Guild Wars 2

Ok, people have been talking about an expansion. And in that expansion, the possibility of a new race. This is not one of those threads.

What I am curious about is IF there was the remotest possibility for a new playable race to be released (just speculation) what race would it be, and how would the current lore be able to support it. Also we would have to count on the PS being pretty much the same, at least as far as the pact and fighting Zhiatan.

I know many people would like to see the Tengu brought into play, but as a playable race I am not sure that would work, according to lore. From what I understand is that the Tengu are very xenophobic, and have pretty much closed themselves off from the rest of the world (with the exception of a few merchants). For good reason too, IIRC.
Would the Tengu be able to integrate with the various Orders and other races? Do they have anything unique and useful to bring to the pact?

What other races would be able to be brought in as a part of lore? Or would a whole new race, like we saw with the Sylvari, need to be introduced, with connecting lore?
Thoughts?

Lore-wise, of the races we’ve seen in GW2, I think that the only ones with any real chance of becoming playable are tengu, largos, and kodan. Of the other races, only the krait, dredge, and maybe centaurs are advanced enough to be player characters, and all three are enemy factions very heavily integrated into various zone overstories. (Although, if they ever return to the dredge rebellion storyline…)

Of the three, tengu probably have the best shot- mechanics aside, they’re the player races’ closest neighbor. The isolation is the only obstacle, and the easy answer is to have dragon minions flush them out.

Kodan already have that motive, but they’re also scattered as a people, not to mention toting a superiority complex worse than the asura’s. Largos we know the least about, but I’d expect there to be a significant barrier over their cultural quirk of hunting sentient beings, particularly those they admire.

Any of those could be done, even the dredge… the question is whether they would be done well. None of them are without their obstacles. Returning a different race from GW1 is also a potential option, if harder to integrate with the GW2 story, but I don’t think bringing a new race in is a sound idea. Look at the amount of sylvari hate floating about, even with five years easing us into them, and attempts since launch to expand on them has only compounded the opposition.

Technically, lore-wise, any race can work. It’d just take introducing a new city for the race and, in some cases, why they’d have adventurers joining the Pact.

After all, the biggest no-goes of modern races as playable lore wise would be Krait and centaurs, because they were wanted to be “pure black races” (aka all evil), but now we have the peaceful Maguuma centaurs. Lore wise, all ANet needs is introduce a new city ofcentaurs in the Maguuma Jungle – or Crystal Desert for Elonian centaurs.

So things really fall to logic of lore changes, but more so character customization and armor aesthetics. In which case most no-bipedal races are cut simply because making yet another armor design would be tedious for artists (look at how little attention charr get with decent looking armor.

So the most likely races are those that can share other races’ armor, or minor alterations of such. As I see it, this is tengu (similar model/posture as charr but utilizes different animations on par to difference between human and sylvari), kodan (similar model to norn, even uses their animations currently – need some new ones but that’s easy enoug), and largos (shares many human/sylvari animation already, prepare for the clipping though). And lore wise all fit well, we’ve even gotten hints of tengu one day possibly leaving the Dominion of Winds during Victory or Death (though we’ve also gotten hints of the opposite in Hidden Arcana).

Of those three I think kodan are the least likely to be made playable simply due to character creation options.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Of those three I think kodan are the least likely to be made playable simply due to character creation options.

Actuaaaaaaally, lore can fix that too if Anet wanted. Remember the legend about the lost Kodan tribe? Doesn’t need a lot to justify customization and add problems to the Kodan society by pulling this card and saying nope there’s kodan with other looks now too. ;P
__

IMO, unless it’s totally outta question gameplay-wise (aka imagine a centaur-thief or doing a jp as one), it really all depends on what Anet really wants to and how creative they can be. If they want, they could totally decide it’s time for ZE REVOLUTION for the dredge. If they really want and are creative enough, they could even make a serpentine or floating race work.

