Curse

Genevieve Azure · Jun 05, 2006, 05:34 PM // 17:34

I was just thinking that you could tie in the Ascension missions in with the new realm. The first in Tyria would be linked in with the afterlife. After you 'Ascend' your spirit would attain enlightenment and so your spirit would be asked to help aid Dwayna. The Canthan one would pertain to the 'seeing of spirits'. As you can now see spirits you can now also help Dwayna with the spirits of the afterlife. I would hope that each 'Ascension' Mission would help you attain a certain cleansed state. Now for the main bit.

Landscapes and layout - Well as you should all know the afterlife is the mists. So of course there needs to be areas such as fields of mists 'ALANTRYL'S EXPANSE' and such. There should also be a temple complex made of crystal and marble. Fountains I would also have to agree with. I would also like gardens, with bright flowers and lush greenery, and tall grass. Like an overgrown meadow. The architecture should resemble something of a cross between Greek and Roman, with pillars and such, with a decorative design of Ascalon.

Enemies - These would come in a few forms. Rather than having physical beings, or the undead. I would suggest something spectral.

Such like Azure's but with more colour and different shapes. Like animals, they would be guardians of spirits and would become hostile to anyone around.
There would also be spectral emissaries of Grenth. Who would try to steal good souls to help Grenth gain more support. As they are basically enemies I would say Grenth would try to take their souls so that he could exploit their bones to use as his armies. And Dwayna would try to take the spirits of dead from him to help her save them from him and also produce an opposing force.

Lastly there would be spirits themselves. Much on the same lines as the afflicted. If any spirit would come into contact with the Emissaries of Grenth their white, spectral appearance would turn dark. These would then be like the ones that you would normally find in grenth's realm. But wouldn't be skeletal but would have dark blood stained armour.

Allies/NPCs: Allies would be mainly monk classes that are common hench. But would also have the Emissaries of Dwayna. They would be like other henchies but incorruptible spirits. With Celestial Armour. There will also be NCPs that have become helpers of Dwayna or want to reside with her.

Quests - Divine Rights. You must assist High Priestess Shana as she attempts to rebuild the Airen Fountain. This fountain will help you call Dwayna fourth from her duties in the mists. (This would be your first quest. You will be attacked by Grenth's guys and the Azurial Spirits. This would be like the challenge missions on Cantha. If you complete the time in the top 3 you will gain x amount of Dwayna Favour. Which you would exchange for craft items. Like the armour in Kurzick & Luxon Territories.

Other quests would be Defend temples or shrines. Helping Priests/es rebuild fountains. You would also have to help remove afflicted spirits and help guide the others through the mists to Sanctuary. The main temple. Covered in hanging gardens and such. There would also be areas were you would have to help the newly departed reach the mists. Like some people have said. They would be maps that take place on any continent in the middle of a war. Although you would not be actually fighting you will have to guide the souls to the Crystal Portal. There would also be Grenths guys taking the others to their own portal. Trying to kill you off. And summoning beasts that you would find in the Underworld. During these you would gain a Dwyana Blessing Skill. Still need to think about that one. Minion masters will have a hard time since there ain’t no corpses. At the end of the battle...x number of minutes. Which ever side has the most spirits wins. If you win you gain a number of crafting material.

Tameable creatures - I would say you could tame something like one of those celestial beings you get in the Ascension mission in Cantha. But they wont be normal pets. If you have the charm animal skill on you. Your pet would be taken in to the Sanctuary gardens and exchanged for a celestial pet. When you leave Dwayna's realm your pet reverts to your old one.

Tie-ins with the main Guild Wars/Guild Wars Factions storyline. As said above, Ascension missions that help cleanse your character.

Drops - As people as stated Dwayna associated merchandise. As well as some none green Celestial Weapons. Although they will not be max damage or have max mods they will have an increased damage to spirits. Bosses may also drop greens or Luminous Essence. The crafting material

Special Armourers/Weaponsmiths? Yes special armour which is light in colour with intricate patterns and much more flowy. May have some nicer colours as well. Much more dressy. I mean the armour would be more regal. Think slightly medieval. Weaponsmith would be able to craft Luminous X weapon. Although names like Domination Staff will have to be changed to give it a more happier feel. Like it would change into Luminous Telepathic Staff. And illusion changed into Luminous Jesters Staff. Blood into Afterlife. Death into soul and curses into Charm breaker. All would be golden or golden in colour. I'm toying with the idea of wings in certain aspects but that’s going too far I think. But I think they should feature in focuses. Like the Winged Telepaths Focus, or the Winged Afterlife Focus, or the Winged Blaze Focus or for earth Winged Marble Focus ect. Each weapon will have max mods and the Luminous mod. Which will be a + 20% damage to spirits.

The name for this place!
Serenity Haven ?

Terra Xin · Jun 05, 2006, 06:51 PM // 18:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by TopGun

In the end, you'd end up with a very dynamic "War of the Gods." While this kind of thing is cool, it's not necessarily plausible to the immense amount of work involved. It would be possible to slowly incorporate each God's dungeon with certain expansion packs, perhaps creating a new dungeon every year. But we need to give some flexiblity to Arena Net in the form of plot construction, because certain God relashionships are not as clear as Dwayna and Grenth's good vs evil. Arena Net would need to systematically create their own version of Greek mythology, giving certain Gods beneficial and detrimental relashionships with one another. By giving Arena Net this leeway in plot, it becomes easier for them to create an in-depth plot that players could actively participate in.

Yeah I would actually avoid any references to any rl religion and views towards good and evil. I suppose you can apply it to this game, but there is more of a perception involved rather than just saying "it is like this, and no other way". The white mantle for example are a nasty cult that sacrifices those who disbelieve them, yet they thought they were doing what was right.

The same can be applied to Grenth, he isn't necessarily evil - communicating the dead, and using the spirit-less bodies to animate your own is more of a skill. It's relation towards evil and good comes with how the person uses these skills. Otherwise, Grenth would be 'very' influential if he really was evil.

Anyway. I stand by my first post which followed on Undivine's. To make it balanced as well as keeping in line with Dwayna's teachings (and not make it just another place to 'just' call 'farm'). Have fountains that provide the stats I mentioned before, and then use those blessings to help cure the sickened.

Although it may be good to have quests in which you simply cure particular troops, that would greatly limit the range of builds... and moreso with which professions you can actually be. Aside, I'd very much like to play an anti-hex mesmer.... but alas^^. Perhaps her quests could be similar to the ones that she currently has?

pokerface · Jun 05, 2006, 09:28 PM // 21:28

Maybe for a name like The Eternal Paradise

Enemies: Spirit type foes whome have gone completly mad :-D

Tamable Creatures: Unicorns

Storm Crow · Jun 05, 2006, 11:01 PM // 23:01

Hello all! I thought I might take up this challenge as to designing Dwayna's Higher Plane. I have actually had this idea for quite some time (for the dedicated 'The Roleplay' readers, since Alicia saw Dwayna, and was given a bag of sand from the Beaches of the Forgotten (or maybe it was forgiven, I dunno). Anyway, with no further rambling, My Realm.

LANDSCAPE, LAYOUT:

Beaches of the Forgotten/Sea of Frozen Fears - South, sand of tiny crystal beads, Sea of glass with some of the greatest threats of the world incased within (Charr, Mursaat, etc.). Dwayna's Forgotten dwell here.

Diamond Branches - East, Forest made of trees of Platinum (no, you cannot use it for money) with leaves of diamonds and emeralds and flowers of sapphire and ruby.

Cloudborne Farmlands - West, large area of rolling hills and plains. A lone orchard stands in it's center with a single tree that bears the Apples of Life (rubies with diamond leaves).

