What I love most about this song is that it is basically the philosophy of Warframe. And Lotus' speech at the beginning of the Second Dream makes it all much more impactful. "Dream, not of what you are, but of what you want to be".
I was always under the impression that that line was from the original Margulis, not just Lotus. Unless I'm missing out on a piece of lore that is; been a while since I played Warframe.
this quote is so fucking good and is unironically what I live by. any time i beat myself up over my art comparing it to my favorite artists or my grades or achievements or whatev i just remember this quote and it makes things so much better
@@Vestaxowner1 No it's mostly because of how streamlined the new player experiance is now, i've seen this girl on twitch get there in 15 hours, although she is a looter shooter fanatic.
DE puts this song everywhere. It's in the back of the orbiter, it's a somachord you can play through the speakers on your ship, it's featured in multiple story missions either in full or as a motif, and they play it before every devstream. And yet every time I hear the certain sections, I feel the swell of emotion. When I hear the full movement together, I am brought to tears. It shouldn't be possible, hearing it so often. Yet it still hits me just as hard every single time. I've been playing Warframe for nearly a decade now; this song and what it represents IS the reason why I've stuck with it for so long. Thank you, Marco, for putting this song out there for more to hear. You are able to eloquently explain the feelings we all experience while also sharing your own unique perspective. You're an amazing person, and I'm glad you started this channel.
And for me, the most important place it is featured and it's the hardest, despite it ONLY playing an abridged version, the success screen for mastery rank test. You have taken another step, one more win, your journey has reached new heights! You are dreaming, hard, of who you want to be.
This is what you are and that important moment was my friends cure to their inability to feel comfy in your own skin. After playing as a frame of war being able to kill horde of enemies just to find out it was something else, hunted and afraid. It left a deep moment for them.
@@silentcallingYet still, people like Marco just recently experienced it. New people are still coming to this game, and arguably the most impactful and important moment must not be told to them :)
Definitely not a heavy story but I remember when Lotus disappeared, Me and my friend mourned her by collecting all of the song pieces for “this is what you are” and listening to it in our orbiters.
I think another thing about it being one of the best kept secrets is also the community and how they never spoil it for new players. If they see someone in the squad that hasn't gotten to that part, they don't spoil it by playing as the operator. It really speaks for how good the Warframe community is.
@@AngryCaesCorporationI remember my friend showing me the operator before I got to that quest. Honestly forgot that there were quests until that point.
I was there before they did story missions, and getting this song felt like a reward more than just a piece of music, invigorating and lifting. On a sidenote, Warframe have always had such amazing music that just grasps you into another world. This and Smiles from Juran always makes me feel a form of sadness that I can't quite place.
I'll always remember waiting for the update of The Second Dream. The community was in effervescent about the update. We knew it was going to be a special moment, DE had warned us in devstreams. The Natah quest had already primed us in terms of lore and story that DE was able to do. We gathered in the old grey relay. Cetus ? Fortuna ? Those came later. Then the news hit, there were issues in the build and the update would be delayed to tomorrow. DE had warned us that the quest would be cinematic. To bring our favorite warframe instead of "what was best". That it would be a moment to remember. I choose Equinox. When I started Warframe in september 2015 she was on the launcher as the update then was still Echoes of the Sentient, the update that introduced Natah and the Uranus tileset. It was my first goal in warframe to obtain her. I still remember when the Stalker stabbed Equinox, I shacked the camera trying to regain control. To help my warframe. But it was just a cinematic. After Hunhow and the Stalker got defeated from our warframe destroying War, being carried by the Lotus in the flesh which was just a little transmission so far. I don't know how many people remember this but the name of the track This is what you are wasn't named by DE or its composer. People had recorded the ambient music in the Transference room which is part of the track and uploaded it to youtube. They had titled the song "This is what you are" from Lotus' line ""I know. Forgive me. This is who you really are.". The video was so popular that the team at DE decided to name the song that way after the fact. This song and this quest stuck with me and I've never really stop playing Warframe is the nearly 9 years I've known it.
Warframe is a story of identity. More importantly, forging identity for yourself rather than merely finding it or being assigned one. It is discovering what and who you are, and the desire to change that. To become better than you currently are. And for many people that is a fantasy. We lack the means or situation to become who we want to be, sometimes it's simply impossible or you change your mind half way through. But it's less about checking the box than it is growing enough to be able to achieve that goal. The journey, not the destination. And we get to live out a little piece of that through our tenno as they go through a far more dramatic story than we could ever hope for. But their journey and that of every person to ever live are one and the same.
That also reflects the game itself over the course of it's development. The game has had a bit of an identity crisis, and often feels like many different games over the years. Now the game feels like they know what they are, and have embraced the fact that it's a multitude of experiences, but still distinctly... Warframe.
As far as I am concerned, this is THE main theme of Warframe. When I think of Warframe, this piece immediately pops into my head (that and "We All Lift"). First time I heard it was actually in-game with context, many years ago and I will never forget how beautiful it was and how mind blow I was.
Warframe is my favorite game.... i love it so much. I cried when fortuna fell. I was so angry at Ballas.... When we finally found Space Mom again, and had to save her. I couldn't put it down. I even thought about it all day at work... Warframe is such a beautiful masterpiece.
When I got to that point in Warframe years ago, I was so hype because of how everything I thought I knew about the game changed. I immediatly started looking for reactions online to relive that moment vicariously through others.
It is to this day the single greatest moment in any game. It's not too difficult for a game to make me cry from sadness or pain. But never before nor since has a game made me cry from sheer overwhelming joy.
I did that so much too. Although not so much voraciously to relive, but out of curiosity, and I still do it with a number of things like new quests or genshin/star-rail content drops. Mostly cause I want to see what did the others feel. Cause strangely, I don't really remember my own reaction anymore to the story ingame... but I do recall going straight for naramon (the tacticians path) in my relative ignorance... But outside that song still swells some emotions around when I sit and listen to it. and also makes me want to yell during that part marco showed if location permits...
Imagine playing Warframe since it`s closed beta, with your brother, both comepletely hocked to the game, playin nearly everyday for 2 and a half years, talking with your brothere every day about what could be, what is, what should be, and then, suddenly DE drops this on you, for the first time, after 2 and a half years was like ending a tutorial, a long part of our lives to start new again. Our faces in that moment, with this song, the tenno falling to the ground, the warframe desconecting... i still get goosepumps remembering it. I´ve never, ever felt anything like it in any other game. This game seriously changed some part of my life for good, and I will forever be greatfull to DE and Steve for bringing this to life.
It's funny, I have a similar saying to Marco's: I feel bad for people who missed out on the years of Warframe prior to The Second Dream being added, being a part of that universe and its expanding conflicts, its many questions, and wondering that whole time, 'Who am I?' To be part of that journey, to see it culminate in that quest, and hear This Is What You Are together for the first time with all the other Tenno... It was an incomparable experience that no player who joined the game after the addition of cinematic quests will ever be able to experience. I wish there was a way to compress the sensation of three years' wondering down into a digestible bite just to give our newer Tenno brothers and sisters the feelings we all had back then.
I was there when that update dropped. The first cinematic quest. The big reveal. I had been playing for more than a year as a warframe, different warframes, picking a favorite but moving them around, discarding some. And then there I was. In the game. That was me. I was at that age where the kid reflected my teenage self. I made myself. I answered the Lotus truthfully. I was there, fighting for the Sol system. When Octavia was added to the game and you could add song to the orbiter, I scoured the maps to find This is what you are. It's still the only aong that plays in my orbiter. It still greets me everytime I log in.
I feel that tbh. I know im buying the new Yareli skin when it comes out. and i still hope and dream for her prime. I know shes not a community favorite but she is mine and every time i come back to this game shes my first pick out of the orbiter.
Warframe's lore and world is beautifully dark and it has these moments of purity and honesty i can't quite explain. the music perfectly encapsulates that.
