Can anyone use magic?
Little bit of each. Everyone’s born with a different amount of innate ability, but anyone can learn to cast spells. How powerful they are is a combination of talent and training.
Source: http://esprits-dorr.fr/node/261
R.I.P., Old Man of Auld Red Wharf. Gone but never forgotten.
IIRC, in the first game it was labeled more as you were born with it, and training enhanced it (Warriors, rangers, and paragons were the classes without any magic as I recall).
Gw2, it seems like most classes have some magic, if a tiny bit (warriors causing shockwaves with maces… but that could be gameplay only?). Course with magic becoming a little more free, it’s reasonable to assume most people have magic, just different degrees of natural talent/power.
IIRC, in the first game it was labeled more as you were born with it, and training enhanced it (Warriors, rangers, and paragons were the classes without any magic as I recall).
Rangers had a deal of magic nature rituals, and even paragons arguably, what with their floating in the air and spectral wings. But in Guild Wars 1 the current question wasn’t really addressed, beyond acknowledging the existence of institutions that taught magic. ANet left themselves room to choose any answer they cared to, and it seems they’ve done just that.
R.I.P., Old Man of Auld Red Wharf. Gone but never forgotten.
I just remember the three as being labeled as having no magic, hence why they had shouts.
But either way. :P.
Technically, there’s little evidence of rangers in gw1 using magic. The closest thing was the nature rituals but that is never explained for what it is. Furthermore, when the ranger was revealed as a Gw2 profession the very basis of lore for them was “they distanced themselves from technology and turned to magic” – which would seem weird if they already were turned towards magic.
Anyways, to answer the OP, everyone can use magic but some professions don’t rely on it- either much or at all. The lore behind engineers is that they explicitly do not use magic. At least, directly. Their inventions may mimic or even utilize magic, but they themselves were explicitly stated to not use magic as a profession. Warriors are similar in that they focus on physical abilities first and foremost, though one can pass them as using magic to enhance their strength, but as a profession in general, they don’t.
Of course it is typically left vague to the extent or each individual for the purpose of role play, so you can easily claim your engineer does use magic.
Dear ANet writers,
Stop treating GW2 as a single story. Each Season and expansion should be their own story.
Stop treating GW2 as a single story. Each Season and expansion should be their own story.
Technically, there’s little evidence of rangers in gw1 using magic. The closest thing was the nature rituals but that is never explained for what it is.
Fair enough, and they certainly didn’t use those as a crutch even to the extent of the assassin or dervish. Arguably, summoning a spirit to control the winds might be considered magic regardless of the mechanism, but I cede that the ranger may well not have been tapping into any power of their own.
R.I.P., Old Man of Auld Red Wharf. Gone but never forgotten.
Lore wise, everyone is born with the ability to use magic. Well, almost everyone. Its a very rare occurance, mostly happening in times when the world has a low magic level, like just after the elder dragons finished consuming the magic, that someone could be born without magical abilities.
“Magic is intertwined with the ecosystem and the creatures of Tyria, and is just as much a part of them as it is a part of the world itself. All living beings have a natural ability to access and use magic, and it is extremely rare that someone is born without it—current theories suggest that this typically happens more often when the world is at a lower level of magic.”
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Magic
Little bit of each. Everyone’s born with a different amount of innate ability, but anyone can learn to cast spells. How powerful they are is a combination of talent and training.
Source: http://esprits-dorr.fr/node/261
And race. All Norn heros can shapeshift for example.
Little bit of each. Everyone’s born with a different amount of innate ability, but anyone can learn to cast spells. How powerful they are is a combination of talent and training.
Source: http://esprits-dorr.fr/node/261
And race. All Norn heros can shapeshift for example.
That’s not really magic though. They only do it through their bond to/blessing of the spirits of the wild. It’s not something innate to the norn race by themselves.
R.I.P., Old Man of Auld Red Wharf. Gone but never forgotten.
It is magic, however – just racial magic (akin to a dervish’s avatar forms I would argue). If you read the GoA description or saw the GW1 cinematic The Nornbear – or even the norn intro cinematic – you can tell so. To quote GoA:
White fur began to sprout from her exposed flesh and for a moment it was as if her armored form were overlaid with another, ghostly image of a great beast. Then the image solidified, and Gyda was transformed into a hulking two-legged feline […]
Norn transformations are literally an overlain form granted by the Spirits of the Wild, rather than something like traditional werewolves.
