I’m not a massive lore buff or anything but it seems to me that human’s have little to no outcome on the state of the world. Aside from Logan (and yourself of course) there don’t seem to be any other figure head “Humans”. Every personal story quest lv 30+ of course is run by someone of a different race. There’s Forgal, for Vigil, and gixx for for the priory. Haven’t ran whispers yet tho to be fair, not sure if there’s a human there. Then of course Trahearne. Humans just don’t seem to be very important. Did anyone else feel like this?
That was one of the big selling points on humans for me: A defeated people, decreasing in size and power but always retaining an inspiring, yet equally tragic, tenacity. It’s alot more romantic than the Norn or Asura, at least.
Humans are a race that is currently pretty heavily on the ropes. Also Orr lore is pretty heavily human focused so perhaps it helps balance out the lore to have the other races play major roles in the Zhaitan story.
Technically the humanity also still has Cantha and Elona as major population areas.
Not big on the Lore either, but Humans have been beat back through some centuries I think, and only have 1 city left.
Humans currently have two major cities:
Divinity’s Reach, which we all know is the capital of the last human kingdom. Kryta.
and
Ebonhawke, which is a city built on Charr lands, making strong connections from GW2 to GW1. It is pretty much all humanity has left on the conquered human kingdom of Ascalon.
Fate has not been kind to Humanity. I love the intense will and strength the humans have in this game. They are stubborn and will not falter depsite what the world throws at them. Their story is the saddest and most alive to me because of it.
My life has a superb cast, but I can’t figure out the plot. -ISLE OF JANTHIR SERVER-
As it has already been stated humans are not just in Tyria, but also Cantha (Asian themed), and Elona (African themed). Elona has been taken over by Palawa Joko an undead necro you meet in the Nightfall campaign of GW1. If your looking for a possible storyline about humans pushing back to gain the upper hand; wait for this. It is also worth mentioning that other lands exsist in addation to the maps seen in both GW1 and the current map of GW2. Lands that may contain human kingdoms that have weathered the storms better than Ascalon, Orr, and Kryta.
That was one of the big selling points on humans for me: A defeated people, decreasing in size and power but always retaining an inspiring, yet equally tragic, tenacity. It’s alot more romantic than the Norn or Asura, at least.
This. Plus I felt strongly connected to my GW character, and I couldn’t imagine rolling anything other that human necromancer as my first character in GW2.
Varg Defleshed the devout Necromancer | Desolation EU
We don’t know what is going on in Elona or Cantha. I’M pretty sure that Elona is a mess (thanks to our brave heroes in GW1 who didn’t stop Palawa Joko on time!), but we don’t know anything about Cantha. For all that we know, they might be thriving in a mighty empire there
That’s what I actually love about the story of Guild Wars 2. Humans are holding and surviving but they are the endangered specie. Asura are becoming the new dominant force while the Sylvari are slowing awakening.
In pretty much any fantasy/medieval story, humans are always the dominant race.
From a Lore PoV they got arrogant with themselves and petty. The Charr were like that once and were pushed back from Ascalon because of it. Now the Humans have to pay their due. I like it. I like having a fantasy-style Battlestar Galactica take on the Humans: We are so borked yet we still believe.
Elona, Land of the Golden Sun….and undead…and poison. The travel brochure lied okay?!
We don’t know what is going on in Elona or Cantha. I’M pretty sure that Elona is a mess (thanks to our brave heroes in GW1 who didn’t stop Palawa Joko on time!), but we don’t know anything about Cantha. For all that we know, they might be thriving in a mighty empire there
Well we do know a few things about Cantha. We know that the Emperor was able to raise forces strong enough to subjugate both the Luxons and the Kurzicks making Cantha a united empire. I think references in the lore suggested he pushed out the Tunge as well. The amount of money and man power needed for these campaigns would suggest a human kingdom free of outside threat (or at least able to stabilize the threats) to the degree they can launch successful campaigns of conquest.
From a Lore PoV they got arrogant with themselves and petty. The Charr were like that once and were pushed back from Ascalon because of it. Now the Humans have to pay their due. I like it. I like having a fantasy-style Battlestar Galactica take on the Humans: We are so borked yet we still believe.
