In 301 HE, the Battle of Spargus City was fought in the Wasteland between the Wastelanders under Damas and the Dark Makers under Cyber Errol during the Dark Maker Invasion.
Why did it happen?
After being banished to the Wasteland by Baron Praxis in 297 HE, Damas defeated the previous king of Spargus City in battle and became king. During his four years as king, crime and corruption were eliminated, but the Golden Order of Precursor Monks began to prophesy the remaking of the world by the Precursors. Starting in 301 HE, Dark Maker Satellites appeared in and around Spargus City, and a Dark Maker Ship, known as the “Day Star,” began to appear in the sky. In response to these events, Damas began to prepare his Wastelander mercenaries for an attack on Haven City, which was engulfed in a civil war known as the War for Haven City. However, after the KG War Factory was shut down by Jak, Cyber Errol began to lose interest in leading the KG Robot and Metal Head factions during the war. He increasingly began to work with the Dark Makers. After an attack on the Monk Temple failed to recover ancient writings about the Dark Makers, Cyber Errol switched his attention to Spargus City.
Who was involved?
The Wastelander army at Spargus City numbered 10,000 citizens and 1 Gun Turret. Due to their combat experience in the Spargus Arena, Wastelanders were a tough group that could hold their own in combat. Equipped with gun-staff rifles and eco pistols, Spargus citizens could use their superior numbers to outflank and bypass a Dark Maker Trooper’s shield and hit them from the rear. The Wastelander’s strategy at Spargus City was for the citizens to engage the Dark Maker Troopers in combat, while Jak used the Gun Turret to destroy the Dark Maker’s Walkers. The Dark Maker force at Spargus City numbered 7,500 Troopers and 12 Walkers. While the Troopers were equal to the Wastelanders in combat tactics, being able to use dark eco projectiles and call upon a protective shield at will, the Walkers were equipped with missile and bomb launchers, making them too strong for the Spargus Citizens to destroy with standard weapons. Only the power of the Gun Turret could destroy a Walker. The Dark Maker strategy was to capture Spargus City through a combined infantry-walker assault and use it as a springboard for broader campaigns of conquest.
What happened?
As the scope of Spargus City alerted Damas to the approach of the Dark Makers, Troopers teleported from the Dark Maker Ship and engaged the Wastelanders in battle among the streets of Spargus City. In response, Damas recalled Jak from the Monk Temple to defend Spargus City from the Dark Maker assault. Upon arriving, Jak found Walkers had descended from the Dark Maker Ship and landed in the bay. Jak manned the Gun Turret in front of the bay and destroyed three Walkers. As three more Walkers appeared on Jak’s left flank, he redirected the Gun Turret and intercepted the Walker’s bombs before destroying them. On Jak’s right flank, another three Walkers appeared and launched more bombs against the Gun Turret before being destroyed by Jak. Damas then alerted Jak that three more Walkers had landed behind Jak and had started attacking the city. Despite the use of their missile launchers, the last three Walkers were destroyed by Jak in the Gun Turret, forcing the Dark Makers to retreat. The Wastelanders lost 80 killed and 35 wounded during the battle, while Dark Maker casualties numbered 500 Troopers.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Spargus City was a Wastelander victory. In the aftermath of the battle, Jak received Precursor armour worn by Mar I from King Damas along with his third and final battle amulet, officially making Jak a Wastelander. After the Dark Maker Ship’s shield was deactivated by Jak using the Astro-viewer in Haven Forest, Ashelin sent Jak, Torn, Jinx and Sig on a mission to eliminate Errol at the Metal Head Tower, but were too late to stop him from escaping. With the help of King Damas, Jak then travelled through the Palace Ruins towards the Catacombs, although Damas was killed by Dark Maker forces along the way. After activating the Planetary Defence System, Jak then teleported to the Dark Maker Ship to stop Errol while he waited for the weapon to charge fully. Before the Dark Maker Ship was destroyed, however, Errol escaped in a Terraformer. He landed in the Wasteland, where he was subsequently defeated by Jak during the Last Charge of the Dark and Light Brigade. In the aftermath of Errol’s death, the War for Haven City ended in a decisive Freedom League victory, and Sig became the new king of Spargus City, bringing peace to the planet for the first time in 300 years.
Bibliography
Jak and Daxter Wiki. “Spargus citizens.” Last revised August 9, 2021. www.jakanddaxter.fandom.com/wiki/Spargus_citizens
Naughty Dog. Jak 3. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 2. 2004.
Schrader, Nathali. Jak 3: The Official Guide. London, Piggyback, 2004.
Shah, Reuben. Jak 3 Design Bible. Raleigh, Naughty Dog, 2003.
Tim H. “Spargus map.” Jak and Daxter Wiki. Accessed September 27, 2022. www.jakanddaxter.fandom.com/wiki/Spargus?file=Spargus_map.png