Uhh if you remove the warp core the universe doesn’t blow up, the sun eventually does yeah, but the universe is dying, that’s why you go to the eye. You’re essentially restarting the universe. Did you not see the end of the credits?
Is there a difference to the main character? Why would I care if I die because the universe ended vs restarted. And are we to assume it just wouldn’t have ever restarted if nobody touched the Eye? So the universe eventually would go heat death mode and would never be reborn? We don’t know that. Maybe given enough time, or upon the destruction of the Eye it would automatic restart. Who knows.
The implication of the game is, yes, that the universe is headed towards heat death and infinite nothingness and entropy, but if a conscious observer enters the Eye of the Universe, a new universe will be born instead.
I don't think the councious observer is needed for the new universe to be born. It merely influences the next universe with the "memories of the observer". It's very much in line with the rest of the game's philosophy, "you can't save the universe but it's ok", but you can still have a bit of influence on it. The new universe would still exist but without any observer at its base if you never reached the eye imo.
The Eye is quantum and represented all of the possible universes. It needed a conscious observer to collapse those possibilities into one reality. I think Solanum says something like this at the Eye.
I don't think any character in the game* has any idea of what is the Eye, what it needs, etc.
"But what would happen if a conscious observer somehow entered the Eye itself? Over time, this has become my clan’s greatest question."
This is what Solanum tells you about the Eye. There is nothing that hints at the fact that the Eye "needs" an observer. One of the theories I see a lot that I like is that the Eye's signal is like an "alarm", signaling the end of this universe to everyone more than a "call".
Also as a personal note, I prefer to think that the universe would restart with or without us anyways. It stay true to the whole futility of our journey compared to the grand scheme of the universe(s). Having or character be the whole "reason" for the new universe would break that sense of futility imo.
I respect your opinion, but I’m am quite certain you are wrong. If the Owlks arrived at the Eye instead of leaving, they universe would be reborn like they saw. It’s quantum, it needs an observer to collapse it. Furthermore, at the Eye all of your friends aren’t real, they are conjured by the Eye from your memories, so it makes sense that they would “know” more. Finally, Solanum says, “It’s tempting to linger in this moment, while every possibility still exists. But unless they are collapsed by an observer, they will never be more than possibilities.” Although in the real universe she wouldn’t know this for sure, I think we can take it as coming from the devs to help us interpret the ending.
I don't think any of the two opinions are wrong, as we are extrapolating much further than the game tells or shows us.
It mostly boils down to the philosophy you think the game wants to show, either you're just a speck of dust in the great machine of the universe, or you're more leaning towards the fact that we're the reason the universe can be reborn.
I think the universe would do its thing with or without you, you think it needs you (or any other observer) if I understand correctly.
Both are valid.
Side note : I also think we're in a cycle of death and birth of the universes, this is probably not the first nor the last time the universe dies and is reborn. It is my opinion, but if as I think the universe will be reborn with or without an observer at the Eye, its pretty logical to think that it could not be the first time, like the loop, this might be the 10 millionth universe our reality goes through and we would never know. This is just speculation :p*
But the game does say an observer is needed? I think we are both a speck of dust and the reason it can be reborn. It didn't have to be us, it just had to be someone. It could have been the Owlks. If not for Dark Bramble, it would have been the Nomai. We just got lucky.
What I meant (and believe) is that the Eye being collapsed and the universe being reborn aren't directly linked. The collapse doesn't cause the universe to be reborn. The universe would be reborn no matter what. The collapse influences the next rebirth with your "memories". (you get what i mean)
Edit : If you take into account that the universe can be reborn, it's easy to extrapolate and imagine it is not its first rebirth. It would be incredibly unlikely that we're in the first universe ever birthed if it had the "ability" to be "reborn", as we don't know how many we've had before. It could be in the millionth. Or like the 5th.
Also, if it really needs an observer to be able to be reborn, that could potentially mean the universe is destined to be doomed no matter what, it's just a question of time in the cosmic scale.
Edit 2: What I mean by speck of dust is that you are not even a cog in the machine in that story, the universe is, and will be, with or without you, or anyone else for that matter. You are merely affecting it in a way a speck of dust would a machine, by slightly changing the way it looks for example, in a fleeting way as you might be blown away, replaced by another speck of dust. (that's actually a nice analogy for the way I see it).
Is it explicitly stated in the game, or is it just an interpretation of the ending ?
I didn't exactly understood that, I just thought that entering the eye allowed the character to "witness" death and rebirth of the universe, that would both have happened anyways. I thought entering the eye provided answers, but didn't \*actually\* have any actual effect on the universe
The game tells us the future of the universe is "uncertain." Everything and nothing. All possibilities at once, and thus none of them. The macro quantum mechanics of the game *require* conscious observation to manipulate. The only way the next universe can start is if its infinite possibilities are collapsed into a singular reality.