If you cannot call it magic… what would you call it?
Dear ANet writers,
Stop treating GW2 as a single story. Each Season and expansion should be their own story.
Stop treating GW2 as a single story. Each Season and expansion should be their own story.
I would call magic a form of power, and the norn transformations are a single application for someone else’s power. As far as we can tell, it’s a bestowed gift, not an inherent property. I suppose it would be magic, and my previous wording was not the best; but it is not the norn’s own magic, and not something that’s of use in any other way.
The point I was trying to make is that being born norn doesn’t give you any sort of leg up in being an elementalist or necromancer, or any other spellcasting.
R.I.P., Old Man of Auld Red Wharf. Gone but never forgotten.
Arguably the powers of Necromancers and Shaman are not their “own” magic either.
(Which implies that those types of magic are also something that can be learnt, or acquired, rather than something innate).
Necromancers’ magic is their own – though that wouldn’t stop necromancers (and any other spellcaster for that matter) from utilizing anothers’ magic. If your thought was “all necromancers use Grenth’s magic” then there’s the issue of non-human necromancers.
Dear ANet writers,
Stop treating GW2 as a single story. Each Season and expansion should be their own story.
Stop treating GW2 as a single story. Each Season and expansion should be their own story.
The shape change of a norn does seem to be a skill that is developed rather than something that is just given.
Jeff: “The ability to become the bear, to become the wolf, is something that is grown over time.” http://www.guildwarsinsider.com/towertalk-norn-interview-jeff-grubb-transcription/
Ooh, podcast I haven’t heard before. Very well, I cede the point, though I will point out that he goes on to immediately say “This is in the game mechanics so I’m walking on thin ice at the moment.” and “This is from the play standpoint as opposed to lore, we are still in discussions about this.”
R.I.P., Old Man of Auld Red Wharf. Gone but never forgotten.
I think at the end there, he was referencing the descision they still had to make about the mechanics. The questions however, are geared toward the lore. So the beginning of that answer would also be on the lore.
Wartower: “I understand there might be a process to getting close to a spirit or choosing a spirit? Does that mean there is a ritual to connect to the spirit to be able to transform into it’s form?”
Jeff: “At the start of the game you choose a particular spirit that you venerate and that has an effect on your story. The ability to become the bear, to become the wolf, is something that is grown over time. This is in the game mechanics so I’m walking on thin ice at the moment. We are not saying if you venerate the bear you may only become the bear. You may have the ability to become the wolf or snow leopard as well. This is from the play standpoint as opposed to lore, we are still in discussions about this.”
(edited by Dustfinger.9510)
That’s the context for what he says about “grown over time” as well- additional forms. The transcription is a general paraphrasing, not a word for word retelling, so it does twist things a bit. If you want to hear the original, hit the link at the top of that page and skip to the 11 minute mark.
R.I.P., Old Man of Auld Red Wharf. Gone but never forgotten.
Idk. In audio, the question is lore. he says “whithin game terms you choose a particular Spirit that you venerate and that has an effect on your story.” he then goes on to say “The ability to become the bear, become the wolf is something that is grown over time.” So it seems to me that he is clarifying the difference between the mechanics (choosing a Spirit for the story) and the lore (grown over time).
Going by the interpretation that all of that answer is concerning the mechanics, it seems odd that Jeff would completely abandon answering the lore in order to only go off on a mechanics tangent. just to get back into the lore with the rest of the questions. That doesn’t seem to mesh with the rest of the interview.
It does when Jeff specifically notes at that point that it’s something that their still talking about the lore aspects of, and makes it clear that all he can do is speculate from the mechanics. Still makes it a more likely answer, but not one set in stone like most Word of Dev.
R.I.P., Old Man of Auld Red Wharf. Gone but never forgotten.
Why would he have compleltey ignored the lore question?
edit: he actually clarifies that the undecided element is about the play, not the lore.
“This is from the play standpoint as opposed to lore, we are still in discussions about this.”
(edited by Dustfinger.9510)
Yeah, just listened through it again, and on the second go it sounded like his hesitation was about rather it was lore for one norn to be able to transform into multiple forms. The grown over time bit he seemed fairly confident about, so I fully concede the point.
