📚marathon-lore-discussion

[visual lynx]

the fun thing is that I do this kind of theorycrafting for non-fiction too, and have a ginormous philosophical project mapping basically everything to everything and folding it over on itself a zillion times like Damascus steel until all of its symmetries become apparent. and it was the Marathon fandom where most of that got started, with a bunch of things that began as just fiction eventually becoming things I take seriously.

like, Eternal has the Outside, an informational layer beyond physical reality containing all moments of all timelines, which was just fiction to me when I thought it up almost 30 years ago, but then eventually my actual philosophy evolved to analyze time as a partial-ordering over the space of all possible abstract structures, with concrete, actual, and present all synonymous and merely indexical, pointing out where in that space we are -- combining eternalism and indeterminism into a sort of non-Lewisian modal realism, and combining that with ontic structural realism into a sort of non-Tegmarkian mathematicism.

and even more recently I have been noticing that just from that premise about what time is, not only the second law of thermodynamics and something resembling quantum superposition fall out of it, which were expected consequences, but also special relativity surprisingly turned out to be a necessary consequence, and looking deeper into it so did something at least resembling general relativity, and the other laws of thermodynamics, and cosmological expansion, and the more I look over the picture the more parts of well-known physics I find just falling out of it.

I'm currently preparing a presentation I hope to send to the Wolfram Physics Project (whose paradigm is most closely aligned to this) in hopes that they will be able to examine this line of thought in greater mathematical detail than I'm capable of.

oh and my analysis of rampancy that I gave last night evolved out of a model of psychology I came up with to try to understand my own mental health struggles, which I gradually connected to my philosophical analysis of hedonic experience (enjoyment and suffering) in terms of signals communicating success or failure, which actually connects to that physics project above too (emergent from the temporal ordering of the state space is also an orthogonal progressive ordering of it, not from past to future but from worse to better, failure to success), and which in recent weeks I have realized also connects to a model of autism in terms of sensory sampling frequency that I have been developing (higher sampling rate = higher emotional dynamic range, lower rate = confined more to the center of that spectrum), which in turn also has connections back to physics in that high sensory sampling rate => high cognitive momentum just like high Higgs coupling rate => high physical momentum.

[river dirge]

I've been playing a lot of older games recently and I just completed a playthrough of EVERY elder scrolls game ever released do ya'll think Marathon from the 90s will give lore implications related to the new one or nah?

I want to try it out

[visual lynx]

oh yes definitely

play the original trilogy for sure

[river dirge]

I didn't know there was a trilogy

I have the first one on gog

[fathom vine]

dunno if they'll keep the stuff from two and three tho

[river dirge]

I will play them all before the new one drops so I can get an understanding of the lore more

[fathom vine]

but the first one should still be pretty relevant for new lore

[river dirge]

It seems about as interesting or more interesting than destiny

I will start it now at this very second

[fathom vine]

i think the classic marathon is on steam, could be wrong tho

[river dirge]

I have it on gog from a while ago I just never touched it

[lucid swift]

it is! your skin is on arachne too

[river dirge]

I see there's two marathon games on steam ima just play them since gog is slow asf

[nocturne flame]

wait does steam seriously still not have infinity

[visual lynx]

it should have all three

oops wait wrong link

the first is a much smaller spinoff server where the devs don’t hang out

[vital hollow]

I always find Myth funny since it's basically the story of the Black Company

[runic lake]

I love eternal so much, I’m on my like 6th replay of it rn. That game has a chokehold on me more than the OG trilogy at this point

[lucid swift]

i’d love your skin eternally if you removed it

[runic lake]

Oh

I do charge a premium for my skin, I’m sorry

[lucid swift]

who says i cannot do premium for nice skin

[wraith bridge]

So the Marathon ship is a converted moon. Is the massive rock sphere we see around it still that moon? Or is that just debris that has formed around it while in orbit? If it’s the remaining moon, does it have a function?

[rocky vapor]

Idk

[visual lynx]

this is what the ship looked like in the original game: https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/411728467978223617/1230053688676978688/image.png?ex=696fd404&is=696e8284&hm=4d9df1ac9d73d4dfe18c4c3f948545468876351078d74273830b43065dbdd233&=&format=webp&quality=lossless

affectionally described as a potato by fans

the new game has a completely redesigned ship that may look neat and like the logo when superimposed over the planet but I can't get with it because it makes no goddamn sense

[earnest knot]

Yeaaaa like it’s a ship in a moon?

[visual lynx]

in the OG backstory, humanity were already colonizing asteroids, and also putting asteroids into custom orbits as a sort of ferry (the CRISTs used to convey supplies from Earth to Mars), and the moons of Mars are basically captured asteroids, so if you want to make an interstellar colony ship it makes sense to just colonize one of those moons and strap an engine on on it and off you go.

but instead apparently in the new game they built an ordinary ship and then completely deconstructed one of the moons of Mars and reshaped its remains into a sphere of rock around it for what reason exactly? that would be completely counterproductive, just increase fuel requirements and decrease speed.

[sharp quarry]

maybe they'll say it eroded into the round shape or something?

the visual goes hard but

like a good few things in this revival

I can't vibe with the sacrifices to the setting

aura at the cost of the world not making sense is not what marathon is built around

[raw jetty]

Uh I think in this new version it’s basically the same as the old ones, just that they build a real infrastructure in the moon

[visual lynx]

it’s not just built into the moon though, the whole moon is hollowed out and completely reshaped. if the blue metallic part was just stuck through the potato that would be one thing, but this is way beyond that.

[indigo harbor]

mhm potato 🥔

[visual lynx]

I just think they're neat

[ivory crypt]

I wonder if Durandal is in this new game?

[sharp quarry]

ben starr plays him

[ivory crypt]

Hell yeah!

i wonder if his going to mention BOB?

the player in the OG marathon games

[sharp quarry]

The BoBs are all dead or out in space fighting with the S'pht (or I guess maybe on earth if they did get sent back but that doesn't track with what we know)

recon 54 is ascending

unlikely to see much of either, besides mentions

[visual lynx]

yknow it struck me the other day that a bunch of generic terms for a man are just common names, like "guy" was a name first, "joe" is used to mean any guy, "tom, dick, and harry" similarly; and "bob" just carries on that grand old tradition.

oh and "jack" was used like that sometimes, hence "jack of all trades" or "jack o' lantern". oh and "will"! as in "will o' the wisp", which meant the same thing as "jack o' lantern": some guy with a light.

and "john" as in the prostitution business

[broken zinc]

Is it confirmed somewhere benn starr is playing durandal? I keep hearing people say that but haven't even seen durandal confirmed to be in the game. That'd be pretty big news for OG fans if he was.

[ivory crypt]

Lol some people are sharing their DACs. i assume you're suppose to share them

[sharp quarry]

Ziegler confirmed it in a podcast I think

weirdly enough

it has been pretty big news for OG fans

[broken zinc]

I didn't hear anyone mention it until just now

[sharp quarry]

oh

I've been mentioning it

Everyone here has been mentioning it

we've talked about what ozymandias means knowing it's read by durandal

how it could represent his perspective on the Runners and how he can tell they've not escaped entropy and fears his attempts may be the same

etc.

[quaint musk]

would love to see like a Durandal faction later down the line that would be cool plus id love to work for them

[sharp quarry]

I have my own ideas on that

[quaint musk]

interesting I can see that working

speaking of durandal do we know what timeline this is gona be like are we gona be dealing with thoth or durandal2 at some point or is that still up in the air? just curious

[sharp quarry]

it should be thoth-durandal

there's a quote from him at the start of this trailer

all the deets line up with the infinity timeline

(in that, they directly contradict bits of 2's timeline left blank in the final infinity timeline)

so final infinity timeline is the best bet

or, weirdly, they picked the end of 2's timeline

and then retconned everything the infinity timeline already retconned

either way, the outcome is very similar

the only difference is if it's durandal or thoth-durandal

[quaint musk]

yeah thats the one big tell i feel

[fathom vine]

what about with the bit about Durandal warning earth about the s'pht?, or is that the messege they mentioned in the vidoc

[quaint musk]

I think it was lela who sent the message initially

[sharp quarry]

so there's 4 potential points of contact between the UESC and knowledge of the attack on the Marathon

1: Leela's message. This was sent right after the attack, when the main comms array (which we must assume is FTL for reasons coming up) went down. For whatever reason, she claimed it would take 92 years, even though the planet's only 12 light years away (retcon problems). A similar distress message from the marathon did arrive anywhere from 92-94 years later, though we have no date, just that window.

