Timeline Birth

[Ossyrana.1637]

What if Revenants were a non-chooseable class in Avatar Creation? What if it was a profession we could switch over to later? Like, maybe the game asks us before we begin HoT, and can accept anytime after Hearts & Minds if we pass up the first offer. Otherwise, the timeline makes no sense when we go back to play personal story as such. Revenants came with the HoT expansion pack which to me has always meant that the class didn’t exist back then... so why should it be playable before HoT now?

Sadly, with the way it is now, the only way it’d be able to work out lore-wise is if the Revenants just “always” existed in Tyria (even though they didn’t always exist for us players), but that it’s just the “Herald” specialization that’s new and mysterious to all the NPC’s, which would be the reason for why everyone’s questioning Rytlock about his “new magic.” Maybe they’re not bewildered and confused about him entering the mists with every attack skill, bouncing around from foe to foe... maybe it’s the new utilities of Glint that concern them.

Thing is... my idea would be a lot of work and they’d have to rewrite the script for revenant alone so that they’ll start questioning our own character too. Rev’s would have to have a completely separate story path due to its dialogue/interactions. So... even if it could never be fixed in game, I’d rather continue to imagine my idealistic setting than pretend the class always existed, ‘cause that’d both diminish Rytlock’s experience and my own... I really enjoy the backstory I make-believe for my human revenant, Annith Dallin.

I pretend that she was originally my warrior I had deleted a few years back that would’ve been 7 (I just imagine they’re the same person lol) all the way up until she left the rest of my crew and captain (main character Nala Avalon) to join the Pact on the airship headed for the Maguuma Jungle. As the ship gets closer and Mordremoth whispers into the minds of the Sylvari aboard, chaos erupts and they strive to defend themselves and each other. Annith saves Logan, but breaks her leg in the process and gets jolted off the ship in return... not fast enough and no time to think in the blur of confusion... yet as she falls toward her death, something clicks within her as fear strikes the need to escape, which enables a rift to activate behind her and teleports her into the Mists. From that point forward, she traverses this expanse of “everything and nothing” that she’s never seen before, learns new abilities, leaves her disposition as a warrior behind, and transgresses to evolve as a revenant. Along her journey, she runs into Rytlock, but he’s still searching for a way to light his sword and insists she go on without him (this way, Annith never sees him speak to the one who makes a deal to light it before he leaves). Annith returns to the jungle and sees Laranthir. He asks what happened to her leg, but just as she waves it aside and asks what happened to the crew, Braham and the others start racing down with a barrage of questions. No one realizes anything different with her until Rytlock appears and they start fighting. Then their commonality is obvious. After HoT, she has to be questioned by her authorities as well as him.

Next: It’d be really neat if Avatar Creation could allow the option of Apprentice for those who are unsure of what class they want to be or their character wants to be. Especially for newcomers. Then they can experiment around and try everything without having to remake characters. I think anyone should be able to change their class even after they settle, ‘cause it’s not like that’ll harm the lore. But if it’s the race they don’t like, then obviously they’ll have to delete and recreate, sadly. Any total makeover kits that might’ve been used and wasted could at least be mailed over. And one should be allowed to alter any icons answering the starter story questions. They wouldn’t have an affect on the game content anyway, but would totally make a difference in how the player sees their character - although changing the personal story option would have to alert you that it’ll rewrite the old and you’ll have to restart those chapters.

This idea brings me to my second revenant, Marabeth Glente, whom I pretend to be a sylvari Apprentice. Being inspired off of Beth March from Little Women, she’s always been very weak and ill, so she always stayed close to the Grove and lived a simple life but dabbled in classes here and there... alas, during the Summit, she was fetching a pale of water to bring for the concessions but fainted and sunk into its depths... but before she could drown, a rift saved her and brought her to the Mists. Seeing as I pretended Annith was originally a Warrior, I thought it’d be really intriguing to apply that concept to my hypothetical game changes - make it so that you have to have a class (out of the original 7) selected to determine what kind of revenant you’ll be. That it’ll have some kind of noticeably different affect, special from one to the other. So, since Marabeth didn’t yet have one, she had a longer journey than Annith and had to pick something before she could proceed. So she met up with Ventari, Ronan, and the other legends themselves (along with the Druid Spirits), was able to learn how to be a druid and more from them and was thereforth taught the ways of the Sylvari (pre-Druid Ranger) Herald Revenant which actually helps her through her sickliness. She remains missing all this time, and only returns after Annith and Rytlock are being pestered about their new magic after the waves of mordrem at the camp. Luckily that turns the group’s attention toward her being back and alive, thus giving those two a break.

Further Note: I feel like it’s make sense if all stories before HoT banned revenants from being playable, just like how we can’t use mounts and gliders because they didn’t exist yet.

It wouldn’t be the same as just switching to one of the other classes because it’s a different breed or standard of profession. Can’t be classified as an elite specialization since it has its own specs: Renegade and Herald. And where in other games each class unlocks new abilities unique to its class (when it levels to a new branch) that no other class can have, this is a Shared All Around Super Class. We’d become level 80 in a chosen beginning class and train an elite spec if wanted, switch to Revenant and return to lvl 1, choose new Rev elite spec, and watch how the Herald Revenants of various pre-classes differ of the same race as well as how varying races from the same class.

