The gaps in the map that would be good new areas

I noticed a while ago that there are several big gaps on the world map. There are weird rumors going round that Chapter 2 will be set in the southern lands of Cantha which are off the current world map. However, I think some of the gaps in the GW world would make good areas to fill in.

Forgive me if these ideas have already been stated in more detail previously.

1.Round the north side of the big sea called in the game 'The Giant's Basin'. I thought this would be a good area to put in a kind of hilly, remote Kryta-style land with some strange beastly inhabitants. Watchtower Coast contains several large watchtowers that it says were used to defend the coast from invasions across the sea long ago.

2.South of the Maguuma Jungle. This is a large area, and although there are plenty of jungle lands in the game already, I thought it might be good to expand southwards. Perhaps some marshy trails leading around a wild but not quite jungle landscape, dotted with ancient obscure villages that were abandoned long ago. This land could be filled with weird creatures.

3.South of Ascalon, north of the Crystal Desert. There is a large area south of the Regent Valley that comes to what looks like on the map a steep mountain wall. On the other side of this 'wall' of course is the northern edge of the Crystal Desert. In my head I imagine that as you head south from Regent Valley the land becomes more and more dusty, ragged and barren. In the manual it says the Charr went south to attack the kingdom of Orr. Maybe this land could have been scarred by the Charr's southward advance. There could be dark tunnels that lead through this 'wall' of mountains, coming out on the other side into a dusty desert that gradually flows into the big, open desert area near Elona's Reach. It would be full of high level monsters like Lornars, of course, so that young Ascaloners couldn't venture southwards.

4.Orr. This area has already been a much discussed issue. In the manual it is stated that Vizier Khilbron brought the entire land underwater in a big earthquake or something when he tried to destroy the Charr. I thought maybe there could be a port of some area of the city that didn't entirely sink and there are dotted around islands with ruins on them and shallows which you can walk across, the ruins of a half sunken city. It could be a bit like a ruined Venice, well not the same architecture but...you know what I'm talkin about. Also maybe this could link to the west Crystal Desert via some ancient path or something.

5.North of Ascalon, darn it! I know there are already some 'northern' Charr lands but I think that there still hasn't been an effort to fill in the area that would be 'the Charr homeland'. Weird tent settlements, high level Charr, monstrous habitat. That kind of thing.

Ok, so I'm a history and geography boff, but I think other people might share an interest in this. I'm sure it's not just me that have been asking questions in their head as 'what's in that land?','what lives there?','what is that place like?'

I know that not all of these areas will be filled in in the future but they are I think they are nice ideas for new lands. Can anyone develop these ideas further, or come up with any other areas?

I must agree with you some of those blank spots on the map would be extremely fun to explore. Who knows though they may have something already in mind for Chapter 2. Perhaps Some ruined temples in the jungle leading down into explorable caverns, or maybe bridges allowing you to walk to island chains. Or one of my personal favorites a city in the trees how cool would it be to be running from tree to tree via rope bridges?

Tree temples. Rope bridges. I love it.

Here it is. It's the land south of the Maguuma as we know it. A little to east of Maguuma Stade, there is a path going south next to a tributary river to the one that goes into Riverside Province. This river meanders and there are minature waterfalls, and as you head further upstream there are several places in which the river seems to disappear, and for a moment you think you are lost in a strange land and there is no path to follow any more. But you keep finding it again and it gradually gets higher and higher, winding up a hillside that gets steeper and steeper. The landscape has changed from the jungle near Denravi to less dense a jungle. There is less vegetation, but trees seem to be getting taller as you walk. And then, you come to it. You have climbed all the way up to a tree temple, situated on a mossy slope halfway up the height of some very tall trees. There is a large rope bridge between two ancient temple ruins. This is the central outpost of the new land.
This new land mainly follows up this tributary river, but there are certain turnings. At one point, before you begin your ascent to the temple there is a large area of marshland to the south, covered in misty fog and full of jungle skale. Around this misty half jungle are dotted many ancient ruins, waterfalls and nice views.

