Awesome work, i’m Getting a strange reaction atm when i have a hold full of Thorgiod cargo. It scans me and turns to the left so i’m Presented with its side.. strange and new since the recent Q2 update, they then turn hostile if i dont give them the goods. I think their pointing at something but dont get a chance to look.
I’ve done a load of scanning of Thorgiod bases and activated a link in multiple i’ve Also collected all the links from one compartment so i had a few at the time.
Hope this helps someone, i’m Finished with the Thorgiod story now, i only use ingame tools and really struggled engaging with it tbh.
I didn't... purely because I'd ask "what's it going to demonstrate? "
I'd forecast that either
the thargoid won't scoop them; they behave just like other cargo
they do scoop (some of) them, and they function like humanoid cargo
There's nothing to suggest a unique reaction could be found.
Conversely, there's been suggestion the organic life forms littered around the galaxy... especially things like octohedral pods, anomalies, and some molluscs, have thargoid- like characteristics, and are traits potentially "evolved into" Thargoids.
I'd be more interested to see if they respond to samples from these things... if obtainable at all (i haven't seen any evidence of being able to get certain samples, despite their existence)
Heart Update: It seems Thargoids now scoop up Thargoid Hearts, and the hearts have new graphics too. This is likely in place since 3.0
Note on Guardian Fittings: Thargoids will only react aggressively to Guardian Cargo in your hold, not Guardian fittings. To date (2 Aug 2018), there has been no definitive proof that Guardians will react aggressively to only Guardian fittings. Claims to the otherwise have either lacked any evidence to back it up, or have been explained by other issues (cargo which will trigger them, staying too close too long, collisions etc.). Nonetheless... if you can capture video showing a non-hostile Thargoid
(optional) get hyperdicted;
scanning you;
with nothing of note in your cargohold;
while staying outside of 500m from the Thargoid;
without shooting or colliding with it;
with Guardian fittings on your ship; and
the Thargoid becomes hostile after scanning
... then I'll happily update to reflect the circumstance. It's easy enough to stage that situation (having done it myself and triggered no hostile reaction), so you'll need to hit all those points in your video to get it verified.
------
I recently made a post disputing the commonly-held knowledge about Thargoid reactions to various cargo types. Since then I've reliably reproduced these reactions on several occasions, enough that I'm satisfied of consistency in most of the results. I've also been thinking a fair whack about the various reactions, what the Thargoids scoop, and what it might mean... but before all that.
Different Thargoid reactions to scanning you with different cargo
1. No Cargo of interest
This reaction happens if you have no cargo, or you're holding any cargo that's not explicitly mentioned in the other videos in this post.
Notes:
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
About 6 seconds after the scan, the Thargoid will simply disengage and go on scanning/searching wrecks and cargo
Sound the Thargoid makes upon completing the scan is almost "bored" or "disappointed"
2. Thargoid Cargo on board
While the video shows only Thargoid Resin, I've verified Thargoids will react the same upon detection of any of the following in your hold:
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
Upon completion of the scan, you have 25 seconds to drop all relevant cargo. During this time the Thargoid will maintain the 350m distance. If you fail to jettison all relevant cargo in the timeframe, it will release Thargons, flash red and become Hostile on your HUD and immediately engage.
The sound the Thargoid makes when completing the scan is the same as the noise it makes when you initially enter the NHSS instance and it begins to approach you. More on the noises later.
3. Thargoid reaction to Guardian cargo
Thargoid will react like shown in this video if you carry any of the following:
Ancient Orb
Ancient Casket
Ancient Totem
Ancient Tablet
Ancient Orb
Ancient Relic
Notes
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
Upon completion of the scan, you have 25 seconds to drop all relevant cargo. During this time the Thargoid will maintain the 350m distance, and will also flare red like it does in combat. If you fail to jettison all relevant cargo in the timeframe, it will release Thargons, become Hostile on your HUD and immediately engage.
The sound the Thargoid makes when completing the scan is the same as the noise it makes when get too close to it or "provoke" it in other ways (like stealing a Probe it was scooping, or countering an EMP blast from a nonhostile Thargoid e.g one which has hyperdicted you). More on the noises later.
4. Thargoid Reaction to Meta Alloys
The following reaction occurs only when you have meta-alloys in the cargo hold.
Notes:
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
Upon completion of the scan, you have 25 seconds to drop all the meta alloys. During this time the Thargoid will maintain the 350m distance. If you fail to jettison them in the timeframe, it will release Thargons, flare red, but not become hostile. It will also disengage from the 350m. If you get outside of 500m, it will stop flaring red, and after a short delay will go about it's normal behaviour. This is consistent with a warning given by a Thargoid when you are "too close" to it.
The sound the Thargoid makes is unique for Meta-alloys. It's almost an "excited" or even "longing" noise. In my opinion, it's almost comparable to both the noise the Thargoid makes when it destroys a ship (another CMDR or one of your fighters) and when the Thargoid dies. Again, more on sounds later.
Note: I have not tested reactions with mixtures of cargo. I expect a tiered response, where Meta Alloys overrides no cargo, but this is overriden by the Thargoid cargo reaction, which is likewise overriden by the Guardian reaction.
We also know that Thargoids have different reactions to cargo floating around the place.
Thargoid Interaction with uninteresting cargo.
This is fairly simple. The Thargoid ship will just scan the cargo and move on.
Thargoid Interaction with Humanoid cargo.
Humanoid cargo includes Occupied Escape Pods, Damaged Escape Pods, Slaves, Imperial Slaves, Master Chefs, and any other "Human" cargo" (e.g "Political Prisoners" from Powerplay ships). For this sort of cargo, the Thargoid ships will scan and "scoop" up the cargo. However, dropping large volumes of this cargo will not result in another Thargoid ship arriving.
Thargoid Interaction with Meta Alloys, Links, Sensors, Probes
Thargoids will also scan and scoop up Meta Alloys and Thargoid Links/Sensors/Probes. Dropping more than five of these items will result in a second Thargoid ship being called in to assist with scooping. As before, I'm unsure if it must be more five of one type of item, or if it can be a mix of items.
Thargoids will scan any jettisoned Guardian Items (orbs, relics, caskets etc.) and after completing the scan will flare red and attack the item.
Other Interactions
There are some other "reactions" you can provoke that I've mentioned (i.e evading EMP blasts, getting too close) but they're not really relevant to what I want to discuss around cargo reactions.
----
So most of this isn't really new... the meta-alloys reaction seems different to the current line of thinking which is that Thargoids will attack you for holding them. But especially with that change, I think there's a lot we can start to derive from these reactions... to the point where we might be able to understand their motives (which, in my opinion, aren't territorial or necessarily based on any previous aggression from us... Aegis may even be completely inconsequential to their motives).
For ease of discussion, I'm only going to talk about cargo types of mentioned above; i.e any sort of cargo that, in one form or another, will elicit some response from a Thargoid. Anything else we'll just assume they aren't interested.
Thinking about how they react to floating cargo.
This is a pretty tidy place to start. There's four categories of interactions that cargo falls into
Will scoop and will call in help to scoop; Meta Alloys and Thargoid Links/Sensors/Probes, Thargoid Hearts
Will destroy; Guardian items
This has a sense of logic to it if you think about it a bit, and extrapolate some ideas.
