Spiral Knights - The Core; not so sealed?

The Core; not so sealed?

37 replies [Last post]

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 15:43

Guyinshinyarmour

http://i.imgur.com/id076.png

As I was wasting time, waiting for the arena to turn up, a thought struck me. Notice how on the gate map, the Core has that white checkered pattern? Does anyone else recognize that aesthetic? Why, it's a spitting image of Sanctuary.

Is Sanctuary actually located somewhere in the Core, and as it turns out, the only way to get in is through Shadow Lairs or a direct invitation from whatever is inside it? It would explain how Alpha disappeared other than "I dunno, they must be in the Core because they aren't anywhere else" *and* explain why the knights at the terminal have no idea how to get in (seriously, go talk to them; they really have no idea other than a guess about minerals). Alpha could be reasoned to know about Shadow Lairs since they were a fighting team, but knowing how to open the Core? Not so likely.

I posit that Alpha were taken by the Swarm instead, and the only reason we aren't taken too at the end of a Lair is because the Core itself brings us into it. It would also explain why the alchemy machine is so powerful. It's wired directly into the heart of the world.

Or am I just crazy? Perhaps there's already a thread about this and no one cares? >_>

TL;DR:
Stop moaning about how the core hasn't been opened. It's been open for months.

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 15:51

Darkbrady

If Sanctuary is the core then

If Sanctuary is the core then where are Alpha? Just gobbled up by the Sanctuary and dead to the world? Or is there a deeper level to it?

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 15:54

Guyinshinyarmour

See paragraph 2. The Swarm got to them before the Core. Hell, literally the only thing that says they're in the core is Leftenant Vaelyn, and she's only guessing they're there.

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 15:57

Guyinshinyarmour

...That's merely the outside of the core. You sure you're talking about the right file?

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 15:57

Darkbrady

Well what do you mean by "got

Well what do you mean by "got them"? reckon the swarm just gobbled them up, and they're dead and gone forever? or that they're still, somehow, rescue-able from somewhere/anywhere?

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 16:03

Guyinshinyarmour

I dunno, I'm not the storywriter. There's literally no evidence to say if they're alive or dead, but plenty to suggest that just maybe, they didn't get sealed in the core, but rather something else happened. You'd think if they voluntarily went into the Core, they'd have left *anything* behind to tell the rest of the Order how to get in.

I think it makes a bit more sense that the Swarm either killed or captured them instead of the Core, since it seems pretty benevolent. It doesn't help how the Echo Stones kinda suggest it's the Core speaking to you. I won't say too much else about that, but you can read them on the wiki if you're curious.

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 16:20

Xylka-Mkii

Yeah, you'll need the client

Yeah, you'll need the client to see it... >.>

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 16:53

Guyinshinyarmour

Yep, still not there. Can you upload the file somewhere?

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 17:05

Ginungagap

Oh....

Oh man. That was spoilertastic! :O

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 17:09

Guyinshinyarmour

Spoiler? Most of this is supposition. None of it is confirmed. Now, if a GM came in and permabanned me while screaming "HAO U NO WAT WE DOOOO" there'd be grounds for that.

If you mean when it comes to what's at the end of shadow lairs, I'm pretty sure the statue of limitations has passed on spoilers for it. They've been out for months.

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 17:16

#10

Happyapathy

somethings

1. I can't find the find the model Xylka is referring too, that can't be good :s

2. OOO generally does not appreciate people posting things they haven't released yet and are quite proactive at taking leaked game material off the forum, I make a point to avoid 'spoilers' when I make Spiral Spy scenes

3. I've personally decided not to speculate whats in the core, people have given suggestions to OOO about what it should be, like Tier 4 bosses or a portal to other places, but in the end it's OOO's game and I'll let them do what they want cause its their vision and brainchild

4. OOO probably already decided what is in the Core since the day SK was released, like writing a story its very easy to formulate a beginning (crash landing on Cradle) and an ending (entering the Core, maybe?), its what goes in between that's hard. As such they probably have set in stone what will be there and any sort of suggesting what they should do with it is likely pointless.

I know your post is speculation, not suggesting, but I would just like to say some of my thoughts.

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 19:37

#11

Guyinshinyarmour

*Sigh*

Sod it, I just want to know if it discredits this theory. A simple yes/no will suffice.