Secondly, the Ascalon-Crystal Desert Path. When I got Guild Wars, I hadn't been on any websites or anything so I hardly knew anything about it. I thought that the entire world would be explorable, that there would be no boundaries to the land. I came out of pre-searing just after my brother, and when he reached Fort Ranik he showed me where it was and I rushed down to get there - I didn't know you could just do the Northern Wall. As I headed there I found myself walking along the very southern edge of Regent Valley. I wondered why there was no way to get through - it seemed to be a boundary. I thought that I could have walked far south down to the Crystal Desert. I left it and went to Ranik, but I found out soon later that there were boundaries and that a lot of the world wasn't explorable. I was seriously disheartened, but by the time I first finished the game I was still looking at the map and wondering why there was nothing in that giant gap. At the southern edge of Regent Valley you look out across some murky liquid channel. On the other side are some cliffs that then seem to roll away into a barren landscape. I imagine a frontier bridge built long ago by the Ascalon armies, that heads south along a weathered path, through a land that becomes more and more un-Ascalonly and increasingly barren. Along the way are fort ruins, and the remains of Charr camps that they abandoned as they marched south. There is much evidence of the Charr's advance as you head south. The land almost becomes a dusty desert as you finally find an outpost - a haven built by adventurers like yourself, in a cavern in the mountainous wall that divides Ascalon from the Crystal Desert. You head out of here into a dark cavern. You come out swiftly, into a dusty northern-Crystal Desert, plagued with wind riders and the like. It finally reaches the area around Elona's reach with a gradual land transformation.
I know this would be a bit like a second Lornars, but it would certainly only be for very experienced players and it would be impossible for parties with any low levelers in them to survive in it. Perhaps an outpost for 8 player parties could be at the 'frontier bridge' at the edge of Regent Valley.

Run out of time, maybe I'll go into the other two ideas another time. Please give feedback on these.

Can someone who has explored the world post a nice screenie of the map?
While we're waiting:

It sounds quite interesting but I would keep the boundery between ascalon and the desserts, add an area in between but still keep a wall there. the reason for this being people could get a run streight from ascalon to the crystal desserts with little to no effort at all. granted they can just get a run to sanctum cay and do the mission that way but at least they are somewhat going through the land instead of a streight run south to the desserts.

Align, I believe there is a fully explored map on the main site here if not i know this one works http://www.gwonline.net/images/cartography/worldmap.php

I'd also like something like a Kilika-type thing <from final fantasy 10> like tropical islands all linked by bridges and with a unique coastal people <Tan skinner, medium height and build> <---This woud be located off the side of the shiverpeaks facing the ocean that little coastal strip you see the full way up

I also reall love your other ideas, so you get a /Signed



/Signed =)


--The Shim

I meant a non-close-up, which are thirteen a dozen... usually with ugly borders and markers disrupting the otherwise pretty map.

Empty areas seem to be:

• Ruined Orr Peninsula
• North of:
  Maguuma Jungle
  Kryta
  Ascalon,
  
• South of:
  Maguuma Jungle
  Ascalon(those big mountains there look ripe for searching for passages in)

.

Hmm yes I like the idea of bridged island chains too. Well, going back to my first five ideas, I'll put them in order of preference for myself.

1.New land south of the Maguuma (possibly including island chains, tree temples, marshes, winding rivers etc.)
2.Ruins of Orr. I think as this area has been so long discussed because of it being in the manual, it almost has to be put in sometime. Theoretically it sunk underwater, but there could be parts of it still above sea level. Dunno what the devs are currently working on/done/thinking about, but surely Orr must be on their minds.
3.High level Charr lands. Cmon, surely the devs must have thought of this. I mean, we fled from Ascalon from these Charr that were highest lvl 8/9, and now we're level 20 and the Charr still camp up in the Northlands, they aren't defeated, Ascalon still isn't saved. Surely, we must go and defeat the lvl 28 Charr once and for all?
4. The idea of a land beyond the Giant's Basin. I've often been farming in Watchtower coast and looked out across the sea. The Watchtowers were historically built to defend against invasions from across the sea. Who were the invaders? What was this land they lived in?
5.Ascalon-Crystal Desert Path. I agree this could cause quite a lot of trouble as people could get run down, but it would not be impossible for the developers to make it impossible to run down, or go down with a lvl 2 in the party. Maybe, as I said before, there could be a 'Frontier Bridge' outpost on the edge of Regent Valley in which 8 people could form a party, but into which only level 20s could enter. Dunno how it would work, but I think that is a big gap that could be filled in.

