DEADROP introduces a lot of new ideas to the world of gaming, and we’re coming up with more all the time! We’ve put together a list of terms to help you navigate the ever-growing Existence.
Claw
A Claw is a mercenary that takes contracts or gigs within the Refiner States for personal gain or on behalf of another. All combatants in DEADROP are Claws, and each has its own base of operations called a Hideout.
Cleaners
Cleaners are competing factions that have forcibly taken over the operation of Refiner States in a never-ending struggle for resources and gear. Exploring these massive structures will not be easy, much less safe. Cleaners are considered hostile to all.
Climate Wars
DEADROP takes place in 2020.b, 40 years into the Climate Wars. This environmental crisis led to the creation of Refiner States to clean pollutants out of the air. During the Climate Wars, urban areas were uninhabitable without the assistance of helmets fitted with advanced filtration systems.
As Refiner States cleansed the air but soiled the cities, a subculture of Claws called Variants retrofitted and kitted out these discarded helmets with unique displays known as VisorCortex.
Codex Operandi
This cipher was developed by Variants for cryptic communication between factions. The Codex Operandi is made up of various shapes that represent A-Z and 1-10. A small group of Pre-Variants decrypted the cipher in order to survive the CC.Protocol. You can find the decrypted cipher key in the Variant Guide.
Embers
Embers are manufacturers, modders, and crafters for hire within the DEADROP universe. It is not yet possible to enroll as an Ember.
Existence, The
The Existence is the expanse of Midnight Society. It is the totality of every Claw, Variant, Ember, Eyes, and their individual contributions to the universe that encompasses DEADROP.
Eyes
This group will include guild leadership and members enlisting Embers in the expansion of The Existence. Founders Access Pass holders will be granted early access to industry guilds via the Eyes.
Refiner States
Towering above dense metropolises, Refiner States are self-governed “city-states” designed to extract and refine toxins from the atmosphere. Operated by Cleaners, these massive structures have one export – Space Dust.
Once Government-owned facilities, the lucrative ‘Dust’ trade has led to the forced occupation of Refiner States by competing factions fighting for control of the towers and the resources inside.
Skins
In DEADROP, “Skins” is slang for human combatants of any faction.
Snapshot
Snapshots are playable experiences focused around specific milestones that are released to Access Pass holders every six weeks. Every milestone has feedback parameters around weapons, player abilities, gameplay, and play spaces within DEADROP. The Midnight Society dev team collects feedback from the community, prioritizes it, and applies it to upcoming Snapshots.
These are not alpha or beta builds, nor are they created for the purpose of QA testing. Snapshots immerse Midnight Society Access Pass Holders into the world of DEADROP to inspire larger discussions.
While Snapshot builds can only be downloaded by Variants (Access Pass holders), they have full rights to stream and create content from the early playable snapshots and accompanying Variant Guides.
Space Dust
Space Dust, aka “Dust” is the street name for the concentrated extract of the toxins produced by Refiner States and sold for a high value amongst organized crime circles.
Syn
In DEADROP, “Syn” is slang for synthetic combatants of any faction. Scrapped and outdated early models of Syns can be found in the Hideout’s firing range being used as target practice.
Variant
Variants are a highly exclusive subculture of Claws within the Midnight Society. They are instantly recognizable by their helmets, each with a unique display called VisorCortex.
Each VisorCortex is unique, acting as a type of identification along with an anonymous call sign. Variants communicate among themselves using the Codex Operandi cipher. Claws become Variants by owning a Midnight Society Access Pass.
VES
VES stands for Vertical Extraction Shooter, and DEADROP is the first. This term is used by Claws to describe combat within Refiner States. A Vertical Extraction Shooter combines the map design of an arena shooter with the large scale and player counts of a Battle Royale (with some element of last man standing) but with the session-to-session persistence and ability to extract early.
VisorCortex
A VisorCortex is the unique display on Variant helmets.
Sector
Sectors refer to large, self-contained areas of Refiner States which operate independently of other tower areas.
We hope you found this DEADROP glossary useful! We will add to it periodically as the lore expands.
See You in the Existence,
Midnight Society Team
Source: https://midnightsociety.com/blog/deadrop-words-you-need-to-know