Some interpretations and speculations about the game's background

[Pig and beefalo]

Based on the background information provided by Klei, "The Constant" appears to be a collection of multiple worlds, with the world we inhabit serving as the "hub" of this collection. This is indeed a grand worldview. Every update they release lays the groundwork for subsequent stories. Based on the various clues provided by Klei, we can speculate on several key aspects regarding the cross-world approach:

 

1. "Ancient Gateway" and "Rift". The first type existed in ancient times, with the purpose of connecting various worlds within "The Constant", namely "Ancient Gateway". The "Merm" transformed by the plague of "The Gorge" is suspected to have been teleported here a long time ago; the second type is the "Rift" generated by the wear and tear of the world fibers of "The Constant". There are larger ones that can be passed by most creatures and humans, but such "Rifts" require the construction of specialized devices and the provision of sufficient energy to maintain their stable existence, such as "Florid Postern", where players gather; there are also some smaller and unstable cracks that only allow some small creatures and items to pass through, such as "Unnatural Portal", which can only teleport some "Powder Monkey" and "Crustashine", and perhaps "Canary" also entered this world through a similar crack.

 

2."Energy" and "Ancient Key". Currently, there are two types of energy sources: "lunar" and "shadow". Both the "Ancient Gateway" in "Florid Postern" and the one in "Atrium" are powered by "shadow energy". The predecessor of "Florid Postern", "Jury-Rigged Portal", utilizes shadow energy in the form of a device to connect "rift"s, thereby gathering adventurers from various worlds in a "hub". However, after being discovered by "Charlie", it was tampered with by a powerful "authority" and turned into a "one-way passage". After the adventurers rebuilt it into a "Celestial Portal", it was powered by "Alter" and granted partial access by providing it with a "Moon Rock Idol". At this point, the energy driving it was mixed with "lunar energy", which is reflected in the game as "character switching". Now, let's talk about the "Ancient Gateway". It is driven by an "Ancient Key", but the "Ancient Key" cannot be used directly and requires "charging" before use. The "Ancient Key" for the "Ancient Gateway" in the aforementioned "Atrium" needs to be charged continuously through the "Nightmare Cycle". The corresponding "Ancient Gateways" in "The Gorge world" and "Ancient Archive" are charged through "lunar energy". The "Iridescent Gem" is precisely a crystallization of "lunar energy", and "Gnaw's Favor" is also a crystallization of "lunar energy". From the texture, you will find they are very similar. Roughly, three crystallizations of "lunar energy" can provide enough energy to activate the "Ancient Gateway", which corresponds to three "Gnaw's Favors" and three "Ornate Pedestals" in-game.

 

3. "Authority". Each world within "The Constant" possesses a corresponding "Authority" and also has "an" Ancient Gateway. "Authority" allows the "Ancient Gateway" of its world to connect to the "hub", and can also exert power to seal the doors of other worlds leading to the "hub". Without "Authority", one cannot actively travel from other worlds in "The Constant" to the "hub". Among the various "Authorities", the power of "Throne" is supreme, being the most powerful force in "The Constant". Those who control it can connect all worlds without any restrictions. It exists throughout the "hub" of "The Constant", which is the world we are currently playing in.

 

In summary, upon reviewing the plot, we discover some details. In the storyline, after the adventurers are fully equipped and arrive at "Atrium", they attempt to activate "Ancient Gateway" and trigger the "Ancient Insect Race" to defend the world's last barrier - "Ancient Fuelweaver". I speculate that it was a "king" of the "Ancient Insect Race"(note the scepter, which will be mentioned later) who led his people to break the seal of "shadow", resulting in the near-extinction of the "Ancient Insect Race". In the end, another "king" of the insect race used a "torch" (note this torch) to reseal "Ancient Gateway", temporarily halting the disaster. I speculate that the other "king" must be "Metheus", the one who wielded the scepter. Faced with the corpses of his people, he felt immense remorse and destroyed "Ancient Gateway", sacrificing his own life to become "Ancient Fuelweaver" and expel every ignorant person who attempted to open "Ancient Gateway". After this calamity, "Metheus" was also on the verge of death. So, after making some limited preparations, he failed to escape the fate of being assimilated. Until countless years later, he encountered a girl with a similar destiny - "Charlie", and began to use her to activate past preparations to continue what he had not finished.

 

In this story, we will notice that both "Metheus" and "Ancient Fuelweaver" possess a symbolic item - "scepter" and "torch". In Klei's subsequent limited-time events "The Forge" and "The Gorge", there is also the concept of "scepter". However, the shape of "scepter" is not limited to the traditional concept of "cane". Its appearance can even be "Ham Bat". Therefore, "Metheus's" "torch" should also be a "scepter", and "scepter" may be the embodiment of "power".

 

There have been many forces coveting the power of the "Throne", leading to countless wars. Among them, the "lunar" and "shadow" are the two most powerful races. Both the "Ancient Archive" and the "Ancient Gateway" of the "Atrium" are in a state of damaged seals. I personally speculate that these two "Ancient Gateways" should connect the worlds where the "lunar" and "shadow" reside. They erode each other through these gateways in "The Constant" to vie for the "Throne".

After the last war, most of the world's "Ancient Gateways" were sealed, and their "powers" were left behind here, transformed into various strange and irregular "scepters" that were obtained by some ancient races of the world. The "insect race" obtained the "scepters" of the "lunar" and "shadow". Due to the "King's" willful actions, the "Ancient Gateway" came into contact with the "power" of the "shadow world" and broke through the seal of the "lunar". After "Metheus" used the "power" possessed by the "Torch" to reseal the "Ancient Gateway", in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes, he also destroyed the "Ancient Gateways" of the "lunar" and "shadow".

 

Thanks to the timely sealing of the "shadow" and some arrangements made by "Metheus", their power could not directly control the "Throne". They had to seek "puppets" and indirectly control the "Throne" by controlling this "puppet", projecting the power of the "shadow" into the "real world". "Maxwell" and "Charlie" became "shadow" puppets during this period, but they were not completely loyal to the "shadow". Maxwell, coveting the power of the "shadow", had conducted countless studies and revolts in the past. However, "Charlie's" kindness and "Metheus's" covert protection prevented the "shadow" from completely eroding her. Until Maxwell, who was bound to the "Nightmare Throne", grew tired of the void world, he bewitched a genius scientist (claiming to be) named "Wilson" and thus began the chapter of "Don't Starve". When adventurers rediscovered the "Ancient Archive", "Charlie", guided by "Metheus", found the "Torch" and used its "power" to gradually awaken the sealed "Alter", continuing a war that has existed since ancient times.

 

At the end of the story, there is a detail that is easily overlooked, which is that every "Ancient Gateway" has a corresponding "Ancient Key". Where is the "Ancient Key" for the "Ancient Archive"? I think it might be hidden by "Metheus" in some extremely secret location. Perhaps in the future updated "Sanctum" plot, we will find this dusty "Ancient Key" and other hidden things. By the way, the "rhino" in the "Labyrinth" might also be assigned by "Metheus" to guard the "Ancient Key" of the "Atrium". Perhaps that's why it is called "Ancient Guardian".

 

Additionally, the name of the Shadow God corresponding to "Alter" is "Shrouden", his other names are also called "Tenebrau" or "Other".

 

The above is just some personal understanding and speculation, and does not represent the true thoughts of Klei. Please take it as a thought experiment, everything is subject to Klei's updates.

Edited February 27 by Pig and beefalo