Alright... Let's Talk Lore. (*long* Post, Potential Spoilers If You Haven't Played Dark Sector)

[Metronome]

As far as I'm aware, there aren't any topics dedicated to the full spectrum of what lore we've been given, but let's do some speculation.

 

We'll start from the beginning, shall we?

 

 

This is Hayden Tenno of the game Dark Sector - the "prequel" to, and the game DE developed before, Warframe. Yes, that's the Glaive. We'll get to that. Yes his last name is indeed Tenno. We'll get to that too.

 

The whole premise of Dark Sector is that Hayden is a CIA clean-up agent tasked with heading to Russia to do just that - clean up a few messes left behind by the American government and an experiment by some Russians that, needless to say, has gone completely FUBAR. The experiment itself involves a failed Bio-Weapon made by the Americans and transported via submarine that kind of got damaged and released the infection called, you guessed it, the Technocyte Virus. 

 

(If the story seems a little choppy and questionable, that's because... it kind of just is. Sorry DE, but there were lots of plot holes!)

 

The Technocyte Virus is essentially your stereotypical Zombie-esque virus except instead of simply killing people and reanimating them, it chooses to mutate them instead - giving them metallic skin and also being incredibly painful which causes those infected to completely lose their minds due to sheer pain before succumbing to the infection. 

 

 

(Seen above are an early and late-stage "Howler" (Infected - named so because they... howl) respectively)

 

Early on in the game, Hayden Tenno becomes infected. (Spoiler, but not really if you even glance at the box art) Now what separates Hayden from the other infected? What's stopping you from playing as a shambling Howler for the rest of the game? 

 

You see, Hayden suffers (I shouldn't say "suffers" as it's kind of incredibly awesome, albeit dangerous) from Congenital Analgesia - a rare condition in which a person cannot feel physical pain, which is how Mr. Tenno was able to maintain his sanity. He couldn't feel the infection. 

 

Because of his rare illness, he was able to "bond" with the infection rather than succumbing to it, which in turn gave him power over the Glaive that manifested itself in his arm. Iconic weapon. Does all the same stuff that the Glaive does in Warframe, albeit you can absorb elements with it without needing mods. (OP, right?)

 

Over the course of the game, while battling both infected and evil Russians, Hayden trips his way into a boss fight with a pretty familiar enemy called the Jackal. 

 

 

Look familiar?

 

 

Yeah. 

 

Me too.

 

Several (predictable) plot-twists later (SORRY DE. LIKE I SAID, IT'S TRUE!), Hayden stumbled onto what is only known as "Proto-Armor."

 

 

Seem like someone you know? 

 

No, it's not Excalibur...

...Is it?

 

 

I mean, pff. Of course not! The designs are COMPLETELY different! They don't-

What?

 

The Excalibur Proto-Skin? I mean-

 

 

Oh... Oh that... Well... Yeah I guess they are... Similar.

 

But what does all of this mean? What could this represent in Warframe? How does this tie-in?

 

In Warframe's codex/audio transmissions, it's revealed there was an era called The Great Plague in which the Technocyte Virus not only ravaged Earth, but the rest of the Solar System as well as it was spread from planet to planet via interplanetary travel, and (clearly) unsuccessful quarantines. 

 

It's revealed in Warframe that sometime BEFORE Hayden's time (Yes. BEFORE.) The Orokin created the Technocyte Virus to combat what are known as "Sentients." Not much is known about these Sentients other than the fact that.. They almost won the war, had it not been for the Tenno intervention. 

 

What confuses me is that the Technocyte Virus exists in Hayden's time and is the primary driving point of the plot. Hayden was sent to Russia to help control some people trying to screw around with it. But if the Orokin CREATED the Technocyte Virus to combat the sentients, that would mean the Orokin existed BEFORE Hayden, possibly somewhere within the Earth, hidden away perhaps?

 

Regardless of that fact, it's clear that the remaining humans fled Earth to escape the Virus and colonized other planets. They divided up into one of the many factions (Corpus, Grineer, Red Veil, whatever other factions we've yet to find) over the course of history. But who are the Tenno? 

 

Hayden Tenno is regarded as being the first Tenno. The first of his kind. The first to assimilate and bond with the infection as opposed to becoming a subject of it. Are the Tenno his descendants? Are they his children's children? Or are they cloned using the technology stolen from the Grineer? Remember, the Grineer use techno-logic and cybernetic modifications to make-up for their lack of real strength. It's possible that since the Tenno bond with the infection, they're given more natural strength and agility, negating the need for the mods. 

