Guild Wars 2 is an MMORPG (massively multiplayer roleplaying game) for PC with a long history. It’s been on gamers’ minds recently, due to the recent outrage at its newest expansion and the announcement of its summer 2021 plans.
The lore of Guild Wars is extremely rich and varied, with five playable races for gamers to choose from. Gorgeous cities, unique aesthetics, and complicated histories differentiate these species from one another. One of the most critical differences, though, is their religious and spiritual lives. Their beliefs provide key insight into the ways these races make decisions, what they prioritize, and how they engage with and think about the world of Tyria.
5 Asura - The Eternal Alchemy
The Asura do not have a particular god or being that they worship. Rather, they believe in the concept of the “Eternal Alchemy,” which suggests that everything in the world is a cog in a larger cosmic machine. Many Asura will be offended if one calls the Eternal Alchemy a “religion” — it’s a science!, they’ll insist.
By mastering the different parts of the Eternal Alchemy, Asura believe they will gain mastery over the entire world. To this end, their society is divided up into three colleges. Most Asura join one of these three colleges in order to do their research.
The College of Synergetics is interested in larger patterns across the Eternal Alchemy, not in creating things that can be applied to everyday life. The College of Statics is known for its precision and caution, which makes them excellent at large-scale building projects. The College of Dynamics is fascinated by the unknown and loves to experiment with things no one else has even imagined.
4 Charr - Atheists
As a general rule, Charr rage against gods. They view the gods of other races (particularly the Six human gods) as powerful beings and nothing more.
When the Charr civilization began to spread, their advance was halted by human gods now known as “the Forgotten.” They subsequently decided that Charr needed their own gods to fight back against humanity, which brought about an alliance with a monstrous race known as the Titans. But when even the Titans were killed, a rebellion sparked against the Charr leaders. Ever since then, most Charr have dismissed any concept of a god. Members of their society who worshipped the Titans were weakened, but still exist today as the “Flame Legion.”
Today, the only thing that Charr have resembling gods are their folk heroes. These are Charr who performed incredible feats during their lifetime, such as Pyre Fierceshot, who was one of the instigators of the rebellion against the worship of Titans.
3 Human - The Six
Humans in Tyria worship a pantheon of six humanoid gods: Dwayna (goddess of healing, air, and life), Balthazar (god of war, fire, and courage), Kormir (goddess of order, spirit, and truth), Melandru (goddess of nature, earth, and growth), Grenth (god of darkness, death, and ice), and Lyssa (dual-faced goddess of beauty, water, and illusion). This group is collectively referred to as “the Six.”
The Six are immensely powerful but they can die, they do have family members, and they are not omniscient. Their powers are specific to the particular god who wields them and some speculate that, while the god can be destroyed, their power cannot be. This is used to explain how certain gods have died and been succeeded, e.g. Abaddon was the god of water and knowledge before being succeeded by Kormir.
Humans believe that the Gods brought them to Tyria and helped them thrive. However, approximately 250 years ago, the Gods stopped helping or communicating actively with humans. This has not stopped humanity from being devout worshipers of the Six. Some may doubt, but they are few and far between.
2 Norn - The Spirits Of The Wild
The Norn do not worship a set of Gods. Instead, they believe that every animal species has a spirit, of which there are four who are especially revered: Snow Leopard, Raven, Wolf, and Bear. These four are the “Great Spirits of the Wild.”
Each spirit does not represent one particular aspect of life or characteristic — rather, the spirit of an animal represents the totality of that animal’s personality. For example, Snow Leopard is considered to be a solitary strategist who is dedicated to her hunts. This teaching is understood to come with its own unique benefits and drawbacks. Norn are not asked to worship all the spirits equally — they are encouraged to be individuals and find their path in life by choosing a spirit to help guide them.
The Norn praise the Great Spirits of the Wild especially because these four spirits were said to guide the Norn people south when the elder dragon Jormag forced the race to relocate. This event is known as the Norn Exodus and is still recalled with sorrow by the people.
1 Sylvari - The Ventari Tablet And The Pale Tree
Sylvari spirituality centers around two figures: The Pale Tree and Ventari.
The Pale Tree is the mother of all Sylvari, so her wisdom is considered with the utmost respect. Though, to an outsider, the Sylvari may seem to revere the Pale Tree as a goddess, they actually engage with her more like a maternal figure.
Ventari was a centaur who lived years ago and planted the Pale Tree in the Grove. Before his death, he inscribed a tablet with seven critical teachings he wanted to pass down to this new race. The Sylvari do not consider Ventari a holy figure — his words are simply considered to be sage advice to live one’s life by.
The Sylvari “religion” would appear very strange to an outsider; it is truly better described as spirituality than religion, since it is not centralized. Many Sylvari participate in the same practices — like visiting the Pale Tree and speaking with her when they need advice — but each one has a unique understanding of their world. One other common practice among Sylvari is to treat plants with the same respect they would give another humanoid — after all, Sylvari can speak to plants much like two people might speak to one another.
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