What race in your opinion should get more attention, and which one got it too much?

[Randulf.7614]

@Illconceived Was Na.9781 said:I think it's a mistake to assume that races need equal time in the story. I'm more interested in whether the story ANet wants to tell is interesting, whether the gameplay is fun. I'd be okay if 80% of the stories revolved around humans, with the other races there for local color mostly, as long as it makes a good game. In contrast, I'd hate to see ANet take us to Ascalon just because we haven't been there much.

This, 100%.

[Vagrant.7206]

@"Illconceived Was Na.9781" said:I think it's a mistake to assume that races need equal time in the story. I'm more interested in whether the story ANet wants to tell is interesting, whether the gameplay is fun. I'd be okay if 80% of the stories revolved around humans, with the other races there for local color mostly, as long as it makes a good game. In contrast, I'd hate to see ANet take us to Ascalon just because we haven't been there much.

This, without a doubt. Humans were the primary focus of GW1, so it makes sense that they're also a primary focus in GW2. I don't think anyone should argue that it doesn't make sense lorewise to focus on humans -- their actions have shaped the world for far longer than any of the other playable races. Even the Flame Legion couldn't hold a candle (see what I did there?) to what the humans and the human gods have done.

The difference is that between the races that get less attention, the norn get the least. The charr have had a clear influence on the world -- both in their home regions and elsewhere. Their technology is used nearly ubiquitously by the Pact and other military forces, and they frequently hold high ranks within cross-species military forces. Asuran magic and magical constructs have also played a very defined role in shaping GW2's world and the scientific research in it. The sylvari are a relatively recent species, but nonetheless have impacted culture around Tyria, especially due to Ventari's influence. Plus, all of HoT focuses on them.

But the norn? They're essentially treated like large humans. Their impact on the story as a whole has been pretty meaningless apart from just being large humans. The aspects of their religion are largely ignored, and they haven't contributed much technologically to the world. Even their capital city is just a bunch of disparate "lodges." Jormag wasn't even dealt with on-screen... he just went to sleep, according to some conversation we hear.

[Felipe.1807]

To much focus on Humans, Silvary and Asurans...they could focus a little on the Norn...atleast Chaar have the tech that was used on Pact and stuff, but the Norn? Theres not a single NPC on the game of some importance(excluding Braham and Eir, that is dead...) that is Norn....their religion and the Spirits of the Wild are completelly ignored, its all about the humans gods, silvary(whole HoT was all about it) and Asurans(the whole Scarlet saga was all about seeing the Eternal Alchemy or whatever), but Norns dont only have their lore ignored but butchered lol the whole prophecy about someone destroying the Tooth of Jormag, just a fairy tale according to one of the elders...

@worlds biggest losers.4230 said:I main an Elonian human, so I'm a bit biased, but I would love to see more Norn. How is Braham dealing with being seen as a new Norn leader? Did the human gods want the Spirits of the Wild to leave with them? If so, why did the spirits refuse? I love how loyal the spirits are to the Norn instead of running away like the human gods.

Not interested in charr other than the Olmakhan; Tyrian charr always rubbed me the wrong way with their fahrars and I'd much rather see more of the cool nature cats who have proper families and are still super strong. Their cubs can raise giant sand monsters, like holy -! Meanwhile, Tyrian cubs are out there needing to be babysat as they play at warbands and run around old ruins.

Braham is not the leader of the norns, they dont have rulers, the close we get is Knut Whitebear.

[Vayne.8563]

@"Illconceived Was Na.9781" said:I think it's a mistake to assume that races need equal time in the story. I'm more interested in whether the story ANet wants to tell is interesting, whether the gameplay is fun. I'd be okay if 80% of the stories revolved around humans, with the other races there for local color mostly, as long as it makes a good game. In contrast, I'd hate to see ANet take us to Ascalon just because we haven't been there much.

I can't quote this post enough. Creative people tell the stories that call to them. They don't "balance it out" to make it fair to everyone. I mean there was a lot of lore of elves and dwarves in Lord of the Rings, but the Hobbit was about Hobbits more generally because that's the story of the book.

Humans have been the focus of the Guild Wars universe since Guild Wars 1. There's no reason to expect that will change. Hell Norn, and Asura didn't exist until the fourth and final Guild Wars 1 title and Sylvari didn't exist in Guild Wars 1 at all (though their roots, pun intended, did).

This said, I do believe eventually, Anet will start fleshing out other races more, as time passes.

[ThatOddOne.4387]

At the moment the story is focused on Elona and to a lesser extent the Gods. So it's perfectly acceptable at the moment that humans are in the forefront. Now if they were suddenly in the forefront when it comes to the Jormag expansion I would be scratching my head, but for now I think the attention given to the humans is justified.

There needs to be a substantial (positive) narrative pay-off for the the humans and the Gods in the story, rather than that thread being left hanging. When that comes, I'll be content when the story shifts focus to other races more often.

[Castigator.3470]

@"ThatOddOne.4387" said:At the moment the story is focused on Elona and to a lesser extent the Gods. So it's perfectly acceptable at the moment that humans are in the forefront. Now if they were suddenly in the forefront when it comes to the Jormag expansion I would be scratching my head, but for now I think the attention given to the humans is justified.

There needs to be a substantial (positive) narrative pay-off for the the humans and the Gods in the story, rather than that thread being left hanging. When that comes, I'll be content when the story shifts focus to other races more often.

I agree, we may need to finish the current Elona story arc, before we begin another one.When this happens and we got a satisfying conclusion of the Elona/Gods/Mists/Kralkatorrik situation, then we may get the teaser/introduction chapter for the next expansion. That is, unless the next expansion expands into the mists.If we don't go on an epic mistjammer campaign, then we will have to concern ourselves with tyrian politics, which may lead to the Blood Legion Homelands, or the charr homelands in general, the Norn, further up the Shiverpeaks, or we will establish contact with the Canthan Empire.

If the next expansion leads us to cantha, we will get more human content, but these humans will be different in that they are likely to never have encountered any sentient nonhuman in their life. That holds immense opportunities for exploring race based interaction. In fact, even human/human interaction may be interesting, as the Canthans have never seen an Ascalonian, a Krytan, or an Elonian in their lifetime either.If the plot moves to Cantha, I really hope the writers will explore this, otherwise it would lead to another instance of "the commander is implicitly human" like LW S3 E6, which was the low point of Season 3.

Should the expansion lead us further north, I'll expect us to deal with the Dragons, or rather Glints Legacy. Some way of being able to replace elder dragons without killing them. While we're there we get involved in legion politics, which may include the aftermath of Flame Legion's civil war, aswell as inter legion issues.The norn would need to be present aswell, as they are the most reliable allies in the northern shiverpeaks.

[Rodzynald.5897]

Stooop, stop it with those humans already ; _ ;There is more to this game than just humans for lore's sake.