Eco
From Jak and Daxter Wiki
Eco is the lifeblood of the Jak and Daxter world, the tool of the Precursors in creating new worlds. There are six different kinds of Eco, all of which have a specific purpose. Some eco that was common in The Precursor Legacy is not used anymore.
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[edit] Green Eco
Main article: Green Eco
Green Eco contains the power of healing and growing things, and as used throughout the series as a means of restoring health - one section of the heart meter in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, two sections of the health meter in Jak II and Jak 3, and more than half of the meter in Jak X.
In Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Green Eco appears as small floating particles in groups of three or four, or as a large cloud equal to fifty of the smaller particles. Both the small particles and the larger clouds can be found in boxes, or by defeating enemies. On Sentinel Beach, Green Eco can also be found in vents; stepping into one of them fills Jak's heart meter to maximum capacity. In both Jak II and Jak 3, the main source of Green Eco is the Krimzon Guard Health Packs; however, there are several Green Eco vents found in Southern Haven Forest during Jak 3, albeit only in one mission, and not for restoring health but to kill Dark Eco-infected plants similar to a mission in The Precursor Legacy and in Jak II when 60 units of Green Eco is needed for Samos to heal some plants in Haven Forest and to be collected also if you take damage you automatically heal one unit of health much like In Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy when you collect 50 units of green eco and don't need it then the first and only time this happens is during a side mission at the stadium area near the palace. In Jak X, Green Eco is scattered throughout the tracks and is used to repair your vehicle.
Samos is the Sage of Green Eco.
In The Lost Frontier, Jak has two green eco powers, Eco Construct and Eco Shield.
[edit] Blue Eco
Main article: Blue Eco
Blue Eco contains the energy of motion; in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, it is used to increase Jak's speed, attract Precursor Orbs, break boxes and attract their contents, and to activate many Precursor artifacts. After Green Eco, it is the most widely spread kind of Eco, with vents and clusters appearing in almost every area. As befitting its ability to increase speed and power machines, Blue Eco resembles blue lightning.
In the earliest indication of Eco being used as a power source, Sandover Village is powered by a Blue Eco energy beam redirected from the Forbidden Temple in Forbidden Jungle.
Blue Eco in its pure form is not found in Jak II or Jak 3; however, properties of the Vulcan Fury, such as a high rate of fire, suggest that it may be derived from Blue Eco.
In Jak X, Blue Eco is used for useful turbo boosts.
In The Lost Frontier, Jak recieves the Eco Power Reflex which slows down time using blue eco and Eco Telaportation which telaports you from one place to another as long as there is a Precursor Idol on the platform you want to go to.
[edit] Red Eco
Main article: Red Eco
Red Eco increases the user's strength, making it possible to slay more powerful enemies in a single blow. Jak's jump-dive attack is also enhanced while he is using Red Eco - a small shock-wave of Red Eco will destroy any enemy within range. However, there is a slight drawback in the fact that use of Red Eco makes the user slightly slower. On Misty Island, clusters of Red Eco can be found in boxes, or by destroying certain enemies during the Lurker ambush; it can also be found in vents on Snowy Mountain. Red Eco clusters are thick, and resembles fire when coming from vents.
Red Eco in its pure form is not found in Jak II or Jak 3; however, the limited range, slow firing rate and wide blast range of the Scatter Gun suggests that it may be derived from Red Eco.
In Jak X, Red Eco provides defensive weapons.
In The Lost Frontier, Jak is given the Eco Power Amplifier which uses red eco.
[edit] Yellow Eco
Main article: Yellow Eco
Yellow Eco, a more long-range offensive weapon than Red Eco, allows Jak to shoot fireballs from his palms that home in on enemies. As well as its usefulness at destroying enemies from a distance, Yellow Eco is also useful for destroying obstacles such as Dark Eco boxes and opening strong boxes. It is particularly abundant in Boggy Swamp, though vents are also found in the Spider Caves, on Snowy Mountain and in the Lava Tube.
Yellow Eco in its pure form is not found in Jak II or Jak 3; however, the long range, accuracy and firing rate of the Blaster suggests that it may be derived from Yellow Eco.
In Jak X, Yellow Eco provides offensive weapons.
In The Lost Frontier, Jak is given the eco power Rocket Jump by a Precursor Idol.
[edit] Dark Eco
Main article: Dark Eco
With its ability to warp and mutate, Dark Eco is considered the most dangerous kind of Eco. Large amounts resemble a thick black ooze with a purple sheen; smaller amounts, as dropped by enemies in Jak II and Jak 3, are seen as shifting purple spheres. During Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Dark Eco was only seen in containers, deep underground pools, or in Precursor Silos. In Jak 3, Dark Eco was also shown in crystal form, in vents at the Monk Temple and in the Ruined Stadium. Daxter's famous transformation into an Ottsel was caused by falling into a pool of Dark Eco on Misty Island during Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.
