Guild Wars 2

Note: I’m not the most intensely GW-player, but this has been on my mind for a while and therefore I thought I could ask here to see if there were any theory/reasons behind this.

My main question is: Why do we know so little about Tyria (planet) beside Tyria (continent), Elona and Cantha?

For me, it just doesn’t make any sense that there is so little knowledge about the outside world, and I was wondering if there is any cheap lore behind this fact.

The reason why this does not make sense for me is because of our own history and the age of discovery that happened in Europe during the 15th century. The age of discovery was not however the beginning of exploration: the desire to simply explore the unknown and discover new knowledge is a typical human trait, and therefore exploration has been very much present throughout the entire human history.

In GW the technology is there (we’ve been traveling to Cantha, and there was colonization of Elona a long time ago), there are trading companies that are pushing boundaries (Consortium pushed to Southsun Cove to make it a….. vacation resort, instead of pushing for real profit) and the biggest reason is there, namely competition. Competition breeds innovation and scientific evolution. For example, there is no accident that the birth of the scientific revolution happened in renaissance Northern-Italy where there were long traditions of independence and fierce competitions, immortalized by Machiavelli’s famous book. Competition was also one of the main reasons for the age of discovery and colonization as the need for resources in a highly competitive Europe was needed.

Everything in GW is there. People could say that; hey, these are things pushing for exploration in our world, not in Tyria. But then they miss the fact that through playing GW1 and 2, you would see that these things are present in the Tyrian world. The humans in Tyria are not different when it comes to their human nature then us. What influences their choices are the same as the one in our world.

However, a-net are really making a mess of this fact when it comes to the new addition of the Zephyrites.

These guys are using their time to roam the skies of Tyria with airships. When stating this, there is no reason that this should mean Tyria the continent, and not Tyria the world. I mean, why in the world would they not go around on the planet when they have the possibility to do so? Also, we know that most of the people are from Elona and Cantha, so that mean they are at least traveling to these areas (?). Then again, why not move further east, or west, or whatever?

When they are going around to other places not seen before, do we actually have to believe that these guys don’t feel the urge to check out what really is down there? Questions like; are there any civilizations here? Is there anything we could trade? Etc. They should have some knowledge about different region of the world which we’ve never visited in GW1 and 2.

Then, why aren’t they sharing these things with us, the players? (Maybe they do, I haven’t ducked really into this addition, and if they do, then I’m sorry) The easy way out of it would be the very immature because they don’t want to share the knowledge or something like that. However, as they are so based upon trade, why wouldn’t they trade knowledge?

One answer to this could be simply: because of the elder dragons no one wants to go outside their comfort zone and they see exploration as very dangerous. As that was not the case with our own history. In the Norse mythology, they believed a sea serpent named Jörmungandr lived in the ocean. They also believed on something many probably know, named as Kraken. Still, they went over the north-Atlantic Ocean and discovered America.

There’s a drastic difference in the Kraken and the DSD. The threat of the Elder Dragons is visible to all Tyrians. Everyone is very aware just how dangerous they are. We haven’t been able to travel the oceans because they were littered with Dead ships from Zhaitans armada for example.

You also have to take into considered the lore examples of expansion. Humans have travelled from Cantha to Elona and eventually to Tyria. In GW1 we saw new areas of Tyria being opened up as we investigated further north. There are lore reasons for the boundaries we experience.

In Prophecies for example, North of Ascalon was Charr land, so of course nobody went there. The Shiverpeaks were dangerous to cross and littered with Stone Stummit dwarves. The Crystal Desert and a lot of Elona is barren and dangerous. The Maguuma is dense and full of carnivorous plants etc. etc. etc.

Now in GW2 we have Jormag to the North preventing travel in the Northern Shiverpeaks. The Flame Legion homelands prevent outwards travel from Ascalon, the Crystal Desert has been closed off because of Kralk and Palawa Joko’s army. Zhaitain blocked the sea routes directly out of Kryta and the DSD roams somewhere off in the ocean.

It’s also important to take into consideration the LENTH of time it takes to traverse places. Yes in game it takes like 3 minutes to go to one end of a zone to the other, but the ‘real life’ distance would most probably be much farther. GW1 did a better job at conveying the passage of time through missions and you sort of get the impression that it took about a year for us to travel all over Tyria during Prophecies, a year during Cantha, a year during Elona. So ignoring the life threatening monsters that border us – travel would be no mean feat.

Jörmungandr was basically an elder dragon: a creature that was destined to destroy the world and the story of Tor fighting this creature was one of the most popular stories. Even so, they decided to sail over one of the most hostile oceans in the world. And believe me, that oceans danger is real as we speak.

Yes, there were limitations for the humans (and for the other races) in GW. But don’t tell me danger and limitations are not the case when it comes to our human history as well. I mean, the earlier humans and the migration pattern is more of a feat then exploring in GW-universe.

The Primeval Dynasty lasted hundreds of years, and during that time they colonized Kryta. Since water was mainly the most important resource, it just doesn’t make sense the lack of exploration during that time. They actually decided to explore and settle more desolate places inwards then exploring the coastal areas further east. Is there anything that answer why this didn’t happen?

