Heart of the Swarm (details, discussion, etc) - Page 26

It might seem odd to speculate over Legacy of the Void, especially as Heart of the Swarm hasn’t been made yet (let alone released), but that’s not going to stop me. It’s been said the game’s central motif is politics and diplomacy, which intrigues me endlessly. If what I’ve been told is correct, you will have to ally with different tribes in hope of standing united against the enemy. Standing with one tribe might anger another, simultaneously enabling some units while disabling others. I think this might work well, especially as it’s easy to combine lore and gameplay this way. I suspect you will be told the level of kinship or animosity between the different tribe leaders, and will have to make difficult choices. As in Wings of Liberty, the player will be able to shape the story somewhat, though the ramifications are likely to be larger, as the threat is probably more real and the fact that we are talking about the final chapter means there might be different endings.

We do know that the Protoss are still somewhat splintered. They live on Shakuras only because they have to. Even as far back as Brood War it was evident that there was reluctance in leaving Aiur, and no doubt having allied with the dark templar was difficult for some of them. In the end, it wasn’t necessarily so much acceptance that brought the Protoss together as it was necessity. Alliances can be forced, but they prosper best when they are natural, which is unfortunate, as the alliance between the Khalai and the Dark Templar is anything but that. Kerrigan will certainly have a role to play too, and as with the Dark Templar in the original game, there will probably be some factions who refuse to use the only weapon possible for victory (contradictory as that might seem).

We were presented to the new Protoss hierarchy in the last part of the Dark Templar novel saga, Twilight. One character was known from Brood War (Artanis), while some were seen in StarCraft 2 (which makes it safe to say Blizzard is continuing to use what the book introduced). Some have not been seen in the game yet, though they might later. Because all the characters in the game only appeared in the mission In Utter Darkness, where little about them was actually revealed, I’ll have to rely on Twilight to discuss their characteristics and political opinions. The Hierarchy is as follows:

Artanis (Akilae tribe): He is the leader, the hierarch, and as we know from Brood War, optimistic to the unification of all Protoss, though the fact that he is young means he is probably more idealistic than realistic. Whether it is he or Zeratul who will be the protagonist is uncertain, though my money is on Zeratul. Artanis is quite admiring of Tassadar, and will probably try to evoke his name as an example of what the Protoss is capable of. His young age will probably work against him (despite his credentials and experience), and his leadership might be questioned.

Urun (Auriga tribe): He is the commander of the great fleets of the Protoss. The Auriga was, at least according to the wiki, a Templar tribe responsible for the control of carriers and arbiters. This seems to have been carried over in StarCraft, and so it seems safe to conclude that Auriga will be the tribe to ally with if one wishes to deploy air units. Urun himself is described as being primarily motivated with the retaking of Aiur, and his fierce and somewhat harsh persona seems to indicate (at least that to me) that he will might defy reason and the greater good for the Protoss to do what he thinks is best. I’d say he is a conservative, and therefore the antithesis to Artanis. He is however sympathetic in the sense that he is only trying to look out for the survivors of Aiur (though that might be a political charade for his real intentions).

Selendis (Daelaam Protoss): The high executor, and a student of Artanis. She is described as being skeptical of the Dark Templar, though willing to accept and work beside them. She is eager to reclaim Aiur, and will probably be pulled between Artanis and Urun (if we were to use a politicial, two-point axis, she would be placed in the middle). She was the hierarchical member to have the biggest role in Wings of Liberty, where she was portrayed as being quite cold when required to (more specifically, on Haven). To humans, she appears almost unsympathetic, though it is quite possible to admire her battle skills and ability to look at the greater picture while simultaneously not being affected by her emotions.

Mohandar (Nerazim): The leader of the Dark Templar in the absence of Zeratul, Mohandar is a quiet and mysterious figure. Because of the tension and history between the Khalai Protoss and the Dark Templar, Mohandar is not the accepting type, and seems to be similar to Urun, though with obvious difference in opinions and motivations. Whereas Raszagal and Zeratul was willing to accept their brethren to a degree (and even quite willing to return to Aiur), Mohandar is more hostile, and I’d take a guess he might be the kind of guy who’d say Shakuras has become the new Protoss home world now. He will most likely be offering Void Rays and Dark Templar units.

Nahaan (Ara tribe): One of the hierarchy members who didn’t appear in In Utter Darkness, Nahaan’s leadership over the Ara tribe, who are former judicators, is probably another conservative, one who might even wish things were as they used to be before the Zerg and the Dark Templar came on Aiur (indeed, he is skeptical of how the hierarchy is structured). The Ara are part of the former Conclave, and Nahaan seems determined in spending as little time on Shakuras as possible.

Tabrenus (Furinax): The leader of the Furinax, which is a Khalai tribe (the worksmen and the scientists). The Khalai caste hasn’t been seen much in either the first or second StarCraft (probably because of the fact that they are war games), so it will be interesting to see if and how Blizzard will implement them in Legacy of the Void. I’m guessing he will be offering robotic units.

Zekrath (Shelak): Another former judicator, Zekrath seems less conservative than Nahaan, which might because the Shelak tribe are scholars (according to the wiki). Might be drawn between Artanis and Nahaan. He is described as being quite sympathetic in Twilight.

I won’t write much more than that. The reintroduction of Tassadar will no doubt play out in a way, but I’m not sure how, though Twilight sees Zeratul talking about Adun returning in some way (the book made it clear he didn’t die as much as he disappered, and Chriz Metzen hinted between some kind of connection between him and Tassadar). It has also been speculated if Tassadar is an archon (which seems more believeable than him being a ghost, as that would mean he is dead, which he says he isn’t), so it might not be a wild guess to say he has merged with the Overmind in some way, and therefore having become the first Protoss to merge with the Zerg in a natural way (which is how the Xel’Naga was supposed to be reborn).