Warframe’s sound team is easily the best in-game music I have ever heard. As a long term musician, their melodical annotations and tempo’s are just beyond amazing. I’m MR 34 or in other words Legendary 4, and have loved every moment thanks to the music ❤️
A long time ago a friend I played Destiny 1 and eventually D2 with showed me Warframe. overtime life turned me bitter and eventually lashed out at him and he went away. But I never stopped playing the games that we loved playing together because it still felt like having him around. Whenever I hear songs like this it just reminds me of what I lost and also what more there is to gain in life. you're never going to meet the same people twice but meeting enough people is enough to make life livable. Just treat them well.
I had already been playing the game for several years, with several thousand hours before Second Dream released. I cannot describe the power that moment had for me. To finally close in on answer to the questions and theories we had been speculating on for years. It will stick with me for the rest of my life. "Dream...Not of what you are, but of what you want to be." It's so obvious, but it was something I needed to hear at that time in my life.
A bit heavy of a story, but when the Second Dream was first released, I used to play the game with a friend of mine, and we each played it by ourselves and after we were done, we went into a call to talk about it. It was increrible. This friend however had depression and didn't let anyone in our friends group know, and one day not too long after this, he decided to end it all. To this day, this music and quest has a special place in my heart
Been playing since 2015, i remember when the update dropped and I experienced that quest, I was 15 and I had played it on my low quality laptop, a birthday gift from my parents. I remember logging in on the 3rd of december and getting the notification about the new quest in my codex. That night was jam packed with so many emotions, I will never forget hearing the quote from margulis/lotus “dream. Not of what you are, but of what you want to be.” Thinking about it now makes me feel emotional. I was dealing with so much back then, this quest came along and it brought me a kind of peace I never knew before. I remember that was the day that solidified my love for the game as a whole. The game has changed so much since then, the orbiters designs, the old navigation systems, the old parkour movement system.. every change, every new addition, every new story, all of these things are just pieces of why I love the game, i feel like as I grew up it evolved with me, I’d have never made the friends I did had I never found this game. God damn… I love warframe. Thank you for making this video.
04:42 haha, he said bum... But on a serious note, this song is... just so beautiful. and I'm not afraid to say its one of the few that brings me to tears sometimes
Though I know you are not new to Warframe, and I've been a fan of your content for years now, I wanted to say, Welcome Tenno, Marco, To the Warframe Community, What you said within this video resonated with me so much, It has been such an amazing journey, discovering Warframe back in 2017, when I joined. Firstly, I wanted to thank you for sharing your personal life with us all, Cancer is a blight and I wish it were never a thing, but you are one of the most strongest people I know, to this day. This theme song has and always be one of my favorite pieces and it even encouraged me to become an Official Warframe Content Creator and here I am, A WFCC and making Captura (Photo-mode within the game) and to this day I still listen to this theme as it is such an emotional and POWERFUL piece, It just gets to my heart and soul in the best ways. I could feel your emotion while listening to the theme and I honestly just wanted to cry, to see and know that others have discovered this game and this masterpiece of a theme, I'm beyond happy. Thank you for taking your time and creating this breakdown. I truly look up to you and Digital Extremes. I am honored to call myself one of your fans, and I look forward to your future content, like always. -DEUS
One of the best songs in Warframe, still gets me every time I walk into the operator room. You should try listening to "See It In The Flesh" separately from the 1999 combat gameplay!
I'm so glad you liked this :3 The story is amazing and it made me so immersed in the game. I played it back in 2016 and i was immediately hooked after this
Well, when I heard it in the background of your video, it gave me chills. I feel like that says a lot about how strongly this song still affects me. It's one of the only songs that's able to do that for me
This is the song that is forever playing in my ship in game, can't change it for anything else. This song feels like a release of emotions like you are finally out in the sun after a week of rain or like when you have a good cry after feeling sad. I played the quest years ago when my friends had already done it long ago, not once did they spoil me on it and I thank them a lot. It's such a big turning point in the game! Up until that point you were a husk nothing more, but now you are you and no one else.
I started playing Warframe in 2015, have over 2k hours clocked and this song is and always will be my number one. Experiencing it in game during The Second Dream quest was just a different feel. Even now I find myself replaying it just to experience this masterpiece all over again. It’s no wonder why I always keep going back to Warframe as my comfort game
I know you probably won't read this, but the first video I saw from you was your Pantheon's Theme reaction video (which I think was your first League video and is probably why RUclips recommended your channel), and the moment that video ended I immediately thought to myself "man, this guy would love "This is what you are" so much". I have NO idea why this song came to mind first, but I'm glad you eventually got to listen to it.
Experienced this as the quest came out. I remember I had almost no sleep to my college classes the next day because I blitzed the quest. Having that experience after years of wondering what Warframes were and where they came from was amazing to say the least. Still holds a special place till this day.
Man, I remember getting near the end of the "tutorial" and having this absolute BEAST of a song blast into my ears , it's has been engraved into my brain since then.
If I allow it, this piece make me daydream and go back in time ; from the day when I first heard this song to right now listening to Marco talking deeply about it. Sometimes, we have songs that remind us of a particular moment or "era" of our lives. This is what you are is one of the very few songs that doesn't leave and stays with you. I have a selection of memories I can access while listening to this song it is very bittersweet: I remember the first day when I finished The Second Dream and then joining the Skype call with my buddies and being hysterical together. I remember listening to this on my last highschool year a few hours after my girlfriend's passing. I remember a travel I had to participate in against my will and finding a shelter within this song. And lastly I remember Marco's livestream finally discovering the context of this piece. There may be a time when Warframe ends but the song will stay with me forever. Forever Tenno! ♥
Experiencing the quest, seeing Lotus for the first time after having her in my ear for the 50 hours before that, and that song.. It's an amazingly impactful quest. I love this song. It's been on my Favorites playlist ever since. I find it transformative - it takes whatever emotion I'm stuck in and gives hope and energy for that. It's very intense, every time.
I gotta say, this song in particular, it is miracolous, i still remember some months ago when all was going wrong, everything from happy went to sad in the span of 2 weeks, the moral wasn't even a thing anymore, i didn't even feel like waking up at one point, and then, one night during a panic attack from how much stress i was having after my lover broke up with me, this song, this miracle of a song, starts playing in my head, loudly, i wasn't even playing warframe at that point, i haven't played warframe in years before some days after that happened, and This is what you are completely saved me, i felt calm, joy, happiness, i felt like i was safe, i felt like i had a connection with the world around me telling me it will all be fine, you will survive this, and it did happen, from that point i can never see that song the same again, i love the song and i keep on listnening to it from time to time, it is so inspiring, and if anything goes wrong, i know that This is what you are will come and save me once again.
heard this song for the first time 5 years ago when spotify randomly played it in my playlist (i didnt have premium) and its legitimately become a core memory of mine
It's really nice to see your appreciation for this song / context. Especially as someone who's been playing since Open Beta in 2013. It really was amazing to experience The Second Dream after two years of playing Warframe. It moved quite a few people to tears. Can't wait for another Warframe breakdown, if it happens at all. (Maybe Scathing Mockery? :P )
Marco you are amazing and it has been a true honor to watch you experience warframe for the first time. As a long time warframe player I LOVE and wish I could go back and experience this game for the first time again. It's truly a special and amazing game. There is so much to do that it fits a wide variety of niches. And the music is equally as amazing. I wish for you the best. I hope one day you'll consider reacting to Arcane, I know its not as good as warrframe but its music is equally as moving. Especially "I am the monster you created". Its set in the league of legends universe.
It's nice that you're doing breakdown of the actual composition, not a lot of people do that... Partially because when it's done right it becomes part of the overall experience, blending seemlessly with the story. I go back and forth on Warframe's musical scores, they definity enrich the experience, but like the game can become overwhelming at times too. This is a good one.
