[Event Concept] The Dark Guardian's Return

[Cptcuddlybuns]

While I was working on another concept, the “Rise of Baphomet” (You should check it out here), I decided to make a secondary concept, as a backup. That concept was the “Rise of the Low Guardians.” (I know, right. Such original. Much creative. Wow). Well, a magnificent man known as DarknightK decided to improve upon that concept, and I…”improved” upon that concept, and eventually it became far enough removed from the Baphomet event that it warranted its own Forums post. So, without further ado:

 

Edit: immediate fail! As I forgot to change the name in the title. My bad.

 

                                                                            The Dark Guardian's Return

 

 

 

The event is in three stages: Destruction, The Return, and The Reckoning.

 

Destruction

 

“Tenno, for centuries the Gate Keepers have kept a set ancient Orokin vaults under watchful protection. We do not know their contents, but powerful bio-signatures have been detected within. Recently, those bio-signatures spiked. Contact with the Gate Keepers has since been lost. Our advance teams found the the vaults’ locks open. They, too lost contact after entering. Tenno, you must find what has broken the seals and subdue it. Protect the contents of the vaults at all costs. Expect heavy resistance.” -Inbox message from the Lotus, starting the event. 

 

The mission is, in itself, three phases:

 

The mission takes place in a modified derelict tileset, where the Gate Keepers (a hitherto unknown section of the Tenno) have begun the process of clearing the infestation from a derelict. The first few rooms are completely cleared, with only a few hints that it was ever damaged. As it progresses, It gets steadily more...well, derelict. Signs are scattered about that the Tenno were clearing the ship-lights, tools, a few bullet-ridden corpses, the usual. Then, in the last set of rooms (past a bypass door) there are actual infested to fight (possibly including infested Tenno?). Just beyond these rooms is a massive door, completely free of infestation. An absurdly huge, intricate locking mechanism is in the middle, it’s two halves separated. If the player looks close enough, from the right angle, they’ll see the shape of a scythe where a keyhole would be. 

 

“You’ve found them, Tenno. These cryopods seem to be in a distress mode. See if you can find a control panel.” -Message from the Lotus, upon entering the room. 

 

Once in the vault, the players see walls upon walls of cryopods, apparently full. Unlike the normal pods, the lights are red, and the glass is tinted a midnight black. In the center of the room is a control panel for the Cryopods. Upon activation, the infested attack, and the player must defend the control panel. Periodically, one of the pod bays will begin to open, and a player must rush to the pod, and solve a cypher. This will send the pod back into its bay, and out of danger.

 

Once enough of the pods have been saved (or a time limit), the Lotus contacts the Tenno. 

 

“Good work, Tenno. An extraction team will be there soon to-*various unpleasant sounds*-Target down. Assassination contract…complete.” -Message from the...Lotus?

 

Immediately after the message plays, the screen flashes red, and the HUD fizzles. At once, the doors lock and all of the pods in the room begin to open. As they are opening, another voice comes in through the comms. 

 

“You did not think it would be that easy, did you? Did you think that you could destroy us a second time? No. Your Lotus has been silenced, and soon, all of your murdering kind will be lost to the void. Buried, beneath the souls of those you destroyed. They are out there, in the Dark Worlds beyond the void. These few here, the vanguard of your destruction. We will end your reign of terror once and for all, Tenno. Awaken, my brothers! Your vengeance is at hand!” -Message from the Stalker.

 

When the drama queen’s monologue has ended, black smoke erupts from the pods (much like the stalker’s smoke when he appears). Four of the Guardians spawn in the room, wielding Cronus swords. The difficulty of these enemies scales with the conclave of the group. Once the low guardians have been dealt with (and the Stalker yells in impotent rage again), the doors at the far end of the room unlock. In the next room, the bodies of the Gate Keepers are strewn about, killed by the Stalker. Escaping is a straightforward run through hordes of infested, with Low Guardians fighting here and there (generally both factions ignore the tenno, unless you get too close). The Tenno leave through extraction, and everything continues as normal. OR DOES IT!

