linkoverlife Posted February 3 Report Posted February 3 Seeing as Dave is canonically known as Thunder Warden, and we have some idea of him as a giant mech (i.e. game files listing him as such with a "hatch" on his belly area and a "lens" on his head, I have a few ideas on what his use could be. It feels safe to assume he is a creation of someone, possibly Jonas, possibly someone or something else entirely from the rust world. I have seen discussions on Dave used as a communication device, but considering his name I theorize he is a means of collection. The spines sticking out of him remind me of the lightning rod design in the game. We have yet to understand just how the prima materia (ref. Schematic D) was discovered. There is possibility conduction is used, and Dave is a giant means of collecting the electricity needed to create this essence. A few things lead me against this theory, such as the strong possibility Dave is not created from someone here but rather a creation from the Rust world, and the knowledge that Jonas locked himself up in his alchemy lab for months (ref. Reflection Part 4) which means he would not have recurring access to lightning to create the prima materia. He could have already had a large amount of it at that time and was running experiments with it, but I'm not sure on the likelihood of him not running out. This fact also points me to the idea that Dave is used for something within the Rust world itself. I wonder what kind of person/creature would create him and why. What might they need a giant moving lightning rod for? Dave has been on my mind a lot lately...
williams_482 Posted February 3 Report Posted February 3 Isn't Dave officially "Thunderlord"? There's an in-game painting portraying him which has that name.
LadyWYT Posted February 3 Report Posted February 3 Welcome to the forums! 3 hours ago, linkoverlife said: I wonder what kind of person/creature would create him and why. Dave might not have been created by a human. Spoiler Tobias describes the scene Jonas saw when looking through the Lens in the early days of his research--the dimension beyond was quite fantastic, filled with great rumbling clockwork beasts and other mysterious marvels. At some point, the dimension took a turn for the worse, becoming the horrific place known as the Rust world. It's likely that Dave is one of the clockwork beasts described. 2
Foe Hammer Posted February 3 Report Posted February 3 Never really thought of it, and I have no evidence to back it up in the slightest, but if it is a giant construct with an interior, what if that is where Jonas is and maybe he is using it like a sort of lab to try to fix things? I know it is a crazy idea. I remember someone mentioning a theory/idea of Dave going counter clockwise to try to reverse the effects of temporal storms with the gears turning clockwise, however I think there are some gears that turn counterclockwise as well. I think it is a neat idea, but like I said, I have no evidence to support any part of this borderline tinfoil hatted theory lol.
Maelstrom Posted February 3 Report Posted February 3 Don't discount the eldritch (formerly called Lovecraftian) theme of the game. In Lovecraft large beings such as Dave are typically very powerful beings that one had best hope pays attention to you as much as we pay attention to a gnat. My belief is that Dave is one of those elder beings of indescribable power compared to we mere "mortal" seraphim. We are to Dave as gnats are to us and we're best served if we never draw the attention of Dave. 3
pezophaps Posted Thursday at 10:26 PM Report Posted Thursday at 10:26 PM (edited) Dave stopped appearing in my main world. I feel very sad. He was the only one who could cheer me up durring temporal storms and now he seems to be gone. Edited Thursday at 10:26 PM by pezophaps
InternetDragon Posted Saturday at 01:17 AM Report Posted Saturday at 01:17 AM I think Dave is a fusion of the great machine Jonas was working on and Jonas himself. Unless the devs are cooking up a reveal of seraphim Jonas at some point, I have a feeling Jonas is going to be revealed as some eldritch rust boss as the "harbinger" of the rust, like how he brought Prima Materia to earth.