As a Warframe vet who played since the game first came to market back in the early days when the founder edition was still avalible (I was too poor to buy it as a kid) and who has currently over 6k hours in the game but retired, at least for now. I had thousands of hours in the game already by the time this part of the game happened and this song played. I listen to a lot of music and a ton of music genres, but it wasn't until this song that I actually "LISTENED" and the song moved me like few games have done. Metro Exodus comes to mind when thinking of games that had an emotional impact on me aswell.
i remember launch day, i was hyped about getting a different quest, to see a new faction, i was not prepared for the roler coaster of emotions, later that night at almost 2 am i joined a mate to talk about what we just experienced, we were in awe. been playing ever since.
I had not played Warframe for 9 years, and when I was getting burnt out on Destiny 2, I decided to check it out again, first through clips spoiling myself about the Entity. I knew vaguely about what we were, but not how. Experiencing the Second Dream was magical, and even seeing it again with foreknowledge is so powerful thanks to the excellent direction and music.
I always imagined it as the sparking of good and light sung out by one, then a few, then many, then the stars themselves sing for the light of good. But between these choruses the trials and battles signaled by the drums and chants that must be overcome to rise together and push back the darkness.
Every time I hear those first 5 notes I immediately feel a tinggle down my arm. This piece is really amazing and the first time I saw you react to it during the second dream it really elevated the meaning of the song. For me personally, this songs brings me sadness and hope. I used to feel so lost in life and sometimes still do, but this song makes me feel that its ok to feel lost sometimes cause there is always a path we can take, to make our own story. A new hope from the darkness of uncertainty, it gives me motivation to take the next step from where I feel i am stuck. I really hope more people can experience the warframe storyline with the same passion, appreciate the work a someone of has done for our enjoyment and entertainment. To many people around me are rushing in life and in game that they gloss over the amazing story DE has put together, and these effort that goes somewhat unnoticed my the bigger population of players. I hope this doesn't dishearten the Devs from putting in more effort to the storyline quests, as in my opinion the quality of the quests now are thinning. I am comparing "Chains of Harrow", "Octavia's Anthem", "the Sacrifice" , "Second Dream" , "New War" and "war within" to the new Main Quests like " Angels of Zariman" , "Whisper in the wall" and "The Duviri Paradox". It seems the newer questline the storyline is compressed over a shorter playthrough that seems somewhat rushed and our focus shifts to "learning" the new game modes. I would love a more storyline approach to the MAIN storyline quests. where cutscenes and music pieces have a bigger impact. Just me ranting, thank you for your videos and i love watching and rewatching your playthroughs of all the quest... Hope u can do a short video of Octavia's Anthem quest if u haven't already done it.
The ending 30 seconds is absolutely haunting. It’s like hearing the call of a mother or parent searching for a lost child only for the call to fade away when there is no answer. Chilling.
I played the quest as soon as it released. One of the biggest plt twists, up util that point you had no idea of what was behind the warframe. My mouth remained open during all the Lua cutscene. And the soundtrack...
I had gotten into warframe a little years ago, but had put it down in favor of other games, a friend of mine convinced me to pick the game back up... we had blitzed through most of the missions leading up to The Second Dream together, yet we found ourselves doing that questline solo, he had completed it the night prior, I was on the next day and doing it myself. We were on a call, I remember just about breaking down when the song came on... it was the song that had reminded me of warframe when it randomly played while I was listening to music one night, it was the song that had prompted me to make an offhand comment to that same friend... I didn't know when it played in the game but I was determined to hear it in-game. And then, I did. I still have to fight tears when I hear the song, its just so beautiful. Now hearing Marco's story about how he experienced the song... I feel a little of the same myself. I remember I had stopped playing warframe the first time shortly before I lost a friend to cancer and the grieving afterwards, and yet now the game is sorta... helping me put myself back together too. This song isn't just "This is what you are" for the tenno, its also "this is what you are" for me, and I imagine many multitudes beside me. Thank you for this video Marco, truly, thank you.
With great and deserved respect, your history and background in music makes you a bit more able to pick out the subtleties and themes of music than most people can. I enjoyed the music of Warframe during my playthrough, but it never really got to a level more than just "good music to shoot Grineer to". This Is What You Are I had playing on my orbiter for a bit, but I wanted a quiet atmospheric music and the energetic section was just a bit too bothersome for me as an ambience piece. It was after finding your channel and hearing your insights into the music that I started to pay attention and notice it myself. I've come to a new appreciation of Warframe's music since discovering your channel, and other video game music in general. And I definitely agree that Warframe is the greatest example of people judging a book by its cover. "Oh, it's just Grindframe, I don't want to waste my time with that." That sort of mindset keeps people from experiencing what an excellent story DE has been forging with this. As for This Is What You Are, I've come to understand it as the story of the Tenno. Them being adopted by Margulis and taught to control their powers, then coerced by Ballas into becoming child soldiers, into their rebellion against the Orokin. It truly is an amazing piece that tells so much without having a single word of lyrics.
Even moving beyond your operator I think this song also speaks towards stalker as a character. He was a being fueled by rage and hate and disgust of the warframes. Then suddenly the truth is revealed not just to you but to him as well. For the first time since we first interact with him he hesitates. As hunhow basically says “Are you disgusted with what they are. Are you wondering if you are one of them, you know the answer. You’re disgusted, with them, with yourself.” Now it isn’t confirmed that stalker is an operator though the next quest seems to be tackling his lore but it shows that This moment in the story is basically a discovery for everyone in this scene.
6:50 used to play during mission the results screen at one point. It used to hype me up every time i completed a mission and ready to jump right into the next one.
I Don't have a story per se to go along with this song. I played the quest, and I'd sometimes just sit in my operator room to listen to the song. But what it means to me... I don't find much peace in my own head for a variety of reasons, but there's only two songs that help me find some. This is one, the other is smiles from Juran. Smiles is meditative for me, but This is What You Are... It gives me some amount of peace through overwhelming energy, something to focus on, and propel me forward. Two of the most meaningful songs to me, i love them both dearly.
To me, even though I don‘t remember how I experienced it the first time, this song will never fail to get me. You named the first three parts it speaks about: the question and answer at the start, followed by the call to action. But its the forth part that speaks the most to me; and I would call it Triumph. What it sounds like at the end, to me, is like saying „you are glorious. remember, no matter who you are or what you‘ve been through: you are as brilliant as a star!“ It‘s an incredibly hopeful message; like the Lotus says: Dream not of who you are, but who you want to be. Not of who you were, but who you have become. It‘s about being at peace with yourself.
This one was amazing no doubt, but I personally found Smiles From Juran from The Sacrifice quest (umbra) to be even more compelling in context. I couldn't stop listening to that one
I was watching this video was a straight face, then the erhu (I think? it sounds like one) at 4:59 hits and there's this massive surge of emotion through me and tears start welling. I had just graduated high school when this quest came out, I met my girlfriend in this game and we're getting married later this year. This game has a very special place in my heart, and this song is certainly the most treasured in that place.
Warframe is a guilty pleasure because it asks so much of you before you can 'get it'. But it's worth it. Discovered this song in the game and yes, it is the best song in a game full of bangers
I too, shared a song (not this one however) with my father when he was battling cancer to try and help convey both how I felt and whatever strength I could muster for him. Cancer also took him eventually, but I know just how powerful that experience is. We're all in this together (and no, I don't mean the song :P).
after 2 years of playing Warframe, i thought its a simple Looter shooter game but after second dream with this song hit, it was mindblowing. I thought after all the killing and looting, is that all? I was sucked in the world of Warframe and play it at today. Big Thanks at DE for this Game and Second Dream.
It's an affirmation of identity, a statement of purpose, a contemplation of one's place in the world. It's one of the greatest video game tracks, no question, and I would love to experience it performed live someday.
