Jade's Shadow speculation and wishlist

[Cram_Duahcim]

I personally have been waiting for over a year for this news since the AMA DE did during the lead up to Duviri.

The AMA did touch on the fact that this update is 100% PvE, so I'm going into this discussion with that in mind. They said no PvP so that's what my speculation is revolving around. The merits can be discussed here however, I would rather focus on the cinematic/Lore elements primarily with this thread.

Now we know its a cinematic quest from Stalkers perspective, I'd like to know what others are expecting, or wish this update brings. Here's what I personally would like to see:

- Explaining what an "Low Guardian" actually is, what or who controls them? (Stalker and Acolytes).

- Witnessing the Tenno assassinate the Orokin Emperors, from Stalkers perspective (and the Low Guardians).

- Witness the collapse of the Origin System or at least explain some aspects of it.

- Explain where Stalker went post Second Dream, lead up to New War and the relationship between him and Hunhow after TSD.

Jade: Jade Warframe, "Jade Light" Lore. It seems we could be hunting Jade, as Stalker. 

Conclusion: Either Stalker fully becomes an ally (like in New War) and introduces a "Hunhow" or "Stalker" Syndicate or:

Completely reworked to be a unique character/warframe vs being an Excal cut/copy/paste.

Wishlist of rewards:

- Stalker helmet (male/female) for fashion.

- Loincloth attachment that replaces Umbra's Scarf.

War Incarnon: I understand why some may believe this may not be possible as it's a Sentient Weapon: However being that it's a weapon, not a living Sentient. I'd consider a War Incarnon possible since Hunhow utilized War to travel to the Reservoir with Stalker without dealing with the effects of the void, so it theoretically can work. 

- Stalker playable/modable outside Duvir. Minimum in the current state he's in when accessible in Duviri, or have him in a more modern state where is abilies are not cut/copy/paste from other frames (Ash, Helminth, Nyx) 

- Jade Warframe, her signature weapon (looks like an executioner axe/scythe.

 

Stalkers future:

If he becomes more of an "ally" like in New War, then I'm expecting a new Assassin to take his mantle and he is "retired" as our Assassin.

Proto-Stalker: I mean just how cool would this be in the WF1999 universe? Either friend, foe or playable (I prefer playable).

Edited March 29 by Cram_Duahcim

[Aruquae]

I want them to actually have something to do with jade

[Hexerin]

I'm just hoping Jade will be fun, ability-centric (but not spammy like Dagath), and have access to overguard without being a shield-less frame.

[S074]

In terms of wishlist...
I'd like for not only the stalker but also have the acolytes as unlockable warframes.

I don't care much if they are in fact reused warframe with mixed up skills and an edgy helmet.

I want them for the fun factor. I'd love to see what could be pulled off with the mixed builds they could have as well as their unique skills.

So many videogames give us unlockable bonus characters that are reskins with different stats and skills: I don't see the harm in unlocking them for us to play with in warframe as well.

They clearly are modified warframes (possibly independant ones like Kullervo was) and we already regularly rebuild warframes from blueprints (or their splattered remains as it happened with Umbra), so why not?

I would be more than ok for them to have no augment mods and no prime associated with. Just fun little extras.

 

[Waeleto]

2 hours ago, Cram_Duahcim said:

Stalker helmet (male/female) for fashion.

This or we get the stalker fully playable finally, the helmet is too good to be wasted like that

As for War incarnon i also second this 100% the weapon is so good looking and really important to war for how weak it is because of it's IPS status

Edited March 30 by Waeleto

[Ace-Bounty-Hunter]

4 hours ago, Cram_Duahcim said:

They said no PvP so that's what my speculation is revolving around.

Why would anyone assume the devs would add PvP when 99.9% of the content is PvE? The only thing that is PvP is Conclave and only a handful of no life tryhard neckbeards actually give a damn about it.

