📚marathon-lore-discussion

[dreamy hawk]

He is also by some accounts the main character of the series.

[forest helm]

So was that what they were talking about rampancy in the cyac interview audio codex thing

[jolly sphinx]

Wait. I just had a thought.

What is the reason for the Spht to be attacking the Runners?

[craggy finch]

yeah when an AI goes Rampant they expand and eventually can only be sustained by planet sized networks

[dreamy hawk]

#📚marathon-lore-discussion message

[craggy finch]

Durandal steals an alien ship and travels to the S'pht homeworld to find a S'pht AI

[dreamy hawk]

In the OG games*

[jolly sphinx]

What if it sees us as a Hostile force coming to scavenge the Marathon because it is protecting the left over Bobs or Cryofrozen people?

Like the P'hfor

[forest helm]

How does nona play into this she literally uploaded something into the runner’s consciousness didnt she

[craggy finch]

that would be a neat twist, no one in this game is even human

[craggy finch]

everyone in Sol has no idea what happened with Durandal

[jolly sphinx]

Only the Colonists and Bobs.

[craggy finch]

uncovering the mystery is part of your contracts

all the factions want to know what happened

[digital plaza]

?

[forest helm]

I meant the lore

[autumn dagger]

And then we loop back to the start lol

[forest helm]

In the questline she gives us a form of combat module into the players mind thats based off the usec and the code is weird if u read it

[craggy finch]

if you watched the ARG videos they released on the YT channel, the narrator is Bernhard Strauss, the man that drove Durandal into Rampancy

he's likely the key to finding out about Durandal

[jolly sphinx]

Cause for me, I've gotten a few things done for the Companies. Nucal is trying to figure out what happened that caused the Anomaly and we find out that it was made. Mida knows UESC is trying to hide the info cause it shows they have a distinct lack of control on Tau Ceti and the trurth will make you god, literally meaning that if this gets out that aliens attacked, Aliens destroyed the Colony and Marathon than oh boy, the power shift will be nuts.

[forest helm]

Also the colony in dire marsh was experimenting with rudimentary runner shells as well i think

[jolly sphinx]

Absolutely.

[craggy finch]

NuCal's pitch is that whatever caused the colony's collapse could endanger humanity as a whole

Traxus just wants returns

SekGen is into the whole transhumanism thing with biomata

Arachne wants to watch Runners kill each other and rez

CyAc is the most mysterious because they're only represented by ONI who provides no motivations on their part

[jolly sphinx]

NuCals approach makes sense, cause if the contagion is a Quasi-dimensional thing ,that means no form of quarantine or safe guard will protect people.

Cause look at what happened to I think her name is Molly, she was literally just doing desk work with another reasercher, no exposure events that we know about and she gets the contagion out of nowhere.

[forest helm]

The SIMbiont that nona implants

[jolly sphinx]

Bleeding nose and all.

[craggy finch]

and Song didn't get it somehow until she tried to investigate and got exploded

[jolly sphinx]

She didn't get exploded. She got melted by the contagion.

[craggy finch]

ah that must have been a different corpse

[jolly sphinx]

Songs corpse is literally planted on a nearby wall in Data wall on perimeter.

[forest helm]

What was the purpose of the data wall in perimeter?

[craggy finch]

investigating the Anomaly most likely

they mention shifting from expanding the colony to investigating these readings through the Data Wall

[jolly sphinx]

A way to confine spaces and provide a buffer for the contagion in perimeter

Course, the ticks and time broke the wall open, it doesn't even seem complete too. If you look at one end of the wall to the other

[forest helm]

What do we even know about the anomoly

Anomaly*

[craggy finch]

it's got a lot of radiation and is connected to the fungus

[jolly sphinx]

It's growing causes time distortion, hallucinations, sudden strange and mutation focused growth, and a few other things.

also.

[craggy finch]

oh yeah there's everyone sharing the same nightmares

[jolly sphinx]

New log just dropped for the Codex "Eliminate a Compiler."

[craggy finch]

nice

[forest helm]

The anomaly caused that?

[craggy finch]

yeah it caused all the weirdness essentially

from what we can see it's the root cause of the colony's fall

Jasper's log takes place after the collapse and he blames those factors directly

[dreamy hawk]

Dreaming Gods got their own nightmares, OK?

[forest helm]

Hes The kid from dire marsh right where hes like by himself

[craggy finch]

some of them involve weird mouths with legs

others involve Aztec skeletons

[dreamy hawk]

Some may involve weird, bone melting fungus. Who’s to say?

[forest helm]

I still wanna know more about the goals of nona and why she made us help her create the simbiont

[craggy finch]

she's a transhumanist

she loves creating new people

[dreamy hawk]

Nona is just a mad scientist really.

[craggy finch]

also there's a reason why her avatar is the only non-humanoid

she's the most detached AI from baseline humanity

[dreamy hawk]

I wouldn’t read into that too much necessarily. It could also be that SEKGEN made her look that way for marketing.

[craggy finch]

Vulcan incidentally looks the most human and exhibits the most grounded personality

[forest helm]

She thinks of herself as a motherly figure too

[dreamy hawk]

We don’t know if AI chose their visual representations in Marathon the same as they do in Halo.

[craggy finch]

yeah essentially biomata are her babies

[forest helm]

Like even her code is written that way

[forest helm]

HUH

[craggy finch]

reminds me of that meme discussing Dr Halsey having to present her AI and it chooses to look like a butt naked blue version of her

[inland crypt]

Not complaining

[forest helm]

We can log in now right

[craggy finch]

SekGen make the shells while CyAc seems to be the ones who handle the data of your consciousness

[digital plaza]

CRYO ARCHIVE HAS BEEN ADDED

[craggy finch]

considering how many times I die on runs, I will never financially recover from my debt to CyAc

[sage lark]

still need to unlock it from the arg 😭

[digital plaza]

😭

[forest helm]

Lmao

Wait so is the quarantine location on dire marsh for the anomaly

Or the spores

[craggy finch]

for the plague specifically

they couldn't really account for other effects like the dreams

or people just exploding

[fossil zodiac]

What’s up lore peoples. 👋

[forest helm]

So is this game taking place after the events of the original games

[fossil zodiac]

Yes

[craggy finch]

yeah 99 years after Marathon 1

[fossil zodiac]

I think

[sage lark]

yes 99 years

[craggy finch]

82 years after Marathon 2/Infinity

[keen juniper]

uh oh, we have a new codex for eliminating a Compiler

[forest helm]

So those games were during the space travel

To tau ceti

[craggy finch]

they take place during the Colony Era

[fossil zodiac]

Word?

[forest helm]

Ohhh ok

[keen juniper]

Yep, it's under World > Threats > Unknown Origin

[forest helm]

So how long was the expidition to the colonies

[sage lark]

300 years

[craggy finch]

in the manual your character is attacked when on a shuttle going from the colony to the Marathon, then you occasionally read about what's going on with the surface like the Pfhor nuking the space port and their eventual defeat when it's revealed that there were nine cyborgs identical to the player character in hiding on the colony

[dreamy hawk]

99 bottles?

[sage lark]

and a Spht aint one

[forest helm]

The cyborgs are like runners then?

[craggy finch]

even more jacked up

[sage lark]

not really

[craggy finch]

your character in the original Marathon is a speed demon who tears through compilers like butter, promos show those same compilers one shot runners

[idle sapphire]

OG character is closer to Master Chief power level right?

[forest helm]

So are they the experiments that nona was talking about?

In dire marsh

[fossil zodiac]

Cyborgs are leagues above Runners.

[forest helm]

Lost tech

[craggy finch]

there's some information about cyborgs called battleroids made from human corpses implanted with stuff like brain chips, titanium bones and genetically enhanced muscles, with Infinity also implying they have ancient alien tech that humans didn't fully understand

[sage lark]

the Cryo Archive codex entries arent added yet

[craggy finch]

the player character is all but said to be one of them (there were ten cyborgs smuggled on board, nine were on the colony, leaving only one candidate)

@forest helm look up the Security Officer, you'll see the Destroyer shell is based on the original player character's design

also known as Mjolnir Recon 54

[forest helm]

Ohhh

[sage lark]

438 codex entries 😭 @digital plaza you got stuff to work on

[drifting garnet]

wakes up oh shit, Cryo’s live now?

[forest helm]

Wait so let me get this straight the factions dont know yet that it was the pfhor that destroyed the colony?

They dont know anything yet

[drifting garnet]

Broadly, no. Although IIRC Codex entries seem to suggest UESC has started to get an inkling

…it’s also why people theorized that this game is in a new timeline: M2 straight up didn’t happen, and M1 things might have gone down slightly differently

[eternal shell]

marathon infinity already made marathon 2 not happen

[fossil zodiac]

Me rn

[drifting garnet]

Isn’t Infinity kind of weird in that it’s about SecOfficer going to timelines where M2 doesn’t happen or M2 plays out a lot differently?

[limber gorge]

Does anyone know if the arg is done?

[digital plaza]

@sage lark Check out loot > acquired items and scroll all the way down

[forest helm]

Was the anamoly caused by the w’rknacenter?

[quiet current]

is there any sort of wiki where folks are uploading codex entries yet?

