I think "test subjects Delta" are just a reference to "D-class personnel" (basically cannon fodder) from SCP Foundation. In general, the language in replicas' flavor texts sounds a lot like SCP testing logs.
We are casually stealing Living Ice which was something that could have caused such a calamity and just sell it for couple of markers? Damn. I would love video about verious PoE artifacts and relics themselves now.
I think there's a super old forum post that confirms your mirror theory. If I remember correctly, the items we find are shards of the broken mirror, which used to be able to duplicate items more perfectly, which is why you can divine uniques but not mirrored rares.
Remarkable how little lore I've consciously comprehended, and the work involved in realizing each league with all the voice-acting and changes. Great video as always!
Sorry for such a long wait! I was really trying to make a Scourge video but all I could come up with was questions. Who is the Last to Die? Is she related to Alva? Who are the High Priests of the Vaal? What does Chaos have to do with it? Is it just multiverse stuff, or is it more? And what are the implications with Venarius and his “no scourge but generally terrible” dimension? Needless to say I scrapped that and went with a more fun video idea I’ve been thinking about for a while. Super appreciate that people come back to these even if they aren’t fully topical!
For sure, you're definitely the primary source for lore on this game so we'll always be back if you've got something new! Makes sense it was tough to get a Scourge video going - despite confirmation that Wraeclast exists in some crazy quantum multiverse full of demons, there's surprisingly little in the way of dialogue or item flavor text to dig any deeper. I'm sure we'll get more with 3.17.
@@KittenCatNoodle Yes, Scourge is definitely a pile of new questions. I think Last to Die has got to be Alva from an alternate Wraeclast. I mean, is it just coincidence that they both look virtually identical, both have the same voice actress, and are both the lingering descendants of an ancient Vaal bloodline? GGG definitely has some explaining to do about this "Chaos", and it had better not involve retconning a ton of existing lore. As far as the Venarius reference, she says the sole surviving Wraeclast was "dominated by the shade of High Templar Venarius". Does "shade" perhaps refer to Valdo's shade that Venarius freed, the Elder? I have been assuming there's a Wraeclast in which the Elder has survived in some form or another and taken over the continent for some reason or another (easy prey?). It makes the most sense that she would invoke Venarius at all simply because she knows he freed the shade in our timeline; the creature itself could be one of several incarnations as witnessed by the Watchers of Decay, the Kalguurans, the conquerors of the atlas, or maybe even possessed Sirus. Though, perhaps she means it figuratively and there is a very oppressive Wraeclast ruled by him in a reality he was able to defend against the scourged demons that we know from Niles (and Cavas) terrified him so.
Excellent points here and MAGNIFICENT lore video on the whole. You are seriously talented at putting together puzzles with so many pieces missing, and GGG and the swath of PoE's fanbase that actually cares about lore are made so much richer by you and your contributions. I guarantee you that even amongst that swath, almost nobody was able to piece together this UNDOUBTEDLY consequential new cast of characters and their probably ill-fated quest, much less stitch it into the fabric of foundational but still-mysterious PoE lore. It is obvious these videos you make are a true labor of love. Turning to Riker, I think you are really onto something. He is shaping up to be an unexpectedly pivotal character down the line, much as Catarina turned out to be with the creation of the Immortal Syndicate. Knowing all-too-well Riker's obsession with playing the long game to control the levers of power--one that obviously goes much deeper than mere "tinkering"--one again wonders how many layers of betrayal are being referred to with the title of the 3.5 league. That Jun recognizes Riker--likely from before the destruction of the Order--is undoubtedly a related (and probably important) hint. My gut reaction, based off of this new content of yours, is that Riker's machinations in the syndicate involve finding a method of resurrection to replace the Horns of Kulemak so he can seize power from her when the time is right. Given the disappointment she expresses in Riker when he's present for the Mastermind fight, it seems plausible she has begun to suspect his loyalties are shifting. Side note: I think you can get a glimpse of Riker's face in the Rogue Harbor, if you can get him expelled from the Syndicate and find him there. (Half-shirtless, one boot/one sandal, bow in hand). Kind of a hottie.
Thank you so much for your kindness and thoughtful analysis! This is a video I had on the back-burner for a while and I felt like "fuck it, it's not connected to anything but I'll do it" and seeing this kind of thought / intrigue into it makes it all worth it! I definitely think Riker has some bigger "machinations," if you will. If he may know Jun, was working with the Rogue Harbor, the Researchers, AND the Immortal Syndicate? He has to have bigger plans than just being a worker-bee for Catarina. I think she's a means to some other end; I don't know if it has to do with the Immortal Syndicate itself, but there is absolutely something bigger he is after that does at least align with their ability to Resurrect. He is interested in resurrection and eternal life... but for what? It could be as simple as self preservation, but simple isn't really Riker's MO.
