Guide Wynn Theory 101

So! Recently there have been many great theories rising among the forums, from many different people. Such people include @Rujala, @2016, @jpmrocks, @DarkDemonDragon, and others I am too lazy to go on to name.

Sadly, there are two sides to a coin. Among all the great theories, we also have some not-so-great theories. I am not going to tag anyone here to avoid insulting anyone.

So I wanted to make a little thread about what makes a good theory, how to execute it, and what not to do! What gives me the right to say what is and what is not a good theory? I am not going to pretend I am the best theorist on the forums (although some people have stated they disagree) but I will say I am a good one. I admit I may not fallow all of these rules, but I do believe I know what I am walking about.

Without further adu (I know I spelled that wrong), lets begin!

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Firstly, Finding a Topic.

When you are finding a topic, it should not be a topic that someone else has already done, except for these three exceptions:


The person who has done it just did it, so it is currently a topic of conversation. This way you are inputting your view on the topic.

New info on the topic has come up.

You mention the person who has already done the thread, or talk to them in advance. Or AT LEAST tell them.



It should also be a topic that can actually be theorized about. Saying, for example, "I think the player is human" is something that is truth. No theory there. "I think the problem in Fruma is giant panda bears" would be another bad one. Because we currently have no info on Fruma, so we can not theorize about it. Which brings us to our next point.

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Getting Your Info

This part is KEY to any good theory. Having wrong info or not enough evidence is usually what leads a theory to ruin. A few good places to get info from is:

The Wiki. The wiki is actually one of the best in my opinion.

In-Game quests and item lore. Always cannon.

Other threads an theories. I have actually gotten a lot of info and lore from other threads that I would have not been able to get otherwise. One not on this is you should always ask the thread owner before using their stuff.

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Putting A Theory Together

So. Now you have all your info, you have a topic. What now? Well, some tips on putting a theory together.



The reader is not in your head. You need to explain your thought process so they understand your logic.

Use evidence when you can. They is key to letting the reader know your have the facts correct.

Common belief is not always correct. If there is nothing saying it needs to be true, feel free to challenge it.

The Devs always have a plan. Always. Never say something was done by random. (Except for those airship items. Jerk builder...)

Perhaps one of the most important ones: Don't assume. Assumptions often are wrong.

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Things To Avoid

Don't, under ANY circumstances, attempt to steal someones work as claim it as your own. That's just no.

On the other side of that, don't claim someone stole your work unless you can prove it 100% (I am looking at that person who accused me of copying his Fruma thread even though it was made after mine)

Don't use wrong info. I guess this is obvious. No one wants another "Fruma is tainted" or "Fruma is the land of technology" theory...

Also, some assumptions have been discussed and believed to be true. Like Dern being a province. Don't try to argue with facts that we (as a community) have all agreed are true unless you have some info that you believe the community has skipped when making these assumptions.

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Finally, player interaction!


Talk with other players if need be!

Several times I have gone to other people or people have come to me about a theory. Do not be afraid to work with someone else!

^^^^^^^^^^ Don't try to steal all the credit tho

If you need be, you can even come to me about a theory!

Don't be a jerk in the comments. If someone disagrees, smack some facts in their face. But don't be a jerk about it

And my biggest point: ASK FOR ADVICE! That's why I always end asking people to comment. Hearing other's opinions helps!

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So that's my little guide to theory making. I hope you enjoyed reading and I hope this will help improve theories on the forums (the bad ones that it, there are tons of great ones!)! If you have never done a theory before but want to start, this guide might help!

So, feel free to comment (like I said) and yeah!

 

If I may give tips as well:
1 Do not always use the wiki for lore info
In it's current state, there's quite a bit of Lore info that is not updated/accurate. One example is Bob. The wiki currently has extremely outdated and noncanon works on the Bob page. The most updated lore on Bob was posted in these forums; However, the original posts were lost in the 9/7 wipe (or whenever Jumla spilled his coffee), which leads to the second point
2 If you're delving into a topic, ask other, older forum users if they have any deleted lore (due to forum wipe) or any ideas that can point you in the direction of an area that may have more clues. You might be thinking of a theory idea, but come up short on where to look next (I want to research Mage's Island, but I don't know what to do!). Older forums users may have the answer, or more experienced players may know quests/area in Wynn (see Sarnfic) which may have more information.
3 Ask Questions
You'll never know what asking a simple question can do. I once asked "What do we know about Qira?", and now, like 30 people are hunting for Gale's Grave (the only of Qira's minions who wasn't made by Qira). Asking a simple question can open a whole new world of thought.
4 Jump the Gun
5 Be ready to be hit hard
4 and 5 go hand in hand. You may think of some crazy new theory where cows are actually space aliens. It's always fine to start piling ideas together, from numerous sources that can confirm your theory (many historic IRL descriptions of religious events are almost ScyFy for us + the bovenists worship cows as their gods) and put them together. Once you get a steady stream of words going, you can get a big conglomerate of sentences that are this theory.
However, be ready to take the criticisms the community may have on your theory. And some might hit really hard, like a level 45 trying to solo Death. However, if you are planning to think up of a crazy theory (all theories ARE and WILL be crazy until the pieces you put together are reflected in game some how), be ready to defend your theory with facts. You did your homework, you should know about this. But there may be folks who've looked into it too, and know more than you do. But don't give up on making theories off of just that, trying looking into something else, you may finally hit gold.
6 Piggybacking
Piggybacking off another theory is a double edged sword. You can get some really good ideas out there that get folks thinking, then you can get some crazy nonsense off that makes Yahya's train of speech sound intelligent. Always make sure you do your own research, on top of going over someone else's, and always give credit where it's due.
7 Try to research one topic no one has ever dug into, and stick with it til the end.
Never try to jump from theory to theory, unless one is close to the end of it's life, and you want to Jump the Gun on this new one. Creating two new theories at once can be quite confusing for yourself, and you may some how end up with a saucy FanFic of Nohno x Nilrem.