The items listed as "Won't Scoop" are essentially Thargoid (Ship) "Body Parts"; junk, scrap. It's unlikely a Thargoid should be interested in that cargo at all.
Humanoids are something interesting, so the Thargoids scoop them, but they don't care enough to get their buddies in for them. It feels somewhat unnatural, almost as if it's just a convenience thing.
Meanwhile Meta-Alloys and Links/Probe/Sensors warrant bringing in a buddy to help grab them. The Links/Sensors/Probes have a logic to them... they're active pieces of tech which transmit signals. We know they work in conjunction to seemingly "activate" the Thargoid Structures. What doesn't have a logic is why Thargoids are now actively recovering them. We also know Thargoids have an interest in meta alloys by-extension through their interactions "sucking" something (energy? Energised meta-alloys?) from Barnacles, our source of meta alloys.
And lastly, Guardian items. This is possibly the most interesting reaction. We know placing guardian items in a Thargoid structure results in a violent reaction so it makes some sense that a Thargoid vessel reacts equally violently to the cargo. However, this is still a fairly extreme reaction. Generally, if something (person, cat, dog, whatever) see something that reminds you of an old enemy, or something that symbolising something which hurt you in the past, the reaction is generally not to immediately destroy that thing. The sort of things that trigger that kind of reaction are things or events which are deliberately provocative, pose an immediate threat or significantly interfere with your ability to go about your business/life. I think it's fair to say that the Thargoids don't just hate the Guardians, their technology puts fear into them.
Now, combine the reactions when this cargo is in your hold.
In my opinion, this is where it gets really interesting. Seeing how thargoids react to different cargo floating around is one consideration, and seeing how they react to stuff in your hold is a separate thing... but when you consider them both in conjunction you start to get much deeper understanding. Throwing it into a table...
Reaction\Scooping
Won't scoop
Will scoop
Will scoop
+get help
Destroy
No Interest
Humanoids
Meta Alloys
Meta Alloys
Thargoid Cargo
(Hostile)
Resin/Tech/Bio/
Tissues
Heart
Link/Sensor/Probe
Guardian Cargo
(Hostile)
All Guardian Items
It doesn't add much info, but it helps visualise reactions against their interest in scooping the cargo. Specifically, it kinda puts up the case that Thargoids really aren't that interested in humanoids, though they pick them up for a reason, which may be a secondary or even tertiary concern. Basically, there's five categories of what I'll coin "Interest" by the Thargoids in an item.
Humanoids: They don't care if you have them... but if they happen to be "floating around" they'll grab them. The "lack of care" is also indicative because we aren't attacked on sight.
Meta-Alloys: They want them really badly (see next para about their noises)... but won't fight you for them. The behaviour is almost like that of a beggar... they might want your money and ask you for it, but they (usually) won't punch you in the street for it. There's almost a sense of desparation to it.
Resin/tech/bio/tissues/heart: They are concerned if you possess it, and are willing to fight you for it if you don't abandon it. However, they have no interest in collecting or keeping it, their only interest is in you not possessing it.
Links/Sensors/Probes: These are valuable to Thargoids, and they're willing to fight you for it. Like the Tissue Samples etc. though, it's muted aggression, thus they don't flare up red initially. It's almost like an appeal to your senses... combined with the fact they make the same sort of "cautionary" noise when you first enter an NHSS when they detect any Thargoid cargo on board, it's almost as if they're saying "Do the right thing, don't make me hurt you".
Guardian tech: This reaction is just outright aggression, possibly from significant fear or legitimate concern for safety. The fact they flare up red when they detect guardian cargo on board is almost suggesting a "This is going to end in destruction; whether it's you or the cargo".
Thargoid Noises
Just wanted to briefly go over the noises Thargoids make in response to the different cargoes also. This bit is applying somewhat "human" emotion to the noises which is fraught, but there's an element of consistency when you consider other contexts for the noises.
The "No interesting cargo" sound is kind of bored, disappointed or just uninterested. This is reinforced by the fact the Thargoid moves on so quickly. Ultimately, you're not of interest and have nothing to offer the Thargoid.
When you have Thargoid cargo on board, it's really important to note the noise is the same as the one when you first enter an NHSS, before the Thargoid approaches to scan you. Now, I don't know about you, but when I unexpectedly hear a ship jump in to a USS or a planets surface or what not, my first instinct is a defensive "Who's that? What're you doing here?" and I'm cautious until I work out if it's a cop, a pirate, or something else. I believe the Thargoid's noise when you jump into the NHSS is one of caution, "Halt, who goes there" if you will. This is why I think their reaction to Thargoid cargo on board your ship is one of "muted caution", not forcing a hostile resolution, but equally telling you you're in the wrong and giving an opportunity to resolve it.
Meanwhile, the Guardian Cargo sound is similar to the sound a Thargoid makes when initiating combat (sometimes) or when you provoke it by getting it too close. Guardian cargo is clearly invokes a provocative, negative reaction from Thargoids. Why this is the case is best left for the Guardian's thread, but nonetheless, it's very obviously one of aggression and inciting conflict.
Lastly, the Meta Alloy reaction sound is, in my opinion, the most interesting. While I can't find anything where the same reaction is used, I find it has similarities between when a hostile Thargoid destroys an aggressor, and when a Thargoid dies. In the case of destroying an aggressor, it's a form of elation or celebration, while the death is, well, death. In that regard, I can't help but think like it's a "desperate happiness", like the Thargoids don't just want Meta Alloys, they need Meta Alloys, but they're not prepared to trample anything in their path to take them.
So what's the point of all this?
So, I'm not part of the "conspiracy theory" camp. It's all too tropey for Aegis to be secretly causing all the Thargoid attacks, or attacking their own stations with Thargoid weaponry to "frame" the Thargoids. But they are unknowingly provoking the Thargoids one way or another. We know Aegis and almost every superpower has been in the game of harvesting meta-alloys, and I'd suggest the Thargoids need them. But casual observation's shown the only things Thargoids will aggress for are Guardian items or Thargoid items. We also know Aegis has collected some of them for the development of AX weapons, so there's a reason enough for Thargoids to attack.
We also know some mega-ship logs refer to bringing "things" on board which possibly provoke Thargoid attacks; this could either be Guardian or Thargoid technology given their reactions.
But it doesn't really explain the escalation. It's entirely possible that the Thargoids are getting desperate enough for Meta-Alloys to start launching large-scale attacks for them... but there's also no evidence they'd do that. Either way, this hopefully sheds some more light on potential Thargoid motivations.
Heart Update: It seems Thargoids now scoop up Thargoid Hearts, and the hearts have new graphics too. This is likely in place since 3.0
Note on Guardian Fittings: Thargoids will only react aggressively to Guardian Cargo in your hold, not Guardian fittings. To date (2 Aug 2018), there has been no definitive proof that Guardians will react aggressively to only Guardian fittings. Claims to the otherwise have either lacked any evidence to back it up, or have been explained by other issues (cargo which will trigger them, staying too close too long, collisions etc.). Nonetheless... if you can capture video showing a non-hostile Thargoid
(optional) get hyperdicted;
scanning you;
with nothing of note in your cargohold;
while staying outside of 500m from the Thargoid;
without shooting or colliding with it;
with Guardian fittings on your ship; and
the Thargoid becomes hostile after scanning
... then I'll happily update to reflect the circumstance. It's easy enough to stage that situation (having done it myself and triggered no hostile reaction), so you'll need to hit all those points in your video to get it verified.