I hope the devs have come up with something nice for Chptr 2, because I'm 'exploration thirsty'.
What are you guys' lists of importance, or can you think of any more ideas? Feel free to start a /sign for a certain idea

I'm disheartened to see not many people have a lot of interest in Guild Wars geography.

There is also the posibility of Catacombs under alot of places.

i really like youre idea's and i think if they get in the game it would ammount to fantastic scenery

/signed

/Sweet delicious Jesus signed

The large building structures on the mountains you can see all over kryta in the background. Cities full of npc's.

Or the peninsula east of the crystal desert. Sort of looks like a no-man's land, like the character selection screen, that could be cool too, with nomadic npc's travelling around outside of towns.

To the southwest of the mountains you can spot some beaches, maybe a port-town, with more than one ship would be nice.

I think I'm gonna take a copy of the map and put it in paint and paint some ideas in

My opinion:



It's rather small as it is, but the map can be slightly expanded northwards.

Basically, deep in your heart you know that the Vikings could beat the living daylights out of any forgotten jungle civilisation ever

In post-searing world, out of 6 large environments, only Kryta and parts of Maguuma are green. Personally, if I see yet another grayish-orangish-whitish-yellowish area, I'm going tp shoot myself with a Sundering Short Bow of Hurting a Lot. This area above would look like Northern Europe in summer: pine forests, happy green grass with flowers, and generally cool green-blueish colour palette. Occasionally fog and rain, occasionally hot sun.

The only parts of GW map right now that resemble it are some regions of Pre-Searing, especially near the mountains (At least IIRC, I have 4 chars, so I can't check back and see ). Aside from being very different from generally tropical world Tyria is, such setting has a great Medieval-esque feel to it. I'd also love it to be an open space with forests, as most of the world is now a maze of canyons.

But quite frankly, I'll be happy with anything with no devourers in it.

That area is the same thing I had in mind for the land of the invaders that came across the Giant's Basin (that's the bigger of those two seas). Something somewhere mentioned the watchtowers in Watchtower coast being defences against these invaders.
Exactly! GW Vikings! And they sailed across the sea in their longboats to raid Kryta! And where do they live? A chilly, foresty land like Scandinavia! This is a great idea. Maybe there could be like a little Viking-style settlement outpost with wooden walls and a longhouse and that kinda stuff. And you could get up to this land by the road from Nebo Terrace, but there would be some kind of Krytan defences. These defences on land would have meant the 'GW Vikings' attacked across the sea. I'm tryin to do something in paint like paint some of the various ideas we've come up with onto the map.

we go underwater!, now we have to swim~

the big lake to the north-west of maguuma could be the place of a big temple resting on the water Amazones ftw

a big inside structure inside the temple with dozens of floors filled with strange creatures from zombies to giant flesh eating bats.

its arleady giving me the creeps. OOOOh and traps like darts flying from the wall.

Chapter 2 is supposed to have the same amount of content as chapter 1...so I don't think that blank areas on the current map can provide that. Time to move to a new map!

Personally I think that the current map can be at least x 1.5, with each of the gaps mentioned filled. However, I guess if it were a whole new storyline, yes we would need a new map. However, most sources seem to suggest that Chapter 2 is coming around April 2006. There's still quite a while until then...during which more updates like Sorrow's Furnace could be put in - that was the summer update...how about new land for a christmas update?
Anyway , lets bring together some more ideas on what to put in these gaps.

I am very impressed with all of your ideas. Before Computers (ummm ya) Dungeons and Dragons was the "rgp" of the day. The lands you have described are identical to adventures I went on as a kid
(on paper ). Absolutely awesome! If they incorporate your thoughts and ideas it will take GW to an entire different level. As much as I love all of the landscape the GW has engineered, its still missing the the type of terrain you have described. There are so many possibilities its overwhelming. I just wanted to say that you guys have great imagination and I hope GW will read this post and incorporate your ideas.
Very good job!!

