Guild Wars 2

SlayerGT.6805:

I don’t mean to troll but that email is taking hella long to arrive innit >_>

It may never arrive. I’ve requested information from Stephane many times with promises to email the appropriate individuals, never to hear more again – usually being told “they haven’t responded yet, I’ll send another” or “they’re very busy atm, so it may take quite some time” if I inquire.

Zero.4190:

Mental Paradox.3845:

No, no news. I’ve got 5 characters in limbo until the issue is fixed, too. But to be honest, I’m not holding my breath. They are acting very, very weird about the subject.

No spoilers about the living world story, please. Maybe this issue will be fixed. Before the end of this season. -_-

I doubt it, since the next Season 2 release is – by all indication – the finale, which happens after Anet comes back from their winter break. So unless they’re very close to completing it, won’t be happening before January 13th.

This said, there’s also Season 1 that you’ll be unable to experience due to it being created in a different format (temporary mostly open world content) that flubbed up and now needs to be reformated almost completely in order to be permanent.

However, you’re story-messup free until Level 70 content (don’t complete A Light in the Darkness, and if you do, definitely don’t complete Retribution). However, given that some lines were changed for the level 60 Personal Story content, we may be seeing changes to much earlier than the mess ups. And I am ever increasingly doubtful they’ll revert the changes, just fix dialogue (spoken and text) for some odd reason (despite the complaints, there really wasn’t much wrong with it aside from minor points and bugs – the complaints were really just haters hating).

Gaile Gray.6029:

May I ask why you feel that way? Why have two conflicting or competing things going on in a time period when many people have a lot going on in their lives — family obligations, travel, parties, events — which leaves them with less time to log in to their favorite game? Why not have each release get the spotlight and the player attention that each so richly deserves?

Two reasons (as I see it):

1. Wintersday content has nothing new – and this was announced at the same time that no new Halloween content was announced. Recall the feedback about Halloween. Very little I saw was positive. There is new decorations and new rewards (I presume), but no new activity. This will only satiate those who enjoy returning content and those after (virtual) material reward, not those who want brand new things.
2. Episode 8 will be fully permanent (sans some changes to the open world if such exists). So if people want to enjoy all content in the update, they can do Wintersday and come back for Episode 8. While those not interested in Wintersday can skip to enjoying the brand new content.

And not everyone has those obligations you mentioned. Some just want to sit down and enjoy new games. Sometimes with friends and family.

I would argue that the situation would be different if Wintersday promised new content that would take up all players’ time. But that’s not the case.

It would also be a different situation if Episode 8, as a singular release, is the finale – and there is no Episode 9 to follow and Episode 8 isn’t split into multiple releases (which would seem odd).

Gaile Gray.6029:

Donari.5237:

As unfortunate as the timing of this break may be, it’s not like they have everything in the can and are just picking release dates. Imagine your response if you were working on a large project — say, a term paper, or a mural on the side of a building — and someone said “I know your due date is in six weeks, but I’d really like you to finish next week instead.” You wouldn’t be able to do it, not with any reasonable quality.

Thank you for a reasonable comment that really stands out for its logic and perception. It’s true: The team can’t roll out content a month in advance on request. There is a plan and a master schedule, and with the much-loved and keenly-anticipated Wintersday Festival, Episode 8 will receive its full due in January, as intended. And as outlined in Colin’s blog post, there are other nice things coming, too!

Please, if this thread is going to continue, I ask you to think before posting. This is a forum, sure, but let’s all do our part to tamp down the DramaBeast with his +5-gazillion to Hype Attacks.

The issue I see here, is that ArenaNet had promised a bi-weekly schedule. Now, we got our mid-season break, so this leads me to wonder why we get another, especially given that Episodes 6 and 7 were so minimal in content (I find it hard to believe that Episode 7, especially, took a lot of QA time given that all of it is 3 instances + an, albeit insanely large, jumping puzzle). ANd even more especially so since we’ve been told that, like Halloween, Wintersday will be featuring very little new. New decorations and rewards, most likely, just like Halloween, but nothing that would require a lot of focus from Anet diverted from Episode 8.

The only explanation that I can think of is that Episode 8 is larger than even Episode 5 was.

After all, being on the same release as Wintersday did not stop the Tower of Nightmares arc last year, which got 2 instances, a fullblow cutscene cinematic, several new events, and a new map layout for Kessex Hills (including the removal of waypoints, alterations of hearts, and relocation of NPCs, as well as new ambient dialogue throughout the zone) – on top of Wintersday stuff being slightly altered.

If this break was planned from the get go, I’m not sure why Episode 7 was so small in new content. One would expect it to be large enough to tide the players over until Episode 8, given the lack of new Wintersday stuff will no doubt disinterest players.

