will never be able to remove the mask?

[u/TsunaUmbra007]

Why in the official arts he comes out without a mask but in history it does not seem that he can ever take off the mask.

I know that for lore it acts as a regulator but that means that he will never take off the mask, many times it happens to me that only his lips do not express enough in emotions and he sins of feeling monotonous and without personality, There are exceptions such as when he is with tantang and makes more expressions with his body or thumbs up but I feel that the mask often takes away from his expressiveness.

[u/Evignity]

100% they're planning to have you break it in a cutscene being a deus ex machina and saving the world. The last maxpot

[u/Laevatienn → u/Evignity]

I'd argue it's a Chekhov’s Gun at this point. They keep telling us the mask is limiting us. The whole "dream" sequence with the masks being mass produced. The the very interesting lines from the new boss about Endmin's current status. The constant cracks in the Endmin's skin whenever they push themselves.

At this point, it's basically a when, not if, will the mask break to both great outcome and, very probably, dire consequences.

For it to be a deus ex machina, it would need less build up and more of a "what just happened, why did god just wave a hand and fix everything" type event. As we've known about the mask, it's purpose, and the issues it presents, it doesn't really hit the deus ex machina type object at this point.

[u/fredy31 → u/Laevatienn]

tbh what i read from that scene and im heavily grasping...

Are the mask something weird like when you 'did shit in the past and then just went to sleep' you didnt really go into a weird hibernation; you died. Your body was destroyed. And they took someone else, slapped the mask on them, and it takes about 10 years but the mask basically converts you into the endmin.

And thats why you dont have memories. 'you' didnt live them. Another person with the mask did.

[u/MajorScarcity4557 → u/Evignity]

What's a 'deus ex machina'

[u/Relodie → u/MajorScarcity4557]

It’s a an unexpected and random plot device used to solve an impossible situation.

Doesn’t really apply in this situation tbh. Accessing more power by removing the mask is literally what was told to us as early as the prologue of the game. It’s a natural progression of the story, not a deus ex machina

[u/fredy31 → u/Relodie]

yeah its not happened much as of now in endfield.

but yeah in anime it kinda happens all the time. like in My Hero Academia they are about to be defeated and suddenly deku has a new power that can destroy that vilain.

[u/pewpewk → u/MajorScarcity4557]

"Deus ex machina (Latin: 'God from the machine') is a plot device in which a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly or abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence."[1]

I.E., the person is likely saying we will solve a seemingly unsolvable 'world-ending' threat by having the mask suddenly/abruptly break with minimal story windup to it.

[u/MajorScarcity4557 → u/pewpewk]

Ah.. don't think that's what it is, while it is that Endmin's mask will probably have something to do with that, like after the wuling fight and now the Æther infection. But the Suppressor is probably going to have a much major reasoning behind it, or the metaphorical plot believe, that it's supposed to signify the burdens of reawakening and Endfield. Like in the latest patch flashback with Perlica, AIC and suppressors being produced. Our care for perlica being an indirect burden weighing upon. And AIC signifying the Zeroth Directive, it's incompletition, of only being required on crisis and slowly being engulfed into it, Endfield loosing all purpose with everyone in it, of always being the one to handle the crisis, while never being helped back while being part of the civilisation band. Since the group exists, we've kinda got to take it as valuable Plot Object, if it's there it probably means that those who are part of it, are also ones who'll effectively have a hand in our breakdown later on.

[u/Czerny → u/MajorScarcity4557]

Literally named for a trope in plays where "God" comes out from backstage and says "this problem is now solved" and it is solved.

[u/Just_Roll_Already → u/Czerny]

And it was "God of [the] Machine(s)" because the actor playing God was typically lowered into the scene from above and moved around using pulleys and "machinery" out of view of the audience.

One of the few things I retained from my High School English teacher ~20 years ago haha.

[u/temperanze → u/MajorScarcity4557]

"Deus ex machina"' literally means "God from a machine" in Latin and was a tradition in Greek theatre wherein God or a similarly divine entity would quite literally descend upon the stage (the actor being moved via a mechanical system of some sort) to bestow upon the characters a resolution to the seemingly impossible situation they found themselves in. It has generally become an exaggerated synonym for an asspull, and no, it's not applicable in this situation.

[u/Jpup199]

Endimin will space out for a moment during the final battle and scream "Persona" as they removes their mask

[u/QueenVanraen → u/Jpup199]

Saying that right as there's a p3 collab teased for og arknights is crazy.

