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 Dante.StarCraft Norway. August 15 2011 01:20. Posts 65 | Profile # |
Like many of you, I am eagerly awaiting Heart of the Swarm. Like a smaller amount of you, I've speculated on where the story might go, and have made some larger and some smaller observations, which has lead to more questions than answers. Hell, I don't think I have any answers. What I do have is a lot of talking points, and anyone interested in debating them shall be free to do so. Naturally, there will be spoilers for Wings of Liberty here, but keep this free of discussing the HOTS leaked ending, please, as I haven't seen it. If it's vital, at least use the spoiler code.
Beware, there are some tiny details here, so it might come of as extremely nerdy. Also, this is long, but I personally think there's a lot of interesting stuff here.
THE ARTIFACT
On the Blizzcon 2010 lore panel, lead writer Brian Kindregan was asked about how an artifact as ancient as the one used by Raynor and the Dominion could possibly have the effect it had on Kerrigan, considering she was born after its creation. The whole thing seemed like a bit too convenient and a bit like a deus ex machina, the guy asking the question said, to which Kindregan answered, "That sounds remarkably convenient, doesn't it? I wonder if it has occurred to you that the transformation might be a by-product of something else, a side effect, of something else the artifact is doing?" Naturally, he didn't say much else, but it's definitely something to speculate over. What could he be referring to?
Hanson says adjacent Protoss would be killed by the artifact. Warfield says it pulses on a subsonic frequency (or, in other words, a sound too low for humans to pick up), and Hanson also mentions that the crew has heard voices aboard the Hyperion. Could it possibly be a communicating device which affect mainly Zerg and Protoss; perhaps even providing a directive for Kerrigan similar to the one given the Overmind? Quote, Heart of the Swarm preview page: "Is she still pursuing her quest for vengeance, or has her transformation given Kerrigan a new purpose?" It is worth mentioning that Raynor gets the information about retrieving the device from the Moebius Foundation, lead by a certain Narud, whose namesake Duran might have some Xel'Naga or Dark Voice connection.
KERRIGAN
Kerrigan is the main character in Heart of the Swarm, so naturally she needs to be discussed. She has become human again, although she still has those Zerg dreads, and is able to control certain parts of the Swarm. Earlier this year, a lot of sites got to visit Blizzard to see part of the expansion, and Dustin Browder and co teased a lot about why this would be the case, naturally not revealing anything resembling an answer. There are a few guesses to be made, though, if you just look really closely.
First of all, Kerrigan is now wearing a ghost suit. Where did she get this? It is doubtful she was carrying it around before becoming human again. Did she find it? Steal it? Did someone give it to her? Hard to say. I did stumble upon a small detail in one of the screenshots, though. First of all, there is something resembling Zerg cages there, which might indicate that someone is doing experiments on them similar to the ones we saw on Castanar. Now, where is this place, exactly? It is clearly an installation, but the tiles used does not exist on the Castanar tileset in the map editor, which might suggest Blizzard made another tileset for another place. The video also shows zerglings. I mention this because, in WoL, the upgrade videos would use the environment units were first found in (Marauders on Monlyth, for example). Zerglings being an early unit can suggest that this installation is the first place we visit in HOTS. Also, this.
There are other clues that might suggest this. On the HOTS preview page, under the missions section, it says that "Kerrigan returns to Char determined to reunite the Swarm under her control". "Returns"? As in, she left? During the preview, Blizzard mentioned that the bit the press got to see took place some 4-6 missions into the campaign. Do we start on a foreign place, stay there for 3 missions, and then head to Char? It's not exactly impossible, is it?
MENGSK & MENGSK
Wings of Liberty introduced a new Mengsk, more specifically Valerian, the son of Arcturus. He introduced himself as someone dissimilar to his father, and as a possible permanent ally to Raynor. Indeed, when the latter confronts Arcturus aboard the Bucephalus, Valerian says, "Everything I could have hoped for". What, he wants his father dead? But what is really going on?
First, it is important noting that Narud, whose name, as you all know, spells "Duran" backwards (technically it's "duraN", but never mind that), is the leader of the Moebius Foundation. Does Valerian exactly who he is employing, or is he perhaps an unwilling tag-along? Whatever the case is, there is more going on than what first might appear to be the case.
Now, are the Mengsk opposed, or just pretending? Let's examine this by looking at Tychus. At first he is released by Arcturus, but before he meets up with Raynor, he comes in contact with Moebius. How did this happen? He just stumbled upon them? He claims they helped him escape prison, but we later learn that this is a lie, since he is released by Arcturus in exchange for working with him. This observation makes me lean in favor of the two Mengsk only putting on a show, and in reality being allies.
However, there is something else to consider, more specifically the fact that the first artifact we retrieve, we steal from the Dominion. Think about that for a second. The Moebius Foundation, lead by Valerian Mengsk, wants you to get an artifact from the very empire that is lead by his father. He couldn't just ask? If he has an agenda other than his father, then no. This again makes me lean towards them working against each other.
