Guild Wars 2

Every playable race has a “rogue” faction in it that goes against the overall ideologies of the race as a whole, such as the human bandits, the Sons of Svanir, the Inquest, etc. Which one is your favorite, and why? Which one do you think poses the greatest threat?

For me, it’s the Flame Legion. They’ve really stepped up their game since GW1, and they rival the power of all three High Legions combined, which is a scary thought. They’re even better at the “turning the landscape into a hellish wasteland” thing than the Destroyers are. In Fireheart Rise, it takes an alliance of High Legion AND Pact forces just to get to the Citadel of Flame. That’s all three Charr legions and all three Orders fighting there, and that’s a lot of manpower being arrayed against just one faction, which implies the Flame Legion is the largest non-dragon threat.

I do like the Baelfire effect on the landscape – just looking at it for the first time made me shudder.
But I think I like the Inquest more. More subtle than the Flame Legion, and more diversely spread out across the entire world.

I think the nightmare court is the worse threat. As far as we know, they could be the viny dragon (yet to be known of) minions and they could turn all the sylvari. We’ve seen that once a sylvari turns, there is no way back. For them it’s like turning undead.

I quite like the inquest because they don’t actually go against asura beliefs as a whole and even have a recruitment station in rata sum, they prefer to research without any morals but generally speaking most asura who aren’t inquest have very little moral boundaries to begin with.

I haven’t seen much of the Flame Legion yet, but I like the idea of them- however, the Inquest for me is definitely the best faction, as I even found myself supporting them in my mind at various points (I also supported the Thalmor in Skyrim, what can I say?).

I think the rogue faction for humans is seperatists more than bandits. Just my thought anyway. Bandits are… rogue too, but not against the human stand points in the same way. The seperatists however for one is mostly against the queen, thus anti royalists? Also they are very specificly against the human – charr treaty.
Seperatists are like the Flame Legion of the humans.
I can be wrong… just my thought on it.

I dislike Flame Legion and Sons of Svanir… they are chauvinists so boo.

Anywho… don’t think I have a favorite rogue faction, they are all quite interesting. But the interesting thing… Flame Legion does not seem to particularly care about the dragons. Nightmare Court are in a way against the dragons too (I think, or they just don’t care that much). Seperatists (I do think they are the human rogue faction) are much more interested in preventing a human – charr alliance. The Inquest try to take advantage of the dragon power, but I believe we were told that they are essentially against the dragons. That leaves the Sons of Svanir… as the only rogue faction that actually embrace the dragons (or well… one of the dragons) without being corrupted first.

Sorry for longish post.

I think I like the White Mantle best, whenever they finally decide to reveal themselves.

. . . what? Who do you think is funding the Separtists?

If the theories behind the bandits and the white mantle and the centuar are right then Id go with the White Mantle PARTICULARLY if the Mursaat were the power at the top.

Then again I cant help but feel nostalgic fighting the White Mantle. They have been bad guys in GW for a long time, plus them and the Shining Blade have a great grudge thing going on and Ive always loved the Shining Blade.

The Mursaat might not be in the picture anymore, I was under the impression the last sidequest going on in GW:EN near Tarnished Haven was the last of the Mursaat trying to keep a foothold in Tyria within a former White Mantle member.

For me, it’s a matter of this: the White Mantle have had a clear motive to do what they do ever since you first met them. And the more you learned and peeled back the mystery around them and the Unseen . . . the more you really got to know “why?”.

The Inquest. Because a lot of my personal beliefs are in line with their mindset. Plus, they’re so cuuuute.

I agree with OP Flame Legion I see as most dangerous and also most enticing.

They represent the most basic and destructive nature within the Charr(and also Humans but Arenanet would never get caught admitting this)

Destructive determination, ambition, ruthlessness, etc. The Flame Legion is as ruthless and determined as the mindless servants of the Dragons, following their own nature. I don’t think anyone in the Flame Legion is really aware of how destructive they are or they would care if they were aware, they are completely stuck within their own reality and desires.

Personally, my fave is the Nightmare Court as their formation is based on an Ideal of being free. Free the laws set by Ventari which I do not wholly believe also. ‘All things have a right to grow’, does anyone truly believe that? I’m not talking abt Eugenics and certainly not preaching genocides but I think that is Tyria, certain races/creatures are too dangerous to be allow to grow, first and foremost the elder dragons. When Cadeyrn created the Nightmare Court, it is bcos he believes that Ventari’s teaching goes against what he think the Sylvari race is capable of and supposed to do, which I neither agree not disagree but at least it seems like a justifiable faction to me. Inquest seems a bit too trying, Bandits and Separatists are just lame, Sons of Svanir and Flame Legion are just too one dimensional and predictable, all abt power and conquering and hegemony and stuffs.