Interesting that POE is one of the only games I’ve ever played that has managed to prevent player duping of items yet has so much lore regarding the pursuit of duping. Wonder if this is yet another d2 influence given the many infamous, game breaking dupes that occurred on BNet.
Yeah I think this theory is very likely true. POE lore often leans on the 4th wall. Some examples being Dominus' "this world is an illusion, exile", several quotes by the Delirium Voice, and the Conquerors who exhibit similar behaviors to player-controlled exiles grinding maps obsessively.
I am moderately curious if this would mean that the fated uniques are a way to obtain a more perfect copy such as Asenath's Chant versus Asenath's Mark.
Oh I didn’t even think about that! Like how exactly a fated unique is connected to the original… too bad prophecy gonna kill any lore connection I could make lol
Wow, it just made the game even more amazing to me now, thanks for showing me this side of this awesome game that I love and know so little about the history.
I like the mystery of Kalandra. I hope PoE 2 gives us glimpses of the lore and more questions but not actual answers. Makes mirrors all the more interesting and valuable (besides their actual use).
If the researchers knew, would they themself begin looking into ways to bring Sumei/the Scribes back to life to "question them" about the mirroring of uniques? Did Riker know about Sumei and was looking for a way to bring her or one of the Scribes back to interrogate them, but withhold the information from the researchers? If he was after that knowledge and couldn't make much progress with the researchers, he turned to digging up old sources. Catarina was what he needed and now he works towards the goal with her help. Unique Items that can be unveiled could be one of the Midnight Tinkerers projects, where he still tries to mirror other uniques but the process isn't quite complete yet.
Riker is still contracting items the Rogues that compliment resurrection, but more so immortality. Blood of Innocence and Hand of Arimor. Both talk about eternal life. If the Researchers and Riker worked together, they were doing so to help each other find their own interests; Riker with resurrection, and that just leaves what the Researchers could want from Riker. We can presume it was some information, and likely about duplication. I don’t think the Researchers want to resurrect Sumei, but I do think they were after that information. It’s hinted in Betrayal that Riker and Jun know each other (something I should have included in this, but it’s just passing comments from Jun) which means Riker could have at least known about the Order. We don’t know how recently the scribes and the information Sumei left behind was burned. Maybe Riker was involved?
@@KittenCatNoodle How likely is it that Riker is looking to preserve his own life? He has quite a Vader-like 'life support mask breathing' thing going on. My current 'wildly out there' theory is that Riker is possibly Zerphi desperately looking for another way to extend his life. Though, Riker is recognized by Jun...
So if been thinking about the revive in the game. After you revive what if you did die but the new you is a mirrored copy. Maybe each league we play is also a mirrored copy of the world and after each copy its becoming more distorted(as were losing and gaining new leagues).
Good question. I’m not sure! I don’t know if it has lore significance but if it does, maybe it’s hinting at a connection between the Researchers goals and beings like the Maven?
@@KittenCatNoodle My personal belief is that Kalandra is the head of the eldritch being hierarchy that the Maven is the lowest-rung of. Another option is that they do similar things: the researchers are duplicating objects; the Maven duplicates creatures. Perhaps the researchers tapped into something about duplication and that was what drew the Maven's attention.
The point at the end is maybe the most spooky. What if all this experimentation is to be able to be able to create a divine being in the flesh. Or bring one back.
I wonder if unique items, just like the gods, are made more powerfull/charged with divinity by the belief ofg others. a piece of equipment becomes unique after being perceived as somehow special.
So the theory is that current uniques are actually imperfect copies of the real deal. And chances are we will find out in Lake of Kalandra how it exactly works.
A perfect tutorial!Thanks for sharing!I would like to request your permission to translate it into Chinese and reproduce it elsewhere where ,and I will credit the author and source.
