Syron Grey Extended Formation Chart

I’ve been working pretty in depth with Syron’s crystal mechanics and decided it was about time to fully explain and detail his formation tree.  I know this looks complicated, so I’ll do my best to describe the pros-cons to each formation/subformation, implications of use, etc.

As many of you know, or as many of you don’t know, Syron operates using 4 large purple crystals that act as extensions of his body.  These four crystals are called the Hylex crystals, and pulse with soundwaves.  The sound from the crystals is Syron’s primary tool of operation and he uses different soundwaves/frequencies to his advantage.  Also, Syron is able to mutate/morph the crystal formation into different states depending on necessity.  These four formations are caused by Syron using different sections of the Calamity Diamond.
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The Calamity Diamond

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The Calamity Diamond is a synthetic gem that is comprised of 5 pieces (the core being Syron himself {the crystal on his chest is the core}) and when completely assembled, the diamond activates the Bio-weapon designed by Syron’s Father, Kaius Grey, which mutates Syron into the actual weapon.  Hylexus, this weapon, is the Titan of Sound in Syron’s universe, and under the control of Kaius, is designed to crack a fissure into the Planet Alaria’s Crust, firing a singularity into the core of the planet, and causing the entire crust of the planet to subvert, wiping the surface clean of life for terraforming a new race of life of Kaius’ choosing and design.

However, Syron cannot destroy the crystal without merging all the pieces to create a perfect cleave point in the gem (which ironically activates it, but allows for it to become destructible.  Syron is not aware he is the core of the device).

Despite this, augmenting sections at a time to his chest allows him to mutate past his normal states, granting him access to the four major sub-formations that are demonstrated in animations such as Hayabusa and Dragonfly:

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the Four Basis States

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Pulse:  This state is specifically designed to accommodate sound-pulses which require specific timing and resonant frequencies The stems of this formation use sound to cut, shoot, and complete timing-sensitive tasks (think a metronome).  It’s depicted by the Hylex Crystals appearing red and forming a giant X that slowly rotates behind Syron.

Knuckleduster: This state lowers Syron’s agility to the lowest state, disabling his ability to quickly dodge and run.  However, this state forms giant crystalline boxing gloves that deliver focused and intense sound in the form of shockwaves.  This form is demonstrated in the Dragonfly Animation.

Dragonfly:  This state lowers Syron’s attack and Defense to near nothing, making him incredibly vulnerable to attack.  However, this also grants Syron the ability to move at incredible rates using sonic booms to push him through three-dimensional space (think how a space station uses thrusters to change its trajectory).  This formation is depicted with the four Hylex crystals forming dragonfly-like wings behind Syron.  It is demonstrated in the animation Dragonfly.

Tank:  This state lowers all of Syron’s stats to near nothing while boosting defense to the highest level, essentially anchoring Syron in place with the exception of walking.  Soundwaves are used to anchor Syron to a specific spot and form a sonic wall between the crystal pillars, allowing for temporary deflection of attacks and projectiles.  This form is depicted with the four crystals infront of Syron, placed vertically to create a wall of spikes.

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Changing states, & Load and Vitae

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To change between states, Syron must return back to Balance formation (his iconic purple appearance) and then descend into another formation tree.  He cannot shift directly across trees.

Also, equipping sections of the Calamity Diamond to his chest core results in the change of two aspects of Syron’s being:  Vitae and Load.

Vitae is essentially Syron’s life force.  Higher the vitae, the healthier he is.  The lower the vitae, the more injured he is.

Load represents the amount of mutation Syron has at any given time.  Higher load represents a more significant mutation.

The more pieces equipped to Syron’s being, the lower the Vitae, but the higher the Load, therefore equipping multiple mutation trees at the same time is riskier, but allows for more utilization of his own abilities.

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Subformations / Secondary States

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With each tree of formations, Syron also has access to more severe mutations in each tree.  Each subformation is a specialization of its respective base (think right tool for the right job).  However, the deeper Syron descends into each formation tree, the longer it takes for him to return to his basis formation, possibly costing him precious time and leaving him temporarily vulnerable.

    Each tree has two secondary formations, each a different facet of its base:

Power Tree

• Railgun: This state is specifically designed to handle the ranged projection of sound in timed bursts, creating a firearm from Syron’s arms and sections of his back crystals.  While this eliminates Syron’s ability to fight in close combat, it allows him to create linearly-projected soundwaves to hit a target.  This mode is rhythmic, meaning that the shots and attacks are timed to the metronome system created by the X on Syron’s back.  Syron cannot attack or defend in any way between the metronome downbeats, leaving him entirely exposed during these ‘beats’.

• Hayabusa: First depicted in the animation, the formation causes both of Syron’s arms to mutate into blades that conduct ultrasonic energy.  The ultrasonic waves pulse through the blades at intervals, which deliver increased hitting strength and cutting energy on metronome downbeats.  However, there is no energy in the sword on upbeats during Syron’s metronome phase, meaning Syron must strike in rhythmic patterns to be effective.