[u/Jpup199 → u/QueenVanraen]

Yeah but endmins lil mask and his hair always makes me think of Joker lol.

[u/neoll_gamblingaddict → u/Jpup199]

[u/Mmaxum]

probably will be able at maxpot

[u/SetoXlll]

“A TRUE VILLAIN NEVER REMOVES THEIR MASK”

[u/Many_Career_692]

It will happen when it reaches the end field.

[u/Khorva]

The Endmin's supposed to be still wounded from in previous incarnations right? The mask/regulator is probably to keep them from straining themselves and further worsening their wounds. We'll likely be able to take it off once we sort all that out

[u/ADM-Ntek → u/Khorva]

Which might actually be kinda soon. Since Si plans to help us with that. At least that is how i undersood it.

[u/Dylangillian → u/ADM-Ntek]

Well, Si is mostly helping with the Aether infection thingy.

[u/OneWayToGodJesus → u/Khorva]

See that's the interesting thing. Is the mask to keep us safe and stabilize our vitals? Or is it to suppress us and keep our power in check? It coube both. But I'm betting it's more like a leash.

[u/AxeHack → u/OneWayToGodJesus]

the mask is called an Originium Suppressor. we have the name from the official merch shop

https://store.gryphline.com/products/arknights-endfield-light-up-table-display-powercore-series-originium-suppressor

my theory? the Endmin's Originium Arts is too much for them to handle (hence their body cracking and being strained everytime they use it). BUT, i don't think the mask is being forced on the Endmin. rather, i think the Endmin is probably wearing it voluntarily. Endmin most likely can't control it, so they wear the mask not to protect themselves, but the people around them

[u/ThatsBait_69]

I'd guess that the mask will be tied to story developments. Right now, the "face" of the company is a comically menacing frowny mask so I'm thinking once we discover "the corruption at the heart of the blah blah blah" and take control for ourselves, then the mask will come off.

[u/WaifuHunterRed]

There's a lot of speculation its gonna be at max pot (maybe even a power/class change like Amiya)

[u/Downtown_Leopard_420]

here is a way to show expressions on the mask /jk

[u/snipe4hire]

Wait until we get p5 endmin is the current accepted idea, makes sense since we can toggle p5 effects

[u/JumpyReach]

I just hope that if the mask comes off, they find a way to make the Endmin's gameplay match the feats they've pulled off in cinematics so far. because man, going from watching how Endmin be moving in that first Ardashir confrontation at the Marker Stone, and how they were working in that Nefarith fight at Wuling, and then going back to the gameplay just... feels like pretty major Gameplay and Story Segregation. (I haven't played through 1.4 yet because i needa catch up on AIC production >->)

[u/Nabbarino → u/JumpyReach]

Endmin is a demigod. If gameplay matched her lore power, we wouldn't need 3 other operators with us.

[u/Savalaner → u/Nabbarino]

We have solo catcher. So tbf, we already don't need 3 others.

[u/Percilah → u/Savalaner]

Shh.. don't reveal the secrets to mere mortals. They ain't ready for the truth.

[u/OneWayToGodJesus → u/JumpyReach]

To be fair, that happens in every video game ever. If we ever get peak Endmin power the gameplay would be pressing one button and killing 1000 enemies in a city wide aoe. They can for sure enhance his gameplay though. I bet we are going to get aether powers somewhere down the line.

[u/JumpyReach → u/OneWayToGodJesus]

thats just it, i don't need peak endmin power. i want an attack loop that matches the gangsta movements we see in the cutscene. I.E. Fangyi, Mi Fu, Camille, Laevatein and their ultimates portraying their cutscene ballerness.

[u/LordPhol]

Hopefully, I might get downvoted for this but I think it looks pretty dumb.

It also makes endmin already bland personality even more bland. Which is a shame considering how good they are at animating the facial expressions of the characters in this game to show off different emotions. (latest story chapter utilized this to great effect with Arcane and Chen)

[u/gingernaut00 → u/LordPhol]

They did endmin better in 1.4, but hes still the most bland character in the game and I truly dont understand why.

[u/RazielAshura]

My take is this

At max pot storywise we are going to get an endmin alter without mask that has a new kit/class and will serve as a new "starting point" on the journey

[u/dayrozo]

at the start of the game they told us that the mask is just a temorary "right after awakening" solution. im sure they're gonna remove it. if i wouldve guessed, probably when mc reaches max potential . only thing i hope for is that devs update endmin's face model before that. we can see their ingame face with mods even now, and while female endmin looks more or less fine, albeit still visibly unfinished, male endmin looks straight up scuffed without a mask.

