Giant's Deep

*This article contains spoilers!* Outer Wilds and Echoes of the Eye should be played with minimal spoilers, knowing too much will hinder the experience!
Please play the game before reading any of this! (Or don't, I'm not your dad.)

## Giant's Deep

"You walk in the footsteps of those who came before you, and your path guides those who will follow later."

### Location

4th planet

**Giant's Deep** is an ocean planet made of increasingly dense fluid layers, with five small islands on the surface. Filled with turbulent weather and a dense atmosphere, massive cyclones frequently form and travel along the surface of the water. The planet has a coral core surrounded by very dense fluid.

## Description

### Space

The planet is the largest and heaviest in the solar system and features a thick, effectively opaque, gaseous green outer layer. Though it obscures the planet's surface from space and vice versa, the atmosphere can be flown through with ease. Occasionally small, floating islands that drift on the surface waters will briefly pass up through the atmosphere into space, before falling back to the surface.

The Orbital Probe Cannon orbits the planet's equator and fires in a random direction at the beginning of every loop, shattering into pieces as it does so. The ruins of the Cannon continue to orbit the planet for the duration of the loop.

### "Surface"

The planet itself has an oceanic surface with a gravity of 2.0x, five unique islands, and at most 11 cyclones circling the global waters. Most of the cyclones hurl anything in their path into space, including entire islands.

Most of the islands are not fixed features of the land (there being no land to speak of) but are free-floating masses that drift around the planet on their latitudes. Four of the five islands freely meander around the planet's ocean and are occasionally briefly thrown above the planet by passing cyclones--exiting the atmosphere completely for a brief period. The islands soon violently fall back to the planet's ocean, often briefly submerging as they land.

To reduce risk of injury, the Nomai had built cyclone shelters, scattered throughout the Nomai ruins on the islands. These circular panels create a small cylinder of artificial gravity, oxygen (though not being a tree it will not refill the oxygen tank), and silence when a cyclone sends its respective island up into space, before shutting off once the island falls back to Giant's Deep.

The planet's ocean runs deep, with underwater traversal possible to an extent. However, a powerful water current prevents conventional descent to the Ocean Depths and the planet's Core, restricting underwater travel to being close to the ocean surface.

Ordinarily, cyclones start in a cluster at the South Pole, before adventuring all over the surface following unknown patterns, some occasionally disappearing and reappearing. Most of the cyclones rotate clockwise, generating upwards winds that fling objects through the atmosphere. However, one of the cyclones always rotates counter-clockwise, and pushes objects down instead of up, with enough force to bypass the deep water current and allow access into the Ocean Depths.

At the North Pole is a giant, stationary, impassable cyclone, which hides the fifth island containing the Tower of Quantum Trials. Gabbro's ship can also be found drifting around on the ocean surface.

#### Islands

* Bramble Island
* Construction Yard
* Statue Island
* Gabbro's Island, which features a campfire, and Gabbro.
* Tower of Quantum Trials Island
* Gabbro's ship.

### Ocean Depths

The Ocean Depths are the section of the planet's ocean between the deep water current and the planet's core. The Depths are inhabited by Jellyfish, a giant species of medusae that are immune to the powerful electrical currents surrounding the core. This barrier prevents the player from reaching the planet's core, and touching either the barrier or a Jellyfish's tentacles will cause a powerful shock.

The Jellyfish are able to freely pass through the electric barrier into the core, as their bodies are insulated from electricity. It is possible to hide in a Jellyfish's body to pass through the barrier as they periodically ascend/descend through it.

Instead of using the counter-clockwise cyclone, it is possible to force your way into the Ocean Depths by flying the ship at more than ten kilometers per second towards the centre of the planet. Doing so will grant an Achievement.

### The Planet's Core

The planet's core is composed of a dark forest of coral, only lit by sparks of electricity and jellyfish. The ship or player will be slowed to 5 m/s top speed by the dense water. The Probe Tracking Module is found in one of the coral branches, having sank there at the start of the loop after the Cannon's destruction.

The older Orbital Probe Cannon components, which fell into the core while initially constructing the Cannon, can be found to the north-east of the probe tracking module, close to the equator.

### Flora & Fauna

The only readily observable lifeforms are small clumps of vegetation on islands (especially near trees), and a species of enormous jellyfish, which lives in the planet's Ocean Depths and Core. They are significantly bigger than the ship and will electrocute and damage the ship's electrical systems and/or suit's HUD when touched on the outside. It is unknown how they obtain energy or reproduce.

