Have you tried turning it off and on again?
Keep the dead, you know, dead
Its not like its the only theme they have had in there games. As for Shiro, he was a rather unique play on undeath. Technically originally he wasnt undead but was an Envoy, a soul chosen to guide other souls to the underworld as penance for their crimes during their lives.
In GW1 we start by fighting an undead dragon. Its not suprising alot of the zones are rather undead heavy. There will be quite alot of the story which wont focus on the undead. With necromancy a large part of the game it would be odd not to atleast have undeath present in the game.
Grenth only watches over the souls of the departed. For the most part, necromancy in Guild Wars would be more accurately described as reanimation – not resurrection.
Powerful magi are able to use the flesh and bones of soulless corpses in order to create minions and other critters. They aren’t imbuing these constructs with souls any more than an Asura’s golem.
There are the odd instances of souls (ie: Shiro) taking corporeal form again, but as the poster above mentioned, these are pretty rare.
Powerful magi are able to use the flesh and bones of soulless corpses in order to create minions and other critters. They aren’t imbuing these constructs with souls any more than an Asura’s golem.
Many actually do contain the soul – most of Joko’s undead, many Zhaitan’s even as well (though they seem to be mostly/partially uncorrupted). But as for Grenth controlling that – he allows undead for xyz unknown reason, and only gives proper say once the soul reaches the Underworld. And that’s not an instantaneous thing. Souls wander the world fairly easily in Tyria, even wander the Mists unguided, as one can see in the norn storyline “Defend the Mists.”
Of course it may be simply that Grenth doesn’t have any control – considering Dhuum still has some powers of death, Grenth may not be a proper “god of death.”
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.
There are a couple of things I feel are worthy of noting:
1) In Nightfall, it is pretty much explained that the gods have taken a back seat in the happenings of Tyria. They are aware of its happenings, but have left the dealings of life there to its inhabitants.
2) The dragons are quite possibly just as formidable as the gods, if not more. It may even be a possibility that the gods could be threatened by the dragons. If Grenth were regulating the undead (and in Zhaitan’s case, it would surprise me if he was trying), he may just be unable to completely hold that power back.
Grenth was not the original god of Death, Dhuum was, and Grenth and the other reapers were unable to destroy Dhuum. The PC’s in GW1 locked Dhuum away in the hall of judgment again, but that’s still just a temporary fix. So, Grenth is fighting two battles, effectively.
As for the other gods, I am unsure, but I do know that Balthazar was the first human to be made a god, and (much) later Kormir took Abbadon’s place.
Compared to the dragons, I think the gods are actually relatively young.
Casteless Wind [Guild Wars 2]
The Secksy Monk [Guild Wars 1]
Stormbluff Isle – Storm Slayer Dragons [SDS]
The Secksy Monk [Guild Wars 1]
Stormbluff Isle – Storm Slayer Dragons [SDS]
Now, what I’m trying to say is that adding a hardly clever twist to the same plot device is anything but refreshing or new. Spirits, ghosts, undead, minions. whatever you want to call it, what it boils down to is using the same story to further the plot/lore. I absolutely hate spending time in Orr simply because I can’t stand fighting another undead thing. “What should we do to make the starting Charr area better? Oh, how about undead ascalonian?”, “Man we need to give the players strong enemies to face for this powerful being, oh, how about undead orrians?”, “Dang, what about Elona? Well remember that Palawa Joko? How about his undead elonian servants?”
Yeah, real nice. Since Guild Wars 1 to this game. It’s continuing in the same cycle. Make story really interesting > introduce undead > defeat the master of the undead. Rinse, repeat.
Honestly, there’s a huge world of Tyria to expand on. Why must Necromancy play such a large role in the story? If this is how it’s going to be, might as well rename the game to Zombie Wars 2.
I’m just saying. If there are plans to expand on the world of Tyria. By all means, using the undead plot device should be avoided.
Have you tried turning it off and on again?
You make it sound like undead are the only notable plot they do. In Nightfall the undead played a pretty minor role. Nightfall was about human armies, demon worshippers, demons and a fallen god. Most of the undead in Factions alot of people didnt even realise were actually undead.
Even in GW2 undead are certianly not the be all and end all of all the content. The ghosts of Ascalon are almost a distraction for the charr rather than a major threat. The Flame Legion and the Brand play a much bigger role in the charr zones. In the Norn zones undead play almost no role. In the humans zones they are a minor presence.
As for why Necromancy plays such a big role, its one of the primary forms of magic in the game.
You’d think that after undead became a problem the first time, everyone would switch to cremation rather then burying and hoping for the best.
Ad majorem gloriam! Ad infinitum!
I have to agree with the OP though. I do get kinda tired of seeing undead in every single game. Maybe it’s just because I’ve only played the Sylvarian story line right now and all I’ve heard about was undead this and undead that. That being said though, I suppose people can and have said the same thing about dragons being in games – most recently Dragon Age, Dragon Age 2, Skyrim, GW2 just to name a few. Still, as long as these are woven into the games effectively and creatively it can be lived with. For instance: During one of the events in Malchor’s Leap when you are trying to beat High Priestess Dwanna and you have to force Malchor's soul back up to the statue he created. I think that is an effective way of incorporating undead into a story, not just sending hoards of undead at you that all do the same thing…especially with thatkittenfast feet and you can’t get away from them even with all your evading skills and dodges…..sorry, back on topic – If they are incorporated well in the story I can see using them.
You’d think that after undead became a problem the first time, everyone would switch to cremation rather then burying and hoping for the best.
