Vessels
The Vessels are invisible entities that reside within the void of the ink realm itself.
History
Back to the Drawing Board
On an unknown date, the first Vessels venture into the Drawing Board. Inside, they are greeted by Ragtime Guffie, and are shown the tragic tale of Riley Wells, as well as glimpses into the past, present, and future of the Dark Puddles.
Ghosts in the machine
One day, the Vessels would come to find a strange elevator situated on the side of the Drawing Board. Traveling down, they discover themselves in a dark, empty space with three wings to explore. Grabbing a nearby headlamp, the Vessels wander around, gathering six items scattered across the area. After collecting the final item, the Ink Demon begins to give chase. The Vessels make it successfully back to the Drawing Board - however, once inside, they are suddenly greeted with a terrifying glimpse into the future.
The gathering
Not long after, the Vessels discover that they are now connected to each other, visibly being able to see the foot prints left behind by other Vessels. One by one, they gather in front of the Drawing Board, until exactly 414 Vessels are gathered at once.
Characteristics
Physical appearance
Vessels are invisible entities with no defined physical appearance or personality, aside from that of the player's. However, during "The Believers", the Vessels gained visible footprints that could be seen when walking on ink.
Behind the scenes
Vessels are the protagonist(s) of Bendy: Secrets of the Machine.
The name "Vessels" comes from the official achievement description of "The Believers event", as well as the official Gent Corporation account on Twitter.[1]
In religious contexts, a "vessel" is defined as "a person into whom some quality (such as grace) is infused".[2]
In Unity's player Prefab, the Vessels were referred as 'NotRiley', before it was renamed to 'Player_Vessel'.[3] This is implying that the name was inputted to debunk the fan theory that Riley Wells is the main Secrets of the Machine protagonist.
References
- ↑ GENT (August 10, 2025). "> INITIATE #SOTM; > DEPLOY V4.1.4_PROD; > CONNECT_VESSELS; > UNLOCK_SYSTEM_GOAL; > LOG_STATUS: "VESSELS_VISIBLE"; -> UPLOADING;". X/Twitter.
- ↑ VESSEL Definition & Meaning. Merriam-Webster.
- ↑ MLSpence3D (August 12, 2025). "very funny discovery in #BENDY SOTM: In the player Prefab, there is an empty that literally has no purpose at all. and it's named "NotRiley" also the player character got renamed to "Player_Vessel" There is no script or anything associated with "NotRiley", it is literally just there lol". X/Twitter.