------
I recently made a post disputing the commonly-held knowledge about Thargoid reactions to various cargo types. Since then I've reliably reproduced these reactions on several occasions, enough that I'm satisfied of consistency in most of the results. I've also been thinking a fair whack about the various reactions, what the Thargoids scoop, and what it might mean... but before all that.
Different Thargoid reactions to scanning you with different cargo
1. No Cargo of interest
This reaction happens if you have no cargo, or you're holding any cargo that's not explicitly mentioned in the other videos in this post.
Notes:
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
About 6 seconds after the scan, the Thargoid will simply disengage and go on scanning/searching wrecks and cargo
Sound the Thargoid makes upon completing the scan is almost "bored" or "disappointed"
2. Thargoid Cargo on board
While the video shows only Thargoid Resin, I've verified Thargoids will react the same upon detection of any of the following in your hold:
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
Upon completion of the scan, you have 25 seconds to drop all relevant cargo. During this time the Thargoid will maintain the 350m distance. If you fail to jettison all relevant cargo in the timeframe, it will release Thargons, flash red and become Hostile on your HUD and immediately engage.
The sound the Thargoid makes when completing the scan is the same as the noise it makes when you initially enter the NHSS instance and it begins to approach you. More on the noises later.
3. Thargoid reaction to Guardian cargo
Thargoid will react like shown in this video if you carry any of the following:
Ancient Orb
Ancient Casket
Ancient Totem
Ancient Tablet
Ancient Orb
Ancient Relic
Notes
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
Upon completion of the scan, you have 25 seconds to drop all relevant cargo. During this time the Thargoid will maintain the 350m distance, and will also flare red like it does in combat. If you fail to jettison all relevant cargo in the timeframe, it will release Thargons, become Hostile on your HUD and immediately engage.
The sound the Thargoid makes when completing the scan is the same as the noise it makes when get too close to it or "provoke" it in other ways (like stealing a Probe it was scooping, or countering an EMP blast from a nonhostile Thargoid e.g one which has hyperdicted you). More on the noises later.
4. Thargoid Reaction to Meta Alloys
The following reaction occurs only when you have meta-alloys in the cargo hold.
Notes:
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
Upon completion of the scan, you have 25 seconds to drop all the meta alloys. During this time the Thargoid will maintain the 350m distance. If you fail to jettison them in the timeframe, it will release Thargons, flare red, but not become hostile. It will also disengage from the 350m. If you get outside of 500m, it will stop flaring red, and after a short delay will go about it's normal behaviour. This is consistent with a warning given by a Thargoid when you are "too close" to it.
The sound the Thargoid makes is unique for Meta-alloys. It's almost an "excited" or even "longing" noise. In my opinion, it's almost comparable to both the noise the Thargoid makes when it destroys a ship (another CMDR or one of your fighters) and when the Thargoid dies. Again, more on sounds later.
Note: I have not tested reactions with mixtures of cargo. I expect a tiered response, where Meta Alloys overrides no cargo, but this is overriden by the Thargoid cargo reaction, which is likewise overriden by the Guardian reaction.
We also know that Thargoids have different reactions to cargo floating around the place.
Thargoid Interaction with uninteresting cargo.
This is fairly simple. The Thargoid ship will just scan the cargo and move on.
Thargoid Interaction with Humanoid cargo.
Humanoid cargo includes Occupied Escape Pods, Damaged Escape Pods, Slaves, Imperial Slaves, Master Chefs, and any other "Human" cargo" (e.g "Political Prisoners" from Powerplay ships). For this sort of cargo, the Thargoid ships will scan and "scoop" up the cargo. However, dropping large volumes of this cargo will not result in another Thargoid ship arriving.
Thargoid Interaction with Meta Alloys, Links, Sensors, Probes
Thargoids will also scan and scoop up Meta Alloys and Thargoid Links/Sensors/Probes. Dropping more than five of these items will result in a second Thargoid ship being called in to assist with scooping. As before, I'm unsure if it must be more five of one type of item, or if it can be a mix of items.
Thargoids will scan any jettisoned Guardian Items (orbs, relics, caskets etc.) and after completing the scan will flare red and attack the item.
Other Interactions
There are some other "reactions" you can provoke that I've mentioned (i.e evading EMP blasts, getting too close) but they're not really relevant to what I want to discuss around cargo reactions.
----
So most of this isn't really new... the meta-alloys reaction seems different to the current line of thinking which is that Thargoids will attack you for holding them. But especially with that change, I think there's a lot we can start to derive from these reactions... to the point where we might be able to understand their motives (which, in my opinion, aren't territorial or necessarily based on any previous aggression from us... Aegis may even be completely inconsequential to their motives).
For ease of discussion, I'm only going to talk about cargo types of mentioned above; i.e any sort of cargo that, in one form or another, will elicit some response from a Thargoid. Anything else we'll just assume they aren't interested.
Thinking about how they react to floating cargo.
This is a pretty tidy place to start. There's four categories of interactions that cargo falls into
Will scoop and will call in help to scoop; Meta Alloys and Thargoid Links/Sensors/Probes, Thargoid Hearts
Will destroy; Guardian items
This has a sense of logic to it if you think about it a bit, and extrapolate some ideas.
The items listed as "Won't Scoop" are essentially Thargoid (Ship) "Body Parts"; junk, scrap. It's unlikely a Thargoid should be interested in that cargo at all.
Humanoids are something interesting, so the Thargoids scoop them, but they don't care enough to get their buddies in for them. It feels somewhat unnatural, almost as if it's just a convenience thing.
Meanwhile Meta-Alloys and Links/Probe/Sensors warrant bringing in a buddy to help grab them. The Links/Sensors/Probes have a logic to them... they're active pieces of tech which transmit signals. We know they work in conjunction to seemingly "activate" the Thargoid Structures. What doesn't have a logic is why Thargoids are now actively recovering them. We also know Thargoids have an interest in meta alloys by-extension through their interactions "sucking" something (energy? Energised meta-alloys?) from Barnacles, our source of meta alloys.
And lastly, Guardian items. This is possibly the most interesting reaction. We know placing guardian items in a Thargoid structure results in a violent reaction so it makes some sense that a Thargoid vessel reacts equally violently to the cargo. However, this is still a fairly extreme reaction. Generally, if something (person, cat, dog, whatever) see something that reminds you of an old enemy, or something that symbolising something which hurt you in the past, the reaction is generally not to immediately destroy that thing. The sort of things that trigger that kind of reaction are things or events which are deliberately provocative, pose an immediate threat or significantly interfere with your ability to go about your business/life. I think it's fair to say that the Thargoids don't just hate the Guardians, their technology puts fear into them.
Now, combine the reactions when this cargo is in your hold.
