Most of the Defiance fandom was sent reeling with The Cord and the Ax, and between the mild high school antics of Pottinger and Nolan over Amanda to the surprising and violent return of Datak, our hosts had plenty to say about it! Not to mention the wild speculations over what Irisa is, or was. Tune in and speak up!

Listen now:

EPISODE 3 “The Cord and the Axâ€

Recap

Alak is struggling to overcome the cultural norms of Castithan males and stay loyal to Christie, who, as we learn in this episode, is pregnant. After learning the news, Rafe gives Alak another talking-to, but at least this one doesn’t involve any broken bones. Alak does finally visit Datak in jail, but the visit doesn’t go well – Datak is more concerned about whether Stahma is attempting to keep him in prison. Irisa has another experience with the Holy Irzu, and this time she harms a Defiance favorite, Bertie the Housekeeper. She goes missing shortly after the body is discovered, leaving Nolan to search for her once again. Mayor Pottinger uses Doc Yewll’s decapitated finger to open the safe in office, and then offers her probation, but on the condition that she reports solely to him. Doc uses what leverage she has to spring Datak from prison as well. Datak’s release doesn’t bode well for Stahma and Alak – when Datak arrives back at the Tarr household, he goes into another murderous rage, almost drowning Stahma in the family bath. While Irisa is gone, she encounters Sukar, who tells her that Irzu has a plan and that whatever Irisa is being used for is for a higher purpose. Irzu possesses Irisa again, this time in order to kill Sukar. Irisa has another vision, which gives some insight into Irzu’s plan. At the end of the episode, we see that Bertie is alive and well, as is Sukar and the Castithan that Irisa killed in the first episode, leaving us all to question the true nature of Irzu’s path. (This episode was written by Allison Miller and directed by Michael Nankin.)

Thoughts and Observations

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• The Tarr Family
  
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  • Will this be birth of the bigger, badder, beastly baddie-daddy Datak? First he’s thrown into prison for merely trying to protect what was rightfully won by him, then he is made a fool of by the most powerful man in Defiance, and finally his son comes to him at his lowest to tell him he has no interest in the family business and that his wife is actually “leading the boys, see.†I’m amazed Datak didn’t just hulk out, rip open his shirt and bust through that steel barrier, not for lack of snarling though.
    
  • Does Alak respect Rafe more than he does his own father? Alak likes the idea of “straight talkâ€, and he gets this from Rafe, whereas his own parents are so caught up in their web of honor, pride, and deceit, that they never get around to it.
    
  • That bath scene – makes me think that Stahma needs to get herself to the NeedWant Women’s Shelter, STAT. But, we’ve heard Stahma say that she likes Datak’s cruelty. She knows what he is capable of. Has she ever had this violence directed towards her, and does this change her mind? Or is this simply a little domestic spat that she’ll get over?
    
  
  

  The Irzu Disciple

  
  
  • 
    
  • Irzu is getting uncontrollable and quite demanding. What can Irisa do? What started out as a desire to bring Nolan back from Death, has turned into a battle for control of herself.
    
  • So just a few things we now know (or think we know) about our favorite little Irathient
    
    • 
      
    • She attacks and seemingly kills people at the will of Irzu.
      
    • Irzu doesn’t even need Irisa conscience to do the devil’s deeds.
      
    • Irisa HATES what she’s become. Following the path of Irzu is one paved in bodies.
      
    • There’s a reason why she is now called the Devouring Mother, but we don’t know what’s really going on with the metallic regurgitated tentacles.
      
    • And while Irzu is off doing Irzu-knows-what with her body, Irisa is treated to a glimpse of the past.
      
    
    
    
  • Now lets discuss this last bit in greater detail.
    
    • 
      
    • Are these visions a “gift†from Irzu?
      
    • Are they truth?
      
      • 
        
      • Is Irzu really behind this? Or is this solely Irisa’s doing? How do we know her visions of Irzu are actually real? Or is Irisa some sort of deity herself?
        
      
      
      
    • IS THAT IRISA ON THE FIRST VOTAN SHIP TO EARTH THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO!?!?
      
    • Does it change anything?
      
    
    
    
  • Side questions.. who’s the hunky space junk she’s talking to? And why does Iriza want to seize control of the ship? Who’s in charge and what’s the true mission?
    
    • 
      
    • The initial mission was to “terraform a barren worldâ€, but Vision-Irisa doesn’t want to do this because “Irzu values all lifeâ€. Did she want to abort the mission? If she did, she failed, seeing as how Earth was terraformed. According to the timeline, the kaziri didn’t land on earth 1811 – did Irisa/Irzu/WHOEVER avert landing on Earth for that long? So many questions!!!
      
