The Elders’ Agenda: Unraveling Their Motives in XCOM 2
At the heart of the conflict in XCOM 2 lies the enigmatic and powerful Elders. Their motives, far from being simple domination, are rooted in a desperate need for survival. The core of their desire revolves around finding a cure for their own species’ rapid degeneration. Their conquest of Earth and the manipulation of its population are all calculated steps toward this ultimate goal. They are not merely conquerors, but a dying race desperately seeking a lifeline, making them both antagonists and tragic figures within the narrative. Their true objective is not the subjugation of humanity for its own sake, but rather its exploitation as a means to extend their own existence.
The Elders’ Desperate Search for a Cure
The Physical Decline of the Ethereals
The Elders, also known as Ethereals, are not immortal gods as they might appear. They are afflicted by a form of rapid muscular degeneration. Their physical bodies are failing, unable to contain the immense psionic energy that is their lifeblood. This affliction is crippling their civilization, forcing them to seek a radical solution for their species’ survival. Their once formidable physical forms are deteriorating, and this inherent weakness underlies every action they take in the game. They are a dying race using any means necessary to secure their future.
Humanity as a Resource
For the Elders, humanity is not a worthy adversary but a potential resource. They are searching for a way to stabilize their own psionic energies using human genetic material. The hybrid children they create through their genetic manipulations are just one experiment in a long and brutal line of research to find the right biological key. They believe that the human genome might hold the answer to their degenerative disease. This is why the Chosen, the Elders’ powerful agents, are so intent on furthering this research and capturing those who might be of value.
Avoiding the “Greater Threat”
Furthermore, the Elders’ desperate search for a cure is driven by a deep-seated fear of a greater threat lurking in the shadows. This threat, vaguely hinted at in the game, is the reason behind their intense research and the development of Avatar project. The Elders believe that a solution to their degeneration will not only save them but also prepare them to confront this looming danger to the universe. Their actions are, therefore, not solely for self-preservation but perhaps also in service of a cosmic battle they feel destined to wage. They are running out of time on both fronts, further justifying their ruthless approach.
The Avatar Project
The Avatar Project represents the culmination of the Elders’ efforts. It is designed to create a new body capable of containing their immense psionic powers without the drawback of their decaying physical forms. They hope that, through the creation of these Avatars, they will achieve immortality and stability. However, as XCOM learns, it is a brutal and imperfect process which results in massive casualties amongst both humans and the Elders themselves. The project also demonstrates their immense desperation, pushing them to conduct morally reprehensible experiments.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Elders in XCOM 2
1. Why did the Elders invade Earth?
The Elders invaded Earth not for simple conquest, but in pursuit of a cure for their debilitating condition. They see Earth’s genetic resources, and particularly humans, as a potential answer to their degenerative illness.
2. Are the Elders immortal?
No. The Elders are not immortal. They are a dying species, suffering from a form of rapid muscular degeneration that is slowly killing them. Their immense psionic power also accelerates this degeneration.
3. What is the purpose of the Chosen?
The Chosen are powerful agents of the Elders tasked with ensuring the smooth progress of the Elders’ research, hunting down key figures in the Resistance, and further experimentation. Each Chosen has specific abilities and motivations, but their loyalty is always to the Elders’ mission.
4. What is the Avatar Project?
The Avatar Project is the Elders’ attempt to create new physical bodies for themselves that can contain their psionic powers without succumbing to degeneration. They aim to use these new forms to solve their physical issues, and possibly fight the even greater threat they perceive.
5. Why do the Elders manipulate the populace?
The Elders manipulate the populace to maintain control, quell dissent, and secure the resources and human material they need for their experiments. The ADVENT regime is a tool for their agenda, not an end goal in itself.
6. How is the Commander connected to the Elders?
The Commander is strongly hinted to have a psionic connection to an Ethereal, most likely due to the years spent in stasis, performing combat simulations, that is also a means of the elders probing for genetic and physiological information from the commander and also the chosen. This connection grows stronger through the game, culminating in the final mission where the Commander controls an Avatar.
7. Why were so many alien species working with the Elders?
Many alien species were enslaved or manipulated into serving the Elders. They were often given powerful technology or enhanced capabilities, serving as a convenient force multiplier and source of cannon fodder for the Elders in their wars of conquest.
8. What is the “Greater Threat” that the Elders fear?
The “Greater Threat” is vaguely defined, but it is something that the Elders fear more than their own decline. This threat is implied to be a cosmic force capable of annihilating life as they know it, pushing them to extreme measures.
9. Why are the Elders experimenting with humans?
The Elders are experimenting on humans because they believe the human genome contains the key to curing their species’ degenerative condition. They are not interested in humanity for its own sake, but as a potential source of genetic material.
10. What is the significance of the purple glow at the end of the game?
The ominous purple glow at the end of the game, emanating from the ocean floor, suggests that the threat the Elders feared might be manifesting. It is meant to imply that the war is not over and the story is not yet finished.
11. Are the Chosen as powerful as the Elders?
The Chosen are not as powerful as the Elders but are formidable due to the psionic abilities and training they receive. They are powerful enough to act as field commanders and can easily overwhelm even XCOM’s best soldiers.
12. How does the Elders’ technology work?
The Elders’ technology is primarily driven by psionic energy. Their ships, weapons, and genetic engineering techniques are all derived from their mastery of this energy. This technology is far beyond what humanity has ever developed.
13. Can the Elders be reasoned with?
The Elders are portrayed as too focused on their own survival to be reasoned with. Their desperation and conviction that they must find a cure at all costs make them unwavering and ruthless in their pursuit.
14. Why are hybrid children so important to the Elders?
Hybrid children are an experimental outcome of the Elders’ genetic manipulations. They serve as test subjects in the search for a cure. Their successes or failures would inform the Elders about their approach to the cure.
15. How do the Elders see the future?
The Elders see the future as bleak if they don’t find a cure. Their entire agenda is focused on ensuring their species’ survival, making them desperate to find a solution before their entire race is wiped out by their disease. The potential arrival of the “Greater Threat” would also spell doom for them, making their quest a desperate race against both an internal disease and an external cataclysm.