Feeling sad for the Lion's Arch Tour Guide

[Matmos.9702]

One of my favourite NPC's in the game is the Tour Guide in Lion's Arch. I've followed her about a few times listening to her comment on the different areas of Lion's Arch. Even after hearing it multiple times her comment at the fountains still brings a smile to my face.

 

I decided to look up to see if there was any information on her, i'd sort of worked out that she either was or wanted to be an architect and had failed in this. But then i read that she is in the Lion's Arch aerodrome, so i went and found her, and there she is crying against the wall and i felt really sad for her. It's strange as i've felt sad for NPC's that have died in quests or in battles, but this felt different. It's like she had dreams to be an architect and these dreams were shattered and now she's having go around Lion's Arch and show people these structures that she hates.

 

It got me wondering are there any other NPC's that players have found and thought i wonder why they are here. 

 

[Farohna.6247]

Maybe she's sad because she was there at the destruction or had loved ones lost.  At the end of the day after putting on a cheery face for the crowds, she cries because of her personal grief.  Although your disgruntled architect is an interesting take.  

[Kalavier.1097]

8 hours ago, Farohna.6247 said:

Maybe she's sad because she was there at the destruction or had loved ones lost.  At the end of the day after putting on a cheery face for the crowds, she cries because of her personal grief.  Although your disgruntled architect is an interesting take.  

Quote

The reason why the Tour Guide sounds so bitter is that she was an architect hired to do the redesign of LA. However due to her designs not being approved, she lost her job, and wound up becoming a tour guide for the very city that had rejected her designs.^[1]

• She can be found in the Lion's Arch Aerodrome crying in front of blueprints of "a certain lobster-shaped building that she has come to associate with her failure as an architect."^[2]

It's been confirmed that she was an architect, who lost her job because her suggestions were rejected during the rebuild. She does the tour guide job to pay her bills.

Her dialogue during the tour also points toward this.

Quote

Tour Guide: After Scarlet destroyed Lion's Arch in 1327, the Captain's Council held a competition for the rebuild effort.

Tour Guide: The brightest architects from around Tyria submitted their design proposals, including one very talented student.

Tour Guide: But alas, her brilliant vision for the new Lion's Arch proved too forward thinking for the small minds on the council.

Tour Guide: So instead of gazing upon sweeping views of the bay, we have a giant...lobster.

 

 

Tour Guide: Over here are a number of asura gates that lead to various cities all over Tyria.

Tour Guide: It's the most effective way to escape in a hurry.

Tour Guide: Perhaps to find adventure. Or a new career when your architectural dreams are shattered by a giant concrete crustacean.

Tour Guide: (cough)

 

[Fenom.9457]

I feel bad for her, I think a design for LA that would’ve been cool is a seaside town that has creature shaped buildings but with more variety. Instead of them all being mostly plain concrete make it like an octopus cafe where there are tables along all the tentacles and you order at the mouth where the chefs are working. The lobster this NPC hates is actually one of the more creative ones I think cause it’s not just a building like you can get inside it

[Urud.4925]

I didn't know she is also in the Aerodrome, thank you for the info guys! It definitely feels different when you know the NPCs living in the city, like that Di Giacomo, who also has a quite sad life.

But the one that broke my heart was the guy with a pet on the Lion's Arch bridge. When I tamed his pet with a ranger, he started to cry so much that I felt a jerk for doing it (I didn't expect such a reaction).

An NPC that tickled my curiosity was Cautrell the Traitor, a merchant in the PvP lobby. I found weird to have a merchant named "the traitor" (you wouldn't buy anything from someone with that name, right?), so I looked on the wiki and apparently Cautrell was a PvP  producer who left ArenaNet. Nice... ehm, homage.

[TheQuickFox.3826]

You can find her crying in a corner in the Lions Arch aerodome. Sad story.

 

Edited September 27, 2022 by TheQuickFox.3826

[Kalavier.1097]

1 hour ago, Urud.4925 said:

I didn't know she is also in the Aerodrome, thank you for the info guys! It definitely feels different when you know the NPCs living in the city, like that Di Giacomo, who also has a quite sad life.

But the one that broke my heart was the guy with a pet on the Lion's Arch bridge. When I tamed his pet with a ranger, he started to cry so much that I felt a jerk for doing it (I didn't expect such a reaction).

An NPC that tickled my curiosity was Cautrell the Traitor, a merchant in the PvP lobby. I found weird to have a merchant named "the traitor" (you wouldn't buy anything from someone with that name, right?), so I looked on the wiki and apparently Cautrell was a PvP  producer who left ArenaNet. Nice... ehm, homage.

From memory, the bridge npc a cat and dog. Charm one, he'll cry, then summon the other. https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Tomme

[Urud.4925]

Ah, Tomme! Yes, forgot the name, thank you. I remember. I tamed his dog first, then the lynx spawned after a bit. And I tamed also that one.... until another dog like the first one respawned. You may think that I wasn't so sad, since I did it twice, but... curiosity was stronger.

Edited September 27, 2022 by Urud.4925

[JTGuevara.9018]

On 9/24/2022 at 8:14 AM, Matmos.9702 said:

One of my favourite NPC's in the game is the Tour Guide in Lion's Arch. I've followed her about a few times listening to her comment on the different areas of Lion's Arch. Even after hearing it multiple times her comment at the fountains still brings a smile to my face.