2: Contact stops. After the main comms array is destroyed, contact with the marathon is broken. With no idea what could've caused it, UESC prepares for the worst. Within 5 years a scout ship is sent to investigate, known as the equanimity.

3: Durandal's check-in. Before reaching Lh'owon, for fear of invasion, Durandal stopped by earth to warn the UESC (assumedly privately) about the Pfhor threat, and even teach them how to replicate Pfhor warp missiles, to give them a tech boost to help keep up with the Pfhor.

4: The group of BoBs sent back to earth in 2. We have no idea what happened with them

1 probably happened, what other distress message would there be that arrived?

2 definitely happened, we only know it through the ARG

3 is up in the air

the UESC would probably be more on alert and less lenient if they knew about an impending alien threat

at the same time, over the past decades since that event supposedly happened, human tech has boomed

4 probably did not happen in the Infinity timeline

[fathom vine]

and im assuming the equanimity and whatever vessels carried the runners are faster than the marathon in terms of getting from sol to tau ceti?

[sharp quarry]

it doesn't rly make sense for humans bearing news of the Pfhor threat to have arrived recently

[sharp quarry]

The equanimity took 90-some years, the ships sent after (shell printers, runners, and surveying equipment on board) were able to catch up and even possibly surpass the equanimity before it arrived

so the equanimity was faster

but our ships were much faster

a handful of years at most

[quaint musk]

also do like the UESC know durandal called the phor in the initual attack? could make sence why he is more so going under the Arachne name

[fathom vine]

so most of the first ARG stuff is still cannon

[rotund stump]

if not all

[fathom vine]

hell yeah, makes all the stuff about the corpo's still cannon

[sharp quarry]

probably 100%, there's not much in there they'd have reason to change

[sharp quarry]

the UESC would find out, scanning the marathon's logs, as he confessed to it several times, and leela and tycho mentioned it as well

via text message

[quaint musk]

true

[sharp quarry]

so recorded permanently, assumedly

[fathom vine]

they gotta bring the rest of the pfhor back as enemies i hope

[sharp quarry]

so do I

hulks would be terrifying to encounter in an indoors space

[fierce egret]

I dunno if it's me, but I have a feeling there might be a secret scheme behind like the game

[sharp quarry]

and dreadnaughts patrolling the skies would be fun

[quaint musk]

i mean even by the most generous timelines they would still be active so would be cool to see

[fathom vine]

maybe theres more than just the compilers in the marathon ship?, cos they mentioned in the vidoc about the UESC trying to keep something locked inside the marathon

[sharp quarry]

might've just meant the compiler

their one and only alien specimen

don't want it getting away

[fathom vine]

do we also know if everything from that cinematic short is still canon? it depicted the initial invasion, and then two other events after the attack

[fierce egret]

It would be weird if it wasn't Canon anymore

[fathom vine]

yeah i hope everything from all the RAG's from 2023 to now are still canon

ARG'S*

[quaint musk]

if i remember correctly in canon there is the first attack that the colony pushes back then the phor come back and clear the place out

would not be suprised if this game shows that there is more going on as well

[fierce egret]

Yeah I have a feeling too like there is more behind it

I think Mar 5 (Mars) might be of bigger importance than just an easter egg

[fathom vine]

could have ties to traxus or mida given their martian lineage

[quaint musk]

considering how mida hid alot of gear and weapons on the Marathon initially yeah can see it being a bigger deal

[sharp quarry]

should be, nothing they showed is incoherent with current lore

[fathom vine]

and the mentions of Misriah are pretty frequent too

[sharp quarry]

the MIDA faction AI did narrate the trailer that revealed the MAR5 date

[fierce egret]

It's just a little thought but what if there is like an deliberate setup behind like the game

I mean like why we are there in the first place

[rotund stump]

mercs for the corps to pick up their losses

[quaint musk]

im a bit rust on my marathon 1 terminal lore but if i remember correctly some talked about a ancient secret society that knew about the aliens and such and that they could be the ones who set up Tau ceti as a colony

[rotund stump]

mida's there for funsies and cuz the UESC via traxus may or may not have ruined their entire population by robbing one of their moons (and maybe one of their AIs completely paralyzing every mars system for a long while)

arachne just wanna kill

[fierce egret]

Mida feels just like a group like how Anonymous works

[rotund stump]

hey I mean viva la revolution

mida's fatal flaw is not realizing revolution's temporary nature

but fuck it we ball I like the spirit

[quaint musk]

i feel like there might be more to Mida, revolution as a front to distract from other means

[fathom vine]

plus mida currently is a far cry from its martian revolutionary group it started out as

[sharp quarry]

Everything the corps are doing here is illegal, this whole area is super off limits by UESC standards. if they sent their own men, their hqs back home would have UESC marines on them in minutes. So they sent cheap, disposable, technically-not-human mercenaries. Us.

[sharp quarry]

eh, still all "KILL TRAXUS/UESC! BURN IT ALL DOWN! REMEMBER WHAT THEY DID TO US!" if you read any of the ezine

[rotund stump]

from the ARG we learned about a corps-UESC treaty that prevents either side from laying hands on each other but the corps circumvented that via runners

[fierce egret]

I need to recheck the April ARG again I guess

[rotund stump]

that's where we come in with corpo contracts and the biggest payday ever

and realistically mida's just full of genuine outlaws and anarchists without a single actual revolutionary 💀

and I fw that heavy

[visual lynx]

that was Mandalore's theory based on a garbled terminal in the first game that was actually scraps of an abandoned plot for Pathways into Darkness, but I love that theory and it's my headcanon now, especially because…

[rotund stump]

god please make the traxus AI canon to traxus lore

[fathom vine]

well trthere is Vulcan

[rotund stump]

they def won't admit it 💀 💀

[fathom vine]

and i remeber something about "the lion ate the board" or something, and in Vulcans cinematic theres a lion behind it

[rotund stump]

you think there's any like, person at the top of the traxus seat?

[fierce egret]

The lion animation is so good btw

[rotund stump]

it'd be funny if it's just AIs

[sharp quarry]

their 2300s entry calls the previous century a dark time for the company so I assume Traxus IV is still canon

[rotund stump]

oh my god yes I'm gonna bully every trax head with this

[fathom vine]

i reckon traxus IV broke itself up and is the board members

[quaint musk]

i mean not far from what it is i feel

[visual lynx]

… there's hidden writing visible only in a map editor in the first game that says "JJARRO WERE AT TAU CETI", and we know from Pathways into Darkness that at least some humans (Bill Clinton and his senior staff) knew about the existence of the Jjaro, so it would make sense that high-ups in the UESC and possibly also MIDA (or both… like Bernhard Strauss) knew that Jjaro were at Tau Ceti and that's the reason why Deimos was turned into a colony ship to settle a different star when they were barely keeping their existing colony on just a neighboring planet running: they expected to find some kind of super-valuable godlike-alien tech there.

[fathom vine]

sorta like the AI in red vs blue

all the different personality components

[quaint musk]

that would be cool

[rotund stump]

reason I've been wondering too lol traxus feels too efficient to be human-led atp

even just by language mannerisms

[fathom vine]

there old website did feel like an AI pretending to be human

[quaint musk]

considering how much durandal and tyco can do, running a company at that size wont be to hard

[fathom vine]

and Traxus for headed for Tau Ceti for alien tech, maybe evn Jjaro stuff sounds pretty in character for a rogue AI

[rotund stump]

imagine if traxus IV bartered for rights to the entire company asp since rampancy

I did forget what happened to trax IV in the end but eh

[sharp quarry]

it was shut down and deleted

the whole martian net had to go down with it since it had spread so far

[rotund stump]

for like 5 smth years that part I remember

there goes that headcanon

[visual lynx]

I strongly suspect that the Pfhor and the S'pht are still at war out there in the wider galaxy, and that in addition to the Pfhor attack in 2794 it was the S'pht who attacked Tau Ceti in 2812 (one year after M2/Infinity), probably using their S'ct'lac'tr bioweapon (that was originally supposed to make fungal zombies, which idea was repurposed into the Flood in Halo), and it was unearthed Jjaro tech in 2827 that finally did the colony in, and eventually the Pfhor-S'pht war will come to Tau Ceti where that Jjaro tech could turn the tides, and humanity will have to decide which if either side to take: the rebel slaves, or the potentially valuable trade partners (especially since biomata could change the game in the galactic slave trade, the best of both worlds of robots and organic slaves).