R.I.P., Old Man of Auld Red Wharf. Gone but never forgotten.
Ah, that does make sense that he hesitated about multiple forms in lore. I’d appreciate if he kept the lore answers neatly packaged with the rest of the lore and the mechanics with the mechanics. :p
Technically, there’s little evidence of rangers in gw1 using magic. The closest thing was the nature rituals but that is never explained for what it is. Furthermore, when the ranger was revealed as a Gw2 profession the very basis of lore for them was “they distanced themselves from technology and turned to magic” – which would seem weird if they already were turned towards magic.
I’d disagree on this, actually. Healing Spring to me at least seems to be magical as well, and there’s a lot of skills in the GW1 ranger lineup that have a kind of ‘plausible deniability’ – sure, they COULD be nonmagical, but become quite a bit easier to explain as a mix of primitive elemental magic and non-bloodstone ritualist-like magic.
Especially the healing skills. Doubly especially the ranger’s ability to heal their pet at range.
I don’t think the statement about turning away from technology and towards magic means that they had no magic before any more than it should be taken that they did have technology before. What I think the intent of that line was is simply that the rangers made a conscious choice to focus on magic rather than technology.
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.
People don’t hate Scarlet like Game of Thrones fans hate Joffrey.
They hate her the way Star Wars fans hate Jar Jar Binks.
Technically, there’s little evidence of rangers in gw1 using magic. The closest thing was the nature rituals but that is never explained for what it is. Furthermore, when the ranger was revealed as a Gw2 profession the very basis of lore for them was “they distanced themselves from technology and turned to magic” – which would seem weird if they already were turned towards magic.
I’d disagree on this, actually. Healing Spring to me at least seems to be magical as well, and there’s a lot of skills in the GW1 ranger lineup that have a kind of ‘plausible deniability’ – sure, they COULD be nonmagical, but become quite a bit easier to explain as a mix of primitive elemental magic and non-bloodstone ritualist-like magic.
Especially the healing skills. Doubly especially the ranger’s ability to heal their pet at range.
I don’t think the statement about turning away from technology and towards magic means that they had no magic before any more than it should be taken that they did have technology before. What I think the intent of that line was is simply that the rangers made a conscious choice to focus on magic rather than technology.
Considering that in the past, there was no choice on using technology (or rather, they used the same technology others did), it indeed is the logical thing to assume that the statement meant not using the new “modern” technology of GW2, as opposed to starting using magic.
Only fools and heroes charge in without a plan.
Great responses everyone!
So if magic can be accessed by everyone for the most part, does that mean that the lesser races of Tyria such as Quaggans and Skritt could become magic using professions if they wished?
Great responses everyone!
So if magic can be accessed by everyone for the most part, does that mean that the lesser races of Tyria such as Quaggans and Skritt could become magic using professions if they wished?
Theoretically yes. In practice, it doesn’t seem likely to ever become popular. Magic takes discipline and practice- it’s been compared to earning a college degree- and neither quaggans nor skritt are much given to that kind of thing.
That said, there is a quaggan pastkeeper in the personal story that uses a kind of magic.
R.I.P., Old Man of Auld Red Wharf. Gone but never forgotten.
The Grawl use magic. Some of their shaman are quite powerful.
Centaur have sages with some magical ability (like the one that summons the massive earth elemental in the human personal story).
Hyleck have priests, but it’s not clear how much magic they can use, if any.
Krait have witches. In GW1 they also had elementalists.
Considering that in the past, there was no choice on using technology (or rather, they used the same technology others did), it indeed is the logical thing to assume that the statement meant not using the new “modern” technology of GW2, as opposed to starting using magic.
Well, rangers can use harpoon guns. If they used tridents instead harpoon guns, then that argument would be supported by the weapons they can use, but the harpoon gun kinda hinders that.
Some harpoon guns are essentially a mix of a crossbow and a fishing rod, such as Krytan Speargun and The Stingray. The skills a ranger uses with the harpoon gun reflects this nature, as well – all ranger harpoon gun skills are single shots, whereas warrior and thief have rapid firing skills, and engineer shoots torpedoes.
