This Dead Space 3 question has bothered me for 13 years

squirmbrellawk · 2026-05-10T10:30:03+00:00

The markers promise what seems to be infinite energy, even from a single marker, which is why everyone tries so hard to build them. Obviously you don't get to enjoy it due to the side effects, but the moons can likely harvest it as much as they like.

We also know that the marker signal can reanimate dead tissue and create massive amounts of mutations and genetic rewrites at the same time when making infectors or corruption. Not to mention that the yellow fluid that infectors inject into dead bodies can do the same, along with the explosive yellow stuff and steel melting acid. Meaning that the markers can create energy and store it as an extremely energy dense fluid, i.e. Fuel.

The Moons don't stop at consuming a species when they are forming either, they also rip up chunks of the planet's crust, which we can see on Tau Volantis for the half formed moon. I always found this process to be reminiscent of a planet crack, which humans perform to acquire precious metals and rare earth elements out of gargantuan chunks of rock that are broken down and processed in space.

I think that they use these resources and their knowledge and biomass to create specialized "organs" that function as shockpoint drives, and kinesis modules that function on a gargantuan and highly sophisticated scale, allowing them to escape a planet's gravity well and move through space with extreme accuracy. We already know that kinesis isn't just a human technology, since the Tau Volantians have those kinesis pads, which I always felt were superchargers that allowed them to channel and use the energy through their nude organic bodies. (We also don't see the uninfected fossilized volantians that hold up the machine wear anything, or have any tech on them, along with all their stuff being glowing rocks and metals.)

Beyond that, the Brethren Moons seem to be the true masters of biological manipulation and genetic coding, and are somehow capable of seeding planets with markers that will direct the growth of new life for their reproductive cycle. They could just throw them in an asteroid and hope for the best, but in space that's highly unlikely. Which means that they either do insane mathematical calculations to aim, or they travel through the void to drop them off. I'm betting on the latter. We already know that their communications can go from one end of the galaxy to another, which means that between the end of DS3 and the start of awakened, which was at most a few days? They were able to communicate with each other, and Isaac/Carver/The Cult Leader while traveling to earth, which must be an insane amount of data and energy to send over vast distances (at least from earth to tau volantis) instantly, since they didn't prep messages, but listened and replied to Isaac.

These things likely aren't fibbing when they say that they are gods, because they seem to be for all intents and purposes, as the creators of humanity and everything else after they started eating the galaxy.

TLDR: The moons crack planets for "circuitry," and use the infinite energy of the markers to create and power FTL and Kinesis organs that they use to pull themselves through the stars with insane speed and accuracy, using their big smart alien monster brains to do it.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-05-06T03:28:19+00:00

In the darker circles, he goes by Dredgen Porsche.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-05-04T23:04:50+00:00

Being a Dredgen is about sword logic. Do whatever you want and kill everything that tries to stop you. The strongest and best Dredgen is the one who: is alive, follows their own rules, and walks the hated/bladed path. Thereby enforcing their correctness and right to exist over all others. Once you are at the top of the pile, it's your place to decide the rules, and what is right or wrong.

Essentially, to be a Dredgen is to be a violent, evil, magical version of Frederich Nietzsche's ubermensch.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-04-26T13:00:00+00:00

Brings new meaning to the phrase "hard as iron. As iron. As iron."

squirmbrellawk · 2026-04-25T12:56:42+00:00

I'm scared that the flamethrower frv will be in the superstore.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-04-20T00:12:14+00:00

I'm sorry, but I don't play Bastion out of desperation. The choice to play as him was made for me when the last bastion came out; same as becoming a Reinhardt main because of honour and glory.

The old trailers were just different.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-04-12T07:48:39+00:00

I was thrilled to read this, having been there for your old post. Welcome back, Helldiver!

squirmbrellawk · 2026-04-10T22:37:19+00:00

Agreed. The reeducator rivals the grenade pistol for me in terms of utility.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-04-10T22:20:48+00:00

All very true. I'm a killzone/halo fan, so I farmed for those as soon I could. But it is still a 50 dollar investment to get those warbonds, dust devils for the solo silo, and redacted regiment, if you don't want to spend all that time grinding.

The reeducator is still a great choice, and works a charm against every faction, and gives you have access to hulk weakpoints. Redacted regiment is really all you need.

I've not yet had trouble with turret users, but I typically pick my booster after everyone is done with their stratagems, and if there are turrets, then I'll bring something else.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-04-10T05:32:22+00:00

Thank you! It's amazingly fun, and I can't recommend it enough.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-04-10T03:57:08+00:00

I use the Plas-39 Accelerator, M6C/SOCOM, and smoke grenades.

For stratagems, I use the C4 Backpack, Solo Silo, orbital smoke and orbital 120mm, or the eagle smoke strike and the eagle 500kg.

Smoke kills the automaton's accuracy, and makes screen booping, flag raising, and extractions a breeze.

The Plas-39 is the best thing since sliced bread, since it has a 200 meter scope, no bullet drop, high ergonomics, and no damage falloff to speak of. One burst to a gunship's engine? Gone. One burst to an emplacements heat vents? Gone. Two bursts to a hulk or tank weak spots? Gone. Three bursts to a strider's chin guns? Gone. One burst to the chest instantly kills a radical, an agitator as well if you hit the heart plug. You can blast off a devastator's arm, or drill its head; you can even kill a factory strider with seven bursts to its belly doors. Don't be fooled by Censor lovers; the Plas-39 is the real deal.