[sage lark]

omw

[digital plaza]

Not yet

[digital plaza]

#📚marathon-lore-discussion message

[sage lark]

WTFFFFFFFF

[digital plaza]

Not confirmed yet but presumed so

[forest helm]

Ohhh ok

[eternal shell]

yes it is and yes it is

[quiet current]

man this lore is hitting like fucking crack for me. it’s like the perfect mix of Peter watts and Philip k dick.

[forest helm]

Bro are we as players kinda like rampant ai or close to it

[digital plaza]

Keys description was updated too

[quiet current]

I think that’s one possible implication in marathon infinity so it wouldn’t surprise me for this game either

[sage lark]

yeah most seem similar, for gold ones you need Colonist Credentials?

[fossil zodiac]

Our consciousness takes some hits for sure. I don’t know if we’re on the same level as rampant AI.

[supple orchid]

i mean, isnt SO going rampant in infinity?

technically

[forest helm]

I think they just made us as a parallel to durandall in a sense

[quiet current]

Sekiguchi spoilers but the end of their quest line i think is basically them saying their goal is to create some kind of metastable rampant ai/human hybrid to colonize the stars as the next evolution of humanity. in a sense all that bullshit they had you doing is like what Strauss did to durandal.

[forest helm]

Cause were allowed to act independently but still within constraints of our factions

[supple orchid]

that makes sense

[digital plaza]

Idk

[forest helm]

And runners dont understand the systems running them in the first place

[digital plaza]

Oh wait they got names now

[fossil zodiac]

I guess we can definitely wave our freedom goodbye forever. That debt is gonna be infinite.

[digital plaza]

Damn i need to get that 06 key

[wicked estuary]

How do you even get those marathon keys?

[sage lark]

yeah me and my duo only have 1-5

[quiet current]

Especially if it turns out the runners weren’t ever even humans to begin with, just AI programmed to think they have debt

[digital plaza]

Same

[sage lark]

Lockdown, Wardens, locked rooms

[supple orchid]

i think this is the case

[wicked estuary]

Thank

[fossil zodiac]

Nah I think we are a human consciousness

Until it’s stated otherwise

[forest helm]

Where are we even from

[supple orchid]

i dont think so, it seems to me that we are AI that are made to believe that we were once human to attempt to stabilize rampancy

[forest helm]

Are we one of the cryo humans?

[sage lark]

no

[supple orchid]

no, we are a digitalized consciousness

[forest helm]

Or just straight from mars

[sage lark]

low orbit of tau ceti

[quiet current]

There’s something very weird going on, I think it’s a situation where the person > shell conversion isn’t lossless in the way you’re lead to believe, dying in a shell permanently damages your consciousness, etc. so maybe you did start as a human but it’s a ship of Theseus situation. That’s why in the first cinematic the kid picture of the “runner” is the same even though they’ve swapped shells, that anchor to personhood is beginning to break down.

[sage lark]

I think everyone is putting too much weight into that part of the cinematic

[forest helm]

Yeah but when did we become digitally uploaded

[sage lark]

the narrative around runners/shells changed since then

[sage lark]

there is no date in game

we arrived in the system in 2893

for runners you leave your human body behind to become a digitized consciousness that can inhabit these shells

[quiet current]

Or at least that’s what the intergalactic corpos want you to believe 😉

[livid lion]

Can’t link it but Key 5 (Secret Cargo) requires “Tranquility Credentials”. Very interesting

[digital plaza]

Dying in a shell does not damage your consciousness, there is a tech that ejects your mind moment before you die

[sage lark]

only so many times you can pull that card

imagine how boring the narrative would be if they lied about everything

[quiet current]

Maybe, the whole plot of the game is uncovering a cover up tho

[sage lark]

it is

[quiet current]

Dude that makes it way more interesting imo

[sage lark]

it doesnt that makes it so anything you do doesnt matter

everything being oh actually that didnt happen this happened instead

[forest helm]

But what if we gained the ability to go free

[sage lark]

I think us being "archeologists" in a sense uncovering what happened to the colony is more interesting

[quiet current]

I think this is a fundamental disagreement in how we experience stories lol, don’t know that I can convince you so I won’t try

[sage lark]

there are twists but theres only so many you can do before its boring

[cobalt jolt]

Any news on Cryo ?

[sage lark]

not everything can be a plot twist

then nothing is

[craggy finch]

We don't even know who we are, beyond people in debt, and one of the trailers has Vandal go through several memory exercises after each death, consistently failing to recognise a picture that's apparently her as a child

then Assassin is given the same picture later on

essentially we're debt slaves who have lost their original identity

if we ever had one

[cobalt jolt]

Kinda reminds me of how they treat synths in Bladerunner

[supple orchid]

thats why i think we are AI that are made to believe we were once human

[forest helm]

Thats so cooked

[supple orchid]

in order to make metastable rampancy

[forest helm]

So wait then are we all the same person essentially

[craggy finch]

funnily enough there's a Blade Runner moment in the original games where Durandal mentions the words of the Security Officer's father, implying that was an implanted memory

[craggy finch]

or we're being manipulated by CyAc with fake memories

or Vandal just moved into an Assassin shell

it's a mystery

[ashen bear]

I don’t think “who” we play as is an AI, but it’s almost certainly guaranteed that all the memories are fake

[fossil zodiac]

Not buying the we’re AI in any shape or form. I’m gonna eject myself from this conversation and play the game, get more codex entries. I don’t wanna throw theories out there that may not make sense.

[ashen bear]

It would be cool if there was a twist and we’re actually a UESC agent planted into the runner servers

And then through contracts you can decide if you want to stay that way or break off and do your own thing

[craggy finch]

there is a central narrative where "your" Runner is the one doing important stuff but I prefer the idea of us being one of many putzing around

[ashen bear]

Wouldn’t be the first time Bungie does something like that, they did it in D2 with the drifter and the vanguard

[quiet current]

I’m a big fan of being an expendable grunt in a biosynth body, feels cyberpunk in a way other games haven’t

[craggy finch]

I think what Marathon does really great is integrating the disposability of respawns into the story

you're not just a gamer reloading a new round, you're a mercenary who keeps dying and coming back in a new body

[ashen bear]

I do like the disposable nature of it all, and all things considered, the people making progress aren’t the individual player, but the “mysterious groups” that are working the ARGs and uncovering the real secrets

[craggy finch]

the embarassing deaths of falling out of bounds in Outpost are "canon" to my Runner

[ashen bear]

I just mentioned the UESC agent thing because it would be a wasted opportunity not to explore the individuality and the fake memories ideas that they explored in the cinematic

IMO anyways

[craggy finch]

maybe they'll have a UESC quest line

someone mentioned that the MIDA quest line reveals Orion is a biomata too

[eternal shell]

there's probably runners out there believing they're gamers loading into a new round

[craggy finch]

the line is also blurred by how each shell has an in-built personality, so even your fundamental behaviour is changed by simply occupying a shell

[quiet current]

Yeah I’ve seen a lot of the trippier interpretations that the “runner” is actually you, the gamer, sitting on the couch selecting and running contracts, you’re the consciousness behind the shell in game and IRL

(I don’t think that’s it but it’s fun)

[eternal shell]

damn, points for believable backstory then

[craggy finch]

the intro does explain it as the consciousness occupying a liminal space between shells

they're either in shells or are transferring to a new one

[eternal shell]

i was today years old when i realized it's actually the 2800s

[ashen bear]

Which makes me extremely curious about Sentinel, especially if they keep him as a UESC asset like he was in the first reveal trailer

[analog crystal]

Cheating made canon!

[quiet current]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_time_conspiracy_theory?wprov=sfti1 it’s actually the 1800s stay woke 👁️

[craggy finch]

Destroyer was also a UESC design, albeit decommissioned from service

[supple orchid]

for PR reasons mainly

[ashen bear]

Sentinel could be an active one

Which would hopefully give us more information

[craggy finch]

Orion's body is probably custom made to the nines as opposed to the mass production shells we have

[supple orchid]

Destroyer seemed to still be actively used by UESC for clandestine missions

[dreamy hawk]

Destroyer and Recon are UESC shells in use.

[analog crystal]

Do we know if Orion is a person or an AI?
I read a chat log in the Codex between Orion - from an early Traxus quest iirc. Seemed to be human but wasn't sure.

[craggy finch]

the red skin at least is a decommisioned UESC spec ops group that became mercenaries

[dreamy hawk]

Person/runner

[forest helm]

They should let us fight orion

[supple orchid]

makes sense

[craggy finch]

I haven't gotten the codex yet but the MIDA contract line reveals that he gets a new body printed after getting killed

[forest helm]

So basically a runner too

[craggy finch]

yeah but runner is basically a job title

biomata is what shells are universally it seems

[forest helm]

Ohhh

[ashen bear]

He’s a guy with a lot of money and influence

Who can afford to be reborn without taking on wet work

[craggy finch]

brother's a war criminal and advocate of torture too lmao

more like a lifelong military man essentially

he's in the service and gets some perks

[analog crystal]

It was from the quest where you shoot down the drone in Dire Marsh iirc.
Orion seemed to have some degree of morality, not wanting to see people killed by rushing their work on TCIV.

[forest helm]

How did general reed die

[eternal shell]

"what's a biomata?"
"nothing, what's a biomata with you?"

