Guild Wars 2

Hello, everyone.
I just decided to create Human-Elementalist, and not sure, which god should I take. Since all my characters must be as close to lore, as possible, I would like to ask here.
Element of choice was Fire, but just because game forces you to pick one of four. Lore-wise, I would like to have some sort of “all around” Elementalist, maybe little fire-based.
While Blathazar choice seems most natural, but he is a god of war, while my character is a scholar.
So my choice fell upon Kormir, lol. (Since she is goddess of truth and knowledge). I thought she fits some “mage” or “scholar Guardian” types better, but i am not sure, how she fits Elementalist class.
What god do you think will fit such type of character best?

Well.. for an human elementalist you have access to worship all the gods – 5 in particular lore wise have a link to that profession.
So as you already gathered Balthazar is Fire, Dwayna is Air, Melandru is Earth, Grenth is Ice, and although Lyssa is the patron of Assassins and Mesmers her domain is also of Water.
Kormir as you’ve also rightly gathered is the patron of lost knowledge and truth seeking and justice, taking over the powers of Abaddon in GW1: Nightfall, who was the previous God of secrets/truth.
You said your Ele is a scholar so yes her link to Kormir is justifiable and backed up in lore. Since humans canonly worship/revere all 6 gods you can say ‘my ele’s patron is Kormir however she gives thanks to Balthazar for her skill with fire magic’. Most humans have one they prefer but still revere all as well.
I think Kormir is a good choice but you have to make it work for you.

I was faced with this difficult choice as well where I had to pick one. After playing years of GW1, I was used to the fact that Elementalists revere all five equally (yes, five. This was way back in Prophecies). The five gods worked perfectly for Elementalists since the five attributes of Elementalists lined up well with the five gods.

Dwayna – Air Magic
Balthazar – Fire Magic
Grenth – Water Magic
Melandru – Earth Magic
Lyssa – Energy Storage

Ah good old days of GW1

Vesuvius.9874:

I was faced with this difficult choice as well where I had to pick one. After playing years of GW1, I was used to the fact that Elementalists revere all five equally (yes, five. This was way back in Prophecies). The five gods worked perfectly for Elementalists since the five attributes of Elementalists lined up well with the five gods.

Dwayna – Air Magic
Balthazar – Fire Magic
Grenth – Water Magic
Melandru – Earth Magic
Lyssa – Energy Storage

Ah good old days of GW1

And what about Kormir? I know, she was a “new god” in GW, and have no idea, how Elementalists viewed her.

Irenicus.4873:

Vesuvius.9874:

I was faced with this difficult choice as well where I had to pick one. After playing years of GW1, I was used to the fact that Elementalists revere all five equally (yes, five. This was way back in Prophecies). The five gods worked perfectly for Elementalists since the five attributes of Elementalists lined up well with the five gods.

Dwayna – Air Magic
Balthazar – Fire Magic
Grenth – Water Magic
Melandru – Earth Magic
Lyssa – Energy Storage

Ah good old days of GW1

And what about Kormir? I know, she was a “new god” in GW, and have no idea, how Elementalists viewed her.

No clue at all. In GW1, you could interact with the avatars of the gods and they would give you a blessing. For example, at Balthazar’s statue, the Champion of Balthazar would grant you a blessing called Disciple of Fire that would boost your Fire Magic attribute by 1. You could similarly boost Air at Dwayna, Energy Storage at Lyssa, etc. and the others at the statues of the other gods as I mentioned earlier. However, at the statue of Kormir, no such blessings were offered. So I really have no idea what the elementalists thought of her.

Vesuvius.9874:

Irenicus.4873:

Vesuvius.9874:

I was faced with this difficult choice as well where I had to pick one. After playing years of GW1, I was used to the fact that Elementalists revere all five equally (yes, five. This was way back in Prophecies). The five gods worked perfectly for Elementalists since the five attributes of Elementalists lined up well with the five gods.

Dwayna – Air Magic
Balthazar – Fire Magic
Grenth – Water Magic
Melandru – Earth Magic
Lyssa – Energy Storage

Ah good old days of GW1

And what about Kormir? I know, she was a “new god” in GW, and have no idea, how Elementalists viewed her.

