Mackenzie at the end of Episode 4

[I'll be the one]

Where do think Mackenzie and Jace ended up after getting out of the river? They are looking at the prison burning in the distance? Will Jace survive? Do you believe Will can get to Perseverance Mills by the end of Episode 5?

[nautofon]

Not too far from the power plant. Yes. Most likely yes (Raph suggested on Twitter she is important in ep 5). Certainly (Astrid needs that case).

[IFIYGD]

I am looking at the graffiti in Bleak Inlet again.
There seems to be some advance notice of what might be to come there.
The faucet with running water (with the word "future" in the water)- Episode 4 brought us running(moving) water with the river.
There is another bit of graffiti that says "Kayak". Possible that a kayak or rowboat will be added to the game, and they will use the river to transition to the next (or new) region?
The orca from the end of Episode 3 are there as well.
So is the legendary bear from Episode 2.
And a few others that I have never been able to connect up... yet. MAR, with the letters showing open water and sky.No idea what the letters stand for. Mackenzie Astrid Rescue? Who knows.
The letters up high by the office (still not sure what they are or what they mean).
The "LaME" or whatever that one is that appears twice. No guesses on that one
DOT, OOT, or ODT- no clue on what that one means either, and no guesses, yet. (OOT- Out Of Time?)
FADING on the outside wall. (Fading into the Long Dark? Fading world? Fading away?)


But I think there are clues scattered through the world that hint at what is to come, not just the graffiti in BI. That is just the most obvious, but there may be many other clues we are all just so used to that we don't really notice or think about them when we see them.

[iwasa]

Will and Jace likely ended up rather closer to Hushed River Valley and Milton but still a good ways to go.

Not to say they would end up in either region and it would certainly be probable that they will start Episode 5 at or near the Observatory, survival being guaranteed despite their situation at the end of Episode 4, which will be part of or an extension/transition area from the Perseverance Mills region.

This assumes that Wintermute will wrap up in Episode 5.

[I'll be the one]

Originally posted by iwasa:

Will and Jace likely ended up rather closer to Hushed River Valley and Milton but still a good ways to go.

Not to say they would end up in either region and it would certainly be probable that they will start Episode 5 at or near the Observatory, survival being guaranteed despite their situation at the end of Episode 4, which will be part of or an extension/transition area from the Perseverance Mills region.

This assumes that Wintermute will wrap up in Episode 5.

Now this is confusing because a couple of things. In Survival and Story mode the river does look like it runs toward HRV/MT but our character needs to the other way. Just watched the ending and all we see of the prison is flames in the distance. Then we have somebody in a boat with land being on their right side and ends up at a significant destination. Since both of our adventurers start in Milton they have been headed in a certain direction. I am trying to be logical about this . My problem is that I have been wrong every time.

[I'll be the one]

Originally posted by I'll be the one:

Originally posted by iwasa:

Will and Jace likely ended up rather closer to Hushed River Valley and Milton but still a good ways to go.

Not to say they would end up in either region and it would certainly be probable that they will start Episode 5 at or near the Observatory, survival being guaranteed despite their situation at the end of Episode 4, which will be part of or an extension/transition area from the Perseverance Mills region.

This assumes that Wintermute will wrap up in Episode 5.

Now this is confusing because a couple of things. In Survival and Story mode the river does look like it runs toward HRV/MT but our character needs to the other way. Just watched the ending and all we see of the prison is flames in the distance. Then we have somebody in a boat with land being on their right side and ends up at a significant destination. Since both of our adventurers start in Milton they have been headed in a certain direction. I am trying to be logical about this . My problem is that I have been wrong every time.

1) I was sure Episode 3 Astrid would be one to pass through Black Rock but she starts in PV and bumps into dead whales in CH.
2) I was positive Astrid would go through CH to DP to Perseverance Mills.

3) I wanted to bet my paycheck that the entrance to BRM was going to be Winding River. Thankful no one took me up on it.

[iwasa]

There were things that were strange. I remember that episode 4 was supposed to allow Will or Astrid as characters though I could not imagine anything other than deus ex machina that would allow them to be in the same area so either could do the episode arc. Turns out they weren't. I suspect that Astrid was to have her own episode arc in #4 but it was cut out due to time constraints and the boat trip was substituted for it to get her to Perseverance Mills for episode 5. The devs gotta do what they gotta do.

So like the sun rising in the west and setting in the east in Mystery lake, Will and Jace will end up somewhere that won't make completely logical sense but would be necessary for the story to continue.

Now the question is - given that Will is in Blackrock Mountain region and Astrid is in (what we would assume is) the Perseverance Mills region - how the heck will this play out? Will there be separate Will and Astrid episode arcs that will eventually join? Or will we get a Will and Jace arc that eventually joins up with Astrid since she does need the harcase? Time will tell.

[I'll be the one]

Originally posted by iwasa:

There were things that were strange. I remember that episode 4 was supposed to allow Will or Astrid as characters though I could not imagine anything other than deus ex machina that would allow them to be in the same area so either could do the episode arc. Turns out they weren't. I suspect that Astrid was to have her own episode arc in #4 but it was cut out due to time constraints and the boat trip was substituted for it to get her to Perseverance Mills for episode 5. The devs gotta do what they gotta do.