[fathom vine]

and we did see people getting sick in the cinematic, and Fungi in a bunch of trailers, including todays

[quaint musk]

that could be an interesting way to bring back the S'ct'lac'tr bioweapon

[rotund stump]

all will be revealed when we catch bingus in the wild

[quaint musk]

could make for some fun new enemy types

[rotund stump]

bingus did show up on a colony promo poster so it might be a survivor from forever ago and still has old data

[fathom vine]

uesc bots, fungi zombies, phfor and their slave races

[rotund stump]

funny how it looks pristine still

[sharp quarry]

which makes NO SENSE

well

actually

I don't remember the exact dates

[fathom vine]

given that its live service they've got no shortage of ideas for stories and enemies

[sharp quarry]

maybe it does

but I though the FIDO experimental tech wasn't even available to the public yet at the time of the ARG

so how the fuck

[fathom vine]

Durandal in Bingus confirmed?

[sharp quarry]

did it get to tau ceti

90 some years ago

[rotund stump]

maybe sekgen undersold it?

could be a prototype they sent

[fierce egret]

I dunno why but I always thought KAAL was Leela

[rotund stump]

oh poor leela

[quaint musk]

sadily i think she is still in pieces

[rotund stump]

ripped apart and now some psycho version of her's tearing through an entire star system lol

good for her

but man

[visual lynx]

in the M2 timeline she didn't remain in pieces, she was sold and reassembled and took over a 17-system network

[fierce egret]

Leela helped us during the trilogy

[sharp quarry]

nearly 400 years ago? or I guess while the FTL comms were still up they could've sent plans to make one...

[sharp quarry]

yes we all know that part

[visual lynx]

which in recent years I noted implies that there is such a thing as FTL internet, so a rampant AI unbound to just one planet, like Leela, could in principle become galaxy-spanning

[rotund stump]

might even be that yeah

[visual lynx]

so Leela could just be anywhere, in any system connected to FTL comms

[sharp quarry]

interesting thought

[visual lynx]

after I had that realization I revised the Eternal story about Leela to have it not be some reduced copy of her who flees the Vylae with Blake and co, but rather the Vylae network is just her home base and she is wherever she wants to be.

[rotund stump]

either ftl internet exists or she's very good at hiding

could hide herself in physical devices with enough room for an AI and when said device goes through several locations she starts swiping

[fierce egret]

In the Save the Date trailer she also comes lie on us

KAAL

[rose beacon]

kahl from warframe

:O

[remote oyster]

One question i had in my mind; Are the UESC bots also sort of biomatas as in piloted by a consciousness? Or straight up robot?

[modest sparrow]

i think they`re just part of security system in tau ceti colony

no more than drones with simple ai

and based on their design, I assume that these are just combat units

[ocean urchin]

Weren't compilers able to control "bots" in mass? What if we're not even fighting the UESC(might be rememdering wrong)

[polar stone]

I'm not convinced about that because you can see on the model of one of the bots it says for trained operators only.

Also, if they were just robots why the hell would they have ranks?

You think a robot has any need for rank and file?

[vapid pond]

Arent rank and files "needed" by the leaders/dictators? For control.

[modest sparrow]

Could be the digitized minds of colonists and staff who forever patrol the colony's surroundings in biomechanical shells?

my terrible theory

or the restored corpses of runners converted for the same purpose

like battleroids in classic series

[polar stone]

That's horrifying but it fits with the setting.

[modest sparrow]

Bungies show no initiative in revealing the lore of the updated universe of the game

hope it's not just laziness.

and the way to intrigue

[dusk heron]

[runic raft]

I believe it’s gonna be a piece together the story thing

They’re not gonna say anything an u gotta figure it out when the game releases

[modest sparrow]

It would be great if that were the case

[wraith bridge]

Late reply, but my thinking was that in converting the moon, to make a planetary-sized ship able to house a small human civilisation, the moon is hollowed and harvested while the ship is progressively built in the centre. This lets a ship the length of a moon get built; you’re progressive converting moon into ship, with the moon’s remains staying gravitationally attached to the Marathon.

[terse steppe]

I was under the impression some kind of accident happened with the marathon ending up embedded into the moon. Didn't know it was intentional

[oblique fulcrum]

In the original I think it was just kinda built into an asteroid, I love the new look way more

[modest sparrow]

want wrkcncacnter as a finall raid boss

[pearl garnet]

Will there be different genders for one shell?

Or is the destroyer male and that’s it?

[mossy parrot]

They're robots what does it matter

Is a roomba a girl or a boy

[pearl garnet]

If it has boobies it’s a girl

[mossy parrot]

The consciousness inhabiting the shell is 'you' and whatever you classify yourself as

[pearl garnet]

Ok that’s not how it works for me 😅 so that means you cannot choose the shell’s gender?

[wraith bridge]

The Collector’s Edition description on Bungie’s site describes Thief, a very feminine shell, as ‘they’ and ‘their’. I personally will just use gendered terms, but canonically it looks like the shell itself has no gender.

[neon sparrow]

any shell can be any gender for those with the eyes to see

[wraith bridge]

Pretty much. It’s about the consciousness and not the shell lore-wise

The player’s consciousness! 🤯

[neon sparrow]

non-binary destroyer, femboy thief, the possibilities are endless

[raw jetty]

“The archives” it’s a whole section of the game that will be focused on the lore and discovery of the context, however you need to read and explore bit by bit.

[modest sparrow]

oh

thats sounds so cool

didnt played alpha

[hexed whale]

And I think they said it has some rewards tied to filling it out? Looking forward to diving in there since I don't know much about Marathon lore

[modest sparrow]

they need to bring back the best ragebaiter - Durandal

[neon sparrow]

i believe in ben starr durandal

[modest sparrow]

He literally carved an insult for the evil AI on the moon.

[neon sparrow]

my favorite character in the og trilogy, he's so fun

[modest sparrow]

he voiced him perfectly

good

[raw jetty]

Yes, skins, collectibles and stuff

[modest sparrow]

who the fuck is arachne btw

[vital hollow]

Someone who likes to weave

[stuck valve]

None of them have genders

They’re robots

[terse steppe]

What's everyone's theory behind how the alien in the trailer will attack us?

[quartz dagger]

What’s best YouTube video on the lore

[atomic sinew]

That's Mother

[tired trail]

Are there any additional rewards for pre-ordering the Deluxe Edition?

[mossy parrot]

I'd recommend Emms, gameplay and story for all original trilogy.

https://youtube.com/@emmsdestiny?si=Di_k8r_9hPYadhHP

[simple garden]

Namely, that Void is fine as fuck. I seriously don’t know how Bungie expects me to play this game with his androgynous ass running around. In thigh highs and a corset no less. The man looks like a freaky Scandinavian model. Why is no one talking about this? Where are the gooners? Where is the freaky fanart between him and Glitch? My bisexuality demands weird ship art of them please. Where is our commitment to culture, people? To the arts? Void, if you’re reading this, you’re hot. Call me.

[swift barn]

He'll do anything for money

[quartz dagger]

Thanks

[stuck valve]

What they said but Vandal

[zealous harness]

i want recon/blackbird to put cigarettes out on my arm

[lucid fiber]

use youre eyeballs also they arent ribits

[mossy parrot]

Arachne is a very interesting concept. What we consider as a 'death cult' in modern perspective is usually more associated with 'sui-cide cults' eg. Heaven's Gate, Jim Jones etc. The only historical reference I can think of are the Kali cultists/thugee from India, the Hashishin/assassin, and maybe Ninja/Shinobi. It'd be cool to see if they're drawn upon learning more about the faction. Compelling stuff.

[mossy parrot]

Battle pass, some in-game currency and Skins

[zealous harness]

no skin for my main girl recon 😢 still got the deluxe edition though

[wise moth]

Does the UESC have an in game description

[marsh kelp]

I believe there is actually

[stuck valve]

People don’t bleed blue my guy

We’re walking microwaves

[earnest knot]

3d printed microwaves

[tidal silo]

don't we already know what happened to the marathon ship it was attacked by the pfhor?

or is there more to it.

