Guild Wars 2

While reading the lore of Guild Wars, I just have one question. Why are humans almost the center of everything? The gods guiding them, their entry to Tyria, their history, and etc?

Because the only playable race in GW1 was humanity, so naturally everything would be from the perspective of humans. The lore of other races came from humans who were in contact with said races.

Ohh, now I see Thanks!

Well the humans were the only playable race in Guild Wars 1 so much of the lore in the game surrounds them or is written from a human perspective. They also ruled 3 continents. In Guild Wars 2, Zhaitan just happens to be located in the ruins of Arah, formerly the capital of Orr and the city of the gods. They were the favored race of the gods. While most of the existing lore is centered on them, newer lore has gradually shifted the focus from humans to the other four major races.

The significance of humans in Guild Wars 2 is that Kryta is the last free human kingdom. Elona has been conquered by Palawa Joko and Cantha has become an isolationist empire. The Elder Dragons have cut off access to those continents as well. Orr was destroyed in the Cataclysm and, with the exception of the Stronghold of Ebonhawke, the kingdom of Ascalon has fallen to the charr.

Does that answer your question?

WarriorOfAsgard.3705:

Well the humans were the only playable race in Guild Wars 1 so much of the lore in the game surrounds them or is written from a human perspective. They also ruled 3 continents. In Guild Wars 2, Zhaitan just happens to be located in the ruins of Arah, formerly the capital of Orr and the city of the gods. They were the favored race of the gods. While most of the existing lore is centered on them, newer lore has gradually shifted the focus from humans to the other four major races.

The significance of humans in Guild Wars 2 is that Kryta is the last free human kingdom. Elona has been conquered by Palawa Joko and Cantha has become an isolationist empire. The Elder Dragons have cut off access to those continents as well. Orr was destroyed in the Cataclysm and, with the exception of the Stronghold of Ebonhawke, the kingdom of Ascalon has fallen to the charr.

Does that answer your question?

Wow. Thanks for the additional lore. At least now I know Thanks for answering my question!

You’re welcome. If you’ve got anything else you’d like to know about the lore, don’t hesitate to ask.

Well, I do have another question, what is in the Crystal Desert and is there any story as to why we can’t access it?

In ancient times the Crystal Desert used to be an ocean. The Margonites, a seafaring human civilization lived in and around it. However they were followers of Abaddon (at the time, he was the god of water), so they sided with him, in his conflict with the other gods. Eventually Abaddon was defeated in the Crystal Sea, were he fell the water disappeared, leaving a wasteland known as the Desolation (the elonian part) and the Crystal Desert (the tyrian part).
Nowadays the desert is the location where Krallkatorrik resides. Also there are rumors that Palawa Jokos forces fight the Branded there.

After the desert was formed there were also a number of human groups who traveled there in an attempt to establish their own civilizations with the goal of Ascension, a legendary feat that gives characters the blessings of the gods of Tyria, and the gift of True Sight. Few were actually successful and most attempts at settling in the Crystal Desert were short lived for a number of reasons.

Ahhh, I see. Thanks once again guys

WarriorOfAsgard.3705:

Well the humans were the only playable race in Guild Wars 1 so much of the lore in the game surrounds them or is written from a human perspective. They also ruled 3 continents. In Guild Wars 2, Zhaitan just happens to be located in the ruins of Arah, formerly the capital of Orr and the city of the gods. They were the favored race of the gods. While most of the existing lore is centered on them, newer lore has gradually shifted the focus from humans to the other four major races.

The significance of humans in Guild Wars 2 is that Kryta is the last free human kingdom. Elona has been conquered by Palawa Joko and Cantha has become an isolationist empire. The Elder Dragons have cut off access to those continents as well. Orr was destroyed in the Cataclysm and, with the exception of the Stronghold of Ebonhawke, the kingdom of Ascalon has fallen to the charr.

Does that answer your question?

The Cataclysm happened right after the Searing which occurs long before the start of GW2 and at the beginning of Prophecies of GW1.

BuddhaKeks.4857:

Nowadays the desert is the location where Krallkatorrik resides. Also there are rumors that Palawa Jokos forces fight the Branded there.

Actually, Joko’s forces are fighting Zhaitan’s forces, not Kralkatorrik’s.

There’s been no mention of Branded activity in the Crystal Desert since Glint’s death, other than his forces preventing travel to Elona via the Crystal Desert.

