[What/Who is/are "The Obscure"]

11 hours ago, AgentMoore.9453 said:

'The Obscure' might just be another name for 'The Arcane' or whatever brand of magic is being tapped by the sky wizards. We'll be getting a new mastery called Heart of the Obscure, which is said to be some kind of artifact. It appears to be made from concentrations of the stuff with the 'heart' being a sort of fancy stone/energy mass and the 'obscure' being the magic woobles that power/emanate from it if we're going by the associated screenshots they've shared.

The factions appear to be outlined already too, being the Wizard’s Court and the Astral Ward on the 'good guy' side and the Kryptis on the 'face-eating demonic monster' side, which makes it more likely that the Obscure isn't referring to a group of people.

Seconding the "Obscure is an artifact" notion. The real question is, what's its purpose? And why does the Commander, an outsider, have it?

I think that beyond the arcane, it's more specifically tied to the Mists and will be instrumental in closing rifts and portals if the screenshots are to be taken at face value. But I doubt it's just a portal-closing device.

[SotO demon leader/creator?]

9 minutes ago, Randulf.7614 said:

I thought the mysterious voice was Kanaxai?

I think the Ominous Voice is Kanaxai.

Hard to tell between the two with the deep, evil demon reverb going on but the Mysterious Voice is more svelte? And he did say he's on the hunt right before he fights you too.

[Expansion reveal Secrets of the Obscure [Lore Discussion]]

On 6/28/2023 at 5:35 AM, SunRoamer.5103 said:

Personally feeling lukewarm about this for now, at least from a lore perspective. Suddenly being told that, all along, there was this secret society protecting Tyria from Mist demons feels a little jarring, especially with how kittened up things had become on the planet itself (several mist shenanigans included).

Honestly, I could buy it if the Commander was as incredulous as we are. Narratively, there could be some potential for tension between them and the Wizard's Court/Astral Ward despite the necessary alliance.

From the Commander's perspective, this bunch of random, powerful wizards were hoarding magical artifacts and skills that could've been used against the Elder Dragons, possibly saving more lives than were lost. Instead, they've chosen to hole up for literal decades until they needed help.

On the other hand, the Commander could be seen as some shortsighted and even reckless upstart for prematurely kickstarting (and nearly destroying) the Dragon Cycle, resulting in Tyria becoming exposed to even more threats. There's also the fact that they are literal demon bait, what with all that PTSD they're carrying.

I'm just extrapolating baseless theories at this point, but it might be a fun dynamic.

[We're Looking At the Latest Gyala Delve Journal Entry All Wrong...]

On 5/24/2023 at 8:12 PM, Kalavier.1097 said:

I love how the characters he complains about are Characters who are neither A: directly working with us (or have been for a while) or B: currently off-screen and not present for recent story chapters.

And that, while on the topic of female characters, namedropped Braham. 

[Would you consider GW2 steampunk?]

I would say Technofantasy overall, but Dungeon punk also fits the bill nicely, especially with the more recent story episodes. Science Fantasy requires a more "hard science" logic to its magic, which GW2 evidently doesn't have lol. But ultimately, GW2's genre kind of shifts and evolves depending on the "era" of the narrative, which is really interesting because it's like you can feel Tyria's technological advancement in real time.

I think only LS1 (and generally anything to do with Charr and Dredge) can be considered full Steampunk. Outside of that, it's more like light steampunk aesthetics.

[Jade Sea Demon - Kanaxai - Spoilers included about 'What Lies Within']

11 hours ago, circuitnerd.5863 said:

I'm sure this has been discussed many times before but... I'm thinking that the Demon under the Jade Sea causing all this nightmare stuff is Kanaxai. And the Ravenous Wanderer is just a manifestation or projection of itself. Like a puppet of sorts. Also we got that Oni curse thing at the end of the meta which ties in with Kanaxai as well. Lastly all the emotional torment stuff is exactly how he works. He brings all this sort of despair and madness. Anyways, just throwing this out there. 

10 hours ago, Randulf.7614 said:

Kanaxai has been the guess since the last episode. But I’m not even sure anymore after this episode if the demon thing isn’t all done and dusted. 
 

