Guild Wars 2

Josh Foreman.8250:

kineticdamage.6279:

Pure target audience strategy. They saw how westerners rejected Asian elements during Mists of Pandaria development, so they took it as a business rule and wanted to surf on the rejection. That is speculation of course, but it is so obvious …

That’s not what happened. This went down long before anyone even know MOP was coming. It was simply a cultural consideration.

Then why do we have an Elonian (African themed) district? Or even African-like Hyleks?
Removing any cultural references to Asia for a more general-less cultural focused-theme while keeping any Elonian structures seems a bit contradictory…

I do hope this isn’t true, Cantha was by far my favorite continent outside of the cities. Beautiful scenery. Would definitely be a shame if they cut this out. To me it made perfect since to add Cantha if / when they add Tengu. Would definitely be upsetting if they cut it from the lore.

Also, this is me urging ArenaNet to add Cantha as a game region down the road. I know that I’m not the only one who loved Cantha and everything else Factions had to offer. The characters were great, the storyline was interesting, and just the overall feel of it with the spectral animal spirits really added a nice touch. Please don’t remove Cantha or its lore from Guild Wars 2.

All I really have to add is this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMvcglKzCgE
(since no preview is showing up, it’s the factions theme / login music)

There’s so much they can do on the Tyrian landmass that I’m not bugged about Cantha. The awesome landscapes can be recreated someplace on Tyria itself. The tengu can already stand in for a lot of the cultural feel, while giving us a taste of more southeastern Asian architecture like that seen in Cambodia and Vietnam. The fun of maze like and vertical Kaineng can be slotted in about anywhere the dev’s imagination can put it. (Something dredge or skritt comes to mind)

That pretty much leaves the lore. I would like to revisit Cantha via a book or series of books. The lore could be packed in more tightly, while doing greater justice to a breadth of characters. The closest I would like to go in the actual game would be the dredge tunnel under the ocean. That seems like an ideal spot for the ultimate confrontation with Primordus.

There is a lot they can do with the Tyrian land mass that I want to see that’s for sure, but Cantha already exists and is deeply rooted into the lore and Tyria as a world it would be pointless to recreate the landscapes and highly concentrated “cultural feel” elsewhere when they can bring Cantha out and satisfy players with the cultural themes and everyone who was Canthan in the 1st game and based their toons in this game off that. :P they would probably have a lot of “this is sweet, but it isn’t Cantha..” comments all over the place by players or more likely “Why can they do this, but not Cantha?”.

I’m sorry, but if Cantha and Elona aren’t in the plans for NCsoft or ArenaNet, then to me that makes this game’s future substantially disappointing and not worth investing into. Cantha and Elona were my “homes” in gw1, so to know that they will never come back makes me feel like I’ve lost my home.

Dear NCsoft,
let ArenaNet do their amazing work and do not think about some “cultural issues” or whatever. Cantha is the part of Guild Wars universe, beloved by players and developers. You should not ban some art tendencies only because some of your executives do not like them. Thank you.

Respectfully,
Alisar Dius, guardian of the Sylvari.

Cantha, also known as the Empire of the Dragon, is a vast empire located to the southwest of Tyria, across the Unending Ocean. It is the oldest known human nation, and the oldest known land for humans to have lived on, though legends tell of other lands across an ocean the Canthans came from. Cantha became isolationist under Emperor Usoku’s rule, cutting ties with the northern nations. Prior to Usoku’s rule, Cantha was growing xenophobic through the influence of the Ministry of Purity, though because of the isolation, it isn’t yet known to what extent the Ministry of Purity’s influence grew in political and social terms. The rise of Zhaitan had further cut off Cantha when his risen fleet took control of the Strait of Malchor. The only proof that Cantha still exists are sporadic sailors washing ashore on the Tarnished Coast.

Its not gone.

StarThistle.1384:

Cantha, also known as the Empire of the Dragon, is a vast empire located to the southwest of Tyria, across the Unending Ocean. It is the oldest known human nation, and the oldest known land for humans to have lived on, though legends tell of other lands across an ocean the Canthans came from. Cantha became isolationist under Emperor Usoku’s rule, cutting ties with the northern nations. Prior to Usoku’s rule, Cantha was growing xenophobic through the influence of the Ministry of Purity, though because of the isolation, it isn’t yet known to what extent the Ministry of Purity’s influence grew in political and social terms. The rise of Zhaitan had further cut off Cantha when his risen fleet took control of the Strait of Malchor. The only proof that Cantha still exists are sporadic sailors washing ashore on the Tarnished Coast.