 

It's also possible that Hayden could have fallen into some cryogenic storage. Possibly intended by the Lotus? Remember, she said that because of the Cryo-Sleep, the Tenno would be suffering from some form of Amnesia. (Excalibur is ALSO regarded as being "The First.")

 

And with this, another question arises. 

 

Who is Lotus? Is she one person? Are there multiple Lotuses, ala Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy? Is she part of a major group? What is the purpose of that head-dress? I mean for real is she blind ( NOT DEAF ) or something? It's a little distracting, Lotus... A little distracting indeed. 

 

In Dark Sector, there is a "store" system in which you buy and sell weapons and upgrades. You enter a sewer system via Manhole covers marked with an easily recognizable symbol. 

 

 

The Lotus. 

 

At this point, it's clear that the Lotus was an important and at least mildly-large faction during Hayden's time, considering the fact that they had a pretty sizable Black Market/underground store throughout the large (fictional) city of Lasria. But who is our iconic woman? When did she come into play? And when did the Lotus become so interested in us?

 

 

Whatever all of this means, one thing is clear. The universes are the same. Hayden Tenno and the Lotus are a common link between the two time-periods. And whatever DE has in store is going to absolutely, without a doubt, blow our minds. 

 

T;DR: Lore. Lore. Speculation. Lore. Lore. 

Edited May 5, 2014 by Metronome

[DMan]

This post is way too long for me to read, and there is no TL;DR version of it.

But I noticed that someone already upvoted you so I guess it's good. So I'll do the same.

 

[This comment might contain sarcasm]

[fatpig84]

*slow clap*

 

Gotta commend you for writing that essay tho.

Edited May 5, 2014 by fatpig84

[xlraistlx]

TL;DR

More TL;DR

I just wanna say I is see Saryn.

Edited May 5, 2014 by xlraistlx

[Blatantfool]

 Warframe is the spiritual successor to Dark Sector. That isn't the same as a sequel. Sequel implies they happen in sequence or have any kind of impact on each other.

 

 They are not likely to ever be directly related in plot. The items in Warframe that act as references to Dark Sector are not there because of some deep tie in the lore. They are there because DE appreciates their fans.

[Gelkor]

Whatever all of this means, one thing is clear. The universes are the same. Hayden Tenno and the Lotus are a common link between the two time-periods. And whatever DE has in store is going to absolutely, without a doubt, blow our minds. 

 

T;DR: Lore. Lore. Speculation. Lore. Lore. 

 

 

But seriously, nice analysis.

 

The universes are connected, but I would say only tangentially.   Part of it is simply because Warframe is kinda the game DE wanted to make when they started making Dark Sector, but due to executive/production company meddling, was made into more of a MGS-style game instead of the futuristic space game they wanted to make.  Second, I think the timespan between the two is so great that Warframe time Lotus and Co. are, similarly only tangentially related to whatever was the Lotus Organization in Dark Sector.

 

Technocyte virus, definitely the same in both games, but basically, between Dark Sector and Warframe, Empires have risen and fallen, the solar system was colonized, and was attacked by either an alien race or a machine uprising (The Sentients).

 

TL;DR: There is so much time between the two games that, yeah, they may be in the same universe, but that's basically the only connection.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Gelkor

[LatoObligato]

Did... did you say that the Orokin created the Technocyte virus before Hayden's time? I did make a topic recently on some lore, read it if you wish. (https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/225973-a-very-long-lore-post/#entry2616628) 

1. The Technocyte Virus was made in the '50s by Russians in Lasria. Now, unless our Orokin are really Russians from the '50s, I highly doubt they truly "made" this original strain. Do note most infested now aren't really metal-like, looking more like some new(er) strain of the virus. 

 

Tenno seems to not be a blood-related thing, at least to me, because it just seems a little.. unlikely? I suppose it's entirely possible, but still. One odd family we'd be..

 

Do note that the Grineer don't clone Tenno, or if they did, well, they wouldn't last long. Grineer haven't fixed their little cloning issues just yet. (tyl regor lol do something already)

 

Anyway, yeah, I already commented about the whole Lotus thing in my topic. I can discuss it more here if you'd like.