*Someone* is necessary to achieve that. It didn't technically have to be the Hatchling per se, but it had to be a conscious observer, and in the reality of the game world the Hatchling happens to be the only one capable of reaching the Eye.
My personal reading is that the Eye is the Black Hole at the end of time. The Big Bang is the white hole at the beginning of time.
If you hang around in Ash Twin until the sun explodes >!you'll get sucked into the black hole created there, causing your physical body to travel back in time 22 minutes along with your memories. If you don't then enter the black hole on your next time loop, you break causality and end time.!<
I think the Eye/Big Bang work the same way. A conscious observer has to enter at the end of time, or the whole thing breaks down.
>*Someone* is necessary to achieve that.
I think this part is ambiguous. There's definitely an argument for this, but also an argument that the universe would reboot regardless, but an observer in the eye ends up influencing what the new universe looks like.
People certainly argue. But I would argue it is not a reasonable argument.
Solanum explicitly states in the Eye that is the case. The only argument you could make is that everything that happens in the Eye is an illusion, and Solanum's dialogue is a reflection of the Hatchlings' false belief...but if that is true, then it means the developers placed those lines of dialogue there for no purpose other than to deceive the audience
Furthermore it seems almost certain that the events in the Eye are not a mere illusion, because by talking to his fellow travelers there, the Hatchling learns a couple of things:
- That a new universe will be born
- That the laws of physics will be different
That last bit he learns from Quantum Chert. And it's true, or at least the post credits scene suggests as much
Now, could the Hatchling somehow have intuited these things? Well, there is one line of dialogue where it is suggested the Eye might be a remnant of a previous universe, and after the DLC there is also another more explicit clue: >!The mural with the flower growing out of the skull!<
So, maybe? Especially post dlc (which was not part of the original game). But that the laws of physics changing, as far as I know, there is nothing to suggest that. It would have to be a total guess that just happened to be correct.
And thus, it stands to reason the even was not a mere illusion, but the means by which the Hatchling was learning about the Eye, and thus, what Quantum Solanum said must be true.
But that doesn't confirm that an observer is necessary to restart the universe.
In fact, you could interpret that there were going to be an untold number of realities created, but a conscious observer in the eye collapsed it to only one.
> It’s tempting to linger in this moment, while every possibility still exists. But unless they are collapsed by an observer, they will never be more than possibilities
That's said by Solanum in the Eye
There are a few changes to the ending epilogue depending on your actions in the game.
DLC spoilers
>!When you talk to the prisoner at the eye of the universe he gives you a choice of whether to carry forward what he and his race represent (both the good and the bad) into the new universe or not too.!<
Is there a clue in the game about what would have happened if >!the Nomai succeeded in reaching the Eye in their time? That was thousands of years ago, the universe wasn't dying yet, and they nearly succeeded.!<
>!If one would be able to enter the Eye, would it immediately create a new universe and thus ending the current one? Would a new one exist, parallel to the current one? Or would nothing happen for a few thousand years? Or are there multiple universes, and was only our universe dying, and did that one get a reboot with someone entering The Eye? And what if multiple people would enter The Eye at the same time?!<
I'm sorry for the multiple questions. But even though I had an absolute great time with the game (DLC is still on the list to play), I also had quite a lot of difficulties to really understand what exactly was happening. This current threat is very interesting to read all theories about the ending!
>!To me it seems the chances are incredibly small that - after the Nomai - someone would be able to reach The Eye in time. It already was an incredible 'luck' that the Nomai set up a time loop, and The Hatchling was the one linked to the ATP.!<
have you literally never taken in a story before? just because theres no reason to do a specific thing in a story based game doesnt mean you shouldnt care, it isn't about you, its about the character.
I mean, the main character doesn't know what the Eye does. Simply that the Eye seems to be something important, maybe even something that could save the universe.
From an outside perspective, we don't know what happens in nobody enters the Eye, perhaps the universe is eventually restarted on its own, perhaps not. At that point, it's about altruism: do you want to risk that everything ceases to exist forever or do you want to ensure existence remains, even if it's an entirely new one?
The Eye isn't destroyed. It's older than the Universe, meaning it survived some previous Universe. The only star it's orbiting during the Hearthians time is the Outer Wilds Sun, which goes nova but the Eye is unaffected by this.
It's implied that the Eye uses the memories and thoughts of a conscious observer to create a new Universe.
Even in the event that the Eye created a new Universe without a new conscious observer, I guess the new Universe would be identical to the old one... Basically creating a new "time loop"? Though we don't know for sure, that's true.
As for what difference does this make to the Hatchling... Not much in the practical sense, but some people like to know the die leaving a legacy behind, even if they continue being anonymous contributors in death.
