban Heirloom is officially live, bringing with it a striking new look and a long overdue refresh to his kit that aims to push the engineer to new heights.
As one could surmise, the major focus of the update is the Vauban Heirloom Collection. The new Heirloom Skin leans heavily on luminous glass like azure textures and technologically archaic detailing, highlighted by a dramatic Overcoat that can be customized in three states.
Tenno can equip the full Overcoat, opt for a Sleeveless version, or remove it entirely through Auxiliary attachments. Digital Extremes has even implemented attachment offset adjustments based on coat state, though they are monitoring edge cases where positioning may not be perfect, as clipping is a common problem with Fashionframe choices due to the abundance of customization options.
The collection also includes the Vauban Heirloom Signa, shaped from coils of living energy, a dedicated Color Palette, Sigil, Glyph, and a Prex Card that celebrates the tactician’s legacy. As with other Heirloom offerings, the emphasis here is a bold visual identity that feels premium without straying from Vauban’s mechanical roots.
Of course, the cosmetic glow up includes a bevy of additional gameplay support. While nobody should expect a full rework here, DE focused on implementing a retouch aimed at meaningfully tightening his design. Vauban mains will likely want to pay attention to these changes, and keep an eye on our latest builds to see how far Tenno theorycrafters take the new revision. Here's a breakdown of the new abilities:
Vauban's Passive will now clearly communicate its multiplicative bonus, dealing 1.25x damage to incapacitated enemies. Tesla Nervos shocks now feed into that bonus as well, creating stronger synergy within his own kit.
Tesla Nervos has seen some of the most practical and powerful improvements. Status Chance now scales with Power Strength, and the AI has been adjusted to spread targets more intelligently across the battlefield. This should fundamentally shift how Tenno handle building for status chance while increasing ability damage.
Nervos will also attach on first contact, immediately trigger their shock, switch targets if attachment fails, and even target ragdolled enemies inside Bastille for more consistent damage. A new trail visual effect will ensure that Nervos is easier to track mid mission and the Tesla Bank augment now marks enemies with attached Nervos, improving target clarity.
Minelayer has been streamlined. Instead of cycling between four mines, Vauban now accesses two consolidated options through Tap and Hold inputs making it far more intuitive to use.
Tether Coil and Flechette are merged into the Tether Flechette Orb, retaining Flechette’s mechanics while pulling enemies inward and searching for new targets as needed.
Vector Pad and Overdriver are now the Vector Overdrive Pad, granting speed and damage buffs to players and companions, lightly staggering enemies who step on it. This change removes unnecessary UI clutter while preserving versatility. The ease of use will make Vauban a far more forgiving frame for both buffing and damage.
Photon Strike finally gets room to breathe. Its Energy cost drops to 50, blast radius increases to 7 meters, and it now forces Blast Status on impacted enemies while dealing double damage to Overguard. Enemies trapped in Bastille will no longer be thrown around by the explosion, preserving control setups. The Photon Repeater augment rewards strong placement by granting a free cast and two additional strikes if five enemies are hit. This could lead to new room-clear options with the right build.
Bastille’s enemy cap has been removed entirely, a massive shift that allows it to compete with modern crowd control standards. In exchange, Vauban is capped at four Bastilles and four Vortexes active at once.
As a major boon, Armor Strip now applies to all enemies within range, not just those suspended, and the Armor bonus cap has been raised to 1,500, granting both offensive and defensive bonuses. Allies gain Armor at double the rate when an enemy’s Armor is actively being stripped. The Repelling Bastille augment has been reworked into Enduring Bastille, extending duration when enemies are killed inside.
There are a few known issues tied directly to the launch that players should know. Vector Overdrive buffs currently display percentage values in the HUD buff bar rather than multiplicative values in Ability stats, a code fix is pending. Some players are reporting overly bright visual effects on Photon Strike. These are being tracked for hotfix attention.
Between the Heirloom presentation and meaningful mechanical adjustments, Vauban enters 2026 looking stylish and stronger than ever. Warframe, Update 41.1 is the first step to an exciting year, with the Shadowgrapher looming on the horizon.