As for which faction pose the most threat, I think both Nightmare Court and Inquest are pretty dangerous, but if force to choose one, I’ll think it’s the Inquest. Bandits/Separatists a threat? You must be kidding. Flame Legion, no matter how immerse and populous, are nothing if you compare them to the elder Dragons. Son of Svanir might fight for the top place but their number doesn’t seems be enough and they probably only have Jormag to ‘aid’ them but if you compare them to Nightmare Court and Inquest, they are still considered to be a ‘localised’ threat. Why do I say so? Well, I am someone who believes Knowledge is Power, and Nightmare Court and Inquest shows they are probably the most knowledgeable ‘Order’ after the Order of Whisper. In Edge of Destiny, Faolain was shown to have quite extended knowledge of the elder dragons, even to the extend of knowing Glint to be the Champion of Kralkatorrik and that Kralkatorrik is awakening. She knows and with that I assume the Nightmare Courtiers knew also, but she didn’t seem afraid of Kralkatorrik. She also knew that Glint is ‘good’, not evil and even tried trick Destiny’s Edge to kill Glint. To her, it’s seems Glint, Destiny’s Edge, and even Kralkatorrik seems like pawns in her game. It’s kinda hint that she knows more abt the Movement of the World than she lets up and that Nightmare Court might have other ambitions other than wanting to ‘free’ the Sylvaris. As why I chose Inquest, it’s simple. Every mystical weapons, items, orbs, etc etc etc that can be used to fight against Zhaitan are being found out by an Asura. What they lack in size they make up with brains. The standard Asura seems like peace loving race only wanting to seek knowledge probably for the greater good of their Race but the Inquest don’t think that way. The whole world’s a big experiment to them and with their knowledge, I won’t be surprise if one day they manage to even find a way to harness the power of the elder dragons and hence bye bye to Tyria. The Asura will one day rule Tyria but will it be the good Asuras or the Inquest? =)

The bandits are funded by the White Mantle (if we believe the GW2 wiki, andI think we can: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Bandit ).

The bandits are orginazed, seem to have some sort of uniform and symboland the symbol is found in many camps. And if the white mantle will be back, so will be the Mursaat, treathening The human kingdom of Kryta, the Sylvari of the Pale tree and the Asura (the white mantle had and probably still have a huge influence in the maguma wastes and jungle!).

Important houses (Caudecus Beetlestone and Julias Zamon, both ministers of Kryta and man of noble birth) being a member of ‘the bandits’ shows that they are not just ordinary bandits robbin’ people along the road. They are a bigger threat then we expect. They ARE the White Mantles army.

If they will start something like a siege on Divinity’s reach, they are by far the most kitten rogue faction!

They wouldn’t ever get far with a siege on Divinity’s Reach, they may be well resourced but they aren’t getting the siege weaponry to get thru or over the walls very easily.

Ferum Flamebender.5910:

The bandits are funded by the White Mantle (if we believe the GW2 wiki, andI think we can: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Bandit ).

The bandits are orginazed, seem to have some sort of uniform and symboland the symbol is found in many camps. And if the white mantle will be back, so will be the Mursaat, treathening The human kingdom of Kryta, the Sylvari of the Pale tree and the Asura (the white mantle had and probably still have a huge influence in the maguma wastes and jungle!).

Important houses (Caudecus Beetlestone and Julias Zamon, both ministers of Kryta and man of noble birth) being a member of ‘the bandits’ shows that they are not just ordinary bandits robbin’ people along the road. They are a bigger threat then we expect. They ARE the White Mantles army.

If they will start something like a siege on Divinity’s reach, they are by far the most kitten rogue faction!

No idea what kitten you’re talking about, is that charr slang? Maybe you should rephrase it.

These groups aren’t out to destroy Divinity’s Reach with something so base as a siege. In the first two chapters of the human personal storyline you can see pretty much how they work. Inspire or pay someone to start trouble and put together a big splashy thing to discredit the Seraph and Queen . . . try and play it up in political arenas and dissemble it so the “loyal” folks are the ones who are out to seize power while the “traitors” are disposed of before they can so much as muster a sound defense. And if they manage to get a defense together then . . . how can we trust the courts if they almost ruined an innocent man? Who set that up, hmmm?

