The Beacon of Souls is a sacred lantern given to Zeke Holloway by Madame Leota. A source of light and power, this ancient artifact can harness the energy of souls and is powered by six Soul Gems. Zeke uses it to combat the dark forces of Atticus Thorn.
History
The Beacon was created by the members of the Brotherhood of the Soul. Its purpose was to ensnare and purify evil spirits for guidance to the Afterlife. However, if the Beacon were to fall into the wrong hands, it could cause harm to the good spirits and cast them into the fiery Afterdeath. The Brotherhood vowed to protect the Beacon - as well as the balance of the Spirit Realms - from Thorn and the followers of the Order of Shadows.
In secret, the Beacon was passed down throughout Europe, just out of Thorn's grasp. But as time went on, the followers of the Brotherhood perished, one by one. During this time, Thorn took steps to replenish his cult and continue the attempt to find the Beacon's whereabouts. The Beacon eventually found its way to the New World, in the bayous of Louisiana.
Role in the game
The Beacon serves as Zeke Holloway's only tool and weapon against Thorn's dark forces; its history is narrated through Atticus' own diary, which tells his quest in retrieving the artifact.
Madame Leota gifts Zeke with the Beacon in the first moments of the game and teaches him about his functions, adding that he needs to acquire the six Soul Gems in order to achieve its full potential.
The Beacon is capable of purifying shriveled souls by capturing them with a green beam of light, and also firing small projectiles of light which grow in power with each Gem discovered:
- White: Fires standard shots, but also fires Rapid Shots.
- Purple: Power Shots which can take out stronger enemies.
- Orange: Ultra Shots which wipe out groups of enemies.
- Yellow: Upgraded Rapid Shots. Fires in three directions.
- Blue: Upgraded Power Shots. Affects enemy groups.
- Red: Upgraded Ultra Shots. Spreads damage between enemies.
In the end, Zeke is able to acquire all six gems and absorb 999 souls into the Beacon, but before the final confrontation Thorn manages to steal the gems and consume the souls, resorting to Zeke creatively placing Leota herself into the Beacon in order to power it. This gives the lamp the ability to shoot a fast stream of green light projectiles and finally defeat Atticus and the Order of Shadows.
