Timeline of Endgame Arcs/Trials? Avoid Big Spoilers Please

[SoulHeir]

I feel like once the game went Free-To-Play and went all in on the Praetorian storyline, it became a bit messier to figure out the order of events and general timeline that we the player are operating in. I'm attempting to write out a rough timeline of events to help newer players understand the story's chronological order, as I think it's unfortunately the game hasn't done super well. I recently rejoined since live and wished I had something like this.

 

Can I ask you fine folks to review and correct me if I'm wrong, and perhaps add in any relevant Villain/Prae arcs as I'm not as familiar? Note that I'm only trying to lock in arcs that chronologically affect events, and one that don't require prerequisites spelling out the order in-game. It seems like a majority of the timebound arcs have to do with the overall Praetorian invasion and related Incarnate content. The canon timeline on the wiki was somewhat lacking: https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Canon_Timeline#2010_-_Present

 

My proposed writeup of the chorological order of events:

 

• A Mind in Danger (Calvin Scott Task Force, via Ouroboros)
• Midnight Draws Near (Darren Wade Story Arc, Villains Only)
• The Praetorian War (Tina Macintyre Flashback Story Arc)
• A Hero's Hero (Maria Jenkins Flashback Story Arc)
• The Anti-Matter Collision (Tina Macintyre Story Arc)
• The Instant Army (Tina Macintyre Story Arc)
• A Hero's Epic (Maria Jenkins Story Arc)
• Power Overwhelming (Mender Ramiel Story Arc)
• The Rift Enclosure (Provost Marchand Story Arc, Praetorians Only)
• Apex Task Force
• Tin Mage MkII Task Force
• Admiral Sutter Task Force
• First Ward Story Arcs
• Night Ward Story Arcs
• Behavioral Adjustment Facility Trial
• Lamda Sector Trial
• Keyes Island Trial
• Underground Trial
• Who Will Die? Signature Story Arc
• TPN Campus Trial
• Minds of Mayhem Trial
• Dark Astoria Story Arcs
• Dilemma Diabolique Trial
• Glory and Dark Tidings (Sister Valeria Story Arc)
• The Emperor's Sword (Belladonna Vetrano Story Arc)
• Magisterium Trial
• Praetoria's Last Gasp (Number Six Story Arc)
• A New Dimension, A New Team (Provost Marchand Story Arc)
• A New War (Provost Marchand Story Arc)
• Tipping the Scales (Provost Marchand Story Arc)
• Criminals of War (Mr. G Story Arc)
• Sweeps Week (Mr. G Story Arc)
• The End of a Yin (Mr. G Story Arc)
• Pandora's Box Signature Story Arc (where we currently are in the game's story)

 

Thanks!

Edited May 9 by SoulHeir

[GM Crumpet]

I think the night ward arcs come before the fall of Praetoria trials (but I may be wrong)

[Snarky]

Avoid spoilers.   Hmmm. Okay.  In a linear sense some come before others but everything exists simultaneously so no worries 

[Lyrium]

Sounds good, and definitely I would like to do it all in order on one character. Suggestion - Instead of "Arc", please add the name of such arc, since some people may have done it already and need to do it trhough ouro anyway

[Scarlet Shocker]

I am very open to correction on this but I thought most arcs were roughly indicated by level. We've been doing regular arcs at high 20s, low 30s in First & Night Ward - which would indicate to me those come before the Tina Mac arcs that bring on the end game.

 

Are there further First Ward arcs at 50+?

[Lunar Ronin]

3 hours ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

I am very open to correction on this but I thought most arcs were roughly indicated by level. We've been doing regular arcs at high 20s, low 30s in First & Night Ward - which would indicate to me those come before the Tina Mac arcs that bring on the end game.

 

Are there further First Ward arcs at 50+?