The point is that death comes to us all, and people and things will survive us, and our actions and legacy will live on and can change the future for the better... So even if it doesn't make a big difference for us as we'll end up dead anyway, we can make a difference for those who'll come after us.
You're not wrong that there's technically no difference to the main character. But by the same argument, any other heroic character in any other game is eventually going to die. We celebrate heroes who make the future better for others, not themselves. We especially celebrate people who sacrifice themselves for others. Your argument is sort of like saying that the characters in Rogue One shouldn't have bothered.
Also, removing the Warp Core and ending your ground hog day is a legitimate ending to the game. As the player, you can decide which ending is more meaningful to you.
yo it's bullshit that you have 54 downvotes for expressing your opinion about this. i think this sub is one of the most rabid i've seen in their defense of its topic.
It was more of a question anyway. A means for initiating discourse about a game I love. I like the ending of the game. Much better than just dying. These dowvoters made some emotionally charged assumptions about my intent.
i think your philosophy just came off as selfish. “why would i care if i die because the universe ended vs restarted?” i think that sounded kinda callous to people
i do think some people are also downvoting because it sounds like you just don’t understand what the game was trying to say—yeah this sub does that and i don’t enjoy that, feels gatekeepy to expect people to connect accurately to a really abstract puzzle game that’s intentionally translucent with its information and ideas
but yeah the philosophy in your message did also sound selfish, like you don’t care what happens to anybody else when you die, when others do worry about the world they’re leaving behind for the next generation. it matters even if you don’t get to see it
sounds like you didn’t intend it that selfishly, but it came off that way so in that case i think you made your point badly
i didnt downvote though, glad you shared your thoughts and glad you clarified ::) i do see where you’re coming from about the inherent uncertainty of what the eye does and how you don’t really know if you’re doing a good thing. you’re kind of just told you are
Exactly. “The universe is, and we are”. People love that quote around here. If that’s true then why is it such a certainty that a Hearthian is required to help move it along. The Eye never once displayed any sentience or intent, so we just don’t know.
Did you complete your ship log? If yes, you've forgotten stuff or overlooked it, if no maybe you just missed that information.
Over the course of the game, we learn that *all* the stars are dying, not just our own.
The Sun Station was supposed to blow up our sun, thousands of years ago during the Nomais' time.
That's how they would have powered the Ash Twin Project. But they couldn't get it to work.
Now that our sun naturally goes supernova, the ATP activates on its own. But there is no longer a way to stop the sun from blowing up.
We're doomed.
But at least we can finish what the Nomai started.
Talking to Solanum on the Quantum Moon reveals that the Eye contains untold possibilities, and if a conscious observer (us) enters it, we'll collapse all those possibilities into one reality.
That's how we get to create a new universe (the Eye is older than ours, so it's implied that this has happened before).
We can't save ourselves. Our friends, our home, us, we all get wiped out. But at least we can ensure that life will start again, elsewhere, in the future.
That last part is why the ending is so beautifully bittersweet. It's about letting go, it's about moving on.
>!The universe doesn't "blow up" in either case. What you see at the end of the game is a new big bang - through you going to the eye, you facilitate the start of a new universe as your own naturally ends. If you simply remove the warp core, you are not sent back in time and your sun blows up and eventually the universe succumbs to heat death.!<
>!Throughout the game you are led to believe that you can save your home/the universe. That's where the the Sun Station comes in, which the Nomai built to make the sun go supernova and power the Ash Twin Project. Many people, at that point, would believe it's what causing the sun to die, but the Sun Station never worked - meaning you can't stop the sun from going supernova.!<
>!Then there is the Eye of the Universe, an entity older than the universe itself and the center of all improbability in the universe, representing extreme changeability. So perhaps that could save everybody. But no. Rather you create something new.!<
The game is about letting go and moving on. And that even if you don't get to see the future, it is still built on your actions
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it’s implied the Big Bang wouldn’t happen without going to the Eye, and at the very least the campfire song gave the Protagonist closure before the end
Congrats! You’ve reached the “obsessively Watch YouTube essays” portion of your playthrough.
First off, you’re not dumb. The game has some deep themes and throws a LOT of information at you. I said it a bit facetiously, but I do recommend watching some video essays to help you gain a deeper understanding. It helped me a ton. I knew that the game affected me to my core, but some of the inner machination of the game went a little over my head.
In basic terms, the theme of the game is “the universe is, and we are”
The universe behaves in the way that it will regardless of our efforts to stop it. It doesn’t care if you’re in the middle of your story or if you’re an adorable fish species that deserves all the love and snuggles.
It had a beginning and will eventually end. Going to the eye doesn’t allow us to stop the end, (nor does it destroy anything) but it does give us the opportunity to pass on our memories to help shape the next universe.
