At the 2018 Game Awards show in Los Angeles, EA and BioWare unveiled the first story trailer for its upcoming online multiplayer action RPG, Anthem. While the trailer is short, there are important narrative details that shed light on the NPCs you’ll interact with, and the motivations behind our heroes’ adventures as they venture out into a hostile world that forces them to wear armored Javelin suits and fight big scary things.

At a press briefing just before the Game Awards, IGN spoke to Anthem’s game director, Jonathan Warner, along with lead producer Michael Gamble about what you can expect to find from a story perspective when the game launches on Feb. 22.

The Anthem of Creation

One of the major plot points in Anthem is the planet itself (BioWare has not said what the planet is called), and the chaotic energy that resonates within it, is known as “The Anthem of Creation.” According to Gamble, “The Anthem creates chaotic cataclysms or events.” These events can take the shape of giant storms, which is where our heroes must venture into. The Anthem is a force for both creation and destruction. Gamble refers to it as “unknowable.” It was a force that the former gods/creators of this planet harnessed in order to build things, but they never left a blueprint for how to use it, and the planet was never completed.

The Shaper Gods

“This world was abandoned by its creators midway through its process” explained Warner. “And the gods disappeared mysteriously, but what they left behind were the tools that they used to create this world, which tapped into The Anthem of Creation, to power these massive devices [tools]. They [the gods] left their massive toolboxes strewn throughout the world. This gives us an opportunity to present the players with some interesting circumstances. There’s always going to be a need for heroes.”

Fort Tarsis

The city of Fort Tarsis will serve as your home base after a hard day of fighting the dangers of this unforgiving planet. “Fort Tarsis is named after an ancient hero, General Tarsis,” Warner said. “The game will definitely touch on her and her role in creating a legendary group of fighters known as the Legion of Dawn.”

“It’s a frontier town,” Gamble added. “It’s bustling with life and it’s the place where we want to showcase characters and we want to showcase a lot of the story. And we really want to develop your relationship with those characters in Fort Tarsis. And over time, throughout the game and after lunch, Fort Tarsis will be a place that evolves and changes.”

The Characters

Anthem is not a lone wolf kind of story, and in order to get the job done, you’re going to need a team to help you accomplish your goals. Here is a list of some of the important NPC’s you’ll come across throughout your adventures.

• Faye: Faye is a “Cipher,” or someone who has the ability to tap into the Anthem’s power and use it to help her teammates. She uses the planet’s energy to send long range communications to you while you’re outside of Fort Tarsis. Fey can identify objectives and other valuable targets. When the game begins, Fey is no longer your Cipher due to unknown reasons.
• Haluk: Another freelancer, Haluk, doesn’t go out on adventures anymore. He will pilot your “Strider,” a large walking base that you’ll move around in. Your character has a large history with Haluk that will be explored during the game.
• Agent Tassyn: Think MI6 or CIA. Tassyn will send you out on missions. And more importantly, she’s also someone who can get you a shiny new Javelin suit.
• Centinal Brin: While Fort Tarsis doesn’t have a mayor, king, or any other kind of political figurehead, there is a police presence. Brin is one such officer, who will also send you out on side missions. Gamble simply said, “she’s quirky, she’s awesome.”

The Villains

Generations earlier, the legendary General Tarsis formed the Legion of Dawn to keep the human population safe. Over the centuries, conflict within Tarsis’ legion resulted in the formation of various factions, each with their own unique motives. The Dominion, an aggressive military group from the north is one such faction.

One of their leaders, The Monitor, believes that he knows how to properly handle the Anthem of Creation. There’s a specific place The Monitor needs to get to so he can control the Anthem, which is near Fort Tarsis’ territory. Those big red glowing guys with the large hands are called Furies. The Furies are one of the tougher opponents you’ll face during your journey.

For more Anthem, check out 43 minutes of insane customization gameplay and all of Anthem’s exosuit Javelins.

David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He’s also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.