Dwayna's Perch - Center, inside a cave, Dwayna's temple of glass shines with divine and heavenly brilliance. This temple towers through the roof of the cave, but this is not evident when outside.

Mountains of Time - North, this is where you first appear in Dwayna's plane. The mountains are not of rock, but pure white crystal. It is so cold here that it does not snow, but when the little percipitation falls, it is small pearldrops, which are very valuable. Frozen within the cliffsides, are images of Tyria's hardest times, including the Cataclysm of Orr, the Charr Invasion of Ascalon, Prince Rurick's Banishment and Death, when the Chosen were told of what they were, the Three Ascention trials, and Defeating the Lich in Hell's Precipice.

QUESTS:

Helping Dwayna's Forgotten - In this quest, you must free the souls that Dwayna cannot send to the Mists. You must report to the Beaches of the Forgotten and kill the souls that mourn there.

Rewinding Time - In this quest, you must go to the Mountains of Time and view each of the Cinematics of Tyria's past. Each of the moments are frozen within the crystal cliffs of the mountians, and are only viewable if all the Gaurdians of each part of history are killed. The Cinematics cannot be skipped through.

Save Diamond Branches - One of the Forgotten has developed a new type of tree, and has planted it in Diamond Branches. The new tree is growing tall and blocking the Divine Light that feeds the Diamond Branch trees. This tree must be irradicated before it kills all of the Diamond Branches.

Trouble in the Clouds - The Cloudborne Farmland is not recieving enough rainfall for there to be a harvest. Without the crops the Farmlands provide, none who live in Dwayna's Realm will survive. You must find and call the Cloudbearers so the Farmland can thrive with crops again.

Gathering Apples - Dwayna needs you to collect the Apples of Life that grow in the Cloudborne Plains. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. Beware the tree that bears the Fruit, for once one of them is picked, the Tree will amass it's roots and will use many Elemental skills to attempt to make you leave.

NEW NPC'S AND MONSTERS:

NPC'S

Heavenly Armorsmith - Sikara
Heavenly Gaurds
Celestial Farmers
Cloudbearers

MONSTERS:

Beaches of the Forgotten/Sea of Frozen Fears:

Dwayna's Blade - Warrior, Elite Available - Diamond Studded Blade - Elite Skill. Inflict Bleeding and Weakness on your foe for (25...45) seconds. (Attrib.: Swordsmanship, Axe Mastery)

Dwayna's Bow - Ranger, Elite Available - Crystal Arrow - Elite Bow Attack. Shoot a Crystal Arrow at your foe. This arrow travels 50% faster and interrupts your target upon impact. (Attrib.: Marksmanship)

Dwayna's Lifebear - Monk, Elite Available - Feathered Wings - Elite Enchantment Spell. Feathered Wings evelop target ally and last until 100 damage is taken. (Attrib.: Protection Prayers)

Dwayna's Mask - Mesmer, Elite Available - Mask of Stars - Elite Hex Spell. Target foe becomes Dazed and has a (25%...75%) chance to miss with Melee attacks. (Attrib.: Illusion Magic)

Dwayna's Torture - Necromancer, Elite Available - Pure Blood - Elite Spell. Sacrifice 15% max health and transfer (2...4) nagative conditions to target foe. Duration time restarts when transferred. (Attrib.: Curses)

Dwayna's Flame - Elementalist, Elite Available - Heavenly Strike - Elite Spell. A strike of lightning stikes target foe. All adjacent foes are knocked down, target foe takes (50...119) damage. (Attrib.: Air Magic)

Dwayna's Silence - Assassin, Elite Available - Glass Daggers - Elite Offhand Attack. Inflict Blindness upon target foe. This attack does twice the normal damage. (Attrib.: Dagger Mastery)

Dwayna's Spirit - Ritualist, Elite Available - Crystal Weapon - Elite Weapon Spell. For (10...25) seconds, Crystal Weapon gives a (+2...+5) Energy regeneration, but does 50% of normal damage (Attrib.: Channeling Magic)

Diamond Branches:

Fallen Leaf - Warrior, Necromancer, Ritualist

Withered Tree - Elementalist, Monk

Flower Bud - Ranger, Mesmer, Assassin

Cloudborne Farmlands:

Tree of Life - Elementalist

Cloudbearer - Elementalist

Dwayna's Perch:

Glass Gaurdian - Monk, Warrior, Mesmer

Mountains of Time:

Gaurdians of Time - All Classes

DROPS:

Crafting Materials (Including new crafting materials: Diamonds, Emeralds, Platinum Planks (works as Spiritwood Planks), Pearls, Forgotten Sand (works as Glittering Dust)

New Weapons: Pearl (common(white/blue), Crystal (uncommon(purple), Diamond (rare(gold) Swords, Axes, Hammers, Bows, Staffs, Wands, Daggers, Focuses

TAMEABLE PETS:

White Moa
Snow Leopard
Snowy Owl

NAME FOR DWAYNA'S PLANE:

Plane of Retribution
Plane of Purity

I'll play off XaiXo's idea for a unique title as well:

If, by chance, you manage to do all the quests (this would take hours), and cleared the realm of all negative influence, you would gain the title "Acolyte of Dwayna" or maybe "Redemptor of Dwayna". Perhaps also adding these titles for the UW and FoW ("Acolyte/Redemptor of Grenth", "Acolyte/Redemptor of Balthazar")

There is something special, however, that you must do to enter this paradise. There is a quest, available in both Tyria and Cantha, that, when completed, gives you a Marble Key as a reward. In order to be allowed to Dwayna's Realm, you must keep this key, and show it to her Avatar if you wish to go through the portal to her Mistress' plane. Also, if your character is Tyrian, they must be Ascended, but if they are Canthan, they must be Closer to the Stars. You do not need to have completed both to be accepted into Dwayna's Plane.

Please also note: I have not included how this ties into the game. Think about it, the UW and FoW don't tie into the game, they're their own places, you just have to be Ascended to get in. Also, I have not included anything for Factions except the Bosses that have elite skills available and some of the monsters. The ToA is in Tyria, correct? Why make it have to tie in with Factions at all? Last I checked, the UW and FoW haven't updated to include Assassin and Ritualist type monsters, however, there is FoW armor for both classes.

Well, there you are. I might post some concept art of some of the armors, weapons, pets, monsters, NPC's and locales later, stay tuned!

(for anyone afraid I might stir up the first argument here, I'll try to hold my tongue as long as I can...although I will all ready say, I think Lordhelmos' depiction has too many world effects, and sounds very 7-year-old-girly (I mean, really, Unicorn's Arch?). However I do not mean to tell you that this is an absolute promise not to start anything... *Halo* *giggles*)

Lordhelmos · Jun 06, 2006, 02:32 AM // 02:32

I edited this so extensively that I deleted the old post in order to get a fresh start. Ty for many crits and ideas. Heres the new one, although its not quite done. (I haven't even gone inside the tower yet!)

Also, im working on some type fixes, since I changed many names. (Like Alanytrl's rise is sometimes referred to as spiral..etc.) These will be fixed in future updates.

FAQ: ALANTRYL‘S RISE

In the dark ages man became deaf to the wisdom of the Gods. When strife tore across the land the acolyte Alantryl begged for mercy at the silent altar of her beloved.

"Forgive us, Goddess Dwayna! We have failed to follow your teachings and now the paradise you have once entrusted with has become tainted a relic scarred by our hatred for one another."

The sky parted and Dwayna's benefactor, the winged avatar stood before the trembling woman in a ray of brilliance.