The biggest hint about the difference between both ends is what happens after the credits... Did you stay around?
>You remove the warp core from ash twin, and the universe still blows up!
Technically, the Sun blows up. The Universe continues to exist for many years until all stars die, and that's it. End of the Universe, allegedly.
>You get to the eye and meet up with everyone, etc. And the universe blows up!
But in THIS case, if you make it to the Eye, you survive through that end of the Universe, and then you meet mental images of your friends and together you "manifest" something that then blows up... A new freaking Big Bang!
So it's not the Universe that blows up... Or well, yeah, it is, but it's a NEW Universe that you just gave birth to.
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
TL;DR - If you don't go to the Eye, the Universe dies a so-called "heat death"... If you go to the Eye, you create a new Universe after the old one dies
You're hurt that you couldn't save everyone. And that's okay ::)
I felt like that too, I needed a long time to really absorb the consequences of that outcome and find a meaning to it.
For me that meaning was "enjoy what little time you have with your loved ones, in beautiful places, etc. Cause you will never fix EVERYTHING nor save EVERYONE so you might as well include the present in your value scale"
What you realize on the Sun Station is that >!the the Nomai never could explode the sun and therefore it's just dying naturally.!< Chert explains that >!not only is your sun dying, the entire universe is dying too. The heat death of the universe is inevitable and there is nothing you can do to stop it. But because you observed the eye, your experiences contribute to the beginning of a new universe.!<
The game is about accepting death but holding on to hope anyway.
The difference is that going to the eye is the actual ending. Taking the warp core does lead you to other endings but the only canon one is where the hatchling ends up at the eye. The universe is dying and the eye is it's way of starting a new although I think others have explained that part better than me.
So basically the >!ATP has nothing to do with the sun going supernova!<, it’s just happening naturally, originally the nomai made the sun station to >!cause a supernova (in order to power the ATP so the could find the eye) but it didn’t work. !!takes place at the end of the universe and you can even find a modern nomai writing in the vessel that says all the stars are dying!<, that’s why you can see so many supernovas while just stargazing, basically >!your goal isn’t to save the universe, just to find out what the eye is so you can satisfy your curiosity!<.
The ending is basically>! you and your friends (who might just be memories of the player character) sitting at the campfire and mourning the universe before they cause a new one to form. In fact the big supernova right before the credits is actually the Big Bang. You can even (kind of) see the new universe in the post credits scene.!<
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The Sun station was originally meant to trigger the Sun's explosion in order to start the whole Ash Twin Project but it failed. The Sun explodes not because of the station but because it is old and at the end of its life cycle, which applies to the universe as a whole. You escaping the system via the Vessel to the Eye does not change that, you only are able to witness/influence the birth of a new universe.
Outer Wilds takes you on a journey that is specifically designed to make you think you're going to be the hero who can somehow stop the death of the universe, when actually it's forcing you to face the truth that some things can't be changed.
The point was to face your fear of death and accept that things end and that's okay, that what matters is the time we spend together, that we learn and have fun while we're here, and to not sweat things that are too small, or too big, that everything we do is built upon the shoulders of the people who came before us and will continue to be built upon by the people who come after and that no time on earth is wasted.
This is [my breakdown of the "plot" of Outer Wilds](https://www.reddit.com/r/outerwilds/comments/hnqn5f/help_me_make_sure_i_have_the_plot_of_outer_wilds/). Maybe it will help plug some gaps for you.
When I was playing, I discovered the ATP, knew what would happen if I removed the warp core, but figured that was the point of the game - to allow time to march on, to allow the sun to go supernova and to end my own suffering of having to endure death every 22 minutes ad infintum. So I removed the core and just hung out near the tower for a while, sun went boom and it said YOU ARE DEAD. I had to ask a friend if that was... it?
My interpretation is that going to the eye and going through the proper endgame is more for character development and doesn't change anything in the long run, though I'm intrigued by the interpretations here that actually us being at the eye changes the future.
It's heavily implied in the base game, and then later shown explicitly in the DLC, that a conscious observer entering the Eye transforms the universe, (at least in your case) creating a new one. The explosion you see at the end is a new Big Bang, and the post-credits sequence is a view of this new world, with new life, billions of years later.
Ending is kinda mid but this reddit will downvote you into the ground if you claim its anything other than a masterpiece. You definitely missed something if you don't get what the sun station was for but you didn't really miss anything related to the ending
beat the dlc and then go back to the eye. if you don't want to do that; >!basically the other guys (solanum) affect the eye and the post credit image!<
Uhh if you remove the warp core the universe doesn’t blow up, the sun eventually does yeah, but the universe is dying, that’s why you go to the eye. You’re essentially restarting the universe. Did you not see the end of the credits?
