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EdwinLi.1284
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The Glimpse of the Future (End of Dragon new art teasers)
EdwinLi.1284
Member ✭✭✭
So recently Anet released new arts as a glimps into the End of Dragons.
https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/see-you-in-2021/
We can see several things in these arts....
1) AirShips and Auerne flying to Cantha.
2) a New Unknown NPC. (Can't wait to finally get more Cantha themed clothing and outfits)
3) A glimps into a location of Echovald Forest
4) A small town which we maybe Shing Jea Monastery
So what do you think about these arts and what could they mean for the lore side of things?
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I like the look of Echovald Forest
I notice they are using a lot of rainbow bubbles and colours in the art. I don't like it at all, but I'm sure it's more symbolic than anything else.
What sleep is here? What dreams there are in the unctuous coiling of the snakes mortal shuffling. weapon in my hand. My hand the arcing deathblow at the end of all things. The horror. The horror. I embrace it. . .
That concept art of Echovald has me a little scared, I understand that the times has passes and it's suppose to be more "alive" than last we saw it, but I really wish it to still be a gloomy zone. It can have vegetation and be a dark forest at the same time, from those two pieces of art it just looks like part of Maguuma Jungle.
👻Legendary Ritualist Stance - Invoke the power of the legendary ritualist Master Togo.
Hm. The art fits in with a new direction that I've had an inklling that ArenaNet is taking for a little while, now. One that's at once more compatible with an Asian audience, but also a younger Western audience as well. The audience they've courted up until now with the stories the old narrative team were telling had lead to a lot of stagnation. The shift really began with LWS4 and it's been on course ever since then.
It's a very different direction than the original, vanilla game intended and even Heart of Thorns. There were hints of it in Path of Fire but that was still—I feel—a transitionary period. It's a good move, I feel, since in the current climate it's more desirable to have a setting and story that's less edgy, dark, and focused on horrors and suffering. I feel that people have had to face how problematic our own world is lately, so a more positive bent on storytelling would be perhaps a little more welcomed.
It's a hunch, but it's definitely the feeling I get. They've been a little bit experimental on their way there but... I do think that's the destination. I trust them with it.
The effect is most likely because we are seeing this from a perspective of a Vision for future events.
From how things are going, I will not be surprised we may see all these scenes in a fully animated Vision cutscene at the end of Champions to provide us our motivation for heading to Cantha.
To be deadly honest, I enjoyed the story most when the stakes were high. Heart of Thorns could have been even more 'dark'. Aurene always struck me as a character who I shouldn't really care about. Ever since Path of Fire did the "coming back from death" bs it felt a bit meh. The stakes were gone. And Aurene became a bit too good for her abilities. Why couldn't Glint with Destiny's Edge do what Aurene achieved with a pact commander? These connections can be explained by magic and, I find it boring, not to mention lazy.
And after us, ofc Aurene has to return to life. I don't see the point in making her a thing, when Vlast canonically existed before her, serving the same purpose and possessing (probably) more power than her at the time.
The situation should have been very bad already with Zhaitan, Kralk and Mordremoth dead....but we got Aurene the vaccuum cleaner and Primordus' bring the all mighty, unflinvhing dragon (when Mordremoth and Kralk visibly had issues by absorbing energy not their own). They go into trouble explaining how the imbalance will destroy the world and while libving during a period of imbalance nothing happens...
The story is far from compelling and the last thing I want to see is a totally happy ending for kids. They should stick to the reality of the world they created and kill off major characters. Cause guess what, a single person doesn't matter in the universe. We shall see.
I believe that Cantha will be far far more 'positive' tho. You can see that HoT was a dire situation, PoF was also but more of a journey and an adventure, EoD looks like a total adventure.
Fun fact: most of these were previewed in the Extra Lives stream.
But what's new is that Anet gives a blurb in the url for the images
To relate to OP's listing:
1) "Fan Echo of the Mists"
2) "A Promised Future"
3) "A Song Half Remembered"
4) "I Know You, Yet I Don't"
On top of this, there is a brand new image (not from the stream) in the download pack:
https://i.imgur.com/Hn4Rls2.jpg
No title to this one (all in the pack are just 01-06). But it reminds me of the Heart of Maguuma in design, but curiously, it seems to be floating.