The Charr didn’t lose Ascalon to the Humans because of “arrogance” issues. They lost because the human gods gave humans magic which the Charr didn’t know about or could use. This led to the search for gods not to worship but to get power. The Flame Legion found Titans which are defeated in the Prophecies campaign. Then they start worshipping the Destoryers in the Eye of the North campaign. After these failed attempts to find gods for power they basiclly give up (except for the Flame Legion) searching for gods. This is why in GW2 you hear npc Charr say “We put our faith in machines, not false gods” and Rytlock’s statement " Your faith is your weakness human". It is also worth pointing out that in the lore the Human gods have pretty much stopped taking an active roll, just sitting back and watching. Humans must now stand or fall on on their own actions. A rather nice change from most fantasy games I think.
I wouldn’t say that they’re a dying race but they’re definitely a race that holds a tragic story. Especially if you take a look at the burden that they truly foster from fresh wounds given to them by Charr. (Albeit it’s been 200 years)
As others have mentioned, the humans are having the time of their lives in Elona and Cantha (And perhaps elsewhere?). Which I’m absolutely sure we will explore in further expansions to GW2. I don’t know about you but I personally like Palawa Joko. He’s a pretty kitten undead king with a sense of humor. (I hope they keep him as he was in GW1)
Though what I really like about Humans is their city. In comparison to the rest. I really find it well done and clearly a top amongst the rest.
What makes humans really interesting is their relationship with their Gods (With the silence of the Gods and all). I think that they’ll take a route similar to the Charr and forsake anything except for their own might. (Perhaps in GW3). Eitherway, Humans are by far the most interesting as of yet. Or atleast in my opinion.
The Charr didn’t lose Ascalon to the Humans because of “arrogance” issues. They lost because the human gods gave humans magic which the Charr didn’t know about or could use. This led to the search for gods not to worship but to get power.
True but having their Khan Ur assassinated around that time frame didn’t help because their society started fracturing in places. Legions started thinking about Legion first and not Charr first. That helped the humans out.
Basically the Guild Wars did the same thing to the humans. Instead of focusing on a single threat they looked internally. That weakens you against external forces.
Humans are paying their dues still and I like it.
Elona, Land of the Golden Sun….and undead…and poison. The travel brochure lied okay?!
I think we’re forgetting to factor in the dragons elsewhere. Elona has Joko problems, and Cantha has it ever-loving massive bureaucracy, but how do we know they don’t also have dragon problems? Factions has a Glint-like minidragon (Khunavaang or somesuch), they could be having the same problems Tyria (the continent) are having. Bubbles, the infamous Deep Sea Dragon, could simply be one of Elona’s dragons cruising around.
The possibility of physical and mental collapse is now very real.
No sympathy for the Devil, keep that in mind.
Buy the ticket, take the ride.
Khunavaang and Glint are not like the Elder dragons. I think one them even states this difference. The Elder dragons are supposed to be bad and Khunavaang and Glint are the good dragons.
Read the GW2 books, Glint is the coolest dragon SPOILERS minion ever.
The man who can wield the power of this sword can summon to him an army
more deadly than any that walks this earth. Put aside the Ranger.
Become who you were born to be. I give hope to men. I keep none for myself.
If i remember right in GW1 the Charr was their main enemy and probably the ones who brought them to the point they are at now. Which has got to be a bit unsettling to now see Charr just roaming the halls of your final stronghold like they own the joint.
That was one of the big selling points on humans for me: A defeated people, decreasing in size and power but always retaining an inspiring, yet equally tragic, tenacity. It’s alot more romantic than the Norn or Asura, at least.
Yeah that is what draws me in about them. Also partly because of I played GW1 Prophecy. Visiting charr lands (Ascalonian ruins) as my human was somewhat emotional gaming experience. Yes, I’m a lore geek
Humans are a race that is currently pretty heavily on the ropes. Also Orr lore is pretty heavily human focused so perhaps it helps balance out the lore to have the other races play major roles in the Zhaitan story.
Technically the humanity also still has Cantha and Elona as major population areas.