But that’s just my humble opinion ;P

I think Kodan would stand a better chance of becoming a new race then the Largos. Too little is known about them, and much of their home and starting areas would be underwater. Although the mechanics are there, starting out underwater when underwater combat has been gated with the NPE. They would have to remove such a restriction in order to have the Largos as a playable race.

The Kodan would make much more sense, however they might need to alter the latter part of the PS, and the current LS to include Kodan with the Orders and the Pact. Unless they were to just say that the player is the first, and only, Kodan to have joined an Order and the pact. Otherwise i dont see how they could bring Kodan into the mix.

Honestly, I expect any new race would be locked out of the PS as it exists today. I don’t know whether to expect something unique for them, a PS Season 2, or just having the PS completely replaced with something new (or going the way of personality…), but I fully expect an overhaul in conjunction with a new race.

Aaron Ansari.1604:

Honestly, I expect any new race would be locked out of the PS as it exists today. I don’t know whether to expect something unique for them, a PS Season 2, or just having the PS completely replaced with something new (or going the way of personality…), but I fully expect an overhaul in conjunction with a new race.

So a whole new PS for a new race? Interesting. But then the player wouldn’t be THE commander and co-founder of the pact, nor the one who defeats Zhaitan, nor the “boss” in the LS. Which would mean a ton of extra work and some some crazy story discrepancies and an obscene amount of retconning just to have it make any sort of sense.

I actually think the lackof knowledge about the largos is one of the reasons why it’s much more likely. Their entire story is unknow to us so Anet doesn’t ahve to wiggle within existing lore to try and make a reason why they join or what their homes and customs are.
The underwater part would indeed be an issue though, but they might be able to get around that by, if they release largos as a playable race, they make some changes to underwater content.

The kodan, regardless of how awesome it wouldbe, imo, would be a no-no, because it would involve changing what we know of the kodan to make it so they dont lack in customization (unless they go with different shade sof white ) which i’d rather not happen.

The tengu were said to be oriinally planned to be a playable race, they have a starter area all nicely lined out and are pretty darn awesome, plus the pact already has atleast one tengu in it so no reason why the others wouldnt be bale to be convinced.

Aaron Ansari.1604:

Honestly, I expect any new race would be locked out of the PS as it exists today. I don’t know whether to expect something unique for them, a PS Season 2, or just having the PS completely replaced with something new (or going the way of personality…), but I fully expect an overhaul in conjunction with a new race.

i dont think they’d have to be completely locked out of the personal story. Take the largos or the tengu as an example.

We know that at a point in the living story a tengu is show to work with what will be the pact (i think he as a smith) so it could be possible that, incase of the tengu they make a different PS where it collides with the other races PS at that point. Could be about convincing your race to aid in the fight or something similar.

With the largos, at fort trinity we see sayeh (maight ahve the name wrong) talk with trahearne and if i remember correctly, she says something along the lines that she will tell her people about the fight against the dragons (again,its been awhile might be wrong :p ), for the largos, their story could start colliding with the main PS at that point and we’ll have the largos come in numbers to the aid of the pact.

I agree with Tengu being first pick for reasons that have been stated a number of times.

I secondly think Largos because of the mystery and Bubbles. I mean really, if Largos were taken out of the GW2 universe there would be no real change. A slight tweak to that one personal story is all… which tells me they were put there for some reason.

Kodan is a popular choice, but I think they’re too similar to norn.

pdavis.8031:

I think Kodan would stand a better chance of becoming a new race then the Largos. Too little is known about them, and much of their home and starting areas would be underwater. Although the mechanics are there, starting out underwater when underwater combat has been gated with the NPE. They would have to remove such a restriction in order to have the Largos as a playable race.

The Kodan would make much more sense, however they might need to alter the latter part of the PS, and the current LS to include Kodan with the Orders and the Pact. Unless they were to just say that the player is the first, and only, Kodan to have joined an Order and the pact. Otherwise i dont see how they could bring Kodan into the mix.

On first paragraph: There is absolutely nothing wrong with that (@mechanic change). And “too little known” is hardly a restriction. Case in point: sylvari.

