Heart of the Swarm (details, discussion, etc)

A stupid man's report of what a clever man says can never be accurate, because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand.

tztztz Germany. February 10 2012 07:13. Posts 289

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On February 10 2012 07:06 ReligionLOL wrote:
Well, I just closed the conference call. Looks like we will be getting the beta this quarter.

your signature, the irony

Denda Reloaded February 10 2012 15:16. Posts 979

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why do ya think we get shit in the first quartet? just because blizzard made an announcement about an announcement about some date for a beta of a game....

DarthYAM February 12 2012 06:04. Posts 14

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I wrote this up on SCLegacy

I think Kerrigan will go through similar arcs to the ones Raynor went through; her main challenge is whether she will let her hatred consume her and become a monster once more (in short will she become arthas fully, since he made the choice and she sort of didn't fully.) or will she rise above her hatred and achieve redemption for her sins. This is one of the first times a hero in blizzard has fallen to darkness and climbed out of the pit (the dark wanderer and arthas are the other two and while it is possible that Arthas regained his humanity in his final moments and felt remorse, both he and the wanderer were ultimately damned forever and met tragic fates; the wanderer was a pawn to the very evil that he tried to destroy, and Arthas, who could have been the lights champion, was banished to the dark pits of hell where he was in such a wretched state that Sylvannas actually considered feeling bad for him despite all the things he did to her.) Kerrigan actually has a chance to earn a happy ending (or as close a happy ending as one can get in this universe). At the very least she deserves closure for what happened to her.

Hate and Love: There are two men who helped define Kerrigan. Mengsk is the object of her hatred; he seemed the first man to show her humanity after the abuse the confederation put her through.....only to show himself to be just as callous and exploitative as they were, and ultimately caused her infestation.
There is another reason. Kerrigan remembers little of what happened during her time as Queen of Blades. She was a monster who committed abominable crimes. She hates what she became and despises mengsk for turning her into the monster who destroyed countless lives. Ironically, this is similar to Mengsk himself. He didn't really give a shit about politics until the Confederacy slaughtered his whole family (including his 15 year old sister). His obsession with destroying them was such that he became even more of a monster then they were. In essence his hatred transformed him into what he despised. Raynor avoided falling into that trap, but will Kerrigan? Can she rise above her hatred and become the savior that the universe needs?
On the flip side there is Jim: She had a love interest in Somo Hung, but he was murdered by the first monster who abused her, Major Rumm. Jim is one of the only people who cared for her as a person rather than as a weapon, and it is implied that her feelings for him were the one thing that allowed her humanity to remain even slightly after her infestation. It's easy to rationalize fighting against mengsk. The man who went through hell to save you because he believed in you even after you betrayed him and caused untold suffering is a lot harder to justify. If I had to wager Raynor will be put in a perilous situation just as Kerrigan is about to begin a major offensive against mengsk and she'll have to chose whether to destroy the man she hates or save the man she loves.

Guilt and Absolution: since she was 8 years old Kerrigan has been a slave; first to the confederacy, than to mengsk, than to the over mind, and finally the darkness within her own soul (I believe that the Queen of blades was kerrigan with all the good artificially surpressed.) What's more, her brutal execution of the Major who tortured her for years show that she had lust for revenge and vengeful soul even before the Overmind infested. The Queen of blades was just the beast within unchained. As such, when she remembers fully (and believe me she will) her guilt will almost crush her.) Since the leaked ending implies that the climax takes place on Korhal (the site of one of her greatest atrocities and the act that showed everyone the monster she became). I might be getting ahead of myself but I'm guessing that the penultimate mission will involve Duran trying to break her, and that they will fight on the same spot she murdered Fenix. Kerrigan will most likely finally be forced to lay her past to rest; not just her past as the Queen of Blades, but all of the pain and suffering that she has endured throughout her life.

Light and Darkness: In Heart of the Swarm both of her identities will be combined. the badass and determined, but ultimately noble warrior and the cold blooded monster that was the Queen of blades. Her desire for vengeance will fuel the darkness, while the guilt she feels for her sins and her love for Jim Raynor fuels the light. Eventually Kerrigan will have to make a choice. Light or Darkness Hero or Villain.

Kerrigan is shaping up to be the protagonist of the Starcraft Universe, and when the time comes to fight the Dark Voice Kerrigan will be the one who most likely faces him in single combat. As such, this arc can in many ways make or break Starcraft II.