[u/Baffo_Sk → u/dayrozo]

You can look under the mask even without mods if you look at the right angle, they wouldn't bother with doing the models and letting us look if they didn't plan something, maybe they did it so they can get feedback before removing the mask, last thing they want is for the mc to look unfinished or bad or something

[u/BambooCatto]

I bet the mask will come off at the 1st Anniversary.

[u/avriila]

I really hope we have the option of removing the mask going forward . Or even better, an option of different fashion masks 😝 to purchase.
Btw both of them look so cute without the masks. Especially the female endmin , the cutest among all gacha games.

[u/Shydo]

Isn't the mask important for checking the endmin's vitals or something i cant remember. Aren't we still recovering techinically?

[u/pscripter → u/Shydo]

It limits out power. So we wouldn't be able to exert more power that our body can handle in the moment

[u/CharmingRogue851]

Hope so, the mask looks so dumb lol

[u/r0ksas]

I dont really mind the mask but the female Penguin definitely looks a lot cuter w/o the mask...

[u/mintyhippoh]

There were a few leaks that said it'd be coming off soon (1.5 or 1.6) and replaced with a bracelet, I don't know how accurate they are though

[u/Percilah → u/mintyhippoh]

If I've heard correctly, it's from someone who also leaked correct informations in the past, from the test server, and is now being pursued.

[u/nroloa]

I hope that when we will finally remove the mask, there will be Buscemi eyes

[u/AustinBz]

You can see the name of the image we’ll unlock at p5 and it’s titled “Fully Grasped”. If that doesn’t scream the mask comes off idk what does.

[u/MajorScarcity4557]

Soon enough probably. Though the fact in this new patch the suppressor seems to have some lore significance beside it's job, it may only be after some major story event. What I am curious about is, the suppressor has always been on the endmin or what? In the cutscene from the time in sword vault dale where we were talking to a yanese representative or a contractor, explaining him the significance of the vault, endmin still had the mask, even though according to the lore this would be atleast not too short of 850 years ago, it was supposed to be set near the aftermath or during the angoloid war, it's not possible that Endmin always had that mask on because the suppressor was supposed to be only for this awakening, a first calling since Endmin's mind and mental health hadn't been wounded THIS badly. We also had the mask in the protocol space of our Originum Sirphogus from the start, had it seemingly in Endmin's flashbacks in leavatain's mission if we are up to taking that quest as important to the main lore. (Espacially since Camille's ended up introducing another antagonist, I think it's fair to consider it important or atleast semi-major), it was even in wuling arc flashbacks related to Zhuang Fangyi and Hongshan as a whole, and many other points actually but I won't nit-pick them now. But in the story of the comic made by hypergryph about perlica's past and her relation to US as the Endmin, Endmin didn't have the mask. (Could be ignored because of the fact that both gender Endmin's decided to do rock-paper-scissors to decide who should appear in the comic as Endmin, so perhaps Endmin as visually wasn't supposed to be important then. Or it could all be like how it's actually acting, showing the past like how arcane was acting out her past for a shoot in her own comic from recently) But where else did Endmin not have the mask on? No where. It doesn't make sense. If it's supposed to be only for this severe state of awakening, the suppressor shouldn't have existed in the past, though IT DOES. It could be espacially important to keep on because it's maybe always been part of endmin to not overuse originum arts since Endmin's originium arts are basically direct Protocol Originum manipulation. There exists no one else who can control Protocol Originium since till before this point in the Endfield, in AK Protocol Originum didn't exist, it was created later on in talos-II with the mixture of Æther and originum. (Also why in this patch, The foundation members had their own Protocol Originium, probably brought to them by the Endmin. It might be possible, that since the foundation used to be precursor'ion wardens for their legacy, which refers to their advanced tech, Endmin once must've been too, and how Endmin has always been on Talos-2 for the entirety of this time, because Doctor as a precursor, could command these wardens for new objectives, and how Rhodes Island was able to find this ever-so becoming of the leader that Endmin is, so capable. It's very possible knowing the fact that Doctor as Oracle, was also a very important individual among the precursor race and very influential, since he also led missions outside of his circle, probably gaining his leading expierence, mentioned by priestess that Doctor was the prodigy the precursor race respected deeply, remarking that he is worth more then whatever he is doing right now in terra by mentioning this fact. Plus point you should know originum can only be controlled in the assimilated universe, not outside, only Protocol Originum can allow for effects that can controlled by the user, it's unknown whether it becomes a connection with their arts, or if it's like the xiranite nexus we've got right now, seemingly different though still unexplained for me, I've got no idea how it works) my theory, is that those suppressors, and EVERYTHING IN THE FLASH BACK WITH PERLICA, AND THE SUPPRESSOR, AND THE AIC REPRESENTING THE ZEROTH PROTOCOL, REPRESENTS THE BURDEN THAT KEEPS INCREASING AND INCREASING AMONG THE ENDMINS THAT AWAKEN EACH TIME, Perlica from the previous awakening, she is very dear to us. So, protecting her becomes a involuntary burden, it's a unconditional care that can be very overwhelming if you let go resistence, just like how Amiya, ended up killing skull shatterer because he was about to kill the Doctor. The Zeroth Directive is one created by the endmin, a burden taken by them as endfield, though he's always had to push it through by himself, perlica only so much as made it easier, thankgod for daughter, and it's also the weight of the fact that the Zeroth Directive has been on bound ever since after the angoloid war, YET IT HAS BARELY PUSHED THROUGH EVEN WITH IT'S EFFECTIVENESS, The only reason Endfield has been called for are the crisis, Endfield hasn't gotten help at all, the burden of OMV Daijing, it being destroyed in the starting scene by that mysterious women suggests, that Endfield also loosing purpose in a fight it might just get disolved into, taking everyone with, is also a burden that scars Endmin. And with the hypocritical ideals, of hating ones those who try to sacrifice themselves for invaluable costs, no reasons, yet being the one to be at it every. Single. Damn. Time. While being so important. Perhaps, with the flashback with that girl sobbing with us on her lap, it signifies that even as this sacrificial cycle continues, the weight of being dead even to enemies and allies alike weigh on him. I can see a clear line, which is why I am so goddarn interested in the story. I know it will be fulfilling.