    
    
    
  
  
  

Favorite Scenes and Dislikes

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• Amanda struggling with her adreno addiction by beating that human to a little pulp was good on many levels – it showed how the drugs have slowly made her unravel and it showed that Mayor Pottinger may have her wrapped around his finger when it comes to this weakness. (Also, I like that we keep the Nolanda action to a minimum. We can all know they’re chupping, but we don’t need to waste valuable screen time showing it – we all know what it looks like – a little boring, etc. so I like that they keep it quick, while still letting the viewer know that the relationship is progressing.)
  
• I sincerely dislike they Portishead will now trigger violent memories – but I do love that song. I’m not a fan of the music montages in general (*flash of lightning*) and thought the bath scene could have been stronger without the music.
  
• Bath Scene. Cant have a Defiance Reporter without a favorite scene being one in the bath.. How amazingly well done did the symbolism come off when Datak comes home; shadow growing larger as he got closer to his domicile, his castle, sheathing his filth with every step, and finally stepping into the pristinely clear water where mother and son are relaxing in quiet reverie, muddying the waters and creating quite the turbulence with his sudden violent outburst! Daddy’s home!
  
• I nearly lost my shit when Sukar was next on the hit list. I had to stop watching to recover a bit and talk myself into finishing the episode. I imagine this is what all those Kenyans out there felt. I at least have the pleasure of seeing Sukar return, though as what I wonder.
  
  • 
    
  • Really?! I wasn’t worried at all – Sukar is an expert as ‘not really dying’… although I did wonder why Irisa would have to kill him again, seeing as how he’s already a part of Irzu’s army and under her protection. You’re right, there may be more than we know here…
    
  
  
  
• High school. That is all.
  

Speculations and unanswered questions

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•  Practically Carte Blanche and a free ticket out of Camp Reverie to work on some old notes? What was the Doc planning before her arrest? And is it related to Irisa and the Kaziri? Or is this something from her Pale Wars past?
  
  • 
    
  • I hope it’s a little of both – she still has some scientific tricks up her sleeve from her time during the Pale Wars and I would imagine Pottinger wants to know what they are and how to use them if he needs to…
    
  • Brings up another question – does Doc still have loyalties to the Votanis Collective, and why haven’t we seen them more represented in the show (aside from the fact that they are based in Brazil)?
    
  
  
  
• Doc Yewll’s move to get Datak out of prison was intriguing – sure, she needs someone on her side, but does she really think Datak will deliver once they are beyond the prison walls?
  
• It’s clear that Irzu needs to feed, but what exactly does this mean? Is Irzu killing people, bringing them back to life, for the sole purpose of garnering some sort of army? What’s the end game here?
  
• Will the “Cradle to the Grave†tie-in be mentioned in upcoming episodes, with Christie being pregnant? And are Irzu’s tentacles kind of like the little things that come out of the grid?
  

Predictions

Michelle:

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  • 
    
  • Stahma will be well behaved in front of Datak for the next couple of episodes while she plans her next move; meanwhile, Alak will try to upstage Datak at every turn
    
  • The next episode will see Pottinger rattled – we’ll see him lose a little bit of power, which will hopefully lead to another visit from Mercado
    
  • Nolan either knows who is behind the attack on the convoy and chooses to protect them, OR Pottinger thinks he knows who is behind it. AND, Tommy will somehow betray Nolan to the E-Reps.
    
  
  

Ben:

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  • 
    
  • Its time to focus on other things. I predict next episode is going to be a Nolan/Tommy centric pissing contest, which will probably do nothing to resolve their relationship and probably slow the fast pace Defiance has set for Season 2…
    
  • Unless this theft/kidnapping evolves into something VERY important. I mean Kaziri level importance.
    
  • And finally, Niles Pottinger planned this theft and the death of most of the convoy, save for Berlin.
    
  
  

MVP of the Episode

Michelle: Amanda (caveat – so many could be MVP (Irisa, Alak)) – Most of the time, Amanda is the level-headed, balanced one in Defiance. Seeing her lose control, and her knowing that she was losing control, made me realize what could happen if she isn’t always doing what’s best or what’s smart.

Ben: Datak – You have to admit, Datak is a man who knows what he wants and is hell bent on getting it. Emotional control is not one of his strong points and we see that explosion of animal passion and rage twice this episode. With only three total scenes this episode, I’d say he was still a powerful player to keep a watch of. It does make me wonder, with all that unbridled rage, why wasn’t he who spaced Stahma’s betrothed?

