Humongous line, took forty minutes for my section of the line to actually make it onto the show floor. I figured the art books would be long gone by then, but they still had some (yay me!). I haven't actually had a chance to look through most of it yet, though the first section on Ascalon features mostly shots of burning wastelands and iron fortresses and cities of the Charr, along with various creature pics. There's a note that the Grawl and Ettins are still active in the area.
Just flipped through the Kryta section, and there's a large picture of a female warrior opposite a block of text about what has become of Kryta, discussing Queen Jennah, etc (matter of fact, the picture is probably a picture of her, although it is VERY "warrior-ish"). There's also a beautiful shot by Jason Wiggin of a street within Divinity's Reach, showing what the streets might look like (looks very much in line with the exterior of Divinity's Reach in the trailer). I'll report on the rest of the book later, or others who have it can chime in.
I got to talk to Jeff Grubb a little this morning. He didn't really drop any new info, as he's trying to stick to lore questions now, and gameplay/mechanics questions next year. He did say the devs are having a lot of fun jumping off cliffs without the damage mechanics at the moment. I asked about "boats" and he kind of dodged that one, deferring it to the gameplay discussions.
At the first Q&A with Matt Forbeck and the others, it was tough to hear most of the questions, and some of the answers. Time-wise, he said the story takes place about one year before our starting time in GW2, although much of the prior history is explained in flashbacks. Interestingly, he said each of the five races will be "flashing-back," each with their own perspective on the events. The story itself will have something to do with the humans and the Charr working out a "truce" in the face of the dragons, and it seems to follow some characters as they try to do what is needed to facilitate that truce (it sounded like some Charr relic needs to be rescued from somewhere, possibly in Ghost-Adelbern's territory). Take some of that with a grain of salt, though, as I was having trouble hearing all of it and probably got a few facts wrong.
Beyond that, not much new. They're running the trailer in loops, and pretty much every Anet employee is signing the books, along with the artists. I managed to score both Dociu's, Jeff Grubb's, Richard Anderson's, Kristen Perry's, Matt Medina's, and even Regina's initials. Heading back now to see if I can score any more.
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EDIT 1: Okay, I had to leave PAX a bit early (took me four hours to drive back home), and didn't get a chance to ask any more questions. Apologies to all who posted questions to ask; I should have asked for them beforehand, as I seem to go blank right when its time to ask them. Maybe if someone else goes tomorrow or Sunday, they may get a chance to ask them.
Anyway, I DO have more info to share, most of which is remembered stuff from this morning, or stuff from the artbook.
1. Those big armored polar bears seem to be called the "kodan," and look like a new race in the Norn areas as far as I can tell. There's a few killer concepts of them in the book. Nevermind the Norn, I wanna play one of these guys!
2. There is a wardrobe concept for a Sylvari Necromancer, and one for what looks like a Norn Elementalist. The Sylvari looks much like the one at the end of the trailer, but with much smoother hair, and wearing an all black/dark purple, more covered outfit. The picture of the Norn has armor that looks reminiscent of the old hydromancer armor (female), but with more fur lining.
3. There's a note that the Sylvari are divided into groups, one for each season based on the hour of their birth. Theres a few artworks that show presumably a Spring and a Fall Sylvari.
4. Jeff talked a little about the evolution of Turai Ossa's story as an example of their storytelling process. He said originally it was very loose, with just some names (Turai, Jahai, Palawa Joko, etc) with no real set lore behind it. As they got into Nightfall, they took it and started fleshing it out. They talked about who they would cast in the dream "movie-version," and he said Palawa Joko would have been played by Christpher Walken. Now I'm having images in my head of Palawa begging for "more cowbell."
5. Mursaat. Someone asked about them, and the response was that they won't be in the novel (or not the first one at least), but they kind of danced around their role in the game, if any.
6. Glint. There's definitely some story to what happens to her, although I'm not sure if it will be in the book. Its in the game for sure, though.
7. Talking about story again, and said that talking about the "story" of GW2 is like talking about the story of WWII. Of course there's the main overarching tale, but there's also a million stories within that that go in all different directions. Basically saying there's a lot of layering of subplots and sideplots.