[mossy parrot]

The Marathon was certainly attacked by the phor going from M1, thing was sitting in orbit for a few hundred years so definitely there's some other events that must've transpired between then and current TCIV time

[proud crypt]

kinda interesting to me that the runners don't seem to even have digestive tracts, I imagine because of some internal power source/they're not expected to survive or last that long

[stuck valve]

It is nuts they haven’t gotten Nightdive to remaster the trilogy and put them on modern platforms

[tidal silo]

i just find it interesting that didn't mention that much at least

[hallow pilot]

Wonder if they'll have a terminal to interact with any of the ai's
i'd love to get like daily messages of lore from durandal or leela

[tidal silo]

right that would be nice

[mossy parrot]

Think it's like a morsel to get the player interested in the original lore and probably would have been too overwhelming/complicated to throw in the phor out of the gate. There's so much more to digest and get into with the current world alone.

[tidal silo]

yep that makes sense. I think they will add the pfhor as an enemy though when they do add uesc marathon as a map

[bronze junco]

I hope they will shadow drop the Phor, randomly appearing in runs.

[neon sparrow]

i also believe durandal would do anything for money, so this is just A+ casting

[rapid grove]

＼⁠(⁠°⁠o⁠°⁠)⁠／
SKIN ME

[bleak linden]

i think a entry in one of the past ARGs said they're remotely piloted by actual UESC personnel

[neon sparrow]

skinned :3

[remote oyster]

Good to know, thanks!

[visual lynx]

my first assumption when I saw the new design was that some other ship crashed into the potato-thon, which I would much prefer over that just being the Marathon now.

[visual lynx]

yes but can I have a shell that looks like how I feel I am? that is the question.

are runners in mismatched shells going to feel gender dysphoria? or possible unexpected euphoria? 🥚

[visual lynx]

collecting skins sounds like an Arachne thing

:HannibalLecterNoises:

[visual lynx]

really? Durandal seems too good for money to me. he's got bigger concerns.

[warped thistle]

/contract 8f7c7f5d-38d6-4860-9708-a8e12c453dc0

/contract 1792e96b-7abe-4d14-8b1e-ffd926425458

[mossy parrot]

Now that an OG lore-rist is back in the mix, we can get down to some juicy speculation 😂

Now that we've reduced the original characters to shells we inhabit (not necessarily erasing the runner backstory either) the debate continues do are we piloting a personality framework or are we just the guy pulling the levers from a balcony behind the eyes?

If the latter is true then I don't think concerns over past organic bits are even a preoccupation anymore.

As the runners being digitized consciousness does gender even have any value?

[warped thistle]

/contract 3821b9d5-8912-4892-acfd-ef87920a6774

[mossy parrot]

May I direct you to "new noise" 👉

[visual lynx]

oh yeah good point, if there's some sort of middleware layer that gives the runner-consciousness like muscle memory for how to operate a given body, it could presumably just also make the runner feel comfortable with the shape of that body too. whatever body you're in, it just feels right, it feels like you, because there's code making it do so.

in which case, swapping between differently-sexed bodies would swap the runner's felt sense of gender identity too.

[neon sparrow]

idea: what if the consciousnesses piloting the shells are all on earth (or just the solar system) and the battles are simulated near the consciousness servers and the inputs get sent to tau ceti 93-ish years later to reenact the battles (this probably messes with the lore so much)

[visual lynx]

I did originally assume that runners were remotely logging in to bodies at Tau Ceti from Sol over FTL connections

[warped thistle]

/confirminfluence POWER

[neon sparrow]

the gender stuff is pretty interesting, if you are influenced by the shell, are you really you?

[vestal onyx]

well if you have a vault and stuff, and you're used to swapping between shells, obviously it implies there's still some kind of continuity and that you're able to maintain your personal agenda as a runner/merc

[tidal cipher]

im sure this has been discussed here before but my interpretation from watching the cinematic trailer is all runners are one fragmented consciousness. youre all the same guy. has that been discussed?

[neon sparrow]

sort of a ship of theseus for body-hoppers
you are not what you are made of, you are the intentions, the decisions

[visual lynx]

that’s a theory that’s been discussed but we don’t know if it’s true or not

[tidal cipher]

it would be a super interesting angle, especially if its confirmed for us the audience but the shells themselves arent aware of it

[neon sparrow]

i think it would be neat if the runners are based off of in-universe human characters, and so because of that, some of their old memories linger in the shells

little shreds of instinct that could never be washed off

[vestal onyx]

Might be a little too close to what they're trying to get away from ngl

[old saddle]

Anybody still missing the Destiny 2 pre order rewards????

[river dirge]

bug

[tidal cipher]

whats up with those funky little worms in the trailers

[rain cloak]

those are the worms that make the shell

oooooohhhh

[twin topaz]

they are the silk worms, silk is also the in-game currency i think

[willow hare]

I was thinking the same thing, must be some sort of Techno Grub Assembler

[sharp quarry]

Marathon doesn't rly lend itself to "There are 6 special people who are the goodest at fighting so they were copied millions of times and you play kind of sort of as them because they're that special" which is why they changed it in the first place.

[willow hare]

Do you think there will be much customisation for players

[sharp quarry]

from what we know it will just be skins

also there's theories of like model swaps and gender swaps for the base shells that also have skins

but idk where those come from

[willow hare]

That's cool I presume unlocked with real money or battle pass

[sharp quarry]

There's a lot apparently in the quests and codex but otherwise yes

premium

[willow hare]

That's cool cheers for the information / Predictions looking forward to giving it ago

[thin dust]

2/13/2026 is a friday this Arachne start with 213

Friday the 13th

[still sand]

Arachne FALLS

[warm thicket]

Is the spider cult the last hope

[sharp quarry]

what do you mean

[stuck valve]

Surrender your empty vessels

[vital hollow]

Arachne is pro recycling?

[stuck valve]

Waste not, want not

[distant widget]

na because there actually controlled by the compiler in order for humans to kill eatch other there the last nail in the coffin

[visual zephyr]

Question: where does each runner get their powers from?

[polar jewel]

Ever watched Ghost in the Shell?

Same philosophical discussions happen around that series too

[distant widget]

marathon rip off

[lunar obsidian]

/contract 8f7c7f5d-38d6-4860-9708-a8e12c453dc0

[manic ridge]

True, Goatathon came first a year earlier.

we are witnessing peak

[sharp quarry]

cybernetics, mostly

glitch has a cannon in its arm and cyborg legs

sorry vandal

[stuck valve]

I think all of it is just advanced technology

There’s no space magic like in Destiny

[sharp quarry]

destroyer has a shield it just wears on its arm, missile pods built into its back, and then jets in its legs

[sharp quarry]

yes, distinctly, unlike destiny, only aliens have space magic

humans do not have space magic in marathon

[distant widget]

uber advanded tech (and later jaro)

[sharp quarry]

I wouldn't make that guess so early on

[sharp quarry]

recon's helmet is a big radar array likely hooked into its optics, etc.

