Guild Wars 2

I’m sure everyone has noticed that you never encounter undead Sylvari. (If you have not noticed this, you are not really paying attentiong :P) I think this says a few things about the Sylvari as a race. Mainly, they are literally incarnations of life itself. More so then other living things perhaps. If you think about it, in order to make a living thing “Undead” it first has to die. But if Sylvari cannot die in the traditional sense, then it would be impossible for them to be made undead.

SPOILERS:

But Sieran died in the story didn’t she?

Sylvari can still be mauled to death by people, wildlife, traps, etc. However, they have a sort-of natural “resistance” to the corrupting effects of the Elder Dragons, immediately dying instead of being turned into the enemy. No NPC has been able to figure out why the plant-people are capable of resisting the Elder Dragons in such a way, but some speculate that it has something to do with their recent appearance in history. That they are so new could mean that the Elder Dragons don’t yet know how to turn them into Risen, Branded, Icebrood, etc.

Could be something more fundamental though. Being tied to the very land itself. The Dragons cannot corrupt the Sylvari unless every inch of Tyria is first corrupted.

Aeros you know it not Tyria it gotta corrupt if ya theory is true.

It gotta Corrupt the pale tree, because that is what their connected to and not the land.

I think it is because Zaithan woke up in in 1219 AE, corrupting creatures in Orr and the first Sylvari woke up in 1302 AE

There’s an easier logic here. They can’t be corrupted, simply because they’re plant-based, perhaps? Asura, Human, Charr, Norn – all are mammalian formats. Of course, it could also be because Sylvari are the “obvious” Fae analogue.

Don’t think the plant thing is it, since you see Branded bushes around. Really annoying things too.

I have a feeling it has a lot to do with them still being plants in end. They’re not made of flesh and bone, but in stead are made of twigs and leaves.

“Sylvari are not born. They awaken (…)”

So if they only change their state of being I would wager it’s logical that they can only return to that (dream-) state. Perhaps what is left (when the physical body dies) is not enough to corrupt and animate.

Would be something if the elder trees in Orr would fight against being chopped down…

I believe that Sylvari cannot be corrupted because of both their physical form more than any other. All though corrupted plants exist… So really there is no reason why Sylvari cannot be corrupted… How about this. Sylvari are special little creatures :I The end.

Another possibility is that the Sylvari are not fully incarnated in Tyria as is the case with other races. The Dream is a good way of looking at this. The Sylvari body emerges fully formed from the Pale tree, but it is itself inhabited by the “soul” of an entity that existed before the body was even formed. Also consider, an elite skill of the Sylvari is to summon a druidic spirit that looks alot like the Oakhearts. Its possible the Pale tree serves as a bridge between the the mortal world and the spirit world and the Sylvari are nature spirits that are given physical form through the pale tree.

If that is the case, then the Sylvari are of the same primordial power as the Elder Dragons, being spirits of Earth. I don’t think there is an Elder Dragon of Earth now that I think about it. I also have never run into a corrupted Earth Elemental either. You see plenty of corrupted fire, and ice elementals though. No branded oakhearts either.

Or it could be that Sylvari have their own brand of corruption – the Nightmare Court. Since that can be forced on a Sylvari and cannot be undone.

Yeah, but the Nightmare Court does not act like Dragon corrupted. After all, Dragon Minions are mindless slaves, unable to do anything but what the dragon wills. In the first part of the Sylvari quest, you meet a fairly “decent” Nightmare Courtier, but still have to kill him when he attacks the grove. I think its also a mistake to say that the Nighmare Court is corrupt. Certainly their world vision is radically different and darker then regular Sylvari, but none of their domains or creatures appear unnatural or innately corrosive. Just more fierce and deadly.

Both corrupted earth elementals and corrupted oakhearts exist. The elementals are branded earth elementals found in the fields of ruin and other dragonbrand locations. The corrupted oakhearts are part of events in queensdale and caledon forest.

As for Aeros: Grove > Nightmare is honestly the in-game variant of Seelie and Unseelie Court Fae. Stands to reason the personalities of both are less … (un)corrupted … and more two sides of the same coin. Typically, Seelie were linked to Spring/Summer, whereas Unseelie were Autumn/Winter. Growth versus Decay. IIRC, a good deal of this similarity is due to there originally being a “Sidhe” race planned, during the GW: Utopia days, and I would venture to say that said race was -most likely- going to make use of similar personality/story mechanics.

I’m surprised no one mentioned the theory of the sylvari being connected to a “nature elder dragon”.

We know minions of one dragon cannot be converted by another dragon. Risen created by Zaitan can’t be branded by Kralkatorrik. Aside from this, we find that basically everything can be turned by a dragon. Examples like elementals, bushes, oakheart, and mammals have all been mentioned in this thread. Sylvari being plants should not make them an exception, thus making a link to an elder dragon a real possibility.

The thread I first read about this theory in laid out a pretty solid argument. Sadly, I wasn’t able to find it again.

Astrum.3652:

(…)

The thread I first read about this theory in laid out a pretty solid argument. Sadly, I wasn’t able to find it again.

