Guild Wars 2

Hello,

I didn’t realize that there are GW2 novels. Are they good for knowing more lore or are they kind of stories in of themselves (and little lore). Not to say the latter is bad, but just wondering.

I started playing GW2 when it came out and left, then came back last fall and am getting more into the lore this time around

Also, aside from lore, if anyone has read them, are they any good?

Edit: Ok thank you for all the good info! Not only on how much they relate to the game but also how they relate.

Since LW season 3 is my first in the game, I may start with Destiny’s Edge. That will give me a better knowledge on that group as the hero groups shakeup.

Sea of Sorrows sets up the general state of the world when Zhaitan first wakes and raises Orr from the sea. Also has Livia in it, but that is more relevant to GW1 players, as she doesn’t show up in GW2 as of yet.

Ghosts of Ascalon sets up how the cease-fire comes to be between the Charr and Humans.

Edge of Destiny is the one most relevant to the personal story, as it is the back story of how Destiny’s Edge got into their situation that you have to resolve through the dungeon story modes in game.

Not a lot of lore that isn’t summed up in the game at this point. I did enjoy them, but I admit that I read them before the game launched or just recently afterwards, so a lot of hype was motivating me. Not sure if the writing would hold up otherwise, honestly. Not saying it doesn’t, just admitting my prejudices.

Opinions vary on how good they are, so I can only offer mine, which is based on reading F&SF at a rate of up to a book a day since 1974. (I have slowed down now that I have computer games to occupy my leisure time, more like 2-3 books a week now ).

In and of themselves, the novels are not very good. From worst to best they are Edge of Destiny, Ghosts of Ascalon, and Sea of Sorrows. The latter is closest to being worth reading even if you do not care about GW2’s world as it has the best characterizations and coherence. Ghosts has a simple plot, it’s a group of people on a treasure hunt. Edge … gah. It’s written with parameters: there must be a tour of several zones, there must be one of each major race (Ghosts also showcases one of each). It reads like a checklist of meeting requirements. Also the characters are very poorly written. A grown Tyrian man and a grown charr sound like puerile American teens.

That said, lore wise they are terrific sources. They give a lot of history. Sea of Sorrows is about what happened to Lion’s Arch in the Orr-related tidal wave. Ghosts is about Dougal Keane leading a team into the ruins of Ascalon in search of a major artifact. Edge is about how the 5 iconics met and formed their team, how Logan and Jennah became a thing, and the whole Glint/Kralk/Snaff stuff that is constantly referenced in PS and dungeon stories. In between all the history we also get descriptions of the world and how it works beyond simple game mechanics.

They are all fairly simplistic tales. You won’t have to concentrate hard to follow them. Beach reading, I guess? I would say definitely read them if you want to understand Tyria better, but don’t set your expectations very high and you may enjoy them far more than I did.

Edge of Destiny sets up GW2 and has a great deal of lore. It is the weakest in terms of writing quality, but is probably the most important to read. It even has an Elder Dragon appear in it.

Ghosts of Ascalon is the best by far and away in terms of story, writing and characters. Most of the lore is around Ascalon, Ebonhawke and surrounding areas.

Sea of Sorrows is largely dull with the blandest possible hero, but it has some good supporting cast and links into the game with a cool achievement quest. It follows things during and after the rise of Zhaitan and also the founding of LA as it appeared in GW2. It has also has a couple of surprise nods to GW1

Ghosts of Ascalon was my personal favorite. It has the best characters (nothing exceptional, but still better than the other two) and is chock-full of lore. I know some people don’t like the graceless exposition dumps, but if you think of it as much as a crash course in the GW2 setting as a novel, it holds up alright.

Edge of Destiny… honestly, it felt poorly written to me, and by an author who had a different idea of what Tyria was like than the other official sources. There’s a whole host of little things that seem inconsistent with the setting, and that trips me up even worse than the characters who don’t seem to have any clear motivations or nuances beyond the way they argue with each other. That said, those characters are very important. It’s the only novel that gets into the backstories of major NPCs, and I’ve heard some people say it’s almost required reading for the dungeon story modes.

