The Lore

Here's what we know so far about upcoming events on Esamir:

• There is a massive electrical storm approaching the continent, a storm which is likely to be highly destructive, given the warning symbols seen on the continent in Sanctuary and the sheer size of the storm on the planet.

• The warpgates on Esamir appear to be failing. Most notably, the North-Eastern Warpgate, but the instability is implied to be affecting all warpgates on the continent.

• Sources have been reporting that the warpgate instability is leading to disruptions in the Respawn matrix.

• The New Conglomerate has been conducting extensive mining operations in the area, but these efforts have been disrupted by unusual, increased seismic activity and frigid temperatures so intense that equipment has been freezing and personnel are demanding more insulated gear.

The Speculation

Here are some basic assumptions we can make, given what we already know about technology on Auraxis:

• Warpgates serve a dual purpose role, allowing a faction to transport troops and material between continents, and allowing soldiers on that continent to respawn if they're killed in combat or press their standard-issue 'U' keys. A continent without warpgate access would necessitate drastic changes in the core gameplay. Troops would need to be transported to the continent, probably via Galaxy or Lodestar, and air-dropped in, presumably with only a small amount of gear to work with due to weight concerns.

• Without warpgates and the associated respawn matrix, redeploying will be impossible, and death will result in respawning on an entirely different continent, to await the next transport back to Esamir to try again.

• The incoming storm is likely to prove incredibly lethal to anyone caught inside, and even state of the art body armor and shield technology will only be able to protect a soldier caught inside for a fairly short time. Soldiers on Esamir will need to take shelter further inland as time goes on, as the storm makes landfall and intensifies. This will continuously restrict the habitable area on the continent, as time goes on.

• The New Conglomerate mining operations probably turned up all sorts of interesting stuff, but those treasures, and all sorts of weaponry, have now been left abandoned all around Esamir, allowing resourceful paratroopers to scavenge for equipment at various bases to make up for the scarce resources they'll have when dropping in. As for complaints about the cold, this should be taken with a grain of salt, given how many New Conglomerate Soldiers already run around a frigid, arctic environment wearing a cowboy hat and no cold-weather gear.

The Only Rational Conclusion

Esamir is turning into a battle royale mode.