"Fear not, the divine winds have carried your prayers to me. In this war torn world, you still have the courage to love your fellow brothers. Come, I shall open this closed world to the desires of your heart."

From the ashes of the burning city, a spiral tower of shimmering crystal rose from beneath to carry them into the heavens. It was then that the Goddess descended her light upon the realm of man to heal the scars of the world.

"Remember well the light of your Goddess, the power of your voice and the will to forgive and love one another. Remember this and the world shall be renewed in your names."

As the heavens above swirled with brilliance, the avatar spoke to Alantryl with the divine word.

"You voice child, shall echo through the ages. This tower upon which you stand proves your soul righteous and pure. From now on, those who follow you path will earn themselves the honor of ascending this holy ground as you have."

As the light washed over the land, the scars of battle were burned away. Warriors and Kings dropped their swords and fell to their knees before the luminous goddess. The fighting had ceased.

Scriptures of Dwayna

What is Alantryl's Rise?

Alantryl's Rise is the new dungeon that is accessible from the Avatar of Dwayna at the Temple of the Ages. In order to get into the tower you have to make a donation of 1k in order to be deemed worthy of becoming Dwayna's champions. You will have to pay this amount each time you enter the tower. Everytime you leave the tower all the quests are reset as well, much like Fissure of Woe. Be sure your party is well equipped before heading out, once the party leader pays the 1k you will be instantly transported and unable to skill change. Be sure you bring 5-7 platinum to buy keys later (the buying location will be explained later). All party members must be ascended from Cantha AND Tyria (Meaning done the Nahpui mission and the doppleganger battle) to enter.

Alantryl's Rise Walkthrough

EARTHBORNE ALTAR

Before entering Alantryl's Rise make sure your group is well equipped. After paying the 1k to enter the tower the party will be transported to the Earthborn Altar, a circular arena with a giant glowing blue rune circle that resonates along the floor (This is the place where souls from earth are taken first once found worthy, hence the name). The room is surrounded by twisting blue obelisks of crystal that pulsate with rune energy. Avatar of Dwayna awaits the party at the center of the circle. At the far north corner of the circular crystal cave there are two goddess statues that hold massive inscribed swords that bar your path. There is also a stone inscription at the base of the left goddess statue that tells the tower's story (The passage I wrote at the into to this FAQ). Speak to Dwayna's avatar to continue.

~PRIMARY QUEST: To Unicorn's Arch~
(Acquired through Dwayna's Avatar)
-Travel to the Unicorn's Arch in order to assist the tower stragglers.
-Avatar of Dwayna must survive
Reward 8,000 EXP

Avatar of Dwayna:
"I admire your devotion brave champions. I fear that darkness spreads throughout the goddesses' holy sanctum. The Alantryl's Rise is a bridge between the material lands and the realms that exist beyond the mists. Dwayna created this tower to lead righteous souls on a path towards the heavenly sphere. However, the Blacksouls of the mists have broken the divine seals and flooded into the tower. They continue to corrupt the souls of the innocent even as we speak. We must hurry towards Unicorn's Arch in order to save the straggling souls that are fighting back the blacksoul army. LETS GO!/WAIT I'M NOT READY"

After accepting the quest, Dwayna's Avatar will be added to your party window as an ally. Like many NPC's she will choose to follow one of the players much like the ghostly hero (you can have her stop following you by talking to her again). The statues barring the path will then move their blades to allow you passage into the outside.

~New NPC: Dwayna's Avatar~
***Letting this NPC die kicks you out of Alantryl's Rise***
Current Quests Offrred: To Unicorn's Arch
Lvl 30
All Attributes at 20
Skills:
1.) Divine Intervention
2.) Dwayna's Kiss
3.) Dwayna's Sorrow
4.) Aegis
5.) Blessed Light {E}
6.) Heaven's Delight
7.) Light of Dwayna
8.) Wing's of Dwayna {Special Celestial Skill}
-Skill, All nearby enemies are dealt 101-151 light damage and blinded for 5 seconds.
Dwayna's avatar holds up her reputation as a messenger for the gods. She does a great job of healing your party with high powered skills and sometimes even blows away mobs of enemies with her unique skill. Just make sure you return the favor or you'll get kicked out of Alantryl's Rise for sure. If you think she might be in trouble you can always have the one she’s following run her out of the fight. You can also talk to her and leave her behind before a huge battle. Dwayna's avatar also will offer you a slew of primary quests throughout your journey through the realm.

ALANTRYL'S EXPANSE

The next area the party encounters after leaving the Crystal Cave is a large area that resembles a large field rolling plains covered with mist. There are also sprawling "Trees of Life" that stand alone surrounded by vast open meadows. A massive tower made of intertwining pearl and crystal can be seen in the background and appears to have a city etched at it's base. Two giant crystalline mountains bottleneck the passage towards the tower, fusing with the tower's architecture and forming it's base. Your first area mob groups will be encountered just outside of the starting cave. These mobs include:

~New Enemy: Blacksoul Blade~
Class: W
Skills:
1.) Dragon Slash {E},
2.) Healing Signet
3.) "You Will Die!"
4.) Defensive Stance
5.) Sun and Moon Slash
Blacksoul Blades resemble black shadowy figures with scarecrow-like bodies. They hold their weapons in long spider-like arms and even seem to move toward you on all fours. A closer look shows that they wear plated armor that droops with hanging chains that sway as they move. A blackish-purple smoke extrudes from their figures.

~New Enemy: Blacksoul Darkboon~
Class: Mo
Skills:
1.) Signet of Devotion
2.) Life Bond
3.) Boon Signet {E}
4.) Balthazar’s Aura
5.) Signet of Rejuvenation
Armless blacksouls with a monk staff driven straight into the middle of their bodies, with the staff head hanging impaled through their backs. They bend forward to tilt the staff at the sky as they cast.

~New Enemy: Blacksoul Paindoubler~
Class: Ne
1.) Tainted Flesh {E}
2.) Rotting Flesh
3.) Rigor Mortis
4.) Weaken Armor
5.) Strip Enchantment
Blacksouls that lean over like scrawny apes. A pair of rotting angel wings droops over there backs like a flowing cape that sheds dying feathers as they move. Blades and needles jut out of their contorted faces.

New Drops:
Seven Branch Sword: A large sword with seven L shaped hooks that jut from its blade.
Impaling Defender: A large black shield with a huge central spike jutting from the middle.
Devil Worshipper's Staff: A staff shaped like a twisted snake with a serpent's head at the end.
Devil Worshipper's Icon: A pentagram shaped offhand with thorny spikes and a purplish glow.
Cerulean Tear: Rare Crafting Material unique to the realm.

The mobs you will encounter first will include 2 blacksoul blades, 1 blacksoul paindoubler, and 1 blacksoul darkboon. Blind or disable the blades since they can deal massive damage to your party akin to the Bladed Aataxes from UW. Trappers work well to stop the warrior onslaughts. Focus fire on the darkboon of slow him to prevent him from bonding the blades and kill the paindoublers last. You will also the notice that the leaf naked Trees of Life sometimes bear glowing fruit. You may touch the trees to gain a unique and helpful effect.

~New World Effect: Forbidden Fruit~
Touching a tree of life adds a special condition to your character. The forbidden fruit will last until you zone to a new area or until you use it. You may double click the condition icon to invoke the effect of a Healing Burst at 20 Healing Prayers on yourself and end the condition. The fruit re-grows on the trees every 60 seconds and up to 3 fruit may be pulled from one tree at once. After pulling a fruit, it immediately begins re-growing visually. Pretty cool stuff. I would recommend weaker casters take the fruit, although the party can always wait for the fruit to grow back so everyone can get one.

