Guild Wars 2

The whole thing was a cover up. He no longer desired warfare and had to escape so he could settle down with his human lover. Not sure who she is tho…

It’s queen Jennah obviously.

In a strange twist of fate, it’s Sarah.

Gwen will not be happy.

Wrong,

He’s here:

https://d3b4yo2b5lbfy.cloudfront.net/rampage/index.html

lordhelmos.7623:

Wrong,

He’s here:

https://d3b4yo2b5lbfy.cloudfront.net/rampage/index.html

Loooool!!! Where did that come from?

That was a side project one of the devs who worked on SAB did. If you watched the joke ad for SAB when it was first released, it showed the kid playing a side scroller game featuring Rytlock. The dev could have just made a simple animation to be displayed on screen for a few moments, but he actually went ahead and turned it into a full-on Flash game.

lol this kind of made my morning

Zaxares.5419:

That was a side project one of the devs who worked on SAB did. If you watched the joke ad for SAB when it was first released, it showed the kid playing a side scroller game featuring Rytlock. The dev could have just made a simple animation to be displayed on screen for a few moments, but he actually went ahead and turned it into a full-on Flash game.

narwhalsbend.7059:

In a strange twist of fate, it’s Sarah.

Gwen will not be happy.

I’m suddenly wondering if Logan has a sister…

Gwen will still not be happy.

Gwen will never be happy.

lordhelmos.7623:

Wrong,

He’s here:

https://d3b4yo2b5lbfy.cloudfront.net/rampage/index.html

omg! This is epic. Thank you for sharing this. XD

Well, spoiler be kitten ed I guess, since you went ahead and pulled him out into the open

Say hello to mister dark knight. Evil Rytlock at your service:

Yup, just saw that on my facebook feed…..I guess we’ll have to, “Be ready for anything”

Including Rytlock not showing up for another year.

Rytlock has been banished into the domain of hyperbole advertisement.

Why so pessimistic all the time Konig? It’s a cool teaser image.

lordhelmos.7623:

Wrong,

He’s here:

https://d3b4yo2b5lbfy.cloudfront.net/rampage/index.html

THIS is why Rytlock is the best.

Ever a surprise

/Charr Cheer!

Be Ready!
Rytlock vs. Kormir!

Greyfur.1082:

Zaxares.5419:

That was a side project one of the devs who worked on SAB did. If you watched the joke ad for SAB when it was first released, it showed the kid playing a side scroller game featuring Rytlock. The dev could have just made a simple animation to be displayed on screen for a few moments, but he actually went ahead and turned it into a full-on Flash game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60TCwX11PVw

aaaaaand I want a rytlock costume again for halloween

So over on Reddit someone compiled the Rytlock teasers from twitter. Here for the post.

To me, this indicates a new zone is coming, and the last two images are of said new zone. The sky and appearance is far too different from anything we’ve seen, and the lines from the notice that E8 is post-break, saying the Pact will assault the jungle… that really feels over the top for that three laned area.

With the break, I’d rather be disappointed in anything less than at least one full zone and a story that’s three times the length of any previous episode (read: minimum of 9 full instances!). More if it involves killing Mordremoth, which must be a dungeon. -sagenod-

Konig Des Todes.2086:

With the break, I’d rather be disappointed in anything less than at least one full zone and a story that’s three times the length of any previous episode (read: minimum of 9 full instances!). More if it involves killing Mordremoth, which must be a dungeon. -sagenod-

quite entitled players have become when looking back to season 1… where a new zone was something quite rare.

However, when you look at Season 1, you got:

• 1 permanent new zone (Southsun Cove)
• 1 permanent new dungeon (Fractals)
• 2 temporary dungeons (Molten Facility and Aetherblade Retreat)
• 1 overhauled dungeon (Twilight Assault)
• 4 temporary zones of varying sizes (Labyrinthine Cliffs, Mad King’s Realm, Crown Pavilion, Tower of Nightmares)
• Multitude of arenas (both permanent and not) and other small locations
• 6 major map (sector) changes (DR, LA twice, Kessex twice, Southsun)
• 3 LA festival decoration maps

While in Season 2 we’ve gotten 2 Southsun-sized zones, 1(?) arena, 1 LA decoration map, and 3 map sector changes (Salma, Concordia, and Iron Marches).

