Guild Wars 2

For starters ANET could just be pulling our leg. Kasmeer saying “no it can’t be” could actually mean anything. The trailer is focused on Lazarus thus our first instincts make us believe she is referring to his identity when saying that line. But in reality she could be commenting on anything else she may find disturbing.
It could be that the identity of Lazarus may not even be revealed yet in this episode.

If she is referring to his identity then it’s clear she knows the person behind the mask.
Some people think it’s Kyle Meade since it’s Kasmeer who states her shock.
But could he really have the power to do all that “Lazarus” did? Maybe, but I have doubts someone so powerful would fall victim to something as simple as debts.
In fact I’m worried it might actually be Scarlet Briar.
But how could she be alive? Well as much as I don’t want her to return I have some explanations. For starters Scarlet was a “Holomancer”, ever since Elite specs were announced I thought that will be the Engineers elite spec, but we got Scrapper instead.
However it doesn’t mean the holomancer will not be added in the future and regardless if she returns or not the origin of the spec would be related to her.
Her specialization is one of the explanation of how she might still be alive i.e. we did not kill her but a hologram which looks identical to her. It’s like the Mesmers clones and phantasms – the holograms we encountered were like phantasms, but she may have also developed ones that are like clones i.e. look exactly the same.
Another explanation is that Mordremoth revived her soon after we killed her, just like he did with Faolin, as a reward for awakening him. She was after all his first Sylvari minion.

I really liked Scarlet. But I dont hope that you are right with this theory. Sorry…

I really hope Kasmeer is reacting to Lazarus when she says that, just because it really annoys me when trailers edit together totally unrelated scenes to make it look like someone is saying something they’re not (and it’s surprisingly common).

I agree that means it’s definitely someone/something she knows, and wouldn’t expect to be impersonating Lazarus. Which to my mind eliminates all the ‘logical’ candidates (like a Seer or another mursaat) but I’m not sure who it could be.

I think it’s unlikely to be Scarlet however for two reasons:
1) It would really, really annoy many players if they did that. A lot of people genuinely didn’t like her (as a character, not just because she was evil) and I can imagine they’d be very vocal about that if she came back.
2) She was very definitely dead. As in we defeated her and then used a finishing move (I still have screenshots of the quaggans dancing around her corpse) and then we see her corpse lying on the floor. It’s about as clear as they can be considering the game is rated 12+ (so we can’t put her head on a pike or anything like that) and we didn’t have a doctor on hand to examine her.

Of course resurrection is a part of GW lore (although I’m not sure if/how it’d work for sylvari) and in fantasy pretty much anything can happen. If someone really wanted to bring her back they could do it, but it seems highly unlikely.

The only thing that makes me think it’s feasible is that manipulating fanatical groups to do her bidding was her thing, and she was very interested in different forms of magic and how it could be manipulated and re-purposed. So commandeering the White Mantle and the power of a blood stone does seem like something she would do.

But like I said I think she’s a bit too dead for that.

Danikat.8537:

Which to my mind eliminates all the ‘logical’ candidates (like a Seer or another mursaat) but I’m not sure who it could be.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g2smnQjFbtQ/U617LrjHSNI/AAAAAAAAAi4/2UFe7ke25Iw/s1600/1395433780493.png

Rikimaru.7890:

For starters ANET could just be pulling our leg.

They could, but it would end up as huge disappointment after setting up a giant red neon “PLOT TWIST” sign for months. Same goes for not revealing L’s true identity. So I’m fairly certain we’ll see the mystery revealed in Ep5 and it won’t be just a red herring.

As for Scarlet, she fits the role but bringing her back is only going to diminish her character. The finale of her story was satisfying enough, bringing her back will only make the past story look cheap and you can’t make the same impact with the same character again. There are plenty of other characters to fill in, no need to make her cheesy.

Making Scarlet return would be way too trolly and costly thing to do. I don’t think the player population would ever heal from that. :P

I bet he is Anise or Jennah!

Jennah would be very cool. It will make her totally a more attractive Emperor Palpatine.