 

That was the case, up until the Going Rogue expansion.  When the developers added the Going Rogue expansion, and especially once the Who Will Die? story arc played out, all bets were off.  Dark Watcher specifically references the events of Who Will Die? during the initial 20 level playthrough of Praetoria.  In addition, Provost Marchand's, the Major's, Mr. G's, and Sgt. Schorr's story arcs can be gotten at level 30+, but they all clearly take place after the Magisterium Trial.

 

 

6 hours ago, GM Crumpet said:

I think the night ward arcs come before the fall of Praetoria trials (but I may be wrong)

 

Yeah, I'd place Night Ward around the same time as the Keyes Trial, maybe just before.

[KC4800]

Where do the Cimerorian Incarnate Arcs go in this list?

[SoulHeir]

17 hours ago, Lyrium said:

Sounds good, and definitely I would like to do it all in order on one character. Suggestion - Instead of "Arc", please add the name of such arc, since some people may have done it already and need to do it trhough ouro anyway

Done, great idea!!

 

16 hours ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

I am very open to correction on this but I thought most arcs were roughly indicated by level. We've been doing regular arcs at high 20s, low 30s in First & Night Ward - which would indicate to me those come before the Tina Mac arcs that bring on the end game.

 

Are there further First Ward arcs at 50+?

Yeah this is precisely why I was frustrated enough to try and come up with a timeline of events. Going Rogue really messed with the canon and it bugged the heck out of me.

 

12 hours ago, KC4800 said:

Where do the Cimerorian Incarnate Arcs go in this list?

To my knowledge, the Cimerora arcs don't interact with the other timebound events on the timeline, but I'm happy to add if anyone else disagrees!

 

I have updated the first post to reflect a few changes as suggested in the thread, and also because I re-read Prometheus' lore dialogue and realized that a certain character was namedropped during the intro to the Underground Trial that required edits.

[The Chairman]

1 hour ago, SoulHeir said:

To my knowledge, the Cimerora arcs don't interact with the other timebound events on the timeline, but I'm happy to add if anyone else disagrees!

 

Sister Valeria's arc appears to follow the events of the Dark Astoria arcs (including Sister Solaris' arc) as her initial contact spiel references Mot and Marcus Valerius. Daedalus, Sister Airlia, and Imperious don't appear to have been intended to be part of the Praetorian timeline. That said, the briefing dialogue for the ITF's third mission was - I believe - retconned to substitute The Honoree for Statesman after the events of the Who Will Die? SSA.

[Scarlet Shocker]

So there is a potential spoiler

 

Spoiler

Keyes basically suicides by blowing himself and Praetorian Hamidon up in one of my favourite cut scenes

 

I'd taken this to be almost at the very end of the Praetorian story - post Cole's self-immolation when essentially they realise the ruling cabal has shot all its bolts and Primes have won.

 

But I do not recall when that indicated spoiler event comes in the story and I may have my timelines borked.

 

 

But one thing is very clear - this is clearly an exercise that would be very well to be done in sequence if possible to affix the story in our own heads as players.

Edited May 7 by Scarlet Shocker
addendumdum dummmmmmmmmmmmm

[ZorkNemesis]

Your list doesn't include Mr. G's story arcs (Criminal War, Sweeps Week: [your character] vs. The Rogue Isles, The End of a Yin) in St. Marital which are all also post Magisterum.  Seeing as how you face the New Praetorians as part of the second arc, i'd put them just after Provost Marchand's arcs in Brickstown.

 

That said, there's really only one permanent change that happens here (albiet a big one) as the ending has the option to remove nearly everything else if you choose so it would probably be like Kadabra Kill and Sigil where even if you save them we'll probably never see them again.

[ZorkNemesis]

3 minutes ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

But I do not recall when that indicated spoiler event comes in the story and I may have my timelines borked.

 

Epilogue Personal Story from Number Six's arc.

[Scarlet Shocker]

Just now, ZorkNemesis said:

 

Epilogue Personal Story from Number Six's arc.