So really, a third zone is rather on par to Season 1. It’s expected S1 to be more, naturally, since more time passed across it, but yeah 3 half-zones (that’s basically what Dry Top, Southsun, and Silverwastes are) is not very ‘entitled’ to be requesting. And TBH, I was predicting 3 such half-zones since the break after S1 given all the content S1 gave.

A new zone was something rare because almost all of the content was temporary.

BobbyStein.2315:

Next time put a spoiler tag in the thread title.

Done. Must have overlooked it.

I spend most of my time in-game doing PVP but you sure piqued my interest about Rylock’s whereabouts.

Very nice find.. I just dominated that game!

Konig Des Todes.2086:

To me, this indicates a new zone is coming, and the last two images are of said new zone. The sky and appearance is far too different from anything we’ve seen, and the lines from the notice that E8 is post-break, saying the Pact will assault the jungle… that really feels over the top for that three laned area.

Could be that Rytlock somehow managed to wander into the Dream, assuming it’s in the Mists like Realm of Torment. If Mordremoth is waging war against the Pale Tree in the Dream as well as in reality, maybe Rytlock will help fight back from that side?

Is that new armor that Rytlock’s wearing in the latest teaser? It doesn’t match any existing heavy Charr armor that I’m aware of.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

So really, a third zone is rather on par to Season 1. It’s expected S1 to be more, naturally, since more time passed across it, but yeah 3 half-zones (that’s basically what Dry Top, Southsun, and Silverwastes are) is not very ‘entitled’ to be requesting. And TBH, I was predicting 3 such half-zones since the break after S1 given all the content S1 gave.

To be fair, though, quite a bit more time passed during S1- released across 17 months, compared to S2’s 6 1/2- or 19 months to 10, I guess, if you want to count the breaks. Even accounting for an increase in efficiency, I wasn’t expecting much more than half of what we got in S1, and I think that’s fine. A constant pressure to one-up what you did last time isn’t really what you want driving your game.

Marcus Greythorne.6843:

quite entitled players have become when looking back to season 1… where a new zone was something quite rare.

season 1 didn’t add any zones- southsun was added 2 months before the first season started. ‘entitled’ isn’t exactly the word i’d use, considering the lacking amount of content from season 1, permanent or not.

perilisk.1874:

Could be that Rytlock somehow managed to wander into the Dream, assuming it’s in the Mists like Realm of Torment. If Mordremoth is waging war against the Pale Tree in the Dream as well as in reality, maybe Rytlock will help fight back from that side?

sadly no iv had from what we have been told by the devs the dream is something special and its not something you can just enter

saventis.1485:

perilisk.1874:

Could be that Rytlock somehow managed to wander into the Dream, assuming it’s in the Mists like Realm of Torment. If Mordremoth is waging war against the Pale Tree in the Dream as well as in reality, maybe Rytlock will help fight back from that side?

sadly no iv had from what we have been told by the devs the dream is something special and its not something you can just enter

That begs the question, though.
If the dream is like a mental network of all Sylvari, which stores everything the race (from the pale tree at least) ever experienced (as long as they are not cut off from it. kitten you connection loss), it would have to have some kind of transmission system.

We got the Seeds which directly tap into that network . So there is a way to access these information.

I would argue that a Mesmer would be able to hijack one of these conections and ride into the dream and experience all it`s glory (which would be cool by the way. I can see Anise use Canach or another Sylvari to do so, if the Pale Tree becomes dangerous and we would have to fight her).