So I’ll just formerly request one thing:

Can you give us an explanation for why Episode 8 is, by all appearances, delayed?

Addendum:
“much-loved and keenly-anticipated Wintersday Festival” – this, to me, describes Wintersday in GW1, which got new things every year until Guild Wars 2’s release. Wintersday has yet to really get new things on par to the evolution of GW1’s Wintersday, and I don’t see that “keenly anticipation” that you apparently do.

But maybe I’m just turning cynical over the rather poor management decisions (from the view of the consumer).

I’m doubtful of that. More likely skritt just being skritt.

PeterFries.1057:

We went with cardinal directions on the map because we were going to be sending people through a network of skritt tunnels and seeing the option to go to the Eastern Silverwastes seemed easier to understand than seeing something like “Take skritt tunnel to Goosepinch Gulch.”

I can definitely understand the forts and I don’t htink that was a bad move. Only Blue Oasis really feels out of place (perhaps “Blue Oasis Fort” wouldn’t though), and somewhat Amber Sandfall (“Amber Sandfall Camp”?). But I digress with that tiny bit.

I can understand the point for the sectors, but just as people aren’t confused by the skritt tunnel to Camp Resolve, I don’t think they would be confused for any sector not relevant to the forts. One could easily have simply had NE/NW/SE/SW/Central Silverwastes (Northern being renamed to Northeastern) and then have present Northeastern and Far renamed to something more thematic. That would then give the feel of “hey, it’s this portion that’s the real Silverwastes (most of which overlaps with Silverwood), the rest are just outliers part of the zone (including Mamnoon)”.

Though I think any confusion would have only been during the first few hours/days of gameplay, thus unnecessary in the long run.

But I suppose it’s too late to fix here, so just feedback for the future. Just my 2 cents.

Addendum post:

This is interesting. So every profession that we know that exists today didn’t existed prior to the Exodus because of the lack of magic? How did they took Ascalon from the Charr then? Old fashioned bloody sword battles?

According to Angel McCoy, the gift of magic wasn’t a “one time act” but was done in little bits over a century. The infamous event of Abaddon gifting magic was just the largest – and the (second to) last. Presumably, all of the scriptures of the gods detail events of the gods gifting magic in some degree. So magic did exist – just not nearly as great as nowadays. One example, as brought up, was the Ritualist which seemingly used spirits to “mimic” magic.

Charr legends claim that the human gods themselves intervined in taking Ascalon, and Thruln the Lost claims that humanity had elementalists at the time they arrived on continental Tyria (which would be 205 BE). Whether either of these are true or not is unknown, but Ascalon was taken by humans in 100 BE – sometime after the Forgotten was warring with the charr in that same general area. Being a century prior to the final gift of magic, it’s possible that there was indeed some godly intervention in the form of early magic.

Tesseract.4185:

And by giving magic, what does exactly means? Did the Humans created every profession we see today?

In the forms we see them, possibly, however as noted magic is much older than humans and the gods. While when the gods granted magic they divided the Bloodstones to reflect four schools of magic (Preservation, Denial, Aggression, and Destruction), this doesn’t seem to be the nature of magic itself. Jotun had solely mesmers and necromancers in GW1, and called elementalism “primitive magic” – so the professions likely existed in some form for ages, but probably not as we understand them in modern times (either in GW1 or GW2).

Aaron Ansari.1604:

After 0 B.E., up until fairly recently, magic was broken down into four flavors, if you will, from which the four primary caster professions seem to have naturally developed.

I think it still is, and probably always was. Even how, we still see the same themes, it’s just that the “schools” are no longer relevant.

But we still see elemental magic, chaos magic, dark magic, and light magic being referenced just as it was in GW1. And a profession only utilizes a single type of these.

Diovid.9506:

The timeline is wrong. That is old information, it is what humans used to believe.

Technically, no.

The gods did give magic, but they didn’t make magic. There’s a fine difference, but a difference that must be noted.

According to a recent book we’re explained that the gift of magic was in fact just giving the Bloodstone to the various cultures and societies.

TL;DR
Giving != Making

The original Prophecies lore has been altered, but the act of gifting magic still existed.

Aaron Ansari.1604:

After 0 B.E., up until fairly recently, magic was broken down into four flavors, if you will, from which the four primary caster professions seem to have naturally developed.

I think it still is, and probably always was. Even how, we still see the same themes, it’s just that the “schools” are no longer relevant.

But we still see elemental magic, chaos magic, dark magic, and light magic being referenced just as it was in GW1. And a profession only utilizes a single type of these.

Been meaning to make a theory post on that for a week now actually.

Dondarrion.2748:

Your TL;DR was longer than your initial post, KDT

It was two paragraphs…. I guess I should have put my suggested names before the TL;DR as the two were separate.

