Swamp (terrain)

Raziel wading through swampy terrain in Soul Reaver 2

Swamp was a terrain type featured in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver 2. The effects of swampy terrain on Kain and Raziel were different due to their differing immunity to water - however both had their progress slowed and were required to tread carefully to negotiaite it.

Profile

"Strange that Vorador would choose a dwelling so perilous to him. The swamp could only offer a vampire hazard and pain."

―Kain — Listen (file info)

Swamp terrain was first seen in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain the terrain notably made up a large portion of the Termogent Forest and would will damage Kain if he stepped from the greener paths into the darker more murky and watery sections - he was thus required to slow his progress and tread carefully to avoid being damaged by it. One method of negating the damage incurred by the Swamp was to change forms - with Mist Form able to withstand its effects without damage as it could over regular water. ^{[Blood Omen][Blood Omen/6][Blood Omen manual (Windows)][Blood Omen strategy guide]}

Kain carefully avoiding the (darker) swampy terrain in the Termogent Forest in Blood Omen

The swamp terrain returned in Soul Reaver 2 in the eponymous Swamp region - itself hinted to be close the to previous Termogent Forest area. As Raziel was already immune to water, the swamp did not damage him as it had Kain, instead merely slowing his progress and forcing him to wade through it with difficulties. Raziel could avoid the effects of the swamp by jumping between the more solid areas and in combat he was unaffected - The effects of the swamp could also be negated entirely by wielding the Air Reaver which enabled Raziel to run normally through the swamp areas. As with other types of water, the swampy terrain had no effect in the Spectral Realm.^{[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/3][Soul Reaver 2/5][Soul Reaver 2/7][Soul Reaver 2/9][Soul Reaver 2 manual][Soul Reaver 2 strategy guide (Prima)]}

Swampy and marshy terrain is not explicitly seen in further titles. The presumably swampy Termogent Forest is briefly glimpsed outside Vorador's Mansion, but it is seen only in cutsecenes and not shown clearly - in gameplay similar shallow water does not seem to have the same effect in the title.^{[Defiance][Defiance/8]}

Notes

• Unused dialgoue from Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain suggests that at one stage in its development, Kain was intended to gain immunity from the effects of the Swamp from a Blood fountain. Though the dialogue was recorded, no such Blood fountain was present in the final game.^{[Blood Omen/Cut content]}
• The Blood Omen manuals suggest different methods to avoid dmage from the swamp. The Playstation manual suggests only the use of Mist Form, while the PC manual suggests using Mist or Wolf Form - it should be noted that Wolf Form does not actually negate the damage caused by the swamp; instead it merely allows Kain to move quicker through it.^{[Blood Omen manual (Windows)][Blood Omen]}

Raziel using the Air Reaver to freely run through the swampy terrain in Soul Reaver 2

• The Swamp is acknowledged as a terrain type and labelled as "Swamp" in the manuals for Blood Omen and the Prima Guide as well as in dialogue and stage directions for the game.^{[Blood Omen manual (Windows)][Blood Omen strategy guide][Blood Omen]} It is not acknowledged in the Soul Reaver 2 manual,^{[Soul Reaver 2 manual]} however the Prima Guide does acknowledge it as a terrain type - as does the former official site, dialogue and stage directions. There is however a complication, with a location - "the Swamp" - also titled with this moniker in official sources, with a blurred distinction in many sources between the terrain and the location and many sources alternating and acknowledging both the terrain and the area.^{[Soul Reaver 2 strategy guide (Prima)][Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/3][Soul Reaver 2/5][Soul Reaver 2/6][Soul Reaver 2/7][Soul Reaver 2/9]} The location itself seems to be just south of the Termogent Forest that appears in Blood Omen and bears many of the same hallmarks, including the use of Ignis Fatuus and lots of swampy terrain.^{[Blood Omen][Soul Reaver 2]}
• A number of similar terrain types exist, particularly in Blood Omen, although only the swamp terrain is acknowledged in manuals.^{[Blood Omen manual (Windows)]} Similar types of terrain observed in Blood Omen include several varieties of 'dirty water' - named in guides as "ooze","sewer water", "quicksand" or similar terms^{[Blood Omen strategy guide]} - behave almost identically to swamp terrain but are not explicitly named as such, with only the swamp terrain of the Termogent Forest acknowledged as such in dialogue or stage directions.^{[Blood Omen][Blood Omen/6]}
• A Number of other terrain types can be observed in Blood Omen though not all are explicitly acknowledged in Blood Omen sources and manuals: Grassy and muddy types are not distinguished from ordinary land, Water provides instant damage, swamp terrain is a mid way between water and land which provides more solid ground but still damages like water, 'dirty water' types behave almost identically to swamp and water terrains (whatever their contents are), Ice is solid and does no damage but can be very slippery, and lava causes extreme damage and cannot be crossed in any form without taking damage.^{[Blood Omen][Blood Omen manual (Windows)][Blood Omen strategy guide]}
• Though often used in a literal meaning, the usage of swamp-like and related terms can be used more figuratively in the series, with the Pillars of Nosgoth described in Soul Reaver 2 as "sink[ing] into a mire of decay, dragging all of Nosgoth down with them!"^{[Soul Reaver 2][Soul Reaver 2/5]}

Gallery

Kain taking the safe path through swampy terrain

Kain taking damage from swampy terrain

Kain using Mist to avoid swamp damage

Raziel wading through the swamp

Raziel running through the swamp with the Air Reaver

See also

• Termogent Forest
• Swamp (location)
• Water
• Mist Form
• Air Reaver (Soul Reaver 2)

References

This article is about the "Swamp" terrain type encountered as an environmental hazard in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver 2. For the Swamp area encountered in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and seen briefly in Legacy of Kain: Defiance, see Termogent Forest. For the similarly appearing area encountered nearby in Soul Reaver 2, see Swamp (location).