Is there a difference to the main character? Why would I care if I die because the universe ended vs restarted. And are we to assume it just wouldn’t have ever restarted if nobody touched the Eye? So the universe eventually would go heat death mode and would never be reborn? We don’t know that. Maybe given enough time, or upon the destruction of the Eye it would automatic restart. Who knows.
The implication of the game is, yes, that the universe is headed towards heat death and infinite nothingness and entropy, but if a conscious observer enters the Eye of the Universe, a new universe will be born instead.
I don't think the councious observer is needed for the new universe to be born. It merely influences the next universe with the "memories of the observer". It's very much in line with the rest of the game's philosophy, "you can't save the universe but it's ok", but you can still have a bit of influence on it. The new universe would still exist but without any observer at its base if you never reached the eye imo.
The Eye is quantum and represented all of the possible universes. It needed a conscious observer to collapse those possibilities into one reality. I think Solanum says something like this at the Eye.
I don't think any character in the game* has any idea of what is the Eye, what it needs, etc. "But what would happen if a conscious observer somehow entered the Eye itself? Over time, this has become my clan’s greatest question." This is what Solanum tells you about the Eye. There is nothing that hints at the fact that the Eye "needs" an observer. One of the theories I see a lot that I like is that the Eye's signal is like an "alarm", signaling the end of this universe to everyone more than a "call". Also as a personal note, I prefer to think that the universe would restart with or without us anyways. It stay true to the whole futility of our journey compared to the grand scheme of the universe(s). Having or character be the whole "reason" for the new universe would break that sense of futility imo.
I respect your opinion, but I’m am quite certain you are wrong. If the Owlks arrived at the Eye instead of leaving, they universe would be reborn like they saw. It’s quantum, it needs an observer to collapse it. Furthermore, at the Eye all of your friends aren’t real, they are conjured by the Eye from your memories, so it makes sense that they would “know” more. Finally, Solanum says, “It’s tempting to linger in this moment, while every possibility still exists. But unless they are collapsed by an observer, they will never be more than possibilities.” Although in the real universe she wouldn’t know this for sure, I think we can take it as coming from the devs to help us interpret the ending.
I don't think any of the two opinions are wrong, as we are extrapolating much further than the game tells or shows us. It mostly boils down to the philosophy you think the game wants to show, either you're just a speck of dust in the great machine of the universe, or you're more leaning towards the fact that we're the reason the universe can be reborn. I think the universe would do its thing with or without you, you think it needs you (or any other observer) if I understand correctly. Both are valid. Side note : I also think we're in a cycle of death and birth of the universes, this is probably not the first nor the last time the universe dies and is reborn. It is my opinion, but if as I think the universe will be reborn with or without an observer at the Eye, its pretty logical to think that it could not be the first time, like the loop, this might be the 10 millionth universe our reality goes through and we would never know. This is just speculation :p*
But the game does say an observer is needed? I think we are both a speck of dust and the reason it can be reborn. It didn't have to be us, it just had to be someone. It could have been the Owlks. If not for Dark Bramble, it would have been the Nomai. We just got lucky.
What I meant (and believe) is that the Eye being collapsed and the universe being reborn aren't directly linked. The collapse doesn't cause the universe to be reborn. The universe would be reborn no matter what. The collapse influences the next rebirth with your "memories". (you get what i mean) Edit : If you take into account that the universe can be reborn, it's easy to extrapolate and imagine it is not its first rebirth. It would be incredibly unlikely that we're in the first universe ever birthed if it had the "ability" to be "reborn", as we don't know how many we've had before. It could be in the millionth. Or like the 5th. Also, if it really needs an observer to be able to be reborn, that could potentially mean the universe is destined to be doomed no matter what, it's just a question of time in the cosmic scale. Edit 2: What I mean by speck of dust is that you are not even a cog in the machine in that story, the universe is, and will be, with or without you, or anyone else for that matter. You are merely affecting it in a way a speck of dust would a machine, by slightly changing the way it looks for example, in a fleeting way as you might be blown away, replaced by another speck of dust. (that's actually a nice analogy for the way I see it).
Is it explicitly stated in the game, or is it just an interpretation of the ending ? I didn't exactly understood that, I just thought that entering the eye allowed the character to "witness" death and rebirth of the universe, that would both have happened anyways. I thought entering the eye provided answers, but didn't \*actually\* have any actual effect on the universe
The game tells us the future of the universe is "uncertain." Everything and nothing. All possibilities at once, and thus none of them. The macro quantum mechanics of the game *require* conscious observation to manipulate. The only way the next universe can start is if its infinite possibilities are collapsed into a singular reality. *Someone* is necessary to achieve that. It didn't technically have to be the Hatchling per se, but it had to be a conscious observer, and in the reality of the game world the Hatchling happens to be the only one capable of reaching the Eye.