8. Found one costume picture that reminds me a lot of Vampire Hunter D/Van Helsing (more Van Helsing, actually). I'm guessing its a ranger, or whatever the ranger-ish class will be. It's in a section talking about how Lion's Arch has become a bit of a free-for-all, with all sorts of characters mixing about (notably bandits). Sounds like a sort of Mos Eisley town.
9. They talk a little about costumes. Where GW1 generally hit a more medieval look, costumes in GW2 evoke a bit more of a Renaissance feel. There's a picture of a male and female in what looks like it could be Mesmer armor, and yet there's something Ranger-ish about it, too (fancy rangers, if so).
10. I mentioned I was a little surprised about them releasing the trailer and artbook this close to Aion's release, and how I figured NCsoft wanted all the focus to be on Aion for the next month or two. He laughed and said they really wanted to get this stuff out there at Cologne and PAX this year, as they are the two main Anet conventions. I kind of got the feeling that any attention given towards one NCsoft game is a potential benefit to their other games too (in terms of visibility), so its all good.
Okay, need dinner. Will probably be back later after I've gone over the artbook with a magnifying glass. I might post a few crappy pics of some important images, like the Jennah(?) one, although they'll be poor quality due to my camera, and the ever present copyright concerns.
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EDIT 2: Finished going through the book again, and cobbled together what answers I could to some of the questions people asked. Here goes:
Quote:
quoted from Daniel Dociu in the introduction:
"We don't regard concept art as blueprints to be slavishly reproduced, but rather as an inspirationl starting point for our amazingly creative production artists."
11. Ascalon is under the rule of the Iron Legion of the Charr. Grubb mentioned that there are still pockets of human resistance (sounded like multiple, besides Ebonhawke, though that is the main one). Ascalon is still at war, though mostly controlled by the Charr.
12. There is one odd picture in the Ascalon/Charr section. It looks like a lunar/mars rover actually. Its a wheeled vehicle, hinged in the middle for turning, and with either a crane or some kind of torch arm. Remote controlled flamethrower maybe?
13. There seems to be a running carnival in the central plaza of Divinity's Reach, and they mention it being the perfect place for minigames and holiday events.
14. Divinity's Reach is a mixed bag of human culture. Largely Krytan, but the Ascalonians in particular kind of have their own area, and are just biding their time until they can return to Ascalon. (this comes partly from the lore Q&A)
15. The second dragon to awaken seems to be Drakkar in the Northern Shiverpeaks. They mention that (like the Nornbear), the creatures and some of the Norn have been corrupted by this dragon. The rest of the Norn were driven south. Looks like we'll be fighting more Nornbears...
16. On Page 41, there are a few sample male face illustrations. One of them looks a lot like Brian Blessed (actor), and another looks a lot like Daniel Dociu!
17. There is a Sylvari necromancer named "Trahearne." Explaining the Sylvari take on necromancy, death is just part of the life cycle, so its not considered dark or evil, just a special part of life.
18. Ironic given the above line, there is apparently an evil Sylvari faction known as the Nightmare Court. Their artwork is much more harsh, and kind of evokes the wardens to me, though it is not stated anywhere.
19. Found a picture of a warrior/ranger looking female with a beautiful rapier. The armor seems to be plate, but she's also wearing a nice hood and cloak.
20. Jeff talked a bit about how much they liked some of the techniques they used in the trailer (the moving images, and in particular the transition from art to game shot) and hinted that those techniques might be used later one, perhaps for in-game cinematics. This was very loose talk, though.
21. I also asked Daniel Dociu when he's planning on getting his store open on his website so we can buy prints. He laughed and said it wouldn't be anytime soon due to the GW2 focus, and also because Anet owns the rights to the images from GW, so there's legal issues there.
Okay, Q&A time! I obviously don't have answers to all the questions, and most of these are partial (even just scratches, really).
