The oldest records on Tyria date back to approximately 10,000 BE, the estimated date for the Great Giants ' extinction at the claws of the Elder Dragons during their last known time of awakening. The only known surviving sentient races of this time are the dwarves, Forgotten, jotun, mursaat, and Seers. Neighbor(s) None Tyria is the name of the world in which most of the game is played. It includes the known continents of Tyria (of the same name), Cantha, Elona, and the The Battle Isles (the archipelago which is home to Guild Halls and PvP arenas). 1 Earth resemblance 2 Major bodies of water 3 Unknown areas 4 Other Lore 5 Notes The world of Tyria bears a resemblence to Earth: Elona has. My GW2 Blog: Confessions of a Guild Wars Noob. My index of GW2-related links: Tyrian Flux. Game Lore/History: GW2 Season 1 Movie, Seasons 1-3 & HoT Movie. A great beginner's guide to Guild Wars 2, leveling, and gearing. Game updates from Path of Fire to Icebrood Saga or read up on these catch-up guides. The ruins of humanity's cities and shrines lay scattered across Tyria, serving as haunting reminders of their past glory. The Krytan city of Divinity's Reach, however, is very much alive, and stands as testament to human resilience, diversity, and spirit. Now that the gates have opened on Guild Wars 2 information, will any secrets to Guild Wars 1 be further explained, such as Bahltek, the undeciphered Asuran banner, or the giganticus lupicus? Short answer – yes. It is the same world, so we will be using the lore and history of the world.

• Lore - Guild Wars 2 Wiki (GW2W)
• Tyria (world) - Guild Wars 2 Wiki (GW2W)
• Tyria - Guild Wars Wiki (GWW)
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• Flameseeker Chronicles: A Brief History Of Guild Wars 2's Tyria

Guild Wars 2 is fast becoming one of the most anticipated MMO-type games since the release of the Guild Wars 2 trailer and follow up articles and interviews. Jeff Grubb – World Designer and Writer for Guild Wars 2 - just back from a busy time at Germany’s Gamescom, and he was graciously able to answer a few questions before heading off to PAX 2009, where ArenaNet will have plenty of events. (Be sure to check out their giveaway times for their 128-page Guild Wars 2 concept art book.) On to the questions!

Now that the gates have opened on Guild Wars 2 information, will any secrets to Guild Wars 1 be further explained, such as Bahltek, the undeciphered Asuran banner, or the giganticus lupicus?

Short answer – yes. It is the same world, so we will be using the lore and history of the world. What pieces get revealed and explained will develop as the story evolves. And just to drive you mad, at least one of the items listed will be addressed.

The focus of the story in the trailer seemed to be on the unification of the races and one elder dragon, Zhaitan. The other awakening dragons are only mentioned in passing. Will the first Guild Wars 2 story (campaign, story arc, etc.) deal primarily with Zhaitan and Orr, or will we encounter the other elder dragons as well?

The ultimate foe of Guild Wars 2 is Zhaitan, but the influences of the other dragons run deep through Tyria – Jormag’s worshippers are active among the Norn, Kralkatorrik’s brand is carved across the charr lands in Ascalon, and the minions of Primordus continue to surface across the land. But the story of GW2 leads to Orr, and the City of the Gods which is Zhaitan’s lair.

Why did the elder dragons awaken now, and nearly all at once?

By “nearly” you mean “once every fifty years or so over the past 250 years”. This is a lifetime in human terms, but an eyeblink in the history of the world. They are primordial powers that now are growing restive and unleashing their power on the world.

Why exactly are they waking up now? Unrevealed, but they are waking up hungry.

Humans are an interesting wild card in the Guild Wars world. What we know is they first appeared in Cantha, the Empire of the Dragon, and the now-called human gods were very relevant to all the lore built up in Guild Wars 1. Now, with the awakening of the elder dragons and waning of the human race, the human gods are less involved in the world of Tyria. Who or what created the human race and what is their point of origin? Why do the other races seem to hold so little value in the human gods, who allegedly “created” Tyria as we know it?

