"These forges are tuned to the Soul Reaver’s energy. One you have baptized the sword in these elemental fonts, the blade may be imbued with that element at any future time."
"adda2" was a deleted elemental Reaver forge that was intended to feature in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. The forge would have allowed Raziel to imbue the Wraith Blade with elemental energy but which element is unclear. Ultimately both the forge and its accompanying enhancement were cut due to time constraints.
The "Adda2" chamber was an optional playable location and one of many elemental Reaver forges that was created with the intention of making an appearance in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. The forge was a special chamber where Raziel would be able to imbue the Wraith blade with elemental energy to forge an unknown Reaver enhancement. Due to the time constraints, all of the other forges were cut and only the Fire forge remained in the final version, with the unknown forge ultimately removed. Its existence was later discovered by players exploring the alpha versions of the game in 2020.[Soul Reaver][1][2][3][4]
Behind the scenes[]
During the development of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver several promotional articles in magazines in the run-up to the release of the title mentioned the various deleted enhancements and forges that were intended to be gained, explicitly discussing six elemental enhancements that could be gained from forges - those for the Sunlight Reaver, Water Reaver, Stone Reaver, Fire Reaver, Sound Reaver and Spirit Reaver - with some even shown in screenshots. Despite records of their presence the release version of Soul Reaver contained only one of the elemental forges that had been discussed - the Fire Forge - with the others cut before release.[1][5][6][7]
Model of the "adda2" forge that appears in the alphas
In 2020 alpha versions of the game containing much of the previously cut content were publicised and these contained and definitively identified the lost forges along with a previously unknown seventh forge nearby the Oracle's cave of unclear origin with no element known to be associated with it.[2][3][4][1] The question of what purpose the forge was intended to have was soon addressed by artist Daniel Cabuco, who suggested that rather than any new powers or mechanics a more mundane explanation was necessary and the forge was simply moved to another area and repurposed:
"I know we moved one forge away from the Oracle’s cave after we cut down a lot of areas and repurposed things."
This coupled with its strong visual resemblance and position in close proximity to the Stone Forge perhaps implies that "adda2" was an early version of that forge that remained as a placeholder after the forge was moved to the back of the Ruined City of the Dumahim and completed there.
Initially a generic explanation of all forges by the Elder God was intended to play when Raziel discovered his first forge, but upon deletion of the other forges this dialogue was tailored to be specific to the Fire Forge. The original voice recording is still present but unused in the files of some builds.[Soul Reaver]
"These forges are tuned to the Soul Reaver’s energy. One you have baptized the sword in these elemental fonts, the blade may be imbued with that element at any future time."
Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver - Deleted Forges, Reavers, and the Spirit Glyph
(by Legacy of Kain: The Lost Worlds - Official)
Design and Layout[]
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The "adda2" chamber was found off a previously unknown snowy canyon linking Ruined City of the Dumahim and the Oracle's Cave - with the Oracle's Cave having shifted position during development. The forge is in close proximity to the Stone Forge with both found in areas that branch off the constrict object courtyard area beyond Dumah's throne room. Ultimately the "Adda2" chamber and the canyon leading to it are not present in any capacity in the retail or beta version of the game - with the Oracle's Cave shifting position and taking up the place formerly occupied by the deleted Turelim clan territory, and the canyon replaced by a chamber containing a health upgrade.[1][2][3][4][Soul Reaver][Soul Reaver/12][Soul Reaver/13]
The forge chamber itself was unfinished even in the alpha and consisted of a simply textured version of the Stone Forge - appearing as an elongated rectangular room with stone or metallic repeating wall sections. At the far end of the chamber the forge mechanism was positioned, this was a stony replica of the 'anvil' apparatus found in the Stone Forge. The forge was not functional and no blade could be forged or reimbued from it.[2][3][4][1]
Notes[]
The original alpha passage leading upto the Oracle's Cave from the Ruined City of the Dumahim...
...heads up through a snowy canyon where the "adda2" passage can be found on the left...
...the initial passage is still present in later builds...
...but leads to a different room
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Like the other forges "adda2" is not directly named in game. The "adda2" label originates in the files and stats of the game found through Debug menus which give the title to the room. [2][3][4][1]
The "adda" designation seems to relate to the connection between the Ruined City of the Dumahim and the Oracle's Cave which exists only in the alphas. The only other room to bear the designation is "adda1" which relates to the open snowy canyon between the two which joins to the "adda2" forge. A similar designation "add" is used for the initial rooms of the Tomb of the Sarafan. The Health upgrade chamber which replaces the snowy canyon in later builds is labelled as "nightb11".[2][3][4][1][Soul Reaver]
No enhancement can be gained from the "adda2" forge and unlike the other forges, no object or coding is even present for the enhancement gained.[2][3][4][1]
While "adda2" represents a previously unknown seventh forge there are already seven Wraith Blade enhancements and seven equivalent Glyphs present. A seventh Wraith Blade enhancement - originally known as the Amplified Reaver - was present in the alpha but counted as an ability instead of a reaver enhancement and was intended to be gained through the Reaver consuming the souls of Ariel and Kain rather than imbued at a set forge. The Ariel Reaver and Kain Reaver found in the code of the retail games are later recreations of this cut enhancement. Aside from this each enhancement matched up to a Glyph spell with the same element and there is a seventh Glyph - the Force Glyph - however this was long acknowledged as the only Glyph to have no accompanying Reaver enhancement.[2][3][4][1][Soul Reaver][9][10][11][12]
The "adda2" forge in the alpha
The Stone forge for comparison
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The role of the cut forges and elemental Reavers was intended to be much larger and better integrated with the rest of the game. Originally the Wraith Blade lacked a finishing move and Raziel was thus unable to kill vampires with just the basic version. Imbuing the Reaver with the various elements gave it deadly properties and enemies could then be killed just by striking them. Once the additional forges had been cut, the developers added the charging attack seen in the retail version which was capable of destroying enemies - and in the process removed the reliance on elemental imbuing.[2][3][4][13][14][Soul Reaver]
The Elemental Reaver Forges at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln).
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
