Guild Wars 2

Kalavier.1097:

In lore, the second passage was destroyed by Captain Smash while escaping LA. To stop Miasma or hostile forces from spreading and following the Refugees.

As for the Tunnel, it replaces the Asura Gate. My issue with that is how there is no defenses there at all…

To be honest I don’t think they specifically need defenses right next to the tunnel. I’m willing to bet the plan is to saturate that area with shells from the cannons on the east side of Fort Mariner should any force try to invade from there. Combine that with the fact that the tunnel itself forms a natural choke point and it sounds almost suicidal to attack via that route.

Riot Inducer.8964:

Kalavier.1097:

In lore, the second passage was destroyed by Captain Smash while escaping LA. To stop Miasma or hostile forces from spreading and following the Refugees.

As for the Tunnel, it replaces the Asura Gate. My issue with that is how there is no defenses there at all…

To be honest I don’t think they specifically need defenses right next to the tunnel. I’m willing to bet the plan is to saturate that area with shells from the cannons on the east side of Fort Mariner should any force try to invade from there. Combine that with the fact that the tunnel itself forms a natural choke point and it sounds almost suicidal to attack via that route.

That, and the Durmand Priory sits right outside the other entrance. It’s still not an ideal fortification, but it means the only way to assault through that route is to divert some of the force to attack the Priory as well.

Not to mention the possibility of the tunnel having been rigged to collapse.

About the Whispers secret stuff: If you are on a Whispers alt, talk to the Surly Customer in the Whispers bar. Go on, do it. (Also listen to the bar conversation with people talking about “visiting Grandma to get a recipe”).

Based on that, I wonder if my Priory and Vigil alts will get some targeted things.

Here’s the lore glitch I found: A pair of Lionguard still using the ruined LA dialogue about the looters getting bolder. I got the screenshot on the second part of the conversation, and had my chat on Map rather than General so I didn’t record the whole thing but you can go listen to them.

Aaron Ansari.1604:

That, and the Durmand Priory sits right outside the other entrance. It’s still not an ideal fortification, but it means the only way to assault through that route is to divert some of the force to attack the Priory as well.

Not to mention the possibility of the tunnel having been rigged to collapse.

Actually, you can get to that tunnel without dealing with the Priory at all from the south. I mean, sure they could attack you, but it wouldn’t be hard to defend against them and continue on.

Though the latter may be true as well.

I did notice a couple of strange changes, but I figured that while the Captain’s Council was in charge of design, the Consortium was in charge of the actual construction. The buildings were airlifted into LA overnight, so there were obviously some oversights. “I want some flags on the north side” turns into the wrong kind of flags. As for the actual “Arch,” I think that name comes from the keep in Old Lion’s Arch that has long since crumbled.

I do wonder when Magnus and Ellen will notice these changes. Or if Evon will use these changes to discredit the council. I suppose only time will tell…

Kalavier.1097:

As for the Tunnel, it replaces the Asura Gate. My issue with that is how there is no defenses there at all…

Agree its lacks of defense there.
In Personal Story in Durmand Priory we fought with Steag Frostbeard who wanted to attack LA with Sanguinary Blade. Now with normal way through mauntains, w/o asura portal that you could turn-off it seems to even easier. We solved problem with Steag, but we won’t be in Lornan Pass to patrol if somebody else don’t want to kill/corrupt some innocent citizens.

It comes out right underneath the Priory – they’re possibly assuming that they’ll give warning of anything coming.

Still, it IS an opening.

draxynnic.3719:

It comes out right underneath the Priory – they’re possibly assuming that they’ll give warning of anything coming.

Still, it IS an opening.

Said warning would basically be no warning. that cave isn’t very long. :P

IMO, nothing beats a solid wall around that little clearing the refugee camp was on.

Kalavier.1097:

Said warning would basically be no warning. that cave isn’t very long. :P

Probably, but not necessarily. Keep in mind that we experience a scaled down version of the maps in the game compared to the lore.

Furthermore, being on a peak, the Durmand Priory would see enemy forces well before-hand, and could issue a probable warning before they reach the cave.

Still, it’s a rather questionable defense tactic. But it gives a living world-based excuse to expand the Durmand Priory to have additional facilities where the gate&refugee camp were/where the cave entrance is. Imagine rather than walking out of the cave/zoning into Lornar’s not onto a ledge, but an offshoot library+defense measure (with the Priory having been attacked twice and threatened an additional time in 1325 AE, and threatened twice in 1326 AE, it would make sense for them to shore up defenses too).