No clue at all. In GW1, you could interact with the avatars of the gods and they would give you a blessing. For example, at Balthazar’s statue, the Champion of Balthazar would grant you a blessing called Disciple of Fire that would boost your Fire Magic attribute by 1. You could similarly boost Air at Dwayna, Energy Storage at Lyssa, etc. and the others at the statues of the other gods as I mentioned earlier. However, at the statue of Kormir, no such blessings were offered. So I really have no idea what the elementalists thought of her.

The problem here is, just as was said, there wasn’t any real time within the game for elementalists to be given an opinion on Kormir. Her ascension wasn’t until the last full game (Eye of the North being an expansion) and the only statue to her was within an outpost. I, personally, would chose the patron deity of my character based on my characters personality rather than the magic that they use. In this case, for your character, I would lean towards Kormir. She definitely fits the personality type of the knowledge seeking mage, and you could explain your other capabilities as learned through your staunch research and study, prompted by the teachings of Kormir. I would personally feel that an elementalist worshipper of Balthazar would be more interested in the challenge of combat, and testing their mettle rather than reading a book.

As people have said, while necromancer, mesmer, and to a lesser extent guardian have clear choices, for an elementalist it’s pretty much a question of which god you think best fits your character’s personality – and it sounds like the answer here is Kormir.

While she’s not linked a single element like the other gods, this arguably makes her a stronger choice for characters seeking to use all elements equally. Furthermore, she has clear signs of being linked to paragon (fire and lightning, although paragons seem to be in the domain of Preservation rather than Destruction) and dervish (earth, wind, and holy fire), so there are elemental links there. So I’d say that following Kormir for an elementalist without a particular elemental preference is perfectly valid.

As people have said, too, having a patron does not mean that you can’t revere all of them. It just means that there’s one that you’re closest to. It’s like having a favourite lecturer at university – it doesn’t mean that you suddenly think that you have nothing at all to learn from the others.

Half of my characters secretly worship Abaddon, and that’s because he’s cool as hell. And because he’s a Lucifer-figure, which I love in real life too.

Irenicus.4873:

Vesuvius.9874:

I was faced with this difficult choice as well where I had to pick one. After playing years of GW1, I was used to the fact that Elementalists revere all five equally (yes, five. This was way back in Prophecies). The five gods worked perfectly for Elementalists since the five attributes of Elementalists lined up well with the five gods.

Dwayna – Air Magic
Balthazar – Fire Magic
Grenth – Water Magic
Melandru – Earth Magic
Lyssa – Energy Storage

Ah good old days of GW1

And what about Kormir? I know, she was a “new god” in GW, and have no idea, how Elementalists viewed her.

Kormir became a New Goddess when we helped her defeat Abaddon. Prior to that she was the head of The Sunspears, the Spearmarshal. In Elona ( especially Istan ) she was pretty much everybody’s hero. The final cutscene from the Nightfall storyline shows Kormir being lauded by all.

Malhanjia.1452:

Grenth is Ice, and although Lyssa is the patron of Assassins and Mesmers her domain is also of Water.

I don’t get this, AT ALL. How is Lyssa the goddess of water, yet Grenth ice, and grenth was the patron for all water eles in gw1? I don’t understand why they changed that from GW1 to GW2, as before Lyssa never had anything to do with water magic.

Even then, water magic includes ice spells, so I don’t get why there is a split between the two.

Anyway, to OP. Bio option has no meaningful impact on gameplay (a priest of the god in home instance, no dialogue), no real effect on personal story dialogue as far as I know, and no skill bonuses or such.

In RP, the bio options also can be ignored and replaced with other things, like more varied origins for humans, etc.

The thing nobody really touches on here is it’s very possible to revere more then one god. Hell, you could revere all six at the same time possibly.