It is obvious. The Atlas is Kalandra's creation. She made a mirror of reality and the mirror shattered into millions of pieces. The uniques are the copies of the original reality in the mirror, each shard of the mirror containing a complete copy of the reality she mirrored. Each shard again shatters endlessly copying the original reality in an infinite recursive replay of the original mirror shattering. The "Maps" are just that, maps to various shards of the original mirror fragments. Perhaps Kalandra was trying to capture some great evil in the mirror but it broke the mirror, or she broke the mirror intentionally. Perhaps the great evil is trying to re-assemble the mirror to escape the mirror back to the original reality where Kalandra is. She saved her reality, but doomed the mirror universe (subsequently universes, one for each fragment). Perhaps the whole point of the Harbingers are those from the original reality jumping into the fragmented mirror reality trying to ensure that the great evil cannot reassemble the mirror fragments and escape back into their original reality. Would explain how the always leave fragments behind when defeated, they are whole in their reality but when defeated, their essence breaks up across the fragments of the mirror.
I think "test subjects Delta" are just a reference to "D-class personnel" (basically cannon fodder) from SCP Foundation. In general, the language in replicas' flavor texts sounds a lot like SCP testing logs.
It definitely has SCP vibes for sure
yep its definately SCP flavoured
We are casually stealing Living Ice which was something that could have caused such a calamity and just sell it for couple of markers? Damn.
I would love video about verious PoE artifacts and relics themselves now.
I think there's a super old forum post that confirms your mirror theory. If I remember correctly, the items we find are shards of the broken mirror, which used to be able to duplicate items more perfectly, which is why you can divine uniques but not mirrored rares.
Remarkable how little lore I've consciously comprehended, and the work involved in realizing each league with all the voice-acting and changes. Great video as always!
Time to re-watch I guess.
that living ice stuff will for sure become one of the future leagues theme/mechanics
I'm here after reveal of next legue: "Lake of Kalandra"
We will see what the truth is
You're back! Thanks so much for making such great videos.
Sorry for such a long wait! I was really trying to make a Scourge video but all I could come up with was questions. Who is the Last to Die? Is she related to Alva? Who are the High Priests of the Vaal? What does Chaos have to do with it? Is it just multiverse stuff, or is it more? And what are the implications with Venarius and his “no scourge but generally terrible” dimension?
Needless to say I scrapped that and went with a more fun video idea I’ve been thinking about for a while. Super appreciate that people come back to these even if they aren’t fully topical!
For sure, you're definitely the primary source for lore on this game so we'll always be back if you've got something new!
Makes sense it was tough to get a Scourge video going - despite confirmation that Wraeclast exists in some crazy quantum multiverse full of demons, there's surprisingly little in the way of dialogue or item flavor text to dig any deeper. I'm sure we'll get more with 3.17.
@@KittenCatNoodle Yes, Scourge is definitely a pile of new questions. I think Last to Die has got to be Alva from an alternate Wraeclast. I mean, is it just coincidence that they both look virtually identical, both have the same voice actress, and are both the lingering descendants of an ancient Vaal bloodline? GGG definitely has some explaining to do about this "Chaos", and it had better not involve retconning a ton of existing lore.
As far as the Venarius reference, she says the sole surviving Wraeclast was "dominated by the shade of High Templar Venarius". Does "shade" perhaps refer to Valdo's shade that Venarius freed, the Elder? I have been assuming there's a Wraeclast in which the Elder has survived in some form or another and taken over the continent for some reason or another (easy prey?). It makes the most sense that she would invoke Venarius at all simply because she knows he freed the shade in our timeline; the creature itself could be one of several incarnations as witnessed by the Watchers of Decay, the Kalguurans, the conquerors of the atlas, or maybe even possessed Sirus. Though, perhaps she means it figuratively and there is a very oppressive Wraeclast ruled by him in a reality he was able to defend against the scourged demons that we know from Niles (and Cavas) terrified him so.
The force impeding them from getting their dupe is GGG banning them for cheating
The deep dive I didn't know I wanted. Good job!
Excellent points here and MAGNIFICENT lore video on the whole. You are seriously talented at putting together puzzles with so many pieces missing, and GGG and the swath of PoE's fanbase that actually cares about lore are made so much richer by you and your contributions. I guarantee you that even amongst that swath, almost nobody was able to piece together this UNDOUBTEDLY consequential new cast of characters and their probably ill-fated quest, much less stitch it into the fabric of foundational but still-mysterious PoE lore. It is obvious these videos you make are a true labor of love.
Turning to Riker, I think you are really onto something. He is shaping up to be an unexpectedly pivotal character down the line, much as Catarina turned out to be with the creation of the Immortal Syndicate. Knowing all-too-well Riker's obsession with playing the long game to control the levers of power--one that obviously goes much deeper than mere "tinkering"--one again wonders how many layers of betrayal are being referred to with the title of the 3.5 league. That Jun recognizes Riker--likely from before the destruction of the Order--is undoubtedly a related (and probably important) hint. My gut reaction, based off of this new content of yours, is that Riker's machinations in the syndicate involve finding a method of resurrection to replace the Horns of Kulemak so he can seize power from her when the time is right. Given the disappointment she expresses in Riker when he's present for the Mastermind fight, it seems plausible she has begun to suspect his loyalties are shifting.