On second paragraph, there actually are kodan in the Orders and Pact – same with tengu. It’s just that there’s less than 5 (possibly less than 3 individuals).

Konig Des Todes.2086:

pdavis.8031:

I think Kodan would stand a better chance of becoming a new race then the Largos. Too little is known about them, and much of their home and starting areas would be underwater. Although the mechanics are there, starting out underwater when underwater combat has been gated with the NPE. They would have to remove such a restriction in order to have the Largos as a playable race.

The Kodan would make much more sense, however they might need to alter the latter part of the PS, and the current LS to include Kodan with the Orders and the Pact. Unless they were to just say that the player is the first, and only, Kodan to have joined an Order and the pact. Otherwise i dont see how they could bring Kodan into the mix.

On first paragraph: There is absolutely nothing wrong with that (@mechanic change). And “too little known” is hardly a restriction. Case in point: sylvari.

On second paragraph, there actually are kodan in the Orders and Pact – same with tengu. It’s just that there’s less than 5 (possibly less than 3 individuals).

Part 1: yeah I was thinking about that, the lack of lore would be much easier to work with, but the mechanic change i feel would be much more problematic and much more work. Programmers by nature are lazy :P

Part 2: I dont recall seeing any Kodan, i remember the tengu smith, but there is a good chance I just missed them.

Why was one playable race enough for GW1, but five isn’t enough for GW2?

pdavis.8031:

Part 2: I dont recall seeing any Kodan, i remember the tengu smith, but there is a good chance I just missed them.

Visit the Chantry of Secrets.

Visit Elder’s Vale (the Pact’s HQ in Frostgorge).

You’ll find kodan in both – in the latter, the kodan there are specifically around for negotiating aid by the Pact, and the Pact getting the kodan to join (in fact, the Pact’s entire presence in Frostgorge is primarily about getting kodan joining in for fighting icebrood and other dragons).

So on a whole, it was a “work in progress”, but we already saw some kodan with the Whispers, though they have no roles.

DarcShriek.5829:

Why was one playable race enough for GW1, but five isn’t enough for GW2?

Because it wasn’t. People just knew that it wouldn’t happen no matter what so they weren’t so vocal. But it may happen with GW2, so they’re vocal.

DarcShriek.5829:

Why was one playable race enough for GW1, but five isn’t enough for GW2?

It’s not really as simple as that. ArenaNet talked about the possibility of adding other races to GW1 since not long after Prophecies, if I recall correctly, it’s just that it never actually happened until GW2. Only one race in GW1 wasn’t “how it’s meant to be”, it’s just what happened.

GW2 is a different kettle of fish, where we do have multiple races already, and it is reasonable to start asking how many is enough. I don’t think you would want lots more – they do add overhead, to new armor sets for instance – but I’m not going to object to a handful more, especially the surprise snubs at release.

(edited for clarity, I had the page open too long before replying)

It seems more a problem the less they are humanoid. Although the Largos have those “butterfly fins” on their backs, which leave no rooms for backpacks. Tengu however would be the obvious guess.

But, the thing that’s truly still missing, is THE Black race
- i.e., not your chosen color code for ‘always chaotic evil’, but an Afrocentric people in addition to the present Eurocentric and Asiacentric ones (norn, humans and sylvari). Heck, there’s even 2 furry races already!

Personally, I understand why they’ve avoided an Afrocentric race. The problem with trying to work in representation by culture is that it by definition imports facets associated with those peoples- in other words, stereotypes. Given a community predisposed to be sensitive about that sort of thing, and a country that doesn’t have much in the way of common understanding of African cultures, that could turn very ugly, very fast.

Bazompora.2635:

Heck, there’s even 2 furry races already!

Wait… What’s the second one?

And on a related note, and to ambush an otherwise serious and insightful thread, I have said before and I will say again: I would cheerfully pay lots of money to play a Skritt.

