The Future: Imagined Vistas of a Future Tyria

What I find most interesting are the possibilities that exist for unique environments in Guild Wars 2 that have evolved from the current settings in Guild Wars.

In a few hundred years:

-Kaineng City: the sprawl of the city has lessened. The towering and layered slums have been abandoned as the populace slowly moved out into areas reclaimed from the ravages of the Jade Wind. The rotting hovels and labyrinthine passages of the old city becomes a dangerous ruin and the habitation for creatures that shun the light of the sun.

-Jade Sea and Echovald Forest: even the Jade becomes bedrock for new life. Hundreds of years after the Jade Wind ravaged the region, wind blown soil has covered much of the devastation and allowed nature a place to take root. Large outcroppings of Jade and the shapes of stone trees occasionally jut out from the canopy of the jungles and grassy plains.

-Ascalon, the region: the damage of the Searing remains visible to those that look for it, but much of Ascalon has come back to a life not too unlike what it had before the day of the Searing. Stone ruins peek out from beneath canopies of flowering vines and green moss.

-Catacombs of Ascalon: it was not until after the Searing, and the new explorations that followed, that the true expanse of this enormous underground realm was revealed. Indeed, the Catacombs were not limited to the region of Ascalon but extended out into areas all over the continent. A person could travel from the area near Old Ascalon all the way up to Crystal Desert in the south and to lands far west of the Shiver Peaks. The black depths of this netherworld reach deep and far. Its secrets remain largely unknown to all but a few brave adventurers.

-Across the Ocean:
-Mhenlo

The world is a bigger place. Two centuries of exploration and discovery has opened up a whole continent to the west across the sea as well as access to remote and mysterious lands of the east.

-The Lands of Orr: the fabled and shattered land of ancient Orr arose from the Sea of Sorrows that had claimed it after the city and nation fell to the Cataclysm. The Undead still walk the ruins of the Orr, lost in a deep hate for all living things. Whether it was the vagaries of geology or a guided magic which caused these lands to emerge from the murky depths remains a mystery. Many adventurers are enticed to appropriate the powerful magical artifacts lying scattered among the devastation but many of those arcane items have found new owners who zealously guard against such ambitious mortals.



It will be interesting to see how the Devs build on the old world while they are creating a new one at the same time.

edit for typo, added Orr

Well thats nice said
But GW2 will be only in Tyria as they say....I dont think there will be Cantha and Elona.

Tyria is also the name of the world, so my guess is that they were referring to the world and not just a region.

Does anything specifically say where GW2 will take place? The press release states that GW:EN is "set largely in the dungeons and caverns of the lands of Tyria that players first explored in Guild Wars Prophesies..." I have yet to see anything that places a restriction on how much land is encompassed in GW2.

I don't have the magazine but what I have gleamed:

I infer that to mean Tyria, the world. So, they have a pretty large canvas to work with. The Guild Wars expansion description is more precise because it's tying in all the existing locations.

But, in GW2 I am guessing that existing locations in Guild wars will make an appearance. It would add to the "immersiveness" of the game as well leaving huge possibilities for completely new areas. <ie. The Mists>

I can imagine that Ascalon will have regained its former glory, at least I sure hope so. I see a vast expanse of walls and towns surrounding a giant citadel. If Kaineng were to be changed I'd think theyd just build over that mess and the underlaying city would turn into a catacomb in itself.

Or perhaps:
After the great fire of XXXX, the city has been abandoned in accordance with martial law. The inhabitants, those spared by the disaster, are left to wander in an attempt to find a new place to settle.
Not all have left, vagabonds and people of low moral fiber have claimed the city as their own. Anarchy is the rule of the day. Different tribes/gangs claim different parts of the city with minor skirmishes happening daily.

A varitable wasteland- think Escape from NY

*Here is where you could make deals/pledge allegences/back stab, or even plot one gang versus the other.

Nice thread- KV- I love the threads that get spark my creative side.