Side note: I think you can get a glimpse of Riker's face in the Rogue Harbor, if you can get him expelled from the Syndicate and find him there. (Half-shirtless, one boot/one sandal, bow in hand). Kind of a hottie.
Thank you so much for your kindness and thoughtful analysis! This is a video I had on the back-burner for a while and I felt like "fuck it, it's not connected to anything but I'll do it" and seeing this kind of thought / intrigue into it makes it all worth it!
I definitely think Riker has some bigger "machinations," if you will. If he may know Jun, was working with the Rogue Harbor, the Researchers, AND the Immortal Syndicate? He has to have bigger plans than just being a worker-bee for Catarina. I think she's a means to some other end; I don't know if it has to do with the Immortal Syndicate itself, but there is absolutely something bigger he is after that does at least align with their ability to Resurrect. He is interested in resurrection and eternal life... but for what? It could be as simple as self preservation, but simple isn't really Riker's MO.
Wait, what? Tarkleigh is Riker? :O
Fascinating theory. I like the SCP Foundation influence in the flavour texts.
Interesting that POE is one of the only games I’ve ever played that has managed to prevent player duping of items yet has so much lore regarding the pursuit of duping. Wonder if this is yet another d2 influence given the many infamous, game breaking dupes that occurred on BNet.
Yeah I think this theory is very likely true. POE lore often leans on the 4th wall. Some examples being Dominus' "this world is an illusion, exile", several quotes by the Delirium Voice, and the Conquerors who exhibit similar behaviors to player-controlled exiles grinding maps obsessively.
Hot damn KC! The red string you needed for this is both impressive and worrying! LOVE IT!
Thanks again for another indepth lore video, Noodle!
Yesss new noodles video.
Does the lore hidden in item descriptions make PoE a Souls-Like? Kitten/Vaati collaboration when?
The voiceover around 3:10 is killing me 😭😭
more lore and Pog vid
Serioulsy, GGG should hire you. Period
I am moderately curious if this would mean that the fated uniques are a way to obtain a more perfect copy such as Asenath's Chant versus Asenath's Mark.
Oh I didn’t even think about that! Like how exactly a fated unique is connected to the original… too bad prophecy gonna kill any lore connection I could make lol
Love the insights and theories in this video. Uniques are always a source of interesting lore...
PoE lore series, always great stuff
12:10 Somebody from GGG is a fan of "The Outer Limits", I see
Bruh. I never even knew scarabs HAD flavor text lmao. This is amazing.
Wow, it just made the game even more amazing to me now, thanks for showing me this side of this awesome game that I love and know so little about the history.
I am so hype for your lore series on the new expansion so my small brain can understand
I'm not usually one for lore (I skip it where possible), however this was a really fascinating breakdown.
Thanks so much for the detailed showcase once again! Gg
I like the mystery of Kalandra. I hope PoE 2 gives us glimpses of the lore and more questions but not actual answers. Makes mirrors all the more interesting and valuable (besides their actual use).
Pretty certain that Kalandra will be the main antagonist in PoE 2
@@alexseguin5245 I think too, probably in the acts. Since one of Kitten videos she mentioned that Kalandra could be Sin's and Innocence's Mother
Absolute fire, very entertaining
Love these videos. Never stop!
Great video! Mind-blown with the revelation about the unique items being mirrored :O
3:04 Wait, is it a reference to Swamped by Lacuna Coil ? Maybe he played too much VTM:B while researching XD
If the researchers knew, would they themself begin looking into ways to bring Sumei/the Scribes back to life to "question them" about the mirroring of uniques?
Did Riker know about Sumei and was looking for a way to bring her or one of the Scribes back to interrogate them, but withhold the information from the researchers?
If he was after that knowledge and couldn't make much progress with the researchers, he turned to digging up old sources.
Catarina was what he needed and now he works towards the goal with her help.
Unique Items that can be unveiled could be one of the Midnight Tinkerers projects, where he still tries to mirror other uniques but the process isn't quite complete yet.
Riker is still contracting items the Rogues that compliment resurrection, but more so immortality. Blood of Innocence and Hand of Arimor. Both talk about eternal life.