Also, I don't think that's Aurene, too small for her Elder form unless she's very far ahead of the airships, also no visible forearms, so likely either a Saltspray Dragon (tail doesn't match though) or oversized Imperial Phoenix.
All these squares make a circle.
All these squares make a circle.
All these squares make a circle.
The Echovald can still be gloomy while being "alive". There was some living plants in GW1, and plenty of green grass on the ground too. Most of the gloominess came from the trees being gray and there being barely any visible sky through the branches - if anything, the branches will be thicker because they have leaves now, so while the pallet will go from "mostly gray with some green" to "equal gray/brown with green", it'll still be rather dark because of no sunlight.
I would disagree that it "just looks like part of the Maguuma". Hard to tell what the new image is of (Echovald won't be featuring floating tree bark), but of the two definitely-Echovald, one is bubbly (so vision?) thus hard to tell, but this one is definitely the old Echovald but with more green.
All these squares make a circle.
All these squares make a circle.
All these squares make a circle.
In the far background to the left of that tree island is some other detail, but I can't make out anything notable. Perhaps a coastline with a palm tree asd I think the ocean speads under the image of the tree as well?
What sleep is here? What dreams there are in the unctuous coiling of the snakes mortal shuffling. weapon in my hand. My hand the arcing deathblow at the end of all things. The horror. The horror. I embrace it. . .
There is literally nothing that indicates it is Aurene is flying with these airships, nor is there any indicator they are headed for Cantha.
The dragon doesn't even resemble Aurene.
Looks like water and a... luxon tent? Just a tip but looks similar in design to GW1 luxon tents - sails maybe? So maybe it's the Jade Sea? Would make a bit of sense, for it to be an island with a tree on it - there were such in GW1, usually accompanied by one or two of these guys. Looking closely, while the left side seems floating, the right side seems to have waves crashing against the rock. So it's be a weirdly shaped island popping out of waves. So yeah, I guess that's unfrozen Jade Sea concept art.
But hard to tell because of all the bubbles and visual effects.
All these squares make a circle.
All these squares make a circle.
All these squares make a circle.
theres really lots of "bubbles" on these screens, so probably will be the mark of Water Dragon presence.
main pvp: Khel the Undead(power reaper).
To expand the image titles: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Guild_Wars_2:_End_of_Dragons#Concept_art
"Strange Familiarity" (bubbly echovald art)
"The Wheel Turns" (the new island art)
The Deep Sea Dragon is malevolent, and ANet doesn't really use bright colors for something malevolent (not many media do, in fact; an embedded western cultural thing). So I don't think these are tied to the DSD. I'm suspecting, especially given the phrases just added, that these may be visions from the Scrying Pool and be the reason why we make our way to Cantha.
All these squares make a circle.
All these squares make a circle.
All these squares make a circle.
When I first saw these pictures I got so excited and I honestly can't wait to "Go Home" where MY Guild Wars Adventures started way back for me. I was a Rit/Mes, allied with Kurzick and I just loved the environment and atmosphere of Factions. I CANNOT wait to see how the Echovald Forest has evolved! Also, going off from the pictures: The Unknown character of the woman, "A promised future", I have a strange feeling that she might be Emperor's Daughter? (if he has one) and perhaps she is also the "Champion" of the Deep Sea dragon? Regardless, I hope we get this new expansion soon!
That artwork is pure beauty!
The Kurzick Cathedral, the Shing Jea village, the underwater ruins... ah, can't wait! 
Well, perhaps this is what it will look like after Aurene cleansed the sea (after we defeated Bubbles)? The prismatic colors are definitely hers.
♀ Gallery: Guild Wars 1 Memories
No more LW episodes, only Expansions and Side Stories, please!
It does kinda look like Aurine.. the thicker tail and neck does match her physical form and the smaller wingspan could be a conflict with the light since a good portion of her wings are seemingly made from pure light energy and would in theory be harder to see in such a bright setting.
Her Legs could be tucked up during flight like many winged creatures do so that's not something i'd expect to be represented in the artwork at that distance.