Its either that, or simply there are coenctions throughout the earth, working as a wifi connection for all sylvari (these lines don`t have to be thick and could be fungi from the pale tree, grwoing through all of tyria)

i like that idea but i do disagree, the way Angel was describing it made it sound like it was almost an entirely sylvari thing and the seeds you are planting are from the pale tree so what if they were a part of her
she is giving you a part of herself for you to see these things
i feel like this is not a normal thing and the fact that times are so dire is the only reason we ever knew these seeds existed, its a last resort type of thing

and besides that blade that opened the portal has lore behind it making it more likely to be linked with the mists (angel said (as far as i can remember)these two dont really interact)

If we can’t enter the Dream… Then why do we step through a portal to enter the Dream during A Light in the Darkness?

I’d like to see this interview, and question it’s canonity as Angel herself said that she and other devs can make mistakes during interviews.

Ciramorn.4503:

Marcus Greythorne.6843:

quite entitled players have become when looking back to season 1… where a new zone was something quite rare.

season 1 didn’t add any zones- southsun was added 2 months before the first season started. ‘entitled’ isn’t exactly the word i’d use, considering the lacking amount of content from season 1, permanent or not.

There actually was quite a bit if content. Players just tend to forget because most of it was hidden and/or one time accessible, and fully temporary.

The Lost Shores can be counted as season 1 technically, even if ANet doesn’t officially count it as an episode for whatever strange reason they have. It was directly tied to the season’s secondary plot of Ellen Kiel.

Jaken.6801:

Well, spoiler be kitten ed I guess, since you went ahead and pulled him out into the open

Say hello to mister dark knight. Evil Rytlock at your service:

Ooooooh!!!
I really LOVE his new armor style! Seems like I am actually going to like Rytlock now.
I can’t wait to see what happened to him with Ascalonian.. it better be good because I just LOOOOVEEEE Ascalonian related things.
Thx for showing the pic.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

The Lost Shores can be counted as season 1 technically, even if ANet doesn’t officially count it as an episode for whatever strange reason they have. It was directly tied to the season’s secondary plot of Ellen Kiel.

Not to mention our first introduction to (and pounding of) Canach.

@Konig

Did they mention that we enter the Dream in that vision?
For me it was just some magic mumbo jumbo plot device, but not tied to the Dream. I always held it up like the vision we got with the light pillars and our interaction in there was just gameplay.

Living World started with Halloween 2012, however Season 1 started with Flame and Frost.
Just because things in that season tie into exisiting storylines, it doesn`t mean they are part of it.

It`s like saying all of Caudecus storyline is part of S2, just because his name was uttered there.

@Alga
I am bit sceptical. However it seems like majory looses her Batman vibe for me. we got a new dark knight in town.

On evil Rytlock

Well, even if he had always a black armor. His new appeareance doesn`t say “I am your friend”
Even if it is to scare his enemies, this is much darker than before.

However, I remember the Teaser saying: “They belong to the Dragon now”

Rytlock is there. What if he is no observer, but a instigator.
If Mordremoth is as intelligent as he is hinted at, he could have intercepted Rytlock wherever he was send and taken control of him.

I know that is far fetched, as the plant motive is missing (which Scarlet didn`t have as well. She was full Magitech, aside from being a Sylvari), but what color were the Mordrem eyes? Red or Yellow?

You must soon enter the vision, and gain a glimpse of what may be.
-> What do you mean, “vision”?
The portal before you is a passage into the Dream. There, you will see glimpses of the past, the present, and the future.

Yeah, it says we enter the Dream. This story step’s description is what made me theorize that the Dream is part of the Mists.

About when Season 1 started:

Technically, season 1 didn’t even exist until The Origins of Madness, when ArenaNet announced “season 1 will end”. So when it began is 100% arbitrary and dependent solely on ArenaNet willy-nilly saying when it began. The thing is they state Episode 1 is Flame and Frost: Prelude, but they also called Festival of the Four Winds as the prologue for Season 2. So one can count The Lost Shores as Season 1’s prologue. They also count Bazaar of the Four Winds and Tequatl Rising as" special events" rather than Episodes, even though they very much were part of Season 1 (at least as much as Cutthroat Politics and Secret of Southsun/Last Stand at Southsun were). This was likely done just to create a nice even 20 episodes for Season 1’s lengths… ArenaNet has a history of loving flat even numbers.