In my opinion, this is where it gets really interesting. Seeing how thargoids react to different cargo floating around is one consideration, and seeing how they react to stuff in your hold is a separate thing... but when you consider them both in conjunction you start to get much deeper understanding. Throwing it into a table...
Reaction\Scooping
Won't scoop
Will scoop
Will scoop
+get help
Destroy
No Interest
Humanoids
Meta Alloys
Meta Alloys
Thargoid Cargo
(Hostile)
Resin/Tech/Bio/
Tissues
Heart
Link/Sensor/Probe
Guardian Cargo
(Hostile)
All Guardian Items
It doesn't add much info, but it helps visualise reactions against their interest in scooping the cargo. Specifically, it kinda puts up the case that Thargoids really aren't that interested in humanoids, though they pick them up for a reason, which may be a secondary or even tertiary concern. Basically, there's five categories of what I'll coin "Interest" by the Thargoids in an item.
Humanoids: They don't care if you have them... but if they happen to be "floating around" they'll grab them. The "lack of care" is also indicative because we aren't attacked on sight.
Meta-Alloys: They want them really badly (see next para about their noises)... but won't fight you for them. The behaviour is almost like that of a beggar... they might want your money and ask you for it, but they (usually) won't punch you in the street for it. There's almost a sense of desparation to it.
Resin/tech/bio/tissues/heart: They are concerned if you possess it, and are willing to fight you for it if you don't abandon it. However, they have no interest in collecting or keeping it, their only interest is in you not possessing it.
Links/Sensors/Probes: These are valuable to Thargoids, and they're willing to fight you for it. Like the Tissue Samples etc. though, it's muted aggression, thus they don't flare up red initially. It's almost like an appeal to your senses... combined with the fact they make the same sort of "cautionary" noise when you first enter an NHSS when they detect any Thargoid cargo on board, it's almost as if they're saying "Do the right thing, don't make me hurt you".
Guardian tech: This reaction is just outright aggression, possibly from significant fear or legitimate concern for safety. The fact they flare up red when they detect guardian cargo on board is almost suggesting a "This is going to end in destruction; whether it's you or the cargo".
Thargoid Noises
Just wanted to briefly go over the noises Thargoids make in response to the different cargoes also. This bit is applying somewhat "human" emotion to the noises which is fraught, but there's an element of consistency when you consider other contexts for the noises.
The "No interesting cargo" sound is kind of bored, disappointed or just uninterested. This is reinforced by the fact the Thargoid moves on so quickly. Ultimately, you're not of interest and have nothing to offer the Thargoid.
When you have Thargoid cargo on board, it's really important to note the noise is the same as the one when you first enter an NHSS, before the Thargoid approaches to scan you. Now, I don't know about you, but when I unexpectedly hear a ship jump in to a USS or a planets surface or what not, my first instinct is a defensive "Who's that? What're you doing here?" and I'm cautious until I work out if it's a cop, a pirate, or something else. I believe the Thargoid's noise when you jump into the NHSS is one of caution, "Halt, who goes there" if you will. This is why I think their reaction to Thargoid cargo on board your ship is one of "muted caution", not forcing a hostile resolution, but equally telling you you're in the wrong and giving an opportunity to resolve it.
Meanwhile, the Guardian Cargo sound is similar to the sound a Thargoid makes when initiating combat (sometimes) or when you provoke it by getting it too close. Guardian cargo is clearly invokes a provocative, negative reaction from Thargoids. Why this is the case is best left for the Guardian's thread, but nonetheless, it's very obviously one of aggression and inciting conflict.
Lastly, the Meta Alloy reaction sound is, in my opinion, the most interesting. While I can't find anything where the same reaction is used, I find it has similarities between when a hostile Thargoid destroys an aggressor, and when a Thargoid dies. In the case of destroying an aggressor, it's a form of elation or celebration, while the death is, well, death. In that regard, I can't help but think like it's a "desperate happiness", like the Thargoids don't just want Meta Alloys, they need Meta Alloys, but they're not prepared to trample anything in their path to take them.
So what's the point of all this?
So, I'm not part of the "conspiracy theory" camp. It's all too tropey for Aegis to be secretly causing all the Thargoid attacks, or attacking their own stations with Thargoid weaponry to "frame" the Thargoids. But they are unknowingly provoking the Thargoids one way or another. We know Aegis and almost every superpower has been in the game of harvesting meta-alloys, and I'd suggest the Thargoids need them. But casual observation's shown the only things Thargoids will aggress for are Guardian items or Thargoid items. We also know Aegis has collected some of them for the development of AX weapons, so there's a reason enough for Thargoids to attack.
We also know some mega-ship logs refer to bringing "things" on board which possibly provoke Thargoid attacks; this could either be Guardian or Thargoid technology given their reactions.
But it doesn't really explain the escalation. It's entirely possible that the Thargoids are getting desperate enough for Meta-Alloys to start launching large-scale attacks for them... but there's also no evidence they'd do that. Either way, this hopefully sheds some more light on potential Thargoid motivations.
I looked this up after my last hyperdiction. I had a really strange feeling. One hyperdicted me, scanned and just sat there. I felt like I should be doing some Close Encounters of The Third Kind crap and start flashing my beams, opening the scoop, waving my ship etc. He didn't respond to anything. Is this normal behavior? Or a bug? I've seen them EMP me and leave, in the past...sometimes in groups. But this one was a loner and didn't do anything. When I got close he'd back up. That's it...ike literally put it in reverse and kept the cockpit(?) Facing me. Can you gift them things? Perhaps meta? I know there are aggressive and not so aggressive factions of Thargoids. They too are at war with themselves on a regular basis, it seems. The more friendly ones just use humanity to slow down the opposing clan. Humans just attack all of them, regardless of clan.
Yeah, i have had the odd strange Tharg solo hyperdiction. Once pretty much exactly the same thing happened to me with a Basi, another time (again a Basi i think) it shut me down, scanned me, then just trundled along at about 2-300ms for aaaages with me tagging along. Followed for about 5-10min, then got bored an left him to it.
Its best getting pulled over by a solo cyclops tho, that ends very badly for the cyclops if i am in an AX ship
Yeah, i have had the odd strange Tharg solo hyperdiction. Once pretty much exactly the same thing happened to me with a Basi, another time (again a Basi i think) it shut me down, scanned me, then just trundled along at about 2-300ms for aaaages with me tagging along. Followed for about 5-10min, then got bored an left him to it.
Its best getting pulled over by a solo cyclops tho, that ends very badly for the cyclops if i am in an AX ship
Just thought I'd add here... with all the recent commentary on this thread, I've noticed a couple errors... I'll tidy them up later, nothing hugely surprising and I do need to verify behaviour mostly around the "Cargoes" i.e Resin, Tech Components etc... they do get scooped these days I'm pretty sure. Either way, will check after the caravan is done
Heart Update: It seems Thargoids now scoop up Thargoid Hearts, and the hearts have new graphics too. This is likely in place since 3.0
Note on Guardian Fittings: Thargoids will only react aggressively to Guardian Cargo in your hold, not Guardian fittings. To date (2 Aug 2018), there has been no definitive proof that Guardians will react aggressively to only Guardian fittings. Claims to the otherwise have either lacked any evidence to back it up, or have been explained by other issues (cargo which will trigger them, staying too close too long, collisions etc.). Nonetheless... if you can capture video showing a non-hostile Thargoid
(optional) get hyperdicted;
scanning you;
with nothing of note in your cargohold;
while staying outside of 500m from the Thargoid;
without shooting or colliding with it;
with Guardian fittings on your ship; and
the Thargoid becomes hostile after scanning
... then I'll happily update to reflect the circumstance. It's easy enough to stage that situation (having done it myself and triggered no hostile reaction), so you'll need to hit all those points in your video to get it verified.