[Cram_Duahcim]

1 hour ago, Ace-Bounty-Hunter said:

Why would anyone assume the devs would add PvP when 99.9% of the content is PvE? The only thing that is PvP is Conclave and only a handful of no life tryhard neckbeards actually give a damn about it.

Because Stalker mode exists. And as soon as a Stalker Update gets mentioned: This mode brings a ton of concern.

It's something worth noting.

Edited March 30 by Cram_Duahcim

[Cram_Duahcim]

2 hours ago, Waeleto said:

This or we get the stalker fully playable finally, the helmet is too good to be wasted like that

I don't see it as a waste considering the Acolytes exist, and I'd like to recieve that helmet for my Nekros, Frost etc to make the Acolyte look. A helmet really isn't wasted considering you could apply to every warframe in the game.

I would also want playable Stalker, but I'd also like for him to also recieve his own unique kit vs 2 Ash abilities, Marked for Death (which you also want on Ash) and then his 4th, which is really similar to Nyx (same meditation animation) 

 I'd also like for it to be Shadow Stalker, which would would essentially be Umbra Excals body without the Scarf and you'd have the front/back Sentient loincloth instead (which could realistically be an attachment on Umbra Excal where you can remove the scarf) 

Edited March 30 by Cram_Duahcim

[Waeleto]

4 minutes ago, Cram_Duahcim said:

I don't see it as a waste considering the Acolytes exist, and I'd like to recieve that helmet for my Nekros, Frost etc to make the Acolyte look. A helmet really isn't wasted considering you could apply to every warframe in the game.

 

I consider it a waste because we as players can't use it

5 minutes ago, Cram_Duahcim said:

I would also want playable Stalker, but I'd also like for him to also recieve his own unique kit vs 2 Ash abilities, Marked for Death (which you also want on Ash) and then his 4th, which is really similar to Nyx (same meditation animation) 

 I'd also like for it to be Shadow Stalker, which would would essentially be Umbra Excals body without the Scarf and you'd have the front/back Sentient loincloth instead (which could realistically be an attachment on Umbra Excal where you can remove the scarf) 

200% agreed on both of those things, it's about time he becomes fully playable

[crazywolfpusher]

Jade might be a dragon priest frame

the ship behind look like the dragon quest symbol 

Spoiler

 

 

[Ace-Bounty-Hunter]

30 minutes ago, Cram_Duahcim said:

Because Stalker mode exists.

No one in their right mind wants what is essentially a griefing mode in this game.  Aside from a bunch of sad pricks that enjoy projecting their misery onto others.

[TeaHands]

I'm hoping Jade's ninja inspired in some way since it involves Stalker. Maybe has a passive or ability that involves throwing weapons or projectile weapons.

Edited March 30 by TeaHands

[rahetalius4.2.0CE]

37 minutes ago, TeaHands said:

I'm hoping Jade's ninja inspired in some way since it involves Stalker. Maybe has a passive or ability that involves throwing weapons or projectile weapons.

I'm imagining more 'executioner' inspired because of the whole jade thing being in reference to the 'jade light' which was used by the orokin to well, execute people.

[Cram_Duahcim]

56 minutes ago, rahetalius4.2.0CE said:

I'm imagining more 'executioner' inspired because of the whole jade thing being in reference to the 'jade light' which was used by the orokin to well, execute people.

The teaser image kinda says it all, Jade is likely the "Executioner" frame.

Which alone could have huge lore implications considering this warframe could be the one that executed Margulis.

This quest could tie back to the Apostacy Prologe where, we could see Jade execute Margulis from Stalkers perspective.

So many events can be explored from Stalkers point of view here:

- The assassination of the Emperors.

- The collapse of the Empire and the time when the Tenno slept.

- The time between Second Dream to The New War, maybe some throwbacks to Operation Shadow Debt even.

I mean there's a lot of things to explore here other than simply his origins, which I'm also very curious about.

My hope is we get 2 warframes from this update: Stalker and Jade. But my feelings are the Stalker content will be more cosmetic in nature due to the fact they haven't released 2 Warframes in one update to my knowledge.