Of course, there might be the possibility that the Dominion character who is digging on Mar Sara isn't either Mengsk, but someone like Warfield (it's probably not Kate Lockwell). Here, I'm stepping towards some extreme and unlikely speculation. Even more unlikely is it that it is not Mengsk on Castanar, but Warfield here too. Oh, let's move on.
DURAN/NARUD
Duran didn't make any direct appearances in WoL, but his namesake Narud did. Kerrigan says she has seen through his "pathetic charade", so obviously, she has amnesia in HOTS ("What was I like? I can remember so little"). Simultaneously, Zeratul seems to have struck the virus, as he can't remember Duran creating Hybrids ("Who created this atrocity?"). But are Duran and Narud the same person? It seems likely, though it is possible that they are in fact two persons (if such a word as "person" can be used) working together. What is more interesting to debate is why he is putting himself so on in the open. Yes, he changed his appearance (or did he simply possess someone else?), but he could have changed his name to something that can't be traced back to him. This one had me scratching my head for a while, and the best explanation I could come up with, was that he is deliberately trying to draw attention to himself, for reasons I can't give, as I really don't know why he would do that. But it seems reasonable. In the Dark Origin mission, he showed that he was not afraid to reveal himself and his plan to Zeratul, which says a lot about how dangerous and/or confident he is.
Something else I've been speculating, is Duran saying that he "has had many names throughout the millennia". Could he be have been someone we know of already, like Adun? Secondly, if Narud and Duran are the same, does that mean we are selling protoss and zerg research to him in WoL? Because Narud seems perfectly happy to pay for that if you finish all the research options.
MISCELLEANOUS
The last observation is this: If you pause the teaser trailer for HOTS in the beginning, like this, it clearly shows the bottom of this. Speculate on that, if you will. |
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 carloselcoco United States. August 15 2011 01:49. Posts 2096 | Profile Blog # | |
| | http://www.twitch.tv/carloselcoco/b/296431601 <------Suscribe! Casts in Spanish :) |||| http://www.twitch.tv/carloselcoco/b/300285215<----- CSL: Before Sunday! Episode 3! | |
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| Dante.StarCraft Norway. August 15 2011 02:02. Posts 65 | Profile # |
| Isn't that the yeti in the Kaldir mission? |
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 Urielnam Israel. August 15 2011 02:39. Posts 51 | Profile Blog # |
Good solid read,
I have some to contribute on the matter, but let me collect my thought first.
In the meanwhile, may I suggest some questions?
Have you read the books?
How much can we (you, me and everyone chatting here) may go into book lore?
One of the biggest questions for a start is how cannon the secret mission in BW is.
When I played BW I felt that the mission is the link to the next part of the story but so far we haven't seen much like. In addition, in the end of BW it is said that Kerrigan can feel something sinister, if I understand it correctly, it is why she stopped decimating the Terrans and the Protoss at the end of BW. |
| | Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment | |
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| Dante.StarCraft Norway. August 15 2011 03:05. Posts 65 | Profile # |
I have read Uprising, the DT trilogy, Queen of Blades, and Nova. Anyone can go into the lore of the books as they please.
I'd say Dark Origin is quite canon. There is a secret mission in WoL too, that seems to be connected. The Duran/Narud thing is a solid indicator anyone hasn't "forgotten" about this plotline. |
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 SeaSwift Scotland. August 15 2011 07:11. Posts 3920 | Profile Blog # |
| Very well written, I'm impressed. None of your speculation seems illogical, and it all sounds very plausible. Got me hyped for HotS! |
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 Dragom August 15 2011 07:28. Posts 192 | Profile # |
| wait is that the UED sign or something??? |
| | "The second thing to go is your memory...ergh, I can't remember what the first thing is..." |
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 jonaada Iceland. August 15 2011 08:04. Posts 49 | Profile # |
I think you might be right.
In this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_GBELBDfe4
at 0:58, Kerrigan needs to collect Yeti DNA, which is a strong indicator that she´s gonna integrate the Yeti´s into her swarm.Last edit: 2011-08-15 08:05:17 |
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 FeiLing Germany. August 15 2011 08:29. Posts 381 | Profile # |
She collects Yeti DNA to make the swarm more resistant against the cold on that planet. Remember WoL? You were collecting Zerg "DNA" (research) in every mission for the SP too.
Interesting read on the OP. |
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 DarthXX Australia. August 15 2011 10:31. Posts 912 | Profile # |
On August 15 2011 07:28 Dragom wrote:
wait is that the UED sign or something???
It's the symbol of the terran dominion |
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| Urielnam Israel. August 15 2011 13:35. Posts 51 | Profile Blog # |
| The UED are all dead, I doubt we'll see them again as some part of the main plot. |
| | Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment | |
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| Dante.StarCraft Norway. August 15 2011 16:38. Posts 65 | Profile # |
Yes, the sign is for the Dominion (I'm guessing the cinematic takes place on Char, inside Warfield's fortress). Edit: Looking at the cinematic again made me realize something, more specifically Nova's troops are clearly shown killing fellow There there. Why would they do that inside an allied base? Remember, Nova is of the Dominion. I'm guessing the presence of Raynor explains that.