 

I decided to look up to see if there was any information on her, i'd sort of worked out that she either was or wanted to be an architect and had failed in this. But then i read that she is in the Lion's Arch aerodrome, so i went and found her, and there she is crying against the wall and i felt really sad for her. It's strange as i've felt sad for NPC's that have died in quests or in battles, but this felt different. It's like she had dreams to be an architect and these dreams were shattered and now she's having go around Lion's Arch and show people these structures that she hates.

 

It got me wondering are there any other NPC's that players have found and thought i wonder why they are here. 

 

You know, this brings back to me players' collective anger towards the new Lion's Arch. Knowing this, I believe that this was intended by Anet. They know that the new Lion's Arch(mainly the Lion's Court) is a walking Sea-world ripoff. (without the lovely dolphins, of course..) yet they still brought us this permanent change to Tyria's global trade hub...

I also despise that vulture capitalist scumbag Evon Gnashblade telling Black Lion workers to "buck up and make some coin" and keep up the pretense of laboring happily under a giant lobster. I'm also going to bring up a Charr NPC on the path towards the Fractals to back up my statement: "The old LA had character, it had spirit, it had grit. This just...isn't the same."

And now...the tour guide, of which I've just learned more about thanks to you OP. I don't blame her one bit...

8 hours ago, Urud.4925 said:

I didn't know she is also in the Aerodrome, thank you for the info guys! It definitely feels different when you know the NPCs living in the city, like that Di Giacomo, who also has a quite sad life.

But the one that broke my heart was the guy with a pet on the Lion's Arch bridge. When I tamed his pet with a ranger, he started to cry so much that I felt a jerk for doing it (I didn't expect such a reaction).

An NPC that tickled my curiosity was Cautrell the Traitor, a merchant in the PvP lobby. I found weird to have a merchant named "the traitor" (you wouldn't buy anything from someone with that name, right?), so I looked on the wiki and apparently Cautrell was a PvP  producer who left ArenaNet. Nice... ehm, homage.

I expect nothing less of the ones responsible of the pitiful state of pvp. Some "homage" if you ask me...

[TGMChrist.2678]

19 minutes ago, JTGuevara.9018 said:

You know, this brings back to me players' collective anger towards the new Lion's Arch. Knowing this, I believe that this was intended by Anet. They know that the new Lion's Arch(mainly the Lion's Court) is a walking Sea-world ripoff. (without the lovely dolphins, of course..) yet they still brought us this permanent change to Tyria's global trade hub...

I also despise that vulture capitalist scumbag Evon Gnashblade telling Black Lion workers to "buck up and make some coin" and keep up the pretense of laboring happily under a giant lobster. I'm also going to bring up a Charr NPC on the path towards the Fractals to back up my statement: "The old LA had character, it had spirit, it had grit. This just...isn't the same."

And now...the tour guide, of which I've just learned more about thanks to you OP. I don't blame her one bit...

I expect nothing less of the ones responsible of the pitiful state of pvp. Some "homage" if you ask me...

And that's why I've long wished for a way to visit old Lion's Arch outside of the personal story and the Living World.

[Zola.6197]

We just have to get another city destroyed so she can have another chance!

[The Greyhawk.9107]

Dunno, I have a harder time feeling sorry for people that take their anger out on those that don't deserve it, which some of the things she says to the tourists I'd say qualifies as such.

[Bobby Stein.3612]

On 9/24/2022 at 5:14 AM, Matmos.9702 said:

It got me wondering are there any other NPC's that players have found and thought i wonder why they are here. 

There are a bunch of characters scattered throughout the game that have little micro-stories like this. Sometimes if you follow them around you'll see how their ambient scenes connect to provide a glimpse at who they are, what they're doing here, and how they feel about certain events, other characters in the game, etc.

 

The Tour Guide was a fun one. Byron had a fun core of an idea and we workshopped her scenes together.

[HotDelirium.7984]

On 10/21/2022 at 2:25 PM, Bobby Stein.3612 said:

There are a bunch of characters scattered throughout the game that have little micro-stories like this. Sometimes if you follow them around you'll see how their ambient scenes connect to provide a glimpse at who they are, what they're doing here, and how they feel about certain events, other characters in the game, etc.

 

The Tour Guide was a fun one. Byron had a fun core of an idea and we workshopped her scenes together.

Could that poor lady in Bjora with the Yak who is constantly being manipulated forever into investigating the murder outside the keep get maybe an official update/rest/relief from from her tormented hell. I just want her to be okay. It could even be a throwaway comment about her moving on in someway. I'll take anything!

[Lan Deathrider.5910]

On 10/21/2022 at 5:25 PM, Bobby Stein.3612 said:

There are a bunch of characters scattered throughout the game that have little micro-stories like this. Sometimes if you follow them around you'll see how their ambient scenes connect to provide a glimpse at who they are, what they're doing here, and how they feel about certain events, other characters in the game, etc.

 

The Tour Guide was a fun one. Byron had a fun core of an idea and we workshopped her scenes together.

During the next LW season can we destroy LA again, and then have this poor tour guide team up with Bian for those sweeping vistas across the bay and some jade ziplines?