On “evil” Rytlock:
Rytlock’s armor is no more evil than any charr cultural armor, IMO.

As for no plant theme in Scarlet…. Tower of Nightmares with mind-altered Krait and the fact she is a plant says hello.

Toxic Krait are likely what Mordrem-corrupted animals would look like, if not Mordrem Trolls.

And most Mordrem don’t have eyes. The obvious to see ones are red. But what is the point in asking? We don’t see Rytlock’s eyes. And red is hardly that unique of a color.

The Dream
Hm. It has been a while and after the second time I just skipped through the dialog.

Begs the question why we had to go sightseeing if she can reproduce Visions like that.
Though we can go with the Caithe-Connection here, that her database filter is not optimised enough to give us that, without a physical link.

Nevertheless, there has to be a connection to tap into. Let`s get some Asura on it. Might be usefull….

Anyway, getting offtopic with that I guess.

Scarlet
I might argue that being a plant comes with the territory, but her antics otherwise did not really use that aside the Tower of Nightmare in which she was using the Nightmare Court , which are plant themed.

So we got 1 plant themed endevour, which aside from the produced nightmare poison did not really come up towards the end of her Master Plan .

You excuse me for rating these points a bit lighter, since that were tools for her, not part of her style .

Also, it is still nowhere confirmed that Mordremoth was whipsering in her mind.
If we go by GW1 standarts it could be some other being like Abaddon (which wont, since he is dead, finito, ended, etc. )

Rytlock
Yeah. However there is still the coloring. Dark black, evil glowing eye.
It`s not even fire, but dark red.

I know we shouldn`t judge by apearence, but he certainly should have a good reason for going Dark Knight on us.

He usually seemed pretty practical, so that is kinda weird.
Even if we consider that he wants to intimidate someone (which is the job of these kind of armors. To look scary. Though this is a fantasy setting with underboob T3 amor, so style over substance might apply)

Jaken.6801:

Begs the question why we had to go sightseeing if she can reproduce Visions like that.
Though we can go with the Caithe-Connection here, that her database filter is not optimised enough to give us that, without a physical link.

Mechanics and ensuring that we had a proper story step with combat (how many story steps in the Personal Story have no combat? Hmmmmm? Instances, sure, but story steps? I’ll give you a hint. Starts with Z, ends with Ero.)

As for Caithe, this is more likely due to the Pale Tree being in-and-out-of-consciousness that she gave us memory seeds. The question that really comes from this: Why weren’t memory seeds used to discover Riannoc’s means of dying?

Jaken.6801:

I might argue that being a plant comes with the territory, but her antics otherwise did not really use that aside the Tower of Nightmare in which she was using the Nightmare Court , which are plant themed.

So we got 1 plant themed endevour, which aside from the produced nightmare poison did not really come up towards the end of her Master Plan .

You excuse me for rating these points a bit lighter, since that were tools for her, not part of her style .

Which is still two points (being a plant, having mind-altering plants once) above Rytlock.

On an aside, she used the toxins from the Tower of Nightmare, modified a bit, on Lion’s Arch to create that miasma. So… three points?

Jaken.6801:

Also, it is still nowhere confirmed that Mordremoth was whipsering in her mind.
If we go by GW1 standarts it could be some other being like Abaddon (which wont, since he is dead, finito, ended, etc. )

Abaddon never actually whispered into his enemies’ minds, afair. The closest we have is Melonni, who was having nightmares. But these nightmares never came into fruition because we entered her dreams to prevent any potential anchor (this is why, unlike the garden, Marga Coast never changed in the open world), though whether such an anchor would become or not is unclear.

The only being attributed with mental mindkittens is Dhuum, interestingly. And Kanaxai.

Jaken.6801:

Yeah. However there is still the coloring. Dark black, evil glowing eye.
It`s not even fire, but dark red.

I see no eye. I see a design – a diamond with a hood over it.

Jaken.6801:

I know we shouldn`t judge by apearence, but he certainly should have a good reason for going Dark Knight on us.