Added a separation line between the two. There, now my TL;DR isn’t longer! :P

Dondarrion.2748:

As for naming alternatives; why couldn’t the area names in The Silverwastes just have been named for its forts?

After all, the entrance to the area is called “Camp Resolve” – clearly a staging area camp going into The Silverwastes.

The difference, to me, is that the entire area called Camp Resolve is, indeed, Camp Resolve. However, only a small part of the Northwestern Silverwastes is Blue Oasis.

The only sector that would make sense to follow Camp Resolve’s naming would be Northern Shelf/Northeastern Silverwastes – and arguably the PoI shouldn’t exist for them. They’re repetative.

Central Silverwastes could arguably work since most of it is the cave, but it’d be the only one.

PeterFries.1057:

What would you have named those sectors? We (mostly) went with cardinal directions to help players orient themselves.

I don’t think cardinal directions is needed to help players orientate themselves. After all, players don’t have an issue organizing groups through even the Crown Pavilion which is without area names, or through any other map (such as Dry Top).

And with Silverwastes, players have continuously gone by fort colors as Aaron said – or boss type during Breach. The fact that players can also manage directing to the Tangled Labyrinth also shows that a name like “Far South Silverwastes” or “Underground Silverwastes” wasn’t necessary.

In fact, I’d argue the similar naming system creates a bigger issue. If the sectors were named uniquely, then players may be using them instead of/alongside fort colors (if they weren’t hard to type out at least). But with everything being <XYZ> Silverwastes, you can’t really do that. And if you type out say, “NE champ” – well… northeast of what exactly? Sector names? NE of you? NE portion of the area you’re in (how folks denote north or south champion spawns at Coiled Watch chain)? Lots of variances.

So yeah, I’d say the current system makes it harder rather than easier to navigate and orientate due to shared naming, but players bypass this harder factor by using PoI names instead.

TL;DR
Trying to direct players via repetitive names is not a good idea, and cardinal directions is very subjective in communications – you need a basis point to direct folks from (in your concept, that would effectively be Indigo Cave – the very center of the zone – but such wouldn’t be known to all players, especially newly joined ones, though it theoretically wouldn’t take too long to figure out, but the same can thus be said for unique named areas), and it only gives a 2d directional pad, so once you add in, say, a huge underground area -coughs-, it becomes less useful if not useless.

This goes double when you’re using the same naming scheme for locations irrelevant to the main course of the goal (i.e., Northeastern Silverwastes and Northern Silverwastes has no forts or purpose beyond the skritt Scratch and bandit champ respectively – there’s no need, even by your reasonings, to really use the same naming scheme; this also, if not far more so, goes for the Far Silverwastes as of now).

As for what I would name them….

• Far Silverwastes: Fractured Mamnoon (I do like that name – alt: Mamnoon Chasm/Canyon; either one would point to saying ‘hey, this is where Mamnoon Lagoon once was, but it’s dried up and gone’)
• Northwestern Silverwastes: Silverwoods’ Remains (out of the western edges, this is the most forested still)
• Northern Silverwastes: Blasted Wastes (of all of Silverwastes, this area feels the most desert-like, thus a name befitting of that desolation and earthy concept that emphasizes “this is the Wastes” feel most appropriate here and coincides with the PoI name “Wailing Sands”)
• Northeastern Silverwastes: New Krytan Frontier (a nod to the note found in Amber Sandfall, and to the bandits that are excavating, hinting to this being an edge of the “New Kryta” areas)
• Southeastern Silverwastes: Crimsonstone Cliffs (to give a sense for Red Rock’s name, and the geography of overhanging cliffs to the southwest of the fort)

I can’t think of anything decent (imo) for Central and Southwestern Silverwastes off the top of my head. I’d probably name Central at a subliminal hint to the nature of the ruins, while Southwestern a nod to the White Mantle (to add to the suggested name for Northeastern – pure opposites named after the WM/bandit lore).

Squee.7829:

I thought the tree inherently spawned beings that resist the dragon’s influence as it is. The Sylvari are (to my knowledge) incorruptible. At least as far as dragons are concerned. The latest events with plant based dragons have people wondering about the extent of their incorruptibility, but as far as I know, no Sylvari has been shown to be working for the dragon in any direct way.

It’s already been explicitly stated that the Pale Tree was what prevented sylvari corruption – how the Pale Tree prevented it is the question.

Actually, what Aaron was saying is that the article I wrote (go ahead, check the article history) does not mention the beginning portion of the vision from Omadd’s machine. Which is correct – I only wrote about the last portion, and did not mention the portion where the Pale Tree acts as an entryway to seeing The All.

Which is where Darc gets a bit wrong: the light representing the Pale Tree doesn’t become the center of Tyria’s orb’s light – we pass by it completely. The Pale Tree is a barrier or gateway that was between us at the beginning of the vision and The All – and like how Scarlet pushed past the Pale Tree, so did we.