Quote:
What is the situation with the Tengu in Tyria and Cantha
Unknown lore-wise. There is pretty much no talk about Cantha and Elona in the book as far as I can see (apart from a passing mention of them being "cut off"); the focus is much more on Tyrian areas. The artbook DOES talk about the Tengu, and they are active in the Maguuma jungle.
Quote:
What is the situation with the Centaurs across Tyria, and in Elona
Centaurs in Kryta are fighting back against human occupation from Divinity's Reach. Since I'm here, there is also mention of the Hylek's evolution. They've advanced a bit as well, though are still primitive compared to the other races.
Quote:
Will Livia or her descendants have any major role in the story, and can we officially say that Livia is dead by GW2's present?
They didn't mention specific heroes or henches, but someone asked if any of the famous heroes/henches/NPC's will be referred to or have any kind of legacy in the novel. The answer seemed to be yes, some familiar names will show up either in flashbacks or as historical references. Someone of course then asked about Gwen. Everyone laughed, but didn't say yea or nay.
Quote:
Will we see a return of the Fleshreavers, or were they exclusive to Rragar's Menagerie?
There is a fullpage art piece just about them. Doesn't say much about where they are, but it sure looks like they'll be featured.
Quote:
Do the Shining Blade still play a role in Krytan politics?
There is one reference that says the Shining Blade "is now the queen of Kryta's right hand," but doesn't elaborate beyond that.
Quote:
Have Charr-Norn relations changed, with the Norn moving further south?
There is only one line I found that says they Norn and the Charr sometimes ally "for the thrill of battle," but that's the only interaction between those two I can find signs of.
Quote:
What is the fate of the non-deldrimor dwarves who didn't transform (i'm looking at you, stone summit)?
Jeff mentioned that there are still some (like Ogden) who didn't change, but they are very few and far between, it seems.
EDIT: Doh! Was just proofreading and saw the "non-deldrimor" part. Jeff talked about the Stone Summit like they are still there, although given Drakkar's rise, I'm wondering if they have become corrupted as well (or rather, MORE corrupted).
Quote:
Will we find out anything more about the seers come guild wars 2?
Somebody did ask this, and Jeff smiled and said "possibly."
Quote:
Just to clarify, are the asura located in the tarnished coast and the sylvari in the maguuma jungle? if so, what about the pale tree, isn't that located in the tarnished coast?
The book suggests they both live in Maguuma, though they may be rolling the two areas under one umbrella. They don't really talk about the Tarnished Coast, aside from a casual mention of "the coast" in reference to Ventari's Tree as the place of the origin of the Sylvari (only 25 years prior to the beginning of GW2, apparently).
Quote:
Can we have a name for the sylvari capital (apologies, again for the wiki's benefit)
Not sure, but the book simply says "the Grove" is their home. (yes, capitalized, so it might be the real thing).
Quote:
The picture of the Norn has armor that looks reminiscent of the old hydromancer armor (female), but with more fur lining.
I think I have to take this back. Looking at it now I don't see as much of the hydromancer in it. Now it looks like a skimpy fur-lined dervish outfit. The skirt is only on the backside, though. And no, its not the same as in that one shot in the trailer. I had the impression from that shot that it was more of a warrior armor (like a slightly more covered Glad's armor); there is a similar armor shown in the book and seems warrior-ish to me.
Quote:
Does the text make it fairly clear the Kodan are their own species?
Just re-read it and yes, they seem to be their own culture. I'm guessing they are allies of the Norn, as there is that one picture of the Norn ranger with a big Kodan guy backing her up. Unless he's a rebel like Pyre was. As for the sailing iceberg, the book says that the artists came up with the idea, even though there wasn't a place for it in the game. They all loved it so much that they MADE a space for it.
Quote:
Why a camera? Use a scanner. Better quality.
Yes, except that I don't have a scanner available. I just re-read the copyright and its pretty explicit about any reproduction, so I feel I should hold off on that anyway (they know where I live , plus I work in a similar enough field that I know how irritating it can be when people do that, so I think I'll hold back as professional courtesy (and since they can find me, lol)).