Its not gone.

It’s time for us to set sail and head for Cantha and figure out what’s going on for ourselves

Having a wife who is a descendant of several different Asian cultures, I was intrigued by how much cross-culture mixing happens. There are pockets of hybrid cultures all over Asia, in the Philippines, Malaysia, etc. Perhaps all this would really require is a bit more research on how these cultures hybridize.

That is, if this is a reasonable concern, and not one person with a bit of power being overly conservative and quite silly.

I was really looking forward to going back to Cantha, and will be extremely disappointed if we never get to return. I think some creative person out there at Anet could make it happen if they really want to.

In my personal opinion I really do believe that Cantha was by far the best part of the Guild Wars universe. I really enjoyed the theme set out in front of us, from having Assassins which were an amazing addition to my all-time favourite profession of any game the Ritualist it was by far amazing.

It was the only real expansion where there was really any player choice which effected gameplay, along with the amazing diversity which was seen with the whole Luxon/Kurzick history.

I was incredibly excited to make a heavy Canthan themed character when Guild Wars 2 came out. I admit I was a little disappointed when creating a character that I couldn’t choose where my heritage came from and then a little bit disappointed again when the only district to be missing was the Cantha one.
(We clearly have the Elonan, Krytan and Ascalonian districts)

Cantha would be a great place to take us in the future.
We could enter Cantha during a civil war or uprising against the Emperor as citizens want to expand beyond their borders because of over-crowding, or that because an Elder Dragon is rising or has awakened in the region it causes a civil war as people want to call the aid of the heroes of Tyria as stories of the defeat of Zhaitan spread far. Or maybe even have the Tengu want their homeland back so travel to Cantha with the aid of the other races to re-take their heritage and rightful place, sparking the start of a war.

There are so many great ideas which can be adapted and put forward. So many areas which we could be exposed to, like fighting through city streets and rooftops, to the sewage systems and Jade Sea.

I really think the Human race in Guild Wars 2 needs this diversity. The other races have clear diversity within them (The Collages you clearly hear about constantly, the different Legions are easy to tell apart from afar, the different Spirits of the wild and finally the time of day Sylvari are born) where from a distance you are able to tell how the races split apart into further sections.

The Humans make it incredibly hard as all over the city everyone looks the same. Nobility, Commoner and Street Rat all look the same and it becomes hard to really distinguish.
Personally I have found the Human lore to be rather weak/watered down in Guild Wars 2, adding something like Cantha would really strengthen this.

(Sorry for the long babbling text which probably went in circles by the way)

I want Cantha in Guild Wars 2 too

Joining in to say that Cantha needs to come back. It was one of the most amazing places in Guild Wars 1, with very unique areas. The Jade Sea and the Petrified Forest are some of the most amazing area concepts I have ever seen in a game, both being very unique (Cathedrals carved from treed petrified into trees!).

Please, bring back Cantha.

(PS : Kurzicks are better than the suxons)

Yes please, bring Cantha back!

I really need to see what happed with chanta first hand.

i can only imagine big parts of the jade sea bing mined out for money but then the mines and quarry’s getting filled with fresh water from the rain (cant get out of the jade). and so in century’s time the jade sea will be back to its original state.

and this is just a random idea chanta has so much potential i cant imagine not having it anymore in the gw2 universe.

and for the cultural thing i do not understand how this would be a problem. it is clearly not from a popularity standpoint seeing that many people loved chanta’s style.

but not having info on this or why this decision was made makes it hard for us players to argument on why it is better to have chanta then not.

I never really liked Cantha, so I can’t say I’m distraught over this. However, I do like history and seeing how things change.

Let us clean up the Elder Dragons on Tyria, Elona, and the Far North (a few years worth). Then we can consider peeking in on Cantha. I am in no hurry for new zones.

