What happened to the native animals of Elona?

[Overlord RainyDay.2084]

I'm not saying that GW1 and GW2 need to have identical bestiaries, but there's a lot of monsters/enemies that have just straight-up vanished or are gone from areas where they were widespread. I can accept that gargoyles/mergoyles went extinct, Aloe are in hibernation, hyda and scarabs were driven from ascalon and maguuma respectively and centaurs have been driven from most of the areas they used to live. The only thing that really stands out is the absence of the reed stalkers and related species that used to be everywhere, but I suppose most of the changes in central Tyria can be chalked up to the doing of the dragons.

However, for Elona and the crystal desert, a lot of the original fauna seems to have been replaced or flat-out vanished. I don't believe the rise of Zhaitan affected these regions as much, so what happened? Yes, it's well known that Joko wiped out the centaurs of elona, but did he get rid of all the Mandragors, bladed termites, cobalt beasts, rain beetles, and Ntouka? We got a Ntouka pond, but with not one actual Ntouka to be seen.

I'm assuming the practical reason was there just wasn't enough time or resources to make all-new assets to recreate GW1 creatures for living world episodes. It just seems odd that Vabbi, Istan, and now Kourna are devoid of much of the unique monsters they originally had.

[Fenom.9457]

I’d like to see all those missing creatures in some regions to another direction, like Joko polluting their natural habitat compelled them to migrate

[Randulf.7614]

I remember their recent answe to gargoyles was literally just an asset they didnt chose to add. It is likely the same happened with everything you mentioned too.

I do hope we see those rhino things though. In fact any if those safari wildlife from west/central kourna

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

@Overlord RainyDay.2084 said:I can accept that gargoyles/mergoyles went extinct, Aloe are in hibernation, hyda and scarabs were driven from ascalon and maguuma respectively and centaurs have been driven from most of the areas they used to live. The only thing that really stands out is the absence of the reed stalkers and related species that used to be everywhere, but I suppose most of the changes in central Tyria can be chalked up to the doing of the dragons.In addition to these changes, in Central Tyria you're also missing:

• Dryders and Snow Beasts from the Shiverpeaks.
• Nightmares from Kryta, Shiverpeaks, and Ring of Fire.
• Saurians in the Tarnished Coast
• Abominations in Ascalon and the Ring of Fire
• Phantoms in the Ring of Fire

And many more I'm sure I've forgotten.

@Overlord RainyDay.2084 said:rain beetlesWere technically roller beetles, of which Petey is of. It seems that they began dying out over the past 250 years and Petey is part of an endangered species now.

[Overlord RainyDay.2084]

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:

@Overlord RainyDay.2084 said:I can accept that gargoyles/mergoyles went extinct, Aloe are in hibernation, hyda and scarabs were driven from ascalon and maguuma respectively and centaurs have been driven from most of the areas they used to live. The only thing that really stands out is the absence of the reed stalkers and related species that used to be everywhere, but I suppose most of the changes in central Tyria can be chalked up to the doing of the dragons.In addition to these changes, in Central Tyria you're also missing:

• Dryders and Snow Beasts from the Shiverpeaks.
• Nightmares from Kryta, Shiverpeaks, and Ring of Fire.
• Saurians in the Tarnished Coast
• Abominations in Ascalon and the Ring of Fire
• Phantoms in the Ring of Fire

And many more I'm sure I've forgotten.

I assumed the Dryders, Nightmares, Phantoms, and Abominations were coming from the mists due to the the titans trying to break out of the domain of anguish and Dhumm waking up during the time of GW1. GW2 seems to just use Aatxes, shdow imps, and shades (and sometimes fleshreavers) as their go-to mists/god's realm denizens.

I forgot about the saurians In the tarnished coast. I suppose the ones near Rata Sum were driven back into the Maguuma jungle to give us the HoT saurians (though it's a completely different set of dinos), but the rest have been banished completely along with the simians. Even sparkfly swamp, which used to be crawling with them is now just mostly krait and risen, and not even any risen saurians. Only the raptor really stuck around and actually manged to spread to almost all of central Tyria. Maybe if we ever see any of the woodland cascades other than the Bastion, we might see if they still live up there.

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

@Overlord RainyDay.2084 said:

@"Konig Des Todes.2086" said:I assumed the Dryders, Nightmares, Phantoms, and Abominations were coming from the mists due to the the titans trying to break out of the domain of anguish and Dhumm waking up during the time of GW1. GW2 seems to just use Aatxes, shdow imps, and shades (and sometimes fleshreavers) as their go-to mists/god's realm denizens.While those four do appear in the Underworld (and the first also appearing in the Realm of Torment where Dhuum is involved), the places they appear in Tyria hold no relation to the Underworld. Best there is would be the Door of Komalie, which is sealed at the time we see all those creatures and connects to the Realm of Torment not The Underworld anyways, or arguably the Temple of the Ages and Reaper's Gate for a handful of the Nightmares/Azure Shadows.