LadyWYT Posted Saturday at 02:49 AM Report Posted Saturday at 02:49 AM 1 hour ago, InternetDragon said: Unless the devs are cooking up a reveal of seraphim Jonas at some point Spoiler PLAYER: What was going on back there in the Devastation? TOBIAS: Ah sorry about all that. I wish it didn't have to happen but tearing a hole in the world is no simple feat. PLAYER: You tore a hole in the world? TOBIAS: Indeed. Have you wondered why you awoke again after all this time? I awoke alone in that dreadful Lazaret. Everyone was gone. The world had shifted. It took me many years to ascertain what happened. Jonas was no help at all. From what I understand when our grand machine awoke everything was changed. Those who were nearby were lost or worse. You and your fellows were lost beyond time. Beyond this world. I needed your help and so I poked a hole that you might leak back through eventually. A desperate gamble but it paid off. ---- The above dialogue is part of the conversation that takes place with Tobias after the player retrieves the Lens. There is the following lore book entries you can discover: https://wiki.vintagestory.at/Lore_book#Tobias In particular, the beginning of Reflection: I am not the reflective type. I was taught from a young age that life is better treated as a task: there is work to be done, so do it and do not complain. Thinking seemed like a luxury. I still follow that creed, but I have, in my time, come to see the power of thought. Thought has lifted me out of despairing poverty. Thought has given my village the strength to survive the harsher seasons. Thought has seen my people raise their voices in hope for the first time in years. I am speaking, of course, of him. My friend and companion, Jonas Falx. Our task here will be done in some few days. I wish to make record of the events that have transpired until this point. I do not know if any will live to read this, but I cannot leave it be. A madness compels me to write, though I am no learned master. This task would be better set for Jonas, but he is in no condition to complete it. ----- Tobias talks as if Jonas is still alive, and while he notes that Jonas isn't in any kind of helpful condition, I don't get the impression that Jonas has taken on any sort of monstrous form. Based on what's been written and said, it seems that Tobias had contact with Jonas sometime after the events of the Grand Machine, but perhaps Jonas has been driven mad or otherwise lost all faith and hope in his own abilities, in addition to suffering a hefty physical toll from the immense stress endured while working on the Grand Machine project. https://wiki.vintagestory.at/Lore_book#Jonas_Falx https://wiki.vintagestory.at/Tapestry#Holy https://wiki.vintagestory.at/Tapestry#Dangers_of_Temporality If you read the above lore on Jonas, and the related tapestry lore, part of his possible disillusionment may be due to the fact that many turned to worshiping him as a god rather than seeing him as a mere man. Thus if he is of sound mind, he may be reluctant to return to a society that views him as such.
Dark Thoughts Posted yesterday at 07:36 PM Report Posted yesterday at 07:36 PM (edited) On 2/5/2026 at 11:26 PM, pezophaps said: Dave stopped appearing in my main world. I feel very sad. He was the only one who could cheer me up durring temporal storms and now he seems to be gone. You probably reduced your view distance. On 2/3/2026 at 4:29 PM, LadyWYT said: At some point, the dimension took a turn for the worse, becoming the horrific place known as the Rust world. I'm not super familiar with the timeline. Were the rust monsters and corruption events pre or post rot? Maybe the temporal shift was them shifting the rot into that dimension, turning it into the rust world. Edited yesterday at 07:40 PM by Dark Thoughts
LadyWYT Posted yesterday at 07:50 PM Report Posted yesterday at 07:50 PM 11 minutes ago, Dark Thoughts said: Were the rust monsters and corruption events pre or post rot? Maybe the temporal shift was them shifting the rot into that dimension, turning it into the rust world. Spoiler The details are a little obscure, but the rust monsters seem to have come after the Rot. It's implied that they were once human, and changed into the horrible beings they are now when the Grand Machine was activated to scour the Rot from the Earth. The Rotbeast tapestry though suggests that some who were infected with Rot may have lost their minds and displayed erratic behavior similar to the monsters. https://wiki.vintagestory.at/Tapestry#Rot_beast
Dark Thoughts Posted yesterday at 08:14 PM Report Posted yesterday at 08:14 PM 22 minutes ago, LadyWYT said: Hide contents The details are a little obscure, but the rust monsters seem to have come after the Rot. It's implied that they were once human, and changed into the horrible beings they are now when the Grand Machine was activated to scour the Rot from the Earth. The Rotbeast tapestry though suggests that some who were infected with Rot may have lost their minds and displayed erratic behavior similar to the monsters. https://wiki.vintagestory.at/Tapestry#Rot_beast So potentially we solved the rot problem by making it their problem, which then became our problem again. Certainly a very human problem. Spoiler Is the grand machine the big resonator in the middle of the archives, or something else?
LadyWYT Posted yesterday at 08:39 PM Report Posted yesterday at 08:39 PM 24 minutes ago, Dark Thoughts said: Is the grand machine Spoiler The big machine in the middle of the Resonance Archive is the Echo Chamber. It's basically just a giant version of the resonator you can build and use, or purchase from luxury traders. The Grand Machine is depicted in the Salvation tapestry, and has yet to be seen in the game, if it even makes an appearance.
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