All the Order HQs have always felt a little small. The expansion to Vigil Keep was great, though when the banks left and again when the refugee camp left, it feels… less than it could be. I hope they take a chance to properly make them feel like real large organization headquarters.

Personal Story is also showing old LA footage at about level 40. Especially the Whispers scenes. Got me shaking my head with the silly scenes with old LA. Was it the present or was it the past. Hmmm?

If you had post-processing then you’d have had a sepia tone to the missions in LA, which indicate that it was past.

I really don’t know how much clearer they can get in saying that the events of the personal story are not current events anymore – they’ve dated them, after all.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Kalavier.1097:

Said warning would basically be no warning. that cave isn’t very long. :P

Probably, but not necessarily. Keep in mind that we experience a scaled down version of the maps in the game compared to the lore.

Furthermore, being on a peak, the Durmand Priory would see enemy forces well before-hand, and could issue a probable warning before they reach the cave.

Still, it’s a rather questionable defense tactic. But it gives a living world-based excuse to expand the Durmand Priory to have additional facilities where the gate&refugee camp were/where the cave entrance is. Imagine rather than walking out of the cave/zoning into Lornar’s not onto a ledge, but an offshoot library+defense measure (with the Priory having been attacked twice and threatened an additional time in 1325 AE, and threatened twice in 1326 AE, it would make sense for them to shore up defenses too).

All the Order HQs have always felt a little small. The expansion to Vigil Keep was great, though when the banks left and again when the refugee camp left, it feels… less than it could be. I hope they take a chance to properly make them feel like real large organization headquarters.

Well, while scaling might be slightly off, ingame it feels pretty realistic compared to other games like WoW. Never got to doing my thing of trying to scale travel times going off the 3 days from ebonhawke to ascalon city in Ghosts of Ascalon.

But I do think that little bluff is perfect for a walled fortification. Expand walls to also go around the front of the priory (somehwat on that cliff were Vista is) and on the other side around the bridge and other ramp to secure the outside…

Vigil Keep I think they should let us explore more of it. It’s got this big vast fortress vertically, but we explore the front porch basically, and the tiny planning area that is the instance. :P

One thing I’d love to have seen in LA would be stables like in queensdale and CM. We know horses are a thing in the lore of GW (All those carriages and wagons… the jousting toys, Saul was ‘ridden’ out when he was exiled, etc)… wish they’d be included ingame even without a mount system.

As much as I love the re-made Lions Arch… its missing something….. erm rather large?

Put the Sea Lions for which ….. Lions Arch is actually named back into Lions ARCH!!! ? !!! ?

http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/File:Lion%27s_Arch_Keep_tower.jpg

The Consortium wanted to go a different direction. They tossed up a lion in the fort to show that they recognize its significance, but obliterated it anywhere that it was a nuisance.

Despite the constant talk about “Lion’s Arch is named after those arches made out of lions”… this is not true.

In GW1, there was no arch. There were lions (which we can still see some in the ruins, iirc), but there was no arch nor any arch made out of lions.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Despite the constant talk about “Lion’s Arch is named after those arches made out of lions”… this is not true.

In GW1, there was no arch. There were lions (which we can still see some in the ruins, iirc), but there was no arch nor any arch made out of lions.

I think you may have oppened a door to a world of new interpretations

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Despite the constant talk about “Lion’s Arch is named after those arches made out of lions”… this is not true.

In GW1, there was no arch. There were lions (which we can still see some in the ruins, iirc), but there was no arch nor any arch made out of lions.

^ this. And yes, you can find some of the original lion statues underwater still.

I’m aware that the archway was not present in GW1, but it’s still an important landmark that was obviously inspired by the cities name. And it was completely undamaged by the attack. It’s bizzare they’d tear it down to build some little fountains.

By the way, anyone who says there is no archway period in Lions Arch in GW1, and that it’s just a name, should probably go back to that city and look up.

Lurinna.4306:

By the way, anyone who says there is no archway period in Lions Arch in GW1, and that it’s just a name, should probably go back to that city and look up.

Is that the arch ?

Vilenia.3081:

Lurinna.4306:

By the way, anyone who says there is no archway period in Lions Arch in GW1, and that it’s just a name, should probably go back to that city and look up.

Is that the arch ?

I think there’s actually two of them. The other is in the opposite direction, over the main gate.

What bugs me is geographical changes. While most things I can buy if they were airlifted (even if some changes are a bit of a stretch) other things are less explainable. A key one being the area around the path to Bloodtide Coast. While you can explain part of it away with ‘oh, they infilled it’ each way I look at it brings problems, like the water level would not have changed.