Continue following the path. As your near the base of the tower the skies will start to grow darker and pulsate with dark lighting and thick black clouds that mask tower's peak (Much like the effect when running to the char fort in presear but way cooler). When this happens the rolling plains become covered by dark cloud shadows. There are small patches of light where heavenly rays break through the clouds and creates slow moving light spots that crawl along the plains.

~New World Effect: Dark Lightning Strike~
When you are walking along the dark cloud shadows an effect conditions appears on your character. Every 30 seconds there is a 50% chance that a purplish lightning strike hails down on your character randomly and deals damage equal to a 18 Air Magic Arc Lightning spell. If you are enchanted the lightning arcs to strike 1 nearby ally.

~New World Effect: Heavenly Light~
While standing along the small light patches that litter the ground you gain +1 health regeneration and +1 energy regeneration. Any blacksoul enemies that touch these patches are lit on fire until they leave the patch. The enemies will burn for 3 seconds after leaving the light. Any undead minions will also burn when touching this light so Minion Masters be careful.

As you continue towards the mountains new patrols of enemies will begin to appear. These enemies are:

~New Enemy: Blacksoul Clawmaster & Terror Claw~
Class: R
Skills:
1.) Engraged Lunge {E}
2.) Poisonus Bite
3.) Feral Lunge
4.) Maiming Strike
5.) Scavanger's Strike
6.) Charm Animal
7.) Comfort Animal
8.) Otyugh's Cry
Blacksouls that wield chains like whips and have thicker bodies. These blacksouls spawn out of black discs that appear on the ground and summon Terror Claws from the pits to aid them as pets. Killing a Clawmaster before the pet frees the Terror Claw and transforms it into a Dwayna's Guardian, which can be tamed by rangers. The Terror Claws start as tainted black shadow beasts with dark wings, but transform into white beasts that have a body similar to a scaled tiger. Long white tendrils extend the Guardian's cat-like faces and they have crystalline spikes running down their backs and between their white angel wings. Neat pets, since their wings glow slightly. Rangers have to tame the pets fast due to other Clawmasters using Otyugh's Cry to make the freed pets hostile to the party. Also if the pet is killed before the Clawmaster it remains dead.

~New Enemy: Blacksoul Swordbreaker~
Class: Me
Skills:
1.) Distortion
2.) Ineptitude {E}
3.) Clumsiness
4.) Empathy
5.) Sympathetic Visage
These blacksouls appear to looking much like blacksoul paindoublers with spears and blades jutting out of their backs instead of wings. These blacksouls are tank killers that will hex warriors first and escape melee attacks with distortion. Its best to let a caster handle these guys. The swordbreakers start appearing in larger groups along with other blacksoul blades, paindoublers, and darkboons. Sometimes they replaces the second blade in a mob of four or are paired up with Clawmasters.

~New Enemy: Blacksoul Nightstalker
Class: A
Skills:
1.) Shadow Refuge
2.) Shadow Shroud {E}
3.) Unseen Fury
4.) Black Mantis Thrust
5.) Jungle Strike
6.) Repeating Strike
These blacksouls are smaller spider-like creatures that hand long arms for legs. They crawl at you swiftly on all four arms and carry a dagger in each one. These guys are pop up enemies that materialize from black discs that form on the ground to surprise you. Be careful since these enemies are capable of quickly killing monks and casters. Nightstalkers spawn in groups of 3.

New Drops:
Blackwing Bow: A bow that looks like two dark angel wings drawn together by the handle.
Dark Kodachi: A set of daggers that looks like two half length obsidian katanas.

Continue past the dark clouded plains and use the patches of light to prevent dark lightning. Be shure to sweep new areas for groups of nightstalkers that are waiting to ambush you. Double agro with these groups can quickly tear your party to pieces. It’s also fun to draw the enemies into the patches of light to watch them burn. If you continue along the main road following the primary quest you will eventually come across a robed NPC standing on the left side of the path. Talk to him if you are up for a side quest.

~New NPC: Tarien Albrius~
Quests Offered: A Brother's Bond

~SIDE QUEST: A Brother's Bond~
(Acquired through Tarien Albrius)
-Save Ulrien from being corrupted by the blacksoul army.
Reward: 7500 EXP, Reward Chest

Tarien Albrius:
"Blessings in the name of Dwayna that the champions have come to aid us! Please help me! My twin brother Ulrien was seperated from me and taken away by blacksouls when the tower was attacked. The stragglers holding the Unicron's Arch told me to give up hope and that his soul has most likely already become tainted. Deep inside I know there wrong! My brother isn't that weak! I can still feel his spirit fighting the spreading darkness of the blacksouls, but it is fading away slowly. Please save Ulrien from the darkness I beg of you! ACCEPT/DECLINE"

If you choose to do the side quest, veer off path around the nearby crystal mountains to the left following the arrow. You will reach a narrow indentation in the mountainside and as you venture into the passage a new world effect takes place.

~New World Effect: Crystal Fall~
You are affected by crystal fall, giant hurtling rocks of corrupted crystal fall from the mountains side every 15-30 seconds and deal 35-45 damage with an interrupt effect. This is much like the cathedral rockfall in arborstone.

As you reach the middle of the corridor you will be able to see another NPC at the back dead end opening of the path ahead of you. As you near him he yells at you to “Stay Back!” Be prepared for a particularly nasty new enemy boss paired up with two new enemy rangers and a ritualist. This group will spawn ahead of you from a dark orb that looks like the entrance to Tombs. Before encountering this group it would be wise to leave Avatar of Dwayna behind for now just in case the boss decides to target her for a renewaled obsidian spike.

New Boss Enemy: Nightmare Engine
Class: E
Skills:
1.) Obsidian Flame
2.) Glyph of Renewal {E}
3.) Silver Armor
4.) Armor of Earth
5.) Ward of Melee
*Cannot be knocked down*
The boss spawns from a giant black orbs that appears as a portal. This guy is just plain nasty and will nuke you party with a renewaled obsdian flame that deals hellactious damage. The boss looks like a giant cannon made with internal cranking gears. The cannon section a demon face with an open maw for the barrel and chamber. The monster moves with wheels that resemble those on a railroad train and bellows with purple smoke.

New Enemy: Blacksoul Voidmaster
Class: Rit
Skills:
1.) Shelter
2.) Union
3.) Life
4.) Preservation {E}
A blacksoul with an ark chained to its back. When the Voidmaster casts a ritual spirit, the chains around the ark shatter and the ark opens. Very annoying enemy that keeps the foes around it protected with strong communing and restoration spirits. Nuke these guys fast, because once they set up they make a fight 10x harder. These usually spawn around engine enemies.

New Enemy: Blacksoul Wailspike
Class: R
Skills:
1.) Penetrating Attack
2.) Punishing Shot
3.) Savage Shot
4.) Read the Wind
5.) Favorable Winds
A scrawny and tall blacksoul that looks much like a blacksoul blade but with a large bow. They deal massive spike damage with penetrating shot/punishing shot combos and usually spawn to protect Engine enemies.

After taking down the boss, speak to the NPC.

~NEW NPC: Ulrien Albrius~
Quests Offered: None
Tarien’s long lost brother who was taken captive by the invading blacksoul army. Talking to this NPC complete’s Tarien’s quest.