So like the sun rising in the west and setting in the east in Mystery lake, Will and Jace will end up somewhere that won't make completely logical sense but would be necessary for the story to continue.

Now the question is - given that Will is in Blackrock Mountain region and Astrid is in (what we would assume is) the Perseverance Mills region - how the heck will this play out? Will there be separate Will and Astrid episode arcs that will eventually join? Or will we get a Will and Jace arc that eventually joins up with Astrid since she does need the harcase? Time will tell.

I was assuming that we would play as Astrid as she was in Milton or just leaving. What we get is her skipping all the way over to PV. Then she fast forwards to PM. Mackenzie and Jace might do the same although I hope not. Getting to Perseverance Mills should be earned. Come to think of it Will just missed Dr Greenwood by a couple of days. We were there that long at the plane crash healing.

[Mavrah]

Originally posted by I'll be the one:

I was assuming that we would play as Astrid as she was in Milton or just leaving. What we get is her skipping all the way over to PV. Then she fast forwards to PM. Mackenzie and Jace might do the same although I hope not. Getting to Perseverance Mills should be earned. Come to think of it Will just missed Dr Greenwood by a couple of days. We were there that long at the plane crash healing.

Yeah, that's disappointing and really abuses some conveniences.

Originally posted by I'll be the one:

Where do think Mackenzie and Jace ended up after getting out of the river? They are looking at the prison burning in the distance? Will Jace survive? Do you believe Will can get to Perseverance Mills by the end of Episode 5?

Gonna say that they're in a new area. HRV is a possibility since that's pretty much the only other place with running water right now, but seems implausible given the distance. Jace definitely survives: we need her for exposition. Hopefully she and Will have some co-op play (where she isn't totally useless) making a long, more freestyle trek to Perseverance. They'll make it. I mean, Astrid got there in a funeral canoe.

[I'll be the one]

Originally posted by hunne:

I gotta say, that ending left me really puzzled...
Who put Astrid in that canoe and WTF do auroras have to do with an apparent infectious disease? Why is she not infected after having lived off the land (and infected animals) for so long? Why does Jace sound almost exactly like Molly (likely the same voice actor but still...)? Did she put Astrid in the canoe? If so, why isn´t she onboard?

My guess is that in ep. 5, Mack is going to have a lot of fetch quest, obviously getting stuff to start a fire and then Jace might be gone...or maybe we´ll play as Astrid again, having to find the two, perhaps ping-ponging between the two main chars each chapter?

I just hope the cliffhanger doesn´t stay the next year or more. Get going HL...I need to know.

1) Seems like Astrid got in the boat by herself and magically drifted to Perseverance Mills. 2) Have no idea she and everyone else we met are not infected. 3) When Wintermute first came out the same person voiced both Mathis and Methuselah.

From the last four episodes seems like Episode 5 we will play as Mackenzie. Do not see much potential in playing as Astrid because she has reached a goal.

[Mavrah]

Originally posted by hunne:

I gotta say, that ending left me really puzzled...
Who put Astrid in that canoe and WTF do auroras have to do with an apparent infectious disease? Why is she not infected after having lived off the land (and infected animals) for so long?

Well, they were apparently dying from Celiac's Disease or Y2K or whatever before the First Flare, remember that's why Mackenzie and Astrid were on the plane when the first aurora hit. So hard to say if there is any connection between the two.

[rhwilson1953]

Originally posted by hunne:

oh right, that´s what happens when there is so much time in between episodes...totally forgot the reason for that flight...makes sense then, not related to the aurora per se.
One question semi-answered...
but now: what kind of infectious disease prompts govt (or whoever sent those people there) to put them that remote? Some sort of experimenting going on? Aliens? Because astrophysicists...
I would sh... myself wandering the woods and an aurora turns out to be UFO-spawned or something, cuz they want them little grey buddies back...tsehehe...

I suppose you will be sorely disappointed if we find out in the end they are little green men? ;D

(Just a reference to the glowing green eyes and fur of the aurora wolves.)

[Mavrah]

Originally posted by hunne:

oh right, that´s what happens when there is so much time in between episodes...totally forgot the reason for that flight...makes sense then, not related to the aurora per se.

Originally posted by hunne:

but now: what kind of infectious disease prompts govt (or whoever sent those people there) to put them that remote? Some sort of experimenting going on? Aliens? Because astrophysicists...
I would sh... myself wandering the woods and an aurora turns out to be UFO-spawned or something, cuz they want them little grey buddies back...tsehehe...

Probably some disease that induces paranoia, hysteria and bad breath, since the people we see at the end of the episode are wearing gaiters over their faces. A quick Web MD search suggests that they are infected with schizophrenia. This would also explain the wildlife's behavior if they are susceptible to the same disease or whatever is causing it.
Probably aliens. Those people would be better off wearing tin foil hats to protect themselves from the mind lasers.