The Combine's Savage Leaders | The Combine Advisor | FULL Half-Life Lore

The Combine Advisor, also known as the Shu'ulathoi, are an iconic part of the Half-Life timeline. Although their existence was hidden from the Resistance, these creatures were essential in the invasion of Earth and The Combine's tight control of the planet.
Where did these creatures come from, how much of an impact did they have on the Combine Invasion of Planet Earth and how deep does their lore go? In this video, I explore the lore and story behind The Combine Advisor in Half-Life.
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
01:03 Overview (Before HL2)
05:32 The Advisor's Role on Earth (During HL2)
09:44 Half-Life 2: Episode 3
10:46 Breengrub (The Advisor Origin)
18:17 Epistle 3
20:52 New Concept Art
22:29 Legacy & Conclusion
23:45 Closing Thoughts
David McGreavy's Twitter Account
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Join the Discord Server!
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BECOME A CHANNEL MEMBER!
/ @skyrionn
BECOME A PATRON!
/ theskyrionn
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Fable Lore Playlist: • What Became of Albion'...
Half-Life Lore Playlist: • The Borealis | Half-Li...
Fable 4 Updates: • Fable IV: Thoughts and...
Standard Sources
Half-Life series playthrough research
Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
Half-Life: Alyx Playthrough
Portal/ Half-Life Fandom
Old Valve Forums
Marc Laidlaw's Twitter
Breengrub Twitter
Reddit AMA (w/ HL: Alyx Developers)
AUDIO USED
Half-Life 2 OST: Lab Practicum
Half-Life 2 OST: Triage at Dawn
#Advisor #Lore #HalfLife

[@Skyrionn]

Do you think the G-Man is an advisor that escaped The Combine?

[@PlittHD]

I always wondered about the physical form of the G-Man. Is it a human so that Gordon can relate and is not scared or more trustful towards him? Considering his way of speaking and appearance (for example eyes) are not really human but look/sound like as if someone studied humans and then tried to replicate it

[@owl4356]

All of the advisors are unhatched, in their larval form. I think G-Man and his employers are the hatched ones.

[@hovdebjo]

I think he's a nihilanth

[@nihminus6612]

nah

[@HansWurst1569]

Grub-Man?

[@codymcgrath2.3bviews3secon7]

"Unfortunately the resistance held off the units and launched the rocket successfully" - I knew you were a Combine sympathizer

[@Skyrionn]

I had to tell the story from their side 😂 I do feel bad for the advisors though

[@codymcgrath2.3bviews3secon7]

@@Skyrionn I'm sure 😉🤣 good video though I always thought they were the true combine, leaves me hungry to find out who the combine actually may be

[@The_Lamash]

Who isn’t a combine sympathizer though lol I am

[@Box236]

@@The_Lamash you killed Eli you will perish

[@m0no367]

@@codymcgrath2.3bviews3secon7 well that's kinda why the half life series is still alive

[@feluto7172]

It's absolutely terrifying if you consider that they aren't even the top leaders of the combine, they are just a stalkerized middle manager version of their native species. An entire species of dreamers, artists and philosophers reduced to a living excel sheet managing a giant concentration camp

[@Demonoob223]

That is horrifying to think about, thank you

[@chronos1604]

this is breengrub lore and NOT official lol

[@feluto7172]

@@chronos1604 it’s from the writer so maybe not in game official but for me it’s lore official

[@BungieStudios]

@@chronos1604Valve says fans determine what's canon for themselves.

[@MetroCop2077]

​@@BungieStudioswait, what ?

[@RD-170]

8:45 II like how the dramatic final moments of Eli Vance are only slightly hindered by Gordon floating about in an invisible chair

[@Skyrionn]

Ikr 😂 😂 I tried to do it without Gordon sitting in the chair but it's the default way

[@stormlordeternal7663]

Should be like Eustace from Courage the Cowardly Dog holding up a newspaper with the suit tts saying "nope, not getting out of this chair."

[@darkySp]

That's fucking clever, actually. Instead of programing another camera to move through the scene, they just sit the player down in a "vehicle" and that vehicle just follows the path they need for the camera movement. You're locked in an invisible seat while the seat moves and the camera is just your ordinary first person one you look through all game. You just lose control of it.

[@sarminder4357]

@@darkySp Gotta love game devs making use of already existing resources

[@alvianekka80]

​@@darkySpSo the same as when Gordon is transported inside a pod in Citadel?

[@binbows2258]

I don't think the Advisors are leaders. They are called Advisors. Their role is to "advise" the Combine's puppet ruler on behalf of the UU. The advisors aren't the leadership themselves, they are the middleman between Breen and the leadership. Leadership of the UU is most likely on the Combine Overworld. Or perhaps there is no leadership, and all the advisors are in service to each other and the UU as a whole? We always assume that the Combine is structured like a conventional empire, with a top-town chain of command and power structure, but we really don't know that.

[@bluegum6438]

Advisors are probably very important to the Combine, they even appear to have the luxury of free will. They can apparently also transfer consciousnesses into an Advisor body, which maybe suggests the Advisors are synthetic bodies (or a race that proved useful for this purpose) for minds considered valuable to the Combine. They have telekinesis and eat brains for knowledge, so they're leaning heavily on the "floating psychic alien brain" thing. I would guess they're sent to manage worlds and comb them for information and report back to a larger governing body. Probably not leaders, but definitely middle management. Assistant to the regional manager.