I like the idea of having this new layer that all other classes can connect to rather than just connecting to the one - to get away from how the normal system works in other games. I don’t know how our previous class would change the play of a revenant yet, but I really love the concept and possibilities! I do know, however, how the race would especially vastly change the play of Revenant, in a bit more detail. Example for Sylvari’s legends:

Ventari (healing/stays as Ventari and replaced with something else for other races), Ronan (support/Jalis equivalent), Rowan (offensive/Shiro), and Scarlet (conditions/Malyx). Herald would call upon The Pale Tree, and the Renegade Specialization would bring back Trahearne who would summon his troops.

I would love for our characters to be able to go through the same exact journey Rytlock did, but sadly that would diminish his story that’s supposed to be unique to his character. I had always thought that that was just the way it was - that it was the only way to become a revenant. That you had to go through the mists and talk to all the legends to learn from them. Pass the test. Psychologically, that’s just how my brain works and interpreted it. But then I was informed it to be untrue. I thought he could leave any time but didn’t because he wouldn’t leave without Solhothin lit. And the deal rekindled the flame and so he left ‘cause that’s all that kept him there... didn’t realize the sword was his way out... to escape instead of go freely. Somehow I missed that context in the lore. I’m still not sure why he was a warrior going in and a revenant coming out... why he couldn’t become one in Tyria and it had to be in the Mists... but I was informed he talked to Glint and it’s a possibility that she told him that he needed these powers in the future and thus fully bestowed them upon him all at once. Who knows. He always had a connection to Glint, so it makes sense why he specifically could be a Herald. So, perhaps my Heralds aren’t really Heralds or Revenants at all. The revenant combines aspects of the ritualist, dervish, and paragon classes. Technically concepts of the Revenant used to exist in Guild Wars 1 but died out and magic evolved. It can’t quite be told that he’s bringing it back to life, because it is still an entirely new breed of magic that hasn’t been seen before. But it does borrow things, as do other classes. It’s like a disciple. And technically was in his blood (dating back to Pyre Fierceshot, supposedly) and he merely needed some spark to activate his potential.

Maybe, in order to preserve Rytlock’s stardom... my Annith still falls off the ship, but instead of entering a rift of her creation, she is merely Mist Touched by the Seers. They chose to save her by cocooning her in the mists briefly and woke her up in the Silver Wastes away from the jungle where she would’ve fallen. While blanketed by the time dilated Mists, she’s experienced years within minutes... heard voices and wisdom. When she’s unraveled from their protection, she’s still a warrior but feels a connection to Rytlock’s abilities even though she can’t perform them herself. Only much much later, until post PoF when he starts sharing with others about his skills, does she return to the Desert Highlands to talk to the Ritualist, Dervish, and Paragon ghosts (her ancestors in my personal backstory) in the Tomb of the Dynastic Kings where they inform her that she is not a Revenant like Rytlock, but can harness a similar power. Instead of using legends, she channels the abilities of her personal ancestors. Simultaneously, while Marabeth was sent on a quest resulting in a gift called the Wayfarer’s Henge, she felt a tug to meditate at the Pale Tree, and while she wore the backpiece, she merged into the dream and met all the memories of Ventari, Rowan, Riannoc, Scarlet, Trahearne, and others who had an important role or link to their kind; either for the sake of being of the same race like the Green Knight & Faolin... or for following the tablet like the Pale Tree herself and Wynn... or for playing a part as nature healers like the Druids, even though they were initially humans. It was a beautiful experience being amongst them all, light and dark. Whence they’ve taught her everything she needs to know and she’s ignited the fire within, the Mother let’s her out of the dream as her own variant of a revenant.

I do my best to honor the lore and make it make sense at the same time... it can be a difficult task sometimes for both us role players and the company when under the restrictions of time, cost, and resources.

Warmest,Nala

[DonArkanio.6419]

Having a storyline for each class would be simply amazing. I'd love to have some training before becoming the Revenant.

I don't think it's ever going to happen, sadly.

With the removal of vanilla trait system in which we had to actually train ourselves to get them, I don't think there is a room for class quests and low accuracy.

GW2 forces RPG with LW, but the rest of the game doesn't care about it. That's why I love playing WoW Classic. I get to actually earn what I use and everything is story based.

Death Knight. That's what a Revenant should be in terms of profession obtaining.

I guess it's just the classic "lack of resources" on ANet's side. But with the current development I really don't think things would be different even with the proper amount of resources. They're not interested in expanding on the classes lore-wise. That's why we have a Renegade abomination that clearly doesn't make much sense. It's just loosely tied to the lore so you can't say it's wrong.

I would love it if Revenants were actually a core class before HoT. Only a Heavy one of course. Then, you would have to make a choice and begin training with Rytlock in order to get your powers.

Rytlock takes you to the Mists and shows you Glint's Powers.

Then, you have to go to the old Deldrimor so you can speak with Jalis and earn your skills. Dwarves will help you with the skills while Jalis teaches you the Rite of the Great Dwarf.

Go to Cantha to meet Shiro. Ask him about his powers so he can explain what he felt while Jade Winds occured.

Ronan and Ventari, it would be great to see them. Obviously Sylvari could have a more in-depth conversation with the two.

Mallyx. Go back in time before he was killed and let him infuse you with his powers, so you can ensure. Or forice him, as he is clearly not happy about the fact you are using him.

Kalla... Well. I don't like this legend. The design and legend choice don't fit. But once again, let Rytlock or Priory teach you some about the history. Wouldn't it be fun?

Well, it is what is.