We don’t really know what happen to these places. Elona was taken over by Palawa Joko iirc, Cantha adopted an isolationist policy and cut themselves off from the rest of Tyria.
This kind of talk is pure madness at it’s finest. I am Mantastic, and I am a mantastically tastic human at that. All shall bow to the greatness that is Mantastic. All wretched and unholy beings will worship the handsome ground I walk upon. Flowers shall flourish, growing happily from the unholy corpses who have fallen victim to my awe inspiring manliness. I shall walk for miles upon miles, spreading the seed of Mantastic to all. Prepare yourselves to to be touched, by greatness. Willingly of course.
Yeah, Humans are the Elves of GW2; Culturally developed, ancient race that once ruled much of the world. Now their time has passed and the younger peoples have surpassed them in power and technology.
The difference is that in most settings, it’s implicit that elves just aren’t going to get back up. Ever. The time of the elves is gone, never to come again.
GW2 humans don’t have that. Word of Dev is that the gods haven’t abandoned humans, it’s that they think humans are ready to stand without divine supervision. Viewed this way, humans aren’t a dying race so much as going through a rough spot that they’re expected to emerge from more powerful than ever.
It would have been nice to see humans taking centre stage more often, though. The recapture of Orr was an opportunity to do so – it’s their holy city, so theoretically they should be able to make best use of whatever’s there. Even if that does require calling in the Forgotten to share their secrets of cleansing draconic corruption.
To those who think Scarlet hate means she’s succeeded as a villain:
People don’t hate Scarlet like Game of Thrones fans hate Joffrey.
They hate her the way Star Wars fans hate Jar Jar Binks.
If i remember right in GW1 the Charr was their main enemy and probably the ones who brought them to the point they are at now. Which has got to be a bit unsettling to now see Charr just roaming the halls of your final stronghold like they own the joint.
I found seeing a broken Stormcaller in the charr town on display was a shot to the gut.
I can still remember the first time I did Ruins of Surmia with the charr at the door and us being like “Whoah! It’s Stormcaller! Gonna save the day! Gonna make it rain!”
Instead now all your favourite Ascalon NPCs are insane ghosts, dismantling the wall is a renown heart, and Rin is an archaeological dig.
Yeah, Humans are the Elves of GW2; Culturally developed, ancient race that once ruled much of the world. Now their time has passed and the younger peoples have surpassed them in power and technology."
I thought Sylvari were the elves of GW2 although far more original?
And why do humans ghosts attack me on my Asura and even other human? What beef do the Ascalon ghosts have with me when I just want to complete exploration? Attacking Charr I can understand, but maybe them being hostile to all races is just for purposes of gameplay and they aren’t plot hostile (like in WoW undead are weak vs. holy according to the plot but for the purposes of game balance don’t have that weakness)?
Elves basically fall into two categories, that can overlap. One is the magical forest people, one is the ancient magical civilisation that once dominated the world but is now in decline (but still significant at the time the story is set). Sylvari are the first group of elves, GW2 humans carry the tropes of the second.
To those who think Scarlet hate means she’s succeeded as a villain:
People don’t hate Scarlet like Game of Thrones fans hate Joffrey.
They hate her the way Star Wars fans hate Jar Jar Binks.
If i remember right in GW1 the Charr was their main enemy and probably the ones who brought them to the point they are at now. Which has got to be a bit unsettling to now see Charr just roaming the halls of your final stronghold like they own the joint.
I found seeing a broken Stormcaller in the charr town on display was a shot to the gut.
I can still remember the first time I did Ruins of Surmia with the charr at the door and us being like “Whoah! It’s Stormcaller! Gonna save the day! Gonna make it rain!”
Instead now all your favourite Ascalon NPCs are insane ghosts, dismantling the wall is a renown heart, and Rin is an archaeological dig.
Which is exactly the problem I have with the Charr and that whole area. Its like Anet couldn’t care less about fans of the original game.
If i remember right in GW1 the Charr was their main enemy and probably the ones who brought them to the point they are at now. Which has got to be a bit unsettling to now see Charr just roaming the halls of your final stronghold like they own the joint.