If the Researchers and Riker worked together, they were doing so to help each other find their own interests; Riker with resurrection, and that just leaves what the Researchers could want from Riker. We can presume it was some information, and likely about duplication.
I don’t think the Researchers want to resurrect Sumei, but I do think they were after that information. It’s hinted in Betrayal that Riker and Jun know each other (something I should have included in this, but it’s just passing comments from Jun) which means Riker could have at least known about the Order.
We don’t know how recently the scribes and the information Sumei left behind was burned. Maybe Riker was involved?
@@KittenCatNoodle How likely is it that Riker is looking to preserve his own life? He has quite a Vader-like 'life support mask breathing' thing going on. My current 'wildly out there' theory is that Riker is possibly Zerphi desperately looking for another way to extend his life. Though, Riker is recognized by Jun...
Yeah, it's not like anyone else gets Scourge either. I think you described it perfects as "something something something".
New PoE Theory/Lore video hype!!!!
Yea, this is Poe meets SCP, and now we have Poe meets Warhammer. I wonder when we gonna become local Malal.
Oooo a new video! :)
get your foil hats, its time for a conspiracy theory
these are well done. I will watch more.
I love these videos!
This is all about getting more fishing rods.
Incredible video!
Can't wait to see Heist 2: Kalandra Boogaloo
great video as usual
Got anything lined up for Scourge League lore? I was looking forwards to more lore about the Scourge.
Wait... uniques are canonically mirrored? I'm actually kind of shook right now
Nicely done.
Highlight of the league as always.
So if been thinking about the revive in the game. After you revive what if you did die but the new you is a mirrored copy. Maybe each league we play is also a mirrored copy of the world and after each copy its becoming more distorted(as were losing and gaining new leagues).
Why do items named for the heist researchers drop from Maven?
Good question. I’m not sure! I don’t know if it has lore significance but if it does, maybe it’s hinting at a connection between the Researchers goals and beings like the Maven?
@@KittenCatNoodle My personal belief is that Kalandra is the head of the eldritch being hierarchy that the Maven is the lowest-rung of. Another option is that they do similar things: the researchers are duplicating objects; the Maven duplicates creatures. Perhaps the researchers tapped into something about duplication and that was what drew the Maven's attention.
The point at the end is maybe the most spooky. What if all this experimentation is to be able to be able to create a divine being in the flesh. Or bring one back.
Finally plesant voice to hear i dont care about what , but i want to listen you more :3
I wonder if unique items, just like the gods, are made more powerfull/charged with divinity by the belief ofg others. a piece of equipment becomes unique after being perceived as somehow special.
So the theory is that current uniques are actually imperfect copies of the real deal. And chances are we will find out in Lake of Kalandra how it exactly works.
This video has 10X more research than what I did for my masters degree XD
where are you? where is Zana, and what is Zana ;) any podcasting coming soon?
A perfect tutorial!Thanks for sharing!I would like to request your permission to translate it into Chinese and reproduce it elsewhere where ,and I will credit the author and source.
Is this huge SCP reference?
Please make a video on new league bosses
it would be great if the music was like, half as loud
can't focus on what you're saying
It is obvious. The Atlas is Kalandra's creation. She made a mirror of reality and the mirror shattered into millions of pieces. The uniques are the copies of the original reality in the mirror, each shard of the mirror containing a complete copy of the reality she mirrored. Each shard again shatters endlessly copying the original reality in an infinite recursive replay of the original mirror shattering. The "Maps" are just that, maps to various shards of the original mirror fragments.
Perhaps Kalandra was trying to capture some great evil in the mirror but it broke the mirror, or she broke the mirror intentionally. Perhaps the great evil is trying to re-assemble the mirror to escape the mirror back to the original reality where Kalandra is. She saved her reality, but doomed the mirror universe (subsequently universes, one for each fragment). Perhaps the whole point of the Harbingers are those from the original reality jumping into the fragmented mirror reality trying to ensure that the great evil cannot reassemble the mirror fragments and escape back into their original reality. Would explain how the always leave fragments behind when defeated, they are whole in their reality but when defeated, their essence breaks up across the fragments of the mirror.
O_o egats!
They're go going to duplicate quest items
GGG: Write that down! Write that down!
Seriously, Noodle thinks and knows about PoE lore more than GGG themselves probably.
I would have upvoted this if YT hadn't removed the dislike counter.
poe lore is whatever the community make up and gets passed as 'lore' because the game itself is just spaghetti on spaghetti.
you is a guy????
Just think how much budget goes into lore and all this useless stuff, instead that can be put into hiring more QA and RD and fix and polish the game.