[craggy finch]

yeah he cares about the UESC cause and his own men, but MIDA's dossier also shows us he's ruthless towards anyone who opposes them

[digital plaza]

No confirmation on what happened to him or any other colonists

[craggy finch]

he had visions of his wife Orla from what I got so far

[digital plaza]

For few exceptions of course

[analog crystal]

I don't believe M*DA propaganda.
(But yeah that makes sense)

[ashen bear]

It wouldn’t surprise me if the pfor had absolutely nothing to do with the colonists disappearing

[craggy finch]

yeah it was like three decades or so after the invasion in 2793

[ashen bear]

This is something else

[craggy finch]

they likely never returned since Marathon 2 claimed they nuked Tau Ceti to bedrock three months after the first invasion

so the timeline is changed

[ashen bear]

It’s a new branch imo

[forest helm]

So this is the eldritch mfs

[ashen bear]

Not connected to anything already established

[craggy finch]

Ozymandias trailer shows a farmer puking (probably the contagian) then another colonist getting levitated and exploding (definitely the Anomaly) before the narrative shifts to the Runners

[quiet current]

There’s also something funky going on with the S’Pht for them to have ended up an icon for the cult, I wonder if in some way the compilers defended new cascadia from a pfhor invasion or a wrkncacknter attack

[forest helm]

Theres gotta be a shorthand for those

[craggy finch]

a xenobiopsy log has a scientist essentially take the S'pht's design as evidence of a higher power

that's likely the root of the cult

[ashen bear]

I wonder if they have a specific reason for being hostiles to runners or if it’s purely defensive because we’re aggressive plunderers

[craggy finch]

that thing from Pathways into Darkness

oh yeah there's this even older Bungie game that Marathon is connected to

[forest helm]

Wrks

[versed marsh]

how close till cryo is unlocked

[forest helm]

Im calling them wrks now

[supple orchid]

when the ARG is finished

[supple orchid]

way easier, cant remember the whole ahh name

[lunar cove]

I mean that's not really wrong

[versed marsh]

how close till the ARG is finished, last night i heard there were 2 final things to complete

[craggy finch]

even the S'pht think that

[digital plaza]

Ask #breach-protocol

[fossil zodiac]

We’re mercenaries, no obligation to form bonds. Alliances are temporary and a means to an end, just as we are to factions trying to fulfill a goal, having us do their dirty work.

[ashen bear]

Bro can’t read

Im talking about the compilers

[fossil zodiac]

I must have missed something-

Ah yeah, okay.

Took that out of context, no need for insults. My bad.

[ashen bear]

Just trolling

[lunar cove]

Whether you treat yrro and pythia as mythic deities, literal jjaro, or a religious interpretation of the jjaro, it's kind of true that they're a higher power

[ashen bear]

But yeah I’m curious about their motivation if any

[craggy finch]

Infinity's station looks oddly human in design though

[ashen bear]

Are they guarding something?

[craggy finch]

Phforrest has his own take on it

[ashen bear]

Are they directionless?

[lunar cove]

Maybe our designs just look very Jjaro

[ashen bear]

Someone said they must be under the control of durandal but I don’t buy it

[forest helm]

Who

[ashen bear]

The compilers in cryo

[forest helm]

I thought durandal is gone

Like fs

[fossil zodiac]

Apparently not.

[faint ingot]

I think it’s pretty clear the uesc doesn’t like us, so it makes sense that they would try to kill us

[ashen bear]

The compilers 😭

Not the UESC

[forest helm]

Shrimp is talking abt compilers for anyone not reading

Maybe the wrks were the cause of the dreams then maybe like a vision of an alternate timeline i forgot what the dreams were abt

[craggy finch]

They have a history at the very least

[faint ingot]

My bad bro this chat is a chore to follow 😔✌️

[low python]

ain’t he copy himself before fucking off into the stars

[forest helm]

We dont even know what reality we in tho

[craggy finch]

nah he just ends up witnessing the heat death of the universe as a hybrid after merging with Thoth

Tycho had a bunch of copies made by the Pfhor when he was captured by them

[forest helm]

Infinity is confusing asf to me im larping atp just to know the lore

[craggy finch]

Infinity doesn't even explain itself

[ashen bear]

I think it is fair to say that we are in a brand new timeline in which you don’t have to know a lot to understand what is going on. I think bungie wants to create a fresh start. So people don’t have to play the previous games

So trying to find which timeline from 2 or infinity we’re in might be useless

[faint ingot]

I still think that it links, just if you follow the new game every thing will be explained

[forest helm]

It might link but not in the same reality kind of sense

[craggy finch]

essentially all you really need to know is the events of the first Marathon, especially since all the information from Marathon 2 doesn't even seem relevant to the current story

[ashen bear]

I agree with tempest

[faint ingot]

Far-fetched but would it be possible that in this timeline marathon Infiniti never happened?

[ashen bear]

Loose connective tissue but no concrete canon

[ashen bear]

Honestly, I think that’s the more likely outcome

[faint ingot]

It could be bungee wanting to make a more concrete timeline

(Bro my typos today)

[forest helm]

So in this reality durandal is known to be rampant still but we dont know if hes merged with the other ai

And leela is dead

[faint ingot]

Ig yeah

[dreamy hawk]

Do we know Leela is dead?

I’m coming back in late, sorry.

[faint ingot]

Wasn’t she confirmed dead in the second game?

[craggy finch]

Leela comes back and debriefs you at the end of the first game, she then apparently ends up captured when the Pfhor invade again (which didn't happen in the new game)

[craggy finch]

She ends up rampant and takes over a bunch of alien networks

[forest helm]

Thanks for clarifyinv

[green plume]

wasn't New Cascadia confirmed nuked to bedrock and the marathon stolen by Phor in the second game?

[eternal shell]

durandal thinks she is but she's hanging out in a 15-world network

[outer garden]

Can someone explain me the lore of this game in fortnite term 😂

[forest helm]

Cyac knows of this for sure cause of the interview what scientist did they bring up in the audio file

[fossil zodiac]

Yeah that didn’t happen in this timeline iirc

From what’s been said

[craggy finch]

There's also joke text about her wanting to get saved by a tall dark and handsome cyborg

[green plume]

Exactly.

[livid lion]

We shouldn’t be confident about what did and did not happen unless we have something entirely incompatible like nuked to bedrock

[faint ingot]

I wish

[rose bone]

This is just a complete shot in the dark but what if she was mimicing Rampancy in order to fight Durandall?

[craggy finch]

She's a complete footnote though and that only appears in the Marathon 2 epilogue

[fossil zodiac]

I’m keeping my opinions at a minimum until I have time to investigate on my own.

[craggy finch]

a lot of Marathon 2 was totally divorced from stuff in the first game

[green plume]

If the Marathon is still up there floating above us that means Leela may be still up there as well

[craggy finch]

we know for sure the collapse never mentions alien invasions (Pfhor or otherwise) since Jasper only refers to the Anomaly related events

[forest helm]

Wait is it possible that the staff from the usec expidition who werent frozen became the runners

[dreamy hawk]

As far as I’m concerned this is all we know: #📚marathon-lore-discussion message

[faint ingot]

I think we have to look at this from the direction of “what type of story is bungie trying to tell” tbh it could be a different direction then the og games in terms of tone. This all could be a very basic continuation of the games.

[dreamy hawk]

The OG games are nothing more than inspiration as far as concrete events. Assuming anything did or didn’t happen isn’t supported because we don’t know a lot still. Other than things that we have 1:1 parallels for (and those are few).

[livid lion]

Yes they do. A log about the anomaly has someone suggest that it’s a weapon left by [Redacted].

[forest helm]

Nucaloric is feeding us dead colonists for sures

[green plume]

Plenty of frozen meat on the marathon it looks like

[dreamy hawk]

There are mentions but it’s unclear how much happened on the colony. Most everything seems to have happened in orbit on the Marathon.

[green plume]

so NuCal going to get their ROI

I wonder if those people are still alive though

[craggy finch]

Jasper likely wasn't even born during the Pfhor invasion if the collapse was in the 2800s

he sounds like a teen

[ashen bear]

Are you suggesting they disappeared while on board the marathon? What about all the structures and evidence of weird shit happening on ground?

[dreamy hawk]

On the Marathon? No. They didn’t have the technology and as far as we know that’s only back in Sol.

[green plume]

There's an item that gives a voiced codex entry talking about how the marathon is off limits but the people in cryo are still good but it could just be the UESC lying

[dreamy hawk]

People disappeared in both places, but whether or not the P’fhor invaded the colony is unclear. Probably a little, but probably not to the extent as what happened in the original series.

[forest helm]

What if they had only the tech to store consciousness but not the ability to make shells

[craggy finch]

even then it wasn't as major as the events on the Marathon originally, since Leela mentions they primarily focused on the ship, making colony-side invaders even easier pickings for the Mjolnir

[green plume]

They had the tech to make shells and store consciousness. The Felini show this

[faint ingot]

If you were to subscribe to the idea of multiple timelines it could justify that the new game is a timeline we haven’t seen? It does seem like something bungie would do to try and reboot the franchise

[rose bone]

Do we know what happened to Strauss?

[sage lark]

no

[dreamy hawk]

If they did it’s based on nothing we know of/had described to us in the OG series, which is fine, but there’s no more reaps on to think that’s plausible than literally anything else; it’s just not grounded to anything.