The only UED reference I can remember in WoL is the Spartan Company.
Anyone who hasn't read any of the previews of Heart of the Swarm are highly recommended to do so. There is a ton of info there. I've hotlinked some below for ease of finding:
* Team Liquid
* Giantbomb
* SC Legacy
* Wellplayed
* IGN
* GamePro
* Gameinformer
And, of course, the official site.Last edit: 2011-08-15 16:45:08 |
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| ZergOwaR Norway. August 15 2011 16:40. Posts 250 | Profile # |
| well.. the UED batalion that was sent to the sector is no more.. i have a strange feeling that someone called the united earth directive (or something) didn't send its entire armada to the sector. Though still unlikely that they will make a comeback |
| | dig dig dig dig dig dig die! |
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| Urielnam Israel. August 15 2011 17:21. Posts 51 | Profile Blog # |
Dante, the dominion is still receiving orders from Acturus, and he still wants Kerrigan dead. I'm assuming he wants Nova to assassinate Kerrgian in her Human form.
Also, I've found this picture
http://sonsofthestorm.com/viewer.php?artist=raneman&cat=starcraft&art=18
titled "De-Zergified."
I think this is where HotS will start. Kerrigan will be in some facility after the events of WoL where she is under Raynor's supervision with the dominion trying to finish what they started (with Findly.) |
| | Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment | |
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| Dante.StarCraft Norway. August 15 2011 17:26. Posts 65 | Profile # |
On August 15 2011 17:21 Urielnam wrote:
Dante, the dominion is still receiving orders from Acturus, and he still wants Kerrigan dead. I'm assuming he wants Nova to assassinate Kerrgian in her Human form.
Yeah, I know.
I think you're right. I linked to another picture, more specifically this, which seems to be the same room ("Kerrigan's cell"). If you go to the official HOTS preview page, there's a cool flash effect added to the picture. |
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| BPkad United Kingdom. August 15 2011 19:35. Posts 3 | Profile # |
correct me if i'm wrong but raynor and warfield are relatively friendly with each other after the missions on char, and Valerian specifically stated that he wanted to "reform" kerrigan, so could Arcturus not be sending nova & co to eliminate warfield and valerian who were still working with raynor?
if you think along those lines then valerian raynor and warfield have the remains of the fleet they took to char, competent commanders, and if they fortified a base on char then any dominion attacks would have the zerg survivors to deal with as well, kerrigan would also be in their hands and so Arcturus would send Nova after her which would possibly allow kerrigan to escape from raynor and valerian. which would fit in with the "first mission is a hero accompanied by a small force of basic units"
how that idea would fit with Narud/duran i don't know but kerrigan and raynor could patch up there disagreements and later in the campaign you could command some of valerian/raynor's forces
please excuse my first post rambling but thats my ideas |
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| Dante.StarCraft Norway. August 15 2011 20:19. Posts 65 | Profile # |
| It's not entirely implausible. There is a three-way conflict going on. Warfield is cleansing Char of Zerg, which Kerrigan probably doesn't like, but Warfield seems to now be an ally of Raynor, who in turns has ties to Kerrigan. |
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| Urielnam Israel. August 16 2011 02:20. Posts 51 | Profile Blog # |
I don't think Arcturus would send assassin's after his own son. He goes to some extreme measures to make sure he survives, I don't think it's gonna change now.In one of the videos I saw at sclegacy.com Kerrigan said (when she was on char, looking at Warfield's HQ)
+ Show Spoiler +Clicking on Warfields HQ (Before finishing War for the Brood)
Kerrigan: Soon, the Terrans will be gone from Char. One less barrier between me and Arcturus Mengsk.
Clicking on Warfields HQ (After finishing War for the Brood)
Kerrigan: Do you feel safe in there Warfield? It's nothing personal but you are standing between me and Arcturus Mengsk. And that's a very bad place to be.
also, the sclegacy have a lot of stuff not shown in other places...
http://sclegacy.com/feature/3-events/1016-may-2011-hots-gameplay-info |
| | Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment | |
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| GreatFluke Canada. August 16 2011 02:27. Posts 31 | Profile Blog # |
| I think that even though Warfield and Raynor were getting pretty friendly on Char, Warfield's still going to be loyal to the Dominion (or more specifically Valerian). He might do Raynor a favour or two like help him escape from Char or something later on, but he won't change his allegiance now that the Zerg are at their weakest. |
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| Smajdalf21 Czech Republic. August 16 2011 15:54. Posts 26 | Profile # |
| Raynor seems to be a bit sad character, being betrayed by those he help and believe. i can almost feel he is gonna help push Arcturus down the throne for Valerian just to become a refugee again and start a new revolution against Valerian after some time. feel sorry for him in advance |
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