You can read more about the Kanaxai speculation in the lore subforum tho if you want

This episode does feel like a wrap-up of the demon arc, but I have some suspicions that's not actually the case. And then some counter-suspicions to my suspicions, lol.

If it were truly the end of the demon threat, why would they suddenly introduce demon attacks to the og Canthan maps? If there's one pattern Anet likes to repeat, it's that whenever they update older maps with new lore/gameplay, it usually has something to do with a future plotline.

Plus those constructs in that one concept art kinda look like corrupted jade mechs to me, and we still haven't addressed a few key issues:

• Origins of the haze
• The jade changing colour, and what it has to do with haze and demon magic
• Those demon ambushes can't be good for Canthan citizens, how do we get rid of them??
• The crazy Jade Brotherhood researcher guy who met an intelligent and scheming someone or something that specifically wants its existence hidden-- maybe the real villain we'll be facing next expac?

But, from what little we got from the teaser video, there's definitely the sound of wings flapping. I don't think there's ever been a case of demons with wings before, which is why I'm so hesitant to believe it's Kanaxai or any other demon we already know about.

[GW2 Installer stops download randomly and for good [Merged]]

3 hours ago, king drakito.1509 said:

I am here to vent as I tried all the options that said "worked" for people. Thought this would be a nice time to play something as it had fantastic reviews online recently. None of the reviewers mentioned this nonsense. So I deleted it and decided never to come back to it again.

While I insist GW2 is a wonderful game, I have to admit that this is getting a little embarrassing. It's been a week with no fix in sight, and it's not like the installer is just slow. It's straight up broken.

I also had the bad luck of recommending a friend to try GW2 out literally the day before the patch-that-broke-everything hit, and during the 5 days of dealing with the broken installer, he got into FFXIV instead lol.

Still, I hope you come back eventually and give GW2 a shot under better circumstances.

[Snargle's 'Character Growth' Achievement Guide]

Hi guys! Just managed to finish this achievement and thought you guys could use a bit of an overview since it gets pretty vague/buggy at times.

 

Objectives:

1. Find out what is bothering Snargle Goldclaw, currently in Arborstone

You need to level your Arborstone Mastery to 3 so it has the entertainment facilities. You'll notice the library on the second floor will become stocked, and this is when you talk to him. You can't trigger the achievement otherwise.

2. Talk to Mamoru in Mori Village about obtaining a tengu-made bow

Talking to him will direct you to Saya, who has 2 events tied to her; the archery competition and finding a runaway Tengu named Tateo. You only need to complete the archery competition event to complete this step, even though their dialogue states otherwise. The other event they reference is bugged as of this post.

3. Get a toy bell from the children of Seitung Harbor. Remember, good little children stay in their beds at night.

Event happens very near to the Seitung Village waypoint, but only at dawn.

4. Check in with Snargle

5. Ask Speaker Eunjoo in Dragon's End about acquiring a relic

Complete the event she starts before the meta.

6. Purchase a painting of Empress Ihn from a desperate painter in Seitung Province.

The painter is standing nearby the Imperial Overlook POI. You need to purchase the painting for 5 silver.

7. Obtain a sprout of the Forever Tree from the Warden in Echovald Wilds.

Complete the event chain at the Forever Tree POI, then talk to the Warden.

8. Follow up on Snargle's progress

9. Obtain some incense from Sun-Hi in Echovald Wilds

Talking to this dude has him sprout cryptic riddles about an ancient axe, mask, and bow. This is in reference to the events at the Tangled Altar, Court of Song, and Aoi's Perch POIs. You should see these objects sitting nearby their respective points, they will become interactible when the event is ready. They're also tied to 3 other Echovald achievements (The Haunted Altar/Court/Perch).

10. Check in with Bonnie Kunderah. She can be found in the Ministry of Archives

11. Follow up with Snargle

12. Obtain a jade statue from Yenna in Dragon's End.

You have to complete both Yenna and her husband's events. Husband is the first part of the jade supply event chain where you have to escort him to Yenna, and Yenna's own event needs you to collect Jade.