------
I recently made a post disputing the commonly-held knowledge about Thargoid reactions to various cargo types. Since then I've reliably reproduced these reactions on several occasions, enough that I'm satisfied of consistency in most of the results. I've also been thinking a fair whack about the various reactions, what the Thargoids scoop, and what it might mean... but before all that.
Different Thargoid reactions to scanning you with different cargo
1. No Cargo of interest
This reaction happens if you have no cargo, or you're holding any cargo that's not explicitly mentioned in the other videos in this post.
Notes:
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
About 6 seconds after the scan, the Thargoid will simply disengage and go on scanning/searching wrecks and cargo
Sound the Thargoid makes upon completing the scan is almost "bored" or "disappointed"
2. Thargoid Cargo on board
While the video shows only Thargoid Resin, I've verified Thargoids will react the same upon detection of any of the following in your hold:
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
Upon completion of the scan, you have 25 seconds to drop all relevant cargo. During this time the Thargoid will maintain the 350m distance. If you fail to jettison all relevant cargo in the timeframe, it will release Thargons, flash red and become Hostile on your HUD and immediately engage.
The sound the Thargoid makes when completing the scan is the same as the noise it makes when you initially enter the NHSS instance and it begins to approach you. More on the noises later.
3. Thargoid reaction to Guardian cargo
Thargoid will react like shown in this video if you carry any of the following:
Ancient Orb
Ancient Casket
Ancient Totem
Ancient Tablet
Ancient Orb
Ancient Relic
Notes
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
Upon completion of the scan, you have 25 seconds to drop all relevant cargo. During this time the Thargoid will maintain the 350m distance, and will also flare red like it does in combat. If you fail to jettison all relevant cargo in the timeframe, it will release Thargons, become Hostile on your HUD and immediately engage.
The sound the Thargoid makes when completing the scan is the same as the noise it makes when get too close to it or "provoke" it in other ways (like stealing a Probe it was scooping, or countering an EMP blast from a nonhostile Thargoid e.g one which has hyperdicted you). More on the noises later.
4. Thargoid Reaction to Meta Alloys
The following reaction occurs only when you have meta-alloys in the cargo hold.
Notes:
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
Upon completion of the scan, you have 25 seconds to drop all the meta alloys. During this time the Thargoid will maintain the 350m distance. If you fail to jettison them in the timeframe, it will release Thargons, flare red, but not become hostile. It will also disengage from the 350m. If you get outside of 500m, it will stop flaring red, and after a short delay will go about it's normal behaviour. This is consistent with a warning given by a Thargoid when you are "too close" to it.
The sound the Thargoid makes is unique for Meta-alloys. It's almost an "excited" or even "longing" noise. In my opinion, it's almost comparable to both the noise the Thargoid makes when it destroys a ship (another CMDR or one of your fighters) and when the Thargoid dies. Again, more on sounds later.
Note: I have not tested reactions with mixtures of cargo. I expect a tiered response, where Meta Alloys overrides no cargo, but this is overriden by the Thargoid cargo reaction, which is likewise overriden by the Guardian reaction.
We also know that Thargoids have different reactions to cargo floating around the place.
Thargoid Interaction with uninteresting cargo.
This is fairly simple. The Thargoid ship will just scan the cargo and move on.
Thargoid Interaction with Humanoid cargo.
Humanoid cargo includes Occupied Escape Pods, Damaged Escape Pods, Slaves, Imperial Slaves, Master Chefs, and any other "Human" cargo" (e.g "Political Prisoners" from Powerplay ships). For this sort of cargo, the Thargoid ships will scan and "scoop" up the cargo. However, dropping large volumes of this cargo will not result in another Thargoid ship arriving.
Thargoid Interaction with Meta Alloys, Links, Sensors, Probes
Thargoids will also scan and scoop up Meta Alloys and Thargoid Links/Sensors/Probes. Dropping more than five of these items will result in a second Thargoid ship being called in to assist with scooping. As before, I'm unsure if it must be more five of one type of item, or if it can be a mix of items.
Thargoids will scan any jettisoned Guardian Items (orbs, relics, caskets etc.) and after completing the scan will flare red and attack the item.
Other Interactions
There are some other "reactions" you can provoke that I've mentioned (i.e evading EMP blasts, getting too close) but they're not really relevant to what I want to discuss around cargo reactions.
----
So most of this isn't really new... the meta-alloys reaction seems different to the current line of thinking which is that Thargoids will attack you for holding them. But especially with that change, I think there's a lot we can start to derive from these reactions... to the point where we might be able to understand their motives (which, in my opinion, aren't territorial or necessarily based on any previous aggression from us... Aegis may even be completely inconsequential to their motives).
For ease of discussion, I'm only going to talk about cargo types of mentioned above; i.e any sort of cargo that, in one form or another, will elicit some response from a Thargoid. Anything else we'll just assume they aren't interested.
Thinking about how they react to floating cargo.
This is a pretty tidy place to start. There's four categories of interactions that cargo falls into
Will scoop and will call in help to scoop; Meta Alloys and Thargoid Links/Sensors/Probes, Thargoid Hearts
Will destroy; Guardian items
This has a sense of logic to it if you think about it a bit, and extrapolate some ideas.
The items listed as "Won't Scoop" are essentially Thargoid (Ship) "Body Parts"; junk, scrap. It's unlikely a Thargoid should be interested in that cargo at all.
Humanoids are something interesting, so the Thargoids scoop them, but they don't care enough to get their buddies in for them. It feels somewhat unnatural, almost as if it's just a convenience thing.
Meanwhile Meta-Alloys and Links/Probe/Sensors warrant bringing in a buddy to help grab them. The Links/Sensors/Probes have a logic to them... they're active pieces of tech which transmit signals. We know they work in conjunction to seemingly "activate" the Thargoid Structures. What doesn't have a logic is why Thargoids are now actively recovering them. We also know Thargoids have an interest in meta alloys by-extension through their interactions "sucking" something (energy? Energised meta-alloys?) from Barnacles, our source of meta alloys.
And lastly, Guardian items. This is possibly the most interesting reaction. We know placing guardian items in a Thargoid structure results in a violent reaction so it makes some sense that a Thargoid vessel reacts equally violently to the cargo. However, this is still a fairly extreme reaction. Generally, if something (person, cat, dog, whatever) see something that reminds you of an old enemy, or something that symbolising something which hurt you in the past, the reaction is generally not to immediately destroy that thing. The sort of things that trigger that kind of reaction are things or events which are deliberately provocative, pose an immediate threat or significantly interfere with your ability to go about your business/life. I think it's fair to say that the Thargoids don't just hate the Guardians, their technology puts fear into them.