Edited March 30 by Cram_Duahcim

[Corvid]

1 hour ago, Cram_Duahcim said:

Which alone could have huge lore implications considering this warframe could be the one that executed Margulis.

Considering that Warframes did not exist prior to the Old War, which as far as we are aware began after Margulis' death, this seems unlikely.

 

On topic, my main hope is that we'll finally get some continuation of the Narmer/Sentient side of the ongoing story, possibly with an expansion to the Sentient Ship tileset so they can finally have their own region.

Pretty much my only gripe with the new dev team is the extent to which they've pivoted away from the Sentients in favour of the Void despite them being the main looming threat for the bulk of the game's lifespan. Since the New War, we've had a grand total of one non-echoes named update that focused on them, vs seven that focused on the Void.

Don't get me wrong, the Void stuff is interesting and I am certainly looking forward to seeing where (or when) they go with it, but given that one of the biggest complaints about the New War was that it didn't feel like the status quo of the setting was changed all that much by the Sentients' invasion (besides changing two of the Landscape regions, for the worse IMO), it would be nice to see some more attention given to following up on it.

[-ShadowRadiance-]

As long as Jade comes with a fun helminth ability. Im sold.

[Raarsi]

11 hours ago, Hexerin said:

I'm just hoping Jade will be fun, ability-centric (but not spammy like Dagath), and have access to overguard without being a shield-less frame.

Um...-points at Dante-...ta da?

Now that I think about it, I'm definitely thinking she's getting the same treatment as every other mineral-themed frame (Atlas, Gara, Citrine) of being a frame that could turn things into actual jade and shatter them for higher damage.  Only difference is that we don't have any of those frames with an offensive vibe since all the others have more of a mechanical lean toward either defense or support.

The end result?  Executioner, hunter, assassin, something along those lines capturing prey by turning it into jade.  Likely Asiatic-themed, probably from something Chinese-inspired unless they make a heck of a left turn somewhere.  I suppose Jade would be the Orokin's answer to the presence of the Stalker.

[Waeleto]

1 hour ago, Raarsi said:

I suppose Jade would be the Orokin's answer to the presence of the Stalker.

Wouldn't the stalker be on the orokin's side ?

[rahetalius4.2.0CE]

2 hours ago, Raarsi said:

mineral-themed frame

besides the name being jade, I doubt Jade'll have much to do with the gemstone, as the Jade is referring to the Jade Light, which we have lore about how it's nice and bright and green, and leaves it's results in a crimson (as in it says the person in the jade machine got turned into red mist)

[(PSN)robotwars7]

15 hours ago, Cram_Duahcim said:

Explaining what an "Low Guardian" actually is, what or who controls them? (Stalker and Acolytes).

honestly, at this point, we nearly always get more questions than answers, so I wouldn't bank on this too much. I doubt the answer is very impressive either, probably they are just the lowest of the warrior caste responsible for directly protecting the Orokin, who just keep the peasants away, with High Guardians being personal bodyguards.

15 hours ago, Cram_Duahcim said:

Witnessing the Tenno assassinate the Orokin Emperors, from Stalkers perspective (and the Low Guardians).

dear god please.. this is the one cutscene I've wanted in game for years. I'll get majorly blue-balled if they decide to just illustrate it or play audio, I want to SEE it happen!

15 hours ago, Cram_Duahcim said:

- Witness the collapse of the Origin System or at least explain some aspects of it.

this as well, though really the collapse was a result of multiple problems at once: Infestation running wild, Corpus amassing power, and the Grineer rebellions. if only one of these things happened at a time, it might have been contained, but I don't think that was the case. it also didn't help the Orokin that they had just finished their massive , centuries-long war against the Sentients either, so when another crisis struck they were even more ill-prepared (but Orokin are also naturally quite incompetent it seems)

16 hours ago, Cram_Duahcim said:

Explain where Stalker went post Second Dream, lead up to New War and the relationship between him and Hunhow after TSD.

he probably went somewhere alone to reflect on what he'd seen. I imagine he must have an orbiter or Dojo of his own, where he goes to patch himself up after every defeat, also a place to train his Acolytes. as for his relationship with Hunhow, it always seemed to me to just be a case of mutual interest; Hunhow hates the Tenno for taking Natah away and the role they played in the Old War, Stalker hates the Tenno because we killed the Orokin, and we may or may not have committed some other "grave injustice" in his eyes that needs to be avenged, guess we'll find out in the quest.