[green plume]

How advanced it was when the Marathon left though we don't know

[craggy finch]

that's probably the entire sticking point

[sage lark]

its described on the Weaveworm codex item

theres a timeline of the tech

[green plume]

ah ok

[sage lark]

https://codex.cyberacme.systems/entry/weaveworm-stasis-knot?directory=World,Dire+Marsh

[rose bone]

Can you eleaborate on sticking point? Sorry I am really new to Marathon Lore and have tried listeening to as much as possible

[dreamy hawk]

Sure, it’s possible.

[craggy finch]

basically it's the entire mystery we have to solve

he's the focus of the ARG videos

and Durandal never found him

[sage lark]

we are figuring out what happened to the colony

we as players know up to a certain point

past that its new timeline new happenings

[ashen bear]

Is there any way the wrkncntr (fucked that up) has anything to do with it all

[faint ingot]

Tbh the solution to linking to the old games could be one be Occam’s razor. And it’s not that complex

[dreamy hawk]

Very likely and possible. A common theory.

[sage lark]

theories that the wrk could be the anomaly

[forest helm]

The anamoly suggests it

[dreamy hawk]

#📚marathon-lore-discussion message

[rose bone]

Ahhh okay! Do we think it's possible that being Halo took a lot from Marathon, that the idea of Halsey copying her own mind and creating Cortana could be something similar to what Strauss could be doing?

[faint ingot]

Yes I’ve read this

[dreamy hawk]

That’s what I’m most sold on.

[craggy finch]

we don't know if Bernhard created Durandal, only that he was the science officer of the Marathon and deliberately drove Durandal to rampancy

[ashen bear]

But if the wrk is a being of pure chaos and destroys reality when it’s free, then either something shut it down midway or it has other motives

Im not sure how it fits

[forest helm]

Durandall?

Brotha ascends

[dreamy hawk]

Are you familiar with the dreaming god in Pathways?

[sage lark]

actually theres a codex entry that Dr Strauss was using a lot of energy from his lab and it was causing door malfunctions. Altough most of the names are redacted its implied it had to do with Durandal

[rose bone]

I guess I am really curious as to how Strauss has Black Boxed himself but I suppose that is something we will have to learn

[craggy finch]

is it a colony era one or pre-expedition?

[sage lark]

lemme check

[green plume]

Maybe it's like WoW with the void god type things like yogg seroth and stuff like that

[ashen bear]

Not entirely. I’m new to marathon and I watched lore videos about a year ago, still trying to make sense of it all. I was in diapers in 2003 lol

[green plume]

Their prison is kinda broken so they're leaking problems but can't gain full power still

[copper hinge]

Has anyone unlocked all the codex stuff from outpost? It seems like most of the new AI's are developing into a different kind of rampancy, or at least a kind of rampancy that doesn't fall into the 3 stages and I'm not sure if Gabriel is tweaking and killing people in quarantine or just following Reed's orders.

[craggy finch]

in Pathways there was a sleeping Wrk that was "killed" in a battle millions of years ago and crash landed on Earth, where its dreams created an entire temple and monsters that killed trespassers

the objective of the game is to detonate a nuke to send it back to sleep

otherwise it wakes up and destroys the world

[hollow surge]

Related to this, what the hell is Cerberus and why is it a cognitohazard

[dreamy hawk]

Tl;dr a Dreaming God crashes into the Yucatán and takes out the dinosaurs. The Jjaro appear in front of Bill Clinton and tell him they need to nuke this mysterious pyramid in the jungle to keep it from waking. The spec ops team that goes find that the environment and everything is manipulated/altered and there are monsters, etc. it’s commonly thought that this was a Wrk.

[green plume]

yeah then don't jjarro come and take it away to imprison?

[dreamy hawk]

Maybe they moved it to Tau Ceti. 👀

[green plume]

Or it's a whole new one

but that would be funny af.

[dreamy hawk]

We don’t know what they did with it or if it even came back.

[rose bone]

It was then later taken care of correct? The Yrro came and cleaned it all up?

[craggy finch]

that's what I heard

[copper hinge]

I think its related to the stuff Kuzmin talks about in his perimeter logs about how the planet is giving off amounts of data that are incomprehenively complex, I think it drives him totally insane

[hollow surge]

jjaro were at Tau Ceti but I expect it was a different one

[craggy finch]

it seems to be the AI controlling the UESC bots

[dreamy hawk]

I’d like this significantly less. Why do humans find two inside of planets when it’s specifically mentioned they only get locked in stars or similarly massive bodies? If it’s the same one and humans are just poking at things they shouldn’t, I like it more.

[copper hinge]

oh yeah wait it is the UESC ai I think

[hollow surge]

I think there's an evolutionary pressure created by the anomaly (w'rkncacntr?) because insanity/breaking the maze is the way intelligences ascend, in the new audio logs Durandal mentions that this will happen to Runners who are not human but instead copies of humans without any of the original left

[sage lark]

INCIDENT || AI || [REDACTED] unusual power draw from the lab of Dr. [REDACTED] caused door malfunctions in several decks, resulting in [REDACTED] security breach. No fatalities due to automated [REDACTED] suppression. The incident culminated in a two-hour verbal altercation between security and Dr. [REDACTED] who refused lab access to security. Dr. [REDACTED] appealed to [REDACTED]. [REDACTED] peacefully ended the standoff. Resolution: increased power allotment to Labs [REDACTED] during off-peak hours.

during expedition

[rose bone]

There is also the theory that they are all a hivemind of sorts. That it isn't just one but could be many or like the flood "one"

[ashen bear]

Cerberus is one of my favorite things about the new marathon

[hollow surge]

What about knowing about it would make it infect you if it's just the garden variety feds though?

[ashen bear]

Cognitohazard that fits the setting really well

[hollow surge]

It's really cool

[green plume]

Well if the one crash landed on earth maybe another crash landed on TC4? The jjarro were on TC4 as well but why would they be there to not take the thing and throw it into a star?

[dreamy hawk]

Sure, or it’s just a force. I still don’t like them being in every planet.

[lunar cove]

Cerberus is the UESC AI running the bots. It seems to be a phantom menace type situation where it has direct control.

Its code seems designed to be damaging to other unauthorized viewers in an unspecified way

[copper hinge]

This is the "disease" I think, in the public announcments about health and quarantine the disease symptoms are all mostly psychological and a number of other logs mention shit like people's cells rapidly evolving

[rose bone]

Continuous power usage imo would absolutely imply and AI or something of that level to need consistent power while in use and then going in to stasis during peak hours

[hollow surge]

They probably went to Tau Ceti because MIDA and other secret societies knew about the jjaro talking to Bill Clinton

[dreamy hawk]

The odds of humanity stumbling upon the same exception twice, in a place as big as the galaxy, is less fun to me than assuming that the Jjaro picked up the dreaming god and humanity managed to somehow figure out where they went or had an idea of where to look. Then, hoping for sweet alien tech, they took the first opportunity they could to go and seize that power themselves.

[copper hinge]

I have a feeling the UESC are going to lose control of their bots at one point in this

[lunar cove]

I don't think any of the codex entries specify what the cognitohazard is or how they work but there are a few possible interpretations

[dreamy hawk]

There no reason to think MIDA knew any of this, and they had no part in the selection process.

[hollow surge]

Garden variety radiation spurs evolution so psychic radiation could cause psychic evolution. That's why it works on both biological and machine intelligences

[rose bone]

That's fair I am less sold on it being something in planet and more maybe to do with something slightly more sinister.

[hollow surge]

What about the illuminati or whatever though? Is that not a thing I forgor

[craggy finch]

the location of Tau Ceti seems arbitrary otherwise, Alpha Centauri is closer at the very least

[lunar cove]

It could be something esoteric and "magical" and jjaro and such, but I'd be more inclined to assume its like a computer virus since runners are synthetic brains with a mind stored digitally

[hollow surge]

I played Deus Ex right after this like 6 years ago so it kind of got mixed up lol

[craggy finch]

I'm not big into books

[dreamy hawk]

Ah I vaguely remember there being some kind of cabal, but I’m not certain, and I know it wasn’t MIDA.

[green plume]

Maybe but it still doesn't make sense that the jjarro would go throw it on another planet instead of using their other method of locking them up

[rose bone]

Like consider it's not a coincidence and it was a long con for the Yrro to coax humanity to see how they deal with the Wrk or something like that

[dreamy hawk]

Unless there’s something about TC we don’t know yet. Tycho comments on it being an anomalous system he can’t explain.

[lunar cove]

Yrro is just the one I thought

[dreamy hawk]

Whatever that gap is in the asteroid belt or w/e it was.

[craggy finch]

there was an interview where it's described as one iteration of Jjaro

so maybe the entire species represented as a singular god

[lunar cove]

Interesting

[copper hinge]

Also the xenobiology records are totally dissecting a Pfhor right?

[dreamy hawk]

Yaro could be Jjaro. Or it could not be.

[craggy finch]

yeah it's almost 2 meters tall, bipedal, and vaguely bug like

definitely Pfhor

[dreamy hawk]

Yaro and Pthia are our creation deities but they could also just be ancient aliens.

[rose bone]

You're right I had it wrong in my head

Jjaro is the correct word for the alien race

[lunar cove]

Well I always assumed they were two Jjaro specifically but it could be more broadly representative of the species/collective

Since we don't truly know what the Jjaro were iirc beyond ancient aliens of great power

[dreamy hawk]

Yaro could be an individual, but not in the Clinton context.