This song is just simply amazing. It is an embodiment of all sorts of emotions, and emphasizes the feeling of maturation and evolution. This sound track also brings the idea of cycles too, as it follows the advice from a requiem mod "we end as we began". I just love warframe music because there is just such a richness and depth of meaning in each note, enhanced by the context, and enriched by it's usage. A great example of this is the Jade Shadows music. Outside of context, it's a heavy piece that sings of sorrows and grief. Within the context, there is not just the sounds of sorrow, but the notes of salvation and the evolution of life itself, how one child shakes the foundation of life now. You don't just hear grief, but also feel the love that made that grief and the grand scale of what that love has done. Another example: Smiles from Juran - To Take It's Pain Away. Without context, Marco says he feels just a pure expression of love and sacrifice. Within context, the enhancement comes in the form of pain, that love turning into a wilting pain. The song symbolizes that this wilting pain is finally healing, by sacrificing your grip of the memory, by letting go of this pain. This song is given even further context that it was played to his children, of times of peace for his family, of when he could love the life he had. This is what you are. It's an amazing piece to experience, even listen to. To me, personally, it's similar to what Lotus says: Dream, not of what you are, but of what you want to be. It's a song to inspire you to become something more than what you are. It's a song to call you to your purpose, by exploring those emotions in you, combining them into a nexus, to mix and swirl, to grow and mature, only to turn back and see what you had been, and what you've become.
Yep when I played second dream this song sounded in my head for 2 weeks straight. I worked my way to the second dream in 170 hours - I dont know how you got thru all the content in similar time, but I am now 3000h in. I still dig the music. Unlike many payers I see, I did not mute and I dont listen to brakecore while playing xD No - warframe has special place and has to be experienced with the music!
Sorry about your dad dude. Fuck cancer. I was already many many many hours deep in Warframe when TSD came along, and it was an absolute knockout. Wondering what all this was about, realizing what'd been missing in the night sky over Earth, then the grand reveal... Jaw hanging open, absolutely stunned, blinking back tears. The game went from little tidbits of lore sprinkled throughout to "Holy fucking shit fucking I'M A WHAT NOW?" To this day, This is What You Are gives me endless goosebumps.
Hi Marco, I feel you should really do a collab with the Games & Symphonies team. They are also bringing the videogame songs to a wider audience, doing fully videogame programs on big halls, and their concerts are always top notch.
I love the song, I loved the quest when it came out. And I love especially the community kept quiet about it. Before any talk happened everyone had to admit if they did or didnt do the quest. And only if you did the quest you were part of the circle that happily talked about the quest. But the rest? They only knew the quest existed. The contents? The meanings? What is going on? Even until the last moment people kept their mouth shut. Afaik there wasnt even that big of a fuss or notice anywhere. We just agreed, that this is too big to talk about. However... There are still some who wanted to make content. Can't really blame them. I'm just happy that almost all I have seen they really talk about that you shouldnt spoil yourself. Go away, do not watch unless you come there for their own reaction to it happening.
Hello Marco, First of all, I need to say I am sorry for your loss. I have been watching your videos for a moment now, and I deeply appreciate your work. "This Is What You Are" is a song that on my end, carries a deeply symbolic meaning, and therefore, as you asked, I wanted to share my story. I am sorry if it feels a bit cryptic, but it concerns medical information that I don't want to disclose, so I'll try my best. Whereas V's theme is a song that represents my past, a past that occured during one year or so, where I felt like I was dying along with my own body that was decaying day by day and becoming something that wasn't who I was, This Is What You Are is a song that represents me. Today. The me of today now has medical care to help her through this, and I can finally, slowly, heal, and find my body back. This song, is a symbol of my rebirth. This song, will also be a symbol of my future. As you said in the video, our lives have meaning, my life has a meaning, and now... I just have to keep fighting. For a cause that goes well beyond me, and to be the best woman I could ever be. "Now, we fight on two fronts, my child. The War Within, and The War Without."
Even if Warframe is the game I have spent the most time into, it remains the medium with the largest feelings of humanity I’ve ever experienced. And even when I’m now taking longer breaks from it, I can be sure that, with every new major update, there will be more to experience. It’s constantly awe-striking.
I first heard a ten second piece of this song in a meme after I started playing Warframe and immediately fell in love. When I heard it in the second dream, I didn’t know it was the same song since the meme only had one of the climaxes. I fell in love with that song too and immediately worked to get the song in game after unlocking the habitation segment. After a wile, I noticed the segment’s of song throughout the main story were building a cohesive song. I looked it up on apple music and lost myself in it. I set it to repeat, studied it, pulled it apart, absorbed the whole, translated it to my other senses. I must have listened to it 30 times that evening. I love that song for the truth it contains. It is a song of life, sin, death, life eternal. Even if the writers never intended it, they got that right. This is what I am.
Just here again to tell you that you have a beautiful soul, I hope more people will be able to see/hear/feel what you are trying to explain. The world is much better when we open ourselves to beauty instead of horror. Edit for the question, I was there when the quest was released, after thousands of hours of being in warframe, something shifted that day, in a good way.
This song achieves something incredible... It manages to adapt to different moments in your life and always sounds great... epic! The space and the primitive power. The cosmic and the mundane. The unattainable, but that is within us. I'm not a fan of Warframe or its story. But I lived that moment and it was simply amazing! I stayed listening to the song for a few more minutes. A masterpiece...
This song has a ton going on in it. A friend of mine pointed out in the full version there is a choir of children that respond to the female vocal which is such a cool storytelling point
kieth power, the best composer. because no composer has been so consistently perfect in getting the right feel for the scenario. this is what you are, even that one bit in TWW if you know you know. and when you are going through the missions, you feel like you are there. grineer with the mechanical aspects, the corpus with their highly advanced tech and their markets and stocks. the tribal nature of the osterons, the fortuna being a gulag. and the necralysk being a collapsed bastion and the heart of the tenno. the sanctum anatomica as well.
When I played Warframe and discovered all of this magic, this was one of the rare moments that made me feel like I robbed the developers by playing this game for free.
Listening to it in this video brought Me to tears. This is what made Me love games in the first place. The passion and pure creativity behind the development of the game, music and art are visceral. You can FEEL the love of the craft as well as the individual message and beauty. Simply put. It is interactable art. It is, The Human Experience. What we feel is the essence of Life. That is why it touches the very core of who we are
![MUSICAL LET'S PLAY: Opera Singer Plays The Second Dream [Major Story Spoilers]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Wt0hDlECZJE/mqdefault.jpg)
This is technically Warframe's "You completed the tutorial" song!
start of the second tutorial basically
What I love most about this song is that it is basically the philosophy of Warframe. And Lotus' speech at the beginning of the Second Dream makes it all much more impactful. "Dream, not of what you are, but of what you want to be".
That quote will never not be amazing
It follows the same line as a tool can be used for both good and bad, how we use it, defines it.
the "grown" version lotus says after you finish new war "For now, rest. Dream of who we were, and of who we have become. " that line is so powerful
I was always under the impression that that line was from the original Margulis, not just Lotus. Unless I'm missing out on a piece of lore that is; been a while since I played Warframe.
this quote is so fucking good and is unironically what I live by. any time i beat myself up over my art comparing it to my favorite artists or my grades or achievements or whatev i just remember this quote and it makes things so much better
50 hours? Imagine us that had played it for thousand hours and for years before the release of this quest.
fr this changed the game so much
yup, 4200+ hours for me and the second dream is a moment in gaming thats hard to beat for me
Most people can get to that quest in 20 Hours now
@@MEYH3M true, but I guess those people know how to get there and what to do
@@Vestaxowner1 No it's mostly because of how streamlined the new player experiance is now, i've seen this girl on twitch get there in 15 hours, although she is a looter shooter fanatic.
DE puts this song everywhere. It's in the back of the orbiter, it's a somachord you can play through the speakers on your ship, it's featured in multiple story missions either in full or as a motif, and they play it before every devstream. And yet every time I hear the certain sections, I feel the swell of emotion. When I hear the full movement together, I am brought to tears. It shouldn't be possible, hearing it so often. Yet it still hits me just as hard every single time. I've been playing Warframe for nearly a decade now; this song and what it represents IS the reason why I've stuck with it for so long.
Thank you, Marco, for putting this song out there for more to hear. You are able to eloquently explain the feelings we all experience while also sharing your own unique perspective. You're an amazing person, and I'm glad you started this channel.