13. Help Sagan Malaya in Echovald Wilds to receive a Kurzick Rune.

This achievement points to Sagan Malaya, but it's actually Verasha you have to help. She is part of the Igne Mosshart event chain, which starts at Temple of the Dredge POI. Also tied to the 'Cultures of Echovald: The Wardens' achievement. Make sure you have at least 10 people with you, because this event chain has a terrible final boss.

14. Follow up with Snargle one last time.

[Can't figure out Snargle's achievements]

So I managed to unlock 'Character Growth' by mastering the third level of Arborstone Revitalization, but I can't find the last event in Echovald that I need.

Something about Sana Malaya's friend somewhere around Temple of the Dredge. Supposedly has something to do with runes/rituals and Speaker Wardens.

I also haven't any luck in locating his books. Any help is appreciated!

[Which is the race that consumes the most alcohol]

@"White Kitsunee.4620" said:I wonder of sylvari can even consume alcohol.

There's a point in the Order of Whispers personal storyline where the commander gets totally smashed, even if you're sylvari.Male sylvari sounds especially hilarious when drunk, try imagining your

[Class specific story dialogue?]

@Hannelore.8153 said:Sometimes it even affects gameplay slightly, for example at the end of The Head of the Snake story, Engineers can repair the turrets. And being an Asura and/or Engineer often affect the level of technobabble you get.

Adding on, for 'Confessors' End', rangers can tame a hostile veteran dog (Canach will ask you to, actually), Necromancers can turn enemy skeletons against their masters, Thieves can pick a locked door midway through the story (Canach will, again, provide a quip on this). Other classes get no love. Your character also has extra lines if they've done the Caudeceus dungeon before doing the episode.

I hope they can pull this stuff off with the Orders too. I vaguely remember that the Order of Shadows guy will comment if you're from Whispers, but it'll be nice to have some other in-game acknowledgement.

[The Commander's Psyche, an open question.]

@"anninke.7469" said:Maybe they could give us someone to talk to (optional).... And if the Commander goes to talk with this NPC there could be several line to choose from to let us choose how much anyone's PC is affected (sorry for lack of better words, hehe).

There was actually a Dredge NPC in one of LS4's later episodes that allowed us, to an extent, choose our attitudes regarding the social and/or ethical issues the Commander's race faction deals with. For example, if you spoke to the Dredge as a Sylvari, she would start poking holes into the Sylvari philosophy of fervently chasing one's Wyld Hunt. The conversation basically leads to you either stuttering when presented with a hypothetically unethical wyld hunt, or proclaiming that you forge your own path forward. Likewise, an Asura commander would be questioned about their personal thoughts on Inquest influence in Asuran society, which IIRC can range from 'idgaf' to 'Yeah, they're terrible'.

Edit: Found her. Sage Ninukab for anyone who wants to see the dialogue.

@Orimidu.9604 said:The utter chaos can begin an episode or two after we arrive in Cantha, please. I'm tired of jumping into the action as soon as I show up somewhere. It's Cantha, give us some time to take in the scenery and culture before kittens hit the fan.

Honestly, same, assuming Commander and co. arrive in Cantha normally and not because of some unforeseen disaster as the Commander's luck usually denotes. I can see it being something like POF's epilogue, ironically enough, where it's mostly just us wandering about and talking to NPCs to learn more about Cantha's current situation at our own pace. Bonus points for branching dialogue opportunities ala No Quarter, but maybe with a skip button.

Plus, I love tropes where everything looks like its coming up roses, when really there's a sh.tfest just waiting to explode beneath. Not unlike LS5's prologue I suppose, but with way more obscurity as to who our villain is. I don't think it would be out of character for Cantha's political powers to actively hinder/undermine any attempts to expose problems in their society.

[Wasn't the Icebrood Saga supposed to be about Norn and Charr and not about just the Charr ?]

Hoelbrak and a whole bunch of Norns make an appearance in the trailer where they took up arms against the Frost Legion. It's clear they still have a very big part to play in the future. Remember, it isn't just Bangar that's the villain, our real target is Jormag, who's very deeply tied to Norn lore. The Charr have the spotlight now for the purpose of exposition and buildup, but I have no doubt the Norn will get their turn eventually.