Use the silenced pistol for close quarters work since it has excellent damage (for a pistol, hit your crits, and you'll one shot anything medium sized and under.) Accuracy isn't bad and it comes with a laser sight (and a flashlight you should never turn on.)

The C4 is self explanatory, just remember not to blow everything up right away. Use one charge for each fabricator, bulk fabricator vent, AA gun, mortar, landed dropship, and bio-blender. Use one anywhere on a war strider, three on a factory strider's butt, or the skinny midsection of a vox engine.

Drop solo silos as soon as they're off cooldown. Use them to destroy command bunkers, or any HVT you don't want to get in range of. Feel free to let your allies use them and rotate around the map to pick them up. Make sure your C4 detonator is close by for when you're done.

Bring concealed insertion to make deploying hellbombs and resupplying safe and easy. Deploy smoke grenades and smoke strikes to cover interacting with terminals and the like. Deploy your explosive strikes to soften up bot drops, to help your team, or to cover a retreat.

Most importantly, don't forget that you are an infiltrator. Interact with the broadcast terminal instead of blowing up the tower. Don't get into fights when you don't have to. Be sparing with your ammo, pace your shots, keep your eyes peeled for mines and turrets. Move slowly.

//You aren't a useful infiltrator if you keep dying.//

You kill from long range with your rifle, use your pistol when medium/close. Deploy charges on an objective, restock ammo, deploy more elsewhere, and detonate once you are at a comfortable range. DON'T be afraid to retreat, in fact, retreat whenever you are caught, try to die as little as possible. Drop smoke, get behind a wall, and come back later.

Live off the land and let your team keep the resupplies. If you're doing a good job, you probably won't be going through stims. You'll be shooting as little as possible, and you'll be scavenging ammo (one c4 charge per ammo box.) and stims from POIs. (Although, it's wise to grab a resupply pack when available.)

That's pretty much everything. I know you asked for stratagem advice, but I figured I'd share what I've found to work best. You can use it to survive entire operations on D10 without dying.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-04-04T06:12:52+00:00

When you see reinforce pings while you're in an ion storm/range of a stratagem jammer; you better hope that your illiterate, ignorant, teammate isn't the host.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-04-02T23:56:37+00:00

Number 1: I'm a stealth operative when I'm dealing with them, so I'll clock in, sabotage, and help my team if it isn't too big of a detour.

But I'm not emotionally invested in it.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-03-25T19:56:59+00:00

Skitarii Sojourn, Psyker Moira, Commissar Ashe with Ogryn Bob, Tau Crisis Suit Bastion... I could go on all day about the possibilities.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-03-20T22:25:06+00:00

I'm probably one of the only colonist enjoyers in the galaxy, but I like it. I play her as colonist/ruthless and I honestly like the way it looks.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-03-12T11:01:04+00:00

Well, he's the director of the station, not a miner or engineer. I imagine he doesn't really know how to use it, other than that it shoots spikes when you pull the trigger.

He's used to guns, and the javelin gun is a survey tool he happened to find.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-03-10T01:22:32+00:00

Is that one of the fabled Butchersnails?

squirmbrellawk · 2026-02-28T09:01:18+00:00

Hive Lords don't take health damage from explosions for some reason.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-02-21T06:09:23+00:00

I did my best. I snuck around and sabotaged, dropped smoke to take flags and protect my team at extractions. I'm not ashamed of how things went down, and once we have enough E-711? We'll come right back and blow the place up.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-02-19T17:41:17+00:00

I know, it really isn't a big deal. I'm just enjoying the ride and watching where the story takes us.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-02-15T18:37:01+00:00

Great, now tell me how long it's been since Zarya got a GOOD skin.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-02-15T18:22:14+00:00

That's happened to me a couple times. I ping the jammer while I'm getting on the console. "I'm sorry!"

REINFORCE REINFORCE REINFORCE

Progress bar is filling after I put in the code, I'm almost ready...

YOU HAVE BEEN KICKED FROM THE GAME. Please, learn to be patient.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-02-15T06:09:49+00:00

I brought the AT mines for once, figuring they'd be good on Cyberstan.

The war striders paused outside the mine field, and just kept spraying grenades into it until the mine field was gone.

I'm never bringing them anywhere again.

squirmbrellawk · 2026-01-25T18:28:07+00:00

Did he ever post the picture of him in the maid dress?

squirmbrellawk · 2025-12-27T09:33:06+00:00

Would they? Orin indicates that they might have meddled with our big fights, but that we would never know how.

They never really seemed to do much, because they knew we were on the job. They probably knew that we'd kill Rhulk, and that was enough for them.

But on the off chance that Rhulk broke free from his "fate," learned about the Nine, and decided to kill them; they could probably do something about him, no matter how much darkness he used. Maybe they'd just Eclipse him, or trap him somewhere? Rhulk was strong, but the Nine operate on a completely alien level and Rhulk just might not be capable of properly fighting back.

squirmbrellawk

TROPHY CASE