My point was, though, that there's a ton of missing "wildlife" from GW1, and on top of that, quite a few new things (pinipals and colocals for prime example).

[Yannir.4132]

@"Konig Des Todes.2086" said:

My point was, though, that there's a ton of missing "wildlife" from GW1, and on top of that, quite a few new things (pinipals and colocals for prime example).

I think Colocals atleast are a subterranean species that migrated to the surface because of Destroyers. Just like the asura or the skritt.

[lakdav.3694]

Well there is the answer, really. You dont really need world-altering effects directly like the dragons rising to get a few species extinct. It is enough if some other species are introduced to the ecosystem (fleeing their original habitat for any reason) that upset the balance of predator/prey enough. A single race goes extinct, everything they would do is not done. Heck, in some way the ecosystem might have relied on the kournan centaurs trampling the ground all the time.

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

@Yannir.4132 said:

@"Konig Des Todes.2086" said:

My point was, though, that there's a ton of missing "wildlife" from GW1, and on top of that, quite a few new things (pinipals and colocals for prime example).

I think Colocals atleast are a subterranean species that migrated to the surface because of Destroyers. Just like the asura or the skritt.

If so, there is zero evidence of such.

[Yannir.4132]

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:

@Yannir.4132 said:

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:

My point was, though, that there's a ton of missing "wildlife" from GW1, and on top of that, quite a few new things (pinipals and colocals for prime example).

I think Colocals atleast are a subterranean species that migrated to the surface because of Destroyers. Just like the asura or the skritt.

If so, there is zero evidence of such.

I think there's a heart or an event in Ascalon(either Diessa Plateau or Fireheart Rise) that actually talks about this being a possibility but it doesn't arrive into a conclusion IIRC.It's a suggestion but not definitive.

[Tommo Chocolate.5870]

I'm so glad someone made this topic - I've been wondering about this for months now!

@Overlord RainyDay.2084 said:However, for Elona and the crystal desert, a lot of the original fauna seems to have been replaced or flat-out vanished. I don't believe the rise of Zhaitan affected these regions as much, so what happened? Yes, it's well known that Joko wiped out the centaurs of elona, but did he get rid of all the Mandragors, bladed termites, cobalt beasts, rain beetles, and Ntouka?

It seems Joko also killed off his own Carven Effigies and Awakened Gray Giants! And he was very selective about which plants to wipe out: Enchanted Brambles and Whistling Thornbrushes, but not Jacarandas or Ibogas. I guess he doesn't like Dervishes or Paragons because of the Sunspears...

We got a Ntouka pond, but with not one actual Ntouka to be seen.

I'm disproportionately annoyed about that.

I'm assuming the practical reason was there just wasn't enough time or resources to make all-new assets to recreate GW1 creatures for living world episodes. It just seems odd that Vabbi, Istan, and now Kourna are devoid of much of the unique monsters they originally had.

Presumably, and yet there was enough time and resources to invent Choya, Sand Sharks, Sand Eels, Sand Lions, Rock Gazelles, Shadhavars, and probably some other things that I've forgotten. I assume they wanted to prioritise creating new creature designs over redoing old ones.

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

@Yannir.4132 said:

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:

@Yannir.4132 said:

@Konig Des Todes.2086 said:

My point was, though, that there's a ton of missing "wildlife" from GW1, and on top of that, quite a few new things (pinipals and colocals for prime example).

I think Colocals atleast are a subterranean species that migrated to the surface because of Destroyers. Just like the asura or the skritt.

If so, there is zero evidence of such.

I think there's a heart or an event in Ascalon(either Diessa Plateau or Fireheart Rise) that actually talks about this being a possibility but it doesn't arrive into a conclusion IIRC.It's a suggestion but not definitive.

Colocals are not in Ascalon so that would be very strange indeed. They're only found in the Maguuma Wastes and Kryta.

[perilisk.1874]

@Overlord RainyDay.2084 said:Even sparkfly swamp, which used to be crawling with them is now just mostly krait and risen, and not even any risen saurians.

And the krait are much more boring than GW1 krait, more like re-branded Naga.

Maybe if we have an underwater expansion and more krait, they'll reintroduce krait metamorphosis.

[Overlord RainyDay.2084]

New theory: the Ntouka of Kourna were wiped out by none other the the fabled hero of nightfall. I have it on good authority that the legendary hero and his companions vanquished every living thing between Yohlon Haven and Pogahn Passage, including the are now known as the Ntouka Pond. For this unsavory deed, they were paid the paltry sum of 150 copper by the Zaishen order. This may or may not have been repeated for every region of the known world in order to fuel the hero's addition to gambling their fortune away at the Zaishen chest, then drowning their sorrows in firewater.