16 hours ago, Cram_Duahcim said:

Stalker helmet (male/female) for fashion.

would certainly be nice for the fashionframe, but again, I'm not banking on DE letting us have it.

16 hours ago, Cram_Duahcim said:

Loincloth attachment that replaces Umbra's Scarf.

also would be cool, think I prefer the scarf though.

16 hours ago, Cram_Duahcim said:

War Incarnon:

would be nice, and maybe it could be done.. but I feel like he'll end up with another weapon instead, maybe something he used to use back in the days of being a low guardian. he drops Blind Justice for Nikanas, so i could imagine him having one of those.

[TeaHands]

9 hours ago, rahetalius4.2.0CE said:

I'm imagining more 'executioner' inspired because of the whole jade thing being in reference to the 'jade light' which was used by the orokin to well, execute people.

I know, it probably is but I'm just hopelessly hoping for something a lil more on the classic space ninja side that Warframe doesn't touch on very often anymore

[Hexerin]

9 hours ago, Raarsi said:

Um...-points at Dante-...ta da?

It was today that Raarsi realized that multiple frames can fit within a general concept.

[Waeleto]

5 hours ago, (PSN)robotwars7 said:

would certainly be nice for the fashionframe, but again, I'm not banking on DE letting us have it.

I really don't get why, it's just a fashion item and at the end of day they'd get plat from us buying it but i'm gonna keep hoping

[Corvid]

8 hours ago, rahetalius4.2.0CE said:

as the Jade is referring to the Jade Light,

To be clear, this is still speculation. No matter how plausible the connection might seem, we won't know for certain that this is the case until we get more details.

[Cram_Duahcim]

9 hours ago, (PSN)robotwars7 said:

I doubt the answer is very impressive either, probably they are just the lowest of the warrior caste responsible for directly protecting the Orokin, who just keep the peasants away, with High Guardians being personal bodyguards.

 

 

I mean the reason why he's hunting us is because he was there when the Tenno killed the Emperors, so they were doing some form of protection for them (and obviously failed).

I get the whole "Immortals" (Immortals Achaemenid Empire) vibe from them. The "High Guardians" could simply be the Dax. 

3 hours ago, Waeleto said:

I really don't get why, it's just a fashion item and at the end of day they'd get plat from us buying it but i'm gonna keep hoping

They've given away cosmetics of this nature in the past (Umbra Alt Helmet) so they don't necessarily need to make this item plat.  Considering we've got multiple warframes that already have this as a cosmetic (Stalker and the Acolytes) it's fair to assume that any existing warframe can get this helmet/mask. 

As such, it would be really nice to have that option. We can get both Stalker in our Aresonel and get the mask through the quest for all we know ( I hope) 

9 hours ago, (PSN)robotwars7 said:

would be nice, and maybe it could be done.. but I feel like he'll end up with another weapon instead, maybe something he used to use back in the days of being a low guardian. he drops Blind Justice for Nikanas, so i could imagine him having one of those.

That's also a possibility but War is the last weapon in his areaonal that doesn't have an incarnon (and Broken War, but Stalker doesn't weird that).

They could do both. And Heavy Swords as a whole can definitely use some love. I'm thinking they do War first simply because it's tied to Shadow Stalker. 

Now I get that in The New War, Stalker reverts to his normal form since he was defeated at the end of the quest but:

Shadow Stalker is the one that's been hunting us since Second Dream. My hope is DE reverts him back to Shadow Stalker for this quest and if he's playable outside Duviri: This is the variant we get.