Athis

I'm going to look at new Charr lands.
Here's the idea. Remember when long ago when we level 11ers sadly watched Rin burn, and watched Rurik and Adelbern argue? Remember that sad moment when Adelbern banished his son? And then remember Rurik's call to the people of Ascalon, to travel over the shiverpeak mountains to the kingdom of Kryta, to the place where they would be safe from these monstrous level 8 Charr? Well, since then, what happened to Ascalon? So many people left it and crossed the mountains. Did these level 8 Charr continue to pillage and burn and rape it? And we just left the guys that stayed behind to be killed by these puny monsters? So now, what state is Ascalon in. Has it been taken over by the Charr completely? Or is the Northern Wall still being defended against the Charr? Whatever the case, it's time we went to teach these little guys a lesson.
The farthest we've ever been into Charr lands is the Dragon's Gullet, the Flame Temple Corridor, and the old city of Drascir. But even then they were only level 9s. Where's their big camp? Where are their armies coming from? We need to destroy them, now we're level 20 and we can face up to them for sure. Somewhere in that haze of land there must be a big camp full of level 24-28s. Somewhere, there must be the leaders. If we can find this and destroy it, well, Ascalon will be saved! What say you? We head into the Charr homelands and crush their highest levelers once and for all? Or leave Ascalon to fall against an enemy that can be dealt with?

ehm btw can anyone see the picture I posted up there
cos it was loading for me earlier but its not any more...

I like the idea because the map is missing something. Well on several missions you have to save prisoners from the charr. Well what stopped the charr from bringing prisoners back to their land? I think there should be somewhat of a small outpost hidden deep in a cave where escaped charr slaves have banded together to start some sort of rebelion. This would be FAR into charr territory and surrounded by high levels and it could offer quests like killing the this general or taking out the flame barrers.

For the city of Orr I thought that there maybe like a head piece that is customized that is given to you by that guy who infuses you. Orr would be island chains and such because in the manual it said that parts of the ruins stick out of the sea. The item given to you could allow you to see what was below the water. Maybe a large city like ruined ascalon full of the lost souls underwater in which you would need the item to acsess because without it you would drown.

I think the area around both lakes are empty there should be some sort of new race up there.

I like ur idea for the Charr lands, having a prisoners outpost which you go from to do quests.
Since Ruins of Surmia and Great Northern Wall are missions, looking at the map we must enter from the left side. Because the dragons and Charr fight each other, the Charr probably wouldn't advance through Dragon's Gullet. Instead, look underneath Dragon's Gullet. There is an area-sized gap between it and the breach. We can enter it at the top left corner at the Flame Temple Corridor, then there is a portal to the next area at the top right corner. There will be lots of Charr parties that keep coming through the portal at the end, thats where they advance through. They are all like level 16 and you must defeat all of them so they stop spawning and you can go through the portal at the end. When you go through this portal you come into the Charr lands exterior (their outer lands). Now there are some large camps of level 20 Charr and they keep sending out small parties and you must slowly advance through this territory.
You can see to the right of Dragon's Gullet some big lakes. Cross these lakes and you go into the Charr lands interior. There can be some various tattered bridges and stuff so you can get across. Just before the portal into the interior lands, you fight a large group of level 20 Charr all at once, no avoiding it, then you go past and there is a portal into the Prisoner's Rebellion outpost. This is the cave in which deep down the prisoners are hiding and coming out to fight the Charr. There can be lots of quests from there, then you go into the Charr lands interiror. This is where the huge massive Charr camps, lvl 24-28s and stuff are. Very hard, lots of high levels. The quests are to do various things in this land, and eventually, you have pretty much defeated all the Charr except for their capital camp right up in the top right corner of this area. This is the biggest and highest level party, and includes the three head Charr chieftains. Obviously as it is an area you can keep doing it again and again, but the quest will be finished and you have defeated the Charr once and for all.

Nope!

Otherwise, I really like the ideas and hope they come through. I'm working on a similar thread myself about 3 new zones that you can get to from the Temple of the Ages (one each for Melandru, Dwayna and Lyssa). Why do Balthazar and Grenth get to have all the fun?

Yeah the idea of lands going from those gods too has been discussed before.

I'm suprised no one has mentioned the possible hint that is given for Chapter 2 in Lions Arch.

If you go to the boat docks you will find a woman there who you can talk to, she tells that she came from far over the sea for some reason or another.

Sorry i dont have a screen, anyway, just go check her out and see what she has to say and if you can upload a screen. Personally, I think that Chapter 2 has something to do with her and her people.

