Alright so I totally didn’t forget about this, open my theory document in google drive and go “oh SHIT”. I didn’t.

The whole Tl;Dr is that I think the events of BL3 are a chain reaction from Jack opening the Vault in TPS and that Zarpedon saw even further beyond into the future than Jack did with the 2nd Vault on Pandora. Bonus, the Lost Legion Eternal and the Vault on Elpis is the key to giving the Children of the Vault superpowers because the twins kept failing. Yes, that’s a reference to the cover art easter egg.

Proof and more stuff about the Lost Legion, Sirens, and the Vault Monsters below the cut so I don’t spam ya dashes  (◡‿◡✿) And, just a warning… this one’s a doozy.  (ʘ‿ʘ✿)

Basically, it starts with Zarpedon and the Crackening.

For those of you who found TPS boring (like me, sorry!, not even Timothy could save my remaining two brain cells from suiciding) basically, the Crackening was an event that took place shortly after DAHL mining operations started on Elpis (for methane, though they eventually found Eridian ruins) that lead to huge rivers of lava taking over the surface of the planet, the atmosphere disappearing, and ships falling out of the sky. This happens the day after Zarpedon and her team find Eridian ruins on Elpis.

Zarpedon and her team also ran into the Watcher, who asked Zarpedon to protect the Vault from any humans who might try to open it. It is explained Zarpedon had gone inside with the Watcher and saw the future (and possibly the past?). I imagine she saw much further into the future than Jack did due to the damage (?) to her eyes. This convinces her that her main goal is stopping the Vault from ever being opened (which eventually snowballs into her trying to destroy Elpis, and with it, the Vault).

The Watcher as she appears for the first time in-game.

And it is here where I want to bring attention to this screenshot of Lilith under Jack’s control

And another where she’s interacting with the Vault Key! I think her tattoos and eyes glow this way when she’s interacting with Eridium or, at the very least, anything Eridian related. Because, remember, when she’s absorbing raw Eridium, her body turns purple, but her tattoos glow orange/yellow.

Annnd finally what’s going on with Zarpedon’s arms here

So we’ll get right back to this in a second, just keep it on the back burner for now!

So, Zarpedon and her team were stranded on Elpis after the Crackening destroyed all the ships and the rest of the Dahl corporation booked it the hell out of there. This is when her team started to show signs of sickness (?) where they got a bunch of purple rashes and began acting differently due to the purple air coming out of the Eridian ruins. I think at this point they started calling themselves the Lost Legion, so that’s what I’ll call them from here on out.

Most of the Lost Legion within the game seem fairly normal despite the fact, at least until the mission Eye to Eye is reached. Then things start getting a little… fucky. Now, Lost Legion members start appearing named Lost Legion Eternal and they are uhhh different.

Some pics of the fellas for all y’all to gander at.

I took some screenshots from this video (the uploader is a legend! google images are scarce and I don’t want to replay TPS just for screenshots)

Now when the Lost Legion Eternal get hit with damage, after a certain point they “ascend” which basically means they are picked up in a glowing swath of purple light and get superpowers!

Sounds awesome, right?

So, there are a few kinds of Lost Legion Eternal. Uh, there are SIX, in fact, in case you were curious (and yes that’s exactly where I’m heading so hold onto ur horses cuz this is a wild ride).

Here’s a screenshot from the wiki explaining each one and what they do. And some of their powers might sound mighty familiar.

But why, you might be asking, is this so important? It’s sooo not! Obviously, they’re just a new enemy type the game wanted to introduce to keep us from getting bored.

WRONG. Well, actually, that’s probably right, the whole new enemy type thing, but ahhh lemme explain why this is important to the LORE

Of their powers, which one stands out to you the most? Probably the Phasewalker’s right? I mean, that is OBVIOUSLY Lilith’s power.

And you’re right.

These things are fucking TERRIFYING, btw. 

And yeah, this IS Lilith’s power. But it isn’t perfect, is it, they’re kinda still in our dimension, they’re leaving a little bit of a ‘shadow’ behind for us to see. While that may be a gameplay mechanic, I want you to remember this because I think it’s important.

Another power I want to bring to light is the Magus’s power. Because we’ve seen a Siren use that sort of power before.

Note how the wiki says that the Magus’s power is the only source of slag-related damage we see in TPS. And Maya’s Scorn skill is allllll about giving her an easier time slagging enemies. I think that was very, very intentional. 

Compare these images (the Maya one is taken from here!)