[Is the commander on the wrong side of the war? (No quarter spoilers)]

Well, considering that the opposing side involves getting icebrooded I'd say the Commander is on the correct end of the stick. But yeah, our allies aren't as heroic as we would've hoped, but that honestly makes me more interested in how the rest of the story would play out. Our alliances in the past were pretty smooth sailing; someone stands against us? Beat 'em up. Someone is helping us? Turns out they have the same goals in mind so they're cool.Having 'allies' with conflicting and detrimental morals, and us struggling to deal with them because we can't afford to lose anymore allies, could be a cool story element if they play it out right. And fix Smodur's IQ dive.I definitely see an internal fallout coming up and a very frustrated Commander in the future.

["No Quarter" [Steel Warband disscussion]]

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:Or there won't be a new Khan-Ur, and the status quo returns at the end of this.This is the outcome I'm expecting. Right now, it seems they're playing up the vacant position of Khan-Ur as the biggest wedge between the legions. They're all gunning for the position, but none of them are viable candidates (at least, not thus far). Bangar's gone off the rails, Smodur's homicidal, Malice hates them both and is untrustworthy, and it would be too soon for Efram to take up the role as Khan-Ur considering Flame's recent reunification, even if he is the most level-headed of the lot. I anticipate that they're eventually going to find the whole situation more trouble than it's worth; if the Charr's four legions could function just fine without a Khan-Ur before, there's no reason to need one and create more drama.

That said, if a Khan-Ur is to be picked from the cast we have now, I think Crecia, Rytlock, or Ryland (if he is redeemed) are most likely to win approval, but I doubt Rytlock will be removed from Dragon's Watch on account of how popular he is with the players. That leaves Crecia and Ryland, and I'm pretty sure at least one of them is at risk of dying in the Saga...

[I am not the Commander and I don't want to be]

@"kasoki.5180" said:I actually love the concept behind The Commander and like it when NPCs refer to me that way. I personally don't prefer "the unknown here who somehow defeated every known danger in the world yet is completely irrelevant" narratives that some games have.

Also, Elonians refered to us mostly as "the Outlander". It is quite possible that Canthans will have another title for us

This is my issue with most MMOs I've played. Apparently I can defeat gods, quest for thousands of people and literally save the world four times, but people don't even acknowledge my existence. There's a massive disconnect there that doesn't sit well with me lore-wise, like I'm investing all this time for nothing. GW2 and BnS are the only two MMOs I've played that subverts this, and GW2 does a far better job of it. As the Commander, I actually feel like I'm not just along for the ride- my character's actions has an impact on the story, and are remembered for once.

Scrolling way back to the Canthans though, I can see our new title being somewhat derogatory or insinuative from distrust. That'll be a nice change from the current praise or indifference (at worst) associated with us at the moment.

[Guild Wars 3 might be a console title - open job position may indicate to that]

@Arden.7480 said:maybe 2 years until it will have established visuals, still it doesn't even have an Art director. In 3 years it will have gameplay, in 5-6 years it will launch eventually.

So weird Anet posted info about a game so early though, since this project may as well be cut

I mean, it's not really information meant for stakeholders like us, more of a vague job description. I don't think they even intended for us to find out about this lmao, but good job scoping it out.

[Guild Wars 3 might be a console title - open job position may indicate to that]

@JackassTheX.6351 said:

@maddoctor.2738 said:I think it's more likely it would be a single player game set in the Guild Wars universe rather than a new MMORPG, the Guild Wars brand is unknown to console players, it would be good (for the game) to tap into that potential. Of course since it's UE4 it can perfectly run on PCs too. Whatever it is, it shouldn't be GW3, that would be a terrible move.

A SP title with KoTOR/Dragon Age-like gameplay mechanics would make a lot of sense given GW's story always centering around a group of characters. I'd buy it in a hearbeat.

I wouldn't mind that, actually. I think with polishing, GW's lore can make for a compelling enough SP narrative, and plus there's many, many loose ends in GW2's story that could feed into some sort of story drive. Too bad it's probably going to be a long time before we hear any news about this game though.

