Everything in the City is transactional. Even a massacre.
If you’ve spent any time managing the Sinners in Limbus Company, you’ve probably heard mention of the Smoke War. It’s usually brought up with a heavy sigh or a shudder. For some, like Gregor, it’s a living nightmare that literally left him with a bug’s arm. For others, it’s just a vague piece of history about why the old L Corp isn’t around anymore. But here’s the thing: the Smoke War wasn’t just a random border skirmish. It was a calculated, brutal corporate takeover disguised as a revolution.
Essentially, it was the "birth canal" for the world we see in the game today. No Smoke War, no Lobotomy Corporation. No Lobotomy Corporation, no Golden Boughs. No Boughs? Well, Dante wouldn't have a clock for a head, and you wouldn't be playing the game.
What Really Sparked the Smoke War?
Most people in the City think the war was about pollution. The old L Corp (not the one we know) had a Singularity that produced a disgusting, thick, acidic smoke. It choked the Districts. It was expensive. It was gross. So, a coalition of other Wings decided to "clean up" the City.
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That's the PR version. The reality is way more cynical.
The Smoke War was actually engineered by Ayin and Benjamin (the masterminds behind Lobotomy Corporation). They wanted to become a Wing. To do that, they needed to kick out an existing one to take its spot in the Nest. They weren't fighting for "clean air"; they were fighting for market share. They approached a fixer named Dias—who is basically the puppet master of the City's underworld—and used her to manipulate other Wings like K Corp and T Corp into joining the fray.
The Combatants: Who Was Actually Fighting?
It wasn't just soldiers in uniforms. It was a meat grinder of "Singularity-enhanced" warfare.
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- Old L Corp & Old G Corp: The incumbents. They were the ones producing the smoke. Old G Corp provided the infantry, using "Gravity" technology and horrific insectoid genetic augmentations.
- The Coalition (The "Winners"): This included the R Corp 4th Pack (the Myo you might know from Library of Ruina), the Udjat (Dias’s private force), and various Fixers.
- The Puppeteers: Ayin and Benjamin, who stayed in the shadows while everyone else died so they could eventually build their "Seed of Light" facility on the ruins of the old Nest.
The war eventually devolved into horrific trench warfare. If you look at Gregor’s backstory in Canto I, you see the scars. He was a poster boy for G Corp, a "war hero" who was actually just a biological experiment. When the war ended and the old L Corp fell, G Corp fell with it. Suddenly, all those soldiers with bug parts weren't heroes anymore—they were "trash" from a failed company.
Why the "Smoke" Matters
It’s called the Smoke War for a literal reason. The sky over the City was pitch black for years. But there's a deeper lore implication here. In the Project Moon universe, smoke is often associated with the loss of self or the "fog" of the mind. Ayin used the literal smoke of the old Singularity to hide his own movements.
One of the most disturbing details comes from the veterans. They talk about "smoke monsters" or things moving in the mist. It wasn't just a physical war; it was a psychological horror show. The smoke was so thick you couldn't see the person you were stabbing, which is a pretty perfect metaphor for how Wings operate.
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The Aftermath: A Pyrrhic Victory
So, the "good guys" won, right? Well, in the City, there are no good guys.
The old L Corp was destroyed. Lobotomy Corporation moved in and started producing "Enkephalin," which was marketed as clean, limitless energy. The smoke cleared, but the City just traded one type of suffering for another. Instead of acidic fog, they got Abnormalities and eventually the "White Nights and Dark Days" catastrophe.
Key Takeaways for Players:
- Gregor’s Trauma: His "vermin" arm isn't just a mutation; it's a proprietary G Corp weapon. He is a walking reminder of a bankrupt company's cruelty.
- The R Corp Connection: R Corp only survived because of the contracts they signed during this war. Their obsession with "cloning" and "packs" was fueled by the need for endless bodies during the Smoke War.
- The Wings' Hypocrisy: Wings like K Corp and I Corp promised veterans Nest citizenship for fighting. Once the war ended, they banned those same veterans from entering the Nests, leaving them to rot in the Backstreets.
Honestly, the Smoke War is the best example of why you shouldn't trust anyone in a suit in this game. Everyone was used. The soldiers thought they were heroes, the Wings thought they were getting cheap power, and Ayin just wanted a basement deep enough to hide his regrets.
If you want to understand the current political landscape of Limbus Company, keep an eye on any character who mentions being a veteran. They aren't just "old soldiers"; they are the survivors of a corporate merger that used blood instead of ink.
To get a better handle on how this affects your current team, I’d recommend re-reading Gregor’s Canto I dialogue or checking the Mirror World IDs for G Corp. It puts a lot of the Sinners' cynicism into perspective when you realize the world they live in was literally built on a pile of "obsolete" soldiers.