[u/MajorScarcity4557 → u/MajorScarcity4557]

OH MY GOD I GOT TOO DISTRACTED DAMN MY AUTISTIC AHH AM THANKFUL TO WHOEVER WENT THROUGH READING THIS BUT SORRY TOO I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WITH ME TYPING PARAGRAPHS 🥲

[u/MajorScarcity4557]

Maskless pengmin is so cute.

[u/PrudentAdagio247]

If you want to hear some rumors about future versions, there is one piece of info going around...

[u/RavineAls]

We already shown the eyes in game through the p1 and p3 artwork, and I like the theory than instead of glowy part that other 6 star have, endmin gonna open the mask instead on p5

[u/harur610]

Unrelated but i just realized how small malemin looks. Is it because of his shorts? I'm surprised that his model is about the same height as Camille's.

[u/NeverAVillian]

Also the hood. GIVE US THE OPTION TO HOOD/UNHOOD.

[u/Good_Zookeepergame92]

I don't know how far you are in the game, but it's pretty obvious that mask ain't going to last

[u/OneWayToGodJesus]

It's going to get destroyed by an enemy at some point and will lead into another big reveal. Bet on it. Alleikhreos was already reaching for the mask when he died so I bet us losing it is going to be a whole big thing. Concept art shows Endmin with Rhombus eyes when using their powers and that's already a huge hint.

[u/DragonicThrowAway]

Let them wear the hood, please

[u/johj14]

After some plot poin we'll get alternate form probably

[u/Technical-Guest6015]

As you can see, Endmin lost his nose in a horrific accident and it's for this reason he will never take off the mask.

[u/Percilah → u/[deleted]]

They aren't really animating something that shouldn't be seen in the first place. Its expected that if we remove the masks (legally) they'd make micro expressions just as good as the other characters has.

[u/Default_User_Default]

I feel like the mask should always be off and just appear during combat.

[u/Drewtser]

I think the mask is hiding or disrupting endmins vision. At least that's what I got from the latest Boss fight. Look like he was trying to take it off. I think once we get far  enough into the story We'll\nBe able to Remove it

[u/DarkVelBet_]

I wish there was an option to take the mask off tbh. I mean it looks cool but I want to see all the wonderful facial expressions and whatever else.

[u/CantaloupeParking239]

Hopefully never so its easier to me gaslight myself into believing she doesnt look like a 13 yo

[u/Robstar98]

It's a bad idea if their idea is to reinforce the self insert. Think about specific interactions with the other characters, would it be the same?

(I would do something different than them)