Knuckleduster Tree

• Mortar:  A specialization of the original knuckleduster, Mortar causes two sections of the crystal gloves to snap out in the rear of each glove on impact, allowing for incredibly focussed hits of energy with very little punch windup (essentially allowing syron to ‘one-inch-punch’).  However, the punch delivered from the mortar sections is weaker than the standard knuckleduster formation.

• Hammerbuster: In hammerbuster, all of the extra crystals from Syron’s upper body are harnessed to mutate into a giant hammer.  Using conductive soundwaves, Syron can use surface-detonations to swing the hammer incredibly fast (sound-rockets) and channel the energy to the contact points on the hammer target.  While this state is more powerful than basis Knuckleduster, it leaves Syron’s entire backside completely vulnerable to attack (due to lack of crystal shielding).

Dragonfly Tree

• Windchime: A more unusual formation derived from the high frequencies of Dragonfly formation, windchime separates Syron’s back crystals into varying length shards, allowing Syron to minutely detect changes in wavelengths in a given area.  This allows Syron to slightly pick-up on radio-frequencies and regional low-wavelength ultrasound, and either magnify or temporarily broadcast it.  This formation is non-offensive and non-defensive, therefore it is never used in a combat situation.

• Apollo: Stemming from the speed aspects of Dragonfly, Apollo formation focuses all the sound propulsion to the back of the crystals, creating a linear movement vector with a much higher magnitude than Dragonfly.  While it lowers the overall agility of Syron, hindering his ability to change directions or stop, it increases the linear speed of a single direction.  This formation is the first of the Dragonfly formations to allow for speeds in excess of mach 1.  

Tank Tree

• Anchor: a derivative of the Tank tree, Anchor channels waves that assist in locking Syron to a surface even more than its predecessor.  This formation is specifically designed to keep other objects from moving, or slow movement of an existing object.  During this formation, Syron is completely immobile, and unable to attack in any way.  However he can still partially shield himself using residual sound waves from the anchor tips.

• Earthquake:  the first offense-driven formation of Tank, Earthquake creates a pillar of crystal with two side branches which anchor directly into the surface below.  Using immense radial soundwaves, Syron is capable of firing intense blasts into the surface in which the pillar is anchored to.  However, the shockwaves are relatively shallow, and are designed to effect the surface of the object in question in the immediate area, causing an above-ground radial shockwaves in the air as well.  This formation is primarily used for demolition.

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Overload States

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While Syron is usually safe in the basic formation trees and their subformations, Syron does have the ability to ‘overcharge’ each respective state. There are substantial (life-endangering) risks to doing so, as the Overload states cause fragments of the crystal in his chest to splinter, entering his bloodstream and causing incredible tissue damage to his internal organs and heart (worst case scenario causing organ failure and cardiac arrest).  These formations are considered one-use-only, and should not be used until every other alternative has been exhausted.

Pulse Tree

• Yamato: The final stem from Railgun, Yamato mutates most of Syron’s body (including his legs) to create a single-shot cannon, which can be used to expend nearly all of the charged energy from Syron’s body into a focussed beam.  The beam takes time to charge, using the back ‘wings’ as a storage battery/generator for the resultant beam of energy.  After the shot, the back wings shatter, causing 2 of the 4 Hylex Crystals to self-destruct.  These crystals eventually regenerate at great cost to Syron.

• Ronin:  The final stem from Hayabusa, Ronin uses all of Syron’s crystals to form a single blade and armor that surrounds his body.  This armor pulses with stored sound energy to protect himself from the blade itself.  The blade can be used in combat for a very short time, but the resultant frequencies from the blade cause the leading edge to become white-hot, and allow it to pass through most materials.  The flag formation on Syron’s back is used as a heat-sink to remove harmful heat from the armor encapsulating Syron’s body.  After use, the flag collapses back into Syron’s back, usually with a dangerously high surface temperature, which causes severe burns to Syron after use.

Knuckleduster Tree

• Tunguska: Tunguska is the final stem of Mortar, and causes all but a few of Syron’s body crystals to become 6 supercharged fists that orbit his central body.  These fists expend all of their stored energy in a matter of seconds, but can be used in one of two methods: Method one causes each fist to create a flurry of punches, causing a blazingly fast succession of punches.  Method two causes all 6 fists to punch the same or multiple targets simultaneously, causing a devastating shockwave or airburst of energy in the direction of the target.  The concussion from the blast can cause temporary fractures in Syron’s chest crystal, and usually results in the breaking of the sternum until it heals from the chest crystal welding it back together with crystal stranding.  

