Guild Wars 2

I’m bringing back an old known fact, the Wizard’s Tower in Kessex Hill, to ask your opinion on this matter and also to ask you: are there any other hidden amenities in the world like this one?

Wizard’s Tower is a huge, floating island south of Wizard’s Fief. It is the home of the wizard Isgarren, who protects the nearby city of Garrenhoff with his elementals.
Some of the citizens do not really trust the elementals sent by their master, but most of the population do not really care, as they do all menial things and tasks that the citizens don’t want to do themselves. Examples:
-There is only one Town Guard, which is quite strange, that confirms that his job is more of an aestethic purpose than anything else, as the elementals also enforce law around the city.
-A mariner says that he loves travelling to the city, as the elementals unload his cargo without making him move a finger.
-A visitor also confirms that, as he says that you can pay for the elementals to bring you meals at the inn.

But nobody knows of their mysterious benefactor, Isgarren, who never left his floating city. A pair of persons however hint that not all is alright:
-A citizen says that while he does not really fear the elementals, he still senses angryness from them, and feels that they are forced to serve Garrenhoff’s population.
-A grandmother tells her nephew that she doesn’t trust the elementals, but she isn’t bothered much. The most important thing is that she tells us that other villages and citizens are called by Isgarren to join him on his floating city, but nobody actually ever returns (it is ironically dismissed by the grandmother by saying that they’re probably enveloped in their new, high-society lives to think of the outside world). She wishes to join them someday.
-It is confirmed by various citizens that the city would be destroyed by the elementals, if they were to attack it.

There are various theories about Isgarren’s true motives:
-We know that in Guild Wars 1 the floating castle had been under the focus of two organizations, one being the Cult of Verata, the other being the White Mantle itself (during War in Kryta). A villain named Garalth also tried to gain access to the tower, unsuccessfully just like the two organizations. It is confirmed that all of these people tried to gain entrance because the tower is filled with magic and arcane mysteries.
-Isgarren invites people to join in his tower so that he may transform them into elementals – thus giving a reason to the “sense of angryness” that the elementals give to some of the citizens.
-The White Mantle has successfully got into the tower and invites people who show magical capabilities. (this would recall the Test of the Chosen they conduct using the Eye of Jadir – those “Chosen” would later be sacrificed to a Bloodstone, so the theory that the Tower hosts a Bloodstone also pops up).

Any other theories?
I also ask you again: are there any other hidden mysteries in the world of Guild Wars? If so, please tell me and let me know your opinion.

Edit: keep in mind I didn’t do any search on the forums for two reasons, because I wanted new thoughts on the subject and mainly because I’m asking you to reveal any other strange things around the world (gigantic buildings, hidden things and such ameneties…let me know please).

Tyria is filled with hidden mysteries. There is 1 other tower located in what was Wizard’s Folley. This tower was only available in Pre-Searing Ascalon, and it actually very close to the area now labled the Deldrimor Front. We only saw 1 elementalist using the tower as a place to discover the skill, Ward Against Harm. It is unknown who made this tower, the architecture is really nothing like that of any of the races, or human cultures, that we have yet seen in the game. It is a mystery that I would love to discover some day, I expect to find a group of Durmand Priory scholars studying it when the area opens up.

I done some research and, other than theorycrafting, I only found a concept art of that tower.
Those apparently lore-rich objects left undeveloped just develop my idea that Anet likes to play with us and that they do such things in order to use them in the future.
I can’t believe they paid a concept artist to do such a thing just to leave it rot without any further development…just like with our Wizard’s Tower.

This guy has quite a bit of plausible ideas. It’s about 20 minutes in which he only talks about that town and the tower…

I haven’t played gw1, so I didn’t know about any kind of background about the castle untill I came across that vid… It has always been one of my favourite towns though. It’s an… interesting place.

I feel the tower could have been jotun. If I remember the owner of the tower is different than the one in gw1. I believe it could be jotun because they were astronomers, ‘stargazers’, maybe a telescope is in there like in Arah.

Given the fact that the jotun aren’t found anywhere close to the tower, I’d be more likely to say the current owner might be human. The name doesn’t sound like a jotun to me either. Given the proximity to the Dominion of Winds, there is a small chance that the new owner might be a tengu, though I doubt that as well. The name sounds more like either a human or centaur. A centaur would not be likely to assist the humans in Garrenhoff, but a human might.

WarriorOfAsgard.3705:

Given the fact that the jotun aren’t found anywhere close to the tower, I’d be more likely to say the current owner might be human. The name doesn’t sound like a jotun to me either.