[@Skyrionn]

I'd say I agree. They're advisers to something. It can't just be to Breen. Hopefully one day we'll find out how The Combine is structured.

[@binbows2258]

@@Skyrionn I hope so too

[@ElChrisman]

I feel like the UU may function more like the Borg from star trek, no leader/emperor in the classical sense, just a machine, a set of orders and protocols, perpetuating itsself

[@crusaderduncan9398]

@@ElChrisman while I would agree, it seems like the advisors have more of a personality to them, it’s weird but they don’t seem completely like bioautomatons. And the collar around their (necks?) seem to almost imply culture when compared to the rest of the combine ascetic.

[@stormhought]

The child-like shrieks that these guys gives me chills every time I play half life 2 ep2

[@Skyrionn]

Ikr! I believe they're also just victims of the Combine

[@dkskcjfjswwwwwws413]

theyre grubs, afterall

[@syunfcy4202]

@@Skyrionn where did you get that advisor to kill that person and crush that barrel

[@weaponized_toaster]

​@@syunfcy4202 in hl2 ep2

[@SusCalvin]

I like their role as middle management blokes who get sent planetside whenever the Combine needs someone to manage the locals. You get a sense of just what priority the events on Earth have when all they send is middle management dudes. Plus they get sweaters. They're not going around naked.

[@Big_C_4205]

That would also explain why there was able to be a resistance in the first place. You’d think with most of humanity wiped out, and a heavily controlled population that they couldn’t stand a chance and fight back, and they show up when things get out of hand. They really are interesting enemies, though they don’t talk.

[@SusCalvin]

@@Big_C_4205 I don't think they're a crisis management crew, necessarily. They're there to do routine occupational management.

[@theenderdestruction2362]

​@@Big_C_4205 I feel like your underestimate the spirit of man and our own wrath also it seems to me that the people who gman works for want the combine either completely gone or dead

[@fawkewe]

I like to believe if the Advisors are not the founders, they are one of the few truly Free races in the Combine. Probably because there telekinetic powers and cybernetic knowledge are of insane use. Because of this they are eligible to administer Planets.

[@KILLUSALL92]

I've always thought of the combine being an AI that absorbs all life into its collective and the advisors are yet just another species that fell to the combine.

[@Skyrionn]

That's a great theory

[@pyropulseIXXI]

AI cannot do that. AI's aren't conscious and never will be unless you include mystical soul transference technology, allowing 'spirits' to inhabit them. If you talk to an AI and it seems real, it isn't an AI, it is a demon This is why they say creating AI is "summoning the Demon."

[@Cornelio-8]

We are the Bor- Combine... We will assimilate you.... Resistance is futile...

[@TheBroGamer14082]

Imagine if it was wheatley after having gone through some weird time dilation stuff

[@RustinBlack]

THIS. I've always assumed we were never going to actually see what the chiefs "looked like", just the many mechanical modifications it installs on itself while inhabiting all of these species. -a runaway, malevolent A.I., or conglomerate of A.I., would simply subsume any species it found useful. "The Combine" may have started as one such A.I., somehow given the will and eventual means to control and dominate all of life it finds "malignant" across the cosmos. *created by something else (?) with unintended consequences (?), with INTENDED consequences (??), may never know

[@dirkechoes1377]

8:57 Eli: Dying horribly Gordon: Consumed by a wall

[@Skyrionn]

"consumed by wall" - literally made me laugh out loud

[@theorangeoof926]

Poor blud became a resistance leader and survived Black Mesa to be eaten by *WALL*

[@trashmammal9203]

Just want to say that just because another species hasn't revealed itself as the leaders of the combine doesn't necessarily mean that the advisors are. The force that took earth is an occupational force. A fraction of their forces. Basically babysitters. The full scale of the combine is utterly and incomprehensibly mind bending. I love this game so much.

[@Skyrionn]

Hopefully one day we'll see the full picture.

[@waffler-yz3gw]

@@Skyrionn i hope not, it makes them scarier to not know what the full extent of their power is

[@jestawell]

maybe It doesnt have leaders, its just a combine

[@leech_the_loser7348]

@@waffler-yz3gw I don’t think a pic could do them Justice anyways

[@nickkozak4763]

@@Skyrionni think they are so strong attacking but so damn weak at defending or preventing damage to their own home world when one species they attack decides. hey let’s really fuck them up for picking a fight with a species who’s survival mechanism is to reduce heavily in numbers then somehow come out on top through all odds creating technologies from their own that are slightly better than their own. to the point where they can put 100+ soldiers against that one or two soldiers and more than half of those 100+ soldiers would be dead. multiply that by say, 2 billion soldiers against ###,###,###,### then that’s a huge part of an army gone… (the more there are the kill, the less of a hit the enemy sustains. but kept up for a long time and even a large amount of troops will be a good loss. to the point that some worlds may have to be abandoned just to defend their own.. that’s fantasy anyway.

[@jacobplayer2709]

Half life is always at its best when it leans into the cosmic horror.