I found seeing a broken Stormcaller in the charr town on display was a shot to the gut.
I can still remember the first time I did Ruins of Surmia with the charr at the door and us being like “Whoah! It’s Stormcaller! Gonna save the day! Gonna make it rain!”
Instead now all your favourite Ascalon NPCs are insane ghosts, dismantling the wall is a renown heart, and Rin is an archaeological dig.
Which is exactly the problem I have with the Charr and that whole area. Its like Anet couldn’t care less about fans of the original game.
What? I wouldn’t say they don’t care. Just the story of Ascalon was always a sad one. It was a story of loss and I think it was well done. Humans in this world are back to the wall, proud but wounded and, coming from Guild Wars, I found it easy to identify with that. You go to Ebonhawke and you see all these people tired from fighting that are just thrilled to be able to do anything else, to finally get around to building lives instead of fighting charr because they took our land because we took their land and I don’t even know how long it goes back. Plus, after meeting Tybalt, I’m willing to say that maybe the charr are good guys too.
I’m glad they stuck with it. I’m glad the game is making me feel something and this sort of human story isn’t one you see often.
Visiting Orr is like another thing. I wish I coulda seen it in its heyday. I can’t wait to visit Cantha and Elona again.
If i remember right in GW1 the Charr was their main enemy and probably the ones who brought them to the point they are at now. Which has got to be a bit unsettling to now see Charr just roaming the halls of your final stronghold like they own the joint.
I found seeing a broken Stormcaller in the charr town on display was a shot to the gut.
I can still remember the first time I did Ruins of Surmia with the charr at the door and us being like “Whoah! It’s Stormcaller! Gonna save the day! Gonna make it rain!”
Instead now all your favourite Ascalon NPCs are insane ghosts, dismantling the wall is a renown heart, and Rin is an archaeological dig.
Which is exactly the problem I have with the Charr and that whole area. Its like Anet couldn’t care less about fans of the original game.
What? I wouldn’t say they don’t care. Just the story of Ascalon was always a sad one. It was a story of loss and I think it was well done. Humans in this world are back to the wall, proud but wounded and, coming from Guild Wars, I found it easy to identify with that. You go to Ebonhawke and you see all these people tired from fighting that are just thrilled to be able to do anything else, to finally get around to building lives instead of fighting charr because they took our land because we took their land and I don’t even know how long it goes back. Plus, after meeting Tybalt, I’m willing to say that maybe the charr are good guys too.
I’m glad they stuck with it. I’m glad the game is making me feel something and this sort of human story isn’t one you see often.
Visiting Orr is like another thing. I wish I coulda seen it in its heyday. I can’t wait to visit Cantha and Elona again.
I say they don’t care because they don’t. Adelbern was turned from a deep character who felt sorry for driving his son away and at the mistakes he has made, when you meet him in the Titan Quests, into a one dimensional tyrant. All the characters that you first meet in pre searing are just punching bags now to get dat epic lootz. Everybody acts like the foefire was some awful affront to all things moral while the searing wasn’t any worse then just pushing somebody away. The only direct reference to Rurik in the game is him being referred to as a tyrant when all he did in GW1 was try to save people. The Charr are being given a free pass for all the murdering, slavery and being jerks (to put it nicely) by the phrase ‘it was their land first though’ while completely ignoring all the other situations where this can be said or how little sense that argument makes in the first place. The Charr intro claims they killed their Gods themselves when the Titans and Abbadon were killed by humans.
The whole thing is a mess and just a combination of not caring about fans, poor writing and wanting to make their mary sue race look amazing and it disgusts me that they aren’t being called out for it more.
Personally it wouldn’t surprise me if the story in Elona is about helping Joko kill Kralkatorrik and then leaving all the humans enslaved to him and in Cantha everybody has been corrupted by some other dragon and we have to kill them all then give the land to the Tengu.
I’d say based on the respective effects that the foefire was indeed worse than the searing.
The searing “only” destroyed, the foefire enslaved the ascalonian population into becoming vengeful spirits.
