Ancient Ruins
Ancient Ruins are ruins belonging to an alien race known as the Guardians. The first Ancient Ruins site was discovered on October 27, 3302 by CMDR XDeath in the Synuefe XR-H d11-102 system.[1][2] Since January 3303, additional sites have been located in other systems.
Description
Layouts
Ancient Ruins sites have so far been found to have four different topographical configurations.
- Layout 1.1
The first layout of Ancient Ruins sites consist of one main complex of apparent earthworks or buried structures in a roughly-pentagonal shape, with two sections of concentric circular earthworks or structures. Scattered among the complex are numerous clusters of obelisks, which remain functional despite their abandonment, and inert pillar-like structures placed at intervals. 1.1 and 1.2 sites have the same decryptable data entries.
- Layout 1.2
A variation of 1.1. The earthworks have the same layout, but some of the artificial structures are in different locations. 1.1 and 1.2 sites have the same decryptable data entries.
- Layout 2.1
A second layout was identified with the discovery of the third Ancient Ruins site. In this layout, obelisks and other artificial structures are organized around a central, conical earthwork topped by a crater-like depression. Smaller circular earthworks of varying size surround this cone. 2.1 and 2.2 sites have the same decryptable data entries.
- Layout 2.2
A variation of 2.1. The earthworks have the same layout, but some of the artificial structures are in different locations. 2.1 and 2.2 sites have the same decryptable data entries.
- Layout 3.1
A third layout that was identified at the ninth Ancient Ruins site. This layout is considerably larger than the previous ones, with several massive earthworks in new, more complex geometric designs.
Data and Salvage
Note: All features are reset to their initial states when logging back in to the game.
Ancient Artifact Cairns
Cairns consist of dark rocks surrounding an ancient artifact on a patch of ground that glows when approached in an SRV. They are detectable on the SRV wave scanner. The artifacts may be collected using the cargo scoop of an SRV or ship. (Destroying the surrounding rocks by shooting them may help.)
There are 5 types of artifacts in the cairns: Ancient Orbs, Tablets, Totems, Urns, and Caskets. Each can be scanned but this appears to have no effect. Artifacts can be sold at a market and their prices can be seen on the cargo screen of the right-side panel.
Relic Pillars
Pillars are tall structures that emerge from the ground when an SRV approaches. At the top of each is a glowing moving Ancient Relic surrounded by 3 pillars. The relic can be collected by shooting the pillars. Relics can be scanned but this appears to have no effect. Relics can be sold at a market and the price can be seen on the cargo screen of the right-side panel.
Obelisk Groups
Obelisks are triangular prism structures grouped together in various formations such as rows, chevrons, triangles, and rectangles, bounded by ornate markings on the ground. Typically at least one obelisk within each group will glow and emit sound when approached in an SRV, and an animated pattern of symbols appears on the glowing face. This can be targeted and scanned to acquire encrypted data packages in various patterns: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. Obelisks deactivate after scanning (until next game login).
Guardians Data Decryption
When equipped with Ram Tah's decryption program (see History below) and holding the correct combination of artifacts(s) within the SRV cargo hold while scanning an obelisk, the data packages can be decrypted to reveal information about the Guardians' biology, history, culture, language, and technology. There are 101 data packges available, however only a limited number are available at any given ruins site. Multiple ruins sites must be visited to obtain all of the data packages.
Each obelisk is programmed with only 1 unique data package. The correlation between the obelisk data type, ancient artifacts, and Guardian information is as follows[3]:
| Guardian
Information |
Obelisk
Data Pattern |
Ancient
Artifact* |
Data Packages
Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | Alpha | Urn | 19 |
| History | Beta | Totem | 20 |
| Culture | Gamma | Casket | 21 |
| Language | Delta | Tablet | 21 |
| Technology | Epsilon | Orb | 20 |
* This is the base artifact that decrypts the data. This artifact must be in the SRV cargo hold either alone or with one other ancient artifact/relic in the correct combination for that specific obelisk. If the combination is correct, the upper right message window will indicate that archeological data has been decrypted and an inbox message will be received from Ram Tah with the contents of the data. (Note: sometimes the messages are delayed.)
