I believe it is the events from cataclysm day.
Same discussion topics merged.
@Iris read the above replies to find out most plausible theories.
//Mod
Ok I know I asked what it is but I think I have a theory the Reaper didn’t do it at all but it was manufactured there or had some relationship with the place. I understand you’ll all say “It was the Reaper what are you talking about” just hear this. The crater was just a test by FNIX for something far worse something like all the tank classes merged into one really big really deadly and really hard to get to spawn. If you did make it spawn you would most likely need something like ever type of tank in one region all max level, including the Reaper and the ln you’ll face FNIX’s prized champion (it would most likely appear away from you) and I have a feeling if any of this is true then Avalanche could intend that this is a kind of final boss that might be spawned and downright controlled by FNIX and is spawned someway else than rival relation. If you liked this theory just hit the little heart 
This isn’t a theory it is a correction you see I meant not all of the types of tanks yet I meant all of the classes there are combined as if FNIX tore apart each and reassembled them into one big demonic horrifying tank.
Sorry for this I just needed to make sure you all knew what I meant or I needed to make sure those who didn’t understand, understand
BYE BYE
Your idea is similar to mine, which i posted above:
There is clear evidence in the lore of Reaper's existence. (Spoiler alert!) Click here to read.
The main assembly was already constructed: body and appearance.
Reaper before FNIX finished it, as it appeared in FOA4:
What FNIX did, was adding weaponry (from other machines), shield generators and thermoboaric explosion, thus completing the Reaper. FNIX even kept the original code name: “Grim Reaper”.
Reaper stats:
Base body
- military tank
Weapons
- shockwave stop (all tanks come with it as built-in)
- stinger/FNIX tick deployment (in use for apocalypse and FNIX class machines)
- incendiary machine gun (from apocalypse tank)
- radiated missiles (from apocalypse harvester)
- biochemical gas (from apocalypse harvester)
- anti-weapons shield
- thermoboaric explosion
With that, only Reaper weaponry is a mash-up from different machines. While the rest (and most) of it is normal.
While it’s unknown, but it is very likely that FNIX developed the thermoboaric explosion feature for Reaper and that thermoboaric explosion was the reason why Skinnarbol Crater was created. Triggered by the manufacturing error, as i theorized.
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Wow what a chance because I didn’t even read yours
Been a while, if anyone’s still watching this I’d like to move conversation to what’s in the crater.
From above, you wrote:
So, what exactly would you like to discuss about? 
Sorry if that sounded rude
No worries, it didn’t.
Ok good I don’t want to sound like the rude guy
I think it was probably some swedish military remnants that used a prototype nuclear device from foa 4 to blast open the tunnels because the machines may have been using them to get around and that it wasnt the reaper because it cant fit in the tunnels.
That doesn’t mean that Reaper could be disassembled, transported on trucks or similar way, assembled, activated, went nuts’n’bolts. Also, there’s similar crater in the England where exploded artillery munitions storage (somewhere around topic).
With radioactive puddles - it’s either nuclear waste, remnants of nuclear device (be it warhead or installation), Reaper/Apoc-class rocket ammo (leaves similar dirty spots) been exploding here - either stored or shot.
My primary theory is that Reaper “emerged” there by series of it’s thermbarric fart. as evidenced by destruction within crater itself and burned surroundings, but in-game it’s blast ain’t that wide to reach beyond river to east and burn stuff to the ground or even partially collapse readiness storage bunker (also behind river)
Secondary is - powerful explosion could be result of tampered/sabotaged munitions and there was sort of sorting/rerouting station, full with explody stuff, apoc-class included.
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maybe there in the middle of the crater was a big bunker with and when the reaper went throught the roof of it it caved in and caused an explosion
I always got the impression the Reaper escaped from Himfjäll, stomped it’s way through the tunnel network that presumably would run underneath the island and emerged in the Farmlands by detonating that thermobaric blast inside the tunnel. The resulting blast would’ve annihilated the surrounding area like the crater seems to be.
I myself have seen a few video games where the entire story is you trying to sabotage something and succeeding in doing so only to have the enemy come back way stronger.
I think that this crater here is an entire story all in it’s own where a bunch of military remnants try to blow up all the munitions in the facility, it would make sense that this bunker is a giant storage or factory. It would also make sense that the people who blew up the bunker would have also died there, but they would have had to have worked there or the crater wouldn’t have been so big, they would have had to have known strategic places where to plant the explosives or turn the valves. I know that when you shoot the fuel cells they make a pretty large explosion on their own, now imagine thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of those cells that get place on TANKS exploding all at once.
So I’ll just re-spark this conversation due to new information found primarily trough the Soviet Doll collectables
Spoilers
In the 9th doll Tatiana, who is a captain in the Soviet military, manages to get in contact with her “contact in the Union” it is implied that there was tension, since both of them knew what had to be done. Tatiana gave the command: “Send it,” which isn’t immediately clear what is refereed to but the last sentence in the note says, “The sky just started to fill with a mushroom cloud” which also doesn’t immediately imply what has happened or where it might have happened.
The 10th doll can be found in the Marshlands region at the top of a watchtower overlooking Ånnagruvan and the farmlands region.
In the 10th doll Tatiana says that she can see the crater she created and noted, “It looks surreal”
So this would heavily imply that it was the Soviet that made the crater
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The truth has been revealed. I’m surprised I’m the first to mention it considering how long it been out.
The story is in all the new collectibles since the Russians landed. They tell the story. One of their Captains who came to work with FNIX as a last resort, called in the nuclear strike from mother Russia in order to stop another Russian captain who had gone rogue. Of course she was manipulated in to doing it by FNIX in order to free the reaper that was trapped underneath.
My quick theory is that the Swedish military were responsible for the crater in some way, same with the “Reaper” (possibly). When observing the area, similar to you I noticed many destroyed tanks and outposts, probably due to a battle before, or because of the mysterious blast itself. My guess is the military knew they were going to lose the battle against FNIX and “his” army of machines in that area. In a last-ditch effort I believe the military called down a heavy barrage of missiles or artillery, probably enough to fully level the area completely. With signs of what were a heavy military presence in that area, I believe at some point in time FNIX called in the “Reaper” to deal with the military’s forces, prompting the military to respond with my explanation above. In truth we still don’t know the true cause of the crater, but I just felt like putting my theory out there!
Oh, that’s not correct.
We know when it happened, why it happened and who is responsible for it. And it’s not the swedish military.
It’s in the lore (russian nesting dolls collectibles).
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