Guild Wars 2

This is one thing that consistently upsets me in Gw2. This game seems to be pretty on the ball for the anatomically correctness of Races. With two major races the Charr and Asura being very well handled.
The Charr males and females are almost distinguishable. Much like animals they their sexual characteristics are are minimal are could only be noticeable when naked. The underwear on female covering up its midsection covering most likely multiple nipples indicating they probably breed in litters and males only covering up the crotch for clear reasons. They are a great example of sticking to a clearly truthful anatomic aesthetic. Like bears, tigers, and wolves its hard to distinguish a male from a female unless seeing their private parts.
Asura are another great example. Both nearly indistinguishable indicating gender are a rather less important issue for them. Their time underground has probably caused them to develop with intelligence of both genders being equally important for their survival. This raises various interesting questions about certain aspects of their society such as what do they see as desirable qualities in mates and how each gender views one another. It’s an interesting design in my opinon. Although their underwear does the classic covering of the midsection for females we do know that certain armors let you see that female asuras apparently don’t have nipples. But whether this is a game fault or not is as far as I know not answered.
We also see this in various lesser races such as quaggan and skrit where you aren’t able to really tell male from female for clear reasons. As animal based races they shouldn’t be having the human baby barring hips and breasts.
Now when this aesthetic comes to the sylvari they seem to have put no thought in this. They are sprouted from the pale tree there for shouldn’t have any form of gender. Male and female seems an irrelevant term in their society since people choose their beloved from someone born during the same time as they are born. So if they are plants and don’t have sex to make more of them why do they have breasts and clear humanistic sexual body types. It makes no sense and really makes me resent them as a race. I understand some plants do have gender qualities but this wouldn’t manifest its self as breasts or kittenes. Also being born from the pale tree means they don’t breed.
Why i bring up this point is that this feels like a wasted opportunity. We perhaps could have had a walking plant race that could have been much more unique. Maybe a shambling pile of vines in human form or A walking Venus flytrap with humanoid appendages for better movement. It would have been made all the more interesting if they harbored the same enthusiastic behavior of the current sylvari with a less human face added.
Just some thoughts running though my head. I love the Asuras and charr and like how they stuck to a great racial design, But the Sylvari seem to be a quickly designed races just to get a new elf like race rushed in.
Thoughts?

You mean like some of the enemies found within the original Guild Wars? I recall one plant creature having a humanoid form but it appeared to be comprised solely of vines or something to that effect.

According to the Wiki (if it hasn’t been changed since i last read it over a year ago), while they don’t consider themselves male/female in the same way as other races, they are born with 90+ percent the features of the two genders, and confirmed they can and do have sex in relationships, despite not being able reproduce that way.

I’d assume myself that the Pale Tree would give them any opportunity to mingle with society of the world (if she’s able to control certain things). If so, while unable to allow them the reproductive ability of other races, wouldn’t want to deny them other fundamental experiences and pleasures despite being plants.

Who’s to say that their evolution on down the road won’t allow them that final stage of being a part of the world at large: Caring for children of their own. Heck. Realistically plants reproductive morphology is oddly both male/female anyway. :P

Champagne Showers.1036:

Now when this aesthetic comes to the sylvari they seem to have put no thought in this. They are sprouted from the pale tree there for shouldn’t have any form of gender. Male and female seems an irrelevant term in their society since people choose their beloved from someone born during the same time as they are born. So if they are plants and don’t have sex to make more of them why do they have breasts and clear humanistic sexual body types.

I think I see where your issue lies.

The fact of the matter is that sylvari do have biological genders and that they can have sex – a male sylvari does, indeed, have a kitten (well, what counts one for a sylvari), and a female sylvari has a kitten (again, what counts as one for a sylvari). (EDIT: Okay, silly censor, but you can figure out what I meant I’m sure.) They can have sex, but they cannot reproduce (think of sylvari as being on permanent birth control).

Champagne Showers.1036:

Why i bring up this point is that this feels like a wasted opportunity. We perhaps could have had a walking plant race that could have been much more unique. Maybe a shambling pile of vines in human form or A walking Venus flytrap with humanoid appendages for better movement. It would have been made all the more interesting if they harbored the same enthusiastic behavior of the current sylvari with a less human face added.

Y’see, to me, what you want would feel kind of too inhuman – too uncanny, rather. I would be put off by playing a walking human-shaped Venus Flytrap. That feels more like some sort of wildlife monster to kill to me, perhaps because that’s what such a thing would be in every kind of story/game/movie/book out there.

