GW2 Starting Locations and Places of Interest

[Konig Des Todes]

Some of the Tarnished Coast is like a crater. The edges are high, but once you go away from the coast, it gets low.

Also, we don't know if the water receded or not. Due to LA existing prior to Orr sinking, I don't think the water level would rise enough to sink the whole place, just cause a tidal wave, which would recede. Same would go for Arbor Bay - the only spot with a good river-sized exit to the sea which could be flooded (i.e., where the Krait are will get hit with a wave, the rest of the water area will get a nice foot or so, depending on how big the wave was, but then the water will recede).

The problem here is that people are forgetting about the receding part. The overall waterlevel will rise an inch or so, the wave will wet everything on the coast which doesn't have something high to protect it, but the water will go back into the ocean unless trapped. But even if it is trapped, we get precepetation - the water will evaporate, then become rain elsewhere.

I.e., land doesn't change much, but things will get flooded initially forcing coastal livers in the area (i.e., LA) to move.

[renJi]

I didnt read every post to see if someone had written this before me, but the races will be starting at the same location says Eric Flannum to eurogamer.net
Eric Flannum: "We looked into dividing the races early on, and we decided against that, specifically because we want you to be able to play the race that you want and also be able to play with your friends."
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/gu...eview_4?page=2

[Mordakai]

Originally Posted by renJi

I didnt read every post to see if someone had written this before me, but the races will be starting at the same location says Eric Flannum to eurogamer.net
Eric Flannum: "We looked into dividing the races early on, and we decided against that, specifically because we want you to be able to play the race that you want and also be able to play with your friends."
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/gu...eview_4?page=2

If you read the whole quote:

"Despite their differences, we won't be fighting players of other races. "Competition has always been consensual in Guild Wars, and we've retained that as one of our core tenets. It also goes along with accessibility and being able to play with your friends," says Flannum. "We looked into dividing the races early on, and we decided against that, specifically because we want you to be able to play the race that you want and also be able to play with your friends. We didn't want to fracture our player base by having a good-versus-evil vibe going on between the players themselves."

He's clearly not talking about starting areas, but PvP division (in other words, no Horde vs Alliance)

I suspect that the starting areas for each race will be tutorials, and soon you will get to meet up with your friends from other races.

[Arghore]

Originally Posted by Free Runner

Magus Stones and Alcazia Tangle should be perfectly safe from the flood. Arbor Bay probably took some of the flooding but not enough it would seem as the Sylvari still managed to blossom.

I sincerly doubt that, having viewed the whole coastline... esp. Arborbay and Magus Stones are very viable to get flooded ...

The Sylvari are a 25y old race, and Orr rose 100y before the start of GW2 (if i remember correct) ... and yes the watertable does lower, as lore stated somewhere 'after the waters receded' ... so this happen somewhere in those 75y after the flood and before the Sylvari 'fruit' into Tyria ...

Also wasnt it stated that LA becomes an prirate Island, i doubt this would mean the water table only rises a few cm, more like a couple of meters, meaning the Sylvari tree could now (at start of GW) be close to the coast line, parts of Magus Stone would be part of the sea (perhaps Rata Sum, if it survived the innitial tidal wave, would be Rata Sum @ Sea) ...

And depending on the size of the tidal wave Alcazia Tangle would have changed a bit, tho howmuch is hard to predict.. i did notice a waterfall in that area which ends in a small lake, that does not seem to flood, so water can get out to sea somewhere (and seeing water always finds its way to the lowest point, it would empty back into the sea, once the waters receded..

question remains, how hard is the coastline hit by the tidal wave, and by how much do they recede, which in my views will determain if the Asura's will still have a large presence in those area's..

[Free Runner]

Originally Posted by Arghore

I sincerly doubt that, having viewed the whole coastline... esp. Arborbay and Magus Stones are very viable to get flooded

If the flood had been that drastic it would of wiped out all of Kryta not just the southern coast. As it is it only hit the shores of Tyria and drasticly affected the areas between Sanctum Cay and the Southern Shiverpeaks. And whats more Magus Stones has higher ground than Arbor Bay, it would not of taken the amount of flooding that Lions Arch, Sanctum Cay and the Battle Ilse did.

And Lions Arch became a not Pirate Island but a Pirates Stronghold after the waters receded. However the only reason it did is because when it was hit by the flood everyone abandoned it. Nobody reclaimed it and the corsairs that washed up on the shores took over the free city and turned it into a Mercenary Haven.