It's the erhu. It's the erhu, isn't it?
And for me, the most important place it is featured and it's the hardest, despite it ONLY playing an abridged version, the success screen for mastery rank test. You have taken another step, one more win, your journey has reached new heights! You are dreaming, hard, of who you want to be.
It really is the identity of warframe in a sense
This is what you are and that important moment was my friends cure to their inability to feel comfy in your own skin. After playing as a frame of war being able to kill horde of enemies just to find out it was something else, hunted and afraid. It left a deep moment for them.
Spoilers, my friend!
But still, you're completely right. It's a very deep moment.
@@pierremanslapper5559 It's been almost a decade!
@@silentcallingYet still, people like Marco just recently experienced it. New people are still coming to this game, and arguably the most impactful and important moment must not be told to them :)
Definitely not a heavy story but I remember when Lotus disappeared, Me and my friend mourned her by collecting all of the song pieces for “this is what you are” and listening to it in our orbiters.
#mommyissues
I think another thing about it being one of the best kept secrets is also the community and how they never spoil it for new players. If they see someone in the squad that hasn't gotten to that part, they don't spoil it by playing as the operator. It really speaks for how good the Warframe community is.
Even if you play as the operator, anyone who didn't unlock it won't see it. I discovered this some years ago. DE did a good job hiding this spoiler.
@@AngryCaesCorporationI remember my friend showing me the operator before I got to that quest. Honestly forgot that there were quests until that point.
they'd be like "finish your quests, tenno"
@@firesaiyan12 What I talk about possibly got added at a later date.
I was there before they did story missions, and getting this song felt like a reward more than just a piece of music, invigorating and lifting.
On a sidenote, Warframe have always had such amazing music that just grasps you into another world. This and Smiles from Juran always makes me feel a form of sadness that I can't quite place.
I'll always remember waiting for the update of The Second Dream. The community was in effervescent about the update. We knew it was going to be a special moment, DE had warned us in devstreams.
The Natah quest had already primed us in terms of lore and story that DE was able to do.
We gathered in the old grey relay. Cetus ? Fortuna ? Those came later.
Then the news hit, there were issues in the build and the update would be delayed to tomorrow.
DE had warned us that the quest would be cinematic. To bring our favorite warframe instead of "what was best". That it would be a moment to remember.
I choose Equinox. When I started Warframe in september 2015 she was on the launcher as the update then was still Echoes of the Sentient, the update that introduced Natah and the Uranus tileset. It was my first goal in warframe to obtain her.
I still remember when the Stalker stabbed Equinox, I shacked the camera trying to regain control. To help my warframe. But it was just a cinematic.
After Hunhow and the Stalker got defeated from our warframe destroying War, being carried by the Lotus in the flesh which was just a little transmission so far.
I don't know how many people remember this but the name of the track This is what you are wasn't named by DE or its composer. People had recorded the ambient music in the Transference room which is part of the track and uploaded it to youtube.
They had titled the song "This is what you are" from Lotus' line ""I know. Forgive me. This is who you really are.". The video was so popular that the team at DE decided to name the song that way after the fact.
This song and this quest stuck with me and I've never really stop playing Warframe is the nearly 9 years I've known it.
Coincedentally, i also brought Equinox back then. It was my main frame a that point of time.
Warframe is a story of identity. More importantly, forging identity for yourself rather than merely finding it or being assigned one.
It is discovering what and who you are, and the desire to change that. To become better than you currently are.
And for many people that is a fantasy. We lack the means or situation to become who we want to be, sometimes it's simply impossible or you change your mind half way through.
But it's less about checking the box than it is growing enough to be able to achieve that goal. The journey, not the destination.
And we get to live out a little piece of that through our tenno as they go through a far more dramatic story than we could ever hope for. But their journey and that of every person to ever live are one and the same.
That also reflects the game itself over the course of it's development. The game has had a bit of an identity crisis, and often feels like many different games over the years.
Now the game feels like they know what they are, and have embraced the fact that it's a multitude of experiences, but still distinctly... Warframe.
well no, warframe is a collection of stories of varied contexts and analogies.
As far as I am concerned, this is THE main theme of Warframe. When I think of Warframe, this piece immediately pops into my head (that and "We All Lift"). First time I heard it was actually in-game with context, many years ago and I will never forget how beautiful it was and how mind blow I was.
Warframe is my favorite game.... i love it so much. I cried when fortuna fell. I was so angry at Ballas.... When we finally found Space Mom again, and had to save her. I couldn't put it down. I even thought about it all day at work... Warframe is such a beautiful masterpiece.
When I got to that point in Warframe years ago, I was so hype because of how everything I thought I knew about the game changed. I immediatly started looking for reactions online to relive that moment vicariously through others.
It is to this day the single greatest moment in any game. It's not too difficult for a game to make me cry from sadness or pain. But never before nor since has a game made me cry from sheer overwhelming joy.
I did that so much too. Although not so much voraciously to relive, but out of curiosity, and I still do it with a number of things like new quests or genshin/star-rail content drops. Mostly cause I want to see what did the others feel. Cause strangely, I don't really remember my own reaction anymore to the story ingame... but I do recall going straight for naramon (the tacticians path) in my relative ignorance... But outside that song still swells some emotions around when I sit and listen to it. and also makes me want to yell during that part marco showed if location permits...
Imagine playing Warframe since it`s closed beta, with your brother, both comepletely hocked to the game, playin nearly everyday for 2 and a half years, talking with your brothere every day about what could be, what is, what should be, and then, suddenly DE drops this on you, for the first time, after 2 and a half years was like ending a tutorial, a long part of our lives to start new again. Our faces in that moment, with this song, the tenno falling to the ground, the warframe desconecting... i still get goosepumps remembering it. I´ve never, ever felt anything like it in any other game. This game seriously changed some part of my life for good, and I will forever be greatfull to DE and Steve for bringing this to life.
It's funny, I have a similar saying to Marco's: I feel bad for people who missed out on the years of Warframe prior to The Second Dream being added, being a part of that universe and its expanding conflicts, its many questions, and wondering that whole time, 'Who am I?' To be part of that journey, to see it culminate in that quest, and hear This Is What You Are together for the first time with all the other Tenno... It was an incomparable experience that no player who joined the game after the addition of cinematic quests will ever be able to experience. I wish there was a way to compress the sensation of three years' wondering down into a digestible bite just to give our newer Tenno brothers and sisters the feelings we all had back then.
I was there when that update dropped. The first cinematic quest. The big reveal.
I had been playing for more than a year as a warframe, different warframes, picking a favorite but moving them around, discarding some.
And then there I was. In the game. That was me. I was at that age where the kid reflected my teenage self. I made myself. I answered the Lotus truthfully. I was there, fighting for the Sol system.
When Octavia was added to the game and you could add song to the orbiter, I scoured the maps to find This is what you are. It's still the only aong that plays in my orbiter. It still greets me everytime I log in.
I'm almost guaranteed to cry hearing that erhu every time. That melody is so simple but SO good.
still everytime i open up Warframe and i fire this up, my wallet opens up and 37.50 euros comes out and i am happy again.
Man I feel that
75% discount days
I feel that tbh. I know im buying the new Yareli skin when it comes out. and i still hope and dream for her prime. I know shes not a community favorite but she is mine and every time i come back to this game shes my first pick out of the orbiter.
Warframe's lore and world is beautifully dark and it has these moments of purity and honesty i can't quite explain. the music perfectly encapsulates that.
Warframe’s sound team is easily the best in-game music I have ever heard. As a long term musician, their melodical annotations and tempo’s are just beyond amazing. I’m MR 34 or in other words Legendary 4, and have loved every moment thanks to the music ❤️
A long time ago a friend I played Destiny 1 and eventually D2 with showed me Warframe. overtime life turned me bitter and eventually lashed out at him and he went away. But I never stopped playing the games that we loved playing together because it still felt like having him around. Whenever I hear songs like this it just reminds me of what I lost and also what more there is to gain in life. you're never going to meet the same people twice but meeting enough people is enough to make life livable. Just treat them well.