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 20:35

#12

Tengu

uhm... wow. I found the

uhm...

wow. I found the model, and the model terrifies and excites me.

I've found my abyss buddy!

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 20:44

#13

Nicoya-Kitty

Just a note, some of this

Just a note, some of this thread is disappearing down the Memory Hole. I thought my reply was vague enough not to wake the Eury-beest, but apparently not. My bad.

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 20:50

#14

Superderpbro

I hope you know that after exiting a sanctuary, you go down into the core terminal.

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 20:55

#15

Axonio

One thing that bothers me about the core is that the knights go around saying "Hey we are going to open the core and get stuff from there. yep", yet they don't know what lies inside its shelter. They don't know if there's some sort of facility or it's just a form of energy (the floating cubes?) that can't be contained if it gets released. The elevator at the end of the core terminal leads me to believe that there must be something to stand on where the knights can walk and stuff (maybe the core's surface? I don't know) or there's actually a facility or something in the core where knights can explore, for example, the core is a giant crystal that emanates energy and the entire place is a crystal cavern with a screwed up gravity that can be explored. Also, the sanctuary location is questionable since you can't see the depth you are in, but one thing is clear (I guess), it's not in the core.

About the Alpha team? I just think they got kidnapped by the swarm and it's making a possessed clone army of the alpha team. Now that would be neat.

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 22:30

#16

Guyinshinyarmour

@Nicoya
Oh crap. I'll never get a yes/no answer then. I'll never know if I should abandon this or not. Great. :|

@Superderpbro
And that's the sole issue with this, which could be explained by the Core choosing to dump you there. If anything, it makes even more sense to dump you right outside where you were than to force you all the way back to the surface or into some other floor, especially since the terminal is secured by the Spiral Order. It's a pretty safe place to dump you, considering.

@Axonio
You not being able to see your depth is half the point. It could be anywhere... So why not the Core? Heck, the intense energy signature might be what's messing with out positioning system, since it stands to reason that after you get out of Swarm-controlled areas the map would clear up. As we can also see looking out on the Core from the terminal, it's radiating a rather intense white light. A similar light to what's in Sanctuary.

As for elevators at the terminal, there's only banks of monitors, an ascension elevator (to return to Haven, like the ones at Emberlight/Moorcroft), and descension dropoff platforms (where you arrive and where elevators end). You can argue that the lookout bit has a dropoff platform, but that's only there to drop you off, not go further, which would be useless for descending into the Core (not to mention that the platform would be off-center anyway)

You say it's clear Sanctuary isn't in the Core. Why? I feel I've provided some compelling evidence that it, in fact, is. >_>

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 22:51

#17

Eltia

Look at the Shadow Lair gears

My thought is similar to OP. The Alpha Squadron did get to the Core via Shadow Lair and they managed to get to Sanctuary (which is inside the Core). But when they tried to descend further, they got ambushed and corrupted by the Swarm (together with the Shadow Lair gear they got). Now they became guards (read: Bosses) to the next level of the Core.

I think the Shadow Lair gears were part of the weapons meant to defend the Core. That's why Sanctuary could not get corrupted by the Swarm (what good were the weapons if they could be obtained by your enemies, right?). Alpha Squadron thought they were safe in Sanctuary but they got ambushed when they left. Now they became part of the Swarm and we have to get through them in order to descend further.

This gives us 6 more bosses. Since the bosses were wearing corrupted set of Shadow Lair gear, they would have their share of strength and weakness also. e.g. the boss wearing Almirian set will be using shadow and curse attacks but weak to fire, the boss wearing Snarby set will deal heavy sword damage but weak to elemental and piercing (bring your Argent Peacemaker), etc.

That also means... there will be Shadow Lair weapons at some point...

Fri, 01/13/2012 - 03:17

#18

Superderpbro

...

But you go DOWN when you leave a sanctuary, if the core was removing you from itself it would send you up.

Fri, 01/13/2012 - 08:57

#19

Guyinshinyarmour

Oh yes, because elevators going into the Core unnoticed or arriving in an elevator going down when you're going up makes just as much sense.

I expect the only way you get in and out of the Core is at the Cores discretion. Direction is irrelevant. The Core isn't in the path that you would go down normally (that would be more Swarm-controlled area and your doom), so it forces the elevator into itself via some kind of energy warp, and makes you leave by warping you back out and onto the track going to the terminal.