PeterFries.1057:

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Since you’re here… why does the Far Silverwastes, formerly Mamnoon Lagoon, no longer looks like a lagoon was there? I don’t mind but was really looking forward to seeing an old lagoon.

Edit: And any other naming trivia? ^.^

One of the names I suggested for the Silverwastes area was “Fractured Mamnoon”…

….Lost chance.

Can we get a petition going to rename Far Silverwastes as Fractured Mamnoon?

With the exception of drying out, though, the Maguuma Wastes was more or less unaffected by all known lore upheavals. So that makes it hard to believe.

Changes aren’t unexpected, obviously, due to a change in game engines and the like. But one would still expect at least the remains of a lagoon.

Though I suppose one can argue that the Far Silverwastes is just the inside of the lagoon, all dried out, and the cliffs surrounding it was where we walked in GW1.

draxynnic.3719:

Actually, by my understanding, the ones that experimented on Malomedies weren’t Inquest or proto-Inquest. They were just investigating an interesting new plant creature that they didn’t realise was sapient until partway through – and when they did, they did what they could to make amends.

Vorpp and his krewe here, on the other hand, are Inquesty, although they’re still at the stage of trying to lie to themselves so they feel better about what they’re doing rather than embracing the eartip-twirling evil.

I’m fairly sure that during sylvari week interviews, it was stated that Kudu was the one who experimented on Malomedies.

Not sure if it was by name or via “Snaff’s former apprentice” (or akin).

I disagree drax.

Firstly, the three people are long-standing, well-known, and/or experienced members of the Orders. The Orders’ current main – if not primary (Vigil) – mission is to fight the Elder Dragons. They would be the best people short of experts (ala Trahearne on Risen) to talk about this.

Secondly, the mentors state there are two possibilities: a pregnant individual that was corrupted, or a new type of minions. Basically, the mentors are stating “the only known case of minion reproduction of this style is when it’s a creature that was pregnant upon corruption, however, there’s a chance we’ve never seen this before.” I.e., the mentors are stating that insemination (since the term “reproduce” has more meanings that what we are talking about, I’ll use a term that doesn’t) has never been observed before by groups that have been studying the dragon minions for years.

In other words, the mentors weren’t wrong. It was the later category: something the Orders had never seen before (and despite Slowpokeking’s claims, we don’t see eggs with the Destroyer Matriarch – and even if we did, nothing says the Orders have records of Gadd’s secret experiments).

But at the same time, the mentors are stating that dragon minions cannot be inseminated to all of their knowledge.

And if you think about it, it makes perfectly logical sense that a dragon minion cannot be impregnated. After all, old icebrood are made of ice and bone. Branded, young and old, are made of crystal, bone, and skin. Risen, young and old, are made of rotten flesh. Destroyers are made out of lava.

If you can impregnate lava, you sir, are either dillusional and going to be lacking a piece of anatomy, or you’re a mad scientist and I want to be your friend when you take over the world with your magma minions.

If any dragon minion can reproduce in the sense of insemination, it’d be young icebrood given that they still have some flesh to their ice and bone (but such is likely to never be seen because the Sons of Svanir kill female icebrood upon sight) or Mordrem (given that they are in fact, plants). All other “reproduction” is not insemination – aka not biological reproduction – but rather something more akin to a magical factory: spreading the corruption rather than making the corruption.

And while one can shout “semantics!” at the topic, it is important to differentiate because the differentiation creates a question which Byoushinou just asked:

If Glint was pregnant prior to being corrupted, what impregnated her? And does her babies’ appearance reflect the parents’ original species?

Unless it was like the sylvari PC’s Wyld Hunt: which has continued on to be Mordremoth after Zhaitan. Since a lot of the sylvari PS is about Caithe and the sylvari PC having the same Wyld Hunt, it’s possible that Caithe now feels a call to fight and kill Mordremoth.

We know it’s Kralkatorrik because that concept art matches his appearance in GW1.

Where the DSD was is subject to debate. Original lore implied – but not confirmed or outright stated – that it awoke near krait civilization. However, current lore suggests this isn’t the case. Dialogue implies that the DSD is now near largos civilization – or rather, its minions are.

Vorpp’s krewe is the Arcane Eye – whom answer directly and solely to the Arcane Council’s whim.

So that was the council’s doing.

No one was changing the meaning of the Ventari Tablet – the only group ever to attempt such is the Nightmare Court, whom are more about “do the opposite of” (though originally formed with the mentality of “ignore”).

The Firstborn meeting was not altering the Ventari Tablet in any way, shape, or form.