He usually seemed pretty practical, so that is kinda weird.
Even if we consider that he wants to intimidate someone (which is the job of these kind of armors. To look scary. Though this is a fantasy setting with underboob T3 amor, so style over substance might apply)

I’m not really seeing a dark knight.

What I see is Rytlock going from stand-up soldier to grim adventurer. No dark knight, no evil, just grim. When I saw his new outfit, what came to my mind was not WoW Dark Knight but rather Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (where in the game, after being chased countlessly for years by an unbeatable death machine of darkness, turned into a dark personality himself, wearing close-fitting armor that allows ease of movement rather than typical bulky soldier armor of the time) – still a good guy, just a darker good guy.

Scarlet
Well, she used the NC to produce the Toxin, which she then further developed into the Miasma, so we can count it as one process, since it was her plan.
Her plan was to clear a possibe drillzone easily and an airborn toxin was something that her computer research brought up.
We saw that in the NC finale, where we could acess her database.

Let`s just say that plants aren`t an overall theme of her, that could definetly link her to Mordmremoth.

So far it is not even clear if Aerin has been controlled by him, isn`t it?

Caithe
Yeah, that was obvious. Was more a rethorical question.

Abaddon
I used him as an example as an overarching Mastermind , not that he directly influences his pawns.

So as you pointed out we could have other beings in the shadows, aside from the big obvious EDs.

Rytlock
The funny thing with Design is, that things like these can be interpreted in several ways.

I can also see a door leading into the red or two hooks/snakes on a red background.

And with Dark Knigh I do not neccesary mean evil. I just call him that since, lets face it, almost every evil stereotypical black/dark/evil knight uses the Red/Black motive.

There are good Dark Knights as well. So I don`t judge it by that. You mentioned PoP who had his grim phase in WW, but turned over a new leaf in the next part, where he adapted a more white motive.

Color can be used for symbolism and as you mentioned, he looks grim. So it is interesting what could have happened to him.

however he still looks like a stereotypical bad guy and if you show him to someone who does not know who he is he would say: Bad Guy

This colorsheme and spikes are rarely associated with good.

We do not know what he will be in the end. I don`t and I don`t say it will be that way

Jaken.6801:

Well, she used the NC to produce the Toxin

Source? We don’t even know where she got the seed that became the Tower of Nightmares from, let alone where the toxins came from. We know that the courtiers side of the alliance experimented with the toxin the most out of the TA, but I don’t recall anything saying it came from them.

I say again: we don’t know the origins of the Tower of Nightmares

Jaken.6801:

Her plan was to clear a possibe drillzone easily and an airborn toxin was something that her computer research brought up.
We saw that in the NC finale, where we could acess her database.

I don’t recall such being mentioned. We didn’t even know about the miasma until Escape from LA, and didn’t know of the drill until Origins of Madness, there was no mention of clearing the drillzone in Origins, so you must be referring to the interactive objects during Scarlet’s End.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Marionette_Control_Panel
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Drill_and_Leyline_Diagram
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Energy_Probe_Map

But as you can see, there’s no such thing as a calculation for the best way to clear the area.

So yeah, either you’re making kitten up or you’re incorrectly citing.

Jaken.6801:

And with Dark Knigh I do not neccesary mean evil. I just call him that since, lets face it, almost every evil stereotypical black/dark/evil knight uses the Red/Black motive.

In a way, so did Rytlock during Episode 3. His armor was, for some oddity, black, and Sohothin is orange/red.

Jaken.6801:

This colorsheme and spikes are rarely associated with good.

Did you even look at charr heavy cultural armor?

Spikes. Spikes everywhere.

You can thank Kekai Kotaki, I’m sure.

I really hope there’s no “Dark Knight” class added. The entire premise of the class seems completely lame when trying to put it in the Guild Wars universe.

A necromantic knight isn’t all that lame/out of context in the GWverse, though the typical dark knight (a twisted holy knight) is.