Shanna.4762:

It’s time for us to set sail and head for Cantha and figure out what’s going on for ourselves

Well, seeing as how Blizzard recently released an expac entirely based on Chinese/Tibetan culture and environments then seems there’s a precedent for Anet to follow.

Absolutely loved Cantha in GW, by far the most enjoyable region for me. The whole setting gave me this tranquil vibe.

Therefore, BAM, /signed.

Bring it back, it would be foolish not to!

This is the first time I hear about this and it saddens me a lot. I never thought Cantha was in question to ever appear on Guild wars universe again. I wanted to believe it will be the next expansion, but now I know its definitely not. I dont even want to play GW2 as much anymore.

I’m sure the devs would love to work Cantha back into GW2, but for the sake of NCSOFT, I’ll say that I would pay to have access to Cantha, Fort Aspenwood and the Ritualist class (just to name a few aspects of ‘Factions’ that I loved).

This is a disappointment to hear. Coming from GW1, Prophecies…. Factions is what brought me back to GW. It’s showed me ANET was about pushing the boundaries of the software, and story. Celestial beasts? A hardened sea? PVP/PVE elements? PVE Zerg Leaderboards. Ritualists. Timed Missions. That crazy city & beautiful country.

Least the Tengu are still around, as odd as they look up close.

Then, there was the board walk, & Roller beetle racing.

….

I think Factions is pushed aside easily since Nightfall made it easy with the added heroes & broken with no player population.

If it is truly pushed aside…I’d be more than disappointed. It seems ANET is on a shoestring budget now, because they are letting so many $ making opportunities & bugs slide.

One plushy book bag, a tweaked consumption item, and a rehashed broom does not make new content to be advertised about.

So I’m not surprised Cantha has been pushed aside. But I do hope it comes back and brings back GW with it.

Cantha in GW2 would be so awesome, just imagine the jumping puzzles in Kaineng.

Why NCsoft, why!!

Didn´t read every post/page, maybe someone already asked this :

/cough

Why did we get a Cantha/Factions addon for the first installment, but now we are “excluded” from having a great time again in Cantha 250 year later (GW2) ?

As a jumping puzzle fan, thinking about area’s as Xaquang Skyway and Bukdek Byway in GW2 makes me squee.
Also, just imagine Raisu Palace, in GW2 graphics…

Dear ArenaNet,

It is my feeling that Guildwars1 put a lot of resources and incredible imagination into making an amazing, unforgettable story, environment, and feeling in the Cantha expansion. I feel that adding this to GW2 would not detract in any way from a universal theming, it would be a fantastic addition that would continue an established legacy of providing the most breathtaking visual-candy experience in gaming by returning and expanding on an existing phenomenal theme.

In less flowery words. I loved Cantha. It was one of my favorite parts of GW1. I have been on the edge of my seat waiting for it in GW2 and hearing that it may not happen is so sad. Please, please consider introducing this content as you once did in GW1.

Please add Cantha. It was without a doubt my favorite place in any MMO I have ever played

I too loved Cantha. The way Shin Jea was made; colorful, bright, exotic looking made me love it. I wasn’t a very big fan of the horrible slum-liness of Kaining, but I found myself coming back quite a few times. My hate may also have come from the fact this was probably the first area I got kind of stuck in, storywise. The horrible feeling you got from the city was however also it’s strongest point: It had a real atmosphere, even if it was a horrible one. The fact you could genuinely get lost in the sub-map-instances (whatever they were called) did cause for immersion: You wanted to get the heck out of there.

Then there was the forest; it really felt like an ancient, dense, place with trees you could walk over to get to other areas, not to forget the little stream of water near the mean moa.
Lastly; the jade sea. A brilliant setting, graphically, because it combined the exotic & colorfullness of shing jae with the ‘creepiness’ of ancient creatures entombed in a crystallized sea.

There was no place I loved more than Cantha in Gw1, save for perhaps the norn-lands. Even if you do decide that bringing Cantha back would be too big of a hassle, can I suggest bringing the various parts that made Cantha awesome back instead?
Things like an ancient forest where you’re more off the beaten path than on, a massive, overcrowded city (slums?) that’s formed like a maze and lastly, (more) exotic-feeling, brightly colored islands and settings.