Acording to the last chapter, one of the artefacts was swapped, That means whatever spawned has connection to said artefact surely. I can’t really see it being an actual person impersonating Lazarus, rather something or someone who has become bound to the 4 aspects by way of whatever Caudecus substituted into the resurrection when he meddled

Given what I’ve heard and seen, I originally thought it was Kyle, but that didn’t add up. Since he would have to be powerful enough to mimic Lazarus. Instead my guess is it’s her father reborn, that in his attempt to pay Kyle’s debt he made a deal with the White Mantle and it was his amulet or trinket that was used to finish the spell. It would make more sense if it’s something reborn not a person enhanced.

Yeah, but why would ANet introduce in such a way a character we never cared about?

Taking on account the actual situation of GW2 players, Lazarus is probably Froggy.

she said that cause lazarus married the necro chick.. :|

plot twist, lazarus becames the good guy and kas the new scarlet.

Feanor.2358

The reason I figured it had to be a person reborn, is if it enhanced a person to godhood why wouldn’t Caledus do it to himself? As in what was revealed in the Head of the Snake he’s willing to go to any end to have absolute power. What’s more powerful than a god? Being that the risen would have four aspects of Lazarus they would be more than powerful if that’s how the spell works. It would also give reason to why he refused to work with Caledus, meaning he didn’t want to fight his daughter. Them being trapped may actually be Lazarus keeping his daughter safe from the dragon while the rest of dragon’s watch fight against Primordus’ minions deeper in the Firelands. It’s what makes the most sense to me outside of Lazarus being Lazarus but needing the last Aspect to attain his true power and hating Caledus for not waiting to assemble all of the aspects before doing the spell. That’s pretty much where it feels like it’s going to me.

Personally, I think it’s Kralkatorrik.

Kyle or Kasmeers father would be incredible cheap… I don’t know and/or care for either one of them.

And if we look at the “reborn” theory, you get several thousand possible characters. Every single soul that was sacrificed on the bloodstone could be inside Lazarus now. Even if the swaped aspect needs to be connected to that specific soul. The white mantle killed humans from all over the world on this thing.

I don’t like the idea of an completly new or yet unknown character as Lazarus. Arena Net should do one reveal at a time and not some “Hey Lazarus is X who is ALSO E/Kasmeers father/Kyle or Jeff from Shaemoor who sells bread to the player” nonsense…

I hope it’s Scarlet. Just to see the forum break.

There’s a passable explanation for it to be her, actually. She’s killed in the Breachmaker while it’s digging into the ley line intersection. Her “dying essence” gets swept up in the streams of energy that radiate out from the drilling point. That essence washes up in the Maguuma bloodstone. Some idiots accidentally resurrect her instead of Lazarus. She takes form and some powers from the correct aspects used in the ritual.

Egrimm Van Horstmann.7921:

Feanor.2358

The reason I figured it had to be a person reborn, is if it enhanced a person to godhood why wouldn’t Caledus do it to himself? As in what was revealed in the Head of the Snake he’s willing to go to any end to have absolute power. What’s more powerful than a god? Being that the risen would have four aspects of Lazarus they would be more than powerful if that’s how the spell works. It would also give reason to why he refused to work with Caledus, meaning he didn’t want to fight his daughter. Them being trapped may actually be Lazarus keeping his daughter safe from the dragon while the rest of dragon’s watch fight against Primordus’ minions deeper in the Firelands. It’s what makes the most sense to me outside of Lazarus being Lazarus but needing the last Aspect to attain his true power and hating Caledus for not waiting to assemble all of the aspects before doing the spell. That’s pretty much where it feels like it’s going to me.

My question was more of a “metagame” one. Step outside of the lore and look at it as a story and writing. ANet are obviously setting up a big reveal. Lazarus was a namedropping bomb on his own. They could have easily used him as a shady unlikely-ally-to-betray-us, villain/anti-villain and whatnot. The players know about him, the veterans are excited and everything just works.

But they didn’t. They chose instead to say “oh, but this isn’t the real Lazarus”. Why? Hiding a minor character behind such grand and exciting mask wouldn’t work from a story perspective. The eventual unmasking is only going to diminish the potential of the character, whoever it is. It simply has to be a very important character. It has to be someone equally exciting. It can be a character exciting for other reasons, but Kasmeer’s family? Come on… who cares about them?

In my opinion there are two possibilities. It can either be a character we’ve already been interacting with. Or it can be another entity of a legendary status similar to Lazarus’ own. Otherwise it will only disappoint. I tend to lean toward the first choice, as the latter feels like adding an unnecessary step in the reveal of the character. They did a big reveal in “Out of the Shadows” already. It makes no sense to essentially repeat it, and for the same character.