ANoid

According to Eye of the North lore, earthquakes will rip apart the ground all around the WORLD of Tyria, so this could mean that all the current cities will be ruins in GW2, because 100 years have passed and an earthquake may have destroyed them, at least this is just what I think.

Moved to the Lore forum, as this is where it belongs.

I want to see some technological advancement. Not, you know, guns or anything. Well, maybe a few. But it's several hundered years after GW. If there's constant warfare going on, or even if there isn't, there has to be some sort of advancement. I'll be terribly disappointed. Hell, I'll take even just the cities having nicer buildings, stuff like that. Don't get rid of the feel of it, just... Throw in some new tech. That's all I care about - I think ANet can handle everything else just fine.

@Panacea

I think there is room for some kind of Tyrian Renaissance to occur; I could even see a place for muskets and gunpowder. If I recall, I saw cannon emplacements on the walls of Maatu Keep.

If anyone ever played Arcanum, it had a nice blend of magic and technology: think Middle Earth in the early industrial age.

lets think up north of tyria. what about the Tomb of Drascir???

it's said to be north, the old capital of ascalon, Rurik and his father were born there, it's also the portal for Tyria to the Hall of Heros; Tomb of Primeval Kings is for Elona; Hero's Ascent is for cantha.

can you say, "new HoH protal for GW:2 !!"

Hmm I already suggested Tombs of Drascir might be in GW:EN, since it will be in the same area anyway. As we are going to explore the Charr lands and the Tombs lie deep in Charr lands, we prob see it. ToPK isnt for Elona only, its for the whole world, since the Primeval Kings ruled all lands in the past. It wasnt clear wether ToD and ToPK are actually the same, but it is actually generally thought to be something different, because both have a different location. But on the other hand, they have the same purpose, being burial ground for all Primeval Kings and portal to the UW. I think ToD was just a temporarly burial ground, when ToPK was inaccesible for a time.

Actually no the Primeval kings didnt rule over all lands, the kingdoms of Ascalon Kryta and Orr were once once nation called Ascalon and were ruled from Drascir.

The Primeval kings ruled only Elona and the island Istan which seemed to have been used as the original capital of Elona. Although the Term Primeval kings could be applicable for all kings of the ancient kingdoms but it is a termed only used in Elona. Remember that the lands of Elona and Tryia weren't always connected, there used to be a sea between them. they were separate Nations much like Cantha is to them.

Hmm, that's pretty much a "kiss of death" for a topic. o.O

Curiously, there's a newer topic with a much more narrow focus that doesn't rate as "lore". I was hoping for a broader conversation based on player experiences in Guild Wars and what they see as possible environments in Guild War 2.

Obviously, there will be many completely new regions and locations introduced in Guild Wars 2, but I am sure ANet will also bring forward, in some fashion, some of the old areas as well.

Continuity is a neat thing, helps people feel like they belong to a larger story.

Asheron's Call 2, had many faults, but one of the cool things was that you could go to some of the post-cataclysmic locations that you may have experienced in the first Asheron's Call.

Regardless, Guild wars 2 will be gaining a lot of depth that was often missing in the first incarnation.

Being immersed in a game or a book is a good thing, even though most people are "too cool" to admit liking it.

I wonder how Shing Jea would have become?....

Good question, I wonder if it will still be a center of learning with the monastery as it's focal point. After Togo is gone and with the upheavals on the mainland with the population in the aftermath of the Plague, the island may undergo some changes of its own. Economically, it may not reign as the "bread basket for the Canthan Empire" as life returns to ravaged areas on the mainland.

Maybe the Nagas will become friendly again with humans, as they once were, especially if any sea level changes impact large areas of the island.

If the island remains as a seat of wisdom, perhaps it will sponsor other schools throughout Cantha in the areas recovering from the Jade Wind. Maybe there will be a schism that arises from different schools of thought which will cause tension between the new and old traditions.