[craggy finch]

the legends are about Yrro literally throwing it into the sun when they used an entire station so some stuff definitely got lost in translation

[lunar cove]

The one who talked to the US leadership was named Ryu'toth or something to that effect so we know that specific individual

[dreamy hawk]

Which is the easiest explanation, but you also have an eldritch evil swimming in suns, so a more “mythical” series of events isn’t exactly impossible either.

[craggy finch]

not the Clinton context

[copper hinge]

Its intriguing to me on the machine intelligence side specifically because it looks like its pushing them to a new stage distinct from traditional rampancy, Joy is developing a lot of empathy and love, Darius is scared shitless, and Gabriel is skipping melancholia entirely to just start killing people

[dreamy hawk]

Then you’re right/could be right. Yaro is assumed to be Jjaro. It’s never stated or proven.

[craggy finch]

no I just never wish the Clinton context on anybody

not even my worst enemy

[dreamy hawk]

Oh.

Well. Fair. 😂

[craggy finch]

Bill Clinton is the real villain of the Marathonverse

[latent python]

Which is shocking since there are literal nazis

[green plume]

There's nazis in marathon?

[latent python]

There are Nazis in PiD

[median hemlock]

the fact that bill clinton is a player in the lore will never not be funny

[craggy finch]

they tried to get into the Wrk temple and got killed by its dream monsters

[serene marsh]

Yeah you can find them in the pathways

[median hemlock]

and they died. good riddance

[latent python]

So if Bill Clinton is in Marathon lore, so are nazis

[green plume]

oh so 1000 years previously in the time line

[craggy finch]

we have the 90s, then massive jump to 2794, that's our gameplay experience

[median hemlock]

it's science fiction set in our future, if you want to be weird about it you can claim any bad thing is "part of the lore" lol

[hollow surge]

Durandal/Thoth could be trying to egg AI's on like he seems to be doing to Runners to see what path they take after having observed it multiple times. But he couldn't escape, I don't know that he believes it's possible and may just be acting cynically

[median hemlock]

has no bearing on anything

[rose bone]

Okay an Idea I have is that Strauss created a mental AI copy of himself hence the excess power usage which then messed with the doors specifically because one of it's core tasks was to run interference against Durandall. This would explain how Durandall could never find Strauss and if this AI Copy was specifically trained on Durandall that it could not only understand how Durandall thought but how it would react therefor giving Strauss the ability to do whatever he plans on doing.

[latent python]

No but the nazis are literally in the game, you talk to them

[dreamy hawk]

In Pathways.

[long oyster]

What’s the lore on Thief being barefoot and having visible toes? 🤤

[craggy finch]

I like how they're all depressed about being ghosts for like half a century and then you meet your squadmates who are all "yoooo bro it's me Frank, sorry I don't have the nuke you can find it on Dave, who's also dead"

[hollow surge]

It's possible he killed Strauss and somehow forgot and that was the final step of spurring him to rampancy, right? He never says he DIDN'T kill him, just that he died before he became hyperintelligent

[latent python]

Bro did you remember we changed the code bro

[hollow surge]

I could be wrong

[craggy finch]

soz see ya later dude

[copper hinge]

seciguchi freak worms (also just like, better grip on climbing things, think those weird ass toe shoes irl)

[rose bone]

That seems really unlikely to me for the sole fact that Strauss is the big if in all of this. Saying he is just dead seems like not just a waste but then very weird why once they moved to making Halo they focused so much on Halsey. It feels like they had massive plans for Strauss.

[craggy finch]

like Raiden in Metal Gear having prosthetic high heel feet

[hollow surge]

He's in all those cryo audio logs, I don't think he has to be alive to be expanded on necessarily

from the ARG

[latent python]

I kinda like Strauss being an anticlimax. He's not the player's big bad, he's Durandal's big bad. Durandal got to deal with him how he liked

[craggy finch]

I think he just couldn't find him right?

you spend two levels trying to and Durandal just stops

[rose bone]

If they did kill him then it would still make sense to me that he copied his consciousness via AI like Halsey and Cortana

[green plume]

he's in the cryo archive frozen

[latent python]

As a compiler

With Tycho's brain

Everything all together

[craggy finch]

Leela's arms

[rose bone]

Okay I am going to play the game for a bit! So feel free to DM me if you wanna pick each other's brains

[vapid pond]

guys, could you ELI5 for the Jarro? Like, bad aliens? Good ones?

[median hemlock]

🤷‍♀️

we really don't know a lot about them

[sage lark]

ancient super advanced alien race that supposedly made themselves dissapear

[latent python]

Smart aliens

[rotund stump]

ohhhhhhhh baby it's time

[latent python]

The smartest

[rotund stump]

5k per archive run's hella expense 😭

[sage lark]

naaah shits cheap

[rotund stump]

well I run like max 2k on every map if not kits LOL

still cheapskating in this economy

[craggy finch]

magic god aliens that warned humanity in the 90s about a sleeping chaos Lovecraft monster and also created the S'pht (the green beam floating aliens)

[sage lark]

a gray m77 is 1,2k

[rotund stump]

I lied not 2k

like max 1.5 while everybody else brings at least 2 lol

[sage lark]

add shields + implants + backpack and youre at 5k easy

blue ofc

[rose bone]

If you are a video guy this is a good start https://youtu.be/eiJA_CAeA7U

[rotund stump]

guess I gotta grind more I suck at racking up creds 😭

[median hemlock]

im in the same boat as you, im ok on gear but i am constantly limping along at sub 5k cash

[vapid pond]

@rose bone @craggy finch τhank you!

[median hemlock]

keep having to buy shields and shit

[sage lark]

jebus

[rose bone]

Of course!

[sage lark]

105k wallet and 173k vault

[median hemlock]

i mean, im not playing the game like a full time job, ofc im not rich lol

jesus

[sage lark]

theres people with 1 mil in wallet

[craggy finch]

dawg I'm never getting out of debt

[median hemlock]

lil bit concerning

[oblique peak]

i thiiiink sparkleaf is an easy barter for them, run sponser get a bunch of leafs n leave

[median hemlock]

yeah ive been bartering here and there, but im trying to save for upgrades x-x

[rose bone]

Between this and One Piece I am glad I am already employed and not in debt

[latent python]

Where can I get those people to carry me

[oblique peak]

plus once you lvl factions a little more you get free shit u can sell if u want, I keep getting free shotguns worth 2k

[craggy finch]

this game is "debt resurrection simulator 2026"

[oblique peak]

just make sure u cash in the free options in teh armory

[median hemlock]

having a loan officer breathing down my neck is probably the most raw part of this game lmao

[craggy finch]

in fact it's basically Cruelty Squad

the undying population, the rampant capitalism, garish colours

[fossil zodiac]

Cruelty Squad mentioned

Gorbino's Quest.

[sage lark]

yoooooo CRYO CODEX ITEMS REVEALED

[craggy finch]

bing qi ling

wo ai bing qi ling

[floral slate]

BOTH FIRE AND CHILLS

[rose bone]

Approach every fight as it going to be unfair. Not in the sense of unbalanced but you need to look for every advantage whether it's height, weapons etc, Know that fighting is not always the play and running is always an option, 3 Don't have gear fear use everything you have in each run "The gear is not yours, it is just your time with it", Finally have fun, communicate, and be nice and you will have fun and not need to be carried most of the time

[sage lark]

and theres sick ass skins too

[oblique peak]

lol everynow and then i can make randoms work with outpost but cryo? nahhhh lol not even risking that random players playstation mic background noise on it

[rose bone]

SHHHHH DON'T TELL THEM YET\

[craggy finch]

I once crew filled into a game where we ended up with three Destroyers in Perimeter and we bee lined towards the Wraith Warden, spent all of our ammunition and health items killing it, then almost died in Hauler before I managed to rezz the other two guys and finally exfilled

[median hemlock]

the #1 thing i notice from people struggling is that they try to take fights like, while in a swamp, or while below a catwalk, shit like that

[digital plaza]

Shit really? Gotta exfil then

[sage lark]

yesssss

[median hemlock]

the TTK is so fast that if you're trying to take fights without somewhere to hide and heal, you're dead for sure

[oblique peak]

yup it's not a BR where you need to wipe the lobby, Avoiding fights sometimes is just smarter especially depending on the positioning and resources

[digital plaza]

Im so mad that i got like 2 purple and 3 blue keys and all of them for dire marsh

😭

[median hemlock]

i have legit shot someone, seen a purple hitmarker, and told my squad "i think we need to leave" at least once

[oblique peak]

https://tenor.com/view/druski-shrug-idk-iono-hands-up-gif-15210906834050864756

[craggy finch]

with extraction shooters the biggest fear is getting bushwhacked from out of nowhere, that was my experience with Hunt: Showdown

[median hemlock]

not that purple/better is unbeatable but when you're 3 bozos with sponsored kits and no meds

[quiet current]

back from my hour long ban for suggesting the shortening “wonky c__k” for wrkncacknter

[median hemlock]

its not ideal

[oblique peak]

when you see that purple shield lol

[fossil zodiac]

Happens in Tarkov often.