This entire world is highly advanced. The knights appear to have no idea how the place runs past "dump minerals in and things happen" so teleporting at the heart of the world isn't really something we can throw out. Just because the door is closed doesn't mean there's no other way in. >_>

I can also go all SPOILERS and say that the Echo Stones imply that Cradle was constructed solely to protect the Core, so it stands to reason that the Core has some control over the world. So it messing around with elevators to bring you to itself and save your ass seems like it's doing you a monumental favor.

It certainly doesn't help how monsters teleport out of nowhere in the clockworks either. Explain that please? :p

Sun, 01/15/2012 - 13:35

#20

Klockworx

... Well I think.

I bet you that the core is probably not ment to be opened due to the fact that it may or maynot contain the dreaded swarm. What appears during the shadow lairs is only a fraction of its power that has managed to slip out and contaminate a few lairs of the clockworks. This would explain why its only boss levels that are contaminated by the swarm, because the swarm only wants to increase its power and goes for the strongest of creatures. Or there has been some speculation that the core holds the fabled "Gremlin King" and his elite guard. This could also explain why Alpha team hasn't returned. Because they were captured by the kings guards and imprisoned, only to be released by the traveling knights to help them in escaping the king. Both are liable possibilities but i guess we wont know until they release it too us. I bet you that there's a hidden mineral counter on one of their servers thats counting down till a set number of minerals is collected. Why else say that the minerals could or may open the core?

Sun, 01/15/2012 - 20:42

#21

Neodasus

the final boss is a corrupted

the final boss is a corrupted Alpha Team, probably tainted by the Void or Swarm

a 4-man unit with a bomber, gunner, and 2 swordsmen

calling it for 12 million cr

Sun, 01/15/2012 - 23:30

#22

Dream-Harmonics

It'd be pretty cool if they

It'd be pretty cool if they opened the core patch on the 1 year anniversary, but at the same time I don't want them to because I know if they work at it for longer, the outcome would be much more awesome.

Sun, 01/15/2012 - 23:46

#23

Darkbrady

Who says they haven't had it

Who says they haven't had it finished and perfected a long time ago, and are just slow-releasing to maintain interest?

Tue, 01/17/2012 - 21:41

#24

Klockworx

or not

Getting back to the comment saying that the core is actually sanctuary. Umm how do i put this... How can the core be sanctuary if theres an elevator leading to the core in Sanctuary? Also i dont think they'll ever release the core, probably to keep the suspence or to continue the story line. I just hope that they keep adding new things to keep me interested.

Wed, 01/18/2012 - 02:27

#25

Guyinshinyarmour

It doesn't lead to the core, it leads to outside the core. And exiting it dumps you outside it. See previous comment.

Though I suppose I could refine it and just say that Sanctuary orbs are controlled by the core directly, and it sends you into one of the few safe places it still has dominion over. I still like the idea that the core has been open for ages and all the people clamoring about opening it have been going into it for months without knowing though. Would be trolltastic by OOO.

Wed, 01/18/2012 - 11:27

#26

Aylnine

I bet the Core houses a

I bet the Core houses a massive, creepy sleeping baby, hence the name Cradle.

The Swarm was either dreamt by the baby or created by King Tinkinzar (or both) to protect the baby -- therefore the SLs are not in the core. The SLs and the Sanctuary may be part of another dream world, as well. It's all in the Echo Stones.

Wed, 01/18/2012 - 13:18

#27

Iskender

Wait a second...It all makes

Wait a second...

It all makes sense now...

Spiral Knights is secretly Mother 3! The Core is actually Porky in the Absolutely Safe Capsule!

Wed, 01/18/2012 - 14:22

#28

Guyinshinyarmour

I never said the SL floors were in the core. I said the Sanctuary platforms were.

I really don't think that the Sanctuary elevator is supposed to be there, if we're talking how the clockworks work. If the Clockworks had worked how it was supposed to, you'd be sent deeper into the Swarm controlled area to your doom. Instead, the Core entity intervenes and sends you to itself; the safest place in this world. It's basically a manual override as to where the elevator will take you.