Ryu.1368:

I’d assume myself that the Pale Tree would give them any opportunity to mingle with society of the world (if she’s able to control certain things). If so, while unable to allow them the reproductive ability of other races, wouldn’t want to deny them other fundamental experiences and pleasures despite being plants.

I recall reading that the Pale Tree does, indeed, have control over the appearance of the sylvari – at least in so far as looking very human-like.

I could have sworn seeing an interview or some other information from Anet on this. They took on the form of the human Ronan and the other human graves that were surrounding the area in which the Pale Tree was planted.

I dislike the sylvari in general, but their anatomy actually bothers me least of all.

Invictus.1503:

I could have sworn seeing an interview or some other information from Anet on this. They took on the form of the human Ronan and the other human graves that were surrounding the area in which the Pale Tree was planted.

It was proposed as a possible explanation (but even at the time it was phrased as a possible explanation but still an unexplained mystery). The appearance of Malyck, a sylvari from another tree (presumably one not planted on Ronan’s family’s graves) implies this theory is unlikely to be correct (unless Malyck’s tree is also planted on top of human graves). The lore reason as to why sylvari appear to be similair to humans is yet to be revealed.

The real reason is obviously that ArenaNet want players to actually play the sylvari. There is a reason the horde in WoW had so many blood elfs and undead while there were very few trolls, orcs or tauren (probably the least played race). There is a reason the most popular race is human (followed by norn). The most popular races are the ones that most closely resemble humans. They made charr and asura have few gender differences and I don’t believe it’s a coincidence you see very few female charr.

I suspect that when the developers at ANet were thinking of expanding the list of playable races in GW2, a bunch of devs must have really liked the idea of elves (it’s a common fantasy trope, nothing wrong with that – I like them too). However, they clearly didn’t want to end up with with something done to death, so they added their spin on it, turning the already nature-affiliated elves into something more unique – plant-based Sylvari. We already have evidence of their artistic direction evolving (just look at Caithe’s old design’s for example).

The idea of beautiful, perfect, male and female elves were also thus ported over for use as Sylvari. They therefore retained the physical humanoid characteristics and the standards of human (elven?) beauty with them.

ANet is also well aware that their planty race with all the physical bells and whistles is problematic, which is why they’ve masked it (cleverly) with NPCs wondering the same. The true reason as to why Sylvari even look like humans is unknown at this point of time, but the developers probably already saw questions like these coming (http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Malyck). Perhaps the Sylvari’s creation might be revealed with Scarlet and Malyck? We don’t know yet. ;D

I know this doesn’t really answer your questions as to why Sylvari should even look like humans, but ANet might be coming up with something to explain why in the near future. All we have to go with now is: “It’s magic!”

It’s know it’s personal preferences, but I like Sylvari the way they currently are.

To follow-up with Shiren’s statement, I think yes, ANet wants players to identify with the races and play them. Which is why when people in other threads suggest more fantastical creatures like Centaur or Naga as playable races, I highly doubt these will ever make their way off the drawing board.

I kinda wish they’d been completely androgynous, but design-wise I absolutely love the thought that went into their anatomy and turned them from boring green elves to actual plants mimicking another species.

The lore around why they look like humans is definitely sketchy though, and not really the strongest origin story in the world.

Invictus.1503:

I could have sworn seeing an interview or some other information from Anet on this. They took on the form of the human Ronan and the other human graves that were surrounding the area in which the Pale Tree was planted.

If I’m remembering what you’re referring to, it was that “scholars believe” that was the case – this was in turn a nod to player theories. But it wasn’t a confirmed fact.

Yeah, it’s merely a theory. I mean for all we know the Pale Tree chose to make them human formed because through Ventari and Ronan she knew how wide spread humanity was and she wanted her children to be accepted as living beings and not just more plant life to be killed/studied. There are a hundred reasons it could be, and just because the information isn’t in game doesn’t mean that the lore on it is sketchy, just that it hasn’t been explained or discovered yet.

I don’t think the Pale Tree consciously chose to mould the Sylvari after the human form though – Malyck having human form while being born from another Tree is testament of that. Unless, UNLESS he was ACTUALLY born of the Pale Tree, but through some mysterious intervention was severed from Her during his early development, thus causing both the Pale Tree and him to believe they are not related! OoooOOhhh… a mystery!

I’m pretty sure that it is possible that the other Pale Tree may also have been touched by humanity at some time. Because of the Shining Blade and White Mantle, there has always been some presence in the Maguuma Jungle.

A-net has confirmed that the sylvari are the pale trees interpretation of humanity. They are specifically modeled after people. Whether or not it was a conscious effort on her part or an unconscious effort. They are modeled after people.