Shock710 Australia. February 13 2012 07:43. Posts 2925

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Kerrigan fight the dark voice oooohhh damn that better be like a full 20min cut scene in HD (unlike arthas vs illidan in wc3) that would be sooo freaken awesome but i was under the impression the reason kerrigan needs to stay alive is to control the zerg so the Dark voice cant but i guess there could be a final battle between the two to see who gets control but if kerrigan wins the fight wont that instantly end the story and we might never see the dark voices full plan as i for one would like to know why he/she/it wants to kill everything (i picked up the notion somewhere forgot now, that the xel naga wanted to get rid of their mistakes which are the protoss and zerg so guess that fits in with kill them but others have suggested that the dark voice isnt xel naga so following that line the dark voice must have a different reason

The day before christmas my true love gave to me: Teamliquid | [23:55] <Shock710> that was out of context -_-

willoc Canada. February 14 2012 02:41. Posts 976

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While all these 1-on-1 duels might seem cool they never really are and don't serve the SC "epic battle" setting very well. Best 1v1 duel in SC history was Tassadar vs. Kerrigan although I doubt many will remember it:

Tassadar: Unfortunate it is, to see that one who was once so honorable and full of life would succumb to the twisted wiles of the Overmind.
Infested Kerrigan: Do not presume to judge me, Templar. You'll find my powers to be more than a match for yours. In fact, I sense that your vaunted power has diminished since last we met.
Tassadar: Mayhap, O Queen. Or is it only that I need not flaunt my power in such an infantile test of will?
[Kerrigan strikes Tassadar, but he vanishes into thin air]
Infested Kerrigan: An illusion? Are you afraid to face me, Templar?
Tassadar: So long as you continue to be so predictable, Oh, Queen, I need not face you at all. You are your own worst enemy.

Now that, my friends, is the type of duels and writing we need in SC! Probably the greatest lesson taught to the Queen of Blades as well.

Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid!

gumshoe Canada. February 14 2012 07:16. Posts 784

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I've been thinking about what exactly the dark voice is, it seems to have a great dislike for the Protoss and to a certain extent the zerg and it wishes to combine the two together to complete the great cycle of evolution, the cycle thats been supposedly going on for ever(or close to it)... it also orchestrated the downfall of the "Xelnaga" that made the zerg and the protoss by making the over mind violent, so it doesn't like them much either. Clearly the dark voice has a significant stake in the continues evolution of this spieces, which leaves me to believe that it and perhaps its entire race were a part of this process long ago . So perhaps the dark voice is not in fact entirely xelnaga as is heavily suggested, but is a part of a race that contributed to what the xelnaga are today.

Furthermore what if the xelnaga we know of(the ones that made the protoss and the zerg) fought the dark voice's spieces in a bid for the mantle of xelnaga, maybe xelnaga isnt a contenuisley evolving race, maybe its a title that the most powerful spieces fight to obtain. After all it wasn't the xelnaga we know of that implanted the idea to assimilate the protoss into the overmind, it was most likely the dark voice, which means this supposedly eternal cycle could just be of his creation, but why go through all this? Perhaps to get revenge for his fallen spieces(the race that was defeated in the battle to become xelnaga) and possibly to recreate his fallen race(which is why he's been shaping the zerg and perhaps the portoss to look somewhat like him).

All hypothetical of course ) :

Last edit: 2012-02-14 07:26:41

the password for my swiss bank account is the same as the answer to this riddle " What have I got in my pocket?"

Shock710 Australia. February 14 2012 14:43. Posts 2925

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As long as the DarkVoice isnt Tassadar's evil twin brother i'm gonna enjoy the story, even if some say its crap remember it could have been way worse example up above ^^ and i'm sure most will buy the game regardless of the story and we'll all have fun raging and complain about how the sc3 story is horrible compared to sc2 ^^

The day before christmas my true love gave to me: Teamliquid | [23:55] <Shock710> that was out of context -_-

DarthYAM February 14 2012 16:50. Posts 14

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Some of the stuff in the editor said that the Dark voice's name is Amon (a god in egyptian mythology). If he's one of the Xel'naga who survived when the protoss rampage that could explain.)