That the pre searing characters are now “punching bags” really show the moral problem of the foefire, they are now unable to discern between Human and Charr or any other race, and attack everything on sight, they have lost all free will they had.
It is the Charr who are acting the foefire is worse because of how their people died in it, they don’t care about enslaved souls or anything.
Doesn’t that just show you how stupid the whole foefire thing is? It isn’t in character for the king how we last saw him in the games and it wasn’t mandatory that they put something in to kitten all over our first memories of GW1.
Of course the Charr would lament the death of their own over the death of humans, and hordes of ghosts on their doorstep that still claim casualties 200 years after doesn’t make them very wrong.
Of course the Charr would lament the death of their own over the death of humans, and hordes of ghosts on their doorstep that still claim casualties 200 years after doesn’t make them very wrong.
Well the Charr committed mass genocide which forced forcing all the humans into Kryta where they are being killed by Centaurs, why don’t they get any kitten for that?
Not to mention how many people died defending Ebonhawke when all they do is pretty much sit in there and try not to die.
Well, the Humans are backed up against a wall in TYRIA, Elona is being dominated by Palawa Joko, and Cantha cut it’s self off from the rest of the world after becoming a united nation. I am almost certain the nation of Cantha is doing absolutely fine.
Also, why do you guys think the Humans are trying to have a treaty with the Charr? Would you not try to save the last of your people and continue to grow?
And lastly, the Ascalonian ghosts attack everyone because they can’t tell the difference between Charr or human or any other race, all they do is fight anything around them because that’s what the Foefire was used for. It was a last ditch effort to drive the Charr out of Ascalon.
@Levetty
The foefire was genocide versus humans also, in addition to enslaving their soul.
There were people in Kryta before the searing and exodus from Ascalon.
Also they do get kitten for that, from the separatists, the other humans however have realised that past sins shouldn’t get in the way of present peace.
Continued war against the Charr because of the searing when they have themselves commited similar (and in my opinion worse) acts, and even when the ones responsible among the Charr are being opposed (flame legion).
Letting sins from 200 years previous come in the way of peace, with the threat of the Dragons, would be a very stupid move.
If you’re talking about things like the Foefire, the Cataclysm, and so on, keep in mind that they were acts of a single lunatic and generally as acts of desperation, while the Searing was a deliberate offensive move with pretty much universal support among at least the male side of charr society (Pyre approves of it despite being the worst internal enemy of the shamans at the time, for instance).
If you’re talking about genocide in general, also true, but the good humans were generally opposed to or at least ashamed about it. However, there are modern charr who are also ashamed at some of the acts of their ancestors and show scepticism about the official charr history.
To those who think Scarlet hate means she’s succeeded as a villain:
People don’t hate Scarlet like Game of Thrones fans hate Joffrey.
They hate her the way Star Wars fans hate Jar Jar Binks.
And why do humans ghosts attack me on my Asura and even other human? What beef do the Ascalon ghosts have with me when I just want to complete exploration? Attacking Charr I can understand, but maybe them being hostile to all races is just for purposes of gameplay and they aren’t plot hostile (like in WoW undead are weak vs. holy according to the plot but for the purposes of game balance don’t have that weakness)?
I just assume they’re stark raving mad by now. They don’t just attack players either, I see them fighting separatists as well. I think they just attack anyone but other ascalonian ghosts.
@Levetty
The foefire was genocide versus humans also, in addition to enslaving their soul.
There were people in Kryta before the searing and exodus from Ascalon.
Also they do get kitten for that, from the separatists, the other humans however have realised that past sins shouldn’t get in the way of present peace.
Continued war against the Charr because of the searing when they have themselves commited similar (and in my opinion worse) acts, and even when the ones responsible among the Charr are being opposed (flame legion).
Letting sins from 200 years previous come in the way of peace, with the threat of the Dragons, would be a very stupid move.
So the acts of singular mad men is the same as the whole of Charr planing out and supporting a genocide and then celebrating the searing to this day? And once again why did the foefire even get added to the story?
As I already said the whole thing is a mess and just a combination of not caring about fans, poor writing and wanting to make their mary sue race look amazing and it disgusts me that they aren’t being called out for it more.