### Inhabitants

* Gabbro
* Jellyfish

## Locations

* Bramble Island
* Construction Yard
* Gabbro's Island
* Orbital Probe Cannon
* Statue Island
* Tower of Quantum Trials

## Texts and recordings

Trip 4, entry # whatever

Crashes: 2
Boring crashes: 0 (remember to see Slate when I get back)
Ha *ha*, yeah! *Yeah*! All the way down to the core! Consider yourself conquered, Giant’s Deep — you just got *Feldsparred*.
That was one of my more dramatic feats, if I do say so myself. Can’t believe I wasn’t electrocuted! Ahhh, can’t wait to tell Hornfels and Gossan about this one — I guess brute force isn’t always the answer.
Right, so that’s one more off the list. Seems all that’s left is the big one now. Dark Bramble, here I come!

CASSAVA: Conoy, Daz and I were lifting Orbital Probe Cannon components into orbit for assembly, and one somehow sank down down(sic) *beneath* the current.

DAZ: Conoy, you should’ve seen it! We’d thought it was impossible for any cannon components to sink even partially below the current, but ours sank straight to the core!
DAZ: Cassava convinced me not to try to recreate the phenomenon myself using other cannon parts, but we’re very curious to know what happened! How could something pass through the current?
CONOY: My gratitude for your interesting question! This is exciting: Spire constructed a model of Giant’s Deep here at the Brittle Hollow’s Southern Observatory, and it's revealed how an object might sink below the current.
CASSAVA: Conoy, I’m unable to grasp the answer by looking through the projection pool. If I visit the observatory, would you kindly explain?
CONOY: If you don’t mind the trek beneath the surface to the south pole, I’d be delighted to see you! (There are two trailheads, one at Brittle Hollow's gravity cannon and one at the Tower of Quantum Knowledge.) | **Orbital Probe Cannon finished**
CASSAVA: This is it: We’ve finished building the final Orbital Probe Cannon module and are ready to send it into orbit around Giant’s Deep for assembly!

CASSAVA: To all my friends here at the Construction Yard, my gratitude for your tireless work. I had given up hope, but I truly believe this cannon may actually succeed where many other attempts have not.
DAZ: Are you going gelatinous on us, love? I’m delighted by your words, but they’re atypical for you!
CASSAVA: If I’m ever half as gooey as Mallow and Avens behave together, Daz, you may launch *me* from the Orbital Probe Cannon.
CASSAVA: Our next step will be to send Privet up to the Orbital Probe Cannon to install the probe tracking system.
DAZ: If I know my brother, Avens (and his spouse) will want to launch the probe with as much power as possible. I’m worried the cannon would break under the strain.
CASSAVA: I have bad news, Avens. Yarrow says there was a problem with the proposed power source, so the Orbital Probe Cannon won’t be asked to fire.

AVENS: I hope you’re pulling my locomotive limb here, Cassava.
CASSAVA: I wish I were, my friend, but no. They aren’t certain they can fix the problem, so the Orbital Probe Cannon is on indefinite hiatus.
CASSAVA: Tell Privet and Mallow they should return from the cannon. My spouse and I will remain at the Construction Yard, for now.

YARROW: I have exciting news, Privet: The Ash Twin Project is almost prepared to receive the probe data from the Orbital Probe Cannon.

YARROW: Ramie is adding some finishing touches here, but she’ll be finished soon. Are you and the Orbital Probe Cannon well?
PRIVET: We are! The Probe Tracking Module is ready to record each launch’s flight trajectory and will automatically transmit all relevant data to you.
PRIVET: Once the probe determines the location of the Eye of the universe, I’ll send an alert directly to you and Ramie.
PRIVET: On the other appendage, I’m now worried about this cannon’s structural integrity and its crew’s moral integrity. | **Orbital Probe Cannon's structural integrity**
MALLOW: Imagine, Privet: the Probe Tracking Module will be the first to know the coordinates of the Eye of the universe! You’ll be the first to see them!

PRIVET: I am honored and terrified!
PRIVET: You won’t ask the Orbital Probe Cannon to use so much power that it breaks, will you?
MALLOW: Fret not, my nervous friend! We only need to fire the probe once, anyway, so who minds if it compromises the Orbital Probe Cannon’s structural integrity slightly?
First recording
Receiving data from probe 9,31X,XXX.
Visualizing current trajectory of probe 9,31X,XXX.
Second recording
Retrieving previous launch data from Ash Twin.
Total number of probes launched: 9,31X,XXX
Deep space anomaly matching all known criteria for the Eye of the universe found by probe 9,318,054.
Third recording
Retrieving stored coordinates from Ash Twin.
Displaying coordinates for the Eye of the universe.