HOWEVER, if Regina is watching (*poke*), I'd highly suggest that they release some pics of the Kodan, more of the Sylvari art (particularly the spring sylvari), and that one female Krytan warrior/Queen Jennah picture.
Quote:
It might only be available in the CE of GW2 (hey, it would still be in stores.
They stressed that there are no immediate plans for a CE, much less what the contents would be. Personally, given the GW history and its fans, I would be astounded if there was no CE. I CAN report, however that the art book is "CE-sized," and seems roughly the same size as the Nightfall artbook (don't have the Nightfall one on me atm, just going off memory).
Alright, I think that's everything I was able to squeeze out of my memory and the artbook. Going to sleep for a long time now...
Humongous line, took forty minutes for my section of the line to actually make it onto the show floor.
I'm extremely envious of you
Quote:
Originally Posted by patrickvp
and pretty much every Anet employee is signing the books, along with the artists. I managed to score both Dociu's, Jeff Grubb's, Richard Anderson's, Kristen Perry's, Matt Barrett's, and even Regina's initials. Heading back now to see if I can score any more.
Really REALLY envious now
Quote:
I got to talk to Jeff Grubb a little this morning. He didn't really drop any new info, as he's trying to stick to lore questions now, and gameplay/mechanics questions next year.
If you have time, ask him about the spirits the Norn worship. On GW1 they were the Bear, the Raven, the Wolf, the Ox, the Wurm and the Owl, but one GW2 interview mentions only the Bear, the Raven, the Wolf and the Snow Leopard. Have those spirits realy changed?
we (the lore forum) really need to make a list of unanswered questions people can ask at such q&a sessions, they are such big opportunities and we always seem to be missing out on them :/
That we do, Santax, and personally, I blame myself (for being busy around these events and not finding the time and not having had questions laid out beforehand). However, it's also an issue not knowing who is going to these events in the first place. Not to mention, for some reason, the Lore Forums tend to be in a frenzy arguing over points of minor data we have been provided, rather than looking for clarification via queries by the people going to the events.
That aside, here are a few of the questions I have, if you get a chance to ask, Patrick, and many thanks if you obtain and record the responses you receive.
Queries:
What is the situation with the Tengu in Tyria and Cantha, have they escaped Cantha, and integrated into Krytan culture? Have the Caromi Tengu in Kryta integrated into Krytan culture, or are they still the bandits we remember?
What is the situation with the Centaurs across Tyria, and in Elona? We know the Centaurs in the Maguuma have been pushed away by the White Mantle flowing into the northern areas, but are they still fighting? Has Joko subjugated the Centaur prides to slavery, or has he chosen to treat them differently this time?
Has Palawa Joko expanded his rule into the southern Crystal Desert, or are the Crystal Desert and the Desolation one body of land, simply called the Crystal Desert?
Is the Wyld Hunt, mentioned by Ree Soesbee in an interview, an actual event, or is it merely behavior, such as wanderlust? Also, what are the names of the creatures the Sylvari are seen bringing (back?) to life in the Maguuma?
Are the Sylvari genderless, merely taking on human (female) characteristics due to Ronan's love for his wife and family or the graves their seed was buried in?
Have the Elder Dragons corrupted members of each race?
Will Livia or her descendants have any major role in the story, and can we officially say that Livia is dead by GW2's present?
Have the Naga migrated to Tyria by some means after the exile of all other races in Cantha?
Will we see a return of the Fleshreavers, or were they exclusive to Rragar's Menagerie?
We saw a dam in what appeared to be Elonian territory, or the Crystal Desert, will Elona be accessible in GW2's release, or will we merely skirt the borders of Elona, encountering some of Joko's forces?
Do the Shining Blade still play a role in Krytan politics, or were they disbanded shortly after reestablishing the Krytan monarchy?
Have we been to the Isle of Janthir, or should we expect to encounter it sometime later?
Has Joko maintained the Halls of Chokhin in Vabbi?
Will we be able to read any of the scrolls or books in Durmand Priory, the library-monastery managed by the Order of Whispers?
Have Charr-Norn relations changed, with the Norn moving further south?