The vaults can be accessed again afterwards, with event score being awarded for each Low Guardian killed (on a team basis, not an individual basis). When the players enter the vault, a box appears (as though a transmission is coming in) but the box is empty, and nothing is said. The mission continues as normal, but with taunts from the Stalker rather than orders from the Lotus. After enough time has passed, the next phase starts:

Note: After this section of the event is completed, the Lotus will be silent throughout missions, with only a quick text blurb to announce mission objectives...for now.

 

The Return

 

This phase has no direction from the Lotus, forcing players to find their own way through. Well, or Darvo sticks his buck-teeth into the situation, gives his...experience, with the Stalker. Either way, it comes to light that the base of the Low Guardians is hidden in the Dark Worlds, twisted hellscapes of purple crystal and scorched sand, deep within the void. The Crystals are jagged spires, glowing from within. Most of the mission takes place inside, in a utilitarian Orokin facility (seemingly a mix of Orokin and Corpus architecture). In the area that must be traversed outside, decayed stone lanterns (like the dojo lanterns) give off an eerie glow, lighting the way. Some wild animals might spawn, twisted creatures contaminated by the void. There are four ways DarknightK and I have thought about how to get to this wonderful summer destination. We would appreciate it if you guys could give some feedback as to which you prefer:

1) Void missions, where the Low Guardians have started to take over the towers. The Corrupted, recognising the Low Guardians as Orokin, now fight alongside them. Within the extraction room is a new object: an obelisk, creating a bridge to the Dark Worlds. If the bridge is accessed, the mission is ended with a win, and the players are immediately sent into a Dark World mission.

 

2) Dark Keys, which require some kind of something to create, and send you there directly.

 

3) The Midnight Key, which is equipped in the gear slot. If a void mission is started with someone holding the Midnight Key, it sends them to the darkworlds instead. (possible crafting requirement: special drop from the stalker, who will spawn on a specific mission (shown with a Stalker icon, much like Nightmare)).

 

4) The Tenno HQ gets attacked by the Low Guardians, and the player must fight through the half-destroyed dojo-like area, before going through a portal to the Dark Worlds, much like invasion missions. The Tenno HQ is a large, Randomly Generated Clan Dojo that has been ambushed by the Guardians. The Low Guardians have created a Warp Apparatus (similar to Vor’s in The Call trailer) that allowed them to bypass the Tenno defenses, and attack them right in the middle of their home base. Throughout the Dark Worlds, players may catch a glimpse of several other Apparati being built. These “Tenno HQs” can be accessed much like the Cicero Event, with a specially designed Node hovering around one planet at a time and acts very much like an Invasion, with the progress bar and all that jazz. 

 

The Dark World missions are a mix of sabotage and exterminate. The Stalker also has a massively increased chance of spawning on these missions. In order for win conditions to be met, all Low guardians on the map must be killed (while the Corrupted respawn, they do not). Then, an artifact tube will open, allowing the players to steal a set of nav-coordinates within. Immediately after the coordinates are stolen, the Stalker will lock all doors and contact the player:

 

“You! You have blood on your hands, Tenno. My brothers will be avenged. And you, you shall die with your prize.” -very angry message from the Stalker. 

 

After the Stalker is done talking, a shudder runs through the base as the generators overload. As the base starts to crumble, a maintenance pathway will open, and players will have to parkour through the rusted bowels of the station, dodging around the shifting, grinding machinery, blowing apart pipes to clear paths, and other intersting feats of ninja-ness. If the player can not return to the portal before the mission is over, then they lose.

 

Alternately, if DE does not wish to create another tileset, the Orokin Void could be repurposed as a temporary forward base of operations for the Low Guardians, with a few modifications showing the Guardian’s influence on the Void such as weapon racks, ammunition canisters, and the like - showing that they are gearing up for eventual war. All the aforementioned information about player’s having to Parkour to the end of the mission still applies, however.

 

Arrival lines from the Stalker during this mission: 

“(player name) You should not be here. No matter, you have only accelerated your death.”

 

“So, you found your way to our refuge. You will not leave it alive”

 

“That fool Darvo will pay for leading you here, Tenno. But first, you must die.”

 

“Your Lotus is gone, (player name), you are next.”

 

“I remember (clan name). They were just as weak before the fall as they are now.”

 

“Why are you here, Tenno? Was the slaughter of before not enough? Must you destroy these last few as well?”