I was stating the “ORIGIN” of the tower, likewise there is no record of why, where the tower came from, I’m just thinking it could have been jotun. We only know that there is a new owner and he has moved the tower slightly, He is helping the towns people with his Elementals and occasionally invites towns people to live with him. Only catch is they don’t come back.

Also new owner, “Garrenhoff” sounds human

My personal suspission is that the tower’s origin is of seer’s. The first reasons is that the architecture is unique. The second reason is that the tower is made to be highly defendable. The seers have been almost all whiped out (wich might be the reason that people sought to enter it to unlock the secrets there, and why the one who did, Isgarren, could claim it for himself).

That doesn’t bring us much closer to the identity of it’s current owner. Though one Asura called Zinn was experimenting on a seer and he or someone who continued his research might have found the secret to get inside.

Then again, we just don’t know. It is and always have been an enigma. It might be that Arenanet doesn’t has any serious plans with it and keeps it for the jjoke of mystery and are really enjoying our outragious wild ghosthunts

This last point can be backed up btw. The quest ‘The Villainy of Galrath’ was the first quest they made in GW1. It might have been that they had a lot of different plans for the story and wanted to let the castle play a significant part in it. It might be that they abanded that line a long time ago but liked the looks so much they left the castle in. Cause of the speculations round it, they might have decided to give it a return in gw2 again.

Again it is all pure speculation.

there is one problem and that is how do people get up there? the grandmother says people go up but don’t come down so how do they get and if there is an entrance can we use it?

I highly doubt that they will leave it to speculation forever, especially with all of the speculation they have put into the area with the villagers going up and never returning, and all of the elementals from him.

@mercury ranique.2170 yeah I could see a Seer as maybe a origin speculation, but not the recent owner in the second game. (Garrenhoff)

The OP sounds eerily familiar

@mercury: the architecture isn’t that unique actually. It holds a very Krytan appearance to it, though certainly not of GW1 or GW2’s style. It definitely seems to be Krytan in origin, imo.

No, the architecture of this wizard’s tower isn’t very unique at all, when it comes to Kryta. My post about unique architecture was aimed towards the tower located in Wizard’s Folley in Pre-Searing Ascalon.

If you watch the wooden potatos video linked, he points out the gated door that is seen in lots of areas where there is possible expansion content awaiting its chance to be played.

I would think the people go through this guarded door, find a teleport to the castle (possibly one way, possibly not but they come back as elementals, if that theory is true), and so they see them go through that door and know that they are being invited to the castle, but never see them come back through the door.

My theory is that the people leaving to “live” at the tower aren’t being transformed into elementals, but rather the wizard is either using them as a sort of conduit or even a battery to channel control over the elementals, or he is infusing their souls with that of an elemental to bring it under his control.
One interesting thing to take note of, is this was not the original location of the tower in GW1, they had to move it due to the recent cataclysms caused by the dragons, so if it could be moved from there to it’s current location, who’s to say it didn’t arrive long ago from somewhere far from the Tyrian main continent (or from the vast unexplored lands outside the edges of our map). As far as it being Seer in origin, thats a possibility I hadn’t thought of before but it would make sense as to why the White Mantle wanted in so badly, maybe the mursaat ordered them to infiltrate it to gain seer secrets. The overall design of the castle has changed too since GW1, but it is still just a building after all, and perhaps some damage was done in shipment and they decided to just remodel. This might explain why the tower in wizard’s folley in GW1 seemed to have the same basic attributes (floating stones, ect) but looked quite a bit different. I do suspect they are of the same origin, but whoever claimed the wizard’s tower in kessex apparently remodeled it, and who’s to say the original design isn’t still existing and they just built around it?
I for one will anxiously await the day when we can unlock it’s secrets, and I am pretty sure there will be more to some with it, or they wouldn’t have bothered to bring it back in GW2.

Well, it makes sense to me that if this wizard’s tower existed somewhere else before coming to Kryta that it would have originated somewhere in the Tarnished Coast where there are many rocks like this one that have to ability to float. When it comes to architecture I highly doubt that it has anything to do with the Seer, but that’s just a personal gut reaction rather than anything with concrete proof. I do highly doubt that the Wizard’s Folley tower is related, architecturally, just because of the sheer amount of differences between these towers.

Wizard’s Folley Tower:
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Wizard%27s_Folly_tower

Kessex Hills Tower:
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Wizard%27s_Tower

I don’t know why, but i feel like the Wizard’s Folly Tower from Ascalon Pre-Searing, the Wizard’s Tower in Garenhoff and The Eye of the North have the same origins, or have been constructed by the same race/person.
Those 3 Towers have always made me want to know more about them!