Now, combine the reactions when this cargo is in your hold.
In my opinion, this is where it gets really interesting. Seeing how thargoids react to different cargo floating around is one consideration, and seeing how they react to stuff in your hold is a separate thing... but when you consider them both in conjunction you start to get much deeper understanding. Throwing it into a table...
Reaction\Scooping
Won't scoop
Will scoop
Will scoop
+get help
Destroy
No Interest
Humanoids
Meta Alloys
Meta Alloys
Thargoid Cargo
(Hostile)
Resin/Tech/Bio/
Tissues
Heart
Link/Sensor/Probe
Guardian Cargo
(Hostile)
All Guardian Items
It doesn't add much info, but it helps visualise reactions against their interest in scooping the cargo. Specifically, it kinda puts up the case that Thargoids really aren't that interested in humanoids, though they pick them up for a reason, which may be a secondary or even tertiary concern. Basically, there's five categories of what I'll coin "Interest" by the Thargoids in an item.
Humanoids: They don't care if you have them... but if they happen to be "floating around" they'll grab them. The "lack of care" is also indicative because we aren't attacked on sight.
Meta-Alloys: They want them really badly (see next para about their noises)... but won't fight you for them. The behaviour is almost like that of a beggar... they might want your money and ask you for it, but they (usually) won't punch you in the street for it. There's almost a sense of desparation to it.
Resin/tech/bio/tissues/heart: They are concerned if you possess it, and are willing to fight you for it if you don't abandon it. However, they have no interest in collecting or keeping it, their only interest is in you not possessing it.
Links/Sensors/Probes: These are valuable to Thargoids, and they're willing to fight you for it. Like the Tissue Samples etc. though, it's muted aggression, thus they don't flare up red initially. It's almost like an appeal to your senses... combined with the fact they make the same sort of "cautionary" noise when you first enter an NHSS when they detect any Thargoid cargo on board, it's almost as if they're saying "Do the right thing, don't make me hurt you".
Guardian tech: This reaction is just outright aggression, possibly from significant fear or legitimate concern for safety. The fact they flare up red when they detect guardian cargo on board is almost suggesting a "This is going to end in destruction; whether it's you or the cargo".
Thargoid Noises
Just wanted to briefly go over the noises Thargoids make in response to the different cargoes also. This bit is applying somewhat "human" emotion to the noises which is fraught, but there's an element of consistency when you consider other contexts for the noises.
The "No interesting cargo" sound is kind of bored, disappointed or just uninterested. This is reinforced by the fact the Thargoid moves on so quickly. Ultimately, you're not of interest and have nothing to offer the Thargoid.
When you have Thargoid cargo on board, it's really important to note the noise is the same as the one when you first enter an NHSS, before the Thargoid approaches to scan you. Now, I don't know about you, but when I unexpectedly hear a ship jump in to a USS or a planets surface or what not, my first instinct is a defensive "Who's that? What're you doing here?" and I'm cautious until I work out if it's a cop, a pirate, or something else. I believe the Thargoid's noise when you jump into the NHSS is one of caution, "Halt, who goes there" if you will. This is why I think their reaction to Thargoid cargo on board your ship is one of "muted caution", not forcing a hostile resolution, but equally telling you you're in the wrong and giving an opportunity to resolve it.
Meanwhile, the Guardian Cargo sound is similar to the sound a Thargoid makes when initiating combat (sometimes) or when you provoke it by getting it too close. Guardian cargo is clearly invokes a provocative, negative reaction from Thargoids. Why this is the case is best left for the Guardian's thread, but nonetheless, it's very obviously one of aggression and inciting conflict.
Lastly, the Meta Alloy reaction sound is, in my opinion, the most interesting. While I can't find anything where the same reaction is used, I find it has similarities between when a hostile Thargoid destroys an aggressor, and when a Thargoid dies. In the case of destroying an aggressor, it's a form of elation or celebration, while the death is, well, death. In that regard, I can't help but think like it's a "desperate happiness", like the Thargoids don't just want Meta Alloys, they need Meta Alloys, but they're not prepared to trample anything in their path to take them.
So what's the point of all this?
So, I'm not part of the "conspiracy theory" camp. It's all too tropey for Aegis to be secretly causing all the Thargoid attacks, or attacking their own stations with Thargoid weaponry to "frame" the Thargoids. But they are unknowingly provoking the Thargoids one way or another. We know Aegis and almost every superpower has been in the game of harvesting meta-alloys, and I'd suggest the Thargoids need them. But casual observation's shown the only things Thargoids will aggress for are Guardian items or Thargoid items. We also know Aegis has collected some of them for the development of AX weapons, so there's a reason enough for Thargoids to attack.
We also know some mega-ship logs refer to bringing "things" on board which possibly provoke Thargoid attacks; this could either be Guardian or Thargoid technology given their reactions.
But it doesn't really explain the escalation. It's entirely possible that the Thargoids are getting desperate enough for Meta-Alloys to start launching large-scale attacks for them... but there's also no evidence they'd do that. Either way, this hopefully sheds some more light on potential Thargoid motivations.
Excellent. I have a hypothesis about the guardian relics. Maybe they are trying to aggressively remove this one from so it can't be brought somewhere to the Pleiades ?
Heart Update: It seems Thargoids now scoop up Thargoid Hearts, and the hearts have new graphics too. This is likely in place since 3.0
Note on Guardian Fittings: Thargoids will only react aggressively to Guardian Cargo in your hold, not Guardian fittings. To date (2 Aug 2018), there has been no definitive proof that Guardians will react aggressively to only Guardian fittings. Claims to the otherwise have either lacked any evidence to back it up, or have been explained by other issues (cargo which will trigger them, staying too close too long, collisions etc.). Nonetheless... if you can capture video showing a non-hostile Thargoid
(optional) get hyperdicted;
scanning you;
with nothing of note in your cargohold;
while staying outside of 500m from the Thargoid;
without shooting or colliding with it;
with Guardian fittings on your ship; and
the Thargoid becomes hostile after scanning
... then I'll happily update to reflect the circumstance. It's easy enough to stage that situation (having done it myself and triggered no hostile reaction), so you'll need to hit all those points in your video to get it verified.
------
I recently made a post disputing the commonly-held knowledge about Thargoid reactions to various cargo types. Since then I've reliably reproduced these reactions on several occasions, enough that I'm satisfied of consistency in most of the results. I've also been thinking a fair whack about the various reactions, what the Thargoids scoop, and what it might mean... but before all that.
Different Thargoid reactions to scanning you with different cargo
1. No Cargo of interest
This reaction happens if you have no cargo, or you're holding any cargo that's not explicitly mentioned in the other videos in this post.
Notes:
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
About 6 seconds after the scan, the Thargoid will simply disengage and go on scanning/searching wrecks and cargo
Sound the Thargoid makes upon completing the scan is almost "bored" or "disappointed"
2. Thargoid Cargo on board
While the video shows only Thargoid Resin, I've verified Thargoids will react the same upon detection of any of the following in your hold:
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
Upon completion of the scan, you have 25 seconds to drop all relevant cargo. During this time the Thargoid will maintain the 350m distance. If you fail to jettison all relevant cargo in the timeframe, it will release Thargons, flash red and become Hostile on your HUD and immediately engage.