Maybe they did consult her, off screen. Maybe the Pale Tree told them to figure it out amongst themselves. But just read the story entries in the blog post. What we see is the same kind of scenario.

The Pale Tree was very selective in when and to whom she’d talk, and she’d talk directly to individuals, rather than to a group.

TL;DR
Yes, the Pale Tree started out as a terrible leader and mother. This is why the Nightmare Court was formed in the first place – because of the Pale Tree’s terrible leadership, and Cadeyrn’s supreme selfish child-like spoiledness. And this instance reflects that perfectly.

The problem with the No Refuge instance is that it wasn’t made clear to players that Caithe had no clue that Faolain instigated that fight. Yes, she was really rude to the centaurs, but not physically hostile.

Caithe couldn’t see the beginning of the conflict, and Faolain told her that the centaurs turned on her.

This was emphasized by the PC reiterating Faolain’s lie – that the centaurs turned on them.

The truth is that Faolain instigated and shot first, but to Caithe – and the PC via Caithe’s eyes only – it was the centaurs who did that.

Caithe could have stayed out, but would you if the person you love was being attacked? If you say yes, you sir or ma’am, are a monster.

And yes, Faolain was obviously abusive – which is an oddity given that all other examples of their relationship is that Faolain only became dark after witnessing the Nightmare. Now, such an event could have been prior to the flashbacks, and is imo most likely in fact, but if so one would expect Faolain to be as she is in Edge of Destiny and Twilight Arbor: cold and emotionless yet seductive. Faolain is demanding and controlling, but not in an outright abusive way, rather more as a user of the Batman Gambit – tricking people into doing what she wants, but playing to their character and expecting them to act as they normally do (example: Sariel has become Faolain’s lover in recent years, and Sariel is madly in love with Faolain; Faolain uses this to enrage Sariel into fighting Caithe during Twilight Arbor, taunting both figures with the winner being worthy of her love, and expecting Sariel to follow through – and fail – with fighting Caithe).

Windsagio.1340:

Verificus.4320:

Trial for what? Slaying beasts? They are centaurs, savages. Faolain wasn’t wrong.

Your RP aside, there’s also Treason vs the pact and arguably Treason vs. the Pale Tree

I don’t see how killing a centaur village is treason versus the Pact.

Unless you’re referring to Caithe taking the egg. Which is only treason against the Pact if she’s trying to help the Elder Dragons – in which case, she’s been corrupted.

Alysia.4635:

I all!

While I was spending my life completing this amazing puzzle, I visited a lot of ruins.
So I was thinking a lot about them.

Comparing Gw and GW2 maps, this area should be Bloodstone fen point of GW. But i really don’t remember about cities. There was the white mantle, the shining blade, druids…

No cities at all.

Any idea about them?

The ship in skritt cave can come from mamnoon lagoon? But I find the ship too big for a small lake….

You’re very terribly wrong about the location.

Far Silverwastes is Mamnoon Lagoon. Southwest and Northwest Silverwastes is the eastern half of Silverwood. Quarrel Falls is roughly where the Mordrem fort is (the three lanes) – though technically it’s just south of.

Bloodstone Fen is WAY off the map still.

The underground ruins are off of the GW1 map – never explored territory in other words. Only two forts/ruins would have been in GW1 according to (via that_shaman’s overlay).

http://thatshaman.blogspot.com/p/historical-guide.html

ShroomOneUp.6913:

BUll only is the word for male bovines. cow is for bovine females.
so you have a dolyak bull and a dolyak cow. dolyaks are, as far i can see it, bovines.

Your logic would work except

1. Susie used a bull model.
2. They call Susie a dolyak.

If that was reverse – that Susie had a dolyak model but was called a bull – your argument would work… except that Susie is a female name and thus should logically be called a cow, not bull.

Stooperdale.3560:

Playing it through again, the council of the firstborn seems to make little sense, even within itself. The firstborn are there to discuss how to guide their siblings but they don’t include the Pale Tree, even though she is the mother, spiritual advisor, protector, home, etc to all of them. If they are deliberately excluding her then holding the meeting in the middle of the Pale Tree seems a bit silly.

Then we come to timing of their discussion. The newborn Sylvari will have been growing in pods for a long time and the firstborn only start wondering how to guide them after they’re come out? That’s even forgetting Caedryn who has been alive for months according to the dialogue. It just isn’t plausible that these people are having this discussion with that dialogue at that time.

Dream and Nightmare shows that the Pale Tree was very distanced in the early days of sylvari life – when the Secondborn were the ones being born still.

This is what resulted in Caithe’s words to Cadeyrn that caused him to create the Nightmare Court:

“Why should she care? She has thousands of children now, Cadeyrn. You are either firstborn…or you are simply sylvari.”

