Candle Zone

Candle Zone is the fourth mining site and rift plane featured in Gravity Rush 2. It is a dark location surrounded by candles that light up the environment for navigation, and was discovered by the Council. This place also contained extraordinary gravitational readings, later revealed to be purported by the Destructive Force (considering the previous lurking, dark purple energy and entity) that had taken over the gravity engine in the lost city, Neu Hiraleon. The lost expedition and the Lunar Style artifact were also found here.

History

At some point, the Council discovered a rift and came by "unprecedented reading of free-oscillating gravitational waves." Their ideal of the potential behind the readings were paramount because the resources at the mine would be invaluable to Jirga Para Lhao. They followed up by sending an expedition to extract the resources or records but lost contact with them sometime before or after the expedition were attacked by Scarabs.

Prior to the ambush, the expedition were investigating a rich ore deposit after discovering the lost ruins, but their airboat engine suddenly gave out; they crashed and then Scarabs surrounded them. One survivor briefly managed to escape with one of the extra airboats but then crashed on a neighboring, floating structure and injured himself.

The council offered a deal (which they never had any intention of honoring) to Kat and Raven: If they brought back the records from the lost expedition, the Council would free the hostages they had captive - including Syd and Cecie. Kat and Raven proceeded to the rift and mine, and once they got inside, they commented on how dark the Candle Zone was. They discovered the new Nevi swarm species and, more importantly, that completing the stone tablet trials ended up lighting the candles, which would lead the way. As they were traveling through the area, they saw a flare signal which was fired from the injured survivor of the expedition. He explained the events that took place leading up to current location. However, because he was injured, Raven decided to go back and drop him off with the rest of the Garrison, while Kat proceeded to the lost ruins to find the abandoned record. Shortly after, Kat found the next stone tablet and a small pillar with the Lunar Style equipment next to it. She used the new power to traverse the rest of the vertical rift plane and eventually found the crashed airboat of the expedition and lost ruins which she was surprised actually turned out to be Neu Hiraleon, the very place that took her from Hekseville. Raven returned and helped Kat identify the expedition record. Afterwards, a strange purple and black energy appeared and disappeared, then Nevi showed up, including a giant whale-like one. Following the defeat of the giant Nevi, the rift plane mysteriously began to collapse, although Kat and Raven managed to escape through a rift before getting trapped.

Geography

Candle Zone is made up of a series of floating rock formations lit by candles. It has a very dark atmosphere with a blue tint, mirroring the depths of an ocean—evident by the presence of corals, floating bubbles, and both levitating and grounded seashell-esque objects that can be pulled into Stasis Fields. In addition, the rocky structures are embedded with fossilized sea-shells. This was also the first location where the Swarm, a group of small fish type Nevi, and a colossal, whale-shaped Nevi were shown.

Trivia

*The extended version of the standard OST for this zone, "Candlelit Journey," is only played in Episode 9: "And the Soldier's Wife?" of the main story, as well as layers 24 and 25 of the Delvool Trench Mine.