Imagine it was Logan.

I tend to think that Lazarus is a male, and that we’re all going to slap our foreheads and say “I should have known” when it’s revealed. The deep timbre of the male voice that was chuckling quietly makes me think it’s someone we all know, but from a long time ago.

Long shot guess: Vizier Khilbron

He was defeated as a Lich (undead) and he was standing on a bloodstone near the Door of Komalie while in pursuit of the Scepter of Orr.

Yep…Never happen, but it was fun re-reading the lore that went along with him…lol

I don’t think he can be member of any of the playable races. I mean whoever it is they were able to absorb most of the power of a bloodstone (and one that had been powered up with dozens or hundreds of human sacrifices in addition to its original store of magic). I got the distinct impression from the way everyone was talking – and more importantly the effect on anyone caught in the blast – that would be impossible for any of our races.

Trouble is “some kind of supernatural being” doesn’t exactly narrow it down. I think people are right that it’s obviously going to be someone/thing we will recognise, someone we’ve met before. But I don’t know who. I keep thinking maybe a character from GW1 (Razah maybe?) but then Kasmeer recognises them too, and I don’t know how she’d know anyone from back then, unless it was someone like Jora or Ogden who is now a legendary figure, and then we’re back to the problem of them being unable to absorb that much magic.

It’s Zommoros!

He finally uses all his wealth to do something with it.

Traps us and we have to make sacrifices to get out. 4 enters, only 1 can leave.

Kralkatorik minion is my bet. Remember the other dragons now have death magic/ability to create stuff from the dead.

Lahmia.2193:

Kralkatorik minion is my bet. Remember the other dragons now have death magic/ability to create stuff from the dead.

It might not be as straighforward as that – it took while to find a modified ice brood, theorised to be because Jormag was further away than Primordus and therefore less of the magic released by Zhaitan’s and Mordremoth’s deaths reached it, suggesting Jormag has lesser plant and death abilities than Primordus. We don’t know precisely where Kralkatorrik is, but it could be further away again, and therefore have received less death or plant magic.

There was first interaction with zommo(not direct) in reforging caladbolg.

Balthazar would be my guess.

I’ve been speculating that we might be dealing with two Lazaruses here with the real Lazarus hiding in the shadows preparing for his grand plan unseen while “Lazarus” is his masquerading disciple out in the open to keep the Pact Commander occupied. I wrote a lengthy post on the subject in GW2 Reddit, but I’ll explain the theory below:

The journal entries found in Episode 1 and Episode 4 tell us that a certain Justiciar Bauer had been playing both sides in the Caudecus-Xera rivalry to some extent given the conflicting content in his journal and his correspondence with Caudecus. In the former Bauer came across as a believer in the Unseen Ones (but not as fanatic as Inquisitor Matthias Gabrel who annoyed him and whose downfall he engineered) while in the latter he openly badmouthed Xera, Matthias (and even Confessor Esthel long before her death) while supporting Caudecus.

We also learn from the Caudecus letters that it was Bauer who ostensibly swapped the artifact which houses Lazarus’s last aspect with a fake so Caudecus would get his hands on the real one and Xera’s ritual would fail. But did the switch really happen, or did Bauer lie to Caudecus all along?

What makes Bauer look suspicious in all of this is not only conflicting information but also two reveals from the Bloodstone Fen journals that shed a new light on the plot of Forsaken Thicket raid and the events leading up to the Bloodstone’s explosion.

Justiciar Bauer

Our supreme leader arrived today. We have been ordered to tell no one for fear that interlopers will interrupt his grand plan. The moment of our vengeance is at hand. Nothing will stand in the way of the White Mantle. We shall claim our birthright—first in Kryta and then the world. Glory to the Unseen Ones!

This entry is dated two weeks before the assault on Salvation Pass, the second raid wing, which means it precedes the events of Stronghold of the Faithful which supposedly had Xera distracting the raiders long enough for Lazarus to be repowered. It also mentions a supreme leader as a he, yet it can’t be Caudecus who only showed up in the Mantle controlled area after the Bloodstone’s explosion (as we learned in Episode 1).

Given Bauer praising the Unseen Ones, then, would indicate that the supreme leader is actually Lazarus, and we know from GW1 that Lazarus can survive without his aspects which he came to claim from the White Mantle he had planted the aspects in (but apparently the Pact Commander is unaware of this considering their comment at the end of Episode 4).