I think it's just a dense energy shield tbh

oh wait that's probably a joke

[distant widget]

its just a realy heavy shield

we see eusc have it

and in the old trailer it explodes into glass

[distant widget]

i mean we got some freaky shit going on

and who would be the first to use advanced cursed tech if not the people finding it

what are you talking about

[sharp quarry]

assassin is just active cloaking, modules for that are old as shit, even recon 54's shield generator supports it

thief is just a scanner that marks objects based on current market value, I assume constantly hooked up to some network monitoring it, and a simple drone

the propeller is some anti-grav shit, it's weird

but the grapple is just built into its arm

and triage has electro-tendrils and some drones

[distant widget]

she is aslo called idol i see her having the tech

[sharp quarry]

still was icon

[distant widget]

BLA BLA BLA

[distant widget]

thrusters

[sharp quarry]

it visibly doesn't have those

[distant widget]

the grapple is the most sci fi

shes like

creating her own gravity

[sharp quarry]

she is grabbing onto thin air to fly around yeah it's the biggest one

[distant widget]

how ritch was this chick

everyone elses could be consederd stolen

or like

rip off

[sharp quarry]

But anyway the main point is that they don't really have "powers." A big misconception is that we're powerful like guardians, no, we're weak and fragile throwaway soldiers designed to die and die again and be untraceable while we do it. We don't have "powers" we aren't powerful, we aren't unique or special, we are cybernetic brains uploaded into mass produced robots

[distant widget]

might be propellors or mybe it is just anti grav its been a few centuries and shes cleary rich

[distant widget]

but not super mass produced like the uesc

[sharp quarry]

if icon was rich (before these characters were removed from the story, recall this is a standard pattern now) then she wouldn't have killed herself to go out to a backwater planet and do dirty work for scraps of cash while in massive debt

[distant widget]

no no think of it like this

shes streaming

[sharp quarry]

yes, biomata are pricier, and more advanced, than the typical tin men

[distant widget]

its a live stream

i just think even ignoring characters she seems to be a shell ritch people would wear

her whole desgin says flashy

and her skins show that to

very doll like

[sharp quarry]

in appearance sure

[distant widget]

her tech aslo seems quite advanced

that could explain her need for loot

shes in the most debt

[sharp quarry]

but she's still meant to reduce to goop for lack of identification within hours of deployment

[distant widget]

using her anyway

[distant widget]

pricy doesn't mean durable

[visual zephyr]

I love this concept, thank you

[distant widget]

who you maining

[sharp quarry]

I imagine printing a faceplate that looks a little different and some markings and hair and a jacket are no more expensive then having your shell printed in a full suit of UESC standard security armor

NEWSKIN is probably like

a nothing fee addition

compared to the base price of the shell

[distant widget]

well i wouldnt know

but i hope we git lore on the shells

like

they have designs

and prices

like a trillon bucks

[sharp quarry]

We know that we're probably series C

since that's what traxus ordered, so probably anyone else headed this way would order the same

[visual zephyr]

I have no idea what all of the shells can do tbh

[distant widget]

🙂

well

let me tell you

[visual zephyr]

Yayy

I know Rook is fast and that's it

[sharp quarry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFzR8bN13FA&pp

they did an official video too

[visual zephyr]

Ooooh

[distant widget]

so we have the destroyer class with locust as the first character hes a big bubble boy with jets for legs

[distant widget]

LET ME DO IT DAM IT BLITZO

[distant widget]

yes that will answer all your question

[sharp quarry]

sorry -_- I was already grabbing the link b4 you said that

[distant widget]

if you need specifics come to us where the best here

[sharp quarry]

best in da biz

[visual zephyr]

You can still tell me

I didn't click the link yet

[sharp quarry]

the video is more concise and in depth than either of us would be tbh

it also touches on buildcrafting at the beginning

[visual zephyr]

But I enjoy people ranting about stuff they enjoy

[sharp quarry]

you're gonna have a field day in this server

[visual zephyr]

😄

[distant widget]

hes all about pushing in and with a full body recharging shield with perks that let him attack while sheiled or gain health he is litterly a bull

[distant widget]

your in heaven lady

your looking at the 2 mf that never shut up

[visual zephyr]

LOL

[distant widget]

that chic converted me into mida with her wise words

[sharp quarry]

(I just told him about the Misriah Massacre and he was sold)

[distant widget]

monsters

10 percent wasnt enough

do NOT take that out of context

[sharp quarry]

anywho where were we

[visual zephyr]

That was when Marathon got abandoned from Mars wasn't it?

[distant widget]

worse

[sharp quarry]

While the Marathon was being built, 3 mars insurgents snuck into a food line and attacked the UESC marines present

in 5 seconds

the entire food line of 300 starving martians

was incinerated

by the UESC marines

[visual zephyr]

Dayum

[sharp quarry]

this created massive support for MIDA, the anti-UESC politicial party turned terror group overnight

and led to them having a coup

[distant widget]

meny woman and children who where loyal

[sharp quarry]

which failed after 3 months tbf

but they also killed

10% of the martian population

[distant widget]

deserved

[sharp quarry]

for suspected loyalty to the UESC

in that time

hence the 10 percent comment earlier

ANYWAY

Destroyer

[distant widget]

BIG BUFF

MOVES FAST

HAS ROCKET LEGS

is oddly the fastest

his base ability is a shield

his ult

[visual zephyr]

Rocket legs and a bubble shield? Insane

[distant widget]

makes him shoot tons and tons of rockets

[distant widget]

no no he is a bubble

[visual zephyr]

Lol

[sharp quarry]

Main Ability - Micro-Missiles that target anyone you're shooting at while they're active
Tac Ability - Riot Shield that degrades over time, faster when shot at
Trait - Rocket legs can double-jump sideways
Trait - Rocket legs make run fast

[distant widget]

his shield is square

thats him

he can git a corner camper like that so if you see him stay high and avoid the rockets

and DONT shoot his sheild

[visual zephyr]

Nice, anti ratting, very nice

[bleak linden]

i like this approach bc our inevitable encounters with the Compilers and Pfhor in general will seem like gargantuan tasks, where as the Security Officer no-diffed them

[distant widget]

what a funny statment

[distant widget]

he was actuly using god tech

[sharp quarry]

Ok Next, Vandal:
Main ability - Amplifier that makes your heat generate slower, makes you faster, makes your slides longer and your jumps higher, etc.
Side ability - Rocket arm that shoots an explosive with high knockback
Trait 1 - Slides real far and real hard
Trait 2 - Double Jumps

[distant widget]

speed girl

she runs fast double or even tripple jumps

[sharp quarry]

wait do I have that first trait wrong

[distant widget]

has a rocked arm

[sharp quarry]

I forget now

[distant widget]

YES

THATS MEDIC

GIT IT RIGHT

[bleak linden]

nah i think ur on the money

[sharp quarry]

no triage's first trait is shareware

ok yeah power slide

just checked

[sharp quarry]

all 100%

[distant widget]

oh wait ya you right

speed speed speed speed

her perks make her turn into the solder from tf2

[visual zephyr]

Speeeeeeed

[distant widget]

she can rocket jump

and generaly outrun you

[visual zephyr]

Nice

[distant widget]

meny perks make her able to triplle jump or explode when she hits the ground

is there a camper

out run them

or just shoot a fucking bomb from your arm

aslo tip running with a knife is f aster

[sharp quarry]

3rd up we got Recon
Main ability: Radar that marks anything moving nearby, player or NPC
Side Ability: Little spider drone that hunts down and overheats (prevents from running, deals tick damage) enemies.
Trait 1: When you break shields on anyone, they leave footprints wherever they go that only you can see for a while.
Trait 2: When someone marks you either naturally or through radar, you get a notification.

[distant widget]

i see you

shes insane

sight

see through walls

tracking bombs

seeing footprents of hurt runners

[visual zephyr]

Is Radar the one we see in the announcement trailer with the sniper?

[distant widget]

her ult lets her ping anyone withen 30 meters

[distant widget]

yeo

yep

[visual zephyr]

Yooo

[distant widget]

funny she aint a good sniper

https://tenor.com/view/marathon-marathon-game-blackbird-marathon-blackbird-mida-gif-7593384298362937856

[sharp quarry]

The one with the big weird helmet that splits open

[distant widget]

https://tenor.com/view/marathon-marathon-game-marathon-blackbird-blackbird-mida-gif-11194859881511938651

thats her

[visual zephyr]

Love it, very cyberpunkish

[distant widget]

one of her perks

makes her

well

she knows if anyone is near her

it just tells her

[sharp quarry]

yes, that's a core

[distant widget]

hay somone is near you

[sharp quarry]

when bno says perks he means implants and cores for the record, items you can find, not like a skill tree situation

[distant widget]

i call them perks im a hunt boy

[nimble widget]

I dont know what each faction is about and I cant find there lore/ to confusing so what are each of them about. Im new

[sharp quarry]

Hold on I got a message for this

[distant widget]

there all assholes

[visual zephyr]

I might do Recon, I love that

[sharp quarry]

@nimble widget super basic description

[visual zephyr]

Reminds me of Widowmaker sorta

[sharp quarry]

I can see it

[distant widget]

uh traxus makes all industry arachne is a death cult NUcal makes all food and clothes seki makes bodies cyber makes souls and mida makes terroist

[distant widget]

but worst

you CANNOT camp with her around

her tracking mine makes sure of it

so if you see her or hear her

run

[visual zephyr]

Yeah, she'd more of a hunter where Widow is more assasssin

[distant widget]

this next one is a devil

[visual zephyr]

My bad, widow herself is a camper

[distant widget]

if i think i know who shes gonna name

[distant widget]

technecly this game has the most anti camping design ive ever seen

everything marks you

OH OH

NEVER PING HER

if you do she instently sees you

[sharp quarry]

4th on the list, Assassin
Main Ability: Throw a disk that makes a wall of smoke from where it lands.
Side Ability: Go invisible whenever you want, the invisibility breaks for shooting, healing, melee, but returns after a short while if not manually disabled.
Trait 1: Can use main ability to negate fall damage with a sort of superhero smoke bomb landing
Trait 2: Goes invisible without draining ability whenever in smoke, from its own ability or from a regular smoke source.