Menadena.7482:

What bugs me is geographical changes. While most things I can buy if they were airlifted (even if some changes are a bit of a stretch) other things are less explainable. A key one being the area around the path to Bloodtide Coast. While you can explain part of it away with ‘oh, they infilled it’ each way I look at it brings problems, like the water level would not have changed.

How did the path to blood tide coast change? Because I don’t recall there being water around that portal directly. :P Also because I didn’t notice any change besides that to the fort.

Though it’s important to remember these changes didn’t just happen overnight in lore like it did for us IRL. :P

Lurinna.4306:

Vilenia.3081:

Lurinna.4306:

By the way, anyone who says there is no archway period in Lions Arch in GW1, and that it’s just a name, should probably go back to that city and look up.

Is that the arch ?

I think there’s actually two of them. The other is in the opposite direction, over the main gate.

Those aren’t arches. The northeast one is the Lion’s Arch Palace, the other is some sort of pair of watchtowers.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Lurinna.4306:

Vilenia.3081:

Lurinna.4306:

By the way, anyone who says there is no archway period in Lions Arch in GW1, and that it’s just a name, should probably go back to that city and look up.

Is that the arch ?

I think there’s actually two of them. The other is in the opposite direction, over the main gate.

Those aren’t arches. The northeast one is the Lion’s Arch Palace, the other is some sort of pair of watchtowers.

But… They’re both large structures made up of two connected or parallel parts with a passageway in the middle .

That’s what an arch is.

That image shows that they are very clearly separate structures. Similar structures exist all along the Watchtower Coast along the Greater Giant Basin. None of them are arches, they are just built on a diagonal.

If there’s no arch in Lion’s Arch, the Durmand Priory must be hiding something from us…

It’s possible that it received its name from its days as King Doric’s summer palace – for whatever reason that may be – but the actual arch was built over in the hundred years of development and its transition as the Krytan capital city.

Genesis.8572:

I’m more concerned about why the Orders of Whispers meeting place is so open. Their old sewer base behind the Captains’ ship was one of the greatest small touches of Old Lion’s Arch.

You’re missing the obvious-as-hell secret tunnel leading out of there to wherever they really do business.

Sariel V.7024:

Genesis.8572:

I’m more concerned about why the Orders of Whispers meeting place is so open. Their old sewer base behind the Captains’ ship was one of the greatest small touches of Old Lion’s Arch.

You’re missing the obvious-as-hell secret tunnel leading out of there to wherever they really do business.

No, I’m not missing anything. I’ve been there before on one of my OoW characters. Their Lion’s Arch establishment is still far more open and public than the incredibly neat hidden grotto you reached through the sewers.

A thing to note about the OoW base in LA now is that it’s not flying any OoW flags. If it weren’t for the PoI name blatantly calling it an Order of Whispers base, it wouldn’t be so obvious that’s what it is.

A case of ‘hidden right under their noses’ I think was the idea – and given how close it is to the Captain’s Council’s meeting place, it pretty much is right under the Captain’s Council’s noses.

The only thing that gives them away is the uniform and PoI name – the latter no NPC can ever see, and the former is presumably known to be an OoW uniform only to OoW, Pact, and those few trusted not to spread that fact (and those few smart enough with enough evidence to connect the dots).

Konig Des Todes.2086:

A thing to note about the OoW base in LA now is that it’s not flying any OoW flags. If it weren’t for the PoI name blatantly calling it an Order of Whispers base, it wouldn’t be so obvious that’s what it is.

A case of ‘hidden right under their noses’ I think was the idea – and given how close it is to the Captain’s Council’s meeting place, it pretty much is right under the Captain’s Council’s noses.

The only thing that gives them away is the uniform and PoI name – the latter no NPC can ever see, and the former is presumably known to be an OoW uniform only to OoW, Pact, and those few trusted not to spread that fact (and those few smart enough with enough evidence to connect the dots).

I’ve always viewed it as such.

If the person is in full OoW gear, they are NOT trying to be stealthy (if they are publically visible). It’s the ones who are not in gear, or are actively stealthing that you watch for.

Them having a bar means they get all kinds of gossip, and it does connect directly with their base to the south of LA. Gnashblade knows they are OoW, he comments on “Of course they’d be right under the Captain’s council.”

Hell, I remember some OoW members saying that by forming the pact with the other orders, they are coming into the light. I’ve seen dialogue from them on the wiki which implies they are doing a large scale recall of field forces since the Pact’s recent defeat in the jungle, trying to regain strength (which would explain the INSANE number of OoW npcs going about the city).

Besides, in terms of spying… If people are watching the trio in full OoW uniform/gear, they aren’t watching the 10 other OoW members who are dressed normally as guards, civilians, apple vendors, etc.