If Kerrigan and the Dark Voice face off here's how I envision it. Kerrigan has gained the powers of the Nezarim and khali and is now a xel'naga in terms of power rather than physical appearence. as the forces of light face off with the hybrids Kerrigan and Amon (It's oddly suiting the sun god is the embodiment of darkness) square off in single combat in the mother of all psychic duels. Eventually Kerrigan manages to unleash the power and annihalates Amon, coincinding with the fall of the hybrids at the fall of the forces of light. Kerrigan is in an unusual spot; her past has finally been forgiven by the protoss (while she will most likely face her past in heart of the swarm the protoss will need to adjust.)

For instance, I think Wrath of the Lich King would have been better if it had been Tirion facing Arthas one on one. Arthas's greatest blow against the light was murdering uther. Now he's facing a grizzled warrior who was like Uther....only this time he isn't a weak old man. He's a true champion in greater power than even Uther was (tirion was also the opposite of arthas at the time of his fall. Elderly and experienced as opposed to young and reckless. the ultimate irony is that now the uther like champion is the one who ultimately delivers justice. However, the mmo format would make that impossible.

Jenia6109 Russian Federation. February 14 2012 22:16. Posts 1040

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I'm reading The Dark Templar saga nowadays and i thought for a while could Dark Voice be Ulrezaj?

INoVation Flash FanTaSy | sOs Rain PartinG

Dante.StarCraft Norway. February 15 2012 06:04. Posts 160

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Have you read it all?

+ Show Spoiler +

Denda Reloaded February 15 2012 06:30. Posts 979

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as i said, we don't have any information about hots now, guess bitches have to wait till march when blizz will announce shit..

willoc Canada. February 15 2012 10:31. Posts 976

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On February 15 2012 06:30 Denda Reloaded wrote:
as i said, we don't have any information about hots now, guess bitches have to wait till march when blizz will announce shit..

Who are you replying to?

Last edit: 2012-02-15 10:31:24

Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid!

Denda Reloaded February 15 2012 15:13. Posts 979

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i am replying to my prophecy... :D

NeoCyberD Switzerland. February 16 2012 17:28. Posts 65

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this gets so interesting...
the only reason i didnt read the novels is that i dont like to read books ;D
guess i have to do something i dont like from time to time ^^

There is no such thing as coincidence...

Jenia6109 Russian Federation. February 16 2012 18:53. Posts 1040

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On February 16 2012 17:28 NeoCyberD wrote:
this gets so interesting...
the only reason i didnt read the novels is that i dont like to read books ;D
guess i have to do something i dont like from time to time ^^

I don't like reading books too but Starcraft books are something else. They are not just books, you know?

INoVation Flash FanTaSy | sOs Rain PartinG

TheFish7 United States. February 17 2012 06:37. Posts 1202

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my theory:

the Dark Voice IS the Xel'naga. there is so much foreshadowing of this in the prophecy missions.

OK so the cycle goes something like this: Xel'naga creates Zerg and Protoss, then disappears somehow. the Xel'naga returns when the two species hybridize - the Dark Voice kills off the remaining protoss and controls the Zerg, thus creating the new Xel'naga. at some point, this new species realizes they screwed it all up, and destroys the universe or something. In order to self-preserve, they create the Zerg and Protoss separately, so that one day the Xel'naga can come back.

The wild card in this is that in Starcraft 1, the Terran show up. the Overmind says a bunch of times that Kerrigan will be the most powerful creature, which would imply Kerrigan is to replace the Overmind at some point.

Thus, Kerrigan is the linchpin that can defeat the Dark Voice, and break the cycle of the Xel'naga by controlling the Swarm, and preventing the Dark Voice from destroying the Protoss, hybridizing, and starting the cycle again.

Oh yea, and also, I think Duran is a human ghost who was possessed or influenced by the Dark Voice or the old Xel'naga (now residing in the void) because of his psionic abilities, and coerced into creating the experiments which lead to the hybrids.

Anyway, I need to play through broodwar again to see if my theory holds up

Last edit: 2012-02-17 06:43:21

GlintFox United States. February 17 2012 06:46. Posts 272

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On February 17 2012 06:37 TheFish7 wrote:
my theory:

the Dark Voice IS the Xel'naga. there is so much foreshadowing of this in the prophecy missions.

OK so the cycle goes something like this: Xel'naga creates Zerg and Protoss, then disappears somehow. the Xel'naga returns when the two species hybridize - the Dark Voice kills off the remaining protoss and controls the Zerg, thus creating the new Xel'naga. at some point, this new species realizes they screwed it all up, and destroys the universe or something. In order to self-preserve, they create the Zerg and Protoss separately, so that one day the Xel'naga can come back.