[Did Lyssa leave with the other Gods?]

@Jables.4659 said:Balthazar was using her mirror to pose as Lazarus the Dire, which could imply that she was involved with his shenanigans to some degree.

Just to add on, it should be noted that in his dying throes, Balthazar calls out the names of the other gods and curses them- except Lyssa's. She definitely had a role to play in his tantrum. Maybe if we're lucky, Anet will touch upon the whole gods issue in the Icebrood Saga? I doubt that they've truly buggered off imho

[Why does Jormag care if the commander comes north?]

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:The Commander's strength always come from their allies. They either have an elite strike force with them, or they have an army. The only times the Commander fought a powerful foe one-on-one, they lost. First to Balthazar, second to Joko.

Agreed, and Jormag definitely knows this. That's why most of its tactics involve attacking the trust between Dragon Watch's members and getting rid of the Vigil. It's trying to isolate the Commander. While I still think the Commander is pretty darn high up there in terms of fighting power (quite a few NPCs acknowledge this), it's really their leadership skill and charisma that makes them so formidable.

I'd say that if they were to succumb to Jormag's influence, it would indeed be devastating to Tyria not because of their power, but the fact that they're an important pillar in Tyrian society (Dragon's Watch, the Pact, Aurene's representation, Acting as a symbol of hope for Tyria, etc.) Without them acting as a gluestick, things are gonna fall apart.

[So Jormag and Almorra [spoilers]]

@RyuDragnier.9476 said:

@"ugrakarma.9416" said:d) the real fear of Jormag is Aurene? all this mess is just to setup a lure to bring Aurene into the party?This is probably what Jormag is doing. Jormag is luring us to it, and Aurene will likely sense something is wrong and come flying at mach speeds. Jormag knows better than anybody (by being in our heads) that we don't control Aurene. We're just being used as bait to pull Aurene in for a chat, and possibly also as a "bargaining chip". Jormag puts us under its spell, agrees to let us go, if, and ONLY if, Aurene does what it wants.

I think you're on point with that! During the Guild Chat session, it's been indicated that there's a 'hidden message' in the Fraenier-Jormag speech. While Jormag's voice says "I want to help her", the Fraenier's voice goes "I want her." Pretty dang cool

[Asgeir Dragonrender [Whisper in the Dark spoilers]]

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:It's been stated a few times that Asgeir has died, so I don't expect them to suddenly retcon Asgeir into being an icebrood all along.

I think it's only been implied once in Bitterfrost Frontier that he was killed by Jormag, and even so, there were no other details. Plus, he 'died' to Jormag. Considering the stuff we know now, I do think it's possible that Asgeir did turn Icebrood (voluntarily) and either faked his death, or simply disappeared and everyone assumed he died.

[SPOILERS: Theory About the Commander]

I do see the Commander ending up a villain eventually, but not on purpose (or is falsely accused as one). I feel like there's been some buildup on that idea for a while; the way the Commander is currently being portrayed as some ultimate hero celebrity, the Joko incident, the whole Blood Legion fiasco and now Jormag, it all just screams to me that it's all gonna come crashing down, maybe in the Icebrood Saga or maybe in future story arcs. If this does happen, I agree that it'll really amp up the story for me. I love a good hero > villain plot.

As for now though, while I don't think the Commander will end up siding with Jormag, the fact that the entire group looks pretty unsure of whether they should trust Jormag makes me think that there's gonna be some major inter-conflict that has the group split up, potentially leaving the Commander alone. I believe this is Jormag's plan because of the nature of its whispers; note that they don't just target the Commander's stress, but the stress created by their companions (IE, I recall some whispers going along the lines of, "always holding them together" and when Braham starts panicking at seeing his dead dad, "always picking up the pieces when he breaks". Not to mention the whole guilt-trip in the Raven's sanctum). And there's definitely exasperation in the Commander's voice whenever they're trying to get their teammates to calm down.I bet Jormag's doing this to get the Commander at their most vulnerable aka with no support from their friends and convert them/strike.