To keep things secret, Bauer executed Apprentice Kasandra who was getting too close to what was actually happening, and he even led Grand Savant Valis to his doom in a ritual that led to the Bloodstone’s explosion. In the entries Bauer is shown to be ambitious, angry, cunning and deceptive. Not only that, but to top it all off his other entry mentions this:

Justiciar Bauer

Once the ritual is complete, we can proceed with our leader’s virtuous pursuits!

This is very similar to the rhetoric “Lazarus” used in Episode 1: “We are destined to face more virtuous pursuits.”

(continued)

(continued)

The evidence above, including the mentions of a grand plan and vengeance, as well as various lore books found within the Stronghold of the Faithful make me believe the following:

Lazarus, remembering the injustice that was done to him in GW1, had sworn to make countless generations pay for their insolence. He learned of what had happened in the world in his absence and would eventually hear about Aurene, the child of Glint (the dragon whose Flameseeker Prophecies had led to his race’s downfall). To enact his revenge on humanity and Glint by denying them the salvation of Glint’s legacy, he would pull off an elaborate deception with his most ruthless and deceptive disciple, Bauer.

The Bloodstone explosion was a deliberate act, allowing Bauer to power himself up (whether with all its power or just a fraction while Lazarus would absorb the rest) and then masquerade as “Lazarus”. The fake Laz would be aware of the Pact Commander’s reputation and would want to earn their trust as well as foil Caudecus; absorbing the Bloodstone would be seen as a “selfless” act to save Tyria in an effort for the “mursaat” to redeem himself, a convincing enough argument.

Whether the convenient malfunctioning of Tarir’s defenses and “Lazarus” appearing to save Aurene was all the schemers’ doing or Laz just using the opportunity is unclear but it wouldn’t surprise me if Lazarus could instruct “Lazarus” how to disable the shields to allow Destroyers in to appear as a savior to the PC. We were also told by devs in one of the Guild Chats that “Lazarus” didn’t kill Caudecus in Bloodstone Fen for a reason, and that reason may have been to keep the Commander and the rest of Kryta busy.

How could a human like Bauer absorb so much Bloodstone juice without going crazy or unstable, then, especially compared to how Matthias, Xera and Caudecus ended up? Apprentice Kasandra’s journal entry from Bloodstone Fen gives us a clue:

Apprentice Kasandra

The artifacts we liberated from the Durmand Priory were, in fact, the key required to draw the magic out of the bloodstone shards. The Seers must have anticipated our need to tap the magic within the bloodstone, and this device may be what they used to do so.

We also learn in the episodes that the White Mantle had at least two spies in the Durmand Priory as well as in the Order of Whispers and Shining Blade. The Priory spies had “liberated” Seer artifacts, and as it happened, one of the Current Events named Burden of Choice had the choice where PC could use the help of Historian Tranton and the Shadowstone to seal excessive magic within themselves to prevent symptoms of madness etc.

What if Historian Tranton, who succeeded his predecessor who had disappeared in the Seer path of Arah Explorable, was actually a White Mantle infiltrator whose access to Seer artifacts would give Bauer and company the tools they needed to power up while staying sane to pull off the deception?

How does it all tie together, then?

(continued)

(continued)

“Lazarus” tries to earn the PC’s trust only to backstab them later unless discovered first. The real Lazarus, meanwhile, could try absorbing the Bloodstones and energies from fallen Elder Dragons to essentially become a true god-like figure in Tyria, then make humans pay for their crimes against him. Given how the mursaat tablets in Ember Bay showed how angry mursaat were for the perceived betrayal of other elder races not joining them and Forgotten in the fight against Zhaitan long ago, the mursaat aren’t ones to let go of old grudges that easily, tying into Marjory’s foreshadowing comment from Episode 1 whether people can really change. By becoming a god and doing something bad to Aurene to have a last laugh at Glint would give Lazarus his long overdue revenge.

As for Kasmeer’s reaction in the trailer, if it’s not cut in a way to be deliberately misleading, she could be reacting not to the identity of “Lazarus” but possibly what “Lazarus” reveals. Bauer, when revealed, could gloat that the real Lazarus is already active and out there, which would catch the heroes by surprise and be enough of a shock when they thought the real Lazarus couldn’t have been resurrected.