You can think of sylvari culture in the early days similar to a constitutional monarchy that utilized a Japanese Emperor kind of figurehead. You’d have the ultimate leader (Pale Tree in this case) who remained well known but often in the shadows, out of the sight of the public eye and reach; then you’d have the ministers/etc. (Firstborn) who relayed the ultimate leader’s wishes and desires.

When Malomedies was returned, the only Secondborn involved in the discussion of what to do was Cadeyrn, the first of the Secondborn. And here, while they discuss the matter in the open, it’s just Firstborn discussing.

The Avatar of the Pale Tree didn’t come about until much later, just like any direct discussion between the Pale Tree and her hundreds of children. I believe this came about in the first place because of Cadeyrn rebellion and the Nightmare Court’s foundation – she realized such a distanced leadership would result in her children swaying from the ‘proper path’ and fall to Nightmare.

I don’t think they’re related, but they likely cover shared grounds. The Tyrian Explorers Society has 3 facets in GW2:

• Map completion letters, which congratulate those who’ve done a lot of exploration
• Guild Treks – their logo is on the image you have to find
• Certain guild merchants

From what I gather, they are a guild all about mapping out the modern world. The Durmand Priory is about chronologing the history (past and modern) of the world. Nothing indicates they’re related, but it’d be surprising if they didn’t work together now and then, such as the Priory using TES maps for cross references.

Rym.1469:

Who cares?

/15charrs

^

I hope they went the way of Drooburt.

It’s been known for quite some time that Orrian syllabary was intended to be a new translatable written language in Guild Wars 2. However, according to Matthew Medine, it was scrapped due to difficulty in translation and QA testing it. As a result, there is one model/texture in the game that uses it – and quite a sample size at that, thankfully.

The model was extremely hard to read, however, due to a constant glow around. The most accessible location for the object is Orrian Runestone. I’ve asked folks at reddit if anyone could pull out the texture, and they supplied a few alterations of it (link to all down below, my preferred ones are attached).

So I’m opening this up for a community translation attempt at it.

Some notes:

• The GW2W’s notes (provided by Titus the Third) I find to be false, as I’m noticing differences in the claimed runes – this likely came about from the difficulty of seeing the model.
• It is unlikely to use a simple substitution cipher nonetheless, given Matthew Medina’s statement of its complexity for translation.
• Here is a list of non-substitution ciphers that ArenaNet has used.

Other locations of the translation project:

• http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/User_talk:Titus_The_Third#Orrian_runeset
• http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/2ohmxa/dat_texture_request/
• http://www.reddit.com/r/GuildwarsLore/comments/2okvj8/translation_of_orrian_syllabary/

Other links of interest:

• http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/2ohxu7/orrian_runestone_texture/
• http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/2ohmxa/dat_texture_request/cmnxtl3 – list of links to all versions thus far

MatthewMedina.5419:

There is an Orrian Syllabary, actually. Sadly, it was rather challenging to use and to QA test, so we shelved it – but yes there are at least a couple samples in the game. I’m going to inquire about whether I can talk about it more, since I think it unlikely that we’ll ever actually use it for anything outside of sating your curiosity. :-)

The logic behind thinking of a welding torch being a pistol is… baffling and illogical.

(Note: I have not read this thread)

A question to those who agree with the OP (and the OP himself of course):

Would it have been better if there was more action for your own character to do – like if we had to fight our way into the center of the Inquest base before using the memory seed and getting the flashback?

Out of curiosity.

BobbyStein.2315:

videoboy.4162:

BobbyStein.2315:

CETheLucid.3964:

I figured the voice was different because this is 20+ years ago prior to her going completely insane, before there was a Nightmare Court.

I didn’t mind it.

This is what we were going for. We used the same actress, Julianne Buescher, who also voiced Faolain in the core game Personal Story.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003925/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

That makes a lot of sense to me. However, my question is: Why does she seem to lack the accent that all the other Sylvari have?

Most, but not all, sylvari have the same accent. This was intentional and can be heard throughout the game. Occasionally, an actor’s performance may deviate and that might explain any inconsistencies in certain lines during a VO session.

That stated, I never perceived Faolain as having a British accent but more of a refined manner of speaking. Courtly, formal.

I felt the change a bit odd myself as well. While I didn’t expect it to be the same – pre-Court-life and all that, and we know that the Nightmare can affect sylvari very drastically in manner of speech (I’m looking at you Tiachern!) – this felt a little too different to me to believe it to be the same person. Felt more like a look-alike that happened to also sound somewhat close.

Can you explain, since you responded here, why her appearance remained the same (sans clothing), as the appearance description in Edge of Destiny differs greatly from that of Faolain’s appearance in the Personal Story – six years pass as of that description, and Faolain was afflicted by rotting poison, so it wouldn’t be surprising about that, however for the appearance to be the same as in the Personal Story as 20 years prior is a different matter.

