Norn and Sylvari?

Yeah, that link will be taken down eventually, but boy does it lighten things up for me! Thanks!

Also, I think the Norns are what Beetletun's outpost description is talking about:

It says the Norns are simply "from the north", and that they are "half-giants". The saltwater lake "Giant's Basin" is north of Beetletun/Kryta, I'm betting the half-giants, or Norns, are the mysterious threat.

10k says there is at least 1 skuld

I wouldn't worry about the Norn being dwarf like considering that, if they really are basing it on Norse mythology, the Norn are 1) women, 2) limited in number (only 3 of them), and 3) not exactly a race. Still, this will be cool to see. Maybe the Norn, if they actually turn them into an entire race, will be like mystics or amazons. Still, I hope that they stick to the mythology and make the three sisters a pivotal point in the story instead of an entire race that you get to fight or ally with.

They remind me of Valkyries more than Amazons, at least the image that PC Gamer provided leads me to think so.

http://www.runewebvitki.com/Valkyries.JPG

At first I was disgusted by the cutesy Sylvari, but they're beginning to appeal to the hippy in me. It's not unreasonable to hope that they'll have the ability to plant trees! And maybe the trees will have fruit! It could be like a new version of the Ritualist.

Yeh, I've liked them since the new races were announced, and I think It'll be the first char I make in GW2. They apear to be some sort of ranger/light elementalist/ritualist/monk. And fruit? Hell yeh, we won't even need to go to the kitchen anymore!

Well I was thinking more...exploding fruit. You lob it at your enemies.

some ideas in my head are,

Asura are connected to the Canthan people in some way, due to the ethnic backgroud and other asian influence. The Charr obviously are part of Tyrian lore, The Norn are neat to think about and bring a shapeshifting idea to the game which i like. the idea of sylvari being elven is fair game i suppose but i doubt that Anet would go that far into WoW territory really. My guess is maybe its a Ghost race. the dead ancestors of the World of Guild Wars i.e. tyrian, canthan and Elonian. from the dundgens of the Underworld, where we all see different ghosts. may be it would tie into Gwen, as to her where abouts and who or what she has been staying with, alive or not. GW did say they would depict these races in GW:EN so its up in the air really :P

just my thoughts, dont hate

EDIT: After reading about the Sylvari on G-wiki i now change my idea, that they are not spirits of UW but maybe spirits of maguuma, like the big spirit animals we see. maybe they have spirit minions that look like ranger spirits. maybe they have their own morphing abilities into spirits.

furthermore, after looking at the picture, i have also gained some curiousity over the girly like resymblance to GWEN that these herbalists, if you will, have with gwen's picture. looking back to Tyrian Lore, GWens mom, Sarah was an herbalist i believe and seem to share in the ideals of Sylvaris. maybe gwen traveled there. if she did really follow the adventurer from pre searing ascalon all the way to maguuma, and decided to stay, i would not be suprised. who said we had to see her following us all that way? heh
so there is my edit after reading more :P

i very much agree with this idea. The name, Giant's Basin, the lake which is north. ok, there are three lakes, but obviously the middle on the the largest aka a giant lake. and the NOrns are half-giants so where did the name "Giants Basin" descend from???? im guessing, back when the watchtowers were used, against the norn threat to kryta, thats when they named it Giants Basin, because the Norn were probably seen as giants by krytans and there for, named after the race, and event.

Norns are hot or what?

More than a slight influence I'd say.

The tattooing shown in the Norn pic is undoubtably celtic knotwork, and the ability to shift into bear form is common in Celtic tales of berserkers.
The female in the pic also has her hair tied in a way that was common amongst Celtic/Norse/Scandinavian cultures, and the skirt (looks like a bear pelt to me) hanging on her right hip is edged with what appears to be runes.

The only real difference I can see is that Celtic warriors mostly fought naked, but then again, the game is only rated 'Teen'.
The half-giant suggestion also points towards a Celtic influence, the Celts as a race were quite large people, considerably taller than their Roman enemies.

I've always thought gwen was a human!

Norms look cool, I might play one of those ,love the bear shifter thing.....playing as an asura would be funny,if minipets can be transfered into GW2, i'll get asura miniature and i'll have my mini-me

To be honest as I saw a pic about one on GWiki (geez now they took it off ) that elf-like creature reminded me on one of a W.I.T.C.H.-character XD

Hmmmm... The Sylvari thing reminds me a LOT of the Dryad race from the Dungeon Siege series. Beings of the wilds, connected to the natural world, and tight-knit with each other... Not to mention making very powerful rangers and nature mages. Any other Dungeoneers here seeing that parallel?