However, it’s true that it doesn’t quite fit them to use harpoon guns, but I’m willing to attribute that to the fact that there are just three different underwater weapons, and ranger had to have two. Melee? Check. Ranged? Check. Spells? No. The trident is clearly a “caster weapon” along with staff, scepter and focus, and while ranger does use magic, it’s not used in spell casting in the way elementalist, necro, mesmer and guardian use it. So, having an underwater casting weapon while none of the terrestial casting weapons would have been equally odd.
Only fools and heroes charge in without a plan.
Considering that in the past, there was no choice on using technology (or rather, they used the same technology others did), it indeed is the logical thing to assume that the statement meant not using the new “modern” technology of GW2, as opposed to starting using magic.
Well, rangers can use harpoon guns. If they used tridents instead harpoon guns, then that argument would be supported by the weapons they can use, but the harpoon gun kinda hinders that.
They use harpoon guns that can grow coral and summon schools of piranhas from out of the blue. They might shoot spells like staves and tridents do, but even their tech is magical.
R.I.P., Old Man of Auld Red Wharf. Gone but never forgotten.
However, it’s true that it doesn’t quite fit them to use harpoon guns, but I’m willing to attribute that to the fact that there are just three different underwater weapons, and ranger had to have two. Melee? Check. Ranged? Check. Spells? No. The trident is clearly a “caster weapon” along with staff, scepter and focus, and while ranger does use magic, it’s not used in spell casting in the way elementalist, necro, mesmer and guardian use it. So, having an underwater casting weapon while none of the terrestial casting weapons would have been equally odd.
This is pretty much it, although I’d adjust ‘not used in spellcasting’ to ‘not used in directly offensive spellcasting’. Rangers do have skills that, IMO, are probably best explained as simple spells (the GW2 form of Lightning Reflexes, for instance). However, what rangers and thieves have in common is that both of them have magic they employ for utility, but don’t use it in the form of conjuring magical energy to throw it at their target. Instead, however, they make use of magic to enhance their attacks with physical weapons – similar to how a lot of the melee skills of guardians, mesmers and necromancers are magical augmentations of physical attacks.
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.
People don’t hate Scarlet like Game of Thrones fans hate Joffrey.
They hate her the way Star Wars fans hate Jar Jar Binks.
I think everyone has a varying amount of inherent magical power. In Guild Wars 1, you use the Eye of Janthir to identify the “Chosen”, which later on the storyline you will find out those Chosen are actually going to be sacrificed for the Mursaat. My theory is that the Eye of Janthir is actually a device to measure the inherent magical power of people. I don’t know the nature of ritual sacrifices in the world of Guild Wars, but I have a strong hunch, a theory, that all living things have “aether”, sort of like a spirit or soul, with some having a stronger aether than others. I don’t know how to quantify the strength of the aether of living things, but the Charr sacrificed thousands of humans to conjure the Searing, which wiped out Ascalon in Guild Wars 1. I think it has something to do with aether itself being hard to manipulate. It is only when it is tied to living creatures that you could manipulate it. It’s hard to explain why it has to be “attached” to a living creature to manipulate it. I surmise that if one gains access to the aether itself, one could conjure the Searing or the Cataclysm all day, everyday. Even the so-called “gods”, I’m not so sure if they can tap into this river of aether so readily and easily. Maybe the aether is not just the essence of life, but also the essence of reality? It is the soul of the worlds (including the Mists)?
but the Charr sacrificed thousands of humans to conjure the Searing
Where’d you hear that? I’ve never seen anything to suggest that someone was sacrificed for the Searing, let alone thousands of people.
R.I.P., Old Man of Auld Red Wharf. Gone but never forgotten.
We’re told outright that the Eye of Janthir detects those with high magical potential. What we’re not so sure about is how much truth there was to that – whether that was just what was told to the Chosen so they could be led meekly to the Bloodstone, or whether that was exactly what leads someone to be defined as Chosen.
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.
People don’t hate Scarlet like Game of Thrones fans hate Joffrey.
They hate her the way Star Wars fans hate Jar Jar Binks.
Nobody was sacrificed to cause the searing…
As for the Eye of Janthir, that was also in a time where magic wasn’t AS common as it is now. Of course, we also know the White Mantle was REALLY good at hiding their true intents, you can see that from the ghost of a chosen villager in Brisban.