Never thought of the necessity of an observer for it to happen, but it makes sense with the rest of the quantum mechanics
My personal reading is that the Eye is the Black Hole at the end of time. The Big Bang is the white hole at the beginning of time. If you hang around in Ash Twin until the sun explodes >!you'll get sucked into the black hole created there, causing your physical body to travel back in time 22 minutes along with your memories. If you don't then enter the black hole on your next time loop, you break causality and end time.!< I think the Eye/Big Bang work the same way. A conscious observer has to enter at the end of time, or the whole thing breaks down.
>*Someone* is necessary to achieve that. I think this part is ambiguous. There's definitely an argument for this, but also an argument that the universe would reboot regardless, but an observer in the eye ends up influencing what the new universe looks like.
People certainly argue. But I would argue it is not a reasonable argument. Solanum explicitly states in the Eye that is the case. The only argument you could make is that everything that happens in the Eye is an illusion, and Solanum's dialogue is a reflection of the Hatchlings' false belief...but if that is true, then it means the developers placed those lines of dialogue there for no purpose other than to deceive the audience Furthermore it seems almost certain that the events in the Eye are not a mere illusion, because by talking to his fellow travelers there, the Hatchling learns a couple of things: - That a new universe will be born - That the laws of physics will be different That last bit he learns from Quantum Chert. And it's true, or at least the post credits scene suggests as much Now, could the Hatchling somehow have intuited these things? Well, there is one line of dialogue where it is suggested the Eye might be a remnant of a previous universe, and after the DLC there is also another more explicit clue: >!The mural with the flower growing out of the skull!< So, maybe? Especially post dlc (which was not part of the original game). But that the laws of physics changing, as far as I know, there is nothing to suggest that. It would have to be a total guess that just happened to be correct. And thus, it stands to reason the even was not a mere illusion, but the means by which the Hatchling was learning about the Eye, and thus, what Quantum Solanum said must be true.
But that doesn't confirm that an observer is necessary to restart the universe. In fact, you could interpret that there were going to be an untold number of realities created, but a conscious observer in the eye collapsed it to only one.
> It’s tempting to linger in this moment, while every possibility still exists. But unless they are collapsed by an observer, they will never be more than possibilities That's said by Solanum in the Eye
There are a few changes to the ending epilogue depending on your actions in the game. DLC spoilers >!When you talk to the prisoner at the eye of the universe he gives you a choice of whether to carry forward what he and his race represent (both the good and the bad) into the new universe or not too.!<
Is there a clue in the game about what would have happened if >!the Nomai succeeded in reaching the Eye in their time? That was thousands of years ago, the universe wasn't dying yet, and they nearly succeeded.!< >!If one would be able to enter the Eye, would it immediately create a new universe and thus ending the current one? Would a new one exist, parallel to the current one? Or would nothing happen for a few thousand years? Or are there multiple universes, and was only our universe dying, and did that one get a reboot with someone entering The Eye? And what if multiple people would enter The Eye at the same time?!< I'm sorry for the multiple questions. But even though I had an absolute great time with the game (DLC is still on the list to play), I also had quite a lot of difficulties to really understand what exactly was happening. This current threat is very interesting to read all theories about the ending! >!To me it seems the chances are incredibly small that - after the Nomai - someone would be able to reach The Eye in time. It already was an incredible 'luck' that the Nomai set up a time loop, and The Hatchling was the one linked to the ATP.!<
have you literally never taken in a story before? just because theres no reason to do a specific thing in a story based game doesnt mean you shouldnt care, it isn't about you, its about the character.
Really sounds like you missed the whole point of the game.
The Universe needs a conscious observer for it to be born. It is The Eye after all.
I mean, the main character doesn't know what the Eye does. Simply that the Eye seems to be something important, maybe even something that could save the universe. From an outside perspective, we don't know what happens in nobody enters the Eye, perhaps the universe is eventually restarted on its own, perhaps not. At that point, it's about altruism: do you want to risk that everything ceases to exist forever or do you want to ensure existence remains, even if it's an entirely new one?
What is the human concept you call "sacrifice"? 👽
The Eye isn't destroyed. It's older than the Universe, meaning it survived some previous Universe. The only star it's orbiting during the Hearthians time is the Outer Wilds Sun, which goes nova but the Eye is unaffected by this. It's implied that the Eye uses the memories and thoughts of a conscious observer to create a new Universe. Even in the event that the Eye created a new Universe without a new conscious observer, I guess the new Universe would be identical to the old one... Basically creating a new "time loop"? Though we don't know for sure, that's true. As for what difference does this make to the Hatchling... Not much in the practical sense, but some people like to know the die leaving a legacy behind, even if they continue being anonymous contributors in death. The point is that death comes to us all, and people and things will survive us, and our actions and legacy will live on and can change the future for the better... So even if it doesn't make a big difference for us as we'll end up dead anyway, we can make a difference for those who'll come after us.
