Architects

The Precursors are a highly advanced, ancient, spacefaring alien race that arrived on Planet 4546B approximately one thousand years ago, searching for a cure for Carar. Most information surrounding them is currently unknown. Other than the fact that they lived for an extremely long time, shown in data bank entries by the mention of a ninety-six year old precursor being extremely young.

Their ulterior motive is to stop the spread of the Carar, a mysterious bacterium that they developed which currently ravages Planet 4546B. To accomplish this, the Warpers (Self-Warping Quarantine Enforcer Units) were created - a species of bio-mechanical lifeforms that track and cull creatures in advanced stages of the disease.

Description

Although the Precursors are not seen in-game, they were an extremely advanced race - able to create advanced technology (such as teleportation devices, weapons capable of bringing down large ships, wirelessly powered biomechanical life forms capable teleporting at will, of etc.) and the ability to capture a Sea Emperor. They also created the Carar bacteria for currently unknown reasons.

Abilities

Not much is known about their abilities, however, the Precursors are able to create and use Warpers as guards for their bases and use them to hunt down creatures infected with the Carar, and create advanced technology. The Precursors also created the Precursor Array. It has also been shown in data downloads that the Precursors were able to transfer their consciousness to computers, where it could be stored for an indefinite amount of time, at least one Precursor transferred itself to the servers in the Primary Research Facility. The Precursors are also able to create "keys", known as Precursor Artifacts, which unlock various things, including forcefields and teleporters. In addition, they can create alloys that are highly heat-resistant and can be smelted into various ingots.

Story

The precursors came to planet 4546B around one thousand years ago in their search to find a cure for the Carar. They built four bases on the planet, the Precursor Array, the Disease Research Facility, the Precursor Thermal Power Generator and the Primary Research Facility.

Each of these bases serves a different purpose in the fight against the Carar bacterium. The planet was set up so that if the disease was ever released by accident, the whole planet could be quarantined, allowing no ships to enter or leave the planet. In order to enforce this, the Precursor Array and Self-Warping Quarantine Enforcer Units (Warpers) were created. The weapon system fires an energy pulse at any unauthorized ship that tries to enter or leave the planet, severely damaging or even completely destroying the vessel. The Warpers are cyborgs, created through combining the body of an already existing creature with Precursor technology (more details on Warper page), capable of phase jumping at will and powered wirelessly by the Precursor Thermal Power Generator - they will attack and attempt to kill any fauna infected with the Carar. They become more aggressive the further the Carar develops.

The Disease Research Facility was a lab dedicated to researching the effects of the Carar on living specimens. At some point, a Sea Dragon Leviathan that was contained within the area escaped its confinement and laid waste to the facility, causing it to be suspended diagonally - though it still has power. The destruction of the facility also released the Carar bacterium into the water and this had catastrophic effects on the planet, with many of life forms dying because of it. The planetary quarantine was put into effect as a result.

The Precursor Thermal Power Generator located in the Lava Castle seems to be the power source for all of the Precursor technology on the planet. 30% of the power generated is stored for emergency use, 30% supplies the Ground-To-Air Weapon System with energy, 22% goes to the Primary Research Facility, 11% goes to the Secondary Bio-Research Facility, and 7% runs the Self Warping Quarantine Enforcer Units (Warpers) wirelessly. It is the smallest of the precursor bases.

The Primary Research Facility is located in the Active Lava Zone, the deepest biome on the planet. Currently it's purpose is not entirely known, the main feature of this base is a large aquarium that contains the last Sea Emperor and its five eggs. The Sea Emperor contained in this base is immune to Carar and can produce large quantities of Enzyme 42. This enzyme is a vital ingredient to curing Carar. The five eggs of the Sea Emperor are dormant. They are being kept alive by the Precursor Egg Incubator. The eggs require certain conditions in order to hatch, as such they have been in this state for hundreds of years. These eggs must be hatched at some point in the story. A sample (obtained by scanning or by using the Transfuser) must be taken from the Sea Emperor Juveniles to cure the player of Carar. It also includes warp-gates to all other precursor bases on the planet.

Future Plans

• The player may be able to craft teleporter rooms using Precursor Ion Crystals and Warper technology, and will be unlocked via one of their "keys".

• Precursor Ion Crystals will be used in the construction of a rocket.

Trivia

• Various Data Downloads suggest that the Precursors may be capable of some form of telepathy.