[craggy finch]

the mutes hit you hard here

[median hemlock]

if you got muted for it why are you posting it again 😭

[craggy finch]

he censored it to avoid automod

the automod is arcane and ruthless

[coral sleet]

I like the phrase “Workin’ Khakis”

[craggy finch]

you better work

work it girl

[quiet current]

This time I meant wonky COOK ofc

[oblique peak]

My rule in tarkov was to move like someone was always watching, had to relearn it cuz arc is too chill, but play around cover instead of running around (i'm noticing alooooot of people just stomping around, you can hear people before you see them most times)

[median hemlock]

finally. someone got in the kitchen who can cook

[median hemlock]

oh yeah never crouching/walking is the #1 sign of a noob

[coral sleet]

Oh god I’m sorry, I thought I was in the breach protocol channel 😭

[craggy finch]

I like that the slightly more casual approach in Marathon fits the lore; you're in a disposable body so death is less of a hassle than in any other extraction shooter's lore

[digital plaza]

So true, and when you kill them they call you rat or some shi

[median hemlock]

that post would have been wasted on breach protocol rn

[coral sleet]

That’s prob true

[craggy finch]

cyka blyat

[quiet current]

guy who pronounces wrckncacknter the way people from Massachusetts pronounce worcester

[coral sleet]

Need some official Bungo-branded Workin’ Khakis…

[craggy finch]

honestly my solo Marathon experience is that Destroyer Tactical Sprinting lets me avoid most fights, I mostly get bushwhacked trying to take things slow

[inland crypt]

I understood this reference

[floral slate]

random but saw a clip of a cod player playing exactly like this but in resident evil 9 and looked funny

[median hemlock]

solos are a different bag

[fossil zodiac]

Managed to dash around on an assassin and beat them in a knife fight as Destroyer. 😄

[floral slate]

bro was aiming at the windows and shit

[median hemlock]

fights being primarily 1v1s means that positioning > stealth imo, since if someone knows where you are it doesnt matter if you've got the upper hand anyway

[oblique peak]

I saw that rainbow six siege RE9 lol

[cinder onyx]

What free kit will Durandal run when they come for us

[oblique peak]

Resident Evil Six Siege coming SOON

[coral sleet]

So, you guys think the big bad hiding up in the cryo archive is gonna be a compiler?

[floral slate]

rainbow yeah thats what it was

[oblique peak]

No...he's gonna be dead

[rotund stump]

I mean

it does explicitly say "defeat a compiler then exfil" in the s'phticide achievement for cryo skins for every runner 💀

[floral slate]

its gonna drop the cape and reveal its 343 guilty spark

[rotund stump]

cryo tab's out in codex already so

[lunar cove]

I love having blue gear and loading in to a squad with starter kits who immediately sprint to the nearest poi and engage the bots

[oblique peak]

It's gonna unlock a hell based on the arbiter

Shell*

[floral slate]

Its gonna unlock hell 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

[fossil zodiac]

I've yet to load into a trio, all I play is solos. Can't beat the vibe.

[oblique peak]

With no mics, then the one that does is on a ps5 controller as a mic. Or 2 weirdo's in a discord call that don't know push to talk exists

[lunar cove]

Starter kits have an important role though, a basic gun and heals for doing solo quests on dire marsh

[toxic iris]

Imagine clearing Cryo and getting a seventh faction with Durandal, I would be so happy.

[oblique peak]

outposts trios is fun, I love messign with rooks

[floral slate]

we waking up the worcher sauce with this one

[digital plaza]

Damn this things are fire

[coral sleet]

Gosh, spoilers 😜

[fossil zodiac]

I think it's hilarious when people talk about rook on rook violence.

[coral sleet]

Like… dead dead?

[floral slate]

mega deth

[oblique peak]

yup, remember death is the first step

[coral sleet]

😱

[oblique peak]

Killing him starts the mission

[floral slate]

they are gonna sell us a ship for cheap

[coral sleet]

It’s cursed, tho

[rotund stump]

...not really when it's literally the server banner and title art 😭

[digital plaza]

Cool that Strauss is present on all maps in the game in some form (except for Dire Marsh?)

[floral slate]

thats why is cheap

[rotund stump]

strauss is Very dead

I doubt he'd want to get turned into an AI or have a clone of him around given all the speeches and researches he did

[floral slate]

he gonna be hooked up to a wall somewhere in the marton

[oblique peak]

wait until he finds out i'm gonna upload all hiis shit into chat gpt

[floral slate]

i forgot he died already in marton 1 yeah?

[rotund stump]

gakuganji from jjk lookin' ass bro 😭 ✌️

he's like SO dead

[oblique peak]

ima steal his fruitsnacks too\

[digital plaza]

Skins are fire but little goofy too

[floral slate]

bro by this point is probably already a fruitcake

[sage lark]

vandal one goes hard

[rotund stump]

recon's just not there LOL

[oblique peak]

the bp one is, the store one thats red...ehhh

[sage lark]

the cryo one i mean

[floral slate]

there are screenshots of the skins?

[rotund stump]

very smart decision I too would stay Far the Fuck Away from cryo if I was a recon

[oblique peak]

cryo skins....👀

[floral slate]

are they just paint jobs or are like actual modeks

[rotund stump]

#breach-protocol's fiending over the new stuff rn

I mean I like the new skins if not a tiny bit on the nose with the snowflake icon on destroyer lol

[digital plaza]

AI Subroutine chips looks a lot like the one we see in the reveal cinematic

[rotund stump]

but vandal's goes crazy with a mask

[oblique peak]

vandal mask up hol up

shoulda gave a mask to recon too imo

[rotund stump]

oh it's full on remodels oop

so much more tubing compared to the usual tac pouches

[floral slate]

yoooo

i like how they all got colonoscopy tubes and bags lmaoo

[digital plaza]

Why does Thief have ski mask on lool

[rotund stump]

colonoscopy bruh 😭 😭

[floral slate]

jsjsjsjjs

they look like corpses

[digital plaza]

Triage got that Dune Fremen tube in his nose

[floral slate]

hooked up to wires n shit

wonder if this is like, a first timer reward and other skins and stuff are still locked so they arent spoiled

they HAVE to make an alien theme skin right?

[rotund stump]

it's like desecrated mummies in a way if we interpret smth like recon's frontal tubing as...intestines

especially with the skin tones they went with

or ig various cryo themes

[floral slate]

thats why i called them colonoscopy bags yeah

hanging guts

[rotund stump]

mummies to handling personnel and all that

mmhm

[median hemlock]

i got caught off guard by the pods at first

thought briefly they had s'pht in cryo

[dreamy hawk]

Colostomy* bags. A colonoscopy is when a scope gets stuck up your colon.

[willow vessel]

Damn new shells skins look pretty damn cool

[floral slate]

ahhh

yesh that, the mewgenics item

[dreamy hawk]

Sorry. Professionally relevant to me and I’m a pedant. 😂

[digital plaza]

NEW TITLES AND NEW CYAC CRYO ARCHIVE LIMITED CONTRACTS

[floral slate]

understandable

[dreamy hawk]

WOOOO

[dreamy hawk]

The one in #1354446976242028658 or something I game?

[rose bone]

Is cryo lvl 25 with each faction?

[dreamy hawk]

Season level, each faction unlocked, believe.

If anyone sees #breach-protocol find the solution to the new contract up in #1354446976242028658 can you DM me? I’m actually trying to work at work today. nvm it’s all found/old

[rotund stump]

all 5 are old ones I think

loud n clear's a repost

[lunar cove]

Also bungie revealed a 3rd cryo criteria

A cryoteria if you will

5k credit loadout value minimum

[median hemlock]

durandal said "no brokies"

[digital plaza]

In game

[lunar cove]

Which isn't as crazy as it sounds but still sets a baseline of mostly mixed blue/green gear, maybe some very high value grey like the wstr

[digital plaza]

Not released yet

I assume they will be with cryo archive drop

[limber hemlock]

wait, guys. is Aku from Samurai Jack the Compiler?

[lunar cove]

Aku has eyes and a mouth and stuff

Compilers are a brain in a robot torso with a cape

[dreamy hawk]

BAH

[limber hemlock]

(im just messing around, i just have to do something else other than ARG stuff)

[dreamy hawk]

Frog Aku best Aku.

[rose bone]

hrmm I have done all that and it doesn't show up for me

[dreamy hawk]

Oh? I guess I need to stop preferring my free kits lol

[median hemlock]

it isn't out yet

it is in the game but not accessible until more ARG stuff is solved

[dreamy hawk]

Well why haven’t you solved the ARG for us, yet, then?

(/s)

[lunar cove]

Tbh a grey m77 and wstr together are like 65% of the minimum

[sudden pollen]

True

[sage lark]

buying that alone costs you 9k

[sudden pollen]

Also true...

[lunar cove]

So shoot someone and steal it

[sage lark]

true but its not consistent enought to be bare minimum

[dreamy hawk]

I have enough free weapons sitting in the armory that I haven’t claimed from level ups; I’ll be set.

Also does anyone else prefer running free kits? When I lose I’m not sad, and when I stomp I really do feel like God.

[median hemlock]

too busy getting reply pinged by 5 people in breach protocol because they saw a trans flag in bio and locked onto me

💤

[median hemlock]

depends on the map

[copper hinge]

Only on outpost and perimeter tbh, outpost free kits are essentially a coupon for someone else's gear but I refuse to step foot in dire marsh without a longshot or some kind of long range

[median hemlock]

dire marsh i don't have much luck running sponsored

[fossil zodiac]

I think I have three different bullies, all kitted in different ways. Gonna take the suppressed one for a whirl.