[@Collisto2435]

Every species the Combine come across get assimilated in some way. It just turns out the Shu'ulathoi had useful properties to them.

[@Skyrionn]

Just another brutal enslavement

[@Bomkz]

the borg of half life

[@oonmm]

​@@Bomkz The original Half-Life on PS2 is way older than Star Trek.

[@Bomkz]

@@oonmm wh-HUH??? the original Star Trek series aired in 1969. and the one where the borg first showed up was in Star Trek TNG in 1988. Half-Life released in 1998.

[@oonmm]

@@Bomkz Oh, I didn't know that. I only saw the first Star Trek movie in cinema in like 2010 or something. I played the original Half-Life on PS2 as a child though, so I just took for granted that I had seen the first Star Trek in the cinema.

[@InMaTeofDeath]

Also known as the Brain Bug, as Neil Patrick Harris wisely stated "It's Afraid!"

[@Skyrionn]

We do love NPH

[@brainfreezzzze6900]

You wanna live forever?!

[@ffwast]

I liked the idea implied by the "host body" line and "advisor" title that the breengrub stuff apparently confirmed, that they're another cog in the machine that's chewed up all its parts even if leader consciousness is imprinted on them. That even these creatures have been reduced to slaves by the combine just like the human soldiers.

[@Skyrionn]

It just adds to the awful nature of the Combine Empire

[@norwegianboyee]

I'm curious if any creatures at all in the Combine hierarchy would be kept relatively "normal" or if even the upper ranks are all some forms of cyborgs.

[@Asko83]

It could very well be that there is no "species" that rules as the leaders of the Combine. More like a small number of beings that also enslaved their own species and modified their own bodies and minds with the technology they created and stole over their millenia of ruling the Combine. It could very well be that the Advisors are what happens to most of the original species that started the Combine, or it could be that the original species were simply powerful soldier units that ran over a few other species that were taken into the Combine (but we haven't seen any yet), and the few leaders look nothing like the rest of their species who have lost their free will and been turned into another cog in the machine. Advisors were then another conquered species that found a niche as middle management, while the "originals" apart from the mysterious leader(s) are nothing but grunts for the military. Or if we take the Advisor's offer (and the Breen Grub bit) to Breen seriously, perhaps the Combine also combines new members to their leadership. Breen was given rule over Earth as a Quisling, if he did his job well and Earth's resources (including people) were taken into the Combine, he too would become an Advisor and this way, the leadership of the Combine grows. Each leader being a creature that enslaved their own species and was then rewarded with power as a part of the leadership of Combine to lead attacks to more worlds.

[@jollygrapefruit786]

12:13 - 13:15 is such a cool concept, a species with their own virtual reality-esque interface laying under the surface of a barren planet interacting for centuries through their psychic capabilities.

[@Skyrionn]

Ikr! I just wish this was implemented into the game. It's great writing

[@KingMetalMario]

after getting the host body, breen decided to spend the remaining time of his life posting on twitter

[@gamesux420]

Its so interesting how they had the might to completely destroy all hopes of humanity in just 7 hours and subjigating the entire species, yet at the same time they fear an uprising might be their end and would allow Breen to live among them on their homeworld despite only being a puppet. He has only had one purpose to the combine which is to keep humanity calm and controlled and he failed. Weird writing or just a quirk in the way the combine think? Who knows.

[@Skyrionn]

I think maybe they'll have better luck with then next species they attempt to conquer.

[@Fxrrxt2x]

They have to be aware of the third-party that is the gman and whoever he works for and are just trying to stay on top of whatever it is they do.

[@mojus2890]

There's probably also some social reasons. The bigger the screw up, the worse their punishment kind of thing. It could also be them just wanting to do a good job too. Breen might be treated well because one person doesn't matter and rewarding traitors might just be good policy. Otherwise, their could be some sense of obligation involved since he did provide meaningful help in doing their job.

[@trutwhut6550]

@@mojus2890 he also wasn't that ineffective when in comparison, Gordon can have as many go arounds as possible and we only ever remember the victory, because that's what happens when you throw one man at the same problem he learns from all his deaths and mistakes. How many times did you die throughout all of hl2 and alyx? If it's more than the times you won then Breen didn't necessarily "fail" you just eventually won.

[@quan-uo5ws]

I think that the combine, being a gigantic intergalactic empire, has to strategically allocate its resources to different places. When they invaded earth, they used the full might of their army to conquer the humans, however after the humans rebelled, the advisors probably realised that the combine wont spare any more resources on this planet, meaning that the transhuman overwatch was left on its own to defend against the rebel onslaught. Maybe something of much greater importance is going on in the combine empire, and the Earth is just not important to them anymore.

[@protostar5946]

Still can't believe we get to fight an Advisor in Entropy : Zero 2!

[@Skyrionn]

I'm looking forward to getting to that part

[@michaelandreipalon359]

And how it's beaten sure was as awesome as one should expect. Can't spoil how though.

[@Aceysa2526]

@@michaelandreipalon359 You get the admin gun and shoot it :troll:

[@michaelandreipalon359]

@@Aceysa2526 Heh, not really.