 

Stalker defeated lines: 

 

“No! I will not die here!”

 

“So be it, Tenno. Even if you succeed here, you cannot defeat us all.”

 

“I...fail. Just as I failed so long ago…”

 

“The dust of this world has seen more blood than you know, Tenno. Mine shall not be the last it drinks.”

 

When enough time has passed, the last phase starts:

 

The Reckoning:

 

“Tenno, I have returned. There is no time to explain, the adversary who tried to kill me  has been found. Go to his Dojo. End his madness.” -Message from the surprisingly alive Lotus

 

The last phase takes place in the Stalker’s dojo. You must craft a Special clan key, using the coordinate balls found in the Dark Worlds. they will spawn you within the Stalker’s Dojo. This Dojo is similar to the Tenno’s, but more sinister. Where the Tenno have the (actually quite creepy) trees, the Stalker has put Shards of Dark Worlds crystal, or twisted trees that extrude clouds of poison. The koi ponds of the Tenno have given way to pools of black sludge, unseen creatures slithering beneath the surface. 

 

Deep within the Dojo, the stalker waits with what remains of his cell. The boss room is a large obstacle course/death trap arena, with the Stalker and 3 other (depends on how many players are in the session) Stalker-like Warframes with him. The Stalker and his cell will scale with the Conclaves of the Tenno cell per individual player. The Stalker’s Cell will be dynamic, utilizing a mix of Warframe Powers per encounter depending on the Player Cell’s tactics. Their AI will accordingly scale per target (each Stalker boss has a pre-determined target). So if one player decides to use the Tigris, their counterpart boss will try to stay out of their range. If one player has a Vectis, their counterpart will utilize parkour and high mobility to stay out of their sights. The other Guardians are killable, but *can be revived if any other “bosses” are in the area, and are not dealt significant damage in time. The Stalker will escape into the darkness between platforms when dropped to significantly low health, however. 

 

*Very much maybe probably sort of not going to be a thing.

 

Once the mission is done, the Lotus explains that she was not, in fact, murder-stabbed by the Stalker, but her signal was jammed. A ploy from the Stalker to scare the Tenno. 

 

Rewards:

Emblem: The symbol of the Low Guardians, essentially a front-view of the Stalker’s helmet, but with the top folds replaced with the symbol of the Lotus (which, come to think of it, they look a lot alike. CONSPIRACY!). 

 

Actual Loot:

 

Low Tier: Misa Syandana (makes sense, as it’s the scarf of the temple guards)

 

Mid tier: Blueprints for an old weapon of the Low Guard, a ceremonial broadsword, made from the crystal of the Dark Worlds.

 

Top Tier: A Weapon recovered from the Vaults of the Stalker’s dojo. Possibly a more interesting Boltor. Super charged!

 

Post-Event Effects

1) The Towers have a chance to spawn a portal to the Dark Worlds at extraction. Only activates once the objective has been completed. Entering the portal ends the mission, and immediately starts a new one with a random objective in the Dark world. Finishing a dark world mission would give a high-tier reward (possibly parts for a Low-Guardian warframe, or the Stalker’s helmet for an Excalibur). 

 

2) Possible Implementation of the Low Guardian Dojo tileset that must be accessed via Keys in a special way (more on that later).

 

3) Possible “Faction invasion” during missions by the Low Guardians. Maybe 3 or 4 cells of Low Guardians invade the ship, hunting the Tenno out. 

 

Accessing The Low Guardian Dojo’s Post-Event

Me and Cptcuddlybuns are divided on this issue, but have reached a possible breaking point. To access the Low Guardian Dojo after the event, players can do either of the following actions

 

1) Create an [Expensive] Guardian Dojo key, which will be consumed like your standard Orokin Void/Derelict Key

 

2) Create a “Comms Relay/Warp Gate” much like the one Vor uses in The Call trailer (and the ones the Low Guardian’s will possibly be using in this event), that will allow you to use your Key multiple times before it breaks from overuse (the key will immediately break if not used in the gate, however). (If this event gets made, this spoiler is an actual spoiler)

The gate works both way, hewever, and having a gate in your Dojo will allow it to be invaded by the Low Guardians (Something like a mini-event). Dealing with them with gives each Clan member who participated a multitude of rewards including, but are not limited to: Resources, Mods, Void Keys, Weapon/Warframe Part BPs, Gear items, etc. One possibility is static defense that can be added to your Dojo: turrrets, death orbs, maybe a Zanuka-like ground pet. This would give the large clans that have nothing left to build something to use their resources on. The force of the Dojo invasion will scale based on your Clan’s size (Ghost, Shadow, Moon). Larger clans will have to participate more in order to drive back the larger invading Guardians.