Favorite Tweets

Datak is the Walter White of #Defiance. He sought power & when he acquired it, his pride was his downfall. #BreakingBad

— Tracy Sanderson (@Pantrocious) July 5, 2014

“Am I a bad father?” I don’t know Nolan, but since you’re at the brothel, why not ask your scotch or a nearby prostitute? #Defiance

— Jenn Russi (@jrussi) July 4, 2014

Irisa has a little Jekyll/Hyde problem #Defiance

— Heir to the Demon (@SL_D3sign) July 4, 2014

“I love gang tweeting, it’s better than a BBQ” – Graham Greene @Rafeolla #DEFIANCE

— Anna Hopkins (@AnnaBananaHops) July 4, 2014

CHOOSE LIFE Irisa!!!!!!! There are so many Star Wars movies coming out!!! #Defiance @DefianceWorld @womenofdefiance

— Kelly McCormack (@kelmccormack) July 4, 2014

Reviews Across the Web

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• IGN’s Jesse Schedeen
  
  http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/04/defiance-the-cord-and-the-ax-review
  
  • 
    
  • “The big hurdle with Defiance’s second season so far has been accepting that, while the lives of the main players might have shifted, the overall tone and direction of the series hasn’t changed as much as the Season 1 finale might have suggested. And it’s definitely frustrating at times to see so little focus on the tension between the Earth Republic and the ordinary citizens of Defiance. “
    
  • “As much as I feel like this show is wasting good storytelling potential in terms of the tension between Defiance and the E-Rep, there’s plenty of smaller character drama to keep this show moving. The Tarr family was as fascinating as ever in this episode. And as Irisa and Amanda struggle with their personal demons, the show is making better use of its full cast than it did in Season 1. If we learned anything this week, it’s that we don’t always need Nolan around to play the Han Solo role.â€
    
  
  
  
• Den of Geek’s Michael Ahr
  
  http://www.denofgeek.us/tv/defiance/237017/defiance-the-cord-and-the-ax-review
  
  • 
    
  • “The show sneaks in other tantalizing details, too, like Irisa chatting casually with Berlin about Tommy and Stahma blithely discussing Kenya, whom she killed at the end of last season, with Amanda. I’m also enjoying the music this season, which has featured contextual (and sometimes Votan) lyrics with familiar tunes and musical genres.â€
    
  • “This episode had just the right touch for each character and didn’t burden us with a “crime of the week,†much to its credit. If Defiance stays on this path, the show will win big points with me and many fans of serial sci-fi.â€
    
  
  
  
• io9’s Rob Bricken
  
  http://io9.com/and-all-of-a-sudden-defiance-is-bonkers-again-1600254945
  
  • 
    
  • “You know, for a show with umpteen alien races, crazy metal tentacle gods and psychotic albinos, I still feel like I know where Defiance is going most of the time. But I did not have this problem in last night’s episode.â€
    
  
  
  

Hollywood Soapbox Commentary – http://www.hollywoodsoapbox.com/?p=12348

Coming up next week on Defiance… “Beast of Burdenâ€

Sneak peek for Episode 4: http://www.defiance.com/en/series/video/2796029

Episode 4 trailer: http://youtu.be/bI5bXoxCtcg

Quick observations:

• 
  
• Mining equipment is being shipped to Defiance from the Cedars
  
• Pottinger is not outright killed like everyone else is, so he is probably taken hostage.
  
• These “bandits†are not bandits at all
  
• Tommy accuses Nolan of protecting someone from their crimes.
  
• Datak confronts his old crew
  

Defiance Community Q&A for July 3rd

http://forums.defiance.com/showthread.php?166146-Defiance-Community-Q-amp-A-July-3rd

1. 
   
2. What are 10 priorities for the team after the Free-to-Play launch?
   
   We’re dialing it up to 11! There’s no particular order of priority here, but this is what we’re currently focused on.
   
   • 
     
   • Stability and Lag
     
   • PS3/Xbox Stability
     
   • Season 2 Crossover Content
     
   • Silicon Valley
     
   • Grid and “Pilgrim†Enemies
     
   • Improved clarity and attractiveness for the Salvage matrix.
     
   • More features for item customization and improvement in the salvage matrix: Naming items, re-rolling bonuses, re-rolling synergies.
     