[@mishapp4439]

Spoiler alert

[@chuckchuck4016]

My head cannon is that the old timeline is where humanity loses the war and the timeline where Eli lives is the timeline where humanity wins

[@Skyrionn]

That's a good idea

[@WrynnCZ]

Its like G-Man chippes bit by bit old version of timeline and overwritting it with his own version

[@lsswappedcessna]

@@WrynnCZ "I reject your reality and substitute it with my own!"

[@pseudonymousgamer4563]

The visuals for what you’re talking about onscreen are getting better, and make it much more entertaining. Keep it up, because I love these lore videos.

[@Skyrionn]

I've seen a few comments like this. Thank you! I'll keep posting!

[@user-hd9dp6oz7o]

this content is my favourite slop on the internet literally can't get enough

[@mac1862]

The Shu'ulathoi G-Man theory is definitely the most logical for him. In fact it sort of seems like Laidlaw was purposefully implying this, certainly the thought would have crossed his mind as he was writing Breengrub and Epistle 3

[@Artofwarthebookof5rings]

Differently one of the most interesting species in half life. Hopefully they'll make an appearance in the next game.

[@Skyrionn]

I'm sure they will if we get a continuation of the timeline.

[@user-ls8pd1pz3h]

Hahaha next game youre so funny

[@JackFoxtrotEDM]

@@user-ls8pd1pz3h It might actually be possible for once. They said after Alyx they finally wanted to get back into expanding the Half-Life series once again, and making such detailed character models just for one game sounds like a waste. It’s also a good thing they changed the timeline thanks to Alyx changing the future through G-Man. We already knew for the most part what would happen in Episode 3, especially thanks to Laidlaw’s Epistle 3. But changing the story in the way they did means nobody knows what will happen next, and they can surprise players both old and new.

[@TheTeleMan500]

Yeah, probably a bigger role too.

[@Cyclopeantreegiant]

@@TheTeleMan500 yes but in the episodes of hl2 they do have a role

[@Nightwolf0301]

I cant help but wander what the original Combine were. I have a theory that they are in fact some form of sentient machine race. To boil my theory down to simple thinking, they are a version of the Borg from Star Trek. They always seam to alter their slave species to serve more efficiently. This makes me think machine consciousness that adapts slabes to serve a purpose no living thing could consider or comprehend.

[@DomBobomb]

This is a great recap, and I’m glad that the concept art is getting people excited about the missing content of HL again! The remaining concept art isn’t as exciting as that piece, but I’m sure people will enjoy it when I get them scanned.

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks man! Your passion for Valve and ability to acquire these lost treasures is impressive. I'll be watching to see the others scans! :)

[@asdfghjk9428]

guys, i think skyrionn got replaced by a clone. he didn't explain the resonance cascade

[@Skyrionn]

Shhh - don't tell anyone

[@pangaming124]

Or maybe he was a spy!

[@BeachioSandschannel]

@@pangaming124 The Skyrionn is a spy!

[@BeachioSandschannel]

@@Skyrionn Spy!

[@korvo9936]

@@BeachioSandschannel Spy around here!

[@sirorcaplays]

"but episode 3 was never released" Those words hit so hard after many years. I hate an unfinished story.

[@arcfilmproductions7297]

Sometimes I feel so angry at Valve for doing that. Like, sell the IP to someone who would finish the story faithfully. Maybe (old) Bungie or Remedy.

[@sirorcaplays]

@@arcfilmproductions7297 I have known that feeling for a very long time. The same happened recently to me with The Game of Thrones books and the King killer Chronicles

[@sirorcaplays]

And I mean, why would anyone finish a story when it could just create a new timeline and totally disregard millions of fans that helped build their business? Don't get me wrong, I liked Alyx, but it wasn't what I and others wanted.

[@mkefayati473]

​@@sirorcaplaysI can't believe it either, alyx??? After all that wait??? And VR! Everything nerfed. The video game that changed the world of video games, taught everyone how to walk, but itself(valve), fell...failed to finish and deliver. Almost 20 years later after hl2 we get slapped with alyx. If fans were really into the third episode, they would have boycut alyx. But when you purchase, you send a signal to valve(combine), that we as fans are fine with alyx and screw third episode. 😞🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦

[@memesfromdeepspace1075]

​@@mkefayati473just wait next year

[@sirguinea3513]

What if the Combine is not a hierarchy, but an idea? An idea of unity through whatever means necessary?

[@baltakatei]

Unity requires a driving motivation. Some cosmic disaster that requires coordinated action across many worlds. In science fiction such motivators include: * Wildfire. False vacuum collapse (a wave of destruction propagating across space at a significant fraction of the speed of light as our vacuum degrades into an even more stable configuration). Basically a wildfire but the thing that is burning is space-time itself. * A Bigger Fish. There's always a bigger one. Some even larger and possibly more unified expansionist host is knocking on the door of local space and local civilizations are being conscripted by a previously hands-off lord to defend the lord's holdings. *Capitalism. The threat is internal, not external. More specifically, the invaders require more resources to fuel their empire's exponential growth in order to prevent fragmentation of their empire by reinforcing mass and energy transport through which trade and propaganda can travel. Growth is paid for by unrealized future profits that themselves depend upon growth.