Cantha is my favorite continent, especially Shing Jea Island and Kaineng City. Please bring Cantha back in GW2.

Unless there’s something specific with the Elder Dragons in Cantha…I’d rather focus on the more Important story elements. Don’t get me wrong Cantha in GW was cool but from my perspective there’s more you can do with the Elder Dragons, unraveling the mystery of the Pale Tree etc… Than you can do by adding Cantha as a set piece to appeal to a “global market” or GW1 vets.

I love Cantha! The lore was amazing, the environment was beautiful, and the armor was stunning. I’m so bummed you aren’t bringing it back! I was really looking forward to learning about the Luxons and the Kurzicks! Are they still fighting? Have they made up? I NEED TO KNOW!!! I’m really disappointed that you aren’t bringing it back. And I don’t understand the reasoning either? Why is any Asian suddenly taboo?

TexZero.7910:

Unless there’s something specific with the Elder Dragons in Cantha…I’d rather focus on the more Important story elements. Don’t get me wrong Cantha in GW was cool but from my perspective there’s more you can do with the Elder Dragons, unraveling the mystery of the Pale Tree etc… Than you can do by adding Cantha as a set piece to appeal to a “global market” or GW1 vets.

What if part of unraveling the mystery of the pale tree took us to Cantha, and it’s entirely possible there is an Elder Dragon in Cantha. Maybe there are several! What if there’s actually a different type of Elder Dragon there that may, or may not be evil? ^_________^ I want to go to places that were in GW1, this is the sequel to that game not just some entirely new iteration of the term & title "Guild Wars’.

i cant wait to see both Cantha and Elona

since the part of gw1 i enjoyed the most was Elona i still want something like a Paragon

Cantha was an awesome place in GW1 and I really would fell sad if it would not make it’s come back in Gw2.
Put aside the fact that some of my favorite armour sets came from there. Put aside that the city of Kainegh and how awesome it could look.
We have a job to finish in Cantha A-net. We all started it almost 250 years back. The Wind of change blew over Cantha. Now it is time for another change. Don’t listen to the small brained people that claim something is racists. They are the biggest racists. The first step to not being racist is to accept everything. Be it a cutrual refence, a traditional dress or a plain joke. Nothing of that is harmfull it is the reatards and idiots of the world that make it hate. That make it bad. Don’t listen to them. Listen to us how know what is funny as a joke and where to draw the line.
So that the we can start the aria of the wind and bring and end to the ministry

Wait, what? Are you serious? One reason I keep playing GW" is because I’m waiting to return to Cantha. Cantha, and especially Shin-Jea island, are so beautiful. Definitely the most beautiful part of GW1 (for me). And now the whole game will be missing on asian-themed content? To hell, make the whole game look asian. I really can not understand this “universal” thingy and it seems like ANet has already done some work on preparing a Cantha expansion. We already have many european looking maps, ice maps, fire maps, zombie maps, forest maps and even a map that should look like a tropical beach with giant one-hit-roll crabs. You cant just make the whole game look “unviseral” because “universal” will become boring. Now its time to return to Cantha. Many people are eagerly waiting for it!

This is my opinion, but I think Cantha will make a return. But it probably won’t return until the 2nd or 3rd expansion.

If you look at the map of Tyria(continent), we have a lot of the map left to open up. I honestly think they will open these areas up in the next expansion(s). It could be done in one expansion but that would require opening some of it up ahead of time in the living story story line.(I think the living story is going to be more then one story line as time goes along. Allows the developers some really nice options to add content without having to have an expansion) If they add to the map without an expansion then I think one of the other continents will be in the 2nd expansion.

I also think Elona will be the first opened up since we already have more information about the dragon in the crystal desert and about the happenings in Elona from the Order of Whispers. So this would push Cantha to the third expansion.

I really hope if makes its way back to Guild Wars but I think in the near future we should expect to see the Tyria map opened up before we head off somewhere else.

Please Anet, please take us back to Cantha.

Words can’t express how much I loved the tight grubby streets and huge buildings of Kaineng. The music was amazing, the outfits were great, Shing Jea was gorgeous. The Factions campaign was the most under-appreciated of the GW campaigns and I hope you’ll forget all the negativity from the pre-searing buffs that objected to the difficulty of Factions and take us back south to Cantha

We all should do everything we can to keep this subject active!

