coffeemancer
Terrarian
After 1.4 dropped i decided to read the lore update from last year, and I think I'm left with more questions then answers, so I want to have a discussion about this.
From my perspective, Terraria is a big fun game that wasn't really designed around or for a storyline or overarching plot / cosmology. I figured Redigit could pull it off tho since it is their game and they could do whatever they want. After reading it, I'm a little disappointed that some things are left so vague, or left out entirely. I Just want to say I'm not trying to take a dig at Redigit. They threw the first horse-shoe and I'm just following up out of love for the game I've played for the better part of a decade!
First thing's first.
The Pages
"Welcome to the World of Terraria."
Is Terraria our world or the universe? The name Terraria is used throughout in both frames of reference so it's a little confusing to me.
"In the beginning, the Gods established a balance to guarantee fairness for all living creatures. This balance was to be of paramount importance, with no cost too great in seeking its fulfillment. Eons have passed since the Gods first began testing the complexities of life in their fairness experiment. In this process, countless living worlds were created and now exist within the Terraria universe."
Were there already 'natural' planets with life on them before the Gods created balance? Or did they create the balance first, and then the worlds? Also, who are they and do they have any presence in the game? What is balance and fairness supposed to mean exactly?
"The Crimson is a single emergent living being connected directly to each world, sharing a hive mind, and solely focused on restoring balance at all costs. Thousands of worlds before the one on which you stand now have been absorbed by this being."
Is this saying that there is ONE Crimson that attaches to multiple planets? Does it emerge FROM the planets and then connect to a hive-mind? What is the scope of Balance? If it's on a world-basis, why would the Crimson consume a whole planet instead of balancing out with the rest of the planet? Is it a universal basis where the Crimson has to consume a whole planet to match planets that have been wholly consumed by the other forces? The same question is reflected with the Corruption which also destroys whole planets and seems able to spread between planets.
These things seem like weird 'defense mechanisms' that a sentient and omniscient planet would unleash on a world that doesn't even have Hallow yet. Also a weird perspective on fairness. A cancer born from sin that will destroy EVERYONE just because, even though it's supposed to be restoring balance. It even for some reason says 'once it has restored the balance of life, it will completely destroy it'. I'm just not understanding the intention here. Are Crimson/Corruption 'mechanisms' that can go out of control after they're done?
"Within each world is a Guardian who serves as the world's master and core. Once this creature is destroyed the world will release the Ancient Spirits of Light and Dark to expedite the process of finding a new Guardian. It is here when the Hallow is created and functions as an overcompensation of purity, taken to the absolute extreme."
I'm really off the rails now. So we're starting with the Wall of Flesh who is a guardian. I guess it's implied that the Gods included these Guardians/Hallow/Ancient Spirits in each world they created. Did the Gods also create the dark forces? Seems like there's an inbuilt imbalance in the system with Dark forces just running free while the Light forces have to be locked away. Why is having a guardian so important anyway? It reads like the only reason Hallow will even exist is to get a new Guardian. What even is it and why does it need a living sacrifice?
"this precious balance of life, desolation and pain"
So we get a very vague allusion to what the balance is supposed to be. I don't really know what to make of it though. It seems a little lopsided with the very general item of "life", the negative "pain" and a somewhat neutral "desolation" which is generally bad to life but only from life's perspective. It seems like the main fulcrum would be between Life and Pain. A life without pain and a life with only pain are both bad (maybe?)
"Your story begins with Cthulhu – a creature of immeasurable power and unknown origin – who arrived long ago with its seemingly sole purpose being to rain destruction on and to have dominion over all the sentient life that flourishes on your world."
Well that's not very fulfilling information but is certainly convenient. It could be just a pure big bad guy, or a Sargeras type who has an ulterior motive. The line does say "seemingly" which implies that there is some motivation beyond destruction and dominion? We also have to recognize the connection it has with the Brain of Cthrullu and the Crimson. The Dryads fubar'd Cthullu and his body parts went everywhere, so we could assume its Brain was consumed by the Crimson and the one you fight is not purely Cthullu's brain anymore. I guess we could also just go ahead and ask if Cthullu is one of the Gods.
What's Left Out
From my perspective, Terraria is a big fun game that wasn't really designed around or for a storyline or overarching plot / cosmology. I figured Redigit could pull it off tho since it is their game and they could do whatever they want. After reading it, I'm a little disappointed that some things are left so vague, or left out entirely. I Just want to say I'm not trying to take a dig at Redigit. They threw the first horse-shoe and I'm just following up out of love for the game I've played for the better part of a decade!
