Is the "Coming Storm" the Shadow Shard?

Next year? Pfft. Maybe in 2 to 3 years, if the game is still here by then.

No, it makes it bigger - Dark Astoria is a blue side magic themed 21-29 zone with almost zero content - in I21, they gave us a new co-op magic themed 20-30 zone with a lot of content - First Ward is the replacement for the current Dark Astoria - it's a direct swap - which leaves the original Dark Astoria as an "extra" zone, which is now being converted into a new high level zone for all sides.

Pre-I21, the blue side options for 20-30 and solo/small team Incarnates were these:

Talos Island 20-27- content, Dark Astoria 21-29 - no content - no Incarnate zone.

After I22, the blue side options for 20-30 and solo/small team Incarnates will be these:

Talos Island 20-27, content - First Ward 20-30, content - Dark Astoria 50+, content.

Plus, there's the bonus that FW is co-op, which gives red side a new option in the 20-30 level range.

We're going from one zone for 20-30 to two zones for 20-30, and a new 50+ zone - that is not making the game smaller

Maybe I just imagined Independence Port (20-29), Striga Isle (20-29) and Croatoa (25-31)?

In any case, the point that Dark Astoria is more or less replaced by First Ward is more or less valid... it's not like there's a lack of blueside zones in the 20-30 range. I still encounter people who don't know where DA is, and when's the last time anyone in this thread visited it for any other reason than to collect explore badges or because a mission was located there? (Or to check for/fight the big zombie I suppose).

I was keeping things simple

They're natives to the dimension who take refuge in the Primal Earth bases and outposts.

They'll use the "Grey Alien" face and metallic tights in assorted colours. On the plus side most of the minions will use staff fighting moves. Primarily the breakdancing AoE.

It's probably Prometheus. That seems to be how he rolls.

We should find out in the next Issue

The Borg.

That's an interesting question. We know very little of them so far, but I like to think of them like the Tyranids in Warhammer 40k, who aren't literally running from anything so much as racing against hunger. After all, when your next meal is light-years away, it's best not to dawdle after you've stripped the current prey clean. Or perhaps like Gah Lak Tus from the Ultimate Marvel universe, which hates organic life the way people are repulsed by bugs, and cracks open planets to harvest the heat from their cores to power its next voyage.

I fail to see how any of this deserves a facepalm, but if it's not enough for you, there's always the badge text for Stormwatcher.

Oh, lordy, I haven't laffed so hard at a forum post.....


Double plus good!

The thing is that the badge text actually contradicts some of the well established lore regarding Rularuu. And it's already been stated several places in game that the coming storm isn't a single event or enemy, but more of a perfect storm of multiple apocalyptic crises happening at once and/or in quick succession, making it nearly impossible for Earth's defenders to stop them all. Something which the Menders and others are attempting to head off by instigating the creation of Incarnates in numbers that have never been seen before.

Of course that could result in a disaster as bad as what they were supposed to prevent if the Incarnates start warring with each other, so whatever the Coming Storm is it's obviously something beyond the Godzilla Threshold in the Menders' eyes. After all, the Midnighters managed to to imprison Rularuu once already without an army of Incarnates backing them up.

And the big blue jerk bluntly tells us that the "coming storm" is the Batallion.

PS The letter writer is the Center. Compare his speaking style from Viridian's Arc (where he clearly shows himself to be the smartest man in the room) and the the Hero Tip (in the 30s) A Cloud of Odorous Smoke (In which he claims to have given, through the Midnight Squad, the information needed to stop the shadow shard from being planted and says you should be grateful to him for keeping Requiem in check.)

There are few things we know about Center. He is a mutant, but has no combat abilities. He has been gathering powerful forces under his control (all of old 5th column bosses) but hasn't revealed his plans for these forces (the TF's and Arcs associated with the council are about his subordinates pursuing their own agenda.) The Writer also has been gathering superhumans (Ajax and Protean at the least.)

The Writer claims to have been the one to supply the Midnight Squad with the crystal needed to access Cimerora. The Center would have a motive for getting them a crystal as a means of getting some metahumans back in time to stop Requiem (and other Nictus) from establishing such an early foothold.

Also, he never invites Nemesis to anything.

Although i don't have full confidence in the big blue jerk's honesty. i think he mostly tells us as much as he thinks we need to know to go take on the next target of concern.

i do suspect that the Battalion is biggest threat of the Coming Storm, but most of the other lore in game says that it involves other threats converging at the same time. Especially what the Menders say about the Coming Storm.

i'm just hoping that the next big plot point after the Coming Storm won't be the unCivil War of the Incarnates.

Well, while he might not have been an army, we don't know whether or not the Dream Doctor could have been an Incarnate. Being some kind of "counterpart" to Rularu implies some manner of untold power.

This is a brilliant deduction. I certainly hope that you are proven correct.