To take Cantha away from us is saddening. I’ll admit that Shiro was a bit of a disappointing villain, but Cantha as a whole was fantastic. Please don’t do this to the players… Heck, don’t do this to Anet! Anet and the fans have expressed their desire to return to this place in GW2. Let us get back to it. I don’t care if it takes years to return to Cantha, but its better than never going back at all.

If Cantha and Elona are never put into the game, I’ll be kind of sad. I didn’t really play GW1 but I’ve read up on these areas and find them to be really fascinating. One of the reasons I figured there would be a lot of new content in the future is because I’d heard that Tyria had 2 whole other continents that we haven’t seen yet. Would love to see how the years have changed these nations.

cantha was my favorit place in gw1! i desperately want a comeback!! please!

If Cantha and Elona are not introduced in GW2 I will be happily say that I quit GW2 because I don’t care about the lore any more.

Though the game is still fun to play at times

I think the devs are just sad you keep asking for Cantha/Elona/whatever instead of enjoying the already built world. lol

I’d like to share my Canthan experience.
Factions was the first Guild Wars expansion I was 14 and told my mom just to get Guild Wars and I would pay her back. I started on a computer that couldn’t run it so I upgraded the RAM and barely got by. With all the suckiness of 10fps at lowest settings, I THOROUGHLY enjoyed Cantha, it’s gameplay, and storyline. I was obsessed with the whole Asian feel to Cantha and playing through the whole game on my Necromancer was one of my greatest ingame experiences.
It was in Alliance Battles where I met the guild I have stuck around with since 08 and continue to play with in Guild Wars 2. It was a great way to connect with some awesome online friends. The Luxon/Kurzick battle was really my favorite part of the game because the whole battle and picking my side (I used to be a diehard Luxon) was the best and it was very subversive.

I also HIGHLY INCREDIBLY hope you guys bring back Elona. I liked the storyline, but my all time favorite part about Nightfall was the Dervish! Please bring back the scythe master some day

All in all, I want to see Cantha and Elona return! I played Guild wars for 4 years. I think if we don’t have any return of the other continents Guild Wars 2 could lose its flavor really quick, and I’d sure love to stick around and keep playing more Guild Wars 2!

Valento.9852:

I think the devs are just sad you keep asking for Cantha/Elona/whatever instead of enjoying the already built world. lol

Who says we aren’t??? We also want to see Cantha & Elona in the game, too I highly doubt they are SAD about anything. We’re playing the game and are enthusiastic about it’s future aren’t we?

Shanna.4762:

Valento.9852:

I think the devs are just sad you keep asking for Cantha/Elona/whatever instead of enjoying the already built world. lol

Who says we aren’t??? We also want to see Cantha & Elona in the game, too I highly doubt they are SAD about anything. We’re playing the game and are enthusiastic about it’s future aren’t we?

We’re sad because we don’t have Cantha yet adn there’s a chance we may never. The Developers would probably like to go back but they need to have a strong case that the fans want it so that they can justify the time and resources to overcome the cultural sensitivity barriers.

I would say that everyone making a fuss and demanding to go back is in a roundabout way what the developerswant. We love the world they have created in GW2, but we also love the world they created for us in GW1, and we want to see how they can translate that into a GW2 format.

What happened to the Kunnavung, what happened to the Jade Sea and Echovald Forest? What about siege turtles and the giant city? What about the rest of the continent we never got to see? What would it be like to see the Jade Sea as an ocean again – would there still be lumps of jade underwater, or the sunken remains of Luxon settlements? And what of the Echovald Forest? Have the trees started to take back the settlements of the Kurzicks? We know the people were conquered but what of the places, and did the people fight back? Is there a dragon that we don’t know about, a Jade one perhaps, whose magic was tapped into to cause the Jade Wind in the first place?

There are so many possibilities for Cantha, which is, after all, where humanity on Tyria supposedly originated. I love the world ANet has created in GW2 and I don’t think anyone here is making the argument “It sucks, give us MOAR.” We’re simply saying that because we love ANet’s world so much, we want to see the other places they have already put a lot of time and love into creating for GW1.