Overall, when it comes to theory writing, be ready to fight, and be ready to be the captain that sinks with their ship, the S. S. Theory. Also, make sure you can back up your theory with tons of knowledge, whether it be quests, images, gear lore, lost lore, etc. Citing stuff also adds a whole level of evidence to your theories, so try to cite stuff as well.

 

I feel as though connecting lore at this point since the Gavel release is a little pointless, I believe Grian said that it would take us months to find some of the secrets hidden within the new update. For now I think it is best to compile lore and make possible theories, right now we need to gather data and info. Once we obtain enough info, the lore community should start connecting the dots. I have been noticing a lot of people attempting to theorize, but theorizing right now is too early. If any of you guys reading this, hunt down clues for lore, or make theories. I highly recommend you take notes on paper, or create a thread that compiles all info, and please try not to make full and conclusive theories yet. I have been reading a lot of your guys' stuff, and from what I've seen a lot of info is still yet to be found.

 

Of coarse. We are still waiting for the new lore in the fallow up update. But for now we can still turn eyes at Wynn.

 

...lolwot

 

And my theory (imo) was so good and he ruined it for me. pfft.

Great thread by the way :3

 

Hahahah- @Alexdacube -ahahah!

 

Well, of course, tho sharing findings with the community does cause thought to flow, in more folks. I didn't really think much about stuff until I saw some theories posted here. I never would've thought much of Dern until Spyro pointed out their description says their Dernic material. We're connecting Gavel lore, because if something gets added to either Gavel or Wynn, we're not starting from the drawing board with figuring out what do. And we have been doing a mix of Wynn and Gavel (tying stuff together with Bob) and plus, we can start tying Wynn to Gavel (WynnExcavation). I do hunt down clues, and I dont post anything unless I have a good amount of info to go off of. I'm also working on a much larger project (currently waiting for more Gavel quests to be add to the Wiki), that will tie in a lot of information. Really, some stuff, there isn't a lot to go off of (Death and what he does/has), so it wouldn't be as big as something like Bob's story. In all honesty, we don't post theory stuff unless we have enough information (we have a cult) or we're seeking out info from other users.

 

Well all I'm saying is a lot of the theories I've read that other people post are interesting, but it isn't complete. There isn't enough data collected to make a strong theory, and of course it's always good to share thoughts and ideas. However some people are trying to find answers without enough info, and they post what they believe to be a good theory, but they just end up with a crappy result.

 

Those are some top Notch tips you gave!

 

I assume I'm the "jerk" builder but don't worry maybe you should go back to that area in the future ... Let's say there is more to those artefacts than you thought

 

The future is a interesting word. You will never be in it, because when you're in the future, you're in the now, today. Yesterday future was today, but for us, yesterday's future tomorrow is today. So we will never be in the future.

What

 

Deep man, deep

 

Too.... Much.... Text..... To...... READ

 

Golly gee, its almost like its a forum or something

 

Gotta get it right

 

I was thinking of making my own theory about various strange mobs... I have no ideas... There are so many strange locations and mobs, The "Insanity ranch" which is an abandoned ranch in the Time Valley infested with hostile Insane Horses, Angry Nomads scattered across wynn in tiny camps set up in cave, why are they angry? why do they live below ground unlike other Nomads? And then theres the Angry Pigs that live in a small cave in a area outside Ragni that almost nobody would explore... Then there's the Crumbing and Rattling Mage remains that I found threads on after I had read up on the mob and my friend accidently found the cave. I don't know where to start I have no ideas for a possible theory.

 

Step 1:

Investigate and get info

You can't do anything until you poke around and get facts

 

https://forums.wynncraft.com/threads/my-collection-of-images.108567/#post-1176795
That's why you wrote this? (Sigh)
But.... but.... almost everything is known...
Also you can't find anything on that 'Low level'.... just do not start so quick.