Cursed Ciphers are special items found in missions that apply curses to players.
Description[ | ]
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Cursed Ciphers act very similar to regular evidence, but are very often in hard-to-reach, exposed, or dangerous places. Players that get close enough to see Cursed Ciphers will notice a tablet with a glitchy screen, emanating a strange and unexplainable sound. | 
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| — Cursed Update Announcement | ||
Cursed Ciphers are CHORUS Communities tablets found throughout Redacre and The Maze containing curses applied to the player who picks up the tablet. The curses applied remain for the duration of the mission. Hosts who are Level 9 or above will begin seeing Cursed Ciphers in lobbies. There can be between one and four ciphers per mission. Each cipher picked up will apply a curse to the player for the remainder of the mission. Players can pick up multiple Cursed Ciphers and have combinations of curses. Players who pick up a duplicate curse will intensify the effects of the curse. For example, if a player picks up a second "Paper Angels" curse, even more Shape-like figures will appear.
HUNT-THE-STRONG is responsible for The Hunger curse and SPEAK-AS-ONE is responsible for The Call and Paper Angels, according to THEE-I-DARE.[1] It is unknown who the Gorgon curse belongs to, but IN-HER-TEETH has taken an interest in utilizing it for her own purposes.[2] HUNT-THE-STRONG and Unknown Caller have applied No More Shadows to players in various Player Interactions.[3] The Unknown Caller has shown to be able to apply all five curses.[citation needed]
THEE-I-DARE considers the Cursed Ciphers to be "tiny daggers of meaning" in the Old Tongue and hopes they hold the key to bind HUNT-THE-STRONG with his oldest name.[4]
Rewards[ | ]
At the end of the mission, all ciphers collected by players whom completed the mission are counted. All party members are then awarded that amount of ciphers, as well as 2 Old Tongue gestures. The Old Tongue gestures granted to players can then be used in The Place Between (see Gesture Combinations).
Players are able to earn a Halo from picking up Cursed Ciphers. If a group picks up four unique ciphers with no duplicate curses, party members will each be awarded a Halo.
Curse Types[ | ]
There are 5 curses with unique features and effects that are applied when picking up a Cursed Cipher. These curses have also been applied remotely during a Player Interaction with a Voice or character.[1][3]
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The Call Your phone's been hacked! CHORUS is trying to re-take your phone. Slow down, stop any recording, and deploy countermeasures to prevent it from giving away your position! |
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The Gorgon Enemies become too terrible to look upon! Looking directly at them will wound you. When looking at an enemy, a popup will appear on screen stating Don't even look upon the CHORUS! The sight of them wounds you.
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The Hunger Vampiric urges slowly wound you. Regain strength by jumping on enemies' backs to feed, which heals you and gives you a temporary stamina boost. |
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No More Shadows You'll be wounded and slowed when in shadow, but faster in the light. When in darkness you are slowly and gradually wounded, but light has the opposite effect. |
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Paper Angels When you close your eyes, illusions of the Shape chase you - even if the real one hasn't yet found your trail. They can't catch you, but the real one still can. |
The Call
(Phone fixed in time)
The Call
(Phone not fixed in time)
The Call (Photosensitive)
(Phone fixed in time)
The Call (Photosensitive)
(Phone not fixed in time)
Curse Effects[ | ]
Each curse imposes various effects on players. Curses impose difficulties but can also grant some helpful perks.
The Call
- The loud screech of the call lures enemies from a large radius away, sometimes beneficial for mission objectives or distracting enemies.
The Gorgon
- The effect of Gorgon has a limited distance; enemies far away will not exhibit the Gorgon effect but is helpful for locating enemies in a nearby radius.
- Only enemies in sight will be affected by Gorgon. Enemies behind walls/doors will not be affected until seen.
- Stalkers glow under the effects of the Gorgon curse as well but the blinding glow can make it difficult to capture them.
The Hunger
- Players running the Unstoppable power can use the damage effect to trigger the power, but it is less convenient than No More Shadows given the implications of tackling enemies (sinful).
- After biting an enemy, the player gets 10 seconds of unlimited stamina, as if they consumed an Energy Bar, followed by 10 seconds of normal gameplay before returning to the Hunger state.
- Players running higher levels of the Takedown power can have an easier time grabbing enemies with Advanced Grappling.
No More Shadows
- Players running the Unstoppable power can use the damage effects to trigger the power without needing a constant supply of bandages.
- Walking and running speeds are increased while in light.
Paper Angels
- A harmless effect if players are not the Shape's target, but can lead to uncertainty in the Shape's location.
Cipher Locations[ | ]
Trivia[ | ]
- The Shape illusions are slower than the real Shape and move in a more stilted fashion. They also don't make noise; the 'stomping' of the Shape chasing you is still distinct. Sometimes the illusions will also be in an unreachable spot, whether that be in the air or in a wall.
References[ | ]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Player Interaction (14 February 2020). Link to Interaction.
- ↑ Player Interaction (4 April 2020). Link to Interaction.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Player Interaction (9 January 2020). Link to Interaction.
- ↑ Player Interaction (1 July 2020). Link to Interaction.