Do you guys read the fluff at all?

Cantha is clearly going to be some expansion or another where we go overthrow the evil Empire that purged the bird people and crushed our favorite suburban civil war.

Bubbles will probably show up there, if not Mordremoth (probably not the latter since it seems linked to Nightmare, which is a sylvari problem).

This honestly comes across as pandering to cultural Xenophobia and honestly I’m really disappointed in Arenanet for doing this.

The thought of Cantha just disappearing off the face of Tyria is utterly preposterous, if its true that the GW2 Devs have the view that Cantha shouldn’t be a part of GW2 there is something severely wrong with with whoever is leading that notion. The unique continents of each distant land of GW1 is what MADE the GW1 experience so enthralling. It made the world look and feel like Tyria is a place with ever expanding boundaries, places that exist where the culture is so different yet still part of the same world (ie. Realistic! and Believable!). I like the way GW2 turned out, but the reason GW1 remained popular for so long was the creative and unbound vision that propelled it forward. If its true that there are not plans to bring Cantha back into its rightful place in the GW world then there needs to be a major petition.

From the sounds of it, its NOT the devs who made this decision. Its NCSoft.

Just when I wanted to give this game another chance….though I wouldn’t put it past NCsoft to make a strange decision like that.

I also became obsessed with GW shortly after working through the Factions Campaign. A GW2 version of Cantha would be a dream come true for many people here, I think. They’ve introduced the Tengu already, why not use them as a gateway back to Cantha?

I’m hoping this is some misunderstanding or rumor. Perhaps they meant that Anet should stick to westernized gameplay models, not purely western aesthetic themes, which would be two different things, you know?

Part of what I loved so much about factions was that it was a game that was a western interpretation of an asian themed fantasy world. Asian games are riddled with appropriated european etc. characters and places. They make asian games with western themes, why can’t Anet make an asian themed continent within their western game?

If there are any legal or cultural concerns why can’t they just use the disclaimer that movies have? “This is a work of fantasy/fiction. Any resemblance to living or dead individuals is purely coincidental…” That sort of thing.

Hantu.2815:

Well, how about the asians who live on the west side of the planet?

I am sure that they would be pleased to have their culture represented in this massive and beautiful game, while the non asians clearly welcome diversity into Tyria.

I am personally offended on behalf of the Asians to have their culture thrown out from the game in scare of offending the few who do not support cultural diversity all across the land.

Completely agree.

The best that can be done is to continue the discussion in a constructive, positive way like we are doing and get your guild and friends in on it if they’re interested in seeing Cantha as well!

Absolutely, Shanna. Yes, let’s keep the positive, constructive feedback coming! Seeing the momentum of this thread is very encouraging. It’s been on the first or second page of the forums for days now, and it’s great so see all the outpouring of support and love for Cantha.

Zhaneel.9208:

A GW2 version of Cantha would be a dream come true for many people here, I think.

Well said, Zhaneel! It honestly would. I think everyone here understands how much the worlds and stories in a computer game can mean to people. Sounds like Cantha is that way for a lot of us.

Reading everyone’s speculations here, I want this game so much. Jumping puzzles in Wajjun Bazaar and Bukdek Byway? Underwater battles in the Jade Sea? The beauty of Shing Jea Island and Raisu Palace in the new game engine? Please, NCSoft, please!

When (optimism!) we get to go back, I hope Tahnnakai Temple still exists and is still home to the spirits of the great heroes of Cantha,
especially...Master Togo and Vizu. This would be an even more awesome moment than getting to meet Ogden again in the Durmand Priory.

I would also love to see the Ritualist profession return. One of my mains was a Rit, and although my main is now an Engineer, and I do love the similarity of playstyle, there is simply no comparison of the aesthetic. Turrets and guns are no replacement for shiny blue spirits channeled from the Mists.

I have to say I would love to see Elona again too. Vabbi was my favorite place in the game after Cantha, and hearing what Palawa Joko has done to it make me want my chance for revenge! Maybe we’ll find the Hidden City survived and there are still some vestiges of the beauty we saw there in the first game…

Keep up the great feedback everyone!