For all we know, we could be facing a scenario where we deal with “Lazarus” (Bauer) in Season 3 only to face the real Lazarus in expansion 2 to stop him from achieving his “virtuous” goals to really drum up the expansion story.

Of course there’s always a possibility that “Lazarus”, if he’s a fake, is someone else. But then the question becomes who could pull off deceiving equally deceptive White Mantle for several weeks (as per the journal entries) by masquerading as Lazarus long before the Bloodstone’s explosion and how they would know to reveal themselves to Xera who was searching for the lost mursaat. The way I see it, though, all the clues mentioned above make more sense if we’re dealing with a Lazarus and “Lazarus” (Bauer) with a plot leading directly to an expansion as we learn the details of the villains’ grand plan.

I’d been struggling to find a clear way to fit Tranton into this – I really like the idea that Burden of Choice is a secret poll where the character the most players gave the shadow stone to would be involved, but I’m not sure that the timing events works out for that to make sense.

Tranton being a White Mantle mole is interesting, but if so, why would he give the Commander a shadowstone (albeit in need of repair) and help cure them? Having the Commander going mad would surely have been a major distraction that the White Mantle could have take advantage of.

Something else to consider with Tranton – I’m still inclined to believe his fluctuating appearance is a bug, but could also be a clue that he can appear as different people…

Ashabhi.1365:

I tend to think that Lazarus is a male, and that we’re all going to slap our foreheads and say “I should have known” when it’s revealed. The deep timbre of the male voice that was chuckling quietly makes me think it’s someone we all know, but from a long time ago.

If someone is impersonating Lazarus, then they are extremely powerful. Powerful enough to assume the role of a Mursaat and not have anyone question their legitimacy. Powerul enough to survive a bloodstone explosion. So, given that amount of power, its not out of the realm of possibilities that it is a female and she is masking her voice.

You guys are throwing out a lot of ideas based on speculation but you aren’t looking at the more practical issues like motive.

Scareltt doesn’t make sense because she’s definitely dead and she has no reason to be a villain anymore with Mordy dead. Neither would she have a reason for protecting Aurene. Plus, resurrecting her would kitten off a lot of players.

Queen Jenna does have a motive for wanting to control the White Mantle AND for protecting Aurene, but she doesn’t have a reason to attack the player/Dragon’s Watch, as has been hinted in the trailer. The trailer depicted Lazarus as a villain that “kills to get what they want” and that isn’t Jenna at all. Moreover, killing masses of White Mantle with magical fire isn’t her style.

A dragon champion of Kralkatorik would most definitely want to kill Aurene, not protect her. None of the dragons would be interested in controlling the White Mantle. Manipultion and mind games isn’t Kralk’s style. And Kasmeer wouldn’t recognize such a villain.

Gleam (Glint’s first surviving egg) would definitely benefit from absorbing the magic of the bloodstone, and would have a reason to protect Aurene … if she’s not evil. If she is, Aurene would be competition and first on Gleam’s dinner plate. In either case, a dragon champion has no reason to pose as Mursaat or need the support of the White Mantle, so it doesn’t fit.

I’ve seen some posts on reddit suggesting Palawa Joko, but he doesn’t fit, thematically speaking. He’s a lich who wants hordes of undead, not a White Mantle army. Nor would he have any interest in Aurene, or have the power of fire magic. And what would he do with all that bloodstone magic?

A minor character like Bauer has all the motives, but doesn’t fit simply because Kasmeer wouldn’t recognize him. Nor do I think it’s Anet’s M.O. to have such a inconsequential character (that doesn’t even have an in-game character model) to secretly be revealed as a major villain. This same logic applies to Tranton and many other obscure characters. Whoever Lazarus really is, I think it’s highly likely that we know the character already, if not from GW2, then from GW1.

Now if it isn’t any of those choices, then who is it? To be honest, I don’t know, but I can narrow down our choices in the next post.

Let’s go back to the bloodstone explosion … remember that it was believed all that released magic went into resurrecting Lazarus. Now we know that ceremony was a sham, so where did all that magic really go?

Whoever Lazarus is, he’s powerful. Powerful enough to burn dozens of White Mantle at once, and powerful enough to get inside the egg chamber even though it’s supposed to be incredibly secure for anyone other than the Player to get inside. At this point, I’m going to also suspect that the dragon minions in the egg chamber were in fact summoned by Lazarus so he could kill them and look like the good guy.