So in short i'm sure Magus Stones and more importantly Rata Sum had nothing to worry about. Arbor Bay being so close probably took a hit, Alcazia Tangle probably got its shoreline hit but not enough to flood the whole area, especially the higher ground.

[Konig Des Todes]

Please remember, waves get bigger as they move on (until there becomes a lack of water underneath *aka the coast* where they start shrinking). Thus, the waves hitting the Tarnished Coast would be smaller than the ones hitting Kryta. And it was only the southern shore that got hit. If the Tarnished Coast got flooded, then all of Kryta would have gotten hit, more or less.

[Arghore]

Sigh, i knew i should have taken screenshots and not just a post... but i dont feel like going back just to prove my point, we will see in GW2 how hard this region gets hit i guess ... personally i think Arbor bay will be totally flooded exept for the Sylvary tree, which by then is allready 150y old ...

Alcaza tangle with indeed high cliffs will only have some water rush in through the inlet that breaks up these high cliffs..

Magus Stones, will mostlikely flood for large parts of the southern region, depending on the hight of this tital wave this will either hit Rata Sum or it wont... (seeing the davestation the relatively small seaquake did here on earth a few years ago, the rise of a large part of the continent of Orr will mostlikely drown those cute lil bugger till there is non left, but a few that manage to get on some floating stones...)

Originally Posted by Konig Des Todes

Please remember, waves get bigger as they move on (until there becomes a lack of water underneath *aka the coast* where they start shrinking).

Waves get bigger because the water hits the coastline, its a 'shockwave' that gets transferred through the water, depending on the energy in the wave this water then get to a certain hight when it hits higher land... depending on the energy behind the wave, this wave can go miles inland ; although the lvl of water that is on the land, making the wave can be but a meter deep, if the energy is huge this wave will stop for nothing ... just watch some footage from the tsunamies, then you will get an idea for what i mean ...

[Konig Des Todes]

Due to the fact that only the coast of Kryta gets hit, I'd assume that it wasn't a large circular tsunami coming from Orr, but instead just large waves. Which means that there will be less flooding than being presumed.

And as you said, water will recede, which means it is possible that none of the areas are flooded during GW2.

Also, if Arbor Bay is flooded at all, the Sylvari Tree will be flooded, it's on some of the lowest ground in the area. Thus even further supporting that the area is not flooded during GW2's time.

[Arghore]

Slightly related to this, but is there any mention of flooding at the time that Orr Sunk, this should have caused a similar tidal wave as it rising...

[Konig Des Todes]

Not really flooding. It was Orr which was "flooded" - though technically it sank. Orr sinking caused Orr to flood (obviously), which also caused several shipwrecks which led to the Bay of Sirens being renamed the Sea of Sorrows.

[Gmr Leon]

Actually, he has a point, the fall of Orr into the Bay of Sirens would have produced several tidal waves which would help explain the wrecked Orrian ship we find in the Gates of Kryta mission and the wrecked ships we encounter in Scoundrel's Rise, except to a lesser extent in the latter. After the fall of Orr, in fact, there should have been an increase in the water levels, aside from the tidal waves, and after its rise, a substantial decrease, of course, after the tidal waves' floodwater receded.

Scoundrel's Rise may in fact give us a good area for examination in regards to the height of the waves when Orr fell into the Bay...Possibly, assuming the wrecked ships are from this event.

[Konig Des Todes]

Originally Posted by Gmr Leon

After the fall of Orr, in fact, there should have been an increase in the water levels, aside from the tidal waves, and after its rise, a substantial decrease, of course, after the tidal waves' floodwater receded.

While land is going into the water, the water is also covering the land. For when Orr sank, one could expect the water levels to actually be roughly the same. As for when Orr rose, however, unless water goes underneath Orr, the water would rise. If water doesn't go underneath Orr, then there will be an air pocket underneath the land.

Unless my mind is fooling me...

[silavor]

Originally Posted by Konig Des Todes

Where is the issue? I see nothing wrong with this. It's talking about the whole mountain ranges - not the western/eastern portions of the mountains.

I guess, but I still think it's oddly worded. To me it really sounds like it's purposely ephasizing the eastern Blazeridge and western Shiverpeaks, which is obvously a stupid thing to assume, since it doesn't make sense logically. Personally, I would have just used your reiteration from the start; it's not nearly as confusing:

Originally Posted by Konig Des Todes

Another way to say it would be "where the Blazeridge Mountains to the east merge with the Shiverpeaks to the west." (in fact, that would be how other languages read and literally translate the phrase).