[@SergyMilitaryRankings]

​@@baltakatei unity doesn't always require such things, the concept of unification itself can be a motivation, the idea that all life should be united

[@eragonbromsson1122]

There are not two timelines, is just a single one. The Advisors attack, kill Eli, then G-Man rewind time and past-Alyx kill the Advisor. After this, the G-Man return past-Alyx to her own time and take present-Alyx. The events of Half-Life Alyx always happened.

[@callumfinlayson-palmer8393]

Time travel nonsense is always confusing lol

[@deviateedits]

@@callumfinlayson-palmer8393 I wouldn’t say time travel, just time re-writing. G man exists independently of time, which is why he knew Gordon would fail him and went back 5 years to pick up alyx. So he ‘re-wrote’ time to suit his needs. No other character travelled through time, just G man, who was never really bound to a particular timeline anyway

[@quagmoe7879]

Actually there’s more than 2 timelines, there’s infinite timelines. Half-Life and Portal are a shared Universe, and in Portal 2 you can learn Aperture discovered the “Multiverse” which is basically infinite timelines with infinite possibilities existing all at the same time in different Universes.

[@guifdcanalli]

@@callumfinlayson-palmer8393 time is flexible, gman said that

[@enderkatze6129]

Remind me of what happened in Half-Life Alyx? Cus i have No idea what you're talking about

[@awo4101]

Accept advisorial reward. Do not resist the ADVISOR. DO NOT HARM THE ADVISOR.

[@Skyrionn]

YES!

[@TrialDubz]

Haha funi gun goes bang

[@TheKlawwGang888]

These things scare the fuck out of me, I always remember the part where you get hit by their psychic screaming and you have to hide as they fly overhead.

[@Skyrionn]

The barn advisor was absolutely one of the highlights of Episode 2.

[@Sunday8916]

Please don't stop making these videos. Id watch any lore vid made by you, even if it was lore behind weapons in HL !

[@Skyrionn]

I don't plan to stop!

[@shayan235]

You dont know how much I wait for your half life and portal lores. Thankyou.

[@Skyrionn]

I'm glad you enjoy them! Thanks for watching them

[@sookendestroy1]

A thing that the advisors always make me think about is who actually controls the combine. My guess since they are a multiversal Empire that you would take a super intelligent AI. Mayhaps the combine overworld is no simple Dyson sphere but a boltzmann brain, a world sized conciousness

[@Skyrionn]

An AI is a great theory

[@tomithino456]

@@Skyrionn or, it's a hivemind!

[@slyseal2091]

Their M.O. fits pretty well into that of a paperclip maximizer (look it up on Wikipedia), with the paperclips equating to military power. Whatever form of creator they have will have either been absorbed or might not care to / be capable of controlling them. The very top of it's decision making is probably a bunch of simple algorithms that go like "find new place; if new place inhabited: absorb; else: build outpost". On the layer below that you might likely have some actually sentient entities, capable of planning complex tasks like colonising an entire planet and it's society, but incapable of disobeying the commands from the top layer. Whether or not that second layer is already the one advisors are on I can't tell, but it would be thematically (and conceptually) efficient if the Combine genuinely only had like three layers of administration needed to take over multiple universes.

[@AccessDenied20078]

Headcannon acquired

[@DekkarJr]

Maybe its a * insert random science concept... * A ... Dirac Sea...

[@Rizal96able]

I believe the GMan is a hatched Shu'ulathoi. HL's writers made it canon that a Shu'ulathoi larvae has extreme intellect and psychic powers. Smart enough to be able to make profound Scientific, Literary, and Philosophical discoveries that could change the course of the universe. And strong enough psychic that they are able to imprint upon their own cells which form they wish to take upon hatching. One could very well hatch and took on the form of a human, in order to carry out tasks on behalf of the other unhatched Shu'ulathoi ("Employers"), pulling strings and "hiring" remarkable individuals, to ultimately protect their species from being further hunted down and enslaved by the Combine.

[@erliches71]

I actually believe the same.

[@megapizzaplex-]

its a good theory but i dont know if the shu ulathoi would let alyx kill one of their own

[@dudenamedgreg4237]

I always watch your Half-Life Lores, keep up the good work :)

[@Skyrionn]

Glad you like them! Thanks for the support!

[@NeedsContent]

I love Half-Life lore, it gets us a bit closer to closure. Great work!

[@Shamman_komanch]

I always felt like finding out what the G Man is would ruin the character, but i love the Shu'ulathoi theory.

[@Skyrionn]

I kind of agree with you at this point. It would just take away a ton of the mystery that surrounds the series.

[@leonardofilho7397]

It would be interesting to see a video done on Dog I mean, he's a robot made out of scraps, and he can easily take on a strider/gunship, ward off an advisor. If the combine ever got hold of it, the resistance would be doomed

[@charliecane3621]

Buddy. Your content is so cool man. The effort is outstanding. You actually use content from the games itself and there's an atmosphere to your content... no obnoxious fucking memes and big bright bullshit letters and jokes... just exactly what the title says. Perfect

[@buscadiamantes1232]

I was waiting for this episode, great as always!

[@Skyrionn]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the support ☺

[@woadblue]

Any week now you're going to take off. Your content is very relaxing and enjoyable, well done.

