Guild Wars 2

So I’ve heard the claim that Norn Engineers don’t really make sense cause Norn see using technology as weakness, but there are Norn in the Pact and Priory that have no issue with using turrets and such. I’m looking at maybe making a Norn engineer but trying to figure out a proper background still.

I don’t see why a norn Engineer wouldn’t make sense. The Norns respect those who trace new ways to glory or reach new heights of glory. An engineer who’s trying to revolutionize weaponry, one who seeks to destroy the Dragons with such technology or even one who simply wish to become able to repair everything wouldn’t look strange to me.

But I may be biased since my main is an engineer. He went to Lion Arch in his youth and spent more than 15 years there to train under masters (one charr, one asura) before becoming a true engineer, and I think Norns could go directly to the Black Citadel to learn the ways of the charr, perhaps in exchange of serving for a time alongside the Iron Legion.

Astrella.8930:

Norn see using technology as weakness

I’ve never heard that one before. It’s definitely not in-game. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say that the folks you’re hearing that from are simply trying too hard to apply the cookie-cutter ‘tribal barbarian’ archetype onto the norn.

Vaguely I remember something in Edge of Destiny about Norn looking down on a dependency on machines instead of one’s own abilities but I might be entirely wrong.

Norn care not about strength, despite common misconception, but rather one’s ability to make a name for themselves.

In fact, besides the famed hunters and fighters, the norn praise their artists the most – particularly great storytellers who keep legends alive.

So despite the common misconception that “norn see using technology as weakness” they would actually applaud a norn who’s ingenuity of complex machines, or could create devices that trap or fell mighty foes.

Diovid.9506:

Vaguely I remember something in Edge of Destiny about Norn looking down on a dependency on machines instead of one’s own abilities but I might be entirely wrong.

There’s a bit where Knut scorns using an asura’s ‘wind-up toys’ (golems) where norn warriors had failed, but that’s not quite the same thing.

If norns didn’t care for engineering, they wouldn’t have mighty lodges like we see in Hoelbrak. This is why my norn engineer’s quest for making a legend of himself involves his architectural dream of making an arcology style lodge vaster than Hoelbrak.

they pray to the spirit of the tech, it is ok they have weappon smith so an engi would be a wep smith for the norn

My main is a norn engineer. Screw stereotypes, norn are more than dumb muscles.

I think it’s been explicitly said that any form of building your legend is valid. Fighting is valid. Becoming a renowned craftsman is valid. Coming up with your own gadgetry to fight with is definitely valid.

It’s uncommon, because the norn don’t have a culture of it the way that charr, asura, and to a lesser extent even humans do. But there’s no stigma against it. If anything, there may be a stigma towards using automatons to do the fighting for you, but that would apply to things like necrominions too.

Agreed Drax. It may have been more of a personal stigma in the book from a lone warriors POV, than a societal stigma.

It also could’ve just been a rather deft bit of rhetoric on Knut’s part, rather than any stigma- he was pretty candid about being in Eir’s corner, but also had to address the whole burying Hoelbrak alive thing. Putting the blame on the golems instead of Eir let him be relatively lenient in her punishment, while also forcing her to think of a different strategy than the one that’d already failed.

Honestly, I like to think my norn engi, Bralus Blastfist, has the insane dream of building a bomb big enough to blow one of Jormag’s legs off.

Or make a gun big enough to put kitten right through him.