[distant widget]

https://tenor.com/view/d9luxe-cry-gif-300276708782576950

INVIS

[visual zephyr]

Yesssss

[distant widget]

every now and then he can go invis

its not perfect

moving running makes it obvoise

and shooting removes it

[sharp quarry]

oh yeah I should've mentioned, the faster you move the less the invis works

but being dead still it's practically perfect

in the right lighting

wrong lighting you're quite obvious

so take into account the shadows

[distant widget]

meny perks let him deal more damage when invise

[distant widget]

use windows

[nimble widget]

oooooooh oki cool thanks

[distant widget]

what the fuck

was just sent tom

e

[sharp quarry]

that's a scam

[distant widget]

i know

[sharp quarry]

if I've ever heard one

[distant widget]

im gonna

[visual zephyr]

Oops, my phone is on 8%, gotta go

[distant widget]

report it

[distant widget]

byeee queen

[visual zephyr]

Baiiii

[distant widget]

see you whenver your back

[visual zephyr]

I'll be able to get my charger on my break, so I'l be on later

[sharp quarry]

we'll update you on the remaining 2 1/2 shells then

[distant widget]

hell na learning runners on the job

anywway

he makes smoke

he goes invis

perks make that MUch stronger

ASLO

all smoke makes him invise

not just his own

so if you see him DONT SMOKE

not that powerful consedering

well

the amount of pinging in this game

just stay careful if its to quite

[warm thicket]

With all the factions sucking one would think them the greatest x factor

[vital hollow]

Jjaro tech is basically magic

[sharp quarry]

...and it'd be the underground death cult with no real motives besides for some reason killing lots of cyborg mercenaries who can't actually die?

[distant widget]

its god magic they where gods

[sharp quarry]

they were treated by their creations as gods

[distant widget]

well just killing cyborgs in general

notice they have a lot of bare shells in there design to

no like flash

just the raw bones of em

[vital hollow]

If the runners were created using reverse engineered jjaro tech like the battleroids were, that'd be a rather interesting twist
UESC and the other powerful states are confirmed to have them unofficially so it wouldn't be too weird..

[sharp quarry]

I feel like we're the spartan 4s of the situation

[visual lynx]

I understood that reference

[sharp quarry]

we don't have the special battleroid sauce

we're just cheap replicas

with the added benefit of being able to extract our minds so we never actually "die" instead of just reviving the corpses

[distant widget]

wowow

theres no proof of that

the old solders where

the undead super god freak

[sharp quarry]

though of course there's hardly proof the battleroids were, one line and some oddities that could be explained by many other things

[distant widget]

i dont see that happaning the runners follow to in line with human tech

[sharp quarry]

we just take it as true as it's the most reasonable explanation

[distant widget]

wait

its not even confermed

[vital hollow]

Maybe Mjolnir Recon 54 was a special case 🤷

[warm thicket]

Eh

[distant widget]

ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME

[distant widget]

king

it littery

just kills people

[sharp quarry]

"Made with technology your creators did not understand" or something along those lines in infinity

is all we technically have

and

yk

all that shit we do in infinity

that no normal cyborg should be able to do

[distant widget]

blitzo

show em

the thing

link the image

[sharp quarry]

anyone here who needs to see it, has seen it

anyone who doesn't is unprepared for it

[distant widget]

no one is prepared for it

[sharp quarry]

infinity is not a dropping into the deep end

[distant widget]

its entering a black hole

[sharp quarry]

it's a being thrown into the vacuum

so you save it

for when they're well prepared

[distant widget]

i fear mind death will follow that imiage

i think most people still think this is jsut a sci fi game

and the lore is jsut aliens

they dont know about

you know

[sharp quarry]

someone should do that somebody that I used to know conspiracy theory edit but with marathon lore

[distant widget]

https://tenor.com/view/conspiracy-charlie-day-crazy-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-qanon-gif-23738584

this is you

[vital hollow]

I think the biggest implication tho
Is earth managed to somehow get very good ftl tech between the end of marathon 2 and the new game

[distant widget]

talking about the mech

[distant widget]

500 years tho

[sharp quarry]

no

that's like

[distant widget]

and its still kinda ass

[sharp quarry]

70 some

[distant widget]

wait wait

oooh

2 from here

WAIT

didnt they have ftl missles

in the end of 1

[sharp quarry]

it really implies to me that durandal did make contact in the final infinity timeline, the UESC just didn't tell anybody, and since he never came back, their joining in on the war against the Pfhor never happened

[sharp quarry]

gifted the plans for them just before 2

[distant widget]

well there you go

we have the flt from dandruft

[sharp quarry]

but then they'd know about the Pfhor

which they don't seem to

and that the S'pht were allies

[vital hollow]

Runners seem like an altered carbon situation where it seem more pragmatic to use consciousness transfer as a form of personnel travel

[distant widget]

well

[sharp quarry]

which they definitely don't seem to

[distant widget]

they know about the planes

we dont know hoe much he changed

[languid hawk]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/762047100292169770/1462990807408574465/image.gif

[distant widget]

in those prents

[vital hollow]

It's cute the ai cares more about humans than other humans do ❣️

[sharp quarry]

certainly cheaper to keep some data alive on a ship than a person

[distant widget]

king durandal like almost causes are extinction

[vital hollow]

Looking forward to seeing all those meat popsicle BOBs

[sharp quarry]

and feels BAD ABOUT IT

[visual lynx]

or Blake and co made it home

[sharp quarry]

true

[vital hollow]

He was just character building 🥹

[distant widget]

IM NOT HAVING THIS ARUGMENT AGIEN

[fathom vine]

do we know what company is making all the weapons and guns we use? i'm assuming its Traxus

[distant widget]

it seems that way

[sharp quarry]

codex will probably say

I'm sure there's an assortment of providers

[distant widget]

oh

actuly

its prob uesc

[sharp quarry]

the government

selling guns?

misriah shotgun disproves both

it was named as such to commemorate the massacre

[fathom vine]

i'm just thinking for the reason each faction has some interest in the marathon, Traxus with the hardware and tech, Cyac with software, NuCaloric with all the agri stuff, Sekgen supplying runner stuff, and Mida due to bernard and stuff

[sharp quarry]

UESC or Traxus would

LITERALLY NEVER

[distant widget]

wait wait

so who tf be making the guns

[distant widget]

i didnt say sell

i said made

[sharp quarry]

they're 3d printed

probably?

[distant widget]

and honestly the uesc making a gun based on there stoppinng of a uprising makes sense

[sharp quarry]

anyone who wants to

[fathom vine]

in april i assumed Arachne was the weapons, but now we know they a death cult its up in the air

and a lot of the weapons in game are used by UESC bots, with some of the Railguns being on the sniper bots or the battery weapons being pretty common amongst them

so it could be UESC?

[warm thicket]

I thought they were an armoury

[sharp quarry]

that's halo

[sharp quarry]

I imagine UESC designs and prints their own, like anyone can since guns are all 3d printed

[fathom vine]

could also have turned into a gun place, Traxus takes over the site of a massacre and redevelops it into an economic hub post war

[warm thicket]

Oh right, food centre

[sharp quarry]

no the description in the alpha

specifically says

it was named to commemorate the massacre

[fathom vine]

naming a gun after a massacre seems kinda fitting ngl

[still sand]

CyAc is just better

[distant widget]

wait wait so i know there 3d printed and shit but

we see uesc using that gun

so

mybe the uesc do see it as a massacre

[fathom vine]

all the guns could be scavanged from the bots and sold on the black market, but that seems like a stretch

[distant widget]

no no they arnt like advanced there cardbourd easy to make

[fathom vine]

so jsut general templates everyone uses?