And if I was in charge of writing a personal story for that race, I’d show all the events of the original personal story, but from the outside and from the Skritt perspective. In other words you’d pretty much get screwed over, beaten down, and kicked (literally during Wintersday) with brief interruptions of you trying to stave off the Asura’s unambiguously evil plans for genocide.

In the end, of course, it would turn out that you were really responsible for the victory against Zhaitan. You’d sneak onboard for the final airship battle, and while the rather pointless glamour fight is going on above you’d do all the real, sweaty, bloody work down below in the engine room and ammunition storage- fighting off all the minions down there that the big idiots up top are totally missing.

In the end you’d stumble out of the airship victorious, bloody, filthy, exhausted- and completely unnoticed. You saved the world, nobody will ever know, and you and your people won’t get credit for it. Just like always. (For Pratchett fans: Hang.)

I’m all but certain that the Tengu will be the first new race introduced to the game, if ANet ever goes down that route. They have a ready-made location for their capital city, are well-positioned in lore to become an equal candidate to the 5 existing races (the Kodan are still fleeing and recovering from Jormag’s attacks, and it’s unknown what state the Largos civilisation is in), and they have a wide range of aesthetic choices for players. Male and female Tengu are also visually distinct from each other, something that is quite important to players. (Female Tengu are, unusually, bigger than the males, but have drab plumage. Male Tengu have much brighter and more striking plumage.)

Kodan are a decent possibility, but I think they are greatly hampered by the fact that there is no visual distinction between male and female Kodan, and the fact that thematically, they are too similar to the Norn. (Both races are big, physically powerful arctic-dwelling races.)

Largos would make for a very distinctive new race, but I think that making them playable may actually be counter-productive. A lot of players love the Largos for their rarity and mystery, factors that would be instantly lost the second you start seeing a Largos on every street corner. Furthermore, Largos are an aquatic race; the idea of one leaving the water far behind and adventuring in places like Dry Top stretches credulity. Finally, those wings would be a clipping nightmare for the artists; the Charr already have huge problems with their tails causing clipping with armor, and those are set low on the body and have only a single point of contact with the model. Imagine how much worse it would be for Largos!

I wouldn’t say that xenophobia is any reason to keep them out of play. The asura are downright genocidal sometimes, and hated having to come above ground with all the chaos of nature and other peoples. But the dragons left them no choice except to mingle and cooperate.

Pulling the tengu out of their comfort zone only presents interesting opportunities for storytelling.

Gulesave.5073:

I wouldn’t say that xenophobia is any reason to keep them out of play. The asura are downright genocidal sometimes, and hated having to come above ground with all the chaos of nature and other peoples. But the dragons left them no choice except to mingle and cooperate.

Pulling the tengu out of their comfort zone only presents interesting opportunities for storytelling.

True, but it would have to be part of the story, maybe Mordremoth invades and drives them. Otherwise they wouldnt have a reason supported by story and lore to come out of their isolation.

Silalus.8760:

Bazompora.2635:

Heck, there’s even 2 furry races already!

Wait… What’s the second one?

I see someone hasn’t been able to get into a Norn lady’s panties yet. You thought all that shapeshifting to furry animals would not leave a mark in their genetics?

Tom Gore.4035:

Silalus.8760:

Bazompora.2635:

Heck, there’s even 2 furry races already!

Wait… What’s the second one?

I see someone hasn’t been able to get into a Norn lady’s panties yet. You thought all that shapeshifting to furry animals would not leave a mark in their genetics?

Hey now, women can’t grow crazy norn beards. That’s got nothing to do with genetics and shapeshifting – it’s just them making up for the lack of stylizing their facial hair!

WE WILL FIGHT FOR THE MOLETARIAT AND MAKE THE DREAMS OF MOLIN COME TRUE!

Dredge rebels, now pl0x,

Molenin*

Not Molin.

I’m more curious that if they do introduce a new race, will it be an existing one we’ve seen out in Tyria, or will they create an entirely new and unique race to play.

krapmyself.2817:

I’m more curious that if they do introduce a new race, will it be an existing one we’ve seen out in Tyria, or will they create an entirely new and unique race to play.