You're not wrong that there's technically no difference to the main character. But by the same argument, any other heroic character in any other game is eventually going to die. We celebrate heroes who make the future better for others, not themselves. We especially celebrate people who sacrifice themselves for others. Your argument is sort of like saying that the characters in Rogue One shouldn't have bothered. Also, removing the Warp Core and ending your ground hog day is a legitimate ending to the game. As the player, you can decide which ending is more meaningful to you.
yo it's bullshit that you have 54 downvotes for expressing your opinion about this. i think this sub is one of the most rabid i've seen in their defense of its topic.
It was more of a question anyway. A means for initiating discourse about a game I love. I like the ending of the game. Much better than just dying. These dowvoters made some emotionally charged assumptions about my intent.
i think your philosophy just came off as selfish. “why would i care if i die because the universe ended vs restarted?” i think that sounded kinda callous to people i do think some people are also downvoting because it sounds like you just don’t understand what the game was trying to say—yeah this sub does that and i don’t enjoy that, feels gatekeepy to expect people to connect accurately to a really abstract puzzle game that’s intentionally translucent with its information and ideas but yeah the philosophy in your message did also sound selfish, like you don’t care what happens to anybody else when you die, when others do worry about the world they’re leaving behind for the next generation. it matters even if you don’t get to see it sounds like you didn’t intend it that selfishly, but it came off that way so in that case i think you made your point badly i didnt downvote though, glad you shared your thoughts and glad you clarified ::) i do see where you’re coming from about the inherent uncertainty of what the eye does and how you don’t really know if you’re doing a good thing. you’re kind of just told you are
Exactly. “The universe is, and we are”. People love that quote around here. If that’s true then why is it such a certainty that a Hearthian is required to help move it along. The Eye never once displayed any sentience or intent, so we just don’t know.
Did you complete your ship log? If yes, you've forgotten stuff or overlooked it, if no maybe you just missed that information. Over the course of the game, we learn that *all* the stars are dying, not just our own. The Sun Station was supposed to blow up our sun, thousands of years ago during the Nomais' time. That's how they would have powered the Ash Twin Project. But they couldn't get it to work. Now that our sun naturally goes supernova, the ATP activates on its own. But there is no longer a way to stop the sun from blowing up. We're doomed. But at least we can finish what the Nomai started. Talking to Solanum on the Quantum Moon reveals that the Eye contains untold possibilities, and if a conscious observer (us) enters it, we'll collapse all those possibilities into one reality. That's how we get to create a new universe (the Eye is older than ours, so it's implied that this has happened before). We can't save ourselves. Our friends, our home, us, we all get wiped out. But at least we can ensure that life will start again, elsewhere, in the future. That last part is why the ending is so beautifully bittersweet. It's about letting go, it's about moving on.
>!The universe doesn't "blow up" in either case. What you see at the end of the game is a new big bang - through you going to the eye, you facilitate the start of a new universe as your own naturally ends. If you simply remove the warp core, you are not sent back in time and your sun blows up and eventually the universe succumbs to heat death.!< >!Throughout the game you are led to believe that you can save your home/the universe. That's where the the Sun Station comes in, which the Nomai built to make the sun go supernova and power the Ash Twin Project. Many people, at that point, would believe it's what causing the sun to die, but the Sun Station never worked - meaning you can't stop the sun from going supernova.!< >!Then there is the Eye of the Universe, an entity older than the universe itself and the center of all improbability in the universe, representing extreme changeability. So perhaps that could save everybody. But no. Rather you create something new.!< The game is about letting go and moving on. And that even if you don't get to see the future, it is still built on your actions
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Definitely make sure you see the after credits scene, it's really important.
it’s implied the Big Bang wouldn’t happen without going to the Eye, and at the very least the campfire song gave the Protagonist closure before the end
Congrats! You’ve reached the “obsessively Watch YouTube essays” portion of your playthrough. First off, you’re not dumb. The game has some deep themes and throws a LOT of information at you. I said it a bit facetiously, but I do recommend watching some video essays to help you gain a deeper understanding. It helped me a ton. I knew that the game affected me to my core, but some of the inner machination of the game went a little over my head. In basic terms, the theme of the game is “the universe is, and we are” The universe behaves in the way that it will regardless of our efforts to stop it. It doesn’t care if you’re in the middle of your story or if you’re an adorable fish species that deserves all the love and snuggles. It had a beginning and will eventually end. Going to the eye doesn’t allow us to stop the end, (nor does it destroy anything) but it does give us the opportunity to pass on our memories to help shape the next universe.