• Hephaestus: Causing severe mutations in all of Syron’s appendages, Hephaestus is the only formation that causes the mutation and disintegration of Syron’s tail.  Forming a giant flail-tail, Syron can conduct a giant wrecking-ball for a short period of time, using shockwaves from the core of the ball to cause collateral damage.  However, with Syron unshielded, the force from the flail causes large amounts of collateral damage to injure Syron.  This form also causes the temporary loss of his tail, which eventually rebuilds into a crystal variant of itself over several months, which the original bone structure is lost and replaced by a Hylex spinal extension where muscle and fur grow over the new structure.

Dragonfly Tree

• Caligo: Probably the most unusual formation in the entire tree, Caligo forms a black rotating clock-like shape of crystal behind and around Syron, which uses frequencies to distort lightwaves.  This allows Syron to change his visible image to partially cloak himself in his own sound.  However, use of Caligo causes ‘dark-spots’ to occasionally form around Syron, which cause tremendous temperature drops.  The form is usually dissolved willingly after Syron can ‘no longer take’ the severe frostbite that is experienced by his organic body.  

• Redshift:  The final speed mutation in Dragonfly, Redshift takes Apollo formation a step further by eliminating the ability to change direction/slow down, and instead augments every spare crystal (with the exception of Syron’s legs) and focuses all the stored Hylex energy to the rear of the formation.  This causes an out-of-control acceleration that is sustained until Syron either manually stops the formation or until Syron blacks out from the experienced forces on his body, which often results in him falling out of the sky.  This formation is the most prone to causing internal organ failure both from sustained g-forces and crystalline splintering in his body.  The formation also causes the Hylex Crystals to be inseparable for an extended amount of time.  To return to balance formation, the crystals need weeks to heal and separate on their own.

Tank Tree

• Reaver: Reaver takes the anchor aspect of tank to the fullest level by literally welding Syron and the crystals to a desired surface and use sound waves to lock it in three-dimensional space in all directions, making the object anchored near-unmovable by outside forces.  While a formation that can only be sustained for mere minutes, the formation actually crushes Syron to the surface in question.  The force from the reaver ‘arch and halo’ can actually cause long lasting physical deformations to Syron’s organic body, and using the formation for too long will literally crush Syron to death against his own will, permanently welding him to the side of the surface in his own tomb.

• Planet Cracker: The only formation to combine every single stray crystal into a single, unified pillar, Planet Cracker is the final state of Tank formation, which allows Syron to create a giant solid Hylex pillar in the spot of his choosing.  While this allows Syron to freely move, the Pillar is immovable and Syron has no defense or attack except his own biological body, which is weakened by the lack of crystal assistance in moving.  Planet Cracker than is able to fire directed and deep infrasonic blasts using the pillar as a shaft.  While the radius is still relatively small ( < 50 meters), the seismic force generated by the succession of blasts can physically alter the surrounding landscape.  This is compounded further by having the 3 blasts timed so the aftershock of each previous blast compounds the following shockwave.  The radial force from the epicenter leaves Syron completely exposed to the unshielded shockwave, resulting in severe internal injury.  Also, once the Planet Cracker shockwave undulation begins, there is no ‘abort’ option, which means it cannot be turned off until the succession of waves is finished.  After the blasts, the pillar will shatter and reform into the balance formation.

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Butterfly Formation/ The augmentation of all the Pieces

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The final formation in the mutation trees for Syron is considered the only ‘one-way’ mutation, as it cannot be returned to balance, and leaving the formation will kill Syron.  Butterfly formation is the resultant formation when all 5 pieces of the Calamity Diamond are joined and activated by a unifying wavelength that Syron must emit himself.  This is done by augmenting all four pieces to his chest crystal and emitting a specific soundwave from the crystal in his chest, which fuses the crystal together.  This causes the cleave point to form, allowing for its destruction, but also throws the ‘switch’ for the Hylexus transformation.  Upon triggering the formation, Syron literally mutates his entire body into a giant cocoon, which eventually causes the permanent dissolution of his entire organic body over several days/weeks.  Upon exiting the cocoon, Syron will be reborn as the bio-weapon himself.  Technically, butterfly is the formation that Syron is during the transformation, and the form Syron remains in at the core of Hylexus, which serves as the engine to the Titan.  Unless Syron is physically pried and separated from Hylexus, he has no ability to control his own free will.  However, if separation is possible, it would theoretically separate Syron from the Calamity Diamond, which is also the the only way he can survive.  If Hylexus is destroyed, Syron is inevitably killed as a result of no way to provide energy to his body any longer.  

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End of Huge Wall of Text

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Syron has always been an immensely complicated character purely in terms of his mechanics.  Hopefully this sheds a good deal of light on his abilities and their different operation methods.  While I have only drawn a few of the formations, this might give insight as to what the others would look like.

Now to actually draw him revealing more facets of his personality/behavior.  I feel all I ever talk about is his crystals, and not Syron himself…

~Dan