Hmm, i can see the two gangs Jade Brotherhood and Am Fah taking over Kaineng and driving the empire away from Raisu Palace, making them look for refuge in Shing Jea.

After the alliance against Shiro and the Afflicted, the Luxons and the Kurzicks could unite too, and the two peoples could be seen travelling freely through the jade sea and echovald forest, fightning togheter against the oni, nagas, wardens, dredges, etc... Or even forging alliances with them so they could restore their lands and define their territorys. Then the Shing Jea Monastery along with Kaineng's imperial army could unite forces with the Kurzicks and Luxons to drive back the two gangs and restore full peace in Cantha.

Especulation ftw!

No, Tyria is just the continent, not the world iirc. I don't ever remember the "World" as being referred to as Tyria before.

-source

I remember reading it in the Prophecies Manual as well, reference to the World of Tyria, etc.

Yes,Tyria is also refered to as the whole world of Guildwars....with 3 continents explored so far (excluding battle isles)...it will stretch further into the north once GW:EN is being released....and perhaps more land might be revealed in GW2. I would say Tyria would be a world like Azeroth in warcraft.

As for Shing Jea, i think it would still be a place for learning, probably one of the starting points for new characters in GW2..what do u think? I'm always very fond of the island and would gladly make a home on the island. The scenaries are just stunning....hope tht part dont change..

I still wonder where exactly Cantha fits in on the map. I also wonder if Elona will be accessible in GW2... Maybe in an expansion perhaps.

I'll try to think of somthing for each region.

Ascalon- conquered by the Charr. The Searing worked, though not in the immediate, destructive way it was intended, rather by ruining the economy by destroying every possibility of trade, causing the great exodus of 1072 AE, and disheartening the people. they gained ground in 1085 when King Adelbern died, and again fifty year later, when the charr offered to do nothing to anyone who surrendered. The rule of the charr is not as bad as you'd expect, though most humans (and some charr) wish for the Ascalon of stories, with vareing amounts of seriousness. Geographically, it has nearly recovered from the Searing, but signs of it can still be seen.

The Shiverpeaks- mainly still the same, however, Deldrimor is much more influential then it was at the time of the Abbadon War, perhaps the powerful nation on the Tyrian continent, having allied with the Norns to the north, and handling most of the trade between Charr and humans, with Ascalon on one side and the Krytans on the other.

Kryta- largely unchanged. A form of the White Mantle still rules, and though with Abbadon dead they no longer kill people on the bloodstone, they are still not exactly nice guys.

The Maguuma Jungle- Not much different. The Mantle is still saying it's part of Kryta, and they still can't control it. The Shining blade is no longer reviled by anyone except Krytans.

The Crystal Desert- . The Forgotten have become a bit less hostile after it was humans who destroyed Abbadon. Recently, Palawa Joko and the Charr has been trying to establish a presence here, both with little success

The Ring of Fire- With the Mursatt gone and little pressure on the other side of the Door of Komalie, no-one lives there. The local animals have overrun it. there is no reason to go there. I doubt we will.

Shing Jea island- Not much different. With Kaineng City's fall from grace, it is now a much more important part of the Canthan Empire.

Kaineng City- After the Shiro disaster, emporor Kisu decided that Kaineng was a recepie for disaster, a plague hole due to the cramped quarters, and corrupt even beond the gangs, and removed the capital to the Harvest Temple. People started to move away, either to Shing Jea or the new city at Unwaking Waters, and the Canthan empire started losing control of Kaineng. Today, it is almost a ruin. The Am Fah and the Jade Brotherhood have some power, but for the most part, anarchy rules. The people who live here are tough, ambitious, and immoral enough to want to live in such a place.

The Echovald Forest- Though stone trees are still the biggest features of the landscape, living plants have returned, and it is slowly coming back to life. the fighting between the Luxons and the Kurziks has if not stopped, nearly stopped, partially because they teamed up against Shiro, but mainly because they are now much more under the eye of the Canthan empire. Many Canthans now live in the southern parts of the forest, near the capital at Unwaking Waters.