Djahlat.9610:

I don’t know why, but i feel like the Wizard’s Folly Tower from Ascalon Pre-Searing, the Wizard’s Tower in Garenhoff and The Eye of the North have the same origins, or have been constructed by the same race/person.
Those 3 Towers have always made me want to know more about them!

I was thinking the same exact thing. Did we ever figure out the origin of EotN? I could have sworn it was jotun.

This is all I could find.

The origin of the Eye of the North is so ancient it has been lost to even the wisest skaald, the cultural storytellers of the Norn. Currently, the massive structure has become a base of operations for a group of Ascalonian expatriates known as the Ebon Vanguard, who plan and execute raids against the Charr from within the safety of its walls

Based on the architecture, I’m inclined to believe the one in Wizard’s Folly was of dwarven construction given the style and proximity to dwarven territory. I believe the Eye of the North is most likely either seer/jotun made. More likely jotun, as the scrying pool could tie in with their magic and astronomy. The tower in Kessex is more of a mystery but it may have originated near the Tarnished Coast and been moved at some point in the past. We don’t have any info on how long the tower was near Sanctum Cay prior to Galrath and Verata attempting to access it.

The Eye of the North holds no resemblance whatsoever with ancient jotun structures.

It holds a stronger resemblance to the Tarnished Coast ruins, whose origins are – in my opinion – most likely ancient Orrian (though it could hold other origins, but I doubt seer or mursaat as most claim – too little evidence for such). There is evidence, however, that could indicate the seers were in the Far Shiverpeaks in the distant past – found in some of the dungeons are statues which highly resemble seers, imo at least.

One such statue: http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq271/KonigDesTodes/GW/StoneStatues2.jpg

(side note: Nothing says Verata was attempting to access the Wizard’s Tower).

It’s true, Verata was there, and it makes sense that it is possible he wanted entrance to that tower (seeing as he was big on gaining more power.) But he never fought the other groups trying to gain entrance to the tower, unless you forced them to fight each other. So they were neither enemies, nor allies. And the dialogue texts to everything doesn’t give us evidence either way.

But my personal opinion on the Eye of the North has always been Mursaat/Seer solely because of the form of the statue which appears in the Honor Monument as you progress your GWAMM title. Now I understand that this isn’t case in point proof, but another possibility that I bring up is that it might possibly have been a group effort by the races that got stopped when the alliance broke up.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

The Eye of the North holds no resemblance whatsoever with ancient jotun structures.

It holds a stronger resemblance to the Tarnished Coast ruins, whose origins are – in my opinion – most likely ancient Orrian (though it could hold other origins, but I doubt seer or mursaat as most claim – too little evidence for such). There is evidence, however, that could indicate the seers were in the Far Shiverpeaks in the distant past – found in some of the dungeons are statues which highly resemble seers, imo at least.

One such statue: http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq271/KonigDesTodes/GW/StoneStatues2.jpg

(side note: Nothing says Verata was attempting to access the Wizard’s Tower).

Don’t forget that a lot of the more geometrical ruins in the Tarnished Coast could be remnants of a Mursaat civilization. We know that the Asurans established Rata Sum on the ruins of a previous civilization and that one of the reasons they chose the site was that its geometric features applied to them on an aesthetic level. “When the Great Destroyer drove them from their homes in the Depths of Tyria 250 years ago, they arrived at the ruins of some previous civilization, setting up geomystical generators for power within these already fortified confines and establishing the area as their new capital. The aesthetic sensibilities of these ruins are reflected in modern asuran architecture.” Combined with the fact that Rata Sum is an anagram of Mursaat and I think we can reasonably assume a pretty heavy Mursaat influence in the Tarnished Coast at one point in time.

You spewed out nothing new, and I even said mentioned the mursaat being claimed by most.

But as I said, there’s really too little evidence for such, and new lore on the mursaat in that they fled the world long ago and only recently returned would imply that they don’t have ruins.

Besides, if those were mursaat structures, then how could they be in such disrepair after 6 years? They look like they’ve been abandoned for a couple decades at least and a couple centuries at most – but the mursaat left the world 11,000 years prior to GW1. So it’s immensely unlikely they’re mursaat structures. And then the Ring of Fire structures which are mursaat structures but look nothing like the Tarnished Coast structures.

And that’s ignoring the fact that these same ruins are in Sparkfly Fen, which was once Krytan territory and also has Orrian artifacts.

Rata Sum being an anagram of mursaat holds no weight, seeing how the name is of asuran origin.

Not to mention that these are nothing like the descriptions we are given of the Mursaat structures given by Saul D’Aslessio, “a city of massive towers reaching into the heavens. The architecture was astounding, and the creatures who lived here were unlike any he had ever seen.” Now I understand this is just one man’s description which may or may not have been changed by the White Mantle, but at the same time I trust Saul more than most humans because he truly believed that what he was bringing was good for his people. I know I can be proven wrong though.

