Anthem

Story

A famous Freelancer named Haluk gathers an army of Freelancers around him to invade the Heart of Wrath and disable the Cenotaph. Among them is the player's unnamed character, a newcomer who embarks on his first mission. They are accompanied by Faye, Haluk's own wife, and Cypher. Shortly after the mission begins, all the other Freelancers are killed, causing Faye to retreat while the player evacuates the wounded Haluk. The resounding failure causes people to lose faith in the Freelancers, whose ranks are now decimated. Two years later, the player has settled in Fort Tarsis, a border town between the Heart of Wrath and Antium, the capital of Bastion. Together with a young Cypher named Owen, they make a living performing modest freelancer jobs for the locals. Owen aspires to become a Freelancer, though his psychic abilities prevent him from piloting a Javelin. An agent of Corvus named Tassyn tasks the player with finding a spy who disappeared while working undercover for a smuggling gang called the Regulators. In a destroyed hideout of the Regulators, they meet a leader of the Dominion, the Monitor. The Monitor is a powerful Cypher, a skilled Javelin pilot, and was involved in the attack on the Freemark that created the Heart of Wrath. The Monitor executes Tassyn's spy and takes a Shaper relic they had hidden. Tassyn suspects that the Dominion is gathering relics for another attempt to reach the Cenotaph, and recruits the player to reach the Cenotaph first. She also discovers that Haluk and Faye have spent the last two years developing a new plan to disable the Cenotaph and recruits the two for Tassyn's mission. Faye and Haluk believe that the only spear that can survive the Heart of Fury is General Tarsis' legendary Spear of Dawn. With the help of clues found in the graves of Tarsis' legionnaires, they find Tarsis' secret tomb. In their tomb, players obtain the Seal of Tarsis, which serves as the key to the Fortress of Dawn - the site of Tarsis' last stand and the resting place of the Spear of Dawn. In the Temple of Dawn, the player must put his skills and determination to the test. After reenacting Tarsis' last stand, an apparition of General Tarsis declares that the player possesses the characteristics of a Legionnaire of the Dawn and grants him access to her spear. Before the player can take possession of the Dawn Javelin, his own Javelin freezes. Owen shows up and claims to have sabotaged her Javelin in order to take possession of the Dawn Javelin. He plans to accept the Monitor's offer to spare Fort Tarsis if he helps him with the Dawn Javelin, and accuses the player of keeping him from his dream of being a Freelancer. Before Owen leaves with the Javelin of Dawn, Faye scans the unique shield module, the Shield of Dawn, hoping it can be duplicated so the player can enter the Heart of Fury with his own Javelin. Haluk and Faye manage to build a copy of the Shield of Dawn, but are unable to activate it. At the same time, Tassyn arrives and announces that the Dominion is approaching the Heart of Fury. Tassyn also reveals that she hired the player at Faye's request to replace Haluk's role as Javelin pilot. Angered, Haluk flies his Javelin to the Dawn Fortress to find a way to activate the Dawn Shield, but is ambushed by the Dominion. The player learns that Haluk was rescued by Owen, who apologizes for his betrayal. As a peace offering, Owen gives up his own Shield of Dawn before leaving. After activating the Shield of Dawn on his Javelin, the player returns to the Heart of Fury with Faye and Haluk supporting him from afar. The player discovers that the Monitor has used the Conduit to merge with the Anthem and is forced to fight him. After the Monitor dies, Faye uses her powers to disable the Cenotaph and close the Heart of Fury. While partying at Fort Tarsis, the player is pulled away by Tassyn to see the corpse of an Urgoth recently discovered and killed within Bastion's borders. Suspecting another crisis, the player is asked to be ready to help again.