For reference, her description from Edge of Destiny, page 2:
Faolain’s hair was jet-black, as were her nails and her eyes.
Faolain threw back her shock of black hair and breathed smoke through flared nostrils.
Page 313
Attenuated fingers emerged form the cuffs of the woman’s cloak and reached up to pull her hood back. A shock of black hair spilled out.

Faolain’s in-game model of tree branch hair is hardly fitting of this description. There is no “shock of hair” – or thick, messy hair – to Faolain’s head. Faolain has effectively gone bald between 1319/1320 and 1325. Yet somehow her hair is the same in 1304 given Cadeyrn’s dialogue, I presume this is the year – he mentions he was awake for only ‘a few months’) and 1325.

Y’know what, I’ll put in a bug report. I feel this is a lore discontinuity enough to merit it.

PeterFries.1057:

Hello, everyone. This is my first forum post, so I hope I don’t mess it up.

As of this week’s release, your question is answered by journal pages left behind by Explorer Kitabu at the Prosperity, Restoration Refuge, and Repair Station Waypoints. These lore scraps were intended to have been added as of Echoes of the Past to explain where the explorers went next, but I ran out of time to hook them up before that release.

Long story short: the team of Priory explorers have continued on, past the western boundaries of Dry Top to…parts unknown (or at least unknown to modern Tyrians). Susie came along with them in their bellies, slowly digesting.

Thanks for playing!

I noticed those a few days ago and was about to post them seeing this thread again.

EnemyCrusher.7324:

MithranArkanere.8957:

Suzie? What’s that? Some pet? A llama?

Susie is was their pack bull.
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Susie

Curious…

The paper scraps left by the explorers call Susie a dolyak, not a bull. As did the spoken dialogue at their third camp, iirc. Amoxtli was previously told it was llama meat, and aghast to find out it was their dolyak.

Model slip?

PeterFries.1057:

Since I’m confessing oversights I corrected later, I changed Explorer Amoxtli to be a green hylek while she and the others were at the Repair Station Waypoint, as of the Dragon’s Reach Part 2 release.

Amoxtli was always intended to be Zopatl, and therefore green-skinned, so the six weeks that she appeared blue in-game must have been a result of Savio spiking her water jugs with hylek blue hue potions as a practical joke. Ha ha!

That explains that. Now explain the dolyak/bull mix-up! I doubt three Priory explorers don’t know what a bull is. :P

MithranArkanere.8957:

It seems hylek can change color over time if certain things are part of their diet.

So Maybe eating Susie made Amoxtli blue.

Unless they were eating Susie while Susie was alive and well, I don’t think that’s the situation. o.O

The DSD awoke in the deepest part of the seas. Shing Jea is well above sea level. Your idea just doesn’t float.

As for the concept art, do you mean this? Because that is Kralkatorrik.

DiogoSilva.7089:

Wait, that was Mamnoon Lagoon?

http://thatshaman.blogspot.com/p/historical-guide.html?m=1

Yes.

Edit: proper link

Since you’re here… why does the Far Silverwastes, formerly Mamnoon Lagoon, no longer looks like a lagoon was there? I don’t mind but was really looking forward to seeing an old lagoon.

Edit: And any other naming trivia? ^.^

Sylvari don’t have gender roles, but they do have biological sexes. There are male and female sylvari. They are capable of sex (via dev posts), but according to this episode, lack reproductive organs (testicles and ovaries, I presume).

So yes, Caithe and Faolain are both female. They are lesbians.

Sarasv.8962:

That is because Vorpp and his crew were inquest. It states it in the story instance that they were inquest. Meaning that the inquest were already a divided subgroup then at the time – for how long though has been uncertain. Maybe after they came up from the underground. After all the Inquest is a large krewe working towards their own goals.

No, modern asura there are Inquest. If you tell Marjory your vision fought asura, she thinks Inquest and you correct her.

You fight Statics college asura and the Arcane Eye.

But the Arcane Eye is well known for dirty activities, just a bit more moral than the Inquest.

Mickey Frogeater.1470:

The Deep Sea Dragon has an S in his name and since *S*hing Jea Island must be named after something so I would assume his name is Shing Jea…..

What’s more I think his corruption involves lillies(why else do Shing Jea’s Dragon Lilies look like Dragons) and vine-like tentacles.

Iirc, Shing Jea is Canthan. It translates to “Shining Jewel” – Shing Jea Island is named such as it is the shining jewel of Cantha.
Shing=Shining
Jea=Jewel

Edit: http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Shing_Jea_Monastery “As the ancient Canthan name implies, Shing Jea is the jewel of Cantha.”

So by your theory, the DSD’s name is… Jewel.

What, the two men from the sylvari Green Knight personal storyline don’t count? Poor them.