That’s how the human rogue faction works – whispers in back rooms, blades in back alleys, misinformation and misdirection. Sacrifice pawns so that you can take the queen off the board and then move towards checkmate.

. . . and if they CAN contact the Unseen Ones again to return and bolster the fallen White Mantle? So long after the solutions to resisting their effects are lost to history? THEN there might be a siege moving on Divinity’s Reach. Not of humans but of Jade.

I think the only siege of Divinity’s Reach we will ever possibly see is by Centaurs. If the White Mantle ever took over it would be so they owned the power, and they would want the city standing strong once they had control. And then the Mursaat show up and spectral agony every human in Divinity’s Reach to death because they are still pissed about that genocide thing…

Narcemus.1348:

I think the only siege of Divinity’s Reach we will ever possibly see is by Centaurs. If the White Mantle ever took over it would be so they owned the power, and they would want the city standing strong once they had control. And then the Mursaat show up and spectral agony every human in Divinity’s Reach to death because they are still pissed about that genocide thing…

Sieges don’t have to be blatantly destructive, it can just be the Mursaat camping on the entry and killing a human every hour the leadership holds out. And how long would the council let Queen Jennah hold out?

They’d send us and logan thackery in to kill the Mursaat, probably ending in our gruesome death.

Narcemus.1348:

They’d send us and logan thackery in to kill the Mursaat, probably ending in our gruesome death.

. . . hmmm . . . is it worth that to get rid of Logan . . .

See if they can get the Consortium Subdirector Blingg in on it too. And that fellow who keeps asking about the latrines in Lion’s Arch. Together we could totally not be stopped from an Agonizing death.

Just thought it would be an awesome cenery for a battle, “The siege of divinity’s reach”.

And yes my english isn’t really good, for example: I’m not sure how to spel scenery/cenery/senery? Same thing whit how to spel spel…

It is scenery and spell FYI.

But yes, Divinity’s Reach would be awesome to see under seige, from either side. Though I don’t think I want to wish that on either the people of Shaemoor or humanity in general, who have already lost so much.

Narcemus.1348:

It is scenery and spell FYI.

But yes, Divinity’s Reach would be awesome to see under seige, from either side. Though I don’t think I want to wish that on either the people of Shaemoor or humanity in general, who have already lost so much.

The human ranger I play would completely agree.

The charr warrior thinks they haven’t lost enough.

I felt that way too, until I did the Grendich Gamble jumping puzzle and spent an hour trying to do it cause I kept getting blasted off of the top everytime I got there (without getting the achievement). Now I want to murder all those ascalonian ghosts!

Narcemus.1348:

I think the only siege of Divinity’s Reach we will ever possibly see is by Centaurs. If the White Mantle ever took over it would be so they owned the power, and they would want the city standing strong once they had control. And then the Mursaat show up and spectral agony every human in Divinity’s Reach to death because they are still pissed about that genocide thing…

The starting mission is the centaurs assualting shaemoor which is right outside Diviny’s Reach so hopefully we will see the Centaurs besieging Divinty’s Reach and killing Logan Thackery.

Twoflower.7031:

The Separatists, because I agree with them, having been a Prophecies player who probably spent more time pre-Searing than in the main game.

As a young boy, I spent much time in these lands! Ascalon forever!

Well I would have agreed with a surface look at the separatists, but if you really break down all they have done it reveals how weak they are.

The Separatists always go for the essential supply lines and yet never attack key defensive or offensive outposts of the Charr. They act more like bandits then a military group.

So, what if they are holding back? I thought. Well, if that is not likely the separatists are a very small group, Ebonhawke itself is not that large and the separatists were a minority of them. Sure many humans hate Charr but most of them are in Kryta and do little more than talk dirty about them while drinking.

Likely what we see of the Separatists is their actual full power, and that said they seem to be able to do little more than act as bandits using the occasional trebuchet(which is likely just left over siege weapons from decades ago as Trebuchets are pretty low technology in Ascalon)

That said part of me wishes that you could play as a Separatist, I played GW1 and it always sat badly with me abandoning Ascalon, especially since on your own you took out armies of Charr! Just imagine what you could have done if you stayed especially with Stormcaller at your service!

Although after seeing the full extent of the Charr species throughout the GW series Ascalon was doomed to lose. The Charr do not care for casualties and reproduce at ridiculous rates

Maloy.1249:

Twoflower.7031:

The Separatists, because I agree with them, having been a Prophecies player who probably spent more time pre-Searing than in the main game.

As a young boy, I spent much time in these lands! Ascalon forever!