Notice how this isn’t a perfect orb, not even close, the edges are all wobbly, it’s kinda oozy and black on the inside. It kinda looks like a Ghastly. Y’know…

But this is definitely a copy of Scorn, one of Maya’s abilities. I don’t think they would have added Phaselock or Thoughtlock to the game only because that would be incredibly unfair to the PCs. This is one of her capstone skills, though, so that in itself is fairly important.

There are two more Lost Legion Eternals I want to bring your attention to.

The first is one with a Siren power I think may have a connection to Angel, and the second I believe has a connection to Amara, though that’s not entirely confirmed yet since we don’t know her action skills. I can only manage a guess.

The first, the Eternal Tempest, keep to the skies and “are enclosed within a sphere of energy that deals shock damage to anything inside and occasionally descend to the ground to unleash a single bolt of lightning before rising again”.

And I know, this isn’t the most damning evidence, but it does say something that Angel seemed to have some sort of connection to electronics (ELECTRonics) and during the entire Control Core Angel fight, she never touches the ground until she’s dying. While that may be because of the Vault Key (as we see Lilith being held up against her will), during her time speaking to the Vault Hunters (”The Key is here, but…”), she’s also hovering. 

It’s entirely possible this is Steele’s as well since Steele is shown having a weird blue energy thing. Dunno if that’s her Siren powers or the Vault, though.

The second, the Eternal Frenzy, is a berzerker-type attacker that “immediately begins charging into melee range upon ascension, unleashing a rapid flurry of attacks when in range. Frenzys move extremely quickly… and occasionally pause their charging to throw a spike from the palm of their hand”.

I immediately thought of Amara due to her extra pairs of arms, though the Frenzys don’t appear to have any sort of deal like that going on. But you know what they do have? They can toss spikes specifically from the palms of their hands. 

Amara is shown having an attack (I assume this is a melee override skill) involving forcing enemies away from them using the palm of her hand. Bit of a stretch, I know, but I do think the Berzerker type is meant to fit into her Siren class.

Oh, and the fact the Gargantuan is a mix of 2 different LL Eternals is really funny to me because yeehaw we’ve got the Calypso twins. 

So, yeah, if you haven’t guessed already, I think the Lost Legion Eternal are somehow becoming some sort of fucked up Siren/Eridian/Guardian/yes creatures. Eridians, Sirens, Guardians, whatever. Point is, the vapor they were exposed to was starting to give them Siren-like powers.

And oh-hoh-hoh, we have a lot to talk about now, don’t we?

So, remember how I mentioned Zarpedon’s arms and those weird purple markings she had on both? And you know how the Lost Legion Eternal are carrying around what looks like Eridium on their belt? 

Pic for reference. Also note the masks just hanging out, which remind me a lot of Guardian masks (which are supposed to change depending on who’s looking at it). And how all the markings look like old Eridian ruins.

I think exposure to the Vault on Elpis and the vapors inside began to give all these people Siren-like (Eridian-like?) powers. Zarpedon can ascend, too. And I think its due to the unique way they were exposed to Eridium. (Sirens seem to develop new powers when exposed to raw Eridium, but theirs seem “fully-formed” and honestly Lilith’s new teleportation power reminds me a lot of the Traveller from Tales). 

I mean, ffs, look at Zarpedon! She’s bleeding purple! Which is most likely Eridium. Or an unholy mixture of Eridium and whatever else is that “Chemical Filth” the Vault is under.

Icky.

And, again, where’s the Vault?

“Hidden beneath a tangle of chemical filth”!

I think this slag (?) or Eridium and whatever else was down there is the perfect concoction to give regular humans Siren-like abilities. Eridian-like abilities. whatever u wanna call em. They get cool space rock superpowers. Sirens are able to absorb raw Eridium and call it a day, but maybe us normal humans gotta have a little something extra in it to ease us into the process (which still looks painful as all hell, I mean…)

And that concoction is exactly what the Children of the Vault need to get their cult the superest superpowers.

Because the twins are luring in people by saying they’ll give out superpowers! But I think they’re trying and failing and not really doing it right at all. I think they’re trying to use raw Eridium (or SOMETHING) to force powers to develop in their cultists and it’s turning them into these horrific things:

And the chemical concoction on Elpis is just what they need to ensure their cultists will get the superpowers they enlisted for. Perhaps Troy tried it and is dying now (I mean, his arm IS turning gray, like the rocky boys above) and they’re combating the rock transformation by giving him Siren powers (I imagine since Sirens can synthesize raw Eridium, perhaps its somehow reverting it? Maybe since his twin is a Siren he’s resistant, but not immune, to the effect?) Either way, I think this is the reason the Moon is the Key. Its the key to giving the Children of the Vault the superpowers they’re looking for. The SIREN POWERS they’re looking for.