Another reason this type of Eco is so deadly is that even the Precursors, themselves could not control it. This is shown in many ways during the series of Jak and Daxter. In TPL this is mentioned once during a conversation between Gol and Maia and Samos about how they could not control Dark Eco, as Samos begins to say that, "Even the precur-" before he is interrupted.
After long-term exposure and injection with Dark Eco in Baron Praxis' experiments, Jak is able to absorb small amounts of Dark Eco and use it to transform into Dark Jak. During this transformation, Jak's appearance changes significantly, his strength drastically increases, and he is able to use Dark Eco in a variety of offensive attacks. Despite this affinity for Dark Eco, falling into a pool of it will still result in instant death during any of the games. In Jak 3, it is said that the Dark Makers were Precursors that had been warped by exposure to Dark Eco.
The highly destructive power and ability to hit multiple targets of the Peace Maker may derive from Dark Eco. In Jak X, Dark Eco is accumulated by doing damage to opponents or by using offensive weapons; a full gauge boosts the destructive capabilities of both Yellow and Red Eco weapons in Jak X.
The Sage of Dark Eco is Gol Acheron, though his sister Maia also appears to have a great deal of knowledge. They were both warped and driven insane by their long exposure to Dark Eco. Tym from Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is also said to be a dark eco sage.
It is possible that Dark Eco could be tied to the precursors and the universe further than its destructive properties. As we see in The Precursor Legacy, Daxter fell into the pool of Dark Eco and was transformed into an Ottsel; it is later revealed he was transformed into a precursor. (It is unknown if all Ottsels are precursors or if all precursors are Ottsels). If this is true, the precursors could be deeply connected to Dark Eco. Or maybe even created by it, as Dark Eco is the only substance seen to 'create' an Ottsel in the games. It is also possible that Daxter could have a unique connection to the Dark Eco. As he is the only character transformed into an Ottsel after exposure, but this may have been just a coincidence.
Throughout the series it is alluded to that dark eco has a "conciousness" that can influence those it touches.
[edit] Light Eco
Main article: Light Eco
The rarest of all Eco in the world, Light Eco can occur naturally in vents, or can be created artificially by combining Green, Blue, Red, and Yellow Eco. In Jak 3, some enemies will dissolve into small spheres of it when defeated; it also appears in vents inside the mysterious Monk Temple, The Ruined Stadium, in Spargus City near the coast, and in crystals.
In Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, the four sages create Light Eco for Jak to channel and defeat Gol and Maia. In Jak 3, Light Eco enables Jak to transform into Light Jak and balances out the destructive influence of Dark Eco.
It is interesting to note that Jak was able to use Light Eco offensively in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy to destroy Gol and Maia's Precursor Robot, but that all of Light Jak's powers are defensive. In the original game the Blue Sage said that Jak has an unusual ability to channel eco, which may account for some of the abilities granted to him by Eco. The Oracle statue also mentions, that Jak has "the light within" hinting that he is no ordinary youngster. Count Veger was also aware of his abilities, which he admitted wanting to use in his experiments. Even Baron Praxis angrily says at the beginning of Jak II that he was informed that "this one would be different", likely by Veger. Apparently Jak lost this inner light after his exposure to dark eco but the precursor statue at the temple granted him new powers in return for his heroics during the third installment of the series.
There is no Sage of Light Eco, but the Precursors and life itself appear to be closely linked to it.
[edit] Running out of Eco
In the upcoming installment, Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier it is stated that the world is "running out of Eco", hinting that the world is at an very old age. This could also be because the precursors left to fix what the dark makers had done to their many worlds so the Precursors coudn't be there to make it. This may explain the disappearances of Yellow, Red and Blue Eco in Jak II and Jak 3, this seems likely as the world was full of Eco 300 years ago in Precurser legacy but it seems to only have dark eco in jak 2, but it is also possible that by Jak 3 that the world has almost run out of Eco, because Baron Praxis was bribing the Metal Heads with Eco and it was being used to power Haven City.
[edit] Trivia
- It is an ongoing argument between Jak and Daxter fans that the Light Eco featured in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was actually another substance called "White Eco", as it was only mentioned twice throughout the game once by Gol and once more by Daxter both are slightly difficult to understand, plus the game has no subtitles. This conflict has yet to be resolved, but in both using White Eco and using Light Eco, Jak emits a semi reflective white aura around himself.