Similar to how assassins/thieves use the same theme of magic as mesmers; or guardians for monks, any ‘dark knight’ profession in GW would be the same but with a necromancer style to its magic.

However, I don’t see this as the case for Rytlock. That said though, that thought (that Rytlock is not going to become necromancer/warrior hybrid) is going off of nothing, and if such a thing (‘dark knight’ aka necrowarrior) were to be introduced, Rytlock turning into one would be a good way to introduce them.

Like giving a necromancer a greatsword…

Marjory and Rytlock confirmed as first NPCs of a new profession.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

A necromantic knight isn’t all that lame/out of context in the GWverse, though the typical dark knight (a twisted holy knight) is.

Similar to how assassins/thieves use the same theme of magic as mesmers; or guardians for monks, any ‘dark knight’ profession in GW would be the same but with a necromancer style to its magic.

However, I don’t see this as the case for Rytlock. That said though, that thought (that Rytlock is not going to become necromancer/warrior hybrid) is going off of nothing, and if such a thing (‘dark knight’ aka necrowarrior) were to be introduced, Rytlock turning into one would be a good way to introduce them.

Like giving a necromancer a greatsword…

Marjory and Rytlock confirmed as first NPCs of a new profession.

If Anet were to introduce a 3rd heavy class, what would you suggest? What’s canon but also not covered by the 8 we have right now?

Any of these?

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FantasyCharacterClasses

Or these?

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/02/the-rpg-archetypes

Mechanically? I’d argue that one that specialized in the same field as the Dervish’s special mechanics (in GW2’s form, stripping one’s own boons and stripping enemies’ conditions to create additional effects (offensive or defensive). All other mechanical things I can think of beyond pure healer is already covered.

Aesthetics? While cliche’d, dark knight concept (heavy armor necromancer of sorts for GW) is the only one that wouldn’t create an imbalance of magical fields or be a duplicate of what we have. Ranger and elementalists hold a shared theme; thief and mesmer hold a shared theme – leaving monk and necro themes, but we have guardian, so if we get another ‘light mage’ concept, it’d have to be scholar or adventurer. The only potential alternative I can think of would be a heavy armored tech, which is probably too close to warriors.

Lore? Ideally introduce such with a new expansion into new lands, but alternatively – especially if it’s a ‘different take of another profession’ like a necrowarrior concept could be – introduce by having key figures becoming that new profession.

Isn`t the boon stripping and reshuffeling already covered with other classes?
Necro has it certainly and I think Mesmer dabbles in it as well.

GW2 has not enough special conditions and boons, as they can all be nullified with a cleaning skill. There is also the fact that condition damage at the moment is a questionable thing over all gamemodes.

Just speculative fanoboyism
On the Lore side however and if we consider expansions the Derwish reshuffeling could be done by something like a Samurai class. Master swordsman in the east were rumored to split bullets and use the flow of battle against the enemy. Put in some Ying Yang Karma equivalent, the famous Full Moon Slash or something and we got a class that accepts the good and reflects the bad with his blade…
Though it would be much cooler as an Warrior alternative.
Stupid fanboyism end

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Mechanically? I’d argue that one that specialized in the same field as the Dervish’s special mechanics (in GW2’s form, stripping one’s own boons and stripping enemies’ conditions to create additional effects (offensive or defensive). All other mechanical things I can think of beyond pure healer is already covered.

Aesthetics? While cliche’d, dark knight concept (heavy armor necromancer of sorts for GW) is the only one that wouldn’t create an imbalance of magical fields or be a duplicate of what we have. Ranger and elementalists hold a shared theme; thief and mesmer hold a shared theme – leaving monk and necro themes, but we have guardian, so if we get another ‘light mage’ concept, it’d have to be scholar or adventurer. The only potential alternative I can think of would be a heavy armored tech, which is probably too close to warriors.

Lore? Ideally introduce such with a new expansion into new lands, but alternatively – especially if it’s a ‘different take of another profession’ like a necrowarrior concept could be – introduce by having key figures becoming that new profession.

I’d go with a mix of Warrior, Ritualist and some kind of demonic energy this time.