The Jade Sea- Unlike the Echovald Forest, it shows no signs of becoming a sea again anytime soon, or changing at all. The changes brought on by the capital moving to Unwaking Waters happened here, too.

Istan- Two big changes. First, Istan is probably the "face of Elona" to outsiders, rather then Kourna. Second, the Sunspears are no longer centered here, but in Kormir's Sanctuary, in Kourna

Kourna- After the Abbadon War and the death of Varesh Ossa, leaving no heir, there was a period of civil war, then a slew of outside invders trying to grab as much as they could. The major players have been Vabbi, Palawa Joko, and the Sunspears, who were reformed shortly after the Abbadon War into an organization dedicated to getting Kormir accepted as the Sixth god. Istan has also been involved at times, and the Charr send armies south as soon as they forget that the last one didn't even reach Kourna. Most of them are (not) "trying to help the Kournans".

Vabbi- not much different, though a checkered record in Kourna has somwhat damaged their reputation, and thus, their buisness.

The Desolation- Palawa Joko has nearly taken over the Desolation, and is movig into the neighboring Kourna and Crystal desert. He is, however, trying not to be considered "bad guy", which could lead to being attacked, a claim which rests largely on the fact that he is one of the very few remaining people who fought against Abbadon.

In reality however, I doubt any of my predictions will be right. ArenaNet wil likely do somthing that will give them an excuse to completely change the geography.

Check here:

http://spark72.com/aus/downloads/full_tyria.jpg

It's a map of the known world during the time of the trilogy.

I imagine it like this for the continent of Tyria.

Ascalon has been rebuilt or perhaps the city rebuit in a different place leaving the Ruins of Ascalon as a monument to those that died.

In the Shiverpeaks most of the Northen Shiverpeaks have melted. This leads to further expansion by Kryta. The Dwarves on the North side have moved to whats left on the south. Deldrimor remains strong as ever since the Stone Summits Invasion.

In Kryta the White Mantle are no more than storys. Kryta is strong having beaten the Undead. Races from all over Tyria go to Kryta to trade within the capital and travel to the far lands of Cantha and Elona. With this sudden interest of movement conflicts between races have began in the krytan provinces.

In the Maguuma Jungle, the birth of a new race hundreds of years before has changed the fierce Jungle. Settlements have sprung up in the jungle and life goes on. Deep in the Jungle lies a forgotton stone where chosen hundreds of years before,met their doom. Even deeper behind a unseen mist, a lost city lies undisturbed - its inhabitants held in mystery.

The Crystal Desert no longer bears structures from the Elonians and the Margonites. Life has found its way onto the outskirts of this wasteland, the wasteland that was created by the wars of a fallen god's followers a thousand years before. The original caretakers of Tyria that roamed the Desert are gone.

The Ring of Fire Islands were the host to a fight over the fate of the continent Tyria. It was there the Titans were released and the Flameseeker Prophecies completed. After the battle the Volcano, of which the Bloodstones were tossed into , erupted. This changed the face of the Ring Of Fire. Hundreds of years on mysterys remain on these deadly islands. Creatures thought to be long gone stir...

Orr is now a place of interest to many. Partys of Heros have began to swim to the sunken ruins in hopes to find the powerful magic that was its demise and treasure seekers and historians hold this place in great interest.

Fanwork by Steve Costa... it says in the lower right.

That map isn't Canon therefore.
The world would have to be heinously screwed up for the relative climates demonstrated to be so positioned, and the implication of Cantha's shape (note: no east coast on the official game map) suggested there was more land to the west of it.... rather than it just being jutting out of nowhere on its own.
Just consider that placed where it is, and given the change in climate from Ascalon down to Kourna.... by the time you got down to Cantha it should have gone way into the cold already and Mourning Veil Falls should be entirely frozen over (the water there, clearly).

I still maintain that Cantha is to the west of the Maguuma Jungle. Nothing else makes sense.