Yes, but the question still remains as to whether or not they can do it and have it be compatible with current lore. With the Sylvari, they at least had Ronan and Ventari and the seed to go off of from GW1. Even an entirely new race would have to be based on something, even if was an obscure piece of lore from GW1.

Bazompora.2635:

It seems more a problem the less they are humanoid. Although the Largos have those “butterfly fins” on their backs, which leave no rooms for backpacks.

Well, there’s this image:

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/c/c3/Female_Largos_without_Wings_concept_art.jpg

Although I don’t believe Anet will add a new playable race, don’t forget the Tengu share their model bones with the Charr.

Largos = Maybe when we are fighting bubbles as they are oceanic and live in the Unending Ocean. They also have those wings for the most part, save a few pieces of concept art, would be extremely annoying when taking into account animations and armor.

Kodan = Too similar to Norn, just polar bears instead of half-man half-bears. If they became a playable race, it will likely be when we fight Jormag as he is directly involved with destroying their homelands in the Far Shiverpeaks.

Tengu = Most likely by far, Krytan Location, previously planned as the 6th race but cut due to time constraints. Easy enough to flush out, they were pretty active during Scarlet’s attack on Lions Arch in terms of them protecting their wall. If Mordy’s vines can reach Timberline Falls, it can easily reach the Dominion of Winds within their walls.

I would love to have Tengu’s as playable race.

Mursaat. They’re inspired by the way that Tyrians can completely put aside their differences after four or five more episodes, and awed by the fact that they were actually able to kill an Elder Dragon this time around, so they decide that peace and unity is the way forward. Their racial abilities are related to phasing, spectral agony, and summoning jade constructs.

Excellent choice for an Expansion based on Mordremoth…

Mursaat are perfect!

Lazurus the Dire of course would be leading the enemy faction while the rest would be aiding the Humans of Kryta, the Charr of Ascalon, the Norn and the Asura.

They may even help free the Sylvari from Mordremoth.

I actually was waiting for someone to say mursaat, it would fit very well with the location in heart of thorns and could make quite interesting story with them trying make up for their past actions or even a splinter faction who are different from the ones in gw1

I’m pretty sure the Mursaat will be the enemy, not a friend. Could be wrong of course.

The problem of the Mursaat is that they’ve all been killed off, with the exception of Lazarus, and he is considered MIA. Unless they rewrote the lore on them, and in fact more then Lazarus was still alive and they spent the last ~250 years just breeding and increasing their numbers. I don’t see the Mursaat becoming a player race. MAYBE an enemy, or a final boss of something, but certianly not a faction, or playable race.

pdavis.8031:

The problem of the Mursaat is that they’ve all been killed off, with the exception of Lazarus, and he is considered MIA. Unless they rewrote the lore on them, and in fact more then Lazarus was still alive and they spent the last ~250 years just breeding and increasing their numbers. I don’t see the Mursaat becoming a player race. MAYBE an enemy, or a final boss of something, but certianly not a faction, or playable race.

All of them, or just the ones that were working with the White Mantle in Tyria? For all we know, there were still more that were phased out of reality.

perilisk.1874:

pdavis.8031:

The problem of the Mursaat is that they’ve all been killed off, with the exception of Lazarus, and he is considered MIA. Unless they rewrote the lore on them, and in fact more then Lazarus was still alive and they spent the last ~250 years just breeding and increasing their numbers. I don’t see the Mursaat becoming a player race. MAYBE an enemy, or a final boss of something, but certianly not a faction, or playable race.

All of them, or just the ones that were working with the White Mantle in Tyria? For all we know, there were still more that were phased out of reality.

From what I understand is that there were 8 left after the Titans were released and killed all the others. 7 of those died in The Battle for Lions Arch at the end of the Krytan Civil War. Lazarus was the only known survior, and he “phased out of reality”. Of course they could say that many more also fled before their “extinction” and fled into the mists as well, and have now come back to help fight the dragons. But I don’t see it happening.