The full story of the origin of the humans has yet to be revealed. They arrived in the Tyria (the continent) sometime after they first appeared on Tyria (the world). It seems, from their previous appearances, that they have come up from the south, so the “human homeland” may be further south than Elona and Cantha. The idea of human gods “creating” Tyria is viewed by other races with mixed reactions. The charr think of it as theological propaganda (and that the human gods are not true gods, only more powerful, once-mortal, beings). The asura are perfectly willing to accept the idea of gods as (rather large) gears in the Eternal Alchemy. Norn are perfectly willing to allow the idea of gods, but think of them as a different type of their own animal spirits. The sylvari consider them unproven, since the gods have not shown their presence directly to the sylvari.

Which came first to the world of Tyria, the elder dragons or the human gods (current pantheon or predecessor pantheons)? Do they have any prior relationship, especially since the human gods created Glint, a dragon, to shepherd their creations?

The Dragons, as we said, have always been here. The gods predate the humans, but not by much. Much of what we know about Glint comes from Glint herself. The truth of the matter may be very different, and she has her own reasons for saying what she has said.

Kerrsh’s quest line in Eye of the North (ending with the quest The Path to Revelations) is a hotly debated topic on the lore forums. Why are the facets of the human gods depicted as dragons? Can the gods’ cryptic message be explained in terms of Guild Wars 2?

Dragons are power, and the facets reflect the nature of the power that the human gods have harnessed. Both the Asuran Central Transfer Chamber and the City of Arah were built on places of power, which turned out to be directly over Elder Dragons.

It is possible that the cryptic message refers to the Dragons – “a land unwaking” could be the risen kingdom of Orr, and answers to the origin of the dragons do lie there.

Dwarves are also an interesting race in that, according to the trailer, they actually had legends about Zhaitan. Given that they also had legends about the Great Destroyer, the dwarves seem to have much more knowledge about the elder dragons than the other races. What year were the dwarves created, and what legends did they have about Zhaitan?

Lore - Guild Wars 2 Wiki (GW2W)

As one of the elder races, dwarves know more about the Primordus, his minion the Great Destroyer, and their dragon kindred. Only a portion of that was written down in books such as the Tome of Rubicon, but the knowledge still survives elsewhere.

The Mursaat was one of the favorite races of the players, even though their demise was caused by players’ hands. What can you tell us about the few Mursaat that were left after Eye of the North? What have they been up to for 250 years? Will they make an appearance in Guild Wars 2 or will more Mursaat Rallies have to be held?

The Mursaat are a favorite race here at ArenaNet as well, and we have a number of creatives that are big Mursaat fans (which is why they showed up in the Bonus Mission Packs). Their ultimate fate has yet to be revealed, so keep holding the rallies.

Thank you for your time!

Tyria (world) - Guild Wars 2 Wiki (GW2W)

Thanks for asking!

Source: www.killtenrats.com/2009/09/02/guild-wars-2-interview/

Hi, my name is Anatoli Ingram, and welcome to Hidden Arcana, where I’ll be giving you an inside look at some of the ideas and lore behind Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns™. I’m a role-player at heart, so I love to create backstories and lives for my characters within the Guild Wars 2 setting. Professions are a huge part of a character’s identity, and the more lore I know about those professions, the better! My fellow role-players are probably just as curious about the paths their future revenant characters can take and how they might fit into the world, so I asked Narrative Director Leah Hoyer for some guidance straight from the narrative team. Leah gave me plenty of information that will help you jump-start your revenant’s role-play concept right at level one—without any Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns story spoilers.

Commune and Connect

Revenants are heroes who’ve learned to commune with the Mists, a magical protoreality that makes up the fabric of space and time within the Guild Wars 2 universe. The Mists remember what came before, and echoes of those who left an especially powerful imprint on the world of Tyria can still be found there. A revenant calls upon these legendary historical figures, bringing them back into action to enhance the revenant’s own abilities and power.