[@Skyrionn]

That'd be amazing. I'm happy with with the views atm but it could always get better

[@Nin0z1]

Marc Laidlaw removing Epistle 3 off his website has to be talked about more. Why would he do that after so many years?

[@Skyrionn]

Ikr! I'm hopeful that it could mean something

[@Nin0z1]

@@Skyrionn Yeah! Hopefully..

[@NoahGooder]

if its something like valve worrying about copyright I could see it

[@badideagenerator2315]

Possibly because it no longer fits with the continuity of the half-life story.

[@Nin0z1]

@@badideagenerator2315 Well Marc himself has considered it a "fanfic" for a long time, I personally think it has something to do with Valve developing a new game.

[@myroadrashownz]

So glad I found this channel. These videos are AMAZING. Half Life is my favorite game and I didn't know the entire story.. I'm hooked on these videos!

[@Skyrionn]

I'm glad you found the channel too! Thanks for watching and the kind comment

[@Erilis000]

This video gave me such a better understanding of the combine advisors and Shu'ulathoi (+gman theory) than anything else I've watching on the topic. 10/10

[@fyraltari1889]

I think the writing on the Advisors' collars might simply be for indentification like rank or name (or whatever the Combine equivalent of a name is).

[@krush454]

Your videos just keep getting better, keep it up!!

[@Skyrionn]

That's very kind. Thank you!

[@Matt05A]

Thank you for vid. Informative. and i was really looking forward to episode 3 back then. and have not been able to play Alyx.

[@Neo......]

Thank you for this video for years I have wondered about the advisors

[@Skyrionn]

I'm glad you found the video. Thanks for watching it ☺ the advisors have always interested me

[@cartervandenberg4771]

I know I've said this before in the comments of other videos relating to Breengrub but Breen does mention being put into a host body in Episode 1 so that much is confirmed canon. Personally, I doubt it would've ended up looking anything like that concept art. It would've been interesting to see what an actual model for the Breengrub would look like and how it would interact with the environment in a way that feels natural. I can imagine it being something similar to the ending of Aperture Desk Job where it's just an inanimate object with a voice, but since it's organic maybe they would've made it pulsate or something.

[@Skyrionn]

I think we just need an Episode 3 or Half-Life 3 to get closure at this point. Breengrub in my mind is canon too

[@hisfriend2714]

I find the fact that Gordon Freeman was just sitting on the wall while pinned by an advisor hilarious

[@Skyrionn]

Only a few people have spotted this!

[@caspar4802]

I just love your videos! Great work :)

[@solyccndy1075]

Thank you for the knowledge

[@VladTheImpaler454]

The Breen Grub concept art doesn't quite look like an advisor grub due to that weird face. Seems strange that they would draw it like that. Have you read any of Marc's books? I'm curious to try some out as I love the HL lore

[@chuckchuck4016]

Well the advisors wear a uniform and a gas mask like combine soldiers

[@Skyrionn]

I haven't read any of his books but they're on my list of things to do

[@crusaderduncan9398]

The host body’s may have not intended to be a advisor, after all that would be quite the upgrade to someone they might not fully trust. Instead just give them a slug thingy capable of holding a conciseness.

[@VladTheImpaler454]

@@crusaderduncan9398 Poor Breen! xD

[@Doc_K]

Theory: The symbols on the “neck” thingys somehow enforce the thought virus on them all constantly?

[@Jonas-km4qx]

Your research is so spot on dude!✌️

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks Jonas :)

[@iclark2400]

Keep up the good work, because I love these Half Life lore videos. The advisors are just another grotesque alien species that fell victim to the all-powerful Combine empire, I hope Episode 3 will be released at some point so we can learn much more about them. Long live the Shu’ulathoi and their telepathic powers, still hope the human resistance kicks their ass though.

[@ScorpionM203]

The fan made free to play hl2 mod Entropy: Zero 2 has a pretty fun portrayal of the psychic shield. Whoever hasn't played the Entropy Zero games really needs to try them out.

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

This is such an interesting idea - Laidlaw's lore on the Shu-Ulathoi is so cool because it makes the Combine/Universal Unifiers genuinely more of an oppressive system rather than a single group of oppressive aliens. The oppressors come from all of our peoples - they're the ones who sold out their people to the combine in the first place.

[@TheRubberStudiosASMR]

Your videos are so brilliant!

[@rascal3554]

Why does gordon sitting on air so casually fit his character so much? Like he's just doing it to assert dominance over the advisors, Or piss them off, Either that or something his brother, The legendary john freeman would do.

[@brothers_of_nod]

I never knew the tragic story behind those space potatoes.

[@Skyrionn]

The lore behind - the space potatoes. Thanks for watching!

[@brothers_of_nod]

@@Skyrionn I would 100% watch a video with that title. And thank you for continuing to make your content ^^

[@michaelandreipalon359]

As much as they better stay mysterious and immortally threatening (which the Mass Effect Reapers disappoint a bit, and with the FreeSpace Shivans and Babylon 5 Shadows being the ultimate fulfillment of those requirements), it's really nice seeing them actually be killed in Alyx and even a certain popular fan mod. Making them *actually vulnerable* does put a smile to me and other fans' faces and raises morale a lot.