PHLOX: Welcome to Giant’s Deep, friends! I’m excited for you to meet the statues!

PHLOX: If I’m not in my dwelling, I’m likely in my workshop below (inside the island). | **Testing memory statues**
LAMI: They’re going to test the memory statues tonight! Phlox says it could be dangerous, so we can’t come.

LAMI: But, what if we didn’t use the door and snuck in the other way? Does anyone want to?
TAGET: Phlox specifically told us not to do that.
PHLOX: Yarrow, would you kindly step back so Daz is closest to the statue? When pairing, the statue will choose whoever is in closest proximity.
PHLOX: ...See how its eyes have opened? That tells us the statue has paired with Daz. Now, no matter where he is in this star system, Daz’s statue will record his memories and send them to the Ash Twin Project.
YARROW: This is extraordinary sculpting work, Phlox!
DAZ: He has outdone himself again, hasn’t he? And now that we have our first successful pairing, we can test my memory storage prototype.
DAZ: Each statue will send a single Nomai’s memories to his or her own storage unit within Ash Twin.
PHLOX: Each storage unit will be equipped with a mask, the statue’s counterpart, which will be able to send those stored memories back to the corresponding Nomai.
RAMIE: I’ve installed the masks inside the Ash Twin Project, Phlox. They look beautiful (although I do feel as though I’m being observed!).

RAMIE: It’s comforting to know the statues will not pair until the project succeeds. Otherwise, I imagine the experience would be hard to endure!
PHLOX: Ideally, they’ll only need to activate once the project succeeds; as a safety measure, however, the statues will also activate in the event of equipment failure.
RAMIE: They will? Why is that?
PHLOX: If anything goes wrong with the Ash Twin Project, the statues (and their masks) will make us aware of the situation and enable us to fix it. Otherwise, it would be possible for us to remain permanently unaware of the problem.
PHLOX: I’m curious: Is sending a being’s memories back in time the same as sending the being itself back in time?

PHLOX: As an example, if we were to send my memories back in time, is that the same as sending “me” back in time (not my physical body, but my essence)?
DAZ: I imagine they’re two different actions.
CASSAVA: Wouldn’t both actions be effectively the same?
DAZ: Suppose that time was being rewritten. I believe this is different than receiving memories from what is effectively the future.
CASSAVA: But isn’t the end result identical in either case? | **Warp platform (*dependent on in-game time, arrival time is always one hundred-thousandth of a second earlier than departure time*)**
Departure Time: XXX.XXXX
Arrival Time: XXX.XXXX
Return warp status: CHARGED. Step onto warp platform when ready.

Be welcomed in this place. This tower shares with all who ask the knowledge needed to make his or her first quantum journey.
Enter this place without friends, however; these are lessons to learn for yourself.
 **Second trial**
Observing a quantum object; observing an image of a quantum object. These are the same.
 **Fourth trial**
This is the last one (but we made it harder).
We offer our congratulations! You’ve learned the rule of quantum imaging. Take this knowledge with you on the remainder of your quantum pilgrimage.
Remember, the other quantum shards have other lessons to teach.
Our curiosity goes with you on your journey. You walk in the footsteps of those who came before you, and your path guides those who will follow later.

## Notes

* Instead of using an anti-clockwise tornado, a player can also slam their ship into Giant's Deep with such incredible speed that they can penetrate through the dense upper layer of liquid that the islands/tornadoes reside on. This can only be done with no less than a minimum flight-speed of about 10000m/s, and requires the player to go so far away from the planet to get the running start that the planet will actually un-render entirely. This however can prove fatal and more dangerous than using the counter-clockwise tornado, as there is a small chance the player might actually land on an island instead of the water upon entering Giant's Deep. At this speed it will obliterate their ship immediately, ending their session.
* Unlike the first four planets (and the special case of Dark Bramble), the surface of Giant's Deep does not experience a day/night cycle. Instead, the faint glow of its atmosphere lights everything in the same green haze, regardless of time.
* Giant's Deep was instead named "Gale Giant" in the pre-alpha of the game. It is possible to see the pre-alpha trailer on Alex Beachum personal youtube channel.