The wild card in this is that in Starcraft 1, the Terran show up. the Overmind says a bunch of times that Kerrigan will be the most powerful creature, which would imply Kerrigan is to replace the Overmind at some point.

Thus, Kerrigan is the linchpin that can defeat the Dark Voice, and break the cycle of the Xel'naga by controlling the Swarm, and preventing the Dark Voice from destroying the Protoss, hybridizing, and starting the cycle again.

The problem i see with this is.. I believe the Xel'naga created only the Protoss first (This is why they are called "The Firstborn"). They were deemed a failure so the Xel'naga created the Zerg and vanished. I recall this information being in the awesome SC1 game manual. (Man that thing was awesome and full of info) However I could be off, its been a looooong time since I've read it.

"Fear. Fear attracts the fearful… the strong… the weak… the innocent… the corrupt. Fear. Fear is my ally." -Darth Maul

TheFish7 United States. February 17 2012 07:08. Posts 1202

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On February 17 2012 06:46 GlintFox wrote:
The problem i see with this is.. I believe the Xel'naga created only the Protoss first (This is why they are called "The Firstborn"). They were deemed a failure so the Xel'naga created the Zerg and vanished. I recall this information being in the awesome SC1 game manual. (Man that thing was awesome and full of info) However I could be off, its been a looooong time since I've read it.

Yes, I also remember that - good catch. Although I'd say there are a few ways ways my theory could potentially still hold up,
1. Perhaps the Xel'naga wanted to recreate themselves as one race, to break the cycle, but could only manage to create the protoss, and then just created the zerg so that the cycle would happen again and they'd get another chance down the road.
2. Whoever wrote the game manual for SC1 wasn't aware of the whole storyline and just added this to make it sound cool.
3. Perhaps the creating the Protoss first was a necessary evil in order for the Xel'naga to survive. We still dont know why they disappeared, or if they died or just left.

Also, here is some evidence from the mouth of Duran-
Duran: I've had many names throughout the millennia, young prodigal. You would know me best as Samir Duran. / Zeratul: Kerrigan's consort! Is this part of her twisted schemes? / Duran: No. Young Kerrigan could not have engineered this grand experiment. Although her rebirth into the Zerg Swarm has sped up my progress, I can assure you that this endeavor is quite beyond her narrow understanding. / Zeratul: If you are not her pawn, then what are you? / Duran: I am a servant of a far greater power, a power that has slept for countless ages and is reflected in the creature within that cell. [...] This creature is the completion of a cycle. Its role in the cosmic order was preordained when the stars were young. Behold the culmination of your history.—Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Level/area: Dark Origin. (1998)

GlintFox United States. February 17 2012 08:11. Posts 272

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Nice. Yea, Duran as a character confuses me. The interesting thing to me is... The Xel'naga can create life and shape it how they see fit. They created the psionic protoss and were not happy with it. So they created the Zerg "virus"/Species of sorts. Meaning, if they wanted to create a hybrid they could of easily done so. They created both and already have the knowledge of how to do so, why not just do it? What I think the Overmind was talking about Kerrigan was that she will be the most powerful creature is that she seems to be the first life with Psionic powers that the Zerg have been able to infest/use within the Swarm. The only other beings that had Psionic powers in the Swarm were The Overmind, and the Cerebrates. Both of which control Zerg Broods. Ever notice how majority of Protoss "vanish" when they die? i.e. Zelots, Templars, and Dark Templars? They got transported to wherever and either died or were crippled and if still wished to serve they would return as the mighty Dragoons, (Immortals/[DT's]Stalkers now). So perhaps that's what he was referring to? I don't think there was much fear or even concern in general of the Xel'naga between the both of the races, but who knows? I know a few protoss get infested in BW, but interestingly enough it is by Kerrigan. Blizzard seems to be good at starting stories but then just throw random things in wherever it lands. WoW lore reflects this (Dreanei spaceships and whatnot like Kael'thas for instance) and so does Diablo x1000%.

I'm very interested to see what Duran does in HotS

Last edit: 2012-02-17 08:12:05

"Fear. Fear attracts the fearful… the strong… the weak… the innocent… the corrupt. Fear. Fear is my ally." -Darth Maul