   • Miscellaneous quality of live improvements and fixing current bugs (Cloak issues, Hi-res textures, togglable target indicators, Hide HUD)
     
   • Additional Personal stats screen for end of event scoreboard: damage, score breakdown, etc.
     
   • Player-manufactured gear
     
   • More character improvement options (Perks, powers, and cybertechnology.)
     
   
   
   
3. Will we be seeing new weaponry with Season 2 of Defiance? Can you give us any hints?
   
   Indeed you shall. We have three new weapons coming from the Camden Pace and her Defiant Few faction.
   
4. Can you give us more details on the environment on the new landmass? Will we be able to directly interact with/destroy parts of it, such as the plant life?
   
   Silicon Valley covers the area from San Bruno to Redwood City. (Yes, we know modern Silicon Valley is technically further south than that.) There is no terrain deformation or environmental destruction nor any plan to implement such features in the lifetime of Defiance. They do not contribute to the Massive Co-op experience.
   
5. What is the base health amount for players, and what is the calculation that increases health as your EGO Rating increases?
   
   Player base health starts at 1263. It maxes out at 17303. (Of course, there is a perk which can modify those numbers.)
   
6. Will there potentially be more playable races in the future?
   
   Oh yes.
   
7. When an entire group joins matchmaking and a group member disconnects during the map can the leader of the group be asked if they want to open the party for matchmaking? It’s not enjoyable when running a clan group expert map and when a member disconnects they are replaced with a random person.
   
   This is likely to be updated with the “private matches†coming with the matchmaking update for the Warmaster, though not by creating a message pop-up during combat as suggested here.
   
8. Is there any chance of raising the drop rare on outfits? It’s causing a lot of frustration.
   
   We’ve discussed it. The 7th Legion and Gunslinger outfits drop at a very high rate. The outfit drops from other lockboxes are frustratingly low. We’re taking a look at them as well as providing some in-game way to tell if you’ve gotten all the outfits available from a lockbox. (Even if that is just a list of available outfits.)
   
9. Are the nano effect proc chances a flat percentage value? If so, what is that value? If not, what determines the chance, and what are those chances?
   
   Nano-effect procs are calculated per-hit. Which does mean that shotguns calculate this proc chance with startling frequency. On the plus side, each weapon has their per-pellet proc chance set individually. This is, of course, a maintenance nightmare. Also, this means that the proc chance of a weapon is not really something we can display to a player because the raw numbers would make many weapons with high proc rates look quite bad. Our intention is to change how those calculations are made so that they can be displayed to players in some meaningful way.
   
10. Why do enemies disappear in large encounters, and what are the steps needed to create a fix for it?
    
    Enemies disappear in large encounters when you start to run out of memory. On PC, you can visit the “Proxy Memory†slider under the video setting and slide that all the way to the right.
    
11. When will matchmaking for arenas actually put you in a PUG instead of just sending you in solo? There’s no point in having them in the matchmaking menu if it just sends you in without actually putting you in a group.
    
    Group up first. We recommend zone chat! Additionally, we’re looking at an overhaul of our matchmaking UI so that people looking to PUG or looking to avoid PUGs will be able to tailor their experience.
    
12. On the Xbox, it is currently easy to accidentally favorite or un-favorite items. Can you move the favorite/un-favorite button in the inventory, from the left dpad/analogue movement to another button (perhaps to the Y button)?
    
    We should add this to the key bindings.
    
13. Could we ever have bigger groups or raid groups?
    
    This isn’t something that the team is looking into at this time.
    
14. Because loot boost were removed because they never worked as intended, do loot bonus based perks like Just Rewards, Piñata and Implosion work correctly? What about the Scavenger synergy?
    
    Those special snowflakes do work correctly, but they are very special cases.
    
15. It was stated by Trick that Bio and Electric Nanos were being tweaked. Bio would be getting a slight negative adjustment, and Electric would be getting a small positive one. Is this still going to occur?
    
    After crunching the numbers, we’re going to hold off on this adjustment. It does not appear to be necessary from what we’ve seen.
    
16. The FRC Nomad non nano shoots Blue Votan Bullets with the corresponding sounds while the FRC Sub Carbine non nano shoots the correct type of yellow low tech bullets with the correct sound. Will there be a fix the bullet visual / sound of the FRC Nomad?
    
    That’s definitely possible, but it’s very low on our priority list.
    
17. Patch notes on consoles seems to be updated pretty late, why is this and is there anything that can be done?
    
    Thanks for bringing this up! We usually deploy the patch notes at the end of the deployment of the patch so that QA can do a quick check before the patch notes are up. We’re going to switch it up and deploy them at the beginning to ensure maximum visibility when patching.
    
