Vineta
Vineta is the second planet in the solar system, as well as the second inhabited body. Known as humanity's homeworld[1], it is a planet that has been buried beneath the waves. It holds vital importance in the lore of the game.
Lore[edit]
Vineta is considered the homeworld of humanity[1] however a large part of it has been destroyed and now lies beneath the water as a result of the Vinetan War.
General Information[edit]
Vineta is depicted on a piece of national propaganda which states:
Cradle of Humanity: Vineta[1]
When interacting with the orrery, Elster states:
Vineta, the ocean world ravaged by war. When I close my eyes, I can hear the sound of the sea.[2]
Implying that either Elster or some of her Gesalt Memories originate from this location.
Vineta is mentioned in the Dream Diary:
16th Night.
As a storm raged in the sky, I fell from a ruined sky-scraper on Vineta,
but i never reached the ocean below. I kept falling, when suddenly
lightning stuck the building, and I woke up.[3]
The Battle of Vineta/Vinetan War[edit]
Vineta used to be a sprawling planet filled with cities, it was considered humanity's primary planet.
However, the war between the Nation and the Empire destroyed the planet and submerged it beneath the sea, resulting in Vineta becoming an ocean world. While no dialogue directly explains this conflict, during the process of regaining her Gestalt memories Elster sees several images from the war, which can offer slight insight into the event.
Firstly, there is an image of a trench filled with fallen Replika Units, Hedgehogs and the Eusan Nation's Flag, showcasing the sheer level of violence that the conflict reached.
Then there is an image of what is clearly a nuclear detonation, suggesting that the conflict ended due to heavy nuclear discharge which decimated the population and escalated the flooding.
Finally, we see a woman standing next to some flooded train tracks. While the scene's full meaning is unknown, it is implied that she is witnessing the previously shown nuclear detonation, which could be used to infer that the flooding happened quickly.
Aside from the Gestalt Memories, the photo of Alina Seo is actually a photo of a division from this war, specifically the People's Army, 5th Vinetan Infantry Division, Unit 12
Post Battle[edit]
The conflict concluded with the Nation winning control of Vineta however in claiming humanity's homeworld they conquered a devastated planet isolated from the rest of the system as the Empire continues to blockade it preventing reparations and the transfer of supplies.[4]
The nation still has artillery divisions on Vineta that are being used to bombard Buyan and Kitezh[5]
Theory - Vineta is Earth[edit]
Part of the larger theory which states that the game takes place within our solar system, it asserts that Vineta is the equivalent of Earth. This is supported by its status as the homeworld of humanity, and its position relative to Buyan and Kitezh. The flooded appearance of the planet could be due to global warming as a result of over industrialization and war melting the ice caps.
It should also be noted that this would be the homeworld of the Eusan Nation, which has a name indicating a European and Asian (Eurasian) Union, or Eusan. Further evidence of Vineta being an alternative Earth.
References[edit]
There are several myths surrounding Vineta - all of them portray the Vinetans as having an excessive, voluptuous or blasphemous way of life and then being punished in a flood that took the city to the bottom of the Baltic.[6] This myth mirrors the story of the planet in the game as humanity's destruction of its homeworld is a punishment for its own arrogance in war.