Who is Karl?

[Quadsword]

Just curious.

[RaindropperinG]

A former DRG employee, well-known by the dwarves we play as for his legendary feats and abilities.

He, for some reason, ended up being left behind on Hoxxes, in the past. It's not clear what happened to him next.

But! I for one believe he still fights and wanders in the depths of the planet!

One day, he will return


Remember, miners, Leave No Dwarf Behind!

[Caspian]

Good question, he is shrouded in mystery, and we don't have a lot of canonical information about him. Some hold him to be one of the best employees DRG has seen (like in "The Ballad of Karl" by the beloved Chibbity), some hold him to be Mission Control, some hold him to be the space rig janitor, some hold him to be mere propaganda, and I have held that belief before.

Now I think he's the founder of DRG. Deep Rock Galactic. Sounds like the name a great dwarf lord would come up with, either for a galactic mining group or something similar. That likely grew into an intergalactic mining corporation, and probably slowly dissolved until it's just us and maybe a few other rigs out there somewhere in the galaxy or outside of it.

(late addition: DRG is likely the empire. From the deepest deep of the planets, to the hardest rock known, the dwarf empire reigned across the galaxies. Rigs were likely set up as garrisons and barracks, should war ever break out in places under the steel grip of Karl, those space rigs were set up either orbiting planets or entire systems, depending on their size and the DRG military hold on that system. As those barracks went, our beloved rig was small, humble, and forgotten by most, yet here resides the most hope.

As it being one of the last functioning barracks, Karl retreated here on the fall of the empire, and he vanished. No one knows where he went, and of course the empirical fall wasn't from a greater external force rising up, like the many Ork bands and gangs grouping up, rather it was Karl's own forces rising up against him. This is why our management refuses to recognize Karl as a great miner or fighter. Management wants us to think Karl is long dead to make us comply, thinking there's no hope for the empire. Karl wants us to think otherwise. By the steel grip of Karl, we will rebuild the empire!)

I also think, if there was an intergalactic dwarf empire, that he was the last and most legendary emperor. His military was fueled by rations of Slayer Stout and Skull Crusher Ale. The lore messages for those two drinks do point to the conquering of the dwarves of yore, and the melee skill of Karl. Slayer Stout is "continuing the millennia-old tradition", implying that it's been a practiced tradition for those millennia, likely during the time of Karl.

Legend has it, he's one of the few "pure" Longbeards, a descendant of the elder dwarves from the days of yore. Crowned with long life, longer than most dwarves who live 250 years on average, Longbeards can live several thousands. He's still out there somewhere.

[Chibbity]

"The very last time,
That I saw him alive,
The drop pod was leaving,
He was holding the line.

I shouted at him,
To come to the door,
But the bugs were a tide,
That filled up the floor.

The roar of his gun,
The roar of his cry;
"I'll hold them off brothers!
but this is good bye."

His eyes were set grim,
His beard wet with gore,
And then we took off,
I could see him no more.

Born on a space station,
Raised in the caves,
Rock and stone,
Was all that he craved."

-An excerpt from "The Ballad of Karl."

[Paintbrush]

Karl is who all of the DRG dwarf clones are based off of.

His DNA was harvested thousands of years ago. And since, there have been countless clones made to fill the ranks of DRGs mining unions scattered across the galaxy.

[5$ Lewdboxes]

Maybe Karl's just the friends we made along the way?

[0ptimistPrime (the Gray)]

The answer in the past:

Originally posted by Optimist Prime (the Gray):

http://steamcommunity.com/games/DeepRockGalactic/announcements/detail/1453959009042708019

Here we are giving a bit more in-depth information of what we are working on, and we are answering a burning question: "Who is Carl?"

starts @ 03:15, runs to about the 6min mark.

Summary:
The devs didn't flesh out any real story for Karl. The line was added to give the game and the DRG universe depth beyond just the gameplay that we experience (similar to "I wonder what they're serving in the Canteen tonight"). The devs pass it back to us, the players, and encourage us to make our own story out of it.

They may change their mind and flesh out the idea more down the road, but for now I believe this is still the case.

[Brother Karl]

[Yellowdragon]

I glad they at least write some story. If there would be more story tie to each season that would be better.

[Daniele63]

He is mission control.

[Dootslayer]

Originally posted by Daniele63:

He is mission control.

Obviously not.

[Advanced Nap Techs]

The truth is, you either die a hero or live long enough to become mission control.

[<Caeris↝]

It´s a legend. Like the god of all dwarfs.

[robotwithassaultrifle]

voicelines and descriptions of biomes and drink suggest he was probably a very exeptional employee that died in hollow bough due to a cave leech and that the red rock blaster beer had something to do with his death...or thats what the dwarves think atleast, in reality nothing is actually confirmed about him besides the fact that he existed.

[RUCKUS RELOADED]

it's me. i'm karl. hello

[TsarFox]

He's the main character in the upcoming spinoff, Better Call Karl.