For me personally, the reason I don’t tie my elementalist to just one god is because of the very nature of the elementalist. He is a spellcaster who draws on all the elements around him. There may be elementalists who would love to specialize in a certain element and therefore revere the associated god more, but I like to think mine is a master of all. Besides, if your elementalist specialized in let’s say fire magic, then he would be more of a pyromancer than an elementalist.

Kalavier.1097:

Malhanjia.1452:

Grenth is Ice, and although Lyssa is the patron of Assassins and Mesmers her domain is also of Water.

I don’t get this, AT ALL. How is Lyssa the goddess of water, yet Grenth ice, and grenth was the patron for all water eles in gw1? I don’t understand why they changed that from GW1 to GW2, as before Lyssa never had anything to do with water magic.

Prior to Nightfall, Abaddon was the god of water (and secrets). After the Nightfall storyline, since Abaddon no longer existed, Lyssa took on water.

Vesuvius.9874:

Kalavier.1097:

Malhanjia.1452:

Grenth is Ice, and although Lyssa is the patron of Assassins and Mesmers her domain is also of Water.

I don’t get this, AT ALL. How is Lyssa the goddess of water, yet Grenth ice, and grenth was the patron for all water eles in gw1? I don’t understand why they changed that from GW1 to GW2, as before Lyssa never had anything to do with water magic.

Prior to Nightfall, Abaddon was the god of water (and secrets). After the Nightfall storyline, since Abaddon no longer existed, Lyssa took on water.

His domains were taken over by the other gods.

Even then, what sense does to make to split water and ice? Water magic uses both so does a water ele (religious) worship lyssa and grenth equally? Cause those two weren’t exactly fans of each other IIRC :P.

Kalavier.1097:

Vesuvius.9874:

Prior to Nightfall, Abaddon was the god of water (and secrets). After the Nightfall storyline, since Abaddon no longer existed, Lyssa took on water.

His domains were taken over by the other gods.

Even then, what sense does to make to split water and ice? Water magic uses both so does a water ele (religious) worship lyssa and grenth equally? Cause those two weren’t exactly fans of each other IIRC :P.

Not at the time of GW1. He kept his domains until Kormir took over.

As for splitting them- setting aside the fact that they were always separate (Grenth brought ice to the pantheon when he became a god, at a time when Abaddon was still free and widely worshiped), they are, conceptually, two very different things… especially during Abaddon’s time, when water was equated with the sea and its depths. Add in that Lyssa had more to do with liquid water than Grenth ever did, and it makes sense that she’d take the domain once it was freed.

A water ele would pick whichever of the gods they cared for. One who used more ice might go for Grenth, and one who used more water might go for Lyssa… or Dwayna, since for an elementalist, water is the healing element. Or they might worship all three equally, beseeching each for favor in turn while using different kinds of water magic, or not worship any at all, seeing their magic as their own business and not the gods. There’s nothing that locks a human to one patron.

Aaron Ansari.1604:

There’s nothing that locks a human to one patron.

Pretty much this in a nutshell. There is no right answer.

Aaron Ansari.1604:

As for splitting them- setting aside the fact that they were always separate (Grenth brought ice to the pantheon when he became a god, at a time when Abaddon was still free and widely worshiped), they are, conceptually, two very different things… especially during Abaddon’s time, when water was equated with the sea and its depths. Add in that Lyssa had more to do with liquid water than Grenth ever did, and it makes sense that she’d take the domain once it was freed.

A water ele would pick whichever of the gods they cared for. One who used more ice might go for Grenth, and one who used more water might go for Lyssa… or Dwayna, since for an elementalist, water is the healing element. Or they might worship all three equally, beseeching each for favor in turn while using different kinds of water magic, or not worship any at all, seeing their magic as their own business and not the gods. There’s nothing that locks a human to one patron.

In GW1, grenth is explicitly the patron to water eles. Who freely switch between water and ice spells.

Correct. Because A.) no one else was available, with Abaddon struck from the records, and B.) water magic in GW1 was overwhelming ice-based. You see that in other attributes as well- Dwayna empowers Balthazar’s Aura, Grenth empowers Restoration Magic… the patronage is of the broad strokes, but that doesn’t mean that every individual skill (or attribute, for the profession-wide patronages) is going to fit their domains.