Yea,it does seems similar....im thinking tht GW2 will probably have the favoured prof thing for races. Norms will probably favour the warrior prof, Azuras as eles...Humans will always be sort of free for all, kinda thing with better trading skills...Like what Toutatis said, Sylvari will favour rangers/druids. Char....hmm....warriors/fire eles/shaman?

this is getting to sound more like Neverwinter nights now XD....

too bad they don't add a undead race that looks like the undead of tyria because they look wicked, but if i have too choose out of the new races i would choose charr, if you see the artwork with there armor they just look magnifecent

I would really like to see how GW2 would balance all the races out. Or else it'll end up to be another MMORPG. I really hope it doesn't become like WoW.

Back to the subject, I have a feeling that Melandru would be the god to be talked about the most in EotN. Norn and Sylvari look like races that worship Melandru.

Damnit!!

I was really counting on some kind of elaboration on races already existing.... but no.... no.

I was hoping the Asura might turn out to be like the Ancient Seers that help against the Mursaat...... but no.... They're just little white gremlins instead. ¬_¬

Sure... throw yet more races in.


When do we get our Tengu heroes?
Dwarven heroes?

Heck.... Dredge or Naga heroes? They -are- intelligent races afterall.

Somehow all of this ends up leading instead to a bunch of new and wacky races..... -_-;

*Shrugs*


Ours is not to reason why.

Regarding the Sylvari:

Quote from Ch1 booklet:'Years ago, many tribes of human druids lived among the Maguuma’s lush greenery and wildlife. But it has been a long time since anyone has heard word from them, and many believe that they were eaten by hostile jungle creatures or simply swallowed whole by the man-eating plants now rampant in the jungle.'

Quote from Henge of Denravi:'The Henge of Denravi was once a sacred meeting place for the druids of Maguuma. It fell into disuse after the druids mysteriously disappeared more than a decade ago. The only way to enter the Henge is to be granted access through the Henge Gate, and only those who have already been to Denravi can find their way back.'

Druids description:'Druids are nature spirits and servants of Melandru that can be found in areas of the Maguuma Jungle. They were once beings so deeply connected to nature that they gave up their physical bodies and "transcended" to ethereal spirits at one with nature. They are encountered in several quests and missions.'

Apparently the druids used to be humans before their transformation which happened a decade before the searing. Since they lived in the Maguuma Jungle, it would be weird they never encountered the Sylvari, who might have been responsible for their transformation in some way or the other. I think there is at least a connection between the Druids and the Sylvari.

I hope since apparently GW:EN will be the last real big expansion for GW, that Anet will shed some light on the Mursaat, though I suspect they were puppets of Abaddon as well, wether willing or unwilling. Apparently GW:EN has a setting in North Charr Lands, North of Shiverpeaks and the Maguuma Jungle. I think it was in the Maguuma Jungle where the Mursaat were first encountered, so maybe Anet unravels their mysterious origin. North Charr lands will reveal some information how the Charr really got rallied into fighting the Ascalonians, which is because of the Titans ofcourse. And apparently the Stone Summit is still busy doing mischief, since a big part of GW:EN will be about the Great Destroyer, who the Stone Summit has been trying to summon all the time during Prophesies.

It would seem logical the Druids and the Sylveri are connected in some way.
Isnt it said somewere the Druids were originally a tribe that destroyed nature before Melandru punished them?

The inscription that accompanies statues of Melandru in Tyria say that there was a tribe that she punished to become trees for their crimes against nature, but that doesn't mention any Druids.

The "Wisdom of the Druids" quest that you can pick up in the Maguuma area tells you the origins of the Druids though - the Avatar of Dwayna tells you that the Druids were once humans, but they gave up their physical existance to become spirits in their effort to become closer to nature.

Even that doesn't make much sense.

Why would being transformed into a tree be punishment?
I reckon it'd be cool to be transformed into a tree. No more worries in the world.... Just sitting there and drinking for the rest of your life...

Ours is not to reason why, I suppose.


In any case I don't suppose any of that matters much.
This isn't something I can really be bothered to speculate much on.