I had already been playing the game for several years, with several thousand hours before Second Dream released. I cannot describe the power that moment had for me. To finally close in on answer to the questions and theories we had been speculating on for years. It will stick with me for the rest of my life.
"Dream...Not of what you are, but of what you want to be."
It's so obvious, but it was something I needed to hear at that time in my life.
A bit heavy of a story, but when the Second Dream was first released, I used to play the game with a friend of mine, and we each played it by ourselves and after we were done, we went into a call to talk about it. It was increrible. This friend however had depression and didn't let anyone in our friends group know, and one day not too long after this, he decided to end it all. To this day, this music and quest has a special place in my heart
whoa... heavy. :
played it a lot when it came out 2013 till 2016.... wish i hadnt stopped maybe gonna play it again
Been playing since 2015, i remember when the update dropped and I experienced that quest, I was 15 and I had played it on my low quality laptop, a birthday gift from my parents. I remember logging in on the 3rd of december and getting the notification about the new quest in my codex. That night was jam packed with so many emotions, I will never forget hearing the quote from margulis/lotus “dream. Not of what you are, but of what you want to be.” Thinking about it now makes me feel emotional. I was dealing with so much back then, this quest came along and it brought me a kind of peace I never knew before. I remember that was the day that solidified my love for the game as a whole.
The game has changed so much since then, the orbiters designs, the old navigation systems, the old parkour movement system.. every change, every new addition, every new story, all of these things are just pieces of why I love the game, i feel like as I grew up it evolved with me, I’d have never made the friends I did had I never found this game.
God damn… I love warframe.
Thank you for making this video.
04:42 haha, he said bum...
But on a serious note, this song is... just so beautiful. and I'm not afraid to say its one of the few that brings me to tears sometimes
Though I know you are not new to Warframe, and I've been a fan of your content for years now, I wanted to say, Welcome Tenno, Marco, To the Warframe Community, What you said within this video resonated with me so much, It has been such an amazing journey, discovering Warframe back in 2017, when I joined.
Firstly, I wanted to thank you for sharing your personal life with us all, Cancer is a blight and I wish it were never a thing, but you are one of the most strongest people I know, to this day.
This theme song has and always be one of my favorite pieces and it even encouraged me to become an Official Warframe Content Creator and here I am, A WFCC and making Captura (Photo-mode within the game) and to this day I still listen to this theme as it is such an emotional and POWERFUL piece, It just gets to my heart and soul in the best ways. I could feel your emotion while listening to the theme and I honestly just wanted to cry, to see and know that others have discovered this game and this masterpiece of a theme, I'm beyond happy.
Thank you for taking your time and creating this breakdown. I truly look up to you and Digital Extremes.
I am honored to call myself one of your fans, and I look forward to your future content, like always. -DEUS
i had chills as soon as you say "this is what you are" that's how good it was,is and will be
Just the way the notes start building ominously then the soft violin plays to reassure u, then the beat drops to let u know this is a big moment
One of the best songs in Warframe, still gets me every time I walk into the operator room. You should try listening to "See It In The Flesh" separately from the 1999 combat gameplay!
I'm so glad you liked this :3 The story is amazing and it made me so immersed in the game. I played it back in 2016 and i was immediately hooked after this
Well, when I heard it in the background of your video, it gave me chills. I feel like that says a lot about how strongly this song still affects me. It's one of the only songs that's able to do that for me
This is the song that is forever playing in my ship in game, can't change it for anything else. This song feels like a release of emotions like you are finally out in the sun after a week of rain or like when you have a good cry after feeling sad.
I played the quest years ago when my friends had already done it long ago, not once did they spoil me on it and I thank them a lot. It's such a big turning point in the game! Up until that point you were a husk nothing more, but now you are you and no one else.
This cinematic intro is absolutely amazing! They did an amazing job!
The amount of times I just go into that room to listen idly to that song as a means of calming. Such a good one.
I started playing Warframe in 2015, have over 2k hours clocked and this song is and always will be my number one. Experiencing it in game during The Second Dream quest was just a different feel. Even now I find myself replaying it just to experience this masterpiece all over again.
It’s no wonder why I always keep going back to Warframe as my comfort game
I know you probably won't read this, but the first video I saw from you was your Pantheon's Theme reaction video (which I think was your first League video and is probably why RUclips recommended your channel), and the moment that video ended I immediately thought to myself "man, this guy would love "This is what you are" so much".
I have NO idea why this song came to mind first, but I'm glad you eventually got to listen to it.
I read it and I appreciate it
Experienced this as the quest came out. I remember I had almost no sleep to my college classes the next day because I blitzed the quest. Having that experience after years of wondering what Warframes were and where they came from was amazing to say the least. Still holds a special place till this day.
i have 7400+ hours on warframe. and still, everytime i hear this is what you are feels like the first time. its just so beautiful.
Man, I remember getting near the end of the "tutorial" and having this absolute BEAST of a song blast into my ears , it's has been engraved into my brain since then.
If I allow it, this piece make me daydream and go back in time ; from the day when I first heard this song to right now listening to Marco talking deeply about it.
Sometimes, we have songs that remind us of a particular moment or "era" of our lives. This is what you are is one of the very few songs that doesn't leave and stays with you.
I have a selection of memories I can access while listening to this song it is very bittersweet:
I remember the first day when I finished The Second Dream and then joining the Skype call with my buddies and being hysterical together.
I remember listening to this on my last highschool year a few hours after my girlfriend's passing.
I remember a travel I had to participate in against my will and finding a shelter within this song.
And lastly I remember Marco's livestream finally discovering the context of this piece.
There may be a time when Warframe ends but the song will stay with me forever. Forever Tenno! ♥
Experiencing the quest, seeing Lotus for the first time after having her in my ear for the 50 hours before that, and that song.. It's an amazingly impactful quest.
I love this song. It's been on my Favorites playlist ever since. I find it transformative - it takes whatever emotion I'm stuck in and gives hope and energy for that. It's very intense, every time.
I gotta say, this song in particular, it is miracolous, i still remember some months ago when all was going wrong, everything from happy went to sad in the span of 2 weeks, the moral wasn't even a thing anymore, i didn't even feel like waking up at one point, and then, one night during a panic attack from how much stress i was having after my lover broke up with me, this song, this miracle of a song, starts playing in my head, loudly, i wasn't even playing warframe at that point, i haven't played warframe in years before some days after that happened, and This is what you are completely saved me, i felt calm, joy, happiness, i felt like i was safe, i felt like i had a connection with the world around me telling me it will all be fine, you will survive this, and it did happen, from that point i can never see that song the same again, i love the song and i keep on listnening to it from time to time, it is so inspiring, and if anything goes wrong, i know that This is what you are will come and save me once again.
heard this song for the first time 5 years ago when spotify randomly played it in my playlist (i didnt have premium) and its legitimately become a core memory of mine
It's really nice to see your appreciation for this song / context. Especially as someone who's been playing since Open Beta in 2013. It really was amazing to experience The Second Dream after two years of playing Warframe. It moved quite a few people to tears.
Can't wait for another Warframe breakdown, if it happens at all. (Maybe Scathing Mockery? :P )
Marco you are amazing and it has been a true honor to watch you experience warframe for the first time. As a long time warframe player I LOVE and wish I could go back and experience this game for the first time again. It's truly a special and amazing game. There is so much to do that it fits a wide variety of niches. And the music is equally as amazing. I wish for you the best.
I hope one day you'll consider reacting to Arcane, I know its not as good as warrframe but its music is equally as moving. Especially "I am the monster you created". Its set in the league of legends universe.
It's nice that you're doing breakdown of the actual composition, not a lot of people do that... Partially because when it's done right it becomes part of the overall experience, blending seemlessly with the story. I go back and forth on Warframe's musical scores, they definity enrich the experience, but like the game can become overwhelming at times too. This is a good one.