~QUEST COMPLETED: A Brother’s Bond~
Ulrien Albrius:
“Thank you for saving me! I thought I was done for when they cornered me with that giant machine. Thanks to you I can return to Unicorn’s Arch with my brother. What has happened to this sacred place? I never thought the blacksouls would be able to breech the divine seals. Something terrible must have happened inside of the spire.”
*There is a reward chest that appears after talking to Ulrien. You will need a Cerulean Key to open it*

After completing the quest backtrack to the main road and continue forward through the mountain areas. The paths will start to become more narrow and branch off in different directions. Certain areas are affected by Crystal Fall so be careful when aggroing any enemies along those paths. Monks also have to be careful due to the interruption the crystal rocks cause when they fall from the mountain sides. There are also new groups of enemies that spawn from dark portals similar to what you faced with the last boss encounter.

~New Enemy: Dark Engine~
Class: E
Skills:
1.) Obsidian Flame
2.) Silver Armor
3.) Armor of Earth
4.) Obsidian Flesh {E}
Huge cannon-like creatures that resemble the nightmare engine boss. These enemies are move ultra slow and attempt to buff themselves with earth magic while they spike the party with obsidian flame.

Continuing up the path will eventually lead to a gate portal and crystal obelisk that reads “Unicorns Arch.” Enter to continue.

[B[UNICORN’S ARCH[/B]
*This area is a new zone*

The path through the mountains widens into a huge pearl crafted bridge with a giant white archway that hangs over it. Avatar of Dwayna awaits you to the mouth of the bridge. Speak to her to complete your quest.

~QUEST COMPLETED: To Unicorn’s Arch~
Avatar of Dwayna:
“Many hardships await us ahead. The souls of the righteous have created a final haven in the town ahead to ward the onslaught of the black souls. Please assist them anyway you can. I will use all the power I can to help you, but even now I can feel the dark energies that defile the holy tower growing stronger. I feel that our time is running short.”
*Dwayna’s Avatar teleports away at this point. Don’t worry, you will see her again soon*

As you cross the bridge you will enter a town that has a marble look. There are various NPC’s here that offer you quests as well as straggling souls that wander the streets. This area still counts as an explorable area so your weapons will still be out and you will be unable to change skills. At the northern end of the town there is a huge pearl gate. A Tengu guard with white wings and silver armor stands guard to the right of the gate. Far beyond the angelic gate there is a large stairwell that rises into the heavens towards the Spiral’s entrance.

~New NPC:~
White Wing Gatekeeper Sion:
“Ah, I see you are the champions everyone has been speaking of. Up ahead lies the entrance to Alanytrl's Rise. However no one is allowed past the seventh gate due to the blacksoul corruption at the tower’s core... not even you. Speak to White Wing Commander Zenthus if you wish to pass.”

At the center of town there is a large statue of dwayna. Avatar of Dwayna awaits your party here.

Avatar of Dwayna:
“What is it my children? I will try to assist you in anyway I can.” LEND US YOUR STRENGTH/SAY NOTHING (She also has several quest options you can take)

At this point you can talk to Avatar of Dwayna at any time to have her join and follow who ever speaks with her if you choose “Lend us your Strength.” She behaves much like she did before and this time if she dies in a battle she will simply tell you her strength is waning and teleport back to unicorn’s arch without having you kicked from Alantryl‘s Spiral. However if you try to take her past the seventh gate she will tell you that the spire’s corruption is too strong for her to bear and warp back to unicorn’s arch. You may choose to take some of her quests but NPC’s around town also have other quests for you. When you are done messing with the Avatar, follow the path NE from the fountain to find a ghost standing in front of an artifact shop. Talk to this guy for a much needed quest. For more fun, bring Avatar of Dwayna with you for her big damage AoE.

~NEW NPC: Braum the Keymaker~
This old ghost stands in front of a small artifact shop at the NE side of Unicorn’s Arch and offers you a quest that should be done immediately.

~NEW QUEST: Reclaiming the Relics~
-Seek Selene the Cerulean Dragon.
Reward: 10,000 EXP

Braum the Keymaker:
“Ah if it isn’t the earthborn travelers! As you know, this realm contains many powerful weapons and relics. The Blacksoul army fears these relics and have sealed many of them away in Voidsealed Chests. The arcane powers of Selene, the Cerualean Dragon, can break these seals and allow you to reclaim the lost artifacts. Seek Selene and maybe her knowledge will allow me to craft something that can aid you in unsealing the chests that are scattered across these lands. ACCEPT/DECLINE”

After accepting this quest the indicator will tell you take the eastern exit to leave the arch. There will be an obelisk to your right as you leave unicorn’s that reads: “The Sea of Reflection.”

THE SEA OF REFLECTION:

The sea of reflection is an ocean of crystal waters, almost like a jagged jade sea. Crystal obelisks sprout from the bluish ground like beacons that reach up to the sky. Every once and awhile you will encounter dark obelisks that will shock you if you stand near them.

~New World Effect: Dark Obelisk~
The light given of by these purplish tainted towers is harmful to the soul and will strike you for 30 armor penetrating damage every 3 seconds if you are standing in the area close by.

Swerve along the jagged road leading past the obelisks and follow the quest arrow. You will encounter some new enemies along the way. These include:

~New Enemy: Dark Crystal~
Class: Me
Skills:
1.) Shatter Enchantment
2.) Echo {E}
3.) Physical Resistance
These enemies are blackish-purple crystals that are held from a dark vine. They really just shatter enchantments. The appear much like the blacksoul nightstalkers and sprout from dark circular voids that appear in the ground. They are mainly there to prevent 55 monks from farming the hell out of the place. You will see these enemies appear randomly in almost all locations from now on.

~New Enemy: Corrupted Flameshard~
Class: E
Skills:
1.) Conjure Flame
2.) Immolate
3.) Incendiary Bonds
4.) Rodgort’s Invocation
5.) Fire attunement
These enemies resemble burning crystal guardians from Dragon’s Lair but with a sinister reddish-black color. They will attempt to keep your party burning as long as they are alive with powerful fire skills.

~New Enemy: Corrupted Shockshard~
Class: E
Skills:
1.) Conjure Lightning
2.) Lightning Surge {E}
3.) Arc Lightning
4.) Enervating Charge
5.) Air attunement
These resemble corrupted flame shards but resonate a golden yellow. They will hex your party with lightning surge and use enervating charge on attackers. Neat lightning effects stream through them as they hulk towards you.

~New Enemy: Corrupted Frostshard~
Class: E
Skills:
1.) Shatterstone {E}
2.) Ice Spikes
3.) Armor of Frost
4.) Conjure Ice
5.) Water Attunement
These hulking beasts are like the above two but are blue and are covered in a frosty mist. Shatterstone is the big damage dealer that these guys carry.

After passing the first obelisk these new elemental enemies will begin swarming you in groups of three. They have a nasty habit of casting incendiary bonds, shatterstone, and lightning surge on the same party member. Having all three of these on you is not fun… its like being a time bomb ready to go off. Mesmers should bring Expel Hexes and Hex Breaker just for this part. Just make sure you call your hexes so that a monk can save you before you blow. After getting through the first group of mobs a mountainous crystal crag can be seen to your right. Follow the ridges to a few open areas that are swarmed with some new monsters.

~New Enemy: Dark Soulprism~
Class: Mo
Skills:
1.) Retribution
2.) Zealot’s Fire
3.) Shield of Judgement {E}
4.) Protective Spirit
5.) Symbol of Wrath
These enemies look like non translucent pearly smite crawlers from UW but with a giant 8 sided purple crystal jutting from their backs. These guys are primarily smiters that will buff other enemies and sometimes lessen the damage done to their groups with prot spirit. Kill these guys fast, being rushed by shard enemies with conjure ‘X’ and zealots fire active will deal ridiculous amounts of damage to you.