The Sylveri seem like distinctly earth-aligned variants of the Fey in my Ultio system.... which isn't saying much. They're basically GW's answer to the lack of elves. The Norns reak of "walking shiverpeak stereotype compilation" ... And as I've already mentioned, the Asura are just white gremlins... Ridiculous.

None of this is of any interest to me.


I still want Tengu / Dwarven heroes. Maybe Naga or Dredge heroes too.

Its a punishment because its a lose of freedom like prison , they are forever trapped as a tree and unable to move or escape. Nice work Melandru

Do you suppose for an instant that trees WANT to move or escape? They have everything they need right where they are.

Except they cant talk, they cant play, they can go down the Inn for a Dwarven ale etc. eternal boredom ftl

Actually i would consider it a punishment to be turned into the thing i went around destroying. And not only that - you run around as a human and then next thing you know your a tree......kinda hits you hard dont you think?

Perhaps the Sylvari are these people and their punishment has wore off allowing them to begin again? ether way i find the Sylvari very interesting.

Ou something else about the sylvari... they are the YOUNGEST race in the Tyria world. In fact, they DO NOT exist yet...

During GW:EN you will witness the birth of the first Sylvari, it was mentioned somewhere. Someone confirm?

Yes they are born at somepoint in EotN. But that still doesnt mean they are not related to something like the Druids. They could have just started again as a new race. Still we will have to see.

Wait what about all those spirits in the woods that are called druids.

You know the transparent ones that look like those tree things.

Mybe they "create" the Sylvari to help you on your journey.

Sylvari look awesome. Arenanet said in article about GW2 that we will have playable races:
sylvari
norn
asura
charr
human
And it said that they wouldn't be the only playable races in GW2
Maybe Centaurs and Tengu

Yeah, Centaurs and Tengu should definitely be made playable. I doubt dwarves can be playable since they seem to all be stone.

I personally really hope, Anet will correct this stupid stuff about the Dwarfs and implements also later a new playable race Elves, so that the Sylvari won't become another "Wannabe-Concept" in GW's history of failing stupid concepts...which try to make the game look somehow "unique", for the cost of lacking good gameplay with some logical thinking behind it.

I really hope.. Norns won't shapeshift in GW2 later only into stupid huge ugly teddy bears, no they should be also able to shapeshift into Wolfes and ravens to complete their shapeshiftign concept around the norse mythology and to make the Norns not look liek some boring half giants, which can only be powerful by transforming into big teddy bears, letting weapons "magically" grow in double size through this -.-

And let asuras don't become wannabe-dwarfs, which should be our consolation prices. WE WANT DWARFS...ok, implement them not direct, but when the stated next ones will come, then UNPETRIFICATE the DWARFS and make them playable. How can Anet just abandon the most well known, most beloved, and most funny traditional race of all >.< this sucks and its somehow discriminating to those players, which love traditional races and don't feel the permanent need, to whine like childs about traditional Races and to compare everything ever ASAP with WoW, as if this game would be the origin of all MMO's >.>

GW2 should be a good misture about new GW unquie races and traditional ones.

And to the traditional ones belong Dwarfs and Elves, they are together with Humans like the Holy Trinity of professions...and when someone don#t likes them... so god damn, wtd really forces anyone to play with them huh ????

right!!, NO SINGLE PERSON says anyone, with what races you have to play!!!


Asuras are way toooooo big to go through as "GW unique" Gnomes. anyone who says this has absolutely no clue about how big Gnomes really are - they are one of the smallest races of al traditional ones ...


My personal best set of Races looks like this:

Humans
Elves
Dwarfs
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Asura (please make them SMALLER, they are nearly as big as dwarfs >_<)
Charr (Beast/Cat Hybrids)
Norn (Animagus-Giants)
Sylvari (Forest Nymphs)
-------------
Undines (Sea Nymphs/ Nixen/Amphibics) > important only, that GW2 will have a race, that lives under the deep sea, it will be 100 pro very much fun, to dive as an Undine in the water very deep, until you hit the ground theoretically, beign able to see the underwater life in a territory, where the character is able to move in 360° total freely, having the feeling as if your character would be one with his elemental environment, fighting also under water with this race against ancient creatures of the deep sea


A winged race, able to fly, like the Sylphs, which would live isolated in their high in the sky floating island empires, which float in the sky through rune stone magic and crystal technology, beign used as soem kind of power ressource a la Stargates Narquada, naturally under an own more uniquw soundign name, that doesn't sound too similar to Sylvari, maybe name them Belflear, it sounds nice and has a nice correnspond to FF12, which story goes about "Sky Pirates"... maybe this flying race could be somethign like that, also high technology based similar to the Asuras, with the difference, that this race is able to fly self and doesnt need high end technology for this in form of airships >.> which would be far too futuristic for GW2.