And I think when Zarpedon says this:

She’s not just talking about the Warrior on Pandora. Not at all. What, Jack’s going to awaken some Vault Monster? So? The UNIVERSE is at stake here, pal! Jack ain’t shit! Zapedon has seen further into the future- It’s not specifically Jack’s usage of the Vault that she’s scared of- she’s scared of what will be set in motion after it’s used again. Perhaps using it a second time will only further the creation of Eternals or the chemical mixture that changes them like that.

And what was that about the Universe again?

BL3 is about our Vault Hunters helping “recover a map to ancient Vaults and prevent a universe-destroying power from falling into the wrong hands”. 

Just kidding, oh yes we do. Who cares if its 4am on a Monday morning and I have class at 12? Borderlands time.

So. Here’s where the MAJOR speculation comes into play. Nothing unfounded, but ehhh its a little out there and we don’t have a LOT of proof. I think that Jack was just the catalyst for the events that are about to unfold in BL3. TPS was all just a setup for what might be the most awesome tie-in ever. Of all time.

I don’t think Jack’s awakening of the Warrior is important. Possibly a bad thing if only because that’s one line of defense against whatever’s trying to get into Elpis’s Vault GONE. (Or maybe the Warrior was simply created to keep the Destroyer in check, in which case, aw shit, here we go again once the Twins open the first Vault on Pandora again with the Vault Key they stole from Lilith).

Oh, yeah, LILITH!

I think she is the key. No, like, literally. Her Siren power allows her to make the Vault Key show off a projection of the Vaults. I don’t know if it’s only her Siren power that allows that to happen (though I have theorized about different Sirens having different effects on the Vault Key in the past… actually, is that above? lmao I don’t remember its been days). If that is the case, that could explain why the Calypso twins steal her powers. Why keep Lilith around when you can just steal the ability to open the Vault Key’s map and the Vault Key itself? That may be why our Vault Hunters are shown activating the Vault Key and its glowing red and about to project something. Perhaps the Calypso twins had been keeping Lilith’s powers (in the crystals?) as a sort of makeshift key fob to display the map of the Vaults they’re going to open.

So what was originally the purpose of the Vault on Elpis? I’m not entirely sure! It’s possible it was some sort of “oh shit button” for the Eridians, you know, if war was coming and they were on the verge of extinction. The moon IS named ‘hope’! They could send the remaining people (or another race) into the Vault, give them sort of a run-down as to what exactly is going on and why everything is important and what not to do ™ and then give a bunch of normal foot soldiers some watered-down Siren-esque powers to ensure the remaining forces have enough power to hold.

But… hold against WHAT?

Well, maybe the Calypso twins opening all the Vaults in BL3 is going to bring back some more uglies the Eridians tried to lock away (like the Destroyer) and they have been trying to prevent their reawakening the whole time. I mean, y’all know I’m in love with the idea of Seraphs being tied into the lore. FFS “their return is to be feared” haunts my dreams. I need it. Want it. Gotta have it. And calling a bunch of Lovecraftian horrors ‘Seraphs’ (Angels) is my fuckin’ kind of humor. So “Who is the Destroyer”? Maybe one of many Seraph warriors trying to wipe out the Eridians?

This, of course, doesn’t take into consideration the fact that locked inside the Vault with the Destroyer was Eridium… It’s possible the Eridians didn’t want the first Vault being opened until the Vault on Elpis was opened (sorta like a reverse Pandora’s box- Elpis being Hope and all), so those who were powered up by the Vault on Elpis would be able to use the Eridium as a source of power to fight against the Destroyer. Maybe the Warrior was also meant to be used to combat the Destroyer, and the Vault Key, the projection, is a map leading to all the Vaults containing Destroyer-like monsters. So the Eridians can finally return to this… universe? dimension? Where the fuck did they run off to again…? Is the Watcher a Guardian or is she an Eridian? Is anyone going to explain this shi-…?

Anyway, since we’re on the topic of religious stuff, Seraphs being angels and all. 

Some notes about the Empyrean Sentinel (The Vault Guardian of Elpis):

Might explain why the sentinel is guarding a Vault all about seeing into the Future (and, I assume, the Past and Present. Y’all know my thing about its three faces). Since God is omnipotent and all, it would make sense.

Tie that into the fact Lost Legion Eternals ‘Ascend’ and I think the religious connections are pretty clear.

Bonus bonus, maybe the Cult of the Vault has something to do with these religious connections.

Anyway, it’s 4am. I love you if you actually read all of this, and I’m sorry if you actually read all of this. <3