The sound the Thargoid makes when completing the scan is the same as the noise it makes when you initially enter the NHSS instance and it begins to approach you. More on the noises later.
3. Thargoid reaction to Guardian cargo
Thargoid will react like shown in this video if you carry any of the following:
Ancient Orb
Ancient Casket
Ancient Totem
Ancient Tablet
Ancient Orb
Ancient Relic
Notes
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
Upon completion of the scan, you have 25 seconds to drop all relevant cargo. During this time the Thargoid will maintain the 350m distance, and will also flare red like it does in combat. If you fail to jettison all relevant cargo in the timeframe, it will release Thargons, become Hostile on your HUD and immediately engage.
The sound the Thargoid makes when completing the scan is the same as the noise it makes when get too close to it or "provoke" it in other ways (like stealing a Probe it was scooping, or countering an EMP blast from a nonhostile Thargoid e.g one which has hyperdicted you). More on the noises later.
4. Thargoid Reaction to Meta Alloys
The following reaction occurs only when you have meta-alloys in the cargo hold.
Notes:
While scanning and immediately after the scan, the Thargoid will hold distance to you at about 350m
Upon completion of the scan, you have 25 seconds to drop all the meta alloys. During this time the Thargoid will maintain the 350m distance. If you fail to jettison them in the timeframe, it will release Thargons, flare red, but not become hostile. It will also disengage from the 350m. If you get outside of 500m, it will stop flaring red, and after a short delay will go about it's normal behaviour. This is consistent with a warning given by a Thargoid when you are "too close" to it.
The sound the Thargoid makes is unique for Meta-alloys. It's almost an "excited" or even "longing" noise. In my opinion, it's almost comparable to both the noise the Thargoid makes when it destroys a ship (another CMDR or one of your fighters) and when the Thargoid dies. Again, more on sounds later.
Note: I have not tested reactions with mixtures of cargo. I expect a tiered response, where Meta Alloys overrides no cargo, but this is overriden by the Thargoid cargo reaction, which is likewise overriden by the Guardian reaction.
We also know that Thargoids have different reactions to cargo floating around the place.
Thargoid Interaction with uninteresting cargo.
This is fairly simple. The Thargoid ship will just scan the cargo and move on.
Thargoid Interaction with Humanoid cargo.
Humanoid cargo includes Occupied Escape Pods, Damaged Escape Pods, Slaves, Imperial Slaves, Master Chefs, and any other "Human" cargo" (e.g "Political Prisoners" from Powerplay ships). For this sort of cargo, the Thargoid ships will scan and "scoop" up the cargo. However, dropping large volumes of this cargo will not result in another Thargoid ship arriving.
Thargoid Interaction with Meta Alloys, Links, Sensors, Probes
Thargoids will also scan and scoop up Meta Alloys and Thargoid Links/Sensors/Probes. Dropping more than five of these items will result in a second Thargoid ship being called in to assist with scooping. As before, I'm unsure if it must be more five of one type of item, or if it can be a mix of items.
Thargoids will scan any jettisoned Guardian Items (orbs, relics, caskets etc.) and after completing the scan will flare red and attack the item.
Other Interactions
There are some other "reactions" you can provoke that I've mentioned (i.e evading EMP blasts, getting too close) but they're not really relevant to what I want to discuss around cargo reactions.
----
So most of this isn't really new... the meta-alloys reaction seems different to the current line of thinking which is that Thargoids will attack you for holding them. But especially with that change, I think there's a lot we can start to derive from these reactions... to the point where we might be able to understand their motives (which, in my opinion, aren't territorial or necessarily based on any previous aggression from us... Aegis may even be completely inconsequential to their motives).
For ease of discussion, I'm only going to talk about cargo types of mentioned above; i.e any sort of cargo that, in one form or another, will elicit some response from a Thargoid. Anything else we'll just assume they aren't interested.
Thinking about how they react to floating cargo.
This is a pretty tidy place to start. There's four categories of interactions that cargo falls into
Will scoop and will call in help to scoop; Meta Alloys and Thargoid Links/Sensors/Probes, Thargoid Hearts
Will destroy; Guardian items
This has a sense of logic to it if you think about it a bit, and extrapolate some ideas.
The items listed as "Won't Scoop" are essentially Thargoid (Ship) "Body Parts"; junk, scrap. It's unlikely a Thargoid should be interested in that cargo at all.
Humanoids are something interesting, so the Thargoids scoop them, but they don't care enough to get their buddies in for them. It feels somewhat unnatural, almost as if it's just a convenience thing.
Meanwhile Meta-Alloys and Links/Probe/Sensors warrant bringing in a buddy to help grab them. The Links/Sensors/Probes have a logic to them... they're active pieces of tech which transmit signals. We know they work in conjunction to seemingly "activate" the Thargoid Structures. What doesn't have a logic is why Thargoids are now actively recovering them. We also know Thargoids have an interest in meta alloys by-extension through their interactions "sucking" something (energy? Energised meta-alloys?) from Barnacles, our source of meta alloys.
And lastly, Guardian items. This is possibly the most interesting reaction. We know placing guardian items in a Thargoid structure results in a violent reaction so it makes some sense that a Thargoid vessel reacts equally violently to the cargo. However, this is still a fairly extreme reaction. Generally, if something (person, cat, dog, whatever) see something that reminds you of an old enemy, or something that symbolising something which hurt you in the past, the reaction is generally not to immediately destroy that thing. The sort of things that trigger that kind of reaction are things or events which are deliberately provocative, pose an immediate threat or significantly interfere with your ability to go about your business/life. I think it's fair to say that the Thargoids don't just hate the Guardians, their technology puts fear into them.
Now, combine the reactions when this cargo is in your hold.
In my opinion, this is where it gets really interesting. Seeing how thargoids react to different cargo floating around is one consideration, and seeing how they react to stuff in your hold is a separate thing... but when you consider them both in conjunction you start to get much deeper understanding. Throwing it into a table...
Reaction\Scooping
Won't scoop
Will scoop
Will scoop
+get help
Destroy
No Interest
Humanoids
Meta Alloys
Meta Alloys
Thargoid Cargo
(Hostile)
Resin/Tech/Bio/
Tissues
Heart
Link/Sensor/Probe
Guardian Cargo
(Hostile)
All Guardian Items
It doesn't add much info, but it helps visualise reactions against their interest in scooping the cargo. Specifically, it kinda puts up the case that Thargoids really aren't that interested in humanoids, though they pick them up for a reason, which may be a secondary or even tertiary concern. Basically, there's five categories of what I'll coin "Interest" by the Thargoids in an item.
Humanoids: They don't care if you have them... but if they happen to be "floating around" they'll grab them. The "lack of care" is also indicative because we aren't attacked on sight.
Meta-Alloys: They want them really badly (see next para about their noises)... but won't fight you for them. The behaviour is almost like that of a beggar... they might want your money and ask you for it, but they (usually) won't punch you in the street for it. There's almost a sense of desparation to it.