However, GW2 needs 2 new races at least more, one that lives in the sky and one that lives in the deep seas to that GW2 wil have playable races for all 3 stages of the new Z-Acsis, which will come with GW2, which wil theoretically allow the Devs of GW to implement fly mechanics, and to enable our characters to dive in the water, because the game will have then heigth parametres for those kinds of actions, lettign the game be complete 3D without any "illusions"


when theres then an amphic race, there may also not miss a lizardlike race, I woudl suggest the Krait, they look to me, as if those creatures could develop themself over these several hundred years into a strong draconical race of lizardmen, living isolated in dark poison bogs and forests, being more one kind of a primitive race with that it is hard to communicate and which will have their total unique own language and way to communicate with each other.

something a really hope will also get developed more in general also too for GW2 ...it was somehow annoying and childish to see in GW1 yet, that there talk centaurs with humans, dwarfs with humans ect. pp with each other and they all understand each other, as if there would be only 1 language on tyria >.< boring...must get advanced more.


however.. these 2 are the races, i personally wish me the most for GW2 beneath being able to play as Dwarf or Elf, when I want to do so and absolutely don't care about, when others think then, GW owuld become a WoW-Clone alone through this >.> (what is childish retarded thinking)


Undines and Sylphs, to have playable races of all kinds of environmental 3D Areals, that would be possible in GW2.


Humans live in their Towns
Asuras live in the Underground (mostly) but also have some little colonies on the upper ground
Norns live in the cold regions
Dwarfs live in the Mountains
Elfs/Dark Elfs live in the forests
Undines then in the deep sea
Sylphs high up in the Sky , they should have feathered white wings and look somehow angelish through that maybe (through this change, theres then also no need anymore for those wannabe-angel paragon class, which can be then skipped for a real Minstrel Profession, while the Dervish skips the stupid avatar-concept .. shapeshift gameplay goes then completely over to the Norns and out of Dervish will become then a correct concepted GW unique DANCER-Profession with Battle and Support Dances)

and to top this simple list, Anet should give us also a playable Demon Race, either the Mursaat or the Margonites.. or somethign totally different and new, a kind of Demon race maybe, which look more like evil black devils.


ya, i realy hope, the implemention of new races wil be also used for GW2, to correct alot of crap concepts anet made and change them to something better, hwich will provide better gameplay and lets the profession look all better fitting together, as when under atm 10 professions are 2 extraordinary ones under, from which one looks like an overpowered wannabe god-concept class and the other one like a mixture of a wannabe angeln and a wannabe bard, as if the devs wanted to try to give the game a surprise egg-class a la 3 in 1 >.>, because so much people in forums whines about, that they want shapeshifters and angels in GW it seems


but imagine with this crap now, anet would implement in GW2 dervishs, as they are atm ... oO

Double Shapeshiting wtf ?

Avatar Norns OMFG ... no thanks ... such weird shit needs GW surely not..the game needs only one thing, thats able to shape shift and that should be in GW2 then the Norns, because it makes just more sense and the concept around the Dervish was from begin on so or so bullshit personally.

When Anet wants to keep the Dervish in GW2, the Dervish must loose imo the avatar ability and make out of the Dervish, what he should have been from the start on - the GW unique version of a Dancer Class, because thats for what Dervishs are/were well known - their dances
----


However, I've to stop... these discussons make me ever crazy ^^ so more I discuss about possible GW2 concepts...so more I can#t await it, that Anet gives us finally more information about it and maybe finaly some first pictures

Meh, i already hate the fact that I had to create 10 different characters to enjoy GW to the fullest.

You make it sound like in GW2 I have to create a character of every class PLUS create at least one of each race, in order to explore every crevice there is in GW2.

I would prefer to have GW2 characters 100% changable, not only the secondary class, but also primary class, gender, race, appearence.
Saves me the trouble of 'having' to go through the game 10 or more times.