 

This will be left up to discussion, please comment on how you would feel if this were to be implemented. 

 

Original versions:

 

Cptcuddlybuns:

Rise of Baphomet Go to this concept, scroll to the bottom. I would post it in it's entirety, but I really don't want to format more than I have to. Not trying to get more views on it or anything. Nope. Not at all. You can move on to Dark's post now. Seriously. there's no jokes here. MOVE. 

 

DarknightK:

 

                                                              The Rise of the Guardians

                                                                  Stalker-Themed Event

 

“Tenno, for centuries the Gate Keepers have kept an ancient sector of the Sol system under watchful protection. The secrets that lie within this sector are too great to be attempted to research or tampered with in any way. Recently however, there has been notable movement within this “dark” (off the grid) sector. Further analysis shows that the Gate Keepers have been slaughtered, and the entrance left askew for those who wish to enter. You must enter this sector and protect these secrets at any cost, there is no room for failure.” – Lotus Forum/Inbox/Event text

 

Phase 1: Lament

During the first phase, Players will enter a decaying Tenno transport ship from the old age, tethered underneath a bulky asteroid or something with a small observatory station on the top of the asteroid, making it appear to be a simple civilian mining operation. Upon insertion into the Tileset, Players will first notice the slain bodies of the Gate Keepers strewn around the initial area. The enemies of this tileset will consist of the Corrupted until the player’s complete the objective.

The objective is to guard a single generator which keeps the cryopods in the large cargo hold under stasis. The Cargo hold will look like a dirty version of the Barracks in the Dojo (and much larger, of course). Cryopods can be seen behind glass panes lined up side-by-side.

 

“Inside this Ancient Ship (a Tenno cruiser from long ago, now decaying), you will find a cargo hold, get to it, and defend the payload in there” –Starting Blurb

 

“There they are Tenno, defend the Cryopods” –Once player’s reach the Cargo hold

 

“Good work Tenno, whatever forces that were attacking you seem to be re..-tr-.e [TRANSMISSION LOST]…”

“Do you think you can contain us forever Tenno? Do you think you are invulnerable to our strength? Your kind has walked Sol for far too long, as murderous barbarians. Now, we shall restore to the galaxy the balance which you constantly skewer at every opportunity. My Brothers, Strike!” –Stalker after the Objective is complete

 

The Cryopods will mysteriously activate, followed by a brief flash of red, and the Tileset’s enemies will quickly change to the Low Guardians. These enemies are similar to the Stalker, albeit with a much lower AI setting due to their release from cryostasis. They will fight with old Cronus swords. Players will have to make a dash to extraction.

 

Phase 2: Depredation

In Depredation, the Low Guardians will begin their counterattack on the Tenno, raiding Dojos and destroying them from the inside out. Tenno squads must click on the “Dojo” notification along the Event bar to enter the Dojo waiting screen, where they will enter a half-destroyed clan dojo to drive off the Low Guardians. This will play as an extermination mission, with the Stalker having a high chance to spawn.

 

During the mission, there will be a portal that players must travel through that will put them inside one of the Orokin Void, now assimilated by the Low Guardians. From here, once the Tenno kill all of the Low Guardians, Stalker will contact the player’s cell in fury, and activate a self-destruct mechanism in an attempt to bury the Tenno with his fallen brothers. Player’s will have to reach Extraction while performing massive parkour feats (much like the obstacle course in the Dojo).

During this phase of the event, all communications with the Lotus are cut off.

 

Phase 3: Reckoning

Players must now enter the Low Guardian’s Dojo using a “Guardian Key” crafted from the foundry. This will insert them into the Low Guardian’s Dojo, where the remnants of the Low Guardians await the Tenno.