Resin/tech/bio/tissues/heart: They are concerned if you possess it, and are willing to fight you for it if you don't abandon it. However, they have no interest in collecting or keeping it, their only interest is in you not possessing it.
Links/Sensors/Probes: These are valuable to Thargoids, and they're willing to fight you for it. Like the Tissue Samples etc. though, it's muted aggression, thus they don't flare up red initially. It's almost like an appeal to your senses... combined with the fact they make the same sort of "cautionary" noise when you first enter an NHSS when they detect any Thargoid cargo on board, it's almost as if they're saying "Do the right thing, don't make me hurt you".
Guardian tech: This reaction is just outright aggression, possibly from significant fear or legitimate concern for safety. The fact they flare up red when they detect guardian cargo on board is almost suggesting a "This is going to end in destruction; whether it's you or the cargo".
Thargoid Noises
Just wanted to briefly go over the noises Thargoids make in response to the different cargoes also. This bit is applying somewhat "human" emotion to the noises which is fraught, but there's an element of consistency when you consider other contexts for the noises.
The "No interesting cargo" sound is kind of bored, disappointed or just uninterested. This is reinforced by the fact the Thargoid moves on so quickly. Ultimately, you're not of interest and have nothing to offer the Thargoid.
When you have Thargoid cargo on board, it's really important to note the noise is the same as the one when you first enter an NHSS, before the Thargoid approaches to scan you. Now, I don't know about you, but when I unexpectedly hear a ship jump in to a USS or a planets surface or what not, my first instinct is a defensive "Who's that? What're you doing here?" and I'm cautious until I work out if it's a cop, a pirate, or something else. I believe the Thargoid's noise when you jump into the NHSS is one of caution, "Halt, who goes there" if you will. This is why I think their reaction to Thargoid cargo on board your ship is one of "muted caution", not forcing a hostile resolution, but equally telling you you're in the wrong and giving an opportunity to resolve it.
Meanwhile, the Guardian Cargo sound is similar to the sound a Thargoid makes when initiating combat (sometimes) or when you provoke it by getting it too close. Guardian cargo is clearly invokes a provocative, negative reaction from Thargoids. Why this is the case is best left for the Guardian's thread, but nonetheless, it's very obviously one of aggression and inciting conflict.
Lastly, the Meta Alloy reaction sound is, in my opinion, the most interesting. While I can't find anything where the same reaction is used, I find it has similarities between when a hostile Thargoid destroys an aggressor, and when a Thargoid dies. In the case of destroying an aggressor, it's a form of elation or celebration, while the death is, well, death. In that regard, I can't help but think like it's a "desperate happiness", like the Thargoids don't just want Meta Alloys, they need Meta Alloys, but they're not prepared to trample anything in their path to take them.
So what's the point of all this?
So, I'm not part of the "conspiracy theory" camp. It's all too tropey for Aegis to be secretly causing all the Thargoid attacks, or attacking their own stations with Thargoid weaponry to "frame" the Thargoids. But they are unknowingly provoking the Thargoids one way or another. We know Aegis and almost every superpower has been in the game of harvesting meta-alloys, and I'd suggest the Thargoids need them. But casual observation's shown the only things Thargoids will aggress for are Guardian items or Thargoid items. We also know Aegis has collected some of them for the development of AX weapons, so there's a reason enough for Thargoids to attack.
We also know some mega-ship logs refer to bringing "things" on board which possibly provoke Thargoid attacks; this could either be Guardian or Thargoid technology given their reactions.
But it doesn't really explain the escalation. It's entirely possible that the Thargoids are getting desperate enough for Meta-Alloys to start launching large-scale attacks for them... but there's also no evidence they'd do that. Either way, this hopefully sheds some more light on potential Thargoid motivations.
Excellent. I have a hypothesis about the guardian relics. Maybe they are trying to aggressively remove this one from so it can't be brought somewhere to the Pleiades ?
If you have them on-board, the Thargoid's reaction when scanning you is a matter of precedence. The order of precedence, highest to lowest is:
1. Hostile Reaction to Guardian items
2. Unhappy Reaction to Thargoid items
3. "Happy" Reaction to Meta Alloys
4. No reaction
An Interceptor won't "break reaction" until all items of interest are jettisonned[1], and from there it's reaction is based on when it tries to scoop each item.
When you jettison cargo, the interceptor does a "mini scan" which is not as dramatic as a ship scan, before deploying it's tractor. So;
If it scans a Guardian item, it will attack it.
If it scans something it wants to scoop, it will scoop it
If it scans something else, it starts the next scan
The third reaction can be used to delay a departure by dumping lots of limpets, if you're trying to cold-sample a Thargoid
[1] Though, this gives rise to a condition I haven't considered... if you have a Guardian item, Thargoid item and Meta Alloy on board, and you only jettison the Guardian and Thargoid item but not the meta alloy... what happens? Maybe they will:
Get hostile still
Disengage when only the guardian item drops
Disengage when both guardian and thargoid items are dropped.
If you have them on-board, the Thargoid's reaction when scanning you is a matter of precedence. The order of precedence, highest to lowest is:
1. Hostile Reaction to Guardian items
2. Unhappy Reaction to Thargoid items
3. "Happy" Reaction to Meta Alloys
4. No reaction
An Interceptor won't "break reaction" until all items of interest are jettisonned[1], and from there it's reaction is based on when it tries to scoop each item.
When you jettison cargo, the interceptor does a "mini scan" which is not as dramatic as a ship scan, before deploying it's tractor. So;
If it scans a Guardian item, it will attack it.
If it scans something it wants to scoop, it will scoop it
If it scans something else, it starts the next scan
The third reaction can be used to delay a departure by dumping lots of limpets, if you're trying to cold-sample a Thargoid
[1] Though, this gives rise to a condition I haven't considered... if you have a Guardian item, Thargoid item and Meta Alloy on board, and you only jettison the Guardian and Thargoid item but not the meta alloy... what happens? Maybe they will:
Get hostile still
Disengage when only the guardian item drops
Disengage when both guardian and thargoid items are dropped.
Sorry. Because of the translation I did not quite understand what sounds are made when detecting and absorbing humanoids ?
Does it mean that at a distance (until they are absorbed) they do not see the difference between humanoids and meta-alloys ?
Sorry. Because of the translation I did not quite understand what sounds are made when detecting and absorbing humanoids ?
Does it mean that at a distance (until they are absorbed) they do not see the difference between humanoids and meta-alloys ?
There is no reaction to humanoid cargo (e.g escape pods, slaves) on board a ship.
Interceptors will scoop humanoid cargo which is floating free in space, but if it's on board your ship when it's scanned, the reaction is no different to if you had no cargo or otherwise mundane cargo on board (e.g most market commodities)
Interceptors won't "summon" another interceptor for humanoid cargo either.
There is no reaction to humanoid cargo (e.g escape pods, slaves) on board a ship.
Interceptors will scoop humanoid cargo which is floating free in space, but if it's on board your ship when it's scanned, the reaction is no different to if you had no cargo or otherwise mundane cargo on board (e.g most market commodities)
Interceptors won't "summon" another interceptor for humanoid cargo either.