Going by this logic, I think its impossible for Lazarus to belong to any mundane race like humans, charr, asura, ect. None can absorb that much bloodstone magic and live, let alone properly harness it (just look at Caudecus).

… but what about a god?

If it’s not a mundane race, we’re left with gods, demigods, and other highly magical races like the Forgotton, Seers, and so on. I am almost certain that Lazarus’ true identity falls into this category.

Now, as for who Lazarus is exactly … I unfortunately don’t have a good guess.

But at least I have a bad guess: now I’ll admit the following is a stretch, but could one of the human gods absorb that much bloodstone magic and put it to use? What about a god of war , who would perhaps find use in an army of fanatical White Mantle? … and a god of fire, who can set ablaze entire armies of dissidents? We don’t know why the human gods left, but some suspect it had to do with the dragons (and some players believe the gods are even connected to the dragons in some way). Now that the dragons are being destroyed, they might want to come back. And perhaps they’d need a large amount of magical energy to manifest their physical form.

And of course … Kasmeer would definitely recognize one of her race’s deities with a shocked “No … it can’t be!”

Episode 5 is called Flashpoint and fire is a strong theme throughout the trailer. So it is possible (but not likely) that the fake Lazarus is connected to Balthazar in some way.

There is no reason for a God who has left the World to disguise themselves as a mursaat. Remember, as far as we can tell, “lAzarus” is 4/5 Lazarus and 1/5 something from whatever artefact Caudecus substituted in the final pieces place. That is likely to rule out just a person in disguise if the final part of the last episode is any reliable guide.

Ausfer.1853:

Gleam (Glint’s first surviving egg) would definitely benefit from absorbing the magic of the bloodstone, and would have a reason to protect Aurene … if she’s not evil. If she is, Aurene would be competition and first on Gleam’s dinner plate. In either case, a dragon champion has no reason to pose as Mursaat or need the support of the White Mantle, so it doesn’t fit.

Gleam is almost certainly dead already. I mean do you think the Master of Peace would go to all the effort in getting one of Glint’s eggs if the first scion of Glint was still alive?

Randulf.7614:

There is no reason for a God who has left the World to disguise themselves as a mursaat. Remember, as far as we can tell, “lAzarus” is 4/5 Lazarus and 1/5 something from whatever artefact Caudecus substituted in the final pieces place. That is likely to rule out just a person in disguise if the final part of the last episode is any reliable guide.

I don’t think Lazarus is simply a disguise. Depending on what really happened during the resurrection ceremony, Lazarus might physically have the body of a mursaat and the mind of someone else.

I’m in the “Lazarus is Lazarus, even if he’s incomplete” camp, but I feel like pointing out that you don’t necessarily need a powerful entity as a suspect for “who can absorb all that bloodstone magic”. The game recently (ish) introduced an item we use to store excess energy so we don’t get sick (Or crazy) from leyline energy.
https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Shadowstone

Lahmia.2193:

Ausfer.1853:

Gleam (Glint’s first surviving egg) would definitely benefit from absorbing the magic of the bloodstone, and would have a reason to protect Aurene … if she’s not evil. If she is, Aurene would be competition and first on Gleam’s dinner plate. In either case, a dragon champion has no reason to pose as Mursaat or need the support of the White Mantle, so it doesn’t fit.

Gleam is almost certainly dead already. I mean do you think the Master of Peace would go to all the effort in getting one of Glint’s eggs if the first scion of Glint was still alive?

It is believed Gleam was the one who gave the egg to the Master based on the way is was handed down from above him and Kasmeers reaction to that entity. Speculation ofc

Ausfer.1853:

Randulf.7614:

There is no reason for a God who has left the World to disguise themselves as a mursaat. Remember, as far as we can tell, “lAzarus” is 4/5 Lazarus and 1/5 something from whatever artefact Caudecus substituted in the final pieces place. That is likely to rule out just a person in disguise if the final part of the last episode is any reliable guide.

I don’t think Lazarus is simply a disguise. Depending on what really happened during the resurrection ceremony, Lazarus might physically have the body of a mursaat and the mind of someone else.