As a Warframe vet who played since the game first came to market back in the early days when the founder edition was still avalible (I was too poor to buy it as a kid) and who has currently over 6k hours in the game but retired, at least for now. I had thousands of hours in the game already by the time this part of the game happened and this song played. I listen to a lot of music and a ton of music genres, but it wasn't until this song that I actually "LISTENED" and the song moved me like few games have done. Metro Exodus comes to mind when thinking of games that had an emotional impact on me aswell.
oh my GOD! its amazing. i'm hearing it fully first time and i am amazed xD
Thanks to you ... i can feel Music so much more.. thank you.
i remember launch day, i was hyped about getting a different quest, to see a new faction, i was not prepared for the roler coaster of emotions, later that night at almost 2 am i joined a mate to talk about what we just experienced, we were in awe.
been playing ever since.
I had not played Warframe for 9 years, and when I was getting burnt out on Destiny 2, I decided to check it out again, first through clips spoiling myself about the Entity. I knew vaguely about what we were, but not how. Experiencing the Second Dream was magical, and even seeing it again with foreknowledge is so powerful thanks to the excellent direction and music.
I always imagined it as the sparking of good and light sung out by one, then a few, then many, then the stars themselves sing for the light of good. But between these choruses the trials and battles signaled by the drums and chants that must be overcome to rise together and push back the darkness.
Every time I hear those first 5 notes I immediately feel a tinggle down my arm. This piece is really amazing and the first time I saw you react to it during the second dream it really elevated the meaning of the song. For me personally, this songs brings me sadness and hope. I used to feel so lost in life and sometimes still do, but this song makes me feel that its ok to feel lost sometimes cause there is always a path we can take, to make our own story. A new hope from the darkness of uncertainty, it gives me motivation to take the next step from where I feel i am stuck.
I really hope more people can experience the warframe storyline with the same passion, appreciate the work a someone of has done for our enjoyment and entertainment. To many people around me are rushing in life and in game that they gloss over the amazing story DE has put together, and these effort that goes somewhat unnoticed my the bigger population of players. I hope this doesn't dishearten the Devs from putting in more effort to the storyline quests, as in my opinion the quality of the quests now are thinning. I am comparing "Chains of Harrow", "Octavia's Anthem", "the Sacrifice" , "Second Dream" , "New War" and "war within" to the new Main Quests like " Angels of Zariman" , "Whisper in the wall" and "The Duviri Paradox". It seems the newer questline the storyline is compressed over a shorter playthrough that seems somewhat rushed and our focus shifts to "learning" the new game modes. I would love a more storyline approach to the MAIN storyline quests. where cutscenes and music pieces have a bigger impact. Just me ranting, thank you for your videos and i love watching and rewatching your playthroughs of all the quest... Hope u can do a short video of Octavia's Anthem quest if u haven't already done it.
The ending 30 seconds is absolutely haunting. It’s like hearing the call of a mother or parent searching for a lost child only for the call to fade away when there is no answer. Chilling.
This is really one of the most beautiful music EVER!
I played the quest as soon as it released. One of the biggest plt twists, up util that point you had no idea of what was behind the warframe. My mouth remained open during all the Lua cutscene. And the soundtrack...
I had gotten into warframe a little years ago, but had put it down in favor of other games, a friend of mine convinced me to pick the game back up... we had blitzed through most of the missions leading up to The Second Dream together, yet we found ourselves doing that questline solo, he had completed it the night prior, I was on the next day and doing it myself. We were on a call, I remember just about breaking down when the song came on... it was the song that had reminded me of warframe when it randomly played while I was listening to music one night, it was the song that had prompted me to make an offhand comment to that same friend... I didn't know when it played in the game but I was determined to hear it in-game. And then, I did. I still have to fight tears when I hear the song, its just so beautiful. Now hearing Marco's story about how he experienced the song... I feel a little of the same myself. I remember I had stopped playing warframe the first time shortly before I lost a friend to cancer and the grieving afterwards, and yet now the game is sorta... helping me put myself back together too. This song isn't just "This is what you are" for the tenno, its also "this is what you are" for me, and I imagine many multitudes beside me. Thank you for this video Marco, truly, thank you.
With great and deserved respect, your history and background in music makes you a bit more able to pick out the subtleties and themes of music than most people can. I enjoyed the music of Warframe during my playthrough, but it never really got to a level more than just "good music to shoot Grineer to". This Is What You Are I had playing on my orbiter for a bit, but I wanted a quiet atmospheric music and the energetic section was just a bit too bothersome for me as an ambience piece.
It was after finding your channel and hearing your insights into the music that I started to pay attention and notice it myself. I've come to a new appreciation of Warframe's music since discovering your channel, and other video game music in general. And I definitely agree that Warframe is the greatest example of people judging a book by its cover. "Oh, it's just Grindframe, I don't want to waste my time with that." That sort of mindset keeps people from experiencing what an excellent story DE has been forging with this.
As for This Is What You Are, I've come to understand it as the story of the Tenno. Them being adopted by Margulis and taught to control their powers, then coerced by Ballas into becoming child soldiers, into their rebellion against the Orokin. It truly is an amazing piece that tells so much without having a single word of lyrics.
Thank you for your kind words! And for sharing your story ❤️
I'm terribly sorry for your loss.. thank you for caring so much about Warframe! You grasped the meaning of the game perfectly.
Even moving beyond your operator I think this song also speaks towards stalker as a character. He was a being fueled by rage and hate and disgust of the warframes. Then suddenly the truth is revealed not just to you but to him as well. For the first time since we first interact with him he hesitates. As hunhow basically says “Are you disgusted with what they are. Are you wondering if you are one of them, you know the answer. You’re disgusted, with them, with yourself.” Now it isn’t confirmed that stalker is an operator though the next quest seems to be tackling his lore but it shows that This moment in the story is basically a discovery for everyone in this scene.
6:50 used to play during mission the results screen at one point. It used to hype me up every time i completed a mission and ready to jump right into the next one.
The very first few seconds - goosebumps immediately.
As a founder who's been playing Warframe since it was just a crowdfunded idea, at "that moment" in The Second Dream, I literally cried tears of joy.
man this makes me wanna go back to warframe again, has been like 3-4 years since last i played
I Don't have a story per se to go along with this song. I played the quest, and I'd sometimes just sit in my operator room to listen to the song. But what it means to me... I don't find much peace in my own head for a variety of reasons, but there's only two songs that help me find some. This is one, the other is smiles from Juran. Smiles is meditative for me, but This is What You Are... It gives me some amount of peace through overwhelming energy, something to focus on, and propel me forward. Two of the most meaningful songs to me, i love them both dearly.
"Dream... not of what you are... but of what you want to be."
To me, even though I don‘t remember how I experienced it the first time, this song will never fail to get me.
You named the first three parts it speaks about: the question and answer at the start, followed by the call to action. But its the forth part that speaks the most to me; and I would call it Triumph.
What it sounds like at the end, to me, is like saying „you are glorious. remember, no matter who you are or what you‘ve been through: you are as brilliant as a star!“
It‘s an incredibly hopeful message; like the Lotus says: Dream not of who you are, but who you want to be. Not of who you were, but who you have become.
It‘s about being at peace with yourself.
song is so good he makes 3 videos about it - that's how good this song is
XD. Those five notes just make me teary.
This one was amazing no doubt, but I personally found Smiles From Juran from The Sacrifice quest (umbra) to be even more compelling in context. I couldn't stop listening to that one
In context smiles from Juran is unbelievably brutal
I was watching this video was a straight face, then the erhu (I think? it sounds like one) at 4:59 hits and there's this massive surge of emotion through me and tears start welling.
I had just graduated high school when this quest came out, I met my girlfriend in this game and we're getting married later this year.
This game has a very special place in my heart, and this song is certainly the most treasured in that place.
I love it when people are in love with warframe. I mean, the way you talk about just the music is so good.
Warframe is a guilty pleasure because it asks so much of you before you can 'get it'.