~New Enemy: Crystal Growth~
Class: W
Skills:
1.) Endure Pain
2.) Defy Pain {E}
3.) Renewing Smash
4.) Crude Swing
5.) Shield Stance
These enemies are HP tanks that will attempt to outlast your party and deal area damage with crude swing. These guys resemble undergrowths but with purplish crystal spikes that jut from their backs instead of leaves. The growths also glow with a dark blackish energy.

The next sets of enemies will mob you in huge numbers. It’s not uncommon for the crystal growths to herd in groups of 6-8 with some dark soulprisms thrown in the mix. It’s best to bust out the long bow and draw them into traps. After exploring the ridge at the base of the cragg, the mountainside opens up into a large crystal cavern. An obelisk with runes at the entrance marks this place as “Selene‘s Windtunnel.”

SELENE’S WINDTUNNEL

The cavern itself is pretty linear. It looks much like the crystal caves of Dragon’s lair, but much darker. Frozen water stains the cavern floor and giant stalagmites hang low like threatening spears. There is a new world effect you should be aware of.

~New World Effect: Impaling Crystals~
While you are the cavern Impaling Crystals is a condition that affects you. If you are knocked down, a crystal spear falls from the ceiling and strikes your character for 25-50 damage with 25% armor penetration. This can be deadly when fighting dark soulprisms that use shield of judgement. However if you are KD and move to get up and kite fast enough you can avoid the damage.

Many of the enemies in here are herds of dark soulprisms mixed with crystal growths. There is also a new foe that appears in this area.

~New Enemy: Crystal Tarantula~
Class: R
Skills:
1.) Glass Arrows {E}
2.) Serpent’s Quickness
3.) Splinter Shot
4.) Whirling Defense
These massive crystal spiders droop down from the cavern ceiling is mass numbers, much like the armor plated spiders from FoW. Their splinter attacks en masse can be devastated to a bunched party. A blinder should work on disabling these guys so that the damage can be handled. They look like oversized crystal spiders that are a dark blackish purple.

Drop Note:
These crystal enemies drop celestial items.

After venturing deeper into the cave, you will encounter some blacksoul patrols made of enemies you have encountered before. The cave opens up into a huge circular room. There is a boss at the center and several holes in the ceiling allow heavenly light patches that burn enemies into the room (minions as well like before). The boss will be protected by blacksoul patrols that circle the room. It’s best to draw the patrols to isolate the boss.

~New Boss: Selene, Cerulean Taint~
Class: Special
Skills:
1.) Selene’s Tornado {Special Boss Skill}
Spell: All nearby foes are dealt 95-120 cold damage and knocked down. (A super whirlwind colored blue and white.)
2.) Selene’s Cold Stare {Special Boss Skill}
Hex Spell: For 15 seconds target enemy is negated from 100-200 points of healing.
3.) Ice Comet {Special Boss Skill}
Spell: Target foe is dealt 100-150 cold damage and knocked down. Adjacent enemies are dealth 75-125 damage and are hexed with Ice Comet, which causes 5 seconds of 50% slowness. (A giant ice comet falls.)
4.) Silver Scales {Special Boss Skill}
Skill: For 10 seconds, you gain 75% evasion and deal 50 damage to a nearby enemy each time you are targeted with a hostile spell or attack. You also gain 50 HP each second this skill is active.
5.) Selene’s Will {Special Boss Skill}
Enchantment Spell: For 30 seconds each time your are hexed by an enemy that enemy suffers -1 energy degeneration for the hex’s duration.
6.) Selene’s Piercing Cry {Special Boss Skill}
Skill: Selene lets out a deafening howl and that shakes the loose shards above, causing them to rain down and deal the impaling crystal damage.

Selene is no pushover. Like all other special dragon bosses, she has her own unique set of skills that can devastate the party. Beware of her area Tornado attack. If you are KD’ed then the impaling crystals will fall and deal more damage to you. Ward of Stability here and Doylak Signet are a must to prevent from falling prey to Selene’s onslaught of KD attacks. Overpower hex isn’t too bad but Silver Scales MUST be interrupted. Be sure a ranger knows the skill is coming or have a mesmer ready to shut it down. After defeating the boss, she will revert to a green labeled NPC. You will able to get quests from Selene at this point, but for now we will finish the current one.

~New NPC: Selene, Cerulean Dragon~
“Thank you for freeing me from the dark grasps of the blacksouls. I never thought such a force would be able to overtake me. I see that Unicorn’s Horn is in great peril. As much as I would like to aid you personally, the dark forces that controlled me have withered away much of my powers. I will need time to rest. However, I will be able to grant you some of my wisdom. Take this Rune Crystal to Braum the Keymaker in Unicorn’s Arch. He will be able to use the knowledge within it to craft keys that can break the dark inscriptions that trap strong relic weapons within the Voidsealed chests.”
*A carriable object, the “Rune Crystal,” is dropped in front of Selene*

~QUEST COMPLETED: Reclaim the Relics~
Ferry the crystal back to Braum and he will reward you and end the quest.

Braum the Keymaker:
“Ahh, I see the earthbound ones have returned! Thank you for restoring Selene to his old self. If he were to be completely corrupted and turn on us, none of us here at Unicorn’s Arch would stand a chance! Now with this rune crystal I can finally create Cerulean Keys to help you reclaim the lost artifacts sealed away from the black souls.”
MERCHANT:
Cerulean Key ~ 2 plat.
Yes the keys are expensive but the Voidsealed chests have a VERY high gold ratio. It is rare to get a grape, although it does happen. These chest can also drop crystalline swords very sparingly. So in the end they are worth the cash.

Well that’s what I got for my update! Tell me what you think.

Zexion · Jun 06, 2006, 11:06 PM // 23:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by draxynnic

The idea for a 20/20 for all monk skills wand - also not good. All skills for a given profession isn't much different in many builds to all spells period, and that's capped at a 10% chance. Furthermore, I don't think I've ever seen a wand that has both fast casting and fast recharge - it's usually one or the other (although that could be just that I haven't been lucky enough to find one - but while I haven't entered the UW or the FOW, I have been playing for close to a year). Having both is restricted to staves and focii.

You are right on the balance part. But not on the "no 20/20 on wands". This was in fact streamed in around the release of GWF (along with +5 energy on weapons). If you do not believe me, check the PvP char creation.
Also, the update log:
http://guildwars.com/support/gameupdates/ Update from 26th April.

One thing I would like to see included with this, however, would be either an outpost common for all chapters, with access to all god realms. And another thing, I believe would be cool, would be an outpost INSIDE FoW/UW/Other god realms. One for each realm. The outpost would be located in the deepest parts of the realm, and accessing it would take a lot of effort, perhaps a hard quest.
Finally getting there would mean you can go anywhere in said realm, even if your region does not have the Favor of the Gods.

_Zexion

Cador · Jun 07, 2006, 01:09 AM // 01:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Zardeone

Ok so Dwayna is the god of healing and protection. Something for healingmonks.

Instead of an actual landscape with forests and trees or anything, I'm thinking more about a huge temple-like structure. Marble floors everywhere. Fountains (of life) everywhere. Springs (of healing) everywhere.

Now to find a reason to go there... Like an invading army (done before: charr, mursaat kind of, shadow army, shiros army. Need a better conflict thing)
Maybe the realm is endangered by a volcano that is about to errupt. Maybe something with bloodstones?

I agree with most of this, I think maybe Dwaynas temple could be like HoH PvE style. I do think there should be some special cap for monks here perhaps a new skill, Dwaynas Fury...

I feel the reason to go there should be something along the lines of, The delicate balance between the linked god/godess worlds has been torn, and now there are grenths minions in dwaynas territory reaking havoc, so we can incorporate a slightly underworld factor into it, maybe even gwen*hint*. This could also open the door for other gods/goddess' domains.