Anyhow.... as regards Guild Wars 2 and predictions for Kaineng.... I'm going to play the black sheep card and suggest that it is NOT going to become an infested ruin full of thieves and whatnot. It is already an infested ruin full of thieves and whatnot. On the contrary, I expect the emperor will decide that the city has become far too corrupt... and then just knocks the worse parts down. The better parts will be expanded until Kaineng is one again a grand example of eastern architecture..... while Bukdek Byway will be almost entirely demolished and a memorial park put in its place.

And you wanna know why I think that?

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

Well if you class Kourna being the Equatoral Zone of Tryia and there is 1 (or possibly 2) other continents above it eg Tryia and northern lands then there is plenty of room to have Cantha to the south of it. to the south of Cantha would be the Antarctica of Gw

And if you actually look at Cantha you will see the east side of it isnt land at all, its Jade, it once was all Sea much like the Crystal Dessert and Desolation, making the land mass of Cantha more a right angle shape

I'd put the equator through the Desolation and Vabbi.... personally.
Given how far south that fan-map puts Cantha though, the whole thing would be under ice given the changes between northern Tyria and Elona.

I can't make any sense of it unless Cantha shares latitude with Tyria.

We dont actually know much much room there is north since North Tryia only has ice because its mountainous, the there hasnt actually been a true ice land area seen in the game yet. That makes the world considerably larger than the fan map made it to be. The Fan map one is broken since the south of Elona is would be Iced over as would all northern Ascalon and Kryta etc.

There is also a Quote ingame of a luxon pirate in elona saying he comes from the South West (or sound east cant remember which one) Thus proving Cantha is to the south of Tryia/Elona

Hmmm... I remain sceptical.

That is to say I haven't seen that pirate.... so I wouldn't know what he says.... but even then there isn't a definite implication that Cantha is in such a direction. Don't forget that the Luxons are nomads....

Until A-Net tell us straight-up where Cantha is then I'm going to assume it lies to the west of Tyria... for climatic reasons.

The pirate in question is not a luxon but instead a ex crimson skull - Jatora Musagi - the npc from The Captured Son Quest. He says he hails from the south west island of Shing Jea.

Perhaps, the map isn't 100% official, but it's the best view of the Tyrian World that we currently have. But, cartographers took centuries to get our real world portrayed accurately, so, I'm not too worried if we have Cantha's placement slightly off.

Climate-wise, I see no problems: the location of deserts has little to do with close proximity to the equatorial zones. Additionally, large mountain ranges tend to skew temperature and air flow patterns for entire regions just as the Earth's ocean gulf stream does for us.

As for placing the equatorial region on Tyria, well, we can't assume that Kyrta is located on the equator. There are temperate rain forests that develop where moisture-rich air masses from the ocean rise and become trapped by the coastal mountain ranges. So, this doesn't mean that Cantha is so far south of the equator that it should be a Tyrian Antarctica. Also, Tyria may be a much warmer world in general.


Image source from article http://weathersavvy.com/Q-Climate_DesertsFormed.html

I'd venture a guess that the Tyrian Equatorial Zone is probably between Istan and the Battle Isles.

Additionally we have at least some lore backing up Cantha's place in the world:

Cantha is referred to as across the seas in the southerly direction.
<Unlike Elona, which is referred to as being on the same continent as Kyrta but with an approach from the north being made extremely difficult by mountain ranges and the desert, thus making sea travel access much more efficient.>

Edit:

Here's some info from the map's creator, Steve Costa:

Meh.... fine... I'll submit for now....

Nice reading up you've done there.... but then if it implies as you suggest that the deserts and whatnot lie along the tropic lines (Cancer and Capricorn respectively) .... and that thereby implies that presumably the upper tropic runs through somewhere between Kourna and Vabbi....

... That still doesn't make Cantha temperate, which it quite undoubtedly is if you spend as much time there as I have.

Suppose it is just an inconsistancy on the part of A-Net?