Or Arenanet goofed when assigning water and ice separately.

From the GW1 wiki:

Lyssa is the twin Goddess of Beauty and Illusion, individually known as Lyss and Ilya. She is the patron Goddess of Mesmers and Assassins, and is also associated with the Energy Storage techniques of Elementalists and the Mysticism of Dervishes. In the Elonian calendar, she is associated with the Season of the Zephyr.

Grenth is the God of Death and Ice. He is the patron god of Assassins, Water Elementalists, Necromancers, and Ritualists, and is linked to the Season of the Colossus in the Elonian calendar.

Kormir is the Goddess of Truth and Knowledge. Not much can be said about Kormir, as she only recently came into being. Statues of Kormir depict her as resting on the crown of Abaddon with one arm, whilst holding the Book of Secrets in the other. In 1078 AE, Hayda prays to Kormir, suggesting she is now the patron god of paragons, which was previously the domain of Balthazar.

Melandru is the Goddess of Nature and Earth, and the eldest of the modern Gods. Many of her followers are Earth Dervishes, Earth Elementalists and Rangers, who maintain shrines to her along the roads to offer travelers food, water, and rest. She is linked to the Season of the Scion in the Dynastic Reckoning.

Dwayna is the Goddess of Life and Air. She is the patron Goddess of Wind Prayers Dervishes, Air Elementalists, Healing Prayers Monks, and Leadership and Motivation Paragons, and is linked to the Season of the Zephyr in the Elonian calendar.

Balthazar is the God of War and Fire. He is the patron god of Warriors, Fire Elementalists, Protection and Smiting Monks, and Command Paragons, and is linked to the Season of the Phoenix in the Elonian calendar.

Abaddon was the God of Water and Secrets, though has since fallen, and is the main antagonist in Guild Wars Nightfall. Like the other gods, Abaddon’s origins are shrouded in mystery. The Apostate speaks of Abaddon gaining his power from an older, deposed god, however nothing more is known about this.

As you can see, the associations are heavily interlocking. In the case of an Elementalist it would seem the choice might be led by what specific element you were interested in. Energy Storage is no longer a factor for “modern” Elementalists.

It’s also interesting to note that there has been a succession of gods. The most recent “new” Goddess being Kormir.

Ithilwen.1529:

As you can see, the associations are heavily interlocking. In the case of an Elementalist it would seem the choice might be led by what specific element you were interested in. Energy Storage is no longer a factor for “modern” Elementalists.

True, however I’d argue that the Arcane trait line used by modern Elementalists is the new tie to Lyssa now instead of the old Energy Storage attribute.

Vesuvius.9874:

Ithilwen.1529:

As you can see, the associations are heavily interlocking. In the case of an Elementalist it would seem the choice might be led by what specific element you were interested in. Energy Storage is no longer a factor for “modern” Elementalists.

True, however I’d argue that the Arcane trait line used by modern Elementalists is the new tie to Lyssa now instead of the old Energy Storage attribute.

In my opinion that’s how it should have been, but it can probably be argued that it isn’t important or distinct enough.

Honestly I think the best way to view it is to base it on your characters personality, and approach to their abilities. For instance, if you were a necromancer, it is easy to just link them to Grenth as their patron, but as it was stated before, humans revere all of the gods. So said necromancer could worship Kormir, seeking truth and hidden knowledge, and be a scholar, who studies necromancy and hones their abilities through study, and knowledge, because while humans tend to believe their abilities come directly from the gods one way or another, most of the other races don’t necessarily worship the gods at all, and yet they still are able to be a necromancer, or an elementalist, mesmer, etc. So it really all just depends on what you envision your character to be like, and who you select as their Patron could simply come from their familial background/heritage, or it could be for the sake of their abilities. I don’t think it is intended to be that just because you are a certain class, that that should be the deciding factor in your choice. Also, life happens, so maybe your characters views changed at some point lol. And yes, I know this is an older topic, but it’s a topic that I think many players have a viewpoint on, and questions about.