[@Skyrionn]

I like this too. I know of their deaths in Alyx but I haven't got around to playing that very popular mod yet! It's on my list of things to play

[@lil_vault_boy4201]

Your cinematography gets better each episode

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks man

[@mohamedmiloudi6455]

i saw a lot of videos about the advisors i was thinking that they were the leaders of the combines thanks to your analysis of breengrub tweets the combine use the advisors as host thiere leaders and to use the knowledeg of the advisors the longer you dig into half life the more you find new information that tickle my brain cells

[@noahr9054]

The shulathoi backstory reminds me of the strangers from outer wilds echos of the eye. Very similar

[@forkempty]

Is it odd that I find them strangely adorable? They're like flying beans in sweaters.

[@Skyrionn]

I can see that

[@damonnugent1993]

Or caterpillars, waiting to become butterflies.

[@geminitheavali5018]

Or potatoes in fancy onesies

[@roxasparks]

Right!?

[@MegoZ_]

This is so fascinating I love Half-Life man...

[@wGeorge3]

This is amazing

[@Laban6112]

Maybe Nihilanth's baby form isn't an coincidence? What if Nihilanth is a hatched baby shu'ulathoi? Not quite developed yet to become a philosophical non-existent gas cloud, but already powerful enough to rule over Xen.

[@Tiran654LP]

holy shid thats a interesting idea

[@danshakulawrence983]

It's kind of disturbing to realize that the Combine Advisors are not the true face of the Combine. I feel like that's what the story wanted you to believe at first, but as the lore expands, it turns out they're just another pawn of a greater enemy. A KZbinr named Leadhead this element of the Half-Life franchise best: "[The Nihilanth]... is not the bottom of the iceberg. It's running scared from some all-powerful alien conglomerate. that all-powerful alien conglomerate isn't the bottom of the iceberg, either. We can pinpoint a lot of key facts about it, just in this first game. Then you got G-Man, this god-like thing that we really don't know anything about... we are absolutely clueless about this thing, and yet, in this final, spine-chilling moment, we learn that even _this_ thing has 'employers'. And you know what? I'll bet that this thing's employers are just sub-contractors to some even bigger space conglomerate, and that _even_ they have forces that they bow to, and so on and so on and so on..." Her video is titled "What even happened in Half-Life 1?" I highly recommend it.

[@Quodergo]

I feel like 9:02 is so interesting because they don't just get up and float away. They squirm. Advisors feel fear, where their brainwashed soldiers don't - it was totally unprepared for an attack. It was literally freaking out. It treated D0G like a person would finding a spider on them. I feel like this says that the Combine are simply so superior and almost egotistical that they didn't rid themselves of their sense of fear. That is, assuming that the Combine are a particularly powerful threat, and not just one of uncountable trillions of multidimension-spanning conquest machines.

[@hulomo3006]

The legend, the man has returned to explaining me the half life lore.

[@Skyrionn]

One piece at a time! Thank ye

[@jonevis]

I really appreciate how you put spoiler warning at the beginning of your videos. I am currently playing through (and recording my experience of) the whole Half-Life lore, and I’m not wanting Alex to be spoiled for me, except for the odd spoiler-free review. Thankyou for all your hard work, it has really helped me to understand the entirety of the world of Half-Life. BTW, my favourite video of yours was the one on Epistle 3. Fantastic research, and summary of the story. Can’t wait for some sort of conclusion to that story-line.

[@Skyrionn]

I do have to say that Epistle 3 may be my favourite video too! I got to be super creative with it. I'm glad I can help in some way and the spoiler warning is super easy just to drop in. I would hate to ruin anyones experience of the HL series :) Thanks for watching and the kind words of support!

[@Spokane64]

I love your half life content. Do you think with the success of Half Life Alyx we will see another game?

[@Skyrionn]

Thank ye! I'm hoping so!

[@crylune]

obviously. Alyx team even stated they want to pursue future installments depending on the feedback to that post credits scene, which was favourable. Source 2 has proven itself to no longer be a pain in the ass for Valve, so they're back to making games full force. also, the EP 2 ending was an unsatisfying writer's block for Valve. whole point of HL Alyx is to change the timeline to allow for more interesting writing opportunities. it'd be silly to do a major change like that and never follow through with it.

[@ziongite]

Laidlaw just said that everything he was saying wasn't canon as he didn't want to anger valve and the people working there, as Laidlaw no longer worked there anymore and the current team at Valve have totally changed the story beyond what it was originally. I think Laidlaw is a kind and gentle type of guy, and he just wants you to read between the lines, and he isn't looking to anger anyone at Valve, but he still wanted his original full story to be known.

[@iNDY1001]

Them who shimmers in the rhine, unremembered. A canly ripple, fleeting, destined to modicum and echos

[@Mithraxium]

I think it's more interesting and at the same time horrifying that one cannot be sure about the origin of the Combine, than to theorize about the origin itself. Maybe the collective, the combine itself (as a collective conciousness - if they even are a "classic" hive mind/coll. conc. - I don't know if that's confirmed) doesn't know where, when, how and why it originated. I'm edit: NOT that deep into the lore, and maybe I'm talking shit, but I really like to imagine the combine as a multiversal horror beyond our comprehension. Is it even confirmed that they have a homeworld? I would like the story to end with humanity being able to find a way to "deactivate" portals for good, on this world, on earth. Or confuse the combine so that they are never able to locate Earth ever again. Defeating the combine in a way that a human could grasp seems a bit, ehm, too easy, too lazy.