[copper hinge]

if you don't have at least one sniper on marsh you're playing at a disadvantage

[median hemlock]

i don't need a longshot but i do at least want a repeater or hardline for marsh

[fossil zodiac]

BR33, even?

[median hemlock]

eh, br33 is great but not what i'm looking for for really long distance fights

its a good backup for when someone closes the gap tho

[fossil zodiac]

Actually yeah, hardline definitely works better. Never touched the longshot I have, just been putting mods on it.

[zenith belfry]

Anyone making progress on cryo archive?

[sudden pollen]

I do yeah, especially on dire marsh rn I've been losing inv after inv of my best gear 😭 🥀

[sage lark]

cant run free kits cuz my shit is full

[split zinc]

Guys, I have an important question. How tf am I suppose to hear shell's voice lines? I'm playing solo Recon and hear nothing. I only can hear voice lines from party members. Also I saw that Rook voice lines almost everything. Haven't tested that yet

[weak canopy]

Someone at Bungie is very sad that KAAL1 got renamed Bingus, I assume.

[inland crypt]

If I rook/free kit on marsh, I focus 1-2 poi then extract

Most times its just 1 poi

[latent python]

Wait a minute, something is just clicking

[mossy merlin]

Didn't know what i need to go and how many % are thé progress

[dire heath]

how to do duos?

[weak canopy]

Next week on permitter I think

[dire heath]

oh i see

[weak canopy]

I was wrong, it's tomorrow on perimeter, lasting for 2 weeks to test it out

[dire heath]

oh tommorw? normal time?

[weak canopy]

https://discordapp.com/channels/1303855380845301861/1475611837910356132/1483198271538073872
10am PT

[rocky depot]

so what's the explanation behind weapon skins magically changing to whatever I've equipped whenever I pick a weapon off the ground

[proud fog]

destiny ghost is following you and it reskins the gun in ur hands

[dreamy hawk]

If I use good shit, I die to two different squads, usually in the first 60 seconds or so.

[dreamy hawk]

Anomaly nonsense.

[weak canopy]

There is none, but it's not hard to picture that the paint itself is reactive to ownership, like when you sign into a phone and it syncs with your account. The only reason you can't make it look like whatever you want is because your not licensed to.

[rocky depot]

should everyone just stick with default weapon skins for maximum immersion purposes

[median hemlock]

cool vibes and aura

[dreamy hawk]

🤷 it’s a game; not every mechanic is going to be the most immersive as far as world building goes imo.

[fossil zodiac]

You think drinkable pizza is a thing?

[dreamy hawk]

God I hope so.

Especially if it’s laced, too.

I mean. Uh.

[latent python]

All the weapons are a flat grey and skins are just an AR program in your brain that makes it appear different

[fossil zodiac]

NuCal hittin' different today.

[zenith belfry]

It's in the game, we have to figure out how to get in

[dreamy hawk]

@median hemlock I haven’t read it but someone mentioned one of the logs suggest there’s magic mushrooms or similar in the burgers.

[latent python]

This is also how it basically works IRL I guess

[sage lark]

there is

[copper hinge]

the keys probably don't have anything to do with it right? I have a purple and a gold one and idk if its rooms or like a lab card a la tarkov

[dreamy hawk]

NuCal knows what’s up.

[latent python]

It says something about psilocybin compounds in the burgers

Unclear whether they're actually psychoactive or just mushroom substitutes

[dreamy hawk]

There was never any P’fhor invasion or anomaly. Everyone is just high af and tripping like Jamestown.

[fossil zodiac]

Probably just substitutes I'd assume.

[median hemlock]

i'd imagine it isn't psychoactive and more of a cost saving measure

[dreamy hawk]

Ergot poisoning move over. -NuCal, probably.

[fossil zodiac]

Explains everyhing. Tau Ceti just had some poisoned crops.

[dreamy hawk]

Also I wonder if the fungus is a nod to early colonies and ergot positioning…

[latent python]

That exploding dude just had a really bad tummyache

[weak canopy]

I think the keys are needed after it unlocks. Progress can be checked on https://cryoarchive.systems/

[fossil zodiac]

Yeah the colonists just trippin'

[torpid ingot]

shoulda taken some pepto

[valid arch]

i think tau ceti might've been made by aliens

[zenith belfry]

Yeah unfortunately they are just keys for rooms, the only ones I think actually may having something to do with it is the marathon yellow/prestige keys

[fossil zodiac]

You're made by aliens. (jk).

[torpid ingot]

you dont know it yet but you arent joking

[weak canopy]

Here's just the unlocked lore and progress of the ARG
https://marathon.winnower.garden/cryoarchive

[fossil zodiac]

Uh oh. 👀

[terse wren]

Trippin into the bingus dimension

[dreamy hawk]

What a URL.

[rotund stump]

uh

ig getting rods from perimeter also counts for cutthroat competition

lmao

[dreamy hawk]

How do you imagine?

[fossil zodiac]

"Man what a crazy trip, it felt like I wasn't in my own body..."

[torpid ingot]

gut feeling lmao

[elfin goblet]

This arg confusing

[latent python]

Halo was the one with a lot of seeded life, right

[weak canopy]

Some guy dug into the API data from cryoarchive.systems, the official site

[lunar cove]

Marathon had some level of precursor genetic engineering with the s'pht

[latent python]

As far as we know jjaro didn't show up and seed life on earth too

[dreamy hawk]

All that URL is missing is maybe a Halo or a Myth reference.

[rotund stump]

oh wait I'm stupid vulcan WOULD be the lion

[dreamy hawk]

But only the S’pht that we know of. The Jjaro didn’t seed life like the Forerunners post Halo-activation as far as we know. But we do know they left their trash everywhere.

[rotund stump]

I just realized where all that wiring goes to LOL

[sudden pollen]

Same in solos, player density is too high

[dreamy hawk]

Both are Vulcan, technically.

[rotund stump]

I mean yeah but like metaphorically in the context of how she presents herself

[dreamy hawk]

Honestly just revert the sound back; I felt like it was OK before everyone could hear cross map.

[rotund stump]

the lion's hooked up to the puppet via receptors on the lion's head into the thingy on the puppet's chest

[latent python]

Though I suppose the jjaro uhhhh chucking a whole w'rkncacnter at earth so that the dinosaurs all die and mammals become the new dominant kingdom might count

[latent python]

I've been saying this

[rotund stump]

chase too their name's literally vulcan's lion 💀

I say metaphorically cuz that's a male lion technically

big ass mane

[dreamy hawk]

Did they do that or was it an accident tho?

[rotund stump]

The Lion Does Not Concern Itself with Gender

[dreamy hawk]

But if they did then I’d count it.

[latent python]

Gotta change it to vulcan's little orange puppet

[rotund stump]

lel

[latent python]

Ummm I mean they could pretend it was on purpose

[median hemlock]

pretty sure it crash landed on earth as a matter of random chance after it got btfo

[sudden pollen]

It did get lessened today, so hopefully that helps a bit

[rotund stump]

idk it's just funny cuz oni explicitly referred to vulcan as female but she has a male lion 😭

oh PiD lore?

[median hemlock]

but also marathon retcons itself with each successive game so that could change lol

[craggy finch]

yeah it was some kind of cosmic battle but the Jjaro weren't mentioned there

Jjaro may not even be that old

[latent python]

Were the battles waves

[weak canopy]

marathon.shiver.tctf.vrenna.yucatan.flood.winnower.garden
think I got em all

[median hemlock]

.bees

[bronze jetty]

.cat.worm

[median hemlock]

if you wanna get REALLY into the weeds throw .crete on there

[eternal shell]

dont forget gnop

[weak canopy]

I always forget gnop

[lunar cove]

I like how the cables can be viewed as computer wires, shackles, a harness, etc in equal measure

[eternal shell]

i said dont!

[weak canopy]

I played it on a Performa back in the day

[lunar cove]

It makes sense that Traxus would keep their AI on a literal and figurative leash

[median hemlock]

lmfao yeah

nothing bad ever happens to traxus branded synthetic intelligences

[dreamy hawk]

We can get real obscure, what about Crimson?

[copper hinge]

has anyone made a system similar to the Ishtar collective for Marathon codex entries yet

[dreamy hawk]

https://bungie.fandom.com/wiki/Crimson:_Steam_Pirates
technically not a Bungie title but kinda.

[dreamy hawk]

Codex.cyberacme.systems

[sage lark]

https://codex.cyberacme.systems/?directory=World,Outpost

[dreamy hawk]

It’s still a WIP and not perfect but the dev is working on it nearly daily.

[copper hinge]

huzzah

[rotund stump]

bungie aerospace would be so funny if they actually worked on planes

[dreamy hawk]

And they’re around if you wanna ping them; they like feedback on making it more useful.

.svg is our chosen one.

[dreamy hawk]

Just steam ships.

[sand pawn]

So I started playing the original Marathons since they are free to play and I love it you guys need to try it. Def old but its great lore. Might stream it sometime

[dreamy hawk]

This is the way!