Cador · Jun 07, 2006, 01:15 AM // 01:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terra Xin

Yeah I would actually avoid any references to any rl religion and views towards good and evil. I suppose you can apply it to this game, but there is more of a perception involved rather than just saying "it is like this, and no other way". The white mantle for example are a nasty cult that sacrifices those who disbelieve them, yet they thought they were doing what was right.

The same can be applied to Grenth, he isn't necessarily evil - communicating the dead, and using the spirit-less bodies to animate your own is more of a skill. It's relation towards evil and good comes with how the person uses these skills. Otherwise, Grenth would be 'very' influential if he really was evil.

Anyway. I stand by my first post which followed on Undivine's. To make it balanced as well as keeping in line with Dwayna's teachings (and not make it just another place to 'just' call 'farm'). Have fountains that provide the stats I mentioned before, and then use those blessings to help cure the sickened.

Although it may be good to have quests in which you simply cure particular troops, that would greatly limit the range of builds... and moreso with which professions you can actually be. Aside, I'd very much like to play an anti-hex mesmer.... but alas^^. Perhaps her quests could be similar to the ones that she currently has?

Sorry for double post. I feel we should avoid RL religion but i think the lines are pretty well drawn as in who is good and who is evil

Evil:Balthazar, Grenth,
In between: the mesmer twins(In the book it says they live in their own world)
Good:Melandru, Dwayna,

mikkel · Jun 07, 2006, 07:12 PM // 19:12

I have a bunch of ideas for this, but I'm just too apathetic to take the time to write it all down.

One of the unique things I had in mind though, that I don't think anyone has mentioned is that I'd like to see a new bow type, sort of a Blessed Bow made from the Horn Bow template like the Ivory bow and the Shadow Bow that would, instead of the +10% AP bonus that these bows normally have, give a 10 or 20% chance of doing Light damage with your attack.

mikkel · Jun 07, 2006, 07:19 PM // 19:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cador

Sorry for double post. I feel we should avoid RL religion but i think the lines are pretty well drawn as in who is good and who is evil

Evil:Balthazar, Grenth,
In between: the mesmer twins(In the book it says they live in their own world)
Good:Melandru, Dwayna,

Well there have been numerous mentions of real life religion(s) in the game, and there still are.

Examples include the Chakram, a weapon used by the Hindu god Vishnu, and that little thing on the inside of Mhenlo's armour that that sneaky little Alesia somehow managed to write. (Shame on you, Mhenlo.)

nimloth32 · Jun 07, 2006, 08:12 PM // 20:12

well, i had an extreme idea..that well, says that dwayna is disappointed with the war between humans and intend to eradicate the human nations..that leads her to be the traitor among the gods..from good, she becomes evil..then eventually the group of adventurers (the players) investigate some matter that eventually stumbles into the truth (the treachery of dwayna) that leads them to dwayna's realm..that tends to be the intermediate between chaos and peace..more like a beautiful things that is being defiled..for example, angels with black wings..etc, etc..so instead of being an end game realm for the players to farm..it will part of the story for one of the chapters in GW..

i do not know whether this is correlated with the topic..but this is merely some of my wild ideas..i am sory if this is OT..

BahamutKaiser · Jun 08, 2006, 02:31 AM // 02:31

I think most everyone here has considered a Dwayna realm as another battle ground.

I would like to recognize that Dwayna is the greater of the gods, and if all realms are made, I think this one should be last.

The other thing I would like to recognize is that Dwayna is a pieceful and powerful god, why does this realm have to be a combat realm? I picture it more as a type of heaven, a golden city without combat, if the most powerful goddess cannot control her realm then how is she the leader of the gods? Although it would be difficult for them to make a realm which was intresting, but didn't revolve around combat, I think it would be a refresher from the other "special battle fields" which comprise the current realms now.

I'm still hoping for some minigames in GW, the game is great, but even in a game, it is good to have a meaningless or low profile passtime to take a break from the continous battles. Instead of going to another game, it would be nice if we had some other activities we could enjoy in GW, in which we could perhaps even earn some special equiptment, or monetary reward.

Furthermore, Monks realy own UW, with their uber smiting damage and solo builds, UW is truely ruled by the monks, so making a celestial battle realm devoted to monks is realy weak IMO. If anything, Dwaynas should be a realm for everything that owns a monk, where classes like Elementist and Mesmer can gain massive profit from killing immobile creatures like spirits, and blowing away big bad solo baddies with massive counter, not another realm dedicated to monks....

If anything, Dwaynas realm should not be prowled by evil entities, those lie in the UW. If Dwayna has a realm which is just another PvE spot, the enemies should be holy angels and rightious beings, who strike down the impure, unworthy intruders for trespassing in Dwaynas realm. After all, rightious judgement is far worse then evil malice, expecially in a over zealous realm.

There are alot of things I would like to see in different realms, but most of all, I want them to be different, and not just in enemy selection and layout, I mean realy different. Reduced or increased party sizes, perhaps some new solo improvements to all classes along with solo realms, or duo realms, and perhaps something that doesn't revolve around the same PvE in at least one realm instead of making them all just another hot spot to PvE.

Lastly, I hope future realms do not depend of Favor of the gods, at least not all of them. Having up to 5 realms which can all only be accessed if your nation wins favor grants an excess opportunity to a few players wile others will have none, some of the realms should be available by meeting other requirements, like a distant destination, a seperate PvP favor, or otherwise.

jackie · Jun 08, 2006, 05:09 AM // 05:09

Maybe central place of Dwayna's Realm would be huge tower rising up to 'heavens' (well high tower at least ^_^ ) that you could see almost from everywhere. And by doing different tasks in the Realm, you could open seals that protect the tower & keep it locked.

The undead Mesmer · Jun 08, 2006, 03:19 PM // 15:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by prism2525

I'm think more of Grenth trying to take over Dwayna as leader of the gods.

DISAGREE!!!!! Grenth nor Dwayna is the leader of the gods they each have their own places and things to rule... Grenth being the ruler of everything thats death.... (and ice ofcourse)

xenoranger · Jun 08, 2006, 04:38 PM // 16:38

*** PROPHECIES SPOILER IN THIS POST ***

Ideas could include:

Landscapes and layout
Dwayna (being goddess of healing and air) should have a very cloudy feel to the terrain. It should be like you're walking on air with the ability to see small cities and such below. Maybe have Dwayna's realm floating above old ascalon. You could still see parts of it burning, but more off in the distance than anything.
Enemies
Again, being the Goddess of Air and Healing, enemies could include a holy version of Azure shadows (if you want to take the reskinned concept) and they instead use air magic.

Given that Dwayna may have followers in her own image, you should also fight angelic looking creatures that use smiting.They shouldn't walk, but rather fly (similar to the dragons of cantha) and have human forms. Maybe have them bend at teh waste and knees to simulate a more graceful flight pattern. They should also beat their wings 3 times a second (simulating more angelic flight)
Allies/NPCs
Heavenly Althea. She died and you had to retreave her ashes. Where did she go? A mesmer in heaven may seem odd, but it would make a nice reference.

*** Prophecies SPOILER ***
Other possibilities include Rurik (he thanks you for releasing his spirit when you kill undead rurik during Hell's Percepice)
Quests
- "Heaven's Door"
  Some of the 'angels' (if you will) have turned against Dwayna. They seek to tear the portal to her realm down. Defend against the onslaught.
  
  -Basically, fight onslaught of enemies
- "Into the Light"
  There is an Aeromancer who is here before her time. Please convince her to return to her mortal form.
  
