The Spirit Reaver was an elemental enhancement for the Wraith Blade. Of Ancient vampire origin, it was intended to be gained by Raziel in Soul Reaver 2 but ended up being cut due to time constraints.
Behind the scenes[]
Discussing abilities planned for Raziel to earn in a May 2000 interview concerning Soul Reaver 2, Amy Hennig commented on the development of the Wraith Blade enhancements:
As well as confirming the presence of "nine additional spell-type things", she caveated this information, saying it "could change", "based on our schedule and what we're going to have to adjust as we go".[1]
The Spirit symbol in the Sub-Pillars dais texture
The Spirit Reaver was one of these enhancements. An upgrade for the Wraith Blade associated with elemental Spirit, it was intended to be discovered by Raziel in the Spirit Forge somewhen in the latter stages of Soul Reaver 2. As with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver however, the locations related to this enhancement were not completed in time and were ultimately removed from the final game[2] and the final version of Soul Reaver 2 featured only four of the seven planned Reaver enhancements and their associated forges.[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/3][Soul Reaver 2/4][Soul Reaver 2/6][Soul Reaver 2/8] Despite the removal of the forge and its enhancement, the Spirit symbol can still be observed in game on the dais of the Subterranean Pillars Chamber.[Soul Reaver 2] The Spirit Reaver would ultimately make an appearance in a more permanent form in Legacy of Kain: Defiance.[Defiance/12][Defiance][2]
The specifics of the usage of the Spirit Reaver are largely unknown, though it is likely (as in the case of the Reaver enhancements that are present) that the abilities and appearance of the Spirit Reaver would have matched those of its more permanent successor in Defiance;[2] with the Spirit Reaver Reaver an 'all-powerful' white/pale-blue enhancement, gained last and replacing Raziel's previous Reavers.[Defiance][Defiance strategy guide][3] One ability that is known is a 'hookshot' ability used in the Spectral Realm (missing from the Defiance Spirit Reaver) which would have allowed Raziel to teleport to distant locations using a Reaver bolt. These abilities suggest that like the Amplified Reaver before it and the Spirit Reaver that succeeded it, the Spirit Reaver would have been an 'all-powerful' final weapon, accessible in both realms and replacing previous Reaver enhancements.[2]
Notes[]
- The Deleted Elemental Reavers can be enabled in-game through the use of the debug menu. When used, the Spirit Reaver enhancement appears as a 'placeholder' identical to the Material Reaver (though with an extra minor purple usage effect), with no special abilities and with the blade itself doing no damage.[Soul Reaver 2][2][4] A different placeholder, arguably based on the Sound Reaver (removed from Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver), was accessible through debug menus on the earlier 'Air Forge demo'.[4]
- The Spirit Reaver was originally intended to have several other abilities which were intended to be gained from a separate Spirit Reaver augmentation. The augmentation abilities were ultimately cut from Soul Reaver 2, but would be implemented in Defiance as the Charged attack and Reaver spell of the more permanent Spirit Reaver.[5]
- In a similar manner to the various Water Reaver enhancements, versions of the Spirit Reaver were planned to appear in every game in the Soul Reaver arc; with a Spirit Reaver planned for inclusion in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, but ultimately cut due to time constraints; although its appearance in Soul Reaver was more related to the Glyph-style Reavers from that game and is possibly not an Ancient vampire creation for this reason.[6][Soul Reaver] Despite the name, the Spirit Reaver concept in Soul Reaver 2 was ultimately based more upon the Ariel Reaver and Amplified Reaver enhancements removed from Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver - as an all powerful final blade. With the Spirit Reaver removed from Soul Reaver 2, it would be left to Legacy of Kain: Defiance to debut the more permanent Spirit Reaver enhancement and its special abilities.[Defiance/12][Defiance]
- Soul Reaver 2 contains no known locations where the supposed abilities of the Spirit Reaver could be used (with the functioning of the hookshot ability not made clear). The remains of the Spirit Forge itself can be observed at the bottom of the Great Southern Lake, but not accessed.[Soul Reaver 2][7]
Gallery[]
See also[]
Deleted Elemental Reavers at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln)- Spirit Forge (Soul Reaver 2)
- Spirit Reaver augmentation
- Spirit Reaver (Soul Reaver)
- Ariel Reaver
- Spirit Reaver (Defiance)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Soul Reaver 2: Director's Interview - PlayStation 2 Feature at IGN (by Douglass Perry), page 6
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Deleted Elemental Reavers at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln)
- ↑ Defiance: Raziel's Reavers at Dark Chronicle (by Ardeth Silvereni)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Debug Menu at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln)
- ↑ Reaver Upgrades at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln)
- ↑ The Elemental Reavers at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln)
- ↑ Deleted Reaver Forges at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln)
Browse[]
- This article is about The Spirit Reaver enhancement seen in Soul Reaver 2. For the enhancement removed from Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, see Spirit Reaver (Soul Reaver). For the more permanent enhancement seen in Legacy of Kain: Defiance, see Spirit Reaver (Defiance).