The reactions I saw were more jeering and mocking so I guess I just saw the negative “yeah!” comments rather than actual praising you speak of.

PeterFries.1057:

Not to derail this conversation, but here’s a peek behind the curtain: when I was coming up with a name for the creepy weapon set created for our ‘Secret of Southsun’ release, I was looking for a term that would evoke ancient sea creatures and also the disturbing eyes on these weapon skins and decided to reference the Greek root skleros, which means “hard, cruel, fierce.”

The word for the white portion of our eyes, sclera, comes from this root, as does the biological term sclerite, the hardened portion of an arthopod exoskeleton.

Sorry—continue speculating!

Don’t be sorry. We love this behind the curtain stuff.

The name still fits with possible DSD minion names since dragon minions are named after a defining factor of their appearance or actions. They just need to be hard, cruel, and fierce.

Marjory is a flirt to everyone. Including Braham, right in front of Kasmeer after making a response on Kasmeer’s nudity beneath an illusion during ToN arc.

Marjory is probably not a lesbian, but bisexual, given her antics. Kasmeer on the other hand shows to be a lesbian.

And the kiss wasn’t all that special even though it was the first kiss depicted in-game for GW. It really wasn’t. People just make a bug deal cuz “oh girls kissing” and thus shows the maturity of the gamer community.

@Rym: They only go only about the ED being “apex predators” and “forces of nature” and “uncaring about the ‘ants’” in very brief lines. They avoid going in depth on the nature of the Elder Dragons. This points to me that they want it a big reveal what their true nature is. I think we’ve already hit that nail on the head via the dragons’ and minions’ actions and presented personas despite this. Because despite their outright claims, their stories tell a different tale.

And out of game sources are “malleable” after all.

Actually, there is just a village named Ewan. Nothing said Ewan and his tribe lived there.

Aaron Ansari.1604:

Konig Des Todes.2086:

He was, but superfitially. Glint did pierce skin. And he did crash.

Though I think the shock of nearly being killed by 6 puny mortals – even having his mind overpowered by one, leading to his body being controlled by said one – would be a bigger shock to the system than any physical wound.

Likely. Yet an Elder Dragon doesn’t strike me as the sort to cower in a corner for seven years because its expectations were overturned. So, Slowpoke, coming out with superficial cuts, possibly some bruising (if anything had been broken or even sprained it seems unlikely he’d have been capable of launching himself back into the air), and an unpleasant surprise… I suspect Kralkatorrik is back in fighting form long since, if indeed he ever left it.

People seem to think he fled, but he accomplished his objective, and killed the ant that could mess around in his head in the bargain.

My edit didn’t get through.

I continued, or tried, by saying that most likely Kralkatorrik is lying in wait, gathering magic to become stronger. He is currently the only Dragon who didn’t have magic to consume – no equivalent of the Great Destroyer or Drakkar given Glint’s betrayal, and no ley line power boost like Mordremoth. And unlike even Zhaitan, had no time to consume local magic.

And in the end, ArenaNet is trying (albeit failing) to present the Elder Dragons as animalistic predators, rather than sapient, thinking, entities that their minions and the books (especially Edge of Destiny) present them as.

He was, but superfitially. Glint did pierce skin. And he did crash.

Though I think the shock of nearly being killed by 6 puny mortals – even having his mind overpowered by one, leading to his body being controlled by said one – would be a bigger shock to the system than any physical wound.

Northern Cantha has become flooded, Shing Jea is land-bridged to the mainland.

Seems Cantha’s up to date at least as of Zhaitan’s rise (most likely reason for said flooding).

Whether the Jade Sea thawed or not us unknown. In the world map, there is no sea where the Jade Sea was so it may have remained solid.

Zaxares.5419:

Oh. I actually still haven’t completed the PS (I was JUST about to start the Tonn/Apatia/Orb chapter when the NPE hit), so I thought there was 2 more after that; the Source of Orr, and then the final assault against Zhaitan.

Three different plots but based on the old achievements, everything after the Greatest Fear storyline was " Chapter 8". The entire plot group for fighting Zhaitan and his corruption.

They recently took the end sans last and used that to replace the Greatest Fear. A bad move, as player reaction has shown.

That last one is a bug as he always died for me.

Or they decided to retcon his death.

Both old and current should be on the wiki.

Original was a quote from Malchor. This got changed to a quote from Desmina that is very similar. The change of name gave implication of the Malchor-is-Grenth’s-dad is true. That would be a case of a fix that wasn’t a typo.

Harbinger, Death’s Anthem, the Ship of Sorrows minidungeon, and a few ships docked at Rata Sum use this design.

Sea of Sorrows calls Harbinger a xebec.

You instantly give it to her upon interaction. Giving it does nothing but a short funny dialogue.