The main feature that is missing that I would expect to see however is her very prominent head horn.. which is completely absent in the artwork.
If it isn't Aurine though.. well that's a pretty interesting situation since the only other Dragon I can think of that it might be is well... Jormag.
We've only seen it's head so far so.. for all we know that could be a hint at Jormag's full body design.. a winged serpent like many of us really wanted it to be.
May also indicate that Jormag will successfully manoeuvre itself into an alliance with the pact and will be present during the Canthan expansion potentially giving us that big 4 way Elder Dragon battle that I am really hoping for in all honesty.
But yeah.. I'm not going to put money on that second scenario lol
I am 97% sure that Dragon is Aurine.
There is a third option that hasn't been raised yet, the patron dragon of Skritt everywhere after they were introduced to each other by Zommoros:
SHINYYYYYYYYY!
What if, these aetherblades we see, are actually Mai's crew returning from the Mists since LS1? She left for EotM upon Scarlet's orders. And Kralkatorrik formed rifts in the multiverse back in LS4.
So after the fight in Dragonfall, what if Mai discovers those rifts and regroups with the aetherblades to go to Cantha and maybe 'utilize' the DSD's powers. Cause that's what Scarlet had in mind after awakening Mordremoth and in case she failed...
On top of that, didn't an NPC in Lion's Arch talk about Mai being sister to Marjory? And that would make her a Canthan too. Perhaps the story gets some good development with what we already have.
P.S. I would like to see Marjory facing the truth of an 'evil sister' in her homeland, especially after losing Belinda. It feels like it will be impactful. I like Marjory in general.
I like the way Echovald forest looks. The bubbles are...well, they exist. Could the bubbles in or coming from the Jade Sea? They look like bubbles underwater or in a thick medium, they aren't round. There could be some kind of substance filling the atmosphere. The prismatic effect may just be a way to make the bubbles stand out though. The new person has a royal bearing and is densely surrounded by whatever medium the bubbles are in. Perhaps there is some connection between Canthan royalty and the DSD.
weathering's everything
Combining this with what @Tseison.4659 said, maybe it is possible that the royalty of the Empire of the Dragon are also the champions or lieutenants to said dragon. Now it doesnt have to be an Elder Dragon, because Glint, Aurene and Vlast already had ties with some form of champion, or tried to connect to one, without the need to reach ED status. So maybe Kuunavang?
But if the Empire is evil, would Kuunavang help them? Perhaps it's time for a change in the hierarchy. LEt's overthrow an empire and put our own guys in charge!! xD
I can't tell if the person looks insufferably entitled or deep in meditation. I am leaning towards the latter. She is channeling bubble magic. Hmmm...throwing away All balance or trivializing balance with a twin for Aurene would break my suspension of disbelief. Bubble magic as a domain for the DSD would push my suspension of disbelief beyond the breaking point, then rebuild it again.
weathering's everything
Maybe, but why would they be teasing with post-ending stuff? I mean, we don't even know for certain the DSD is involved in the first place, and Aurene's cleansing results in crystals (it's basically "good corruption" after all).
I mean, nothing says the airships are coming from Tyria, in Tyria, or heading to Cantha other than OP's baseless speculation. And we know the Aetherblades have been sitting in Cantha for some unknown amount of time (long enough to get flags in Raisu Palace), so it could be anything from Cantha that flies as well.
That's very likely, though rifts by Kralkatorrik need not apply.
Scarlet never showed any interest in an Elder Dragon other than Mordremoth, and her reason for that interest is pretty clear cut - Mordremoth was influencing her mind subtly ever since Mordy became aware of her when she entered Omadd's Machine.
Not really sure what plan Scarlet could have that included the DSD and not Primordus/Jormag/Kralkatorrik.
Wild-Eyed Miller is an intentional unreliable narrator who spouts out nonsensical conspiracy theories. Mai Trin is of Canthan descent (we can tell by her looks and name) but no reason to be related to Marjory Delaqua. Especially given they have different surnames: Trin and Delaqua.