And today, there is huge scientific competition in Tyria, within the Asura and the Durmand Priory. There has been established (I think with the different in-game pictures) that the planet is round. Is this made by calculations like Aristotle, and if so, why isn’t there someone challenging this notion, or testing it? In my view, there is a scientific hunger, as well as a deep need for resources that should have contributed to a huge focus on exploration and colonization. The danger of the elder dragons should not be limits on this, but rather something that pushed it forward. For example the humans have lost Ascalon and Orr, and their last stand in Tyria (continent) is Kryta. Why haven’t then the humans looked for expansion in areas like the western coast from Rata Sum? (dangerous area with plants etc. but I doubt its more dangerous than having one of your main cities attacked by a massive undead horde)

There is a reason for the stagnation of the Chinese dynasty and why the exploration of Zheng He was stopped: there was no need for it. But no, there was not the superpower and the most “stable” nation that went on to have the age of discovery and the scientific revolution, it was the small and limited nations of Europe.

Also, what about the Zephyrites? Are there any information about if they know anything about the world outside?

One major difference between Jormungandr and an elder dragon is that the elder dragons are real in Tyria. They are also hardly the only large threat. Our early explorers didnt have threats like krait either. Tyria is full of hostile threats that dwarf what early explorers had to deal with in the real world.

The other thing to consider is that all the races we know well have undergone devistating losses over time. The norn lost all their homelands and a large number of people. The Asura literally had their empire completely destroyed. Humanity has had several major nations completely destroyed. Cantha and Elona have not only been cut off but are under the rule of leaders that are quite likely to not be friendly. The Charr were rather primative until the last few hundred years and much of that time has been spent in waring against humans or each other. Much knowledge would have been lost. We dont even know for sure where humanity originated from at this point save it seems to not be native to this planet. Those who do seem to know more (order of whispers) arent sharing their secrets.

We now see the races starting to explore more. For the last 100 years or so no one has been getting past Zhiatan because he literally had fleets rising out of the water to attack and kill anyone who tried to sale past. We know have airships but they are only recently developed and mainly in use by the pact, the occational asura scientist, the inquest/aetherblades and now Ellen Kiel. We also have the Zephyrites.

Now the Zephyrites may know alot more about what is happening elsewhere in the world. They have quite a few members of canthan and elonian decent. However they dont sound like the come down often as they dont seem to like the surface world as much as the skies. Its also likely that they limited how far they wondered until recently to ensure they could aid Glint if ever called upon to since they were devoted to her.

Regardless they dont seem to want to tell us if they know anything. The Zephyrites probably have alot of secrets.

Of course is that the difference, but they didn’t know that. In their view, it was as real as the Deep Sea-dragon. But this was not really the point. The point was that even when superstitions and hostile arctic water was against them, they did it. With much less technology then what was present later in Europe, as well as in GW.

Yes, the races were almost desperate which exactly my point is. In a period with massive turmoil, nations and other seek a way out. It’s extremely competitive. I mean, the whole exploration and colonization in the real world was established in a period that is convenient to think of as the Wars of Religion. It was truly a realism-world: anarchy with everyone fighting for survival and truly a period that is similar to Thomas Hobbes state of nature. In this mixture, exploration and finding resources was not only convenient, but it was the matter of survival. In this view, I just can’t really accept the idea that they just didn’t explore and try to find important natural resources necessarily to fight a threat as big as the elder dragons.

But yeah, maybe we’ll get more info about this in the future. Now that Zhaitan is out of the picture and the massive focus on trade and commerce in the living story, there is absolutely no reason why exploration in the coming years should just explode. Even though I don’t really think this will happen, since it’s a fantasy-world and don’t really explore a lot of consequences and important structural processes, I really hope it would.

My point was that though explorers may have set out, they had a much smaller chance of coming back than our real world versions. Imagined sea monsters are less likely to eat you than real ones. Theres nothing saying we havent had people try to explore. Just that we havent had anyone successfully come back to tell us much about it.

As for the desperate bit, your ignoring the harm to said races ability to explore. The entire norn and asuran populations were refugees that had already moved. The Asuran arent native to the Maguuma. Infact they had almost never been to the surface before 250 years ago. The norn’s situation was similar. Both groups didnt have the resource bases at the time to look into long distance exploration. They were more focused on re establishing themselves now they had found safer territories. You dont take high risk missions when your looking for safety.

Looking at the other two races which have been around long enough to do that exploration we have the charr and the humans. Prior to the last two hundred years, the charr were bearly better equiped technologically than ogres. The charr have spent alot of time developing to the point that they are one of the most advanced races now but this is only a recent development and much of their efforts have been pored into conflicts. Charr are very territorial. They rarely run away from fights they want to win.

That leaves the humans. The humans have spent 250+ years having disaster after disaster thrown at them. They have seen their nations fall, been under the rule of the Mursaat, fought constant and costly wars on multiple fronts, suffered several major disasters, been left by their gods, been betrayed by one of their gods leading to them having to kill said god and generally get kicked in the gut repeatedly. Humanity is holding on to what it has, as hard as it can at the moment.

Now that doesnt mean there hasnt been explorers. What it does mean is that any explorers that have gone searching the world have either not come back, not let anyone know what they discovered or have had their knowledge lost in the repeated and destructive conflicts and disasters that have haunted the world.

Tyria has it rough. Really rough.

Short answer: Nations havent had the resources to spend on supporting exploration of the world. Those that have managed to head out either havent come back or arent telling anyone about it.

No internetz. The different species have just now started integrating. So what one knows, the other doesn’t. Even a lot of the same species of different kingdoms are at conflict so they also wouldn’t share knowledge the way we do today. break those different kingdoms up with other species kingdoms and people would guard their knowledge resources a lot more jealously because knowledge is power.

the real answer:

to give room for expanding content. if you have everything set in stone from the start, it kinda makes it hard to open up new things.