Rytlock with 2H kitten sword imbued with Spirits, commanding demonic energies and twisting foe’s power to his advantage? Seems legit.

And….

YOU’RE NOT PREPARED!

Jaken.6801:

Isn`t the boon stripping and reshuffeling already covered with other classes?
Necro has it certainly and I think Mesmer dabbles in it as well.

Necros and mesmers spread enemy conditions, singularize ally conditions, and remove enemy boons.

They do not remove enemy conditions or self-boons though.

The idea I have is basically “remove condi damage being done on foes to present a spike of boons for self/damage for enemy” – kind of a reverse dervish with stacking then self-stripping-for-more-effect enchantments.

i think it would sorta work like a leaching blade so the ability’s would sacrifice health but inflict damage that would have life steal

Theory on rytlock:
First off, he was a unique character to begin with, as first he had a sacred human weapon that he refuses to say how he got, and second, even though classified as a warrior, he weilds a pistol. This could stem from the chart racial of course, as I don’t recall any time he uses the pistol, but always fights with just the sword (no offhand).

Second, he is the blood legion tribune. Blood legion are the front lines and more “meatheaded” and bloodthirsty. Note, not all may be like this, but it sure looks the majority. Rytlock is more calm and calculating when he needs to be, he even researches stuff outside of fighting.

Lets go back to ls1 when we first meet brahm. Rytlock doesn’t believe what he says, and is “too busy”. Looking back, this could suggest he was researching a way to get rid of the ghosts already.

To the LS2 part, we learn he’s been studying magic and perhaps “rituals” to get rid of the ghosts using the sword. Of course, this doesn’t go exactly as planned, and he has to dive into the mists to retrieve it.

Now we have to go by the pictures to figure out what’s happening with rytlock
The one pic we see him with fiery eyes. Could he be possessed? Unsure. He could also, once again, going through some ritual or spell to protect himself. We don’t know what books he was looking in to when figuring out the ghosts.

Next we see him with a blindfold on, and wearing a different armor. There is also the quote “my journey has just begun”. In other words, after the initial trial, he has yet to prove himself. So he was given another quest.

The next pic has rytlock over looking a grove of what looks like some plant crabs with pinkish red bulbs on their backs. Then the quote " they belong to the dragon now". Its the quote you have to study and look back. Again, he dove into the mists, went through some trial, and was given a new mission. So, who are “they”? Well, my first thought are the ghosts, that since mord was able to attack scarlet through omads machine (and maybe the machine actually sent her to the mists, and not the eternal alchemy). That and with the gods gone, there really isn’t anyone guarding or stopping intrusions. This part I want to believe, but I don’t know enough about the dragons (technically no one does) to know if they possess this kind of power.

The second theory is rytlock was sent out of the mists some how, and went to the second pale tree (discovered that there may be a second one by doing the sylvari story line). This one probably wasn’t able to defend against the dragons attacks, and once the tree fell, her children were corrupted and twisted.

I want to believe this one the most as when faolin said she heard " power over all sylvari" I believe that Wynne and the tree were talking of mord, and they were making a contingency plan in case it awoke. Hence why Wynne was sent out, and hence why I believe (just a belief) that the person who gave glints egg to the master WAS the pale tree with the plans told to him what to do when mord awakens. It would explain why mord wants the egg so badly.

Back to rytlock, we find he is too late, and these sylvari have been overtaken. Note though, the sword isn’t by his side still.

The final pic Shows an up close pic, and we fully see the new armor along with “be ready for anything”. In theory, rytlock probably reported back to whoever sent him out, and they are ready to move. Also, that mord now has a greater army under his influence and is ready to move soon. He learned by attacking the pale tree and in the silverwastes he was going to need a bigger army.

As for rytlock, he is now some varient of the old " ritualist" profession. Not an exact copy, but close. Yes, it will deal with spirits, as rytlock had to deal with them first, not to mention the other hint of delaque now having her sister’s soul and weapon.

So yes, maybe a ritualist-like profession soon™