As to the origin of the bubbles being the Jade Sea - I am doubtful, because these show up in Shing Jea concept art as well as "high in the air" stuff. Makes more sense that this is more of a vision's effects - like how the visions granted by Aurene have a crystallizing effect on the borders of the screen:
Mysterious_Figure_%28Eye_of_the_Brandstorm%29.jpg
Legacy_vision_end.jpg
I feel like everyone's getting obsessed over this "champion" thing just because Jormag began doing it, when it's supposed to be a bond that the old Elder Dragons simply do not do because "evilness". Besides, in all cases (but the Pact Commander because Fashion Wars), "bonded champion" rather than "corrupted champion" still results in physical alteration - Caithe is crystallized, Ryland and Bangar are icy. So I don't think that this woman is the DSD's (or Kuunavang's) "bonded champion" because no watery tentacles on her.
And the thing about Jormag doing it, is that they're an exceptional manipulator who has always acted different from the other Elder Dragons, particularly in how they always coerced before corrupting.
All these squares make a circle.
All these squares make a circle.
All these squares make a circle.
Becoming a Dragon Champion may be more complex and nuanced than we have seen so far. Jormag speaks as though wearily familiar with Champions. Willfully building a proper Commander type, Elder Dragon Champion may require as much planning and work as building proper Aurene type Elder Dragons. Champions could even be powerful enough to turn an Elder Dragon. Any story about finding replacement Dragons will include the search for Champions. Focusing more on the Champion would keep the focus on the PC hero journey. I think it is significant she is a human surrounded by liquid tossed bubbles.
weathering's everything
I guess, then, if these are concepts for a vision, then this wouldn't be Aurene's vision, as her effect would be crystals. So, I guess one can ask, what kind of entity would have a vision distorted by bubbles?
Come to think of it, the EoD teaser video has a lot of vision like distortion too. But it has neither bubbles or crystalline effects. It has blue/white flame effects instead.
If these represent different dragons/minions sharing visions, then it seems that they are getting quite chatty.
Well the issue with all this is that DSD is a total mystery so we may not know what applies to him. Supposedly, he should be Kralkatorrik's oppossite, since Jormag has Primordus and Zhaitan had Mordremoth. But we were never led to believe that it was the case. So what if the DSD functions different than his brethren? All kinds of things could apply to him despite being an Elder Dragon.
The possibilities are endless. The storyboard team can find any excuses to get us where they want. Which is very exciting, but we just have to hope they don't contradict already established facts.
The DSD is not a total mystery, and certain things are known about it - like the fact it's evil and has actively forced the krait, quaggan, and karka out of their homelands and its minions are actively fighting the largos in 1325 AE. Or that its minions are made of water and takes tentacled shapes. And there's no reason to doubt that the universal things about Elder Dragons (even Jormag and Aurene, the most radically different Elder Dragons) will be true for the DSD.
While there is a lot of room for ANet to work with - we're not even firmly established that the DSD will be involved. It's just highly implied (much like Zhaitan and Mordremoth being opposites is implied, not confirmed).
All these squares make a circle.
All these squares make a circle.
All these squares make a circle.
One could flip that around and point out that Cantha has always had a special relationship with dragons (especially if the Celestial Dragon that is invoked during the Dragon Festival is not simply Tahmu), and Aurene formed her bond with Caithe and the Commander before she became an Elder Dragon. So it's possible that the non-Elder Dragons of Cantha, particularly powerful named examples like Kuunavang and Albax, could have their own champions... and whether it's done for the sake of fashion wars or not, the Commander is an example of a link that doesn't result in a visual change.
Heck, it's entirely likely that the celestial skills granted by Kuunavang towards the end of the Factions storyline was essentially a low-key creation of bonded champions in all but name, albeit one that Kuunavang broke once it was no longer needed.
This has been my thought since I saw the concept art of that woman. I think she might serve as a Champion to a elder dragon hopeful, as we did with Aurene. I have a hard time seeing the DSD seeking mortal connection based on the little we know. High dragons that might seek to replace the DSD, however, are another story. If we see any new Champion figures in EoDs, I think that's the version we'll see.
"A Promised Future" could really mean anything though. Clearly something/someone is looking toward her future (for better or worse), or trying to point her future in a specific direction.