Sea of Sorrows has the best ‘lore’, in my opinion the best writing style, and it feels the most like a story set seamlessly in Tyria, but on the other hand the main character didn’t interest me much and didn’t undergo any important character growth, and the plot itself seemed weird at points, especially towards the end. It was also less of a direct prologue to the game like the other two were, and more a ‘slice of history’ experience. I enjoyed it, but mostly because I’m already deeply invested in the lore. Your mileage may vary.

Everyone already said pretty much what I would say about the stories, except I would add that the surviving characters from Ghosts of Ascalon can still be found scattered around the world from time to time. I won’t list them off just in case you want to read it and avoid spoilers, but they are there. Sea of Sorrows also has plaques that were added primarily to Lion’s Arch as a tie-in achievement to the book’s release.

Moonyeti.3296:

Also has Livia in it, but that is more relevant to GW1 players, as she doesn’t show up in GW2 as of yet.

That we know of. Hate to feed into the various conspiracies about Livia, but it’s possible she’s hiding as one of the characters we do know, although I don’t put that much stock into that.

in short:

Seas of Sorrow: Best one, relates closely to Lion’s Arch and the events of pre-Orr campaign. A very good read, 4/5 after reading it you will absolute HATE and DESPISE anet for what they did to Lion's Arch. It's currently a disney waterpark, the exact opposite of Cobiah's dream

Destiny’s Edge: A good background story on the guild DE. A bit of a poor design, but it’s a fun and okay read. 2.75/5

Ghosts of Ascalon: Have it, but have yet to read it. Doesn’t really add much of anything to the game’s depth.

Moonyeti.3296:

Also has Livia in it, but that is more relevant to GW1 players, as she doesn’t show up in GW2 as of yet.

That we know of. Hate to feed into the various conspiracies about Livia, but it’s possible she’s hiding as one of the characters we do know, although I don’t put that much stock into that.[/quote]

Sure I can buy that is a possibility. As far as her role in the book though, it doesn’t tie in to any clues as to whom she might be in GW2 or what she has been up to in the meantime anything. She is mostly just for GW1 people to go “What? she is still alive?”

Moonyeti.3296:

Moonyeti.3296:

Also has Livia in it, but that is more relevant to GW1 players, as she doesn’t show up in GW2 as of yet.

That we know of. Hate to feed into the various conspiracies about Livia, but it’s possible she’s hiding as one of the characters we do know, although I don’t put that much stock into that.

Sure I can buy that is a possibility. As far as her role in the book though, it doesn’t tie in to any clues as to whom she might be in GW2 or what she has been up to in the meantime anything. She is mostly just for GW1 people to go “What? she is still alive?”
[/quote]

We don’t know the premise of Livia. She’s bound to the royal bloodline, but to what extend.
And is she immortal, does he pass her soul on, does she reincarnate? and is she serving the crown right now, or is she doing things that she considers more important to the crown than serving them directly. (sometimes a servant has to do things against a masters order for their interest)

Aaron Ansari.1604:

Ghosts of Ascalon was my personal favorite. It has the best characters (nothing exceptional, but still better than the other two) and is chock-full of lore. I know some people don’t like the graceless exposition dumps, but if you think of it as much as a crash course in the GW2 setting as a novel, it holds up alright.

Edge of Destiny… honestly, it felt poorly written to me, and by an author who had a different idea of what Tyria was like than the other official sources. There’s a whole host of little things that seem inconsistent with the setting, and that trips me up even worse than the characters who don’t seem to have any clear motivations or nuances beyond the way they argue with each other. That said, those characters are very important. It’s the only novel that gets into the backstories of major NPCs, and I’ve heard some people say it’s almost required reading for the dungeon story modes.

Sea of Sorrows has the best ‘lore’, in my opinion the best writing style, and it feels the most like a story set seamlessly in Tyria, but on the other hand the main character didn’t interest me much and didn’t undergo any important character growth, and the plot itself seemed weird at points, especially towards the end. It was also less of a direct prologue to the game like the other two were, and more a ‘slice of history’ experience. I enjoyed it, but mostly because I’m already deeply invested in the lore. Your mileage may vary.

This pretty accurately sums up my opinion of the books.

Though I disagree with folks saying Edge of Destiny is “required reading” for the dungeon story modes. Sorrow’s Embrace covers everything of importance from EoD for understanding the dungeon story modes / story of Destiny’s Edge. But reading the book does give more insight into the matter.