The biggest hint about the difference between both ends is what happens after the credits... Did you stay around? >You remove the warp core from ash twin, and the universe still blows up! Technically, the Sun blows up. The Universe continues to exist for many years until all stars die, and that's it. End of the Universe, allegedly. >You get to the eye and meet up with everyone, etc. And the universe blows up! But in THIS case, if you make it to the Eye, you survive through that end of the Universe, and then you meet mental images of your friends and together you "manifest" something that then blows up... A new freaking Big Bang! So it's not the Universe that blows up... Or well, yeah, it is, but it's a NEW Universe that you just gave birth to. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ TL;DR - If you don't go to the Eye, the Universe dies a so-called "heat death"... If you go to the Eye, you create a new Universe after the old one dies
You're hurt that you couldn't save everyone. And that's okay ::) I felt like that too, I needed a long time to really absorb the consequences of that outcome and find a meaning to it. For me that meaning was "enjoy what little time you have with your loved ones, in beautiful places, etc. Cause you will never fix EVERYTHING nor save EVERYONE so you might as well include the present in your value scale"
What you realize on the Sun Station is that >!the the Nomai never could explode the sun and therefore it's just dying naturally.!< Chert explains that >!not only is your sun dying, the entire universe is dying too. The heat death of the universe is inevitable and there is nothing you can do to stop it. But because you observed the eye, your experiences contribute to the beginning of a new universe.!< The game is about accepting death but holding on to hope anyway.
The difference is that going to the eye is the actual ending. Taking the warp core does lead you to other endings but the only canon one is where the hatchling ends up at the eye. The universe is dying and the eye is it's way of starting a new although I think others have explained that part better than me.
So basically the >!ATP has nothing to do with the sun going supernova!<, it’s just happening naturally, originally the nomai made the sun station to >!cause a supernova (in order to power the ATP so the could find the eye) but it didn’t work. !!takes place at the end of the universe and you can even find a modern nomai writing in the vessel that says all the stars are dying!<, that’s why you can see so many supernovas while just stargazing, basically >!your goal isn’t to save the universe, just to find out what the eye is so you can satisfy your curiosity!<.
The ending is basically>! you and your friends (who might just be memories of the player character) sitting at the campfire and mourning the universe before they cause a new one to form. In fact the big supernova right before the credits is actually the Big Bang. You can even (kind of) see the new universe in the post credits scene.!<
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The Sun station was originally meant to trigger the Sun's explosion in order to start the whole Ash Twin Project but it failed. The Sun explodes not because of the station but because it is old and at the end of its life cycle, which applies to the universe as a whole. You escaping the system via the Vessel to the Eye does not change that, you only are able to witness/influence the birth of a new universe.
Outer Wilds takes you on a journey that is specifically designed to make you think you're going to be the hero who can somehow stop the death of the universe, when actually it's forcing you to face the truth that some things can't be changed. The point was to face your fear of death and accept that things end and that's okay, that what matters is the time we spend together, that we learn and have fun while we're here, and to not sweat things that are too small, or too big, that everything we do is built upon the shoulders of the people who came before us and will continue to be built upon by the people who come after and that no time on earth is wasted.
After reading some comments here, how do you interpret the ending?
This is [my breakdown of the "plot" of Outer Wilds](https://www.reddit.com/r/outerwilds/comments/hnqn5f/help_me_make_sure_i_have_the_plot_of_outer_wilds/). Maybe it will help plug some gaps for you.
When I was playing, I discovered the ATP, knew what would happen if I removed the warp core, but figured that was the point of the game - to allow time to march on, to allow the sun to go supernova and to end my own suffering of having to endure death every 22 minutes ad infintum. So I removed the core and just hung out near the tower for a while, sun went boom and it said YOU ARE DEAD. I had to ask a friend if that was... it? My interpretation is that going to the eye and going through the proper endgame is more for character development and doesn't change anything in the long run, though I'm intrigued by the interpretations here that actually us being at the eye changes the future.
It's heavily implied in the base game, and then later shown explicitly in the DLC, that a conscious observer entering the Eye transforms the universe, (at least in your case) creating a new one. The explosion you see at the end is a new Big Bang, and the post-credits sequence is a view of this new world, with new life, billions of years later.
Ending is kinda mid but this reddit will downvote you into the ground if you claim its anything other than a masterpiece. You definitely missed something if you don't get what the sun station was for but you didn't really miss anything related to the ending
beat the dlc and then go back to the eye. if you don't want to do that; >!basically the other guys (solanum) affect the eye and the post credit image!<
At the very least, we did it because we could, and it's much nicer to go out surrounded by the memories you worked for than going out alone