 

EDIT: Oh yeah, Dark Sector was set up to be a trilogy. So yeah, a lot of these questions might've had answers if DE had done the last two Dark Sectors.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Nealybealy

[Metronome]

 Warframe is the spiritual successor to Dark Sector. That isn't the same as a sequel. Sequel implies they happen in sequence or have any kind of impact on each other.

 

 They are not likely to ever be directly related in plot. The items in Warframe that act as references to Dark Sector are not there because of some deep tie in the lore. They are there because DE appreciates their fans.

I can dream ;w;

[Blatantfool]

I can dream ;w;

 

 I know that feeling well.

 

 Honestly, I don't want you to take me saying that as a sign that you should drop what you're saying or even that you should even consider your view on the lore as less correct then the next guy.

 

 But I think it's important to know that it isn't likely we'll get a big reveal linking this game directly to the happenings of Dark Sector. Mostly because it'd suck to end up hyped for one outcome and getting something pretty different.

 

 Right now, in the current state of the game, everyone's view of "What lore is" is just about equally valid in my eyes. Though there is a bunch of stuff I think people should be mindful of.

[Metronome]

 I know that feeling well.

 

 Honestly, I don't want you to take me saying that as a sign that you should drop what you're saying or even that you should even consider your view on the lore as less correct then the next guy.

 

 But I think it's important to know that it isn't likely we'll get a big reveal linking this game directly to the happenings of Dark Sector. Mostly because it'd suck to end up hyped for one outcome and getting something pretty different.

 

 Right now, in the current state of the game, everyone's view of "What lore is" is just about equally valid in my eyes. Though there is a bunch of stuff I think people should be mindful of.

I do very much appreciate the sentiment.

 

It just seems to me as more than a spiritual successor. Bioshock is a spiritual successor to System Shock. Their elements and mechanics are similar and the story is similar, but have completely different settings and universes. Dark Sector and Warframe have been confirmed to already be in the same universe by DE in a Dev-Stream. 

 

DS and Warframe just seem too close to simply be spiritual successors. 

[(PSN)Pengu_Imperialus]

I know that feeling well.

 

 Honestly, I don't want you to take me saying that as a sign that you should drop what you're saying or even that you should even consider your view on the lore as less correct then the next guy.

 

 But I think it's important to know that it isn't likely we'll get a big reveal linking this game directly to the happenings of Dark Sector. Mostly because it'd suck to end up hyped for one outcome and getting something pretty different.

 

 Right now, in the current state of the game, everyone's view of "What lore is" is just about equally valid in my eyes. Though there is a bunch of stuff I think people should be mindful of.

it's fun. And who knows what the dev teams read and where ideas might come from.

[OniDax]

OP, did you just discover Dark Sector or something? Also, I don't think DE has any grand plans for lore. They make it up as they go because gameplay is a much higher priority to them. The Lotus was the symbol of the black market, same symbol the proto-armor has. One thing I noticed is that the paint on that jackal looks like the lotus symbol.

 

 Warframe is the spiritual successor to Dark Sector. That isn't the same as a sequel. Sequel implies they happen in sequence or have any kind of impact on each other.

 

 They are not likely to ever be directly related in plot. The items in Warframe that act as references to Dark Sector are not there because of some deep tie in the lore. They are there because DE appreciates their fans.

 

Ok, where did DE say that the lore that was released with the anniversary skin+weapon weren't lore and were only fan-service? Because that week they said we were getting lore, and the only thing we got was that this proto-armor was rediscovered and possibly predates the Orokin era, and that Warframe time is real time (1 year from awaking = 1 year since Open Beta). So please provide proof that this wasn't lore, because I've seen nothing from the devs that said this wasn't lore.

[Muminidas]

 I'll just add few words from my empty-head full of speculations. :) 

 

Just like Blatantfool said, Warframe is the spiritual succesor to Dark Sector. Timelines of both games are like thousands, bah even more years apart. 

 Hayden Tenno was the first Tenno - I understand him as spiritual succesor too. Technocyte virus? Same, it's different now, modified by the Orokin. 

 

Also, how the hell did you get to the point that Orokins created Technocyte before Hayden? They created this virus but not from a scratch, from genes they found on Earth probly. I see them and I will see Orokins as genetic scientists who created Technocyte and current Tenno race. Scientists from the future, like thousand years after Hayden. 