Well I would have agreed with a surface look at the separatists, but if you really break down all they have done it reveals how weak they are.

The Separatists always go for the essential supply lines and yet never attack key defensive or offensive outposts of the Charr. They act more like bandits then a military group.

So, what if they are holding back? I thought. Well, if that is not likely the separatists are a very small group, Ebonhawke itself is not that large and the separatists were a minority of them. Sure many humans hate Charr but most of them are in Kryta and do little more than talk dirty about them while drinking.

Likely what we see of the Separatists is their actual full power, and that said they seem to be able to do little more than act as bandits using the occasional trebuchet(which is likely just left over siege weapons from decades ago as Trebuchets are pretty low technology in Ascalon)

That said part of me wishes that you could play as a Separatist, I played GW1 and it always sat badly with me abandoning Ascalon, especially since on your own you took out armies of Charr! Just imagine what you could have done if you stayed especially with Stormcaller at your service!

Although after seeing the full extent of the Charr species throughout the GW series Ascalon was doomed to lose. The Charr do not care for casualties and reproduce at ridiculous rates

The only difference is that they hate the peace treaty. That might also hate Kryta which would leave them with a very small amount of supporters. Even less of these would actually fight for them. Kryta also has much bigger problems then fighting an old enemy with problems of their own and being on the other side of the moutains.

I like the White Mantle the most. Even though they are villains in GW1 and 2 I think people hate them to much. I mean even though the Mursaat did sacrifice people they were preventing the Titans from escaping and destroying everything. Plus the concept art for Saul is just awesome.

I’m fond of the Nightmare Court aesthetic, and the unsettling lore implications they represent (whether or not you accept theories re: the Pale Tree & 6th Dragon). The Flame Legion take a close second as far as personal preference… and take the lead, as far as my guess as to who’s the biggest threat.

Tobias Trueflight.8350:

The Mursaat might not be in the picture anymore, I was under the impression the last sidequest going on in GW:EN near Tarnished Haven was the last of the Mursaat trying to keep a foothold in Tyria within a former White Mantle member.

For me, it’s a matter of this: the White Mantle have had a clear motive to do what they do ever since you first met them. And the more you learned and peeled back the mystery around them and the Unseen . . . the more you really got to know “why?”.

actually there is atleast one knwon mursaat that lived gw.
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Lazarus_the_Dire

When it comes to numbers and sheer military might, I would hands down say the Flame Legion, but when it comes to the amount of destruction and devastation that could be done by a single faction I would say the Inquest. I mean they were using Chaos material in at least 2 reactors, 1 of which exploded causing trouble all over in Metrica Province. The other seems to be having the same effects in Brisban Wildlands, but they have somehow pushed the effects into the neighboring ruins of denravi rather than at the reactor itself. Not to mention what would happen if the infinity coil were to have a melt down, I mean draconic energy exploding at what looks like 2-3x the size of the Thaumanova Reactor, it could really wreak havoc on all of Tyria.

I have always been exceedingly fond of the Nightmare Court. They are just so wonderfully creepy in the way that their beliefs make it perfectly logical to do awful things (and not just being evil for evil’s sake – not that any of the GW2 racial enemies actually fall into that category!).

One of my favourite things about the Nightmare Court lore is that since their goal is to corrupt the Dream with dark experiences, they get the most out of it if they capture, torture and traumatise other sylvari rather than members of the other races. Sure, torturing a human victim will add nastiness to the Dream from you, but torturing a fellow sylvari adds nastiness from you and the victim. Double the value!

When Cadeyrn created the Nightmare Court, it is bcos he believes that Ventari’s teaching goes against what he think the Sylvari race is capable of and supposed to do, which I neither agree not disagree but at least it seems like a justifiable faction to me.

While all sylvari grapple with how “all things have a right to grow” should be enacted in practical terms, another thing I like about the Court is that Caderyn created it in large part for the Pale Tree’s sake. He doesn’t believe the sylvari should turn away from her, he believes they need to save her – by letting her see beyond the ‘brainwashing’ of the Ventari Tablet, an outside source. Really, all sylvari are still a lot like children: some are naive and follow what they’re told without question, and some are selfish and follow their first impulses without concern for others. The Nightmare Court are like bratty toddlers writ large; they don’t see why they should care about anyone else, especially non-sylvari.

This is funny, because in one of my storylines, the Malyck one, my character and Caithe come to the understanding that if the nightmare court learns the information about a second pale tree they will just destroy the original one and move towards one that is not corrupted by the Ventari tablet.