But yes, I'm kinda trying to play up a "mindscrew" angle here. "Core isn't open, the playerbase says? Surprise! You've been going into the Core for months. Trololol!" says OOO. If you want a more serious hypothesis, the Sanctuary orbs are just controlled by the Core entity, and it forced the clockworks to drop the orb into the SL line, then moved the orb back into position to drop you off at the terminal. It's still intervening to save you. As for the dream, I'd bet that it interprets interacting with the 'works as a dream, and so refers to it as such.

Wed, 01/18/2012 - 16:09

#29

Renzey

Omg.

@ Iskender OH HECK YES!

Wed, 01/18/2012 - 21:12

#30

Mirmulnir

Alpha Squad had not been

Alpha Squad had not been kidnapped by the swarm, because there is evidence of it on the Firestorm Citadel, where you just can go if you ignore the Shadow Lair path.

Wed, 01/18/2012 - 23:42

#31

Guyinshinyarmour

I'd like to think I've run the FSC enough that I woulda noticed something that points to Alpha being taken by the Core.

If you speak of the module thing after Vana, it doesn't mean anything. They coulda easily just been to the FSC before the Lairs. Who says they ran only one gate after all? All the bosses aren't in one gate, but spread across four, so it stands to reason they did many dives. Else explain how there are modules in all the other bosses.

Thu, 01/19/2012 - 03:15

#32

Pootisspencerhear

Here's my thought,they got

Here's my thought,they got eaten by the swarms,and they brought them to the core.

Thu, 01/19/2012 - 08:22

#33

Mirmulnir

Remember the clockworks are

Remember the clockworks are always changing, so somehow the alpha squad MAY have passed through all the bosses on one single gate (which is not available to us, of course). Since the main goal of Spiral Knights on Cradle is to reach the Core to power The Skylark, there is no reason the Alpha Squad would endanger itself traveling through all the Clockworks more than once.

Thu, 01/19/2012 - 12:57

#34

Nicoya-Kitty

Correct me if I'm wrong, but

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't part of the meta-lore that the Twins are in fact a recent development? And given there's a recon module at the end, it would imply that the Alpha Squad is still lost in the clockworks.

Thu, 01/19/2012 - 16:46

#35

Guyinshinyarmour

@Mirmulnir
You say that they were running a special gate? Why not have another T3 after Vana, since we can apparently do that in T2 to cram in both T2 bosses.

@Nicoya
...You know, that's a good point. The RT were developed to destroy Haven, and it's kinda implied that Alpha vanished before Haven really got established. In that case, they aren't in the Core OR taken by the Swarm; just lost somehow. Kinda invalidates everything. I have a feeling that it's a plothole though.

We could try to explain it away and say that the one in IMF was found by the gremlins and moved to IMF after they vanished. After all, if Alpha had managed to get to the end and destroy the Twins, why the hell are we being sent in to destroy them? We could then try to say that the gremlins managed to rebuild the Twins, but it's kinda implied that you're sent in to make sure they don't activate for the first time, not a second time. Hm...

At any rate, I'm gonna need to make a new account and get it to T3 so I can reacquire all the mission e-mails. Maybe they clarify. Now I actually have to do something today. >_>

Thu, 01/19/2012 - 19:14

#36

Mirmulnir

@guyinshinyarmor Good point.

@guyinshinyarmor
Good point. So, even if they passed through firestorm citadel, the clockworks could have changed somehow to allow them to visit the shadow lairs.

@nicoyakitty
What if they went to the Ironclaw Munitions Factory BEFORE the Roarmulous Twins were built? Maybe they even could had angered the gremlins by doing this, giving them a reason to build the Twins.

Wed, 01/25/2012 - 12:00

#37

Klockworx

well i suppose

I bet you that if they do design the core, if not already, i would say that its a collection of all the levels in the clockworks put together. Think about it, the clockworks are constantly changing right? So since they made it so they could add in as many different levels as they wanted it makes sence that the core is responsible for spitting out these collection of levels.
To fit the swarm seed into the equasion is that it is an evil source that like the lichens, landed on the planet and wants the energy from the core for itself. Also inside the core could be a sort of matrix like setting with the creator comfortably sitting inside making more layers to the clockworks to explore. This makes me believe that the orbs you collect from the shadow lairs are actually a single sentient being that is explaing the dawn and current dangers of cradle. Does this make sence?

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The Core; not so sealed?