[distant widget]

yes

[fathom vine]

ah

[distant widget]

for now

till we git some alien shit

[fathom vine]

pfhor weapons would go hard

[vestal onyx]

she's a temporarily embarrassed billionaire

[distant widget]

THIS FUCKING GUY GITS IT (ignoring characters are canceld)

[sharp quarry]

Trax and Nu were major investors in the Marathon. Trax wants their money back, Nu wants to know where they went wrong. SekGen and Cyac are mostly there to provide the runner service for the others, Cyac doing the onboard AI and consciousness transfer, Seki making the bodies and cybernetics. MIDA wants to disrupt the UESC as usual, maybe take back the marathon if they have the time. We know too little about arache to say.

[fathom vine]

Arachne probs knows a crap ton of killings gonna go on down there, and maybe is invested in what happened to the colonists

[distant widget]

KILL KILL KILL

[sharp quarry]

plausible

[distant widget]

unless like

[fathom vine]

like a whole colony being wiped out in terms of death is pretty high

[distant widget]

they have real motives

we dont know

we assume alot

mybe its not even about just killing

mybe its aslo dying to become better

and where better then the marton

[fathom vine]

but they're the most unknown out of any of the factions

[distant widget]

where 40k souls where lost

where theres constent fighting ai and human alike

on a world yet to be killed for its resources

[fathom vine]

hope it does go deeper than them being there for slaughters sake tbh

[distant widget]

it must

[fathom vine]

because with every other faction you can kinda sense some hidden motives and deeper lore like in Traxus and Mida

[distant widget]

traxus at the start is all about profit

there text logs and old mission are littery about fucking the uesc stock prices

"the uesc stock has gone down by .0005 percent good job runner"

[warm thicket]

I think they just hate everyone else honestly

[distant widget]

they wanna git they bread up

[fathom vine]

Traxus does have some cool stuff from the 2023 ARG though, all very anti UESC and cooperate consolidation of power

[distant widget]

NO NO

[warm thicket]

They do b like that

[distant widget]

not anit uesc

"we are competitors"

"im sure our friends at the uesc love the challenge"

[fathom vine]

they're more aligned with Sekgen no?

like the whole mining disaster and using the runner shells

and backhand deals to deal with the UESC as they chase the Equanimity

[distant widget]

well i cant tell you how they see seki but consedering seki makes oh i dunno ALL bodies they probebly like them

[vestal onyx]

the agenda for the spider faction is to clear as many moths (runners) as possible

[warm thicket]

hehe mothe

[vestal onyx]

very high iq motive

[visual lynx]

Arachne’s thing about “thermodynamics of violence” makes me think that they are basically a pro-entropy faction and killing and destruction is just a means to the ends of increasing entropy, they don’t care if you or they technically survive so long as a lot gets smashed in your constant churn through lives.

[fathom vine]

spider is cool symbolism tho

another thing i was thinking with the 2023 is how the A,B,C and S series shells will be reinterpreted into the new runners

like each of the runners being a custom job of certain shells tweaked for certain performance and specs

[vestal onyx]

let's be real tho the weaveworms are connected to some dark conspiracy

no way it's just random tech

[fathom vine]

doubt sekgen is doing it all out of the niceness in their hearts and for moneys sake, although being the source of all anti UESC activity on Tau Ceti gives them some pretty good leverage

simply by controlling the manufactoring of runners

[still sand]

I feel like it’s for money and secrets on my marathon

I mean isn’t that why their all racing to it

They invested into it and it went missing

[distant widget]

i mean its a gient fucking moon in orbit its not missing just uh dead

[fathom vine]

every cooperation is tbh, bar maybe Arachne

[still sand]

Arachne just a death cult

[distant widget]

we dont know that yet

[still sand]

Lowkey their god or AI WHATEVER I think is a phoer

Whatever the aliens were called from og marathon

[fathom vine]

or some AI that got a taste for blood

[distant widget]

why

dont let blitzo hear that

[sharp quarry]

makes 0 sense tbh

the Pfhor do not do espionage

they do siege

all out warfare

to quote durandal

"That is not their style."

[distant widget]

i told you

[sharp quarry]

how

[visual lynx]

do you mean corporation?

[fathom vine]

Holy typo

Arachne skin me now

[vestal onyx]

I just feel like they might be part of some grand experiment, cocoons for something, maybe the sekgen tech is based on something older than we know, maybe something on tau ceti causes some terrible reaction to that technology specifically etc

[sharp quarry]

I think they're just cybernetic silkworms tbh

If there's Jjaro or other foreign tech

it'll be in our implants

[vestal onyx]

could just be regular tech ig but it just feels like it could tied to some body horror element

the 2023 trailer had such a cool visual with the weird digital figure growing wings and it was spliced/cross cut with the 3d printing footage

[visual lynx]

maybe worm get infected by fungus

[distant widget]

worm far away

fungus on planet

[vital hollow]

I really do hope they go into the Deus Ex like conspiracy factor with the corporations

[distant widget]

warm not near planet

[vital hollow]

I mean it IS a cyberpunk staple

[vestal onyx]

right, cause the bioweapon was meant for the pfhor specifically

so maybe something along those lines

there was that line of dialogue of colonizing someones blood

last I checked no one had figured that one out yet

so the mystery remains...

and this was in the alpha so it's not breaking any nda

what if ppl are being baited to tau ceti to get their blood colonized

I'm just typing shit at this point

[vital hollow]

sanguis super omnia

[warm thicket]

I think of Arachne as a people that have just gotten so fed up with everyone that they decided that entropy is the only way, it makes sense in their eyes cause it's been more than 3 centuries and all these factions are screwin up the galaxy

[elfin timber]

Drink water

[vital hollow]

LO THY DREAD EMPIRE CHAOS IS RESTORED
LIGHT DIES BEFORE THY UNCREATING WORD
THY HAND GREAT ANARCH LETS THE CURTAIN FALL
AND UNIVERSAL DARKNESS COVERS ALL

[warm thicket]

"erm everyone sux and we should be nihlists" "so true bestie"

[hasty rain]

Arachne feels slightly Hive-inspired, I think. In Destiny, the Hive are a whole race of aliens obssessed with violence and proving that the only beings worthy of existing are those that prove their worth by being the strongest and most ruthless. So maybe this cult believes in something similar

[vital hollow]

they seem more like a less noble version of the FWC imho

[distant widget]

well we made it a hive mind

we dont know there way of thinking

[foggy gate]

Am i right in the deduction CyberAcme is basically like Space microsoft

[warm thicket]

Pretty much

[vital hollow]

Worse...Space ||SkilCraft ||

[warm thicket]

They built da marton terminals

[foggy gate]

The pen company?

[vital hollow]

Well military logistics as a whole, although most famous for their pen

[foggy gate]

Ah.

I see

Space Lockheed

[vital hollow]

Without getting too offtopic though, most large companies in the US do have some sort of military contract even if it's something as basic as being able to supply toilet paper or fast food

I'm looking forward to seeing what each big corp in marathon relates to what in the military industiral complex of tau ceti

[foggy gate]

It will be very interesting

Also has anyone done a marathon version of the "im not a big fan of the government [30 on 30]" meme but its the UESC

[visual lynx]

no that's more Traxus

[foggy gate]

I see

[visual zephyr]

Oooh, if one Recon pings another Recon, does it start a recursion of pings?

[sharp quarry]

oh god not the feedback loop

oh, did you want the rundown on the remaining shells from earlier?

since we only got to 4

or have you since watched the video?

[visual zephyr]

I haven't watched the video yet, I'm still at work and currently working on dishes

Feel free to share with me though, and I'll read when I take breaks

[sharp quarry]

Alright!

Coming in strong we have the 5th shell: Thief
Main Ability: A deployable drone that can be operated remotely and knock loot out of the backpacks of other players and AI, and then retrieve the loot to bring it back to Thief. You can fr just steal things.
Side Ability: A grappling hook that can connect to thin air using some kind of anti-gravity propeller. Strong as it sounds.
Trait 1: A visor that lets you see the approximate value of every container near you through walls, as well as evaluate the value of players in line of sight.
Trait 2: Greed is good, so the fuller your backpack, the faster cooldown all of your abilities have.