18. Will there be new Ego Powers and Perks added sometime soon?
    
    Not in the immediate future.
    
19. Can we have a go to clan member option?
    
    This is definitely something we want to add to Defiance.
    
20. Will we be seeing other weather conditions and environmental effects in the future?
    
    We’re currently working on optimizing the performance of rain, for example. It currently rains in Silicon Valley. Should that optimization be delayed or not reach our quality standards, the rain will be removed until it is ready.
    
21. What is the current loadout change duration?
    
    3.0 seconds!
    
22. The Quick Menu for Clans only show 15 members on the list. Viewing again reverses the order, could this be improved?
    
    That’s definitely possible! However, we currently do have other priorities that we’d like to address before tackling something like this.
    
23. Would it be possible to implement a clan leaderboard or directory?
    
    That’s also definitely possible! However, again, we do have other priorities to address prior to tackling issues like these.
    
24. Will there be more Dev involvement in player hosted events in the future?
    
    Check out this thread. We’d like to get more involved with player events!
    
25. Can we have cross-platform trading at least in global zones?
    
    We cannot have any cross platform interaction. At the least, it goes against our publisher agreement.
    
26. Will Recruit-A-Friend be returning? Will referrers with partial credits towards rewards (i.e. Hellblazer truck, etc.) still have those partial credits on balance pending the return of Recruit-A-Friend?
    
    We’re going to have to revamp it for Free-to-Play, but we do intend to have a return of the Recruit-a-Friend program. We don’t have an ETA on it currently.
    
27. We’ve seen an issue where too many loot items on the ground causes friendly players to not show, this is most noticeable during afflicted emergencies from what we’ve seen. Are there any updates on this issue?
    
    We just updated the auto loot radius by 50%, which is awesome. While it’s true that this has a small effect on how many friendly players show, it’s not the core problem here.
    
28. Can we get a setting to open up entry to our vehicles by default to clan members, friends, everyone or no-one?
    
    We are currently switching it so that you always get in the driver seat on vehicles you own, as opposed to accidentally getting in the passenger side. We can look into this part next, but honestly, the UI changes and more seem to outweigh the game-play benefit when there are higher priority tasks to work on at this time.
    
29. Can we have a button with the ability to salvage trash weapons on the ground?
    
    Yes! This is something that we’d like to implement.
    

Changes to Loot Tables for Tiered LockBoxes

http://forums.defiance.com/showthread.php?166258-Changes-to-Loot-Tables-for-Tier-2-3-4-LockBoxes

We have been aware of a discrepancy between Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4 lockboxes with respect to how much arkforge they drop. Specifically, the T4 amount of arkforge was also being dropped by T2 and T3 lockboxes – meaning the T2 and T3 lockboxes were much more valuable than intended. T2 and T3 boxes should drop arkforge that corresponds to their tier, instead of matching T4 (and – for what it’s worth – the loot tables even existed to drop less, it was just missed when they were set up originally). This change to T2 and T3 lockboxes will go live in an upcoming patch (and there will be a patch note about it).

Please note: This change does not affect any item or outfit drop percentage; it is specific to arkforge.

 

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

We at Defiance Reporter feel it is the community that makes the transmedia experience great, so we are constantly on the lookout to find fans and gamers who go above and beyond to create a more immersive experience for the Defiance Community. This week we want to shine our spotlight on an old favorite:

Defiance Data

DefianceData.com

If you’re looking for any information on the Defiance Game, Etaew’s DefianceData is the place to find it. Etaew has maintained the most extensive coverage of all Defiance game-related news, player guides, and extras like the assets modeler. Missed a Friday livestream or want to make sure a question gets asked? Go to DefianceData.com!

Remember, if you want us to feature your clan or community site on Defiance Reporter, tweet us, leave a voicemail, or send us an email at defiance@mmoreporter.com.

• 
  
• THIS WEEKS ARKHUNTER CODE IS: Forged
  
  Make sure to enter it at Defiance.com/Ego to get this weeks reward of 100 Arkforge and increase the rating or rarity of your weapons and gear! Remember, this code expires Saturday, July 12th!
  
• 
  

  Join our PC clan IGNI FERROQUE! <defiancereporter.guildlaunch.com> No registration required, just look for me in-game, Corso Vanlocke, to get an invite!

  
  
  

CONTACT US!

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Michelle: twitter.com/womenofdefiance

Ben: twitter.com/nebsinsane