  -Find and defeat Cynn. When you meet her, she babbles about dying in Vizunah Square and how this place is so much more peacful. There's no afflicted or charr or any suffering.
  
  (this does not interfere with the storyline b/c they never say what happenned to the party during the time they were down. One assumes they need the will to fight to remain, but Cynn may have chosen a different path. As for the time frame, remember, time stands still in these areas)
  
  NOTE: Cynn uses a combination of Hydromancing and Aeromancing here. She is lvl 30 (b/c... dwayna's realm strengthens healing and air skills)
- Tainting the Pure
  Verata has found his way into this realm and brought with him an army of minions. You must put an end to it before he corrupts the 'angels'.
  
  -Basically, Kill (not defeat) Verata. He'll have an army of lvl 20 fiends and a few 'angels' on his side. Because he's the legendary Verata, he'll obviously have the ability to heal and steal minions. Since there's no flesh anywhere in this realm, you will not have MM as an optional build.
- The After Life
  Dwayna: To truely have my blessing, you must first come to terms with your demise. Death is not power, but a release from the bounds of flesh and bone.
  
  -Basically, your party fights a spirit party that uses all your skills and looks similar (just wearing white robes). They have all teh same skills as you do and are level 24.
  
  Reward: Dwayna's Feather (works like a candy cane, except it's only received through this quest)
Tamable creatures
None
Tie-ins with the main Guild Wars/Guild Wars Factions storyline
Drops
- Angelic Feathers
- Purified Light
  a stone that radiates light from it. Used in crafting rare armor from this realm
- Wind Stones
Special Armourers/Weaponsmiths?
There should be a special armor here. It should be white and mimic more angelic features. Warriors should have pegasus wings on their helmets. Monks should have angelic tatoon paterns. monk females should have a white flowing dress available.

Necromancers should NOT have an armor availble in this area. This is only b/c they hail to grenth (the polar opposite of Dwayna in the sense of light vs dark).
The name for this place!
Temple of Light (simple, but effective)
Heaven's Plain

Storm Crow · Jun 08, 2006, 08:37 PM // 20:37

Xenoranger: Why would you have it so that Necromancers cannot craft armor in Dwayna's Realm? Sure, they follow Grenth, but that does not mean they should be excluded from specific things just because of this. Maybe you would rather have it that Monks cannot craft Fissure of Woe armor, because it's 'evil looking' and Monks follow Dwayna?

Just a thought, I do not intend for a flame war to come from this.

BahamutKaiser · Jun 08, 2006, 11:25 PM // 23:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by The undead Mesmer

DISAGREE!!!!! Grenth nor Dwayna is the leader of the gods they each have their own places and things to rule... Grenth being the ruler of everything thats death.... (and ice ofcourse)

Page 46 of the GuildWars (prophecies) manuscripts, first sentance, "The goddess of life and air, Dwayna is the even-tempered leader of the old gods."

Please learn your GW before correcting someone.

There may not be any proof that Dwayna is actually more powerful then the other gods, but she certainly is the leader. As a leader I would imagine that she is in control of her realm, and I also would imagine that she is more powerful, those are natural associations to a leader, although not prerequisite.

Even if Dwayna has a realm, and it is a PvE realm, the enemies don't have to be intruders and enemies of dwayna, rather, they can be servants of Dwayna, fending off intruders like us, who would defile Dwaynas realm, or in an attempt to prove worth to dwayna. The realm can be done several different ways, but this is just the way I perfer it.

Also, trying to restrict the use of certain classes and skill types based on Dwaynas alignment doesn't hold ground, there are smiting crawlers and Warrior based minotaur in UW, as well as a complete combination of classes of enemies in Fissure of Woe, there is no need to limit enemies in Dwaynas realm to healing and air magic, nor does everything in Dwaynas realm need to be redesigned and aligned to fit Dwaynas powers, that would make a realm full of the same type of creatures, and make them rediculously predictable to counter.

P.S. I missed the part about Cynn dieing, I know she was in the Arborstone Mission, how is it that she is dead? Her choices may not be described in the missions, but they certainly are in the story section of the official website, which describes the journeys and choices made by Devona and company, including Cynn. They could very well kill her off at any time in the future and decide that she is in Dwaynas realm at that point, but trying to say she is already dead when she is in further missions doesn't add up. Why not just use Saidra?, the one who died in the Ice Caves of Sorrows Mission, Evennia threatened the gods if they were to mistreat Saidra in the afterlife, so it is very natural that she would be in a different realm than the underworld, although I do not know if she is already placed in the UW since I haven't done all of the UW quests.

xenoranger · Jun 09, 2006, 12:29 AM // 00:29

the concept of Cynn dying is basically a reflection of the choice between life and death. When people give up and die, they often say they've seen a glimps of heaven. Essentially, fighting Cynn is just basically a matter of defeating her and convincing her to return to her life. Why do you have to subdue people who are already dead? It's the living you should worry about.

Mainly, I'm just saying that during one of the missions, Cynn could have lost hope and decided to stayin the after life. But, since this can't be allowed, you must defeat her (not kill) and help her be guided back to her body.

As far as the class differences, I think you should limit stuff. UW should have the Elite necro armor & Hydromancer, FoW should have warrior, and Dwayna should have monk & air. Not sure what the gods are for assassins and ritualists, but each god should have a realm and those that follow should have special armor there. It's like this... how much sense does it make to go to a black smith for an enchanted staff? Really, blacksmiths (in most RPG's I've played) handle warrior weapons and are more geared toward warrior armor. They may do arrows as well, but non-mystical weapons are their forte. As for the mage weapons, you go to an alchemist (or otherwise named magic master ) who can produce mystical weapons.

Kaiser, it's easier to critisize than elaborate.
I know that UW is full of W, Me, and N creatures at the beginning, but as you go deeper, they get into E and R classes. I've even seen an Mo class in Tyrian UW. I'm not saying restrict it, but have the primary creatures (that you first meet) either Mo or E (aero) creatures.

Queenie · Jun 09, 2006, 03:54 AM // 03:54

I'm in love with all these wonderful ideas!

A few things popped into my head:

Here's a few names for the place "Dwayna's Sanctum, Divine Path (Hehe, from factions), and Dwyana's Palace.

As for weapons I was thinking maybe they could have names such as "Diamond Daggers, Crystal/Diamond Staff, Emerald Bow, Divine Sword.

I think the location could be like set in a Valley and you go higher and higher up as you progress through the areas. The first area could be called "Valley of the Forgotten" where you have to fight off corrupt souls and stuff.

For the loot they enemies could drop stuff like Ghostly Remains, Ghostly Staffs, Pearls, Diamonds, Crystals, and a "Divine Key" to open chests!

I'd love to see some armor, the armor could be white and gold/silver. For the female classes it could be a gown thats flowy and have jewelry and head pieces like a tiara or a halo

.....not sure about the males just yet.

Undivine · Jun 09, 2006, 06:23 PM // 18:23

While I do occasionally like to take a break from killing, there has to be some kind of challenge in any god realm that ANet adds, and GW really isn't geared for anything but combat. There are some non-combat strategies and things they can do and I would love it if they add more of those, but there really must be combat. GW doesn't have any bluff skill, or reflex saves, or charisma skills, or non-combat related spells, or anything of that nature. All the powers we've spent all this time collecting only have their uses in battle. That's just the sort of game this is.

And story-wise this game has a limit. That being that our characters are "good." Even our necromancers "care" in the cutscenes. Just about every quest and mission we've done has been for the greater good, save the bonus on Dragon's Lair. I don't know if us being invaders is consistent with the story of GW. I wouldn't mind not being such a goody-two-shoes, but I don't see how they can justify our characters being such angels suddenly turning bad.