[@Mithraxium]

I wrote this comment before I watched the video to the end. Thanks for the food for thought!

[@Whomobile]

ah yes, the grub boys

[@Skyrionn]

The best boys

[@chrislaezur730]

Mmm yes Advisor content. Excellent. = )

[@user-hk7nl5og5k]

The green grub twitter account lore was so good. Hopefully if we do get a continuation they get this guy in on it.

[@MutheiM_Marz]

Alyx already kill like 3 of the adviser in a razor train crash..

[@Skyrionn]

She did! I tried to limit the non-essential Alyx spoilers for anyone that still ventured into the video

[@overlordmgcover2262]

@@Skyrionn They were transported very... well not like high ranking members of their structure, more like cargo. It's likely to assume that those were shells. What do you think?

[@s54pyfw]

I agree that BreenGrub and Epistle 3 were probably considered part of the plot. I think Mark Laidlaw knew that a next Half Life game won't come out soon so he feared that all this lore will not be released so he published it as "fanfiction"

[@Tiran654LP]

yeah thats true. its literally episode 3, its obvious from the conecpt arts that fit perfectly to what Mark said and told

[@robertsdzelzkalejs4255]

Another lore video? I think I will install black-mesa. Good video man.

[@Skyrionn]

Yess! Install it. More lore to come

[@saifshaikh3191]

I really enjoyed this video

[@Skyrionn]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@bradleydelay]

"or are they working against the combine in a form that almost appears human" Like, say, a highly surreal man?

[@Skyrionn]

The G-Man. Grub-Man?

[@bradleydelay]

@@Skyrionn the G-Grub

[@pxppetrot]

I like to think even the advisors are basically just like on the level of the mc donald's store manager or franchise owner as opposed to the board of the company if that makes sense, their leader is likely some kind of AI or superbeing that rests on its homeworld if i had to guess.

[@lsswappedcessna]

good point, that's why the Combine are scared shitless of the resistance having the portal coords to their homeworld/home dimension AND access to the Borealis with all of Aperture's teleportation technology. All it would take to decimate their command structure is a high yield antimatter bomb (or vacuum decay bomb if you're willing to risk destroying yourself to completely annihilate the Combine's home universe) chucked through a portal to the Combine dimension, and boom, problem solved.

[@jackclark4598]

this is the first i've heard of breengrub & i wish i could go back

[@CraigMansfield]

I loved those newspapers, I read them in "the Final Hours" and the zoo map of Half Life: Alyx.

[@t.b.cont.]

As much as we can assume the advisor is at the top rung they very much could just be another middleman and the real leaders of the combine completely separate themselves from every world they conquer

[@vee-bee-a]

Reminds me of those Navigators from Dune.

[@Skyrionn]

I've had a few comments reference Dune in these videos. Maybe Half-Life was inspired?

[@edwardturner5075]

man Gordon was just chilling against that wall he was literally sitting while being absorbed by it🤣

[@adamnxx]

from what i heard on half life raising the bar the advisors were once human like but thru reliance on technology evolved to a slug like appearance super interesting

[@ReverendSyn]

*As far as Im concerned, untill the game explicitly says otherwise, Laidlaw's Breengrub is canon.*

[@Skyrionn]

A great view to have

[@errantvice7335]

I too enjoyed Entropy: Zero 2

[@Skyrionn]

I'm still on the first one. Working through it!

[@shadowhunter388]

I guess Breen never heard of the Soma theory. Where you actually die with your body, and your copied conciousness is literally that. A Carbon Copy.

[@lordofthebeltsthereturnoft1127]

That's kind of obvious though isn't it? You can copy you brain into anything while you are still alive, you don't get to live as that copy obviously, there is no way to transfer your sentience, and a copy isn't a transfer.

[@yesd536]

8:54 i like how gordon is just sitting

[@PlittHD]

I like that you mentioned spoilers for HL Alyx as I guess VR is still not accessible for the average (or at least younger) gamer

[@Skyrionn]

I do my best as I know some people still haven't been able to play it.

[@omens6402]

I think the markings on their collars are similar to runes from witchcraft. Those markings probably amplify their psychic abilities, or give them entirely new ones.

[@RenGraes]

Seeing the "Advisor Shield" part around 24:00 reminded me of a game mod called "Entropy: Zero 2" In the game you play as a COMBINE soldier [Yes, the bad guy] but it is story-rich, the MC is quite humorous at times and there's a lot to do... And... Yes... the "advisor shield" comes into play... I Won't spoil much but I HIGHLY recommend looking into the "Entropy: Zero" mods on Steam. They are free to download, free to play and both are unique in their own way, adding onto the Half Life lore overall in a magnificent way. Even if it's 'non-canon' they keep it INCREDIBLY Accurate!

[@midgerm]

one thing to remember; that rebel soldier the combine advisor snacks on? he's already dead; he just picks up any human nearby, living or dead, to have a look and it thgought maybe he was just unconcious or somthing