This one in the lore section?

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/lore/Spoilers-ArenaNet-confirms-the-fan-theories-about-Elder-Dragons/first

Rouven.7409:

Astrum.3652:

(…)

The thread I first read about this theory in laid out a pretty solid argument. Sadly, I wasn’t able to find it again.

This one in the lore section?

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/lore/Spoilers-ArenaNet-confirms-the-fan-theories-about-Elder-Dragons/first

Haven’t seen that one before but it does cover a lot of the theory. Thanks for the link!

There’s only been one other race that has had some immunity to the dragon corruption back when the dragons first were on Tyria; the Forgotten.

There is some speculation that the Sylvari resistance and the Forgotten resistance may be related in some way. Possibly that the Pale Tree and her children are genetic/magical creations by the Forgotten.

The first races were basically brutalized by the Dragons the first time around so maybe the Forgotten created something that could be used as foot soldiers against the Dragons when they awoke?

I like the theory that we’re minions of the sixth dragon we only know the name of, but we were awakened before that dragon because of Ventari and Ronan. Needless to say, Malyck raises a lot of questions and the whole dragon minions thing would answer them.

Bonus points if this results in the Sylvari dragon fighting the other dragons, getting the Pact as its army. If the enemy dragons band together to take out the threat of the Pact… We’re pretty much finished without a weapon like that.

It would be interesting to see if there is an Elder Dragon that does not want to destroy the world. Here is another fun thought, based kinda on the lore of the Elder Scrolls. Tyria is the creation of the Elder Dragon of Earth. It is so amazing a creation, and the existence of sentient beings upon it so unusual that it draws the ire/jealousy of the other Elder Dragons and thus they seek to remake it according to their vision. In that respect then Sylvari may be Dragon Minions, but they are purpose built for the environment rather then imposed on it by an outside invader.

Keep in mind, the lore says that the 6 humans Gods came to Tyria. This implies Tyria was here before they showed up, so there has to be a different creator. Should also be noted that Sylvari have no comprehension of the 6 gods and in random conversations about them are quite adamant that they don’t know anything about them. Considering how much mystical knowledge the Dream gives the race, it is strange that they would have no knowledge of the Gods that otherwise seem so important to the world.

Aeros.2046:

Considering how much mystical knowledge the Dream gives the race, it is strange that they would have no knowledge of the Gods that otherwise seem so important to the world.

The Dreams mystic knowlege is based soley on the experience of others. And even then it is stated by A-net to be incomplete and unreliable becasue seeing something in the dream is akin to reading about the thing, not actually experiencing it for yourself. And you won’t get everything everyone else has contibuted to the Dream. So The Dream really only has 25 years of sylvari experience and some Pale Tree experience but all put together wouldn’t address too much of the gods on tyria beyond what they learn from other races.

I’m still a fan of the idea that there is an Elder Dragon of Earth that is benevolent rather then Malevolent like his/her/its kin. Would explain the connection Sylvari have with the Dragons too.

Undead trees and plants sounds pretty silly.

I’m not sure the corrupted Treants are undead, just diseased and/or evil.

Sylvari are good for smoking ribs.

Let’s set a few things straight (utilizing game canon, of course).

First: There are at least two late game missions involving sylvari immunity to dragon corruption, the cause is still unknown though. Sylvari touched by dragon corruption simply die. One might argue that in a particular mission a sylvari is driven mad by corruption, but it is more likely she was tortured and broken by the Eye that was with her. Trehearn did mention, after all, that he had witnessed higher functioning risen doing exquisitely horrific things.

Second: As for corrupted plants, branded plants in Ascalon is a prime argument, and there is at least one Sylvari NPC in Orr that talks about how even the plant life seems to be undead and wanting to kill every living thing. While the latter is not conclusive itself, this would suggest that even plants can be corrupted by Zhaitan. They were certainly able to be corrupted by Kralkatorrek simply breathing on them.

Now, in regards to some dragon tree silliness, it just makes no sense. I’ve read the theories, and they seem to hold water, right up until you actually play the sylvari story.

We will more than likely find out why sylvari are immune to minionification in a later expansion, since it makes them a powerful asset in combating the dragons.

Perhaps when a dragon attempts to turn them into Risen/Branded/Icebrood, the Dream severs the link with the Sylvari in question to prevent the corruption having access to The Dream/The Pale tree(kind of like a necessary cull to prevent a virus spreading.), something which I don’t think a Sylvari can function without? ( could be wrong about all of this.)

Zenfar.1764:

Perhaps when a dragon attempts to turn them into Risen/Branded/Icebrood, the Dream severs the link with the Sylvari in question to prevent the corruption having access to The Dream/The Pale tree(kind of like a necessary cull to prevent a virus spreading.), something which I don’t think a Sylvari can function without? ( could be wrong about all of this.)

I would agree with this, as it actually makes sense, except for the single issue with Malyck claiming that his tree never spoke to him, or seemed to be anything more than a tree. He all but said that he and his kin had no connection to the Dream of Dreams.

Actually I am pretty sure he did say something to that effect.