First thing's first.
The Pages
"Welcome to the World of Terraria."
Is Terraria our world or the universe? The name Terraria is used throughout in both frames of reference so it's a little confusing to me.
"In the beginning, the Gods established a balance to guarantee fairness for all living creatures. This balance was to be of paramount importance, with no cost too great in seeking its fulfillment. Eons have passed since the Gods first began testing the complexities of life in their fairness experiment. In this process, countless living worlds were created and now exist within the Terraria universe."
Were there already 'natural' planets with life on them before the Gods created balance? Or did they create the balance first, and then the worlds? Also, who are they and do they have any presence in the game? What is balance and fairness supposed to mean exactly?
"The Crimson is a single emergent living being connected directly to each world, sharing a hive mind, and solely focused on restoring balance at all costs. Thousands of worlds before the one on which you stand now have been absorbed by this being."
Is this saying that there is ONE Crimson that attaches to multiple planets? Does it emerge FROM the planets and then connect to a hive-mind? What is the scope of Balance? If it's on a world-basis, why would the Crimson consume a whole planet instead of balancing out with the rest of the planet? Is it a universal basis where the Crimson has to consume a whole planet to match planets that have been wholly consumed by the other forces? The same question is reflected with the Corruption which also destroys whole planets and seems able to spread between planets.
These things seem like weird 'defense mechanisms' that a sentient and omniscient planet would unleash on a world that doesn't even have Hallow yet. Also a weird perspective on fairness. A cancer born from sin that will destroy EVERYONE just because, even though it's supposed to be restoring balance. It even for some reason says 'once it has restored the balance of life, it will completely destroy it'. I'm just not understanding the intention here. Are Crimson/Corruption 'mechanisms' that can go out of control after they're done?
"Within each world is a Guardian who serves as the world's master and core. Once this creature is destroyed the world will release the Ancient Spirits of Light and Dark to expedite the process of finding a new Guardian. It is here when the Hallow is created and functions as an overcompensation of purity, taken to the absolute extreme."
I'm really off the rails now. So we're starting with the Wall of Flesh who is a guardian. I guess it's implied that the Gods included these Guardians/Hallow/Ancient Spirits in each world they created. Did the Gods also create the dark forces? Seems like there's an inbuilt imbalance in the system with Dark forces just running free while the Light forces have to be locked away. Why is having a guardian so important anyway? It reads like the only reason Hallow will even exist is to get a new Guardian. What even is it and why does it need a living sacrifice?
"this precious balance of life, desolation and pain"
So we get a very vague allusion to what the balance is supposed to be. I don't really know what to make of it though. It seems a little lopsided with the very general item of "life", the negative "pain" and a somewhat neutral "desolation" which is generally bad to life but only from life's perspective. It seems like the main fulcrum would be between Life and Pain. A life without pain and a life with only pain are both bad (maybe?)
"Your story begins with Cthulhu – a creature of immeasurable power and unknown origin – who arrived long ago with its seemingly sole purpose being to rain destruction on and to have dominion over all the sentient life that flourishes on your world."
Well that's not very fulfilling information but is certainly convenient. It could be just a pure big bad guy, or a Sargeras type who has an ulterior motive. The line does say "seemingly" which implies that there is some motivation beyond destruction and dominion? We also have to recognize the connection it has with the Brain of Cthrullu and the Crimson. The Dryads fubar'd Cthullu and his body parts went everywhere, so we could assume its Brain was consumed by the Crimson and the one you fight is not purely Cthullu's brain anymore. I guess we could also just go ahead and ask if Cthullu is one of the Gods.
What's Left Out
- Lizhard People and the Temple; Golem, were the Lizhards building a weapon against Cthullu/Lunatic Cult?
- Meteors and their connection to Dark Orbs/Bloody Hearts being destroyed; Meteor Heads
- Space Invaders, assuming they work for Cthullu, they seem to have the ability to warp reality with their Pillars
- Martians
- Frost Moon, Pumpkin Moon, Blood Moon, Solar Eclipse, maybe these 'aren't canon', but we know Cthrullu is asleep on the Moon. There are a lot of relations to the Moon in this game.
- So many houses under the ground. I assumed these were early Lizhard people who since retreated and fortified in the Temple. From what I don't know. You could also assume these are regular people who retreated from the surface during the Cthullu War.
- Hell itself
- Probably more but I'm too hungry to continue this post, bye!