Example: the correct combination to decrypt the biology data from an alpha pattern obelisk is one of the following 7 possible combinations: Urn alone, Urn+Urn, Urn+Totem, Urn+Casket, Urn+Tablet, Urn+Orb, or Urn+Relic.
History
Decryption
Beginning on December 9, 3302, Engineer Ram Tah provided a free decryption program to all ships that docked at any station in the Meene system, which allowed them to decrypt the data found at the ruins[4]. The program was only usable for 28 days after receipt, as the Guardians' technology had the ability to adapt to the decryption. Investigation of the ruins using the program in conjunction with specific combinations of salvage items revealed significant details about the history and culture of the Guardians. As only 36 of 100 possible data entries could be decrypted at the initial site, it was believed that the remaining entries were at other, undiscovered sites.
Additional Sites
On January 24, 3303, Ram Tah announced that analysis of additional data provided by the galactic community[5] had allowed him to detect additional Guardian ruin sites. Although unable to discern their exact locations, he narrowed down the possible locations to four systems: Synuefe ZL-J d10-119, Synuefe XO-P c22-17, IC 2391 Sector ZE-A d101, and IC 2391 Sector GW-V b2-4.[6] All four sites were located by February 3, 3303.
The Melville Expedition
On February 10, 3303, personal logs surfaced from a member of an expedition to locate the Guardians' origin world led by a Professor Melville. Melville was an authority on xeno-biology who had disappeared several months earlier. Theorizing that the Guardians had once occupied a volume of space roughly equivalent to the human bubble before being forced to migrate, and that at least hundreds of ruins sites existed, Melville gathered a cadre of supporters to attempt to find these ruins. According to the logs, the expedition discovered clusters of three ruins sites in each of three systems: Synuefe LY-I b42-2, Synuefe NL-N c23-4, and Synuefe TP-F b44-0. As of February 8, in the logs' final entry, Professor Melville has seized control of the expedition ship and cut off all communication to the rest of the galaxy.[7]
Sites 6 and 7
Three days before the Melville Expedition was revealed, CMDRs Madwax, mGtRd, and Noodlz discovered a sixth Ancient Ruins site on planet 8 C of the COL 173 Sector KY-Q d5-47 system. The following day, they also located a second site on the same planet, marking the first known example of a planet featuring more than one site. These two sites also demonstrated two new minor layout variations. The CMDRs withheld their discoveries, hoping to locate a third site that they believed was on the planet before making an announcement, but the Melville Expedition information caused them to alter their plans and announce the find early.[8]
Locations
| System | Planet | Surface Coordinates | Site Layout | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synuefe XR-H d11-102 | 1 B | -31.806, -128.937 | 1.1 | First Ancient Ruins site discovered on Oct. 27, 3302 by CMDR XDeath |
| IC 2391 Sector GW-V b2-4 | B 1 | -29.10, -30.51 | 1.1 | Second site discovered on Jan. 29, 3303 by CMDR Zorbaq[9] |
| IC 2391 Sector ZE-A d101 | C 3 | 29.42, -59.54 | 2.1 | Third site discovered on Jan. 30, 3303 by CMDR Khenistry[10] |
| Synuefe XO-P c22-17 | C 1 | 19.534, -141.787 | 1.1 | Fourth site discovered on Feb. 2, 3303 by CMDR Clanga and CMDR Zwei34[11] |
| Synuefe ZL-J d10-119 | 9 B | -23.382, 178.909 | 2.1 | Fifth site discovered on Feb. 3, 3303 by CMDR Artyomska[12] |
| Col 173 Sector KY-Q d5-47 | 8 C | 16.270, 18.128 | 1.2 | Sixth site discovered on Feb. 7, 3303 by CMDR Madwax, CMDR mGtRd, and CMDR Noodlz[8] |