That I would agree with

I’m wondering if we’re looking at it all wrong. The end of the previous episode and the trailer for Flashpoint are really hammering in the idea that this can’t possibly be Lazarus. This could totally be a red herring, but if it isn’t, then it still brings up a lot of questions, especially when it comes to the resurrection ceremony and the bloodstone event.

However, it’s a lot simpler if the resurrection ceremony is taken out of the equation. Arena.net insists that the raids aren’t important to the story. It’s possible that we’re not even supposed to think the resurrection ceremony worked in any fashion. Caudecus’ surprise might not have been that Lazarus appeared despite him having the aspect switched out. His surprise could have been because he knew that the resurrection ceremony failed altogether thanks to his switch.

The reason there seems to be an assumption from our characters that Lazarus can’t be Lazarus, even though he was fine like this in Guild Wars 1, could be less about the aspects, and more about the resurrection not actually having happened to begin with because of the sabotage.

In this case, the mystery of Lazarus is entirely about who is impersonating him, like the trailer is focused on, and not whether or not he is partially resurrected or living with someone else’s mind.

Stitch.1794:

I’d been struggling to find a clear way to fit Tranton into this – I really like the idea that Burden of Choice is a secret poll where the character the most players gave the shadow stone to would be involved, but I’m not sure that the timing events works out for that to make sense.

It would also make the title Burden of Choice rather ironic in hindsight, as trusting in the Consortium might’ve been the lesser evil if Tranton turned out to be a White Mantle mole.

Stitch.1794:

Tranton being a White Mantle mole is interesting, but if so, why would he give the Commander a shadowstone (albeit in need of repair) and help cure them? Having the Commander going mad would surely have been a major distraction that the White Mantle could have take advantage of.

That’s the one thing I’ve been pondering about as well, but it could’ve been a means for him to use the Commander as a guinea pig to test how stable the effect of the Shadowstone is on an individual as the present day Tyria has more magic in it than during the Seers’ time, apparently:

“Even when they [Seers] created the Bloodstone, I don’t think it is very likely that they ever dealt with ley-line energy on the levels we are seeing today.”

Tranton also states that the Shadowstone was a sort of precursor leading to the culmination of Seer artifacts which was the Bloodstone, so there might be some kinks to be ironed out and figure out any potential flaws in the Shadowstone if it’s going to play a later role.

Stitch.1794:

Something else to consider with Tranton – I’m still inclined to believe his fluctuating appearance is a bug, but could also be a clue that he can appear as different people…

I feel like I’ve seen a dev comment about it somewhere on Reddit, but I may be misremembering. Either way, to me it seems more likely Tranton simply has a fluctuating model than it holding any lore significance to us shifting into alternate Tyrias (which, canonically, are limited in number, aka the other servers of WvW) as some wild theories have suggested.

About the spies, what’s interesting to me is that the Priory’s other spy could be Chef Robertus because not only does he know the access to the hidden archives as seen in Season 2 (and likely can access it himself given his subtle comments to the Commander), but it would also make his comment to Sous-Chef Seymour about there being no culinary applications for bloodstone dust more hilarious and foreshadow-y in hindsight given how people who consumed too much of pure bloodstone ended up in the raid and Season 3. As a White Mantle spy he would be very aware of the dangers of that.

Episode 4 also revealed that there’s at least one spy, “No Names”, in the Order of Whispers who had been active for a while before Demmi joined the Order. Then there’s one of the ladies-in-waiting in “Regrouping with the Queen” who mentions in passing that Anise suspects there’s a White Mantle spy in the Shining Blade, but whether that’s just exaggerated courtly gossip or has actual merit to it remains to be seen.

Ausfer.1853:

A minor character like Bauer has all the motives, but doesn’t fit simply because Kasmeer wouldn’t recognize him. Nor do I think it’s Anet’s M.O. to have such a inconsequential character (that doesn’t even have an in-game character model) to secretly be revealed as a major villain.

The thing is, though, that we don’t know the full context in which Kasmeer says the line and what she’s actually reacting to. The trailer implies it could be about the identity, but this could be a deliberate bait and switch tactic.

For all we know, she might use her mesmer magic to dispel “Lazarus’s” illusion and reveal his true form. If “Lazarus” were Bauer who’s a known megalomaniac based on his letters from Episodes 1 and 4, once exposed, he could gloat how his master Lazarus is already active and enacting some dastardly plan and there’s nothing the heroes can do to stop him anymore (to mirror Xera’s taunts to the raiders in Stronghold of the Faithful).

