So I just finished the main story of the new update. The part at the end in the Nameless Pass was fantastic, the devs did a great job building tension through the level with the battering ram making the earth shake in the nameless pass, and the boss fight was solid. The cutscene with the watcher was straight up chilling. It kinda felt like the end of the world.
That said, what’s up with Caylen?
I always assumed the city was underground, with the giant gate being the only entrance, and that’s why no one could go in and out, and also why all those things come flying out of it at the end. But then we follow the Madrigal through the tunnel, and we find the city right out in the open, sitting cozy atop the mountain, with the clouds and the sun in the background. So what exactly was preventing the monsters and the plague from just going over the mountain? I mean, they can fly.
I have the same question. It’s supposed to be a “Mountain’s Gate”. I was also confused to why Madrigal speaks as if she knew the city, didn’t was the city a very ancient one? Because the events of Caylen happened many years ago.
Just spitballing here but if it’s an actual mountain, the issue is not the height but the freezing temperatures. Even if they tried to fly over it they would get iced.
It’s not that high, the city is clearly at a much lower elevation than the gate itself, and if you can see the horizon it means there are no barriers surrounding the city. Only thing I can think of is maybe that’s not the sun and the clouds, but some artificial light source inside the cavern? someone would have to confirm.
She said she grew up there, and the city was just a normal city until the gate closed a year before the events of the game, when the pestilence first re-appeared.
I suppose the city was in the open before, but judging by the lighting and the effects by now, I assume the red light is not the sun, but rather lava or other demonic forces(red whispers maybe?), and the bright light coming from behind is some sort of “hole” in the mountains that let some sun light in.
idk maybe the city was not build in a mountain, but the mountain grow around it? Or its bases suddenly melt into magma, sinking the city into the volcano pit? During the endgame, as the watcher said, “the city answers”, and what used to be quiet lava pit suddenly turn bubbly and steamy, eruption everywhere. I suppose it’s gotta tell more story than just a jumping puzzle?
Yeah I hope we get more context with this… I guess it’s possible that it’s an artificial light source but… it follows the in game day/night cycle and isn’t a fixed red glow (picture below for ref). So I’d guess it is indeed the sun/moon we observe in the background?
Worth noting, upon leaving the cave the sun/moon has the same angle to the payer in the outside world.
It could be that Caylen is in a valley and is trapped with geographical features, hence the tunnel we pass through on arrival. But as you’ve noted, they can fly haha. I’m very curious.
Maybe there is something keeping them there like moths to a flame similar to the behavior of the villagers in the woods to the North. Moon has already shown the pestilence has an impact on the will of those it possesses.
The Pestilence has been seeping out and having alot of influence on the Island but I dont think thats due to ‘carriers’ like the chosen (I think thats what the flying torn mobs were called) getting out but more the environment.
As for said Chosen, I think the general idea was they were dormant or at least content with Caylen and the Madrigals meddling has woken them up and allowed a more direct path for the Pestilence to infect the other zones via the breach.
Or, and this is wishful thinking, theres something else at play, we saw with Alden that powerful individuals infected with the Pestilence can manipulate it in strange ways and it has a hive-mind kind of quality to it, maybe something in Caylen is holding it back.
Kind of like Arthas from WoW, it would be interesting if theres a ‘King’ of sorts we need to kill to make the Pestilence receed but in doing so would send the infected rabid.