Guild Wars 2

We need help lore dept!

Over at the RP site we have a thread (http://www.guildwars2roleplayers.com/home/page/1/m/2737230/viewthread/22508737-waypointing-while-incombat) that has divided a lot of people and it is all based on head canons and different interpretations of waypoint lore and it would be awesome if we can have some clear knowledge on this so that we can put it to rest.

First off, how does one activate a waypoint? Is it something you can do from anywhere?

Is it monitored? Is there some guy in Rata Sum making sure people are cleared to use them? Can they tell if someone is in a fight and if so do they lock like the game mechanic?

Are there actually waypoints in dungeons and other bad people places? I can see this being an issue about game scale vs actual lore based distances.

If I missed any questions feel free to throw them in and hopefully we can clear this all up.

http://esprits-dorr.fr/node/261

Angel McCoy : Absolutely! Waypoints are asuran devices, and all the money you spend to use them goes straight into the coffers at Rata Sum. The asura have been developing these magi-matter-transportive devices for centuries and have seeded them across the world. They’re often contested if creatures or bad guys disrupt the traffic coming through them, but the asura work hard to maintain this money-making web of mini-gates. The fee, in case you wondered, is automatically separated from your person and transported directly into a guarded room in Rata Sum. The coins drop in and pile up there, and workers put them in carts and carry them to the vaults.

Your questions in order:

• Unknown.
• Unknown, but NPCs certainly don’t (every NPC using a waypoint walk directly underneath it)
• Implied via above quote.
• Unknown.
• Unknown.
• Unknown, but arguably no (that’s why they don’t show up at first)

I’d argue the combat bit is more of a “While being chewed/stabbed/shot at you wouldn’t have the full concentration to activate the waypoint.”

Though at least, I’d say cost is a key factor in waypoint travel period. (looking at that topic and the responses). Like Asura Gate travel, I’d say it gets more and more expensive to use waypoints to go everywhere.

A reason, going strictly theory with this… if being attacked, and you try to use a waypoint, what’s keeping the enemy from going with you (assuming melee combat)? IE, if I try using a waypoint to travel someplace else, and am being grappled by an enemy, he’d probably come with.

Kalavier.1097:

I’d argue the combat bit is more of a “While being chewed/stabbed/shot at you wouldn’t have the full concentration to activate the waypoint.”

Though at least, I’d say cost is a key factor in waypoint travel period. (looking at that topic and the responses). Like Asura Gate travel, I’d say it gets more and more expensive to use waypoints to go everywhere.

A reason, going strictly theory with this… if being attacked, and you try to use a waypoint, what’s keeping the enemy from going with you (assuming melee combat)? IE, if I try using a waypoint to travel someplace else, and am being grappled by an enemy, he’d probably come with.

That is also my assumption.

So OP if for any reason you don’t want your players to use a waypoint say that travel is unsafe. So, mobs in the area, conditions on a person, interference with the waypoint itself. Its basically like “is this plane geared to take off”, “no because a passenger is sick”

Daniel Handler.4816:

So OP if for any reason you don’t want your players to use a waypoint say that travel is unsafe. So, mobs in the area, conditions on a person, interference with the waypoint itself. Its basically like “is this plane geared to take off”, “no because a passenger is sick”

Or, another good comparison.

“We can’t land the heli here to drop off a squad because it’s likely they’ll get shot up the second they get out.” or “They’ll get shot up getting into the heli.”

I think the best explanation is that typical waypoint use is waypoint to waypoint, and it can’t typically be used from the middle of nowhere. However, portal stones/portal spells do exist, but I’d say those would be rarer for standard use.

Asuran portals work on asura technology and not magic. Therefore, if you were to activate one—-you would be particle transferred from one point to another rather than teleported. If there is interference, it wouldn’t be possible.

I always thought the Asuran waypoints ran on magic as well – at least in the sense that ‘magic’ was treated as a resource like aether, oil or electricity.

When it comes to the Asura it is rather pointless to try to distinguish between technology and magic. This is what sets Asuran technology apart from Charr or Dwarven or Dredge (or real-life human) technology.

Mitzilfligz.4028:

Asuran portals work on asura technology and not magic. Therefore, if you were to activate one—-you would be particle transferred from one point to another rather than teleported. If there is interference, it wouldn’t be possible.

Uh….

Asura technology is run on magic.

So yes, asura gates – and waypoints – work on magic.

“technology” of any kind is not a power source, it’s a method of using a power source, and “asura technology” uses the power source known as magic (or magical energy if you want to be more specific).

My guess is, yes, while they’re scattered everywhere, some details about them are to be considered non-canon:

- WP inside of dungeons, etc are just game mechanics. They appear as you progress anyway.
- The fee being so cheap should be also considered game mechanics, else NPCs would use them to go to point X to Y instead of walking. My guess is that they may be feasible to use once in a while, but going repeatedly would drain one’s gold pretty fast. Also, that explains why there’s no tax on capital cities.

yhvh.8703:

My guess is, yes, while they’re scattered everywhere, some details about them are to be considered non-canon:

- WP inside of dungeons, etc are just game mechanics. They appear as you progress anyway.
- The fee being so cheap should be also considered game mechanics, else NPCs would use them to go to point X to Y instead of walking. My guess is that they may be feasible to use once in a while, but going repeatedly would drain one’s gold pretty fast. Also, that explains why there’s no tax on capital cities.

I’d say it’s probably more of an emergency thing. Also it’s unclear whether you could even bring cargo through a waypoint as well (but that’d likely skyrocket the price).

One idea I had about the fee was it’s a “straight from pocket” style expense. Coins can be rather heavy in large numbers, so it’s doubtful most people would simply carry so much coin on them to make waypoint travel cost a non-issue.

I’d assume that in certain cases the fee might be handwaved. IE, the Orr offensive. At one event end we see a LOT of people come through a waypoint to reinforce a base. Likely that doesn’t apply to normal people outside of the Pact/areas like that.

but yeah, like asura gates being free(They aren’t in lore, and can get pretty expensive depending on how much cargo you are moving. You can see humans at the DR-Ebonhawke gate complaining about it DR side, and before battle of LA you could see a charr complaining about it to a gate operator… who would grant him discount/free on bulk if she got a lifetime supply of rifles to protect her gate from people want free trips :P), I’d wager the waypoints cost a little bit more. At least enough that casual citizens don’t bother with it and instead take longer overland travels.

edit: A good comparison that popped into my head. Toll road/bridge vs normal roads.

Sure, that one there gets you to the location quicker… but would you want to spend the money on it on a daily basis? Or would you use it to get to Walmart and back (closer to waypoints I think there). Probably not.