-A citizen says that while he does not really fear the elementals, he still senses angryness from them, and feels that they are forced to serve Garrenhoff’s population.

-A grandmother tells her nephew that she doesn’t trust the elementals, but she isn’t bothered much. The most important thing is that she tells us that other villages and citizens are called by Isgarren to join him on his floating city, but nobody actually ever returns (it is ironically dismissed by the grandmother by saying that they’re probably enveloped in their new, high-society lives to think of the outside world). She wishes to join them someday.

Clearly that wizzard guy abducts villager and makes experiments on them thus transforming them into elementals he controls. Why send them to defend? Because it’s cool to have a village that venerates u and never questiones your actions in a bad way, instead looking up to u as a guardian in a “high society” floating thingy when in reality he tries to mass an army of elementals to TAK3 OVURRR DA WURLD. //insert new exciting and groundbreaking dungeon here//

Nothing special….cliche #305122

No one knows exactly what he does with the people he invites over. It could be anything, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be that he’s creating the elementals through people. There’s a long history of abductions having nothing to do with elementals. I personally am extremely interested in what ArenaNet is going to do with the few places they have set up to be future dungeons, especially since they have nothing to do with the ED’s.

Pfft, we all know that Isgarren’s true name is Grand Wizard Garren – the man who designed Central Plaza. And we all know Isgarren aka Garren’s other title is High Confessor of the White Mantle. He’s clearly brain washing those villagers and sending them to fight in the White Mantle-backed seemingly-unnaturally huge army of dissented citizens known as “bandits”.

They’re not being sacrificed or anything! Just brainwashed and put on the battlefield shouting “Queen Jennah’s going to destroy the nation!”

(note: no I am not serious)

I’d certainly would enjoy more content or possibly a dungeon for the Wizard’s Tower. The Lore and mystery surrounding it is intriguing and its enjoyable to come back to the town just to look up at it.

I would be extremely disappointed if we never got to go to it in this game either, lol.

It is completely perfect for a dungeon, a puzzle dungeon mind you :P

Cool wizard’s tower. What if it is not only meant to keep things out, but to keep something in—a prison?

Turial.1293:

It is completely perfect for a dungeon, a puzzle dungeon mind you :P

A solo puzzle dungeon. Now there’s something!

I have a question about this as I cant seem to find a clear answer for this.

I have been looking for about 4 hours in total from every side for a secret way in this tower (im thinking off a hidden asura gateway). I would find it extremely weird if there isnt any as for the many hidden things that are ingame so far.

But has there actually been a confirmation from Arenanet that there actually is a way in the tower? and I dont mean in future expansions or patches but as in right now?

No, there’s never been confirmation we can enter the tower yet. Nor, as far as I know, anyone managing to do so.

to bad, wish Arenanet shed some light on this, I dont mind searching stuff but knowing if you can get in or not would be a + :P

I don’t have anything to add about it’s origins. But isn’t the location that the tower has been moved to eerily close to where the Temple of Tolerance was in GW1? Which is conveniently off map on inaccessible land to the East?

Yeah, although the temple is quite a ways inland from it.

In keeping with tradition of GW1 which was 7+ years of never getting to actually set foot in the Wizard’s Tower; no, you will not get to enter this one either.

Just like in GW1 you can make pretty wallpapers using the beautiful scenery of the tower and that’s it! Hi 5 Anet!

Arthur.9243:

In keeping with tradition of GW1 which was 7+ years of never getting to actually set foot in the Wizard’s Tower; no, you will not get to enter this one either.

Just like in GW1 you can make pretty wallpapers using the beautiful scenery of the tower and that’s it! Hi 5 Anet!

Except they’ve specifically drawn attention to it by giving it relevance in game. In GW1 it was quite literally just this random floating unknown tower.

Darkdanjal.3401:

to bad, wish Arenanet shed some light on this, I dont mind searching stuff but knowing if you can get in or not would be a + :P

In general, we only know when we can get in somewhere like this when someone does it. ArenaNet put this stuff in for people to figure out! But I’m pretty sure this is just a teaser for now – there are plenty of those in the game as well as secrets we can actually access. Remember, if they keep up a once-a-month event update schedule, they’ll want plenty of material for stories to add!

Side note: looking at the Wizard’s Folly Tower now in the link above, the base actually looks like the jotun standing stone type things you can find in norn lands. Which is odd? It would make sense for jotun architecture to have once been more complex, but I don’t know if the stones we see in GW2 were always intended to be standing stones (fits with an astronomical alignment thing) or are the remnants of another style. Anyway, idle speculation!