That’s why I said rumors, I wasn’t too sure. I actually heard both, one source claims he fought the Risen, others the Branded. Since we defeated Zhaitan without hearing anything about him fighting Joko (which I guess the Pact would know about, it’s a huge deal if your foe fights on 2 fronts), I guessed the other thing must be true.

exelion.2369:

WarriorOfAsgard.3705:

Well the humans were the only playable race in Guild Wars 1 so much of the lore in the game surrounds them or is written from a human perspective. They also ruled 3 continents. In Guild Wars 2, Zhaitan just happens to be located in the ruins of Arah, formerly the capital of Orr and the city of the gods. They were the favored race of the gods. While most of the existing lore is centered on them, newer lore has gradually shifted the focus from humans to the other four major races.

The significance of humans in Guild Wars 2 is that Kryta is the last free human kingdom. Elona has been conquered by Palawa Joko and Cantha has become an isolationist empire. The Elder Dragons have cut off access to those continents as well. Orr was destroyed in the Cataclysm and, with the exception of the Stronghold of Ebonhawke, the kingdom of Ascalon has fallen to the charr.

Does that answer your question?

The Cataclysm happened right after the Searing which occurs long before the start of GW2 and at the beginning of Prophecies of GW1.

That’s true, and I could have worded that part a bit better. The Cataclysm and sinking of Orr still holds some relevance to Guild Wars 2 though because it explains why when Zhaitan awakened, Orr rose from beneath the waves, resulting in the destruction of old Lion’s Arch and nearby coastal areas.

BuddhaKeks.4857:

That’s why I said rumors, I wasn’t too sure. I actually heard both, one source claims he fought the Risen, others the Branded. Since we defeated Zhaitan without hearing anything about him fighting Joko (which I guess the Pact would know about, it’s a huge deal if your foe fights on 2 fronts), I guessed the other thing must be true.

Never once heard of Joko fighting Branded. Only misconception on The Movement of the World article, which only states that Zhaitan’s forces are fighting on Elona’s borders.

It would make sense for Zhaitan to take interest in Joko, I mean Zhaitan has wrestled undead to his will once before, and if he could do the same with Palawa Joko and his armies that would vastly increase his forces. That being said I do not remember ever explicitly being told if this was occuring or not. Plus I would think taking on an Elder Dragon would be the last thing on Palawa Joko’s mind, so most likely his forces would be defending what he already has from incursions of dragon minions, not the other way around.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

BuddhaKeks.4857:

That’s why I said rumors, I wasn’t too sure. I actually heard both, one source claims he fought the Risen, others the Branded. Since we defeated Zhaitan without hearing anything about him fighting Joko (which I guess the Pact would know about, it’s a huge deal if your foe fights on 2 fronts), I guessed the other thing must be true.

Never once heard of Joko fighting Branded. Only misconception on The Movement of the World article, which only states that Zhaitan’s forces are fighting on Elona’s borders.

“Zurzeit hat Kralkatorrik Streitigkeiten mit Palawa Joko, der das Ödland im Süden kontrolliert.” (“at this time Kralkatorrik is in dispute with Palawa Joko, who controles the Desolation in the south”).http://wiki-de.guildwars2.com/wiki/Kralkatorrik
I’m not sure where the german wiki got it from, but I remember it too from an interview. However this of course could have been changed by now, the german wiki isn’t the fastest with updating lore (and of course not a canon source).
It however does make more sense to me, that, if anyone, Joko is clashing with the Branded as they are right next to his (possibly former) capital, the bone palace. Zhaitan has no direct border with him, unless he controles parts of the Crystal Desert too, which is never said anywhere. The only other possibility is that he send some of his undead navy to attack Elona, since he could have the knowledge about the continent from his risen corsairs.

The Movement of the World states “the dragon’s undead army wages war even now along the northern Elonian border” in the section relating to Orr. Of course, there’s nothing saying they can’t both be correct, or that this isn’t one of the cases where the Movement is a little off.

Overall, Zhaitan’s strategy largely seems to be a case of expanding until meeting resistance, and every so often hammering down on a stronghold of resistance (such as Lion’s Arch). Considering that there was no civilisation that we know of on the land bridge from Elona to Orr, it’s not surprising that Zhaitan’s forces might have reached as far as Joko’s possibly expanded northern border – however, for whatever reason the dragon chose to prioritise Lion’s Arch first.

Well there could be a 3-way battle going on, maybe that’s the reason why the guards in Ebonhawke wont let us go through.