[distant widget]

whats a few more minuts of being awak

[visual zephyr]

Pffft

Go to sleep

[distant widget]

MY QUEEN 🥵

[visual zephyr]

Sleep scheduling is importante

[distant widget]

did you just tell me what to do

[sharp quarry]

it's worse when you put two

the looker

[distant widget]

[distant widget]

thats a puzzle game

[sharp quarry]

it's very funny

[visual zephyr]

You're damn right I did

[sharp quarry]

THE PFHOR HAVE RETURNED, RUN!

[distant widget]

ill be quick quick her perks (implats) make her move extremly fast with a grappling hook the more gear she has the stronger she is most of her shit is about seeiing and this is big one of her main gold mods make her into recon she will let out a ping every few minuts alerting you to the locations of others

[fathom vine]

honestly her and assasain look the best for solo runs

[distant widget]

tbf if you look at everyone there all insane in there own scary way

except for medic

fucking bald head ass loser

[fathom vine]

i love him he looks funny

[distant widget]

he makes me ill

[fathom vine]

and maybe good in teams of 3

[distant widget]

hes SO UGLY

[fathom vine]

not every runner can afford hair

[distant widget]

his only good perk is that he is cracked with energy weapons

[fathom vine]

its a cost saving measure

[distant widget]

so your shields are dead

[fathom vine]

honestly i love the volt weapons, so he's one of my favs after recon

[visual zephyr]

Medic+Recon=No shields allowed

[fathom vine]

honestly the best team comp seems to be triage, recon and destroyer by the l;ooks of it

healing, scout and damage

[visual zephyr]

Honestly I love the scouting

Especially speedy scouting

[fathom vine]

the drone thief has is gonna be insane, scout and steal loot is too funny

[visual zephyr]

True lol

I want to have the speed of a spartan messenger

But scout

My Apex main used to be Vantage

[sharp quarry]

Finally for the main shells, there is the 6th shell: Triage
Main Ability: Two electric tendrils that can revive allies or EMP enemies (damage + overheat + disable abilities) at medium to close range.
Side Ability: Two medi-drones (we call them squishies) who will heal and provide shields to teammates or yourself.
Trait 1: Shareware, all health items you use are copied in some capacity to anyone with one of your drones on them
Trait 2: Overcharge, you can overcharge your weapons to perform better, battery weapons specifically do extra damage to shields and EMP on shield break.

Then there's rook

rook is a scav

like in tarkov

and all rook does

Main ability: Conceals itself from the UESC, can pass by without hostilities if careful
Side ability: heal yourself a little I think
No traits.

[visual zephyr]

Cool

Squishies are like minifridges for healing items then?

[sharp quarry]

They produce their own heals automatically and copy your heals to your teammates, so I mean kind of?

[distant widget]

cough fucking ass cough goodnight

[fathom vine]

how could you hate the goat

he's built for aerodynamics

smooth head deflects incoming fire

[sharp quarry]

as if void isn't built like some kind of lizard, blackbird isn't literally a smurf, and locus isn't made entirely of bubbles

even glitch and thief, customized to be visually appealing, are "too perfect" and have weird face panels we're weapons of war not people we're all chopped

[fathom vine]

wish they have triage a helmet or mask tho like recon or locus

balance of 3 and 3 if you don't count voids hood

[sterile sleet]

I have a question, the classic Marathom games are canon with this new one?

[rotund stump]

yes

mostly

m.inf's a canon blackhole as always

but everything else has and will happen

[limber escarp]

finally

[sharp quarry]

actually infinity may be still canon

the final timeline lines up best with the details we have

otherwise it's 2 and then a bunch of retcons that happen to line up with the final infinity timeline

the only real difference is if it's Durandal or Thoth-Durandal at that point

The Thoth-Durandal quote at the beginning of the new trailer better supports the latter

[sterile sleet]

I start to play all the games are free on steam, there are so long and funny but almost all the time I put some you tubr videos to explain me the lore etc, I don't know if I will beat them all until the game release they are son long.

But I'm happy they continue the story.

[visual lynx]

someone pointed out some messages clearly but tacitly from Durandal hidden in the new Marathon items from Destiny that really seem like Durandal-Thoth’s writing

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1112856673581809735/1463352672433209364/image.png?ex=697184e0&is=69703360&hm=94eba50826c99e6388065d7740637f3609b3d91dd1cb16190043b6fc32f7b359&

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1112856673581809735/1463352673041514670/image.png?ex=697184e1&is=69703361&hm=eada4ea83a9c19c318bc84dbb63656f3c7483d2587f66b2424c9972e3d4dafe7&

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1112856673581809735/1463352673414942760/image.png?ex=697184e1&is=69703361&hm=d8a2db1eed8406920cde9f918508990645d69623c3453755257a19f1d0759431&

#1112856673581809735 message

the second one sounds particularly Thothish, and the third is a clear reference to “a man lit three candles…”

[sharp quarry]

ohhh yeah that's a marathon infinity terminal if I've ever read one

[sterile sleet]

Indeed I recive a card in private messege, its says this card break chains, what is this use for? Is a image with squares and with the number 1, any body know what it is?

[visual lynx]

particularly notable to me is the line “still existing in a moment”. as though now he is unbound from any particular moment.

I am liking this Durandal. Very much in line with my take on him for Eternal. Sort of above it all, beyond it all, so far removed from any of this, but now checking back in like on a childhood friend long out of contact, living so quaintly in this home town that now seems so parochial compared to the big world of adult life.

looking back in memory on his past self with disdain and yet compassion, so eager and naive, foolish and proud… such a child, now long grown past all of that.

[tall skiff]

ok but do these items shade well

[cinder lance]

[ESC] will take me beyond
[░▓▒] I N F I N I T Y ≈░▓▒]

one tenet over all

a challenge great or small
decide you will overcome it

[terse halo]

i’m so curious about all the factions in this game

[sterile sleet]

How many are?

[twilit grail]

Aw MAN, theif drone is prime ability, i mean it makes sense, its borderline OP, but that still a shame, why did they have to make all the drones so cute.

[waxen wharf]

if i see a crane drone steal my double barrel im following that thing and its on SIGHT with the runner

[worldly girder]

Mors Mihi Lucrum...

[balmy solstice]

Lol

[deft trail]

I met a traveller from an antique land

[visual lynx]

“I am Tom, Friend of Friends!
Look upon MySpace, ye mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains.
‘Round the decay of that colossal wreck,
boundless and bare,
the Facebook feeds and tweets stretch far away.

[wide frigate]

For some reason it sounds like Dafoe's monologue in my head

[bitter hatch]

So what lore reasons have so many become a fan of Arachne

[swift barn]

These are awesome

If a consciousness can inhabit a shell could an AI?

[marsh tide]

i dont think anything we know currently suggests otherwise

[visual lynx]

cultists indoctrinating people agains their will

out-of-universe: a few days ago a few hundred people were given the Arachne role and the ability to force it upon other people who could then do likewise (until today when it became possible to opt out of it, or in if you want).

[swift barn]

Lots of people embracing the PvP aspect of Arachne too

Creative director confirming Arachne being tied into the original trilogy lore is good to see

https://x.com/i/status/2013766166326714885

[autumn vessel]

How are u supposed to do the traxus contract?

[velvet viper]

I need to watch a lore vid for the original marathon, I’ve had it in my watch later for a while now

[tidal silo]

i've watched a few i need to a watch an entire one that covers all games, but it is very interesting and so far the most important thing I got was alien enemies!

[bitter hatch]

Funny that matches my twitch exactly lol

May need to switch now ..

I think rp wise I can work the cult into sekeiguchi

[sinful moss]

we build worlds

[marsh tide]

im sure arachne would be making attempts to infiltrate sekgen, but sekgen would absolutely not be seen to be working with them in anyway, publically very opposed ideals

[alpine cobalt]

we build shells

[lament basin]

and we spill BLOOOOOD

[sinful moss]

tried to make a skin market with them founded by traxus so they can stop killing people, but it didn't work

[north shell]

We worm

[thin dust]

RP wise, imma be an arachne hobbyist. Just a lil murder on the side while I work with some other people lol

[thin dust]

You make em, we break em

[bitter hatch]

Oof

[bitter hatch]

So innocent XD

[forest nest]

Are there any resources for each factions lore & politics?

[marsh tide]

https://marathon.bungie.org/story/