Tyria - Guild Wars Wiki (GWW)

The story of how charr tribune Rytlock Brimstone became the first revenant hasn’t yet been told, but at the launch of Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns, he’ll have brought the knowledge of how to obtain that power to the world of Tyria, making it somewhat common knowledge. There’s no profession-specific story content planned for the expansion, but a brand-new revenant starting on their journey will not have had to visit the Mists or undergo any more of an advanced process to access revenant powers than they would for the other core professions. All that’s necessary to begin training as a revenant is knowledge of the profession, the faith and will to reach into the Mists, and an open mind.

The latter requirement may be the most important. While revenants are envisioned by ArenaNet as heroic characters, they walk a balance between light and darkness. They’re willing to have a Margonite demon like Mallyx the Unyielding ride shotgun in order to make use of his power, after all, and many of them are determined to win at all costs. Leah mentioned that it says quite a bit about Rytlock’s personality that he remained open to tapping into the power of the Mists in spite of the charr race’s general distrust of magic.

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The revenant’s moral ambiguity doesn’t mean they’re all grim and brooding as a rule, however, and there’s no dress code requiring spiky black-and-red armor if a revenant prefers pastels and quaggan backpacks—it’s all up to the individual. A revenant’s signature blindfold isn’t mandatory, either, as revenants don’t become blind as a natural result of their profession. Most of them only wear a blindfold as a tool to help them commune with the legends, who are able to perceive the world through their own senses.

Given the revenant’s martial prowess, it might be a surprise to learn that some of them are of a scholarly bent. Leah described the revenant as nearly the opposite of the engineer profession; while engineers look to the future to create new technology, revenants turn to the past to reclaim ancient powers. It’s a profession that appeals very strongly to characters—and players—who have a deep interest in and respect for the past. Reaching back to the original Guild Wars® for the revenant’s Mist-borne battle companions not only allowed ArenaNet to give a nod to players who remember their roles in the previous game, but also to continue the stories of the legends by making them active and aware.

Friends in High (and Low) Places

Flameseeker Chronicles: A Brief History Of Guild Wars 2's Tyria

A revenant’s legends are not merely echoes of the past but are fully sentient, with opinions and personalities of their own. What this means for the relationship between revenant and legend varies between individuals, as some legends are considerably more thrilled about being channeled than others. In fact, some of them are downright cranky about it; Mallyx in particular is so offended at having his immense power borrowed by upstart mortals that using some of those powers will take health from the revenant. King Jalis Ironhammer, on the other hand, is overjoyed to be back in action and will bolster the revenant’s defenses while gleefully encouraging them to take him into battle. The strengths and weaknesses of each legend in gameplay are grounded in the personality of the character being channeled.

Activating skills will occasionally trigger in-game dialogue from the legends, and the player character will sometimes respond with race-specific dialogue of their own. Depending on the legend your revenant has summoned between fights, you may also hear some small talk out of combat. You’re free to imagine the extent of conversation between your character and their legendary allies in any way you like: Do they beg Jalis for tales of his youth? Do they bicker with Mallyx about the nature of power?

Leah described the ongoing relationship between revenants and the legends they bring forth from the Mists as something of a “twisted roommate situation.” Which legends your revenant prefers to channel may depend quite a bit on who they are as a person…and having those characters as a major part of their life might certainly shape them as well, just as a relationship with any other character would.

Public perception of revenants will vary from person to person. Much like the Durmand Priory’s resident dwarf, Ogden Stonehealer, revenants and their legends may be of great interest to scholars and historians—provided the legends are willing to talk, of course. When venturing into the Heart of Maguuma, you’re very likely to be the first revenant the locals have ever seen. It may be a shocking novelty now, but the revenant will surely gain more adherents over time and eventually become as common a sight as any of the other core professions. Time may ebb and flow, but history—as always—begins now.

If you’d like a glimpse at a gentler, kinder side of the revenant, you can meet Ventari in today’s blog!