But it's worth it.
Discovered this song in the game and yes, it is the best song in a game full of bangers
The erhu hits every time. Without fail.
Primed Galvanized Motivational Artwork.
I too, shared a song (not this one however) with my father when he was battling cancer to try and help convey both how I felt and whatever strength I could muster for him. Cancer also took him eventually, but I know just how powerful that experience is. We're all in this together (and no, I don't mean the song :P).
after 2 years of playing Warframe, i thought its a simple Looter shooter game but after second dream with this song hit, it was mindblowing. I thought after all the killing and looting, is that all? I was sucked in the world of Warframe and play it at today.
Big Thanks at DE for this Game and Second Dream.
6:12 You are a man going into battle who wants a potion seller's strongest potions.
As a +4k hours playtime player, and still my eyes wet when I see the image of the frame taking the operator in its arms... Shivers down the spine
It's an affirmation of identity, a statement of purpose, a contemplation of one's place in the world. It's one of the greatest video game tracks, no question, and I would love to experience it performed live someday.
This song is just simply amazing. It is an embodiment of all sorts of emotions, and emphasizes the feeling of maturation and evolution. This sound track also brings the idea of cycles too, as it follows the advice from a requiem mod "we end as we began". I just love warframe music because there is just such a richness and depth of meaning in each note, enhanced by the context, and enriched by it's usage.
A great example of this is the Jade Shadows music. Outside of context, it's a heavy piece that sings of sorrows and grief. Within the context, there is not just the sounds of sorrow, but the notes of salvation and the evolution of life itself, how one child shakes the foundation of life now. You don't just hear grief, but also feel the love that made that grief and the grand scale of what that love has done.
Another example: Smiles from Juran - To Take It's Pain Away. Without context, Marco says he feels just a pure expression of love and sacrifice. Within context, the enhancement comes in the form of pain, that love turning into a wilting pain. The song symbolizes that this wilting pain is finally healing, by sacrificing your grip of the memory, by letting go of this pain. This song is given even further context that it was played to his children, of times of peace for his family, of when he could love the life he had.
This is what you are. It's an amazing piece to experience, even listen to. To me, personally, it's similar to what Lotus says: Dream, not of what you are, but of what you want to be. It's a song to inspire you to become something more than what you are. It's a song to call you to your purpose, by exploring those emotions in you, combining them into a nexus, to mix and swirl, to grow and mature, only to turn back and see what you had been, and what you've become.
On a funny note: To piss off anyone who enjoys warframe's music: play all of warframe with music volume 0.
Yep when I played second dream this song sounded in my head for 2 weeks straight. I worked my way to the second dream in 170 hours - I dont know how you got thru all the content in similar time, but I am now 3000h in. I still dig the music. Unlike many payers I see, I did not mute and I dont listen to brakecore while playing xD No - warframe has special place and has to be experienced with the music!
Sorry about your dad dude. Fuck cancer.
I was already many many many hours deep in Warframe when TSD came along, and it was an absolute knockout. Wondering what all this was about, realizing what'd been missing in the night sky over Earth, then the grand reveal... Jaw hanging open, absolutely stunned, blinking back tears. The game went from little tidbits of lore sprinkled throughout to "Holy fucking shit fucking I'M A WHAT NOW?" To this day, This is What You Are gives me endless goosebumps.
we need Marco to cover this song with his beautiful voice
Hi Marco, I feel you should really do a collab with the Games & Symphonies team. They are also bringing the videogame songs to a wider audience, doing fully videogame programs on big halls, and their concerts are always top notch.
I love the song, I loved the quest when it came out. And I love especially the community kept quiet about it. Before any talk happened everyone had to admit if they did or didnt do the quest. And only if you did the quest you were part of the circle that happily talked about the quest. But the rest? They only knew the quest existed. The contents? The meanings? What is going on? Even until the last moment people kept their mouth shut. Afaik there wasnt even that big of a fuss or notice anywhere. We just agreed, that this is too big to talk about. However... There are still some who wanted to make content. Can't really blame them. I'm just happy that almost all I have seen they really talk about that you shouldnt spoil yourself. Go away, do not watch unless you come there for their own reaction to it happening.
YOU DAMN RIGHT MARCO WOOO WE DREAM OF WHAT WE WANT TO BE
Hello Marco,
First of all, I need to say I am sorry for your loss. I have been watching your videos for a moment now, and I deeply appreciate your work.
"This Is What You Are" is a song that on my end, carries a deeply symbolic meaning, and therefore, as you asked, I wanted to share my story.
I am sorry if it feels a bit cryptic, but it concerns medical information that I don't want to disclose, so I'll try my best.
Whereas V's theme is a song that represents my past, a past that occured during one year or so, where I felt like I was dying along with my own body that was decaying day by day and becoming something that wasn't who I was,
This Is What You Are is a song that represents me. Today. The me of today now has medical care to help her through this, and I can finally, slowly, heal, and find my body back. This song, is a symbol of my rebirth. This song, will also be a symbol of my future. As you said in the video, our lives have meaning, my life has a meaning, and now... I just have to keep fighting. For a cause that goes well beyond me, and to be the best woman I could ever be.
"Now, we fight on two fronts, my child. The War Within, and The War Without."
Even if Warframe is the game I have spent the most time into, it remains the medium with the largest feelings of humanity I’ve ever experienced.
And even when I’m now taking longer breaks from it, I can be sure that, with every new major update, there will be more to experience. It’s constantly awe-striking.
I first heard a ten second piece of this song in a meme after I started playing Warframe and immediately fell in love. When I heard it in the second dream, I didn’t know it was the same song since the meme only had one of the climaxes. I fell in love with that song too and immediately worked to get the song in game after unlocking the habitation segment. After a wile, I noticed the segment’s of song throughout the main story were building a cohesive song. I looked it up on apple music and lost myself in it. I set it to repeat, studied it, pulled it apart, absorbed the whole, translated it to my other senses. I must have listened to it 30 times that evening. I love that song for the truth it contains. It is a song of life, sin, death, life eternal. Even if the writers never intended it, they got that right. This is what I am.
250 hours I finally convinced myself to get back into doing the quest of the game. MAN DID « THE SECOND DREAM » hit hard. I love the game
I hear it and tears swell in my eyes the first time and almost everytime, music that can reach the soul no matter what language you speak (T-T)
Just here again to tell you that you have a beautiful soul, I hope more people will be able to see/hear/feel what you are trying to explain. The world is much better when we open ourselves to beauty instead of horror.
Edit for the question, I was there when the quest was released, after thousands of hours of being in warframe, something shifted that day, in a good way.
This song achieves something incredible... It manages to adapt to different moments in your life and always sounds great... epic! The space and the primitive power. The cosmic and the mundane. The unattainable, but that is within us.
I'm not a fan of Warframe or its story. But I lived that moment and it was simply amazing! I stayed listening to the song for a few more minutes. A masterpiece...
This song has a ton going on in it. A friend of mine pointed out in the full version there is a choir of children that respond to the female vocal which is such a cool storytelling point
kieth power, the best composer. because no composer has been so consistently perfect in getting the right feel for the scenario. this is what you are, even that one bit in TWW if you know you know. and when you are going through the missions, you feel like you are there. grineer with the mechanical aspects, the corpus with their highly advanced tech and their markets and stocks. the tribal nature of the osterons, the fortuna being a gulag. and the necralysk being a collapsed bastion and the heart of the tenno. the sanctum anatomica as well.
When I played Warframe and discovered all of this magic, this was one of the rare moments that made me feel like I robbed the developers by playing this game for free.
As a long going veteran, I experienced this on the evening release of the second dream quest.
Listening to it in this video brought Me to tears. This is what made Me love games in the first place. The passion and pure creativity behind the development of the game, music and art are visceral.
You can FEEL the love of the craft as well as the individual message and beauty.
Simply put. It is interactable art. It is, The Human Experience. What we feel is the essence of Life. That is why it touches the very core of who we are
Definitely. Warframe is ART.