It’s been mentioned a few times – albeit not in-game that I’ve seen – that in Kryta and other parts of Tyria close-ish to Zhaitan, cremation has become the preferred option for exactly that reason.
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.
If Grenth were regulating the undead (and in Zhaitan’s case, it would surprise me if he was trying), he may just be unable to completely hold that power back.
Funny you mention this, because very late into the personal story, this is actually implied.
One of Grenth’s faithful died during the Cataclysm and his soul is controlled/imprisoned by Zhaitan – the guy’s a risen. During this personal story step you’re calling upon Grenth for aid, and The Seventh Reaper appears – the deal is that the PC will get the knowledge they seek if they return the risen follower to Grenth since he was “taken” – the Reaper can’t because he was weakened for an unknown reason.
As for the other gods, I am unsure, but I do know that Balthazar was the first human to be made a god, and (much) later Kormir took Abbadon’s place.
I demand a source because lore states him as the second god to have arrived from the Mists (following Dwayna and followed by Melandru).
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.
It’s not just GW. It’s WoW, Rift, L4D 1/2, every freaking TV show in the past 5 years. I’m getting so sick of zombies and vampires…
You’re overreacting. There’s plenty of other threats throughout Tyria that are shown in GW2. Or are you conveniently ignoring the likes of bandits, centaur, corrupt politicians, destroyers, harpies, trolls and all the rest of them?
I commend Arena Net on having such a brilliant variety of enemies, especially since they succeed at highlighting how each is a threat instead of making them seem incompetent as many other MMO’s do.
yeah so bandits/centuars til level 40…. level 40+ zombies for the rest of the game.
yeah so bandits/centuars til level 40…. level 40+ zombies for the rest of the game.
Really? Where are the zombies in Fireheart Rise? How about the Dredgehaunt Cliffs? Iron Marches? Well I suppose there are some ghosts in the Iron Marches in the very corner of the map.
Theres a lot of content that has no zombies in it. Im also yet to see anything like a vampire. Really, your making it sound like there is nothing but zombies.
yeah so bandits/centuars til level 40…. level 40+ zombies for the rest of the game.
Really? Where are the zombies in Fireheart Rise? How about the Dredgehaunt Cliffs? Iron Marches? Well I suppose there are some ghosts in the Iron Marches in the very corner of the map.
Theres a lot of content that has no zombies in it. Im also yet to see anything like a vampire. Really, your making it sound like there is nothing but zombies.
Well, once you hit lvl 70, there is DEFINITELY nothing but zombies.
Zombie charr, human, asura, norn.
Zombie sharks.
Zombie Quaggan.
Zombie. Freaking. Rock. Monsters.
Zombie electricity……?
Zombie 50 foot tall giants.
Zombie drakes.
Zombie grawl.
Zombie turtles.
Zombie hylek.
Zombie human gods.
Zombie pirates.
Zombie spirit weapons.
Zombie zombies? Yup…zombie fracking GHOSTS running around.
How does an undead ghost come back as an undead zombie ghost? WHAT THE…!??!!
It’s not even bordering on overkill in those zones. It overkilled overkill.
It kind of of makes sense that everything in Orr would be tied to undead. It is undead central. The fact that everything is undead frankly I think makes it cooler. It just shows how pervasive Zhaitan’s corruption is. It would make very little sense to be fighting much else in this zone. Certainly Im not incline to complain cause at least they go for variety among the enemies in the area.
However Orr at the 4 zones tied to it arent the whole game. They arent even the only 70-80 content. Undeath is a central theme of this chapter of the game because we are up against the Elder Dragon of Undeath. It is however hardly like thats all Arenanet ever puts us up against.
Sorry, I was trying to be funny. I understand why there are undead everywhere. Part of me thinks they did it partially so you get out of Orr once in a while and fight other baddies.
I see Zhaitan’s undead (and Guild Wars undead in general) as being another form of draconic corruption. Think about it, every dragon corrupts the world and/or living creatures in some fashion in order to create minions.
Primordus corrupts them into red fiery things.
Jormag corrupts them into blue icy things.
Kralkatorrik corrupts them into purple mutant crystal things.
Zhaitan corrupts them into green undead things.
Presumably Bubbles corrupts things into tentacled Lovecraftian horrors (in a pleasing orange/yellow color scheme) and #6 has its own form of corruption, too, though we’re rapidly running out of distinctive colors.
If anything, I think GW2 has better justification for using undead enemies than most games; all the dragons corrupt the natural world in some way, and Zhaitan corrupts the cycle of life and death.
The real question is, can Zhaitan’s corrupting influence be the source of all undead creatures in the world? I wonder if Palawa Joko is sorry to see him go…
Sorry, I was trying to be funny. I understand why there are undead everywhere. Part of me thinks they did it partially so you get out of Orr once in a while and fight other baddies.
Lore is very serious business O_O
Yeah, I get what you mean. I kind of like how they did it. Still it can get pretty heavy going after a while. Ive taken a fair few breaks to go wonder off to other less undeady areas.
For me its thekittenKrait I cant seem to get way from. You come across a puddle and youll find Krait taking slaves in it. Of course Im probably somewhat jaded by the Blood Witch event in Kessex Hills. It was happening constantly and I could never say no to that little quaggan begging me for help.
waddle, waddle, waddle
Quaggan: OOOooo, please help quaggan
Me: but Im really in a rush and I helped like 11 times already
Quaggan: OOooooOO, please help quaggan. Nasty Krait have taken quaggan’s freinds. Ooooo. Please save quaggen!
Me: ….. Ok just once more.
Quaggan are the most evil creations in this game. You cant say no to them and if you abandon them you feel like a bad person.