Cantha would be, more or less, in the equivalent position of Australia, probably somewhat further north. Also, the landscape of does have some savanna-like qualities so that brings it in line with central Africa placement as well. <Take a look at the foliage and terrain outside Maatu Keep or the Monastery.>

Of course, I'm not sure how much detail or time ANet spent on it's geography, but my guess is that they simply did overlays of the real world and adjusted for scale.

Over all, Tyrian is much smaller than the earth, even with out knowing about the undiscovered areas. But, at the moment the equator "fits" nicely between the Battle Isles and Istan because of current desert placement and some climate match ups.

There is some allowable variance, or latitude, if you will.

The whole thing is on a sliding scale:

-how far is the Tyrian Sun from the planet?

-what is the degree of axis tilt?

-effect of the metaphysical disasters on global climate: Jade Wind, the sinking of Orr, the Searing <Orr subsidence & Searing's impact is still too new to have had a huge impact>

-is Tyria currently undergoing or between a glacial period?

All these "unknowns" could sway the world climate in various ways, of course.

We know that GWEN will introduce the new races to the game, and in GW2 we will be able to play them as characters. But did anyone every say whether they would be on the same side? For example, the Charr. These guys have always been the enemy, although somewhat forgotten after crossing the shiverpeaks. How would be we be able to play as them unless they made some form of settlements with the humans?

Unless GW is going complete WoW on us and we'll be able to play for different sides of the battle, the Charr would have to make peace with humans in the future, correct?

Well, Dark Ages of Camelot had warring realms <3 warring realms> a longtime before Blizzard's WoW. Mythic Entertainment was hugely successful in the implementation. A self sustaining Player versus Player conflict. It was very dynamic and didn't run rough shod over the PvE side of the game.

While you were within the borders of your home realm you adventured and quested as normal, once you stepped outside the Frontier Gates you entered a war zone. But, a war with a purpose: Keep, Tower and Realm Relic captures.

Concerning your point about playable races being friendly or not so friendly to humans, well, politics makes strange bedfellows and not everything is preordained by birth. Centaurs allied with Humans in Elona to fight Varesh and the Nagas were once peaceful trading partners with Humans in Cantha before the Jade Wind.

Intelligent beings will always transcend their differences, at least for a while. I could see a faction of the Charr that have broken ranks from the Fire Cult that rules their culture. Additionally, the subterranean worlds of Tyria may yield up all kinds of unlikely alliances.

I heard in one of the articles that the races will have to work together at the end of GWEN to beat the Great Destroyer. Or something along those lines. Doesn't necessarily mean they stay allied afterwards of course.

gw2 is only based on kryta and ascalon

this is a 1vs1 game, like factions, it will have alot of religion in it

stated fact.......

Correct me if i'm wrong but isnt every Guild Wars game so far a 1 v 1 (Good v Evil ) game

And please point me to the place it is stated it will have alot about religion (it will clear up the thread about the Gods in GW2)

It is said in the original PC Gamer scoop that Mankind is begining to wonder if its end has come. It also says of conflict between races. Gaile stated she thinks guilds will be able to have different races in them (eg Humans,Sylveri and Charr in one guild) so it adds futher confusion as to if the races are against each other or a few beings from the races have broken off to allie with each other or if the races are complelty at peace with a few break off here and there.

From each of the announced races we so far only know the Asura think they are supposed to rule Tyria,The Sylveri dont even know whats going on,the Norn are....well i'm not exactly sure.....and the Charr are suffereing from the loss of their supposed god.

Very nice wording @ the OP

The world you created sounds absolutely awesome. It's true, there's room for so much possibility. I can only imagine the feeling of walking through a village in Kryta, or seeing Ascalon rebuilt from the ruins to be the proud Kingdom it once was. Additionally, walking across the Jade Sea and through the Echovald forest while they're full of new life would be an experience.

I can't wait for Guild Wars 2 and to see what they do with this amazing world!