I'd like you guys to look at the three ideas I've gone into detail about already, the land beyond the Giant's Basin, the high level Charr lands and the lands south of the Maguuma.
But now, although I know it has been dug into very deep before, I would say the spades used were blunt and rusty. I'm gonna use a fresh spade I just made myself right now and take a good dig.

Orr. In the old days it was a colony of Ascalon, but after a while of development it became independent. For a long time the Orrians lived in prosperity, trading with races far to the south. Their ports were full of merchant ships and the populace became very wealthy. They watched the races disappear from the neighbouring Crystal Desert, and so they were isolated, they were the land across the sea. Then, the storm in the north came. The Charr ravaged north Ascalon, they stormed over the Shiverpeaks, they went round south and began to approach the Orr peninsula. Kryta held out, but Orr could not beat the massive army that was at their gates. Vizier Khilbron, the king of Orr's main adviser, thought he could use a magical book to destroy the Charr. He used it, and, for some obscure reason, it sunk the Charr and the whole of Orr under the ground/water with it, killing everybody and turning them into undead. Then he turned evil, went to Kryta with his undead and blablabla.
So, let's look at the state of Orr now. If we're going to put some areas in it, it can't be entirely underwater. More like half underwater, With various streets covered by shallow water that you can walk across, and buildings jutting out. To enter, you would take a ship from Port Sledge (yes, because that nice little port I think should have some meaning) to the ruins of the port of Orr, a small outpost of various mangled piers, ruined buildings and a
strip of beach. The people in it would be Canthan merchants and various Krytan adventurers, who would give you quests. This would be like a little island on the edge, but as you leave it and go into the various areas, you start walking in shallow water and there are holes in the ground and lots of evidence of the land being sunk underwater, like you can see buildings far below and stuff. There could be occasional ruins that jutt above the water, cliffs, hills and remnants of washed away palm tree copses. Then, near the centre of the peninsula would be an area dedicated to the ruins of the capital city, with ruins of palaces, temples, markets and loads of other stuff all lavishly decorated. There would be corpses about, of course, and some freaky stuff. But overall it would be a maze of ruined buildings and passages and stuff. Then maybe there could be some more desert-like, outer Orr lands which are less submerged and some buildings with corpses of long-dead people in them are intact. The monsters roaming these outer lands could be like desert ettins, griffons, aziure shadows and hydras. In the central lands there could be all of these, plus mergoyles, wind riders, skale, and most of the monster families that appear in the game. This land would have quite a lot of hard quests, but would also be for exploration and farming. Most of the monsters would probably be levels 20-28.

It would still be cool if you had an item that would let you go underwater and explore the sumerged ruins and maybe meet the dead king.

What like walk on the sea bed? Yeah I guess that might be quite cool, so long as the item is realistic - like a magical mask or something. Not an oxygen tank!

Of course not an oxygen tank. I was thinking of some enchanted amulet or something. If you didn't have it on you would suffer health degeneration of 4 or something.

Aaah yes that would probably be the best thing. But like, degen -4, you can survive that easy with a few skills...how about degen-10?

Or because I don't think people drow that fast. Maybe being sumerged without the devise gives you some sort of blackout effect. Unable to use your skills and a pacifism effect that does allow you to attack. That way it is more likily to seem like your are drowning and then you can't prevent your self from doing so.

Ahh yes thats better cos you got the degen but your skills are blacked out so...sleep with da fishies

nope sorry.

/signed some of these spots are great environments

nope sorry what, to the whole topic or to that last bit?

I think most people would agree that wall of mountains in between Ascalon and the desert looks good for some caverns and underground passages, am I correct?
To solve various issues, and Ascalon-Crystal Desert Path would be very difficult to get through. To prevent level 2s and such getting run down it, there could be a little outpost at the top for only level 19+ or similar, and available to make teams of 8. The path before the mountain wall going south from Ascalon would be all ragged, scarred, dusty and barren, the land through which the Charr made their devasating charge down to Orr. Then, you would reach the mountain wall, and like Camp Rankor there could be a little cavern outpost there, before you set out through a long series of dark caverns through the mountain wall. When you come out, you are in the Northern Desert, a big wide open desert hazed with sandstorms and such. Then you reach the area near Elonas Reach and the land becomes familiar.

Any good?

/merrily revives thread...