[Edit]: Looking at it some more, the greenish-metallic parts higher up do resemble Dwarnven structure a lot, and the combination of that material plus the chains reminds me of things like the Frost Gate. So Dwarven or Dwarven built atop jotun..?

Josh Foreman did mention he was working on the “mother of all jumping puzzles”. We can always hope that said JP is in the Wizard’s Tower.

Curuniel.4830:

Side note: looking at the Wizard’s Folly Tower now in the link above, the base actually looks like the jotun standing stone type things you can find in norn lands. Which is odd? It would make sense for jotun architecture to have once been more complex, but I don’t know if the stones we see in GW2 were always intended to be standing stones (fits with an astronomical alignment thing) or are the remnants of another style. Anyway, idle speculation!

[Edit]: Looking at it some more, the greenish-metallic parts higher up do resemble Dwarnven structure a lot, and the combination of that material plus the chains reminds me of things like the Frost Gate. So Dwarven or Dwarven built atop jotun..?

Interesting observations, but I can’t see a connection between that tower and jotun. For a few reasons: Firstly, jotun monuments are a single stone per side – that tower is, like any Ascalonian structure, just a lot of large blocks. Secondly, there’s none of those circle designs that all jotun monuments holds. Thirdly, and most importantly, jotun weren’t even a figment in the developers’ mind when that was made.

The style of the tower is fairly Ascalonian, I think.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Curuniel.4830:

Side note: looking at the Wizard’s Folly Tower now in the link above, the base actually looks like the jotun standing stone type things you can find in norn lands. Which is odd? It would make sense for jotun architecture to have once been more complex, but I don’t know if the stones we see in GW2 were always intended to be standing stones (fits with an astronomical alignment thing) or are the remnants of another style. Anyway, idle speculation!

[Edit]: Looking at it some more, the greenish-metallic parts higher up do resemble Dwarnven structure a lot, and the combination of that material plus the chains reminds me of things like the Frost Gate. So Dwarven or Dwarven built atop jotun..?

Interesting observations, but I can’t see a connection between that tower and jotun. For a few reasons: Firstly, jotun monuments are a single stone per side – that tower is, like any Ascalonian structure, just a lot of large blocks. Secondly, there’s none of those circle designs that all jotun monuments holds. Thirdly, and most importantly, jotun weren’t even a figment in the developers’ mind when that was made.

The style of the tower is fairly Ascalonian, I think.

Actually it half brings into mind Krytan ruins you can see in background images on Watchtower Coast. Therefore could it be an ancient structure left standing from the age of King Doric?

There was a recent interveiw where the Wizard’s Tower came up. Apparently they have plans for the tower and the area around it but haven’t had the time or resources to develop the content yet.

I get the feeling theres quite a few areas they have set up for further development later.

Flying castles. Golems. Hey wait a minute!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_in_the_Sky

Darkdanjal.3401:

I have a question about this as I cant seem to find a clear answer for this.

I have been looking for about 4 hours in total from every side for a secret way in this tower (im thinking off a hidden asura gateway). I would find it extremely weird if there isnt any as for the many hidden things that are ingame so far.

But has there actually been a confirmation from Arenanet that there actually is a way in the tower? and I dont mean in future expansions or patches but as in right now?

Not now anyway. Although I will say that it is likely a probability, and not just for being so obviously elaborated upon. In the town, up on the left side facing the water, there is some odd-looking closed doorway. I can’t remember the details exactly, but I do remember seeing it and thinking, “oh, that’s got to be the door for it later on.”

That doorway heads east. What else heads in that direction? The Shuttered Gate.

Both are likely just gates into a new future mini-zone.

Ehh…well yeah, but I hardly think the Tengu have a little wooden door leading into their realm whilst the other 3 known entrances are massive, 4-story green marble behemoths. The door in Garrenhoff(sp?) would be on the corner of the map, and above the diagonal offset that the tower makes. I don’t think it’s a stretch to have that as a possibility.

I wonder if this could have something to do with the tower. You can’t interact with it but there are letters floating around in the circles. This is hidden in the top of a building.

Edit: Sorry didn’t watch the video above :P this is shown in the video.

^ That has nothing to do with the Wizard’s Tower. Those Asura devices belong to a secret outpost of the Arcane Eye (the Asuran Special Forces that report directly to the Arcane Council) that’s hidden beneath Garrenhoff.

You visit this outpost if you’re an Asura player and choose to follow the Order of Whisper’s plan to rescue an NPC. Otherwise, you’d never know it was even there.