Thanks

 

Significantly earlier than I'd anticipated then

 

[tidge]

Trying to make sense of the Live-thru-sunset "Timeline" has always bothered me, mostly blue side, but to some extent red side as well. I blame Who Will Die? and the burning down of Praetoria.

 

The first thing that bothers me about WWD? (and similar plans to have certain characters disappear/switch roles) is that it explicitly breaks the "evergreen" nature of game content. The best example of a series of arcs that puts all the toys back in the box where you found them is the complete First Ward arc cycle, at least as far as the arcs only in the First Ward are concerned.

 

The second thing is this: in order to even pretend that WWD? happened, content for perfectly fine mission arcs was changed... including as near as I can tell some lines of dialogue in A Hero's Epic that don't really make sense unless you had been playing the game through sunset and kinda remember when certain things happened.

 

Anywho to speak to the initial post, I'd put all of Who Will Die? between the Peregrine Island Flashbacks and the "current" Peregrine Island 40-thru-50 arcs. I think you will also want to include some of the Valentine's Day Event arcs as well, plus the MLTF and LRSF... there are only a tangential connections but some of the dialogue in some of the Incarnate content feels to me like it references (or ignores) some of what happens in those.

[Jacke]

If I was in charge, I'd retcon the hell out of WWD? and change it significantly.

 

Spoiler for those who haven't played the arc.

Spoiler

Just think what happened to Ghost Widow.  Compare that to Statesman and Sister Psyche, the strength of their motivation and potential.  Sure, they've been in the fight for a long time and are tired.

 

"You can't win, Wade.  If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."  And imagine Ghost Marcus with his friend Stephan by his side.

 

Sister Psyche ain't going to let a little dying slow her down.  She's going to carry on the good fight.  And then there's Manticore:  She can both push him when he feels like giving in and pull him back when he's close to going over the edge.  The conversation possibilities.

 

And in Ghostly form, Statesman and Sister Psyche can still give out their TFs.

 

And every week, Ghost Statesman and Ghost Sister Psyche can get together with War Witch and Ghost Widow for an ethereal game of Bridge.  Someone's busy, Numina subs in.  😺

 

[SoulHeir]

8 hours ago, tidge said:

Trying to make sense of the Live-thru-sunset "Timeline" has always bothered me, mostly blue side, but to some extent red side as well. I blame Who Will Die? and the burning down of Praetoria.

 

The first thing that bothers me about WWD? (and similar plans to have certain characters disappear/switch roles) is that it explicitly breaks the "evergreen" nature of game content. The best example of a series of arcs that puts all the toys back in the box where you found them is the complete First Ward arc cycle, at least as far as the arcs only in the First Ward are concerned.

 

The second thing is this: in order to even pretend that WWD? happened, content for perfectly fine mission arcs was changed... including as near as I can tell some lines of dialogue in A Hero's Epic that don't really make sense unless you had been playing the game through sunset and kinda remember when certain things happened.

 

Anywho to speak to the initial post, I'd put all of Who Will Die? between the Peregrine Island Flashbacks and the "current" Peregrine Island 40-thru-50 arcs. I think you will also want to include some of the Valentine's Day Event arcs as well, plus the MLTF and LRSF... there are only a tangential connections but some of the dialogue in some of the Incarnate content feels to me like it references (or ignores) some of what happens in those.

Glad it's not just me who's frustrated!

 

I put WWD? after the Underground trial because 

Spoiler

Statesman provides the entrance dialogue.

 

I also used the canon timeline for when Prometheus popped up who references these names in the lore dump he provides for the BAF and Lambda dialogues, suggesting WWD? doesn't take place until after these trials. So, mid-Praetoria War, the Freedom Phalanx had to deal with Wade's shenanigans.

 

I agree that the Homecoming devs should consider heavy retcons to return the game to "evergreen" status or at least make the timeline for newer content clearer. As is, new or returning players are completely lost on the placement of some of the game's best story content.