 

The boss room will be a large obstacle course/death trap arena, with the Stalker and 3 other (depends on how many players are in the session) Stalker-like Warframes with him (heavily implied to be his former cell). The Stalker and his cell will scale with the Conclaves of the Tenno cell per individual player. The Stalker’s Cell will be dynamic, utilizing a mix of Warframe Powers per encounter depending on the Player Cell’s tactics. Their AI will accordingly scale per target (each Stalker boss has a pre-determined target). So if one player decides to use the Tigris, their counterpart boss will try to stay out of their range. If one player has a Vectis, their counterpart will utilize parkour and high mobility to stay out of their sights.

 

When the fight is over, and Stalker’s health is drained to 10%, a cutscene will play where Stalker will stumble backwards, and push himself off a ledge into the dark abyss of the Dojo. Afterwards, Players will have to make a quick run to Extraction before the advancing Low Guardians outnumber them.

 

Post-Event: Player’s will get their rewards and yadda-yadda.

-Possible Return of the Decaying Tenno Ship as a Corrupted/Infested Tileset

-The Low Guardian Dojo Tileset, the only place for guaranteed Low Guardian enemies.

-Chance for a Node to become invaded by the Low Guardians, due to the presence of the Tenno.

 

Bonus: My thoughts on the Low Guardians

 

The Stalker is obviously a Tenno, and a highly trained one at that. Therefore it stands that the Low Guardians are high-ranking Tenno as well. But while the Tenno were revered by the Orokin (or at least it seemed that way to the Stalker), the Low Guardians were separated, standing by and watching. They also did not join the Tenno, since they were slaughtered along with the Orokin. So-as I see it-they were a form of secret police. Protecting the Orokin leaders in less-than-savory ways, the "low" part of Low Guardians. So here we have a member of the Low Guardians, a Tenno who does the dirtiest jobs while receiving none of the praise, who sees the highly praised Tenno decimate his charges. I'd be angry too. 

Edited March 16, 2014 by Cptcuddlybuns

[RCOAS]

Hard to make. But fun.

[DarknightK]

Such amaze wow.

 

Many concepts good.

[Cptcuddlybuns]

Hard to make. But fun.

Yea, we were thinking it might be too complicated, but all in all it doesn't seem like it would be TOO intensive. Not like reworking damage or something.

[DarknightK]

The concept is still undergoing slight tweaks, and has various possibilities for what we can do.

 

For example, in Phase Two, instead of using the Dark Worlds or the Orokin Void, the Stalker's Dojo could be used partially (without the boss room of course), as a preview of what the Tileset would look like Post-Event. Sort of what the Cicero Event is doing right now.

 

This only causes DE to create essentially one new tileset.

 

 

Also, the Low Guardians were planned to be the only enemy faced in the event. Although due to the agreed low numbers (You fight 3-4 Guardians per 1 or 2 tiles), we decided to throw in the Corrupted as well, since the Orokin Neural Sentry recognizes the Guardians as Orokin.

 

Post more feedback D:<

[DarknightK]

Shameless bump.

[DeadScream]

I love it ! 

AND I LOVE THE SHAMELESS BUMPS TOO HUE HUEHUE

[Cptcuddlybuns]

I do not abide by bumps. I do not regret them either.

[DarknightK]

A bump for Righteousness.

 

Seriously, I'm keeping this thread alive until people can't hold all of their upvotes.

 

Tweaks may be coming Soon from a few ideas I've brainstormed.

[(PSN)Daikon177]

This is genius. It would be cool if DE ran with it but kept it quiet and one day we log on and maybe the first mission is an alert but you it wont let you play any other mission until you do that one

Edited February 10, 2014 by (PS4)DA_HEFF_

[DarknightK]

With the mention of "Relay Stations" in the previous Devstream (22), it could be possible that for The Return, The Guardians will invade the Stations, instead of a "Tenno HQ" (this was what I was aiming for actually).

 

To access this special mission, players will probably have to find a special elevator that will transport them to the upper/lower levels of the Relay Station, fighting the Low Guardians who are destroying the infrastructure of the station. Possibly like that one Mass Effect 3 DLC where you get to explore the Citadel (I can't remember the name of it, pretty sure it was Citadel or something).