Originally Posted by Konig Des Todes

While land is going into the water, the water is also covering the land. For when Orr sank, one could expect the water levels to actually be roughly the same. As for when Orr rose, however, unless water goes underneath Orr, the water would rise. If water doesn't go underneath Orr, then there will be an air pocket underneath the land.

Unless my mind is fooling me...

For Orr to have actually "sunk" and not just blown itself to bits, wouldn't the air pocket then have been there from the start? Unless, of course, said air pocket is actually Zhaitan. Large dragons tend to take up lots of space, and presumably the easiest place to "raise" a peninsula from is beneath it. After all, when lifting a heavy, unwieldy object, it's generally easier to lift it from the bottom rather than the sides.

[draxynnic]

Originally Posted by Konig Des Todes

Please remember, waves get bigger as they move on (until there becomes a lack of water underneath *aka the coast* where they start shrinking). Thus, the waves hitting the Tarnished Coast would be smaller than the ones hitting Kryta. And it was only the southern shore that got hit. If the Tarnished Coast got flooded, then all of Kryta would have gotten hit, more or less.

Actually, waves get bigger as the water gets shallower (until the wave runs out of water entirely). The actual energy in the wave dissipates as it propogates, so you'd expect the Coast to be hit worse than LA - unless there was something about the geography that channels it towards LA. (The height of the wave is, to first approximation, proportional to the energy and inversely proportional to the depth. I think. Don't make me dig out my notes to find the exact equation.)

Which, when you look at the map, there is - the Sea of Sorrows basically channels the northern tidal wave straight onto Lion's Arch and the Seaboard. By contrast, Arbor Bay looks like the only part of the Coast likely to be hit at all - along the southern portion, most of the force of the wave will be directed parallel to the coast instead of against it.

[Arghore]

If one would look at the map, http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/File:Tyria_map_thumb.jpg
one would see that the hit regions would be:
- The straight towards crystal desert (and thus this desert) and somewhat the coast of the southern shiverpeaks
- All the coast along the sea in the middle, (though to a lesser extend as here the waves are somewhat parallel), from Arbor Bay/Sparksfly swamp, all the way north towards kryta; Kryta then takes the full hit of the northern traveling wave..
- The Ilses where the mount of Abbadon is, these ilses also deflect the wave towards the Tarnished coast..
- any landmass south of Orr, so parts of the Elonan Coast are mildly hit, due to parallel to the shockwave...
-----------------------------------
From what i remember from scanning over the lore, Orr Sunk after they awakened Zaithan, meaning mostlikely he was very pissed being woken up, and dove back to where he came taking Orr with him...

The 'fall' of Orr causes waves because the land first displaces the water as it sinks in the sea, then the water meets in the middle of where there used to be land, this collision the dissipates in the form of waves. (if you have a bath, go sit in it, make a fist slightly above water to represent Orr, pull it under (wave will form), then raise your fist to represent the rise of Orr (larger waves will form)

The rise of Orr will cause a tidle wave because it presses all the water away...

Wether the water table after this wave is heightened or lowered on both cases is a bit hard. One could say the water table rises since there is now land where there was water, on the other hand, that land used to be under water, so after it is risen it doesnt take up the space it used to take up underwater... similar for when Orr sinks, this is land that used to be above water, the moment it sinks it takes up more space underwater, thus water level would rise, then again, it if sinks somuch (as the map indicates) the space the land used to take up, is now filled with water ...

strangely enough thinking of this, i would say, it largely depends on howmuch damage the tidal wave does to the coast, by they i esp. mean the crystal desert, is this is hit so hard that large parts of the desert are 'transformed' into a perminant sea, this will mean there is more room for the water, so the water lvl in general would lower (same goes for other coastal area;s / inlets) ... this then depends on the water volume that is replace by Orr's land mass, and wether Zaithan also brings up Magma from the core which would mean Orr will take up more space than it originally did, what would mean the water table were to rise, percistant flooding counteracts this to some extend meaning a flooded area (low laying land) gives room for the water to go, meaning overall the water lvl would stay the same ...

Enough about watertables now, my brain is cooking

[Konig Des Todes]

Originally Posted