If Kasmeer is as ignorant about Lazarus’s history from GW1 as the PC and Canach appear to be (Canach isn’t even aware that real mursaat can appear and disappear at will, so that wouldn’t count out “Lazarus” being the real deal even when we saw him), then a reveal that the real Lazarus is also out there while the “Lazarus” we’ve interacted with has been a distraction all along could be a big enough shock to merit Kasmeer’s “It can’t be!”

My prediction is that Larazus will be…a disappointment.

Looking over the list of predictions also makes it clear that there are no good choices. There are major flaws with every one. The biggest problem being how ham-fisted the story has been so far regarding Lazarus. A good reveal must be both surprising and expected in the sense that it feels natural to what we’ve seen thus far. Since the little we’ve seen of Lazarus is just poorly written dialogue in a sad attempt to obfuscate him rather than make him a character, there’s no way his reveal will be satisfying. This is another instance of Anet putting “mystery” above good storytelling.

Its Logan …. under the protection of Jennah and Anise. They are working as a threesome to disguise Logan as Lazarus to crush the White Mantle. Hes their puppet because of what happened to him in the jungle.

ahahahaha could you imagine????

What if it’s actual real Lazarus and that’s why she’s surprised

VentiGlondi.9830:

What if it’s actual real Lazarus and that’s why she’s surprised

Lazarus: “You just won’t believe me, will you? You just won’t take my word for it that I am who I say I am, just because I’m not all ‘Grrr, I’m evil!’ Well, fine! If that’s what it takes, then that’s what you’ll get!”

— 20 minute cutscene where he slaughters hundreds of innocents —

Kas: “No, it can’t be! It’s really him!”

Lazarus: “FINALLY! It’s about <bleep>ing time! Now, can we cut the <bleep> and get on with killing some <bleep>ing dragons?”

Palador.2170:

VentiGlondi.9830:

What if it’s actual real Lazarus and that’s why she’s surprised

Lazarus: “You just won’t believe me, will you? You just won’t take my word for it that I am who I say I am, just because I’m not all ‘Grrr, I’m evil!’ Well, fine! If that’s what it takes, then that’s what you’ll get!”

— 20 minute cutscene where he slaughters hundreds of innocents —

Kas: “No, it can’t be! It’s really him!”

Lazarus: “FINALLY! It’s about <bleep>ing time! Now, can we cut the <bleep> and get on with killing some <bleep>ing dragons?”

Pretty much the most convincing theory I’ve read so far

The build of Lazarus and the way he floats just above the ground, It could even be an Exalted under there

Lets throw some more names into the box – Dhuum ( just coz the 6 gods left centuries ago it doesnt mean that dhuum left , infact i wonder if hes still in underworld . Mhenzies , Abbadon ( now that would be quite funny if it were the case ) , the fortune teller who mis informed shiro , shiro himself err the lich from prophecies and nightfall . Im just praying its no way going to be Kormir – having to put up with her in nightfall was bad enough , then finding out she replaced abbadon as a god was almost like a massive nightmare .. will we ever be rid of her ??? Apart from those i have no idea an shall patiently wait the release to see

Spiritz Wamphryi.8316:

Lets throw some more names into the box – Dhuum ( just coz the 6 gods left centuries ago it doesnt mean that dhuum left , infact i wonder if hes still in underworld . Mhenzies , Abbadon ( now that would be quite funny if it were the case ) , the fortune teller who mis informed shiro , shiro himself err the lich from prophecies and nightfall . Im just praying its no way going to be Kormir – having to put up with her in nightfall was bad enough , then finding out she replaced abbadon as a god was almost like a massive nightmare .. will we ever be rid of her ??? Apart from those i have no idea an shall patiently wait the release to see

The problem with pretty much all of these is evident when you think of the presentation. “Hey folks, behold the unmasked Lazarus, who actually is <insert name here>. Now, for all our new players who didn’t play the original GW, let us explain who the kitten that is”. It would be quite lame.

I, too, am more on the Lady Anise side of things since she was behaving strangely hostile in episode 4, although I am wondering how she could slip out of Marjory’s sight to attend our final mission in Lake Doric… Maybe that was an illusion? But at such a huge distance? Well, we’ll know soon enough.

Maybe is Canach, and he deceived us all along.