Do the Dredge maintain their existence in the Shiverpeaks both above-ground and below-ground, or do they have a preference towards one?
Are the Dredge hostile to all Norn, and all other races?
How were the Wardens affected by Usoku's exile of other races, and were the Wardens native to the Echovald Forest?
Were the Juggernauts considered non-human, and included in Usoku's exile? Have the Forever Trees been maintained, or were they destroyed?
Were the giant turtles raised by the Luxons killed, exiled, or permitted to stay?
Has Joko's rule been extremely strict, aside from forced loyalty, tribute, and the like, or has it actually been more lenient?
In the Turning the Page quest chain, we see the ability of the Mursaat to divide themselves into aspects. Will the nature, that is, the workings, of this ability be explained later, and is this ability exclusive to the Mursaat?
I think that's enough for the moment..I could go on and on.
__________________
IGN: Leon Wyvern.
"The real secret of magic is that the world is made of words, and that if you know the words that the world is made of you can make of it whatever you wish."-Terence McKenna.
while i'm here, i may as well bring up some questions of my own:
what is the fate of the non-deldrimor dwarves who didn't transform (i'm looking at you, stone summit)?
how far did usoku's xenophobia extend? to all intelligent non-humans? were there exceptions? how will this gel with gw2's multiple playable races (although i suspect as there are races yet to be announced this may be a gameplay question)
will we find out anything more about the seers come guild wars 2?
why are the scriptures of dwayna dated 115 years before the event they describe?
is bahltek going to be addressed in guild wars 2? are his ramblings relevant to lord odran?
can we have confirmation on whether arachnia is considered canon or not?
can we have a name for the deep sea dragon (this is more for the wiki's benefit than anything else)
can we have a name for the sylvari capital (apologies, again for the wiki's benefit)
will we still be finding out the true name of the charr homelands in gw2?
we have a number of contradictions on the matter of how magic was gifted to the races of tyria, and what exactly this has to do with abaddon and the exodus. can we have clarification on this matter?
is hrangmer located on the island to the north, added with the gw:en map update?
are there any more dragons yet to be revealed?
why does palawa joko not seem to have a master and act of his own accord, unlike other undead?
at what point did the ebon vanguard move south, and what is the current state of the eye of the north?
just to clarify, are the asura located in the tarnished coast and the sylvari in the maguuma jungle? if so, what about the pale tree, isn't that located in the tarnished coast?
is queen jennah the only remaining descendant of doric (and therefore the only person able to bring peace to the spirits of the ascalon guard) or are the others?
who or what are malchor and rubicon?
it's been hinted that glint will have some some inflection upon the story, does kuunavang share a similar relevance?
what, precisely, is the situation along the elonian border?
does the scepter of orr have the power to control the titans, or undead, or both? if this applies to undead, does this power also extend to zhaitan's undead?
are the dragons unified, or is there internal conflict?
does the crystal desert have a new name now it no longer resembles a desert? were the grassy regions featured in the gameplay section of the trailer the crystal desert?
how did livia get to arah after eye of the north?
i'll add more if i think any, i think leon covered some of what i wanted to ask too
A guildmate asked for some questions to ask for a friend of hers who'll be having an interview with Anet. Shame I won't get to hear about it till over a few weeks when audio editing etc is done D:
I hope that Charr Relic isn't the cauldron of cataclysm..
"The real secret of magic is that the world is made of words, and that if you know the words that the world is made of you can make of it whatever you wish."-Terence McKenna.
“The ultimate foe of Guild Wars 2 is Zhaitan, but the influences of the other dragons run deep through Tyria – Jormag’s worshippers are active among the Norn, Kralkatorrik’s brand is carved across the charr lands in Ascalon, and the minions of Primordus continue to surface across the land. But the story of GW2 leads to Orr, and the City of the Gods which is Zhaitan’s lair."
Dont know if this is common knowledge or not yet, but here it is anyways.
We just need to know the name of the deep sea dragon now.
Maybe if someone else goes tomorrow or Sunday, they may get a chance to ask them.
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