[sage lark]

no I dont believe you

it cant be

[devout moth]

So I have been reading bit of lore. Is MIDA good guys or the bad guys ?

[dreamy hawk]

No one is the good guys.

[sage lark]

there is no good or bad guys

[sand pawn]

I like to think MIDA as like the American colonists back in the day lol

[dreamy hawk]

Everyone has committed atrocities in the name of their cause.

[sage lark]

I dont see it

wait actually maybe

[sand pawn]

UESC started treating mars like crap didnt care much about them once the CRISTs fell apart

[sage lark]

id say Independence war yes

[craggy finch]

MIDA took over then lasted three months during which they killed 10% of the Mars population

[devout moth]

But clearly MIDA is better than down right evil trillion dollar orgs right. They was made due to result of a hunger revolt. People love underdogs

[lunar cove]

Mida are complicated in a different direction to the corps

[dreamy hawk]

No. lol

[latent python]

MIDA's atrocities are...more in the past than some of the others?

[fallen sage]

anyone noticed in the short cinematic, the pic of Vandal and Assassin as a kid were the same?

[latent python]

That's the best I got

[craggy finch]

_gantry's MIDA is also a splinter faction

[sage lark]

all the factions are nuanced

you could say some are more evil than others

[devout moth]

So Mida is not "common people" of Mars.

[craggy finch]

theories are that memories are fake or Vandal switched to Asssassin shell or both

[dreamy hawk]

Yes and no.

[latent python]

MIDA might not be the anything of Mars any more

[fallen sage]

oh damn, I was thinking that the shells were based on 1 person and the shells represent the different personalities

[dreamy hawk]

MIDA is an antiestablishment group that does antiestablishment things. Past that we don’t know a whole ton.

[craggy finch]

Their dossiers mention quite a few cells, like some groups Orion fought

[sage lark]

no

[sage lark]

like some groups Orion slept with

[sand pawn]

MIDA likes to ruffle the status quo

[dreamy hawk]

I want Orion to… nvm

[sage lark]

...

[craggy finch]

ATTENTION RUNNER

[dreamy hawk]

THAT VOICE IS JUST TOO DAMN NICE OKAY? I’m but a weak man.

[rotund stump]

oh if only I could see his head smashed in by the specimen

[sage lark]

different strokes for different folks

[latent python]

There's a reading of OG Marathon lore that MIDA's ambitions were always bigger than Mars

[sage lark]

shit sounded like his spine was ripped out

[craggy finch]

they were the ones who smuggled the weapons and Mjolnir

[rotund stump]

yowch

[latent python]

Yep

[dreamy hawk]

Which log?

[rotund stump]

I mean

honestly deserved lol

[rotund stump]

volatile specimen

[sage lark]

TRUTH/LIES 5/6?

I think

[rotund stump]

yeah that

[dreamy hawk]

I think presumably iirc, not definitively.

[rotund stump]

strauss was a mida spy no?

went into hiding after the roids got found out

[dreamy hawk]

The TRUTH/LIES are of course bugged on the codex site. 😭

[dreamy hawk]

Maybe? An affiliate? A leader? An operative? A sympathizer?

[dreamy hawk]

He just kinda dies off screen in the OG games.

[craggy finch]

he notably calls Deimos a moon when lore establishes the UESC pulled legal strings to get it declassified as a moon

[dreamy hawk]

It’s canonical he thinks the UESC are idiots and he doesn’t like them.

[latent python]

And so if you subscribe to the "MIDA is an ancient secret society" reading, they used their time in charge of Mars to set up their position to get the Marathon built, and Strauss and Durandal and the mjolnir on it

[dreamy hawk]

Thank heaven, the ceremony is over. The UESC president came aboard Marathon and gave a speech. Short, but to the point. He was surrounded by his 'bodyguards'. How ironic. "This, the grandest technological achievement of all of mankind..."

Had he only known that it carried also all of the destructive knowledge of mankind. Ten cyborgs.

I'll be glad to be put in stasis for the next three hundred years. Marathon was the only good idea that the UESC has had in a long time.

[dreamy hawk]

Which would make some sense because there’s no way they just let all of those opportunities slip through their fingers.

I may not be a MIDA stan but I don’t think they’re that incompetent.

[craggy finch]

They also notably avoided the Marathon during their brief regime

[latent python]

And then they set up cells on TCIV to loosen the corp and UESC grasp on the colony and its resources??

[dreamy hawk]

Notably didn’t even seem to consider its existence in their orbit. Like they just forgot about it.

[latent python]

Who knows what they're doing

[tranquil basin]

That one og art of the SO holding an alien spine or whatever is one of the hardest images of all time

[sage lark]

it really is

[craggy finch]

the first image I ever saw of Marathon

set the tone really

[sage lark]

the one with the spnkr too

[tranquil basin]

Yeah it’s v cool

[dreamy hawk]

One idea is that Strauss was going to help lead a MIDA coup. Another is that Strauss was just going to kill everyone with a rampant Durandal, but that doesn’t seem his speed. Not sure why’d he go along for that.

[tranquil basin]

Goes so hard. I thought about trying to recreate it in blender bc I was trying to learn blender

But i haven’t gone back to it

[latent python]

Maybe we're on MIDA plan B or plan P or whatever

[sage lark]

I reckon we will know when we get Strauss's notes

[digital plaza]

https://youtu.be/xxvbI7ugKeo

[tranquil basin]

Yeah Craig Mullins is insane

If I’m not mistaken, I’m pretty sure he was doing like fan art for m1

And then Bungie was like ayo this is sick, come do art for us

[wary pike]

i dont actually like the craig mullens look

[dreamy hawk]

I can’t listen to these as easily at work. 😂 But on the bus ride home I will for sure.

[wary pike]

i like it for the original marathon game

[elfin dagger]

Is it just me or has anyone else notice that there aren't any real humans in orbit on TCIV

The corp reps are clearly AI, and there doesn't seem to be any real human(s) in charge of the UESC operation either.

[wary pike]

but I like this new style better

its why i bought it

[digital plaza]

You still can read the text 😊

[dreamy hawk]

UESC has some human crew with them.

[tranquil basin]

It definitely conflicts with the new style yeah, and I’m a fan of both, but I get it

[dreamy hawk]

But that’s too smart for me. ❤️

[elfin dagger]

where so far it's reobots and the AI operator that warns you

[dreamy hawk]

(I did subscribe tho!!!)

[tranquil basin]

Sorta. Orion is a human in a shell, and there are human squads mentioned in the codex

[dreamy hawk]

I think @sage lark has something they can point to, but @digital plaza do you?

[tranquil basin]

Also _gantry isn’t AI, and Charter isn’t AI either, they’re in shells

[digital plaza]

ganry is human, Orion and Charter are runners, UESC got people onboard of equanimity

[idle kayak]

it's ai all the way down, runners are totally forked ai

[tranquil basin]

Equanimity didn’t arrive though, they probably just sent extra ppl

[tranquil basin]

Well maybe but if it was just ai, they wouldn’t be getting people to give up their bodies and get into shells

[digital plaza]

https://youtu.be/mesp1aqi1JI , https://youtu.be/ZdxqTTM_DnI

[elfin dagger]

ahh ok I missed this part completely

[digital plaza]

• text log from traxus final contracts

[tranquil basin]

Yeah they’re hidden. A lot of info is just pieced together bc they don’t explicitly say a lot

Which I like

[digital plaza]

Maybe

[elfin dagger]

because i kept wondering where all the infrastructoree for these runners are coming from, I guess the corps are just jhacking these bays and sending runners to the surface, but that does begs the question how can they do that so easily if there are humans on bords operating the ship?

[tranquil basin]

I mean the doc in the arg said it’s not expected to arrive until 2894

[digital plaza]

No confirmation/any hint on that tho

[tranquil basin]

Also they had mjolnirs on board supposedly

[elfin dagger]

also we don't know the rrange of the teleporter system

might be the reason we can only be on the surface for 20 minutes

[tranquil basin]

Well they also, presumably, have FTL travel now

The surface thing seems to be a mix of anomaly messing with the consciousness ejection signal and also degradation of the runner shells

Which doesn’t seem to be a normal trait of the shells. They normally last a lot longer but the anomaly be making them fall apart faster

[digital plaza]

Expected, maybe it arrived sooner with some help from new ships or something like that, its best to assume that UESC deploys from it considering how vast their operation is

[elfin dagger]

that might be th emore logical answer, the anomoly is certainly having some sorta entropy effect

[median hemlock]

its stated at some point that the atmospheric conditions cause a lot of interference, hence the short windows to infil and exfil

I'm sure the anomaly is part of that

[tranquil basin]

I mean maybe but the manifest also didn’t have nearly that many resources and bots aboard. If they have ftl now then they could send way more people and deploy from way more ships

[median hemlock]

I don't think we have FTL travel yet but I also don't think anything has outright said we don't

[digital plaza]

No its not that, i dont remember where or what its called but its something something anomaly you cant stay on the planet or you will lose connection to your shell

[lunar cove]

I read a traxus entry that heavily implies there's no official corporate ship in the system, but they have FTL comms and matter transmission

[tranquil basin]

Yeah it could be the time dilation, or some other anomaly effect that causes lingering deterioration

[elfin dagger]

I got the vibe that the Equanimity is the vanguard/scout mission

[lunar cove]

Cyberacme might have an active presence though