 

By the way, this aforementioned change would replace Number 4 in the spoiler under The Return.

[Magmahunter]

don't think Stalker could get enraged as he seems just too well focused on his mission.

neither will he go after the Lotus, She merely guides us to our mark where we make the kill

[Rainei00]

Jeez, this is an amazing idea!  The only problem I can think of (which has been stated a bunch of times before) is that it would be slightly difficult to code, but aside from that, I would love such an event.

 

Edit: typo :S

Edited February 11, 2014 by Rainei00

[Jathniel]

Wonder if this concept caught the fancy of anyone at DE?
Perhaps they could modify and toy around with the idea in one of their meetings.

It was even entertaining to read.

Old, but I shamelessly necro and +1 it.

[Jathniel]

don't think Stalker could get enraged as he seems just too well focused on his mission.

neither will he go after the Lotus, She merely guides us to our mark where we make the kill

And this^

Just modify the Stalker's behavior.

He's too cool (or cold) to be "enraged".

Rage doesn't fit him.

[Cptcuddlybuns]

And this^

Just modify the Stalker's behavior.

He's too cool (or cold) to be "enraged".

Rage doesn't fit him

Yea, but you'd be attacking his "family" now. It'd be interesting to have the detached and professional Stalker begin to crack when there's something he cares about on the line. 

[Veridantus]

This is awesome, except we need to find out what Lotus actually is 1st..
If she's an AI how would she be killed in the 1st place?
Not to mention, Tennos would know that she's an AI..
Also, Misa Syandana as a reward is far-fetched..

Other than that, It's Aces in my book.. +1
 

Jathniel, on 12 Mar 2014 - 2:16 PM, said:

And this^
Just modify the Stalker's behavior.
He's too cool (or cold) to be "enraged".
Rage doesn't fit him

Rage actually suits him very well, if you read his codex..
Vengeance is his motivator. & Considering the Tennos are here for his brethren, rage would play very well to this situation.

Edited March 14, 2014 by Veridantus

[Thirsty_Pickle]

Although intensive as hell, this would be the best event ever.

 

DE Consider this, please.

[Cptcuddlybuns]

This is awesome, except we need to find out what Lotus actually is 1st..

If she's an AI how would she be killed in the 1st place?

Not to mention, Tennos would know that she's an AI..

Also, Misa Syandana as a reward is far-fetched..

 

I'm fairly certain she's a person, given that she shows emotion, and has a semi-casual way of speaking. Besides, you can kill an AI. Just find the plug. 

 

And I don't mean the hyper-fancy sweet-jesus Misa Syandana Prime that came with Prime access, I mean a slightly less-fancy common man version. 

 

Jathniel, on 12 Mar 2014 - 2:16 PM, said:

Rage actually suits him very well, if you read his codex..

Vengeance is his motivator. & Considering the Tennos are here for his brethren, rage would play very well to this situation.

 

That's what I thought

[SuperTechmarine]

Great Idea, but the Stalker and the Low Guardians are not Tenno. And it'd be better if the Lotus was actually killed off for real in the latter parts of the story instead of the first parts, then you have to do separate quest to bring her back to life.

[DarknightK]

The Stalker wears a modified Tenno suit, and its very possible that the Tenno were modeled after their image (the Tenno are thought to be Guardians that entered the void, hence their awesomesauce powers).

 

Not much is officially revealed through lore what the Low Guardians are EXACTLY, but based on Stalker's codex entry, they are obviously a militant group that had existed long before the first Tenno came back from the void. Whether or not Stalker obtained his gear and suit BEFORE or AFTER the Tennobro's slaughtered the Orokin Emperors is also unknown, but me and Cuddlebunbro are assuming that the Tenno were modeled in the image of the Low Guardians, the only difference is that the Tenno were highly radiated by the Void, whereas the Guardians were not.

 

 

I am making baby step revisions to this in lieu of new content and future information being planned. This post was made back when U11 was out for sometime, and now with Operation Gate Crash, more info about Hubs, new Dojo rooms (dat Orokin lab), we should be able to integrate most of our ideas within the features that we have (and will have) right now.