 

Moreover, Warframe's lore is much better that Dark Sectors, it has only few little connections. I beg you all ppl, don't make any serious lore connections to DS. Leave it for fan art section! Warframe's lore is there, you just have to find it and DE will give us mroe soon! Warframe has it's original lore, not based on Dark Sector's lore. 

[Blatantfool]

Ok, where did DE say that the lore that was released with the anniversary skin+weapon weren't lore and were only fan-service? Because that week they said we were getting lore, and the only thing we got was that this proto-armor was rediscovered and possibly predates the Orokin era, and that Warframe time is real time (1 year from awaking = 1 year since Open Beta). So please provide proof that this wasn't lore, because I've seen nothing from the devs that said this wasn't lore.

 

 No, my friend. The burden of proof lies on people like you, who desire this to be taken more seriously by fellas like me. It is flavor text on an item added to celebrate the game's anniversary. Flavor text on a limited time item.

 

 So you find ME some mention that acknowledges that text as significant. As something more then just DE being their usual old self and giving their fans a cool reference item because they love to be flirtatious.

 

 You can't defend it by saying "It's important lore because DE totally didn't say it WASN'T important lore!"

 

 That's like me saying the fact that Vor's message to his Queens having an almost S&M feel to it is significant because DE totally never said that S&M wasn't an important theme in the game.

[VegetableBasket]

What confuses me is that the Technocyte Virus exists in Hayden's time and is the primary driving point of the plot. Hayden was sent to Russia to help control some people trying to screw around with it. But if the Orokin CREATED the Technocyte Virus to combat the sentients, that would mean the Orokin existed BEFORE Hayden, possibly somewhere within the Earth, hidden away perhaps?

 

The Orokin didn't create the technocyte virus, they created J3 Golem. I don't know if that dialogue is even still in the game, but that's the famous line so many people misheard.

[Morec0]

The Lotus organization in Dark Sector theory doesn't make any sense to me, given that we never heard anything about it in regards to anyone other than that one black market guy who was operating in the area. It seems more likely that he simply used the Lotus symbol as a way of marking his territory for potential customers.

 

I don't see any connection between it and the Orokin/Tenno who seemingly adopted it. Currently, to me, it seems like nothing more than a coincidence - and coincidences are POWERFUL things.

[VegetableBasket]

 No, my friend. The burden of proof lies on people like you, who desire this to be taken more seriously by fellas like me. It is flavor text on an item added to celebrate the game's anniversary. Flavor text on a limited time item.

 

 So you find ME some mention that acknowledges that text as significant. As something more then just DE being their usual old self and giving their fans a cool reference item because they love to be flirtatious.

 

 You can't defend it by saying "It's important lore because DE totally didn't say it WASN'T important lore!"

 

 That's like me saying the fact that Vor's message to his Queens having an almost S&M feel to it is significant because DE totally never said that S&M wasn't an important theme in the game.

Blatant I trust that you will trust me on this one.

Sheldon specifically said, "There is some cool origin lore coming next week." the week before the proto armor came out. If you really don't believe me I can dig up the clip but I demand you bet me at least $100 that you are right before asking me to do that.

On my profile there is a link to a clip of everyone on the whole (livestream) team saying everything the infestation and Hayden Tenno in dark sector directly relates to Warframe. Rebecca literally says, "Lore confirmed," after they get done talking. I put it on my profile because I had to tell so many people they were wrong about it.

OP: Please just link

I have on my profile and you can backspace most of your thread. Multiple DE members have confirmed they are related.

 

 

Tenno seems to not be a blood-related thing, at least to me, because it just seems a little.. unlikely? I suppose it's entirely possible, but still. One odd family we'd be..

 

Bleed procs. Your Tenno literally bleeds. Steve in livestream 27 says the Tenno are, or once were people. They rely on oxygen to survive. They are organic. Their Warframes are made of living metal that can channel energy (just quoting Steve in the above clip).

Edited May 5, 2014 by VegetableBasket

[Morec0]

The Orokin didn't create the technocyte virus, they created J3 Golem. I don't know if that dialogue is even still in the game, but that's the famous line so many people misheard.

 

It's speculated that one of the weapons the Sentients turned against them was the Technocyte. And to say that the Orokin "created" the Technocyte isn't that far of a stretch, even with DS: consider that they created an ADVANCED version of it? That lead to creatures like Lephantis, Phorid, and all the others.

[Blatantfool]

Blatant I trust that you will trust me on this one.

Sheldon specifically said, "There is some cool origin lore coming next week." the week before the proto armor came out.

On my profile there is a link to a clip of everyone on the whole team saying everything is related in dark sector and Warframe. I put it on my profile because I had to tell so many people they were wrong about it.

OP: Please just link the clip I have on my profile and you can backspace most of your thread. Multiple DE members have confirmed they are related.

 

 I'm aware Sheldon said something to that effect. I still don't quite find that satisfying enough. 

[Morec0]

Blatant I trust that you will trust me on this one.

Sheldon specifically said, "There is some cool origin lore coming next week." the week before the proto armor came out.

On my profile there is a link to a clip of everyone on the whole team saying everything is related in dark sector and Warframe. I put it on my profile because I had to tell so many people they were wrong about it.

They also said that DS and Warframe were REALLY far separated. I think that while the events of DS, especially Mezner's kickstarting of the Infested uprising (of some kind) definitely played into into the shaping of the Warframe universe as it became, SO MANY OTHER events happened since then that it's not as simple as "DS is the 1 that led to Warframe's 2" - at this point its more like events 2 and 3 multiplied DS's 1 and the game universe is more different because of them than it is because of DS.

[OniDax]

 I'm aware Sheldon said something to that effect. I still don't quite find that satisfying enough. 

 

Doesn't make it not true just because you don't want to believe it. Again, I've got where they said lore is coming, and lore came. It's going to take you, or anyone else, finding where afterwards they said that it in fact wasn't lore for me to believe that it isn't lore (some form of Dark Sector's story, retconned or not, appears in Warframe's far past). Because all I see is that it is lore and that people don't want it to be lore.

Edited May 5, 2014 by AntoineFlemming

[Blatantfool]

Doesn't make it not true just because you don't want to believe it.

 

 It isn't that I don't want to believe it. I'm willing to believe anything.

 

 I just don't find his single statement sufficient enough to take flavor text on and event item as serious lore and not some cute reference. It simply isn't good enough.

[OniDax]

well then that's my question for the next dev livestream. "Is the Proto-Armor in-game text lore or not, yes or no?"

[VegetableBasket]

It's speculated that one of the weapons the Sentients turned against them was the Technocyte. And to say that the Orokin "created" the Technocyte isn't that far of a stretch, even with DS: consider that they created an ADVANCED version of it? That lead to creatures like Lephantis, Phorid, and all the others.

Uhh... The thing to consider here: Are you looking at what's objectively lore and interpreting that, or are you misinterpreting what's objectively there and then backwards justifying it to make it fit your idea of the game? I don't mean to call you out on this, but I see people do it all the time. The technocyte was created by Americans. And the sentients turned the Tenno on them*, so I guess saying they turned the technocyte on them is true, in a way.

 

*Minor speculation, albeit a completely lore friendly one

 

 I'm aware Sheldon said something to that effect. I still don't quite find that satisfying enough. 

 

Well there is evidence to suggest it counts as lore, but you have no counter evidence to suggest it is not lore. If I said the codex wasn't satisfying, would you accept my version of the lore that directly contradicts it, or would you tell me I was wrong? Why is a developer talking about the game an invalid source of information about it? Furthermore, what makes information "good enough"? It's completely in line with all the flavor text on the glaive and in the codex and with what DE said in the clip I linked, why is it invalid? Or perhaps you accept its validity but simply don't like it - that's fine. I think the Glaive is easy affirmation of the same idea, and it's stronger evidence towards the argument that the two games take place in the same universe than the proto armor flavor text is, anyways.

 

They also said that DS and Warframe were REALLY far separated. I think that while the events of DS, especially Mezner's kickstarting of the Infested uprising (of some kind) definitely played into into the shaping of the Warframe universe as it became, SO MANY OTHER events happened since then that it's not as simple as "DS is the 1 that led to Warframe's 2" - at this point its more like events 2 and 3 multiplied DS's 1 and the game universe is more different because of them than it is because of DS.

It's a butterfly effect thing, for sure, but, the butterfly exists in the same universe.

Edited May 5, 2014 by VegetableBasket

[MegaSnail]

The Orokin didn't create the Technocyte virus, they simply learned how to control it. They improved it, made it effective in war, and a lot more stuff with it. The Orokin's did NOT create it. 

 

 

(I feel as if I'm the only one that actually looks into the lore...)

Edited May 5, 2014 by MegaSnail