| Col 173 Sector KY-Q d5-47 | 8 C | 46.07, -171.33 | 2.2 | Seventh site discovered on Feb. 8, 3303 by CMDR Madwax, CMDR mGtRd, and CMDR Noodlz[8] |
| HIP 39768 | A 14 F | 7.09, 170.20 | 1.1 | Eighth site discovered on Feb. 11, 3303 by CMDR Zorbaq[13] |
| Synuefe TP-F b44-0 | CD 1 | 59.33, 15.10 | 3.1 | Ninth site discovered on Feb. 11, 3303 by CMDR Robbie Junior and CMDR Clanga[14] |
| Synuefe LY-I b42-2 | One of three sites in the Synuefe LY-I b42-2 system. | |||
| Synuefe LY-I b42-2 | One of three sites in the Synuefe LY-I b42-2 system. | |||
| Synuefe LY-I b42-2 | One of three sites in the Synuefe LY-I b42-2 system. | |||
| Synuefe NL-N c23-4 | One of three sites in the Synuefe NL-N c23-4 system. | |||
| Synuefe NL-N c23-4 | One of three sites in the Synuefe NL-N c23-4 system. | |||
| Synuefe NL-N c23-4 | One of three sites in the Synuefe NL-N c23-4 system. | |||
| Synuefe TP-F b44-0 | One of three sites in the Synuefe TP-F b44-0 system. | |||
| Synuefe TP-F b44-0 | One of three sites in the Synuefe TP-F b44-0 system. |
Notes
- With the release of the 2.2.03 update on January 10, 2017, in addition to the activation of Ram Tah's archaeology mission, the layout of the first Ancient Ruins site was also slightly changed.
Gallery
Pre-2.2.03
- The original layout of the Ancient Ruins, before 2.2.03
- A tower has risen from the ground, containing an Ancient Relic
- Flying low over the Ruins site
- whole site area is like a shape or pattern.
- A fighter flying low next to A group of Obelisks
- SRV next to A obelisk with a blue prism like shape
- A salvageable relic
- SRV next to a icosahedral Ancient Orb
- Selling off relics
- Space ship next to Obelisk group patterns
- SRV next to Obelisk
- Obelisk Data
_Is_the_Ancient_Ruins_a_Map.jpg){kind=link}
Post-2.2.03
- The second main configuration of ruins ("2.1") on IC 2391 Sector ZE-A d101 C 3
- IC 2391 Sector ZE-A d101 C 3 ruins in high contrast
- The third main configuration of ruins ("3.1") on Synuefe TP-F b44-0 CD 1
.jpg){kind=link}
References
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/59l4hk/cmdr_xdeath_found_the_monolith/
- ↑ https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/300054-Alien-archeology-and-other-mysteries-Thread-9-The-Canonn
- ↑ https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/300054-Alien-archeology-and-other-mysteries-Thread-9-The-Canonn?p=4672147&viewfull=1#post4672147
- ↑ https://www.radiosidewinder.com/galactic-news-ram-tah-breaks-his-silence/
- ↑ Galactic News: Data Appeal Concludes
- ↑ Galactic News: Ram Tah Discovers New Sites
- ↑ Galactic News: Intriguing Expedition Record Surfaces
- 1 2 3 https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/300054-Alien-archeology-and-other-mysteries-Thread-9-The-Canonn?p=5137501&viewfull=1#post5137501
- ↑ https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/300054-Alien-archeology-and-other-mysteries-Thread-9-The-Canonn?p=5079311&viewfull=1#post5079311
- ↑ https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/300054-Alien-archeology-and-other-mysteries-Thread-9-The-Canonn?p=5083224&viewfull=1#post5083224
- ↑ https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/300054-Alien-archeology-and-other-mysteries-Thread-9-The-Canonn?p=5104589&viewfull=1#post5104589
- ↑ https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/300054-Alien-archeology-and-other-mysteries-Thread-9-The-Canonn?p=5108902&viewfull=1#post5108902
- ↑ https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/300054-Alien-archeology-and-other-mysteries-Thread-9-The-Canonn?p=5138670&viewfull=1#post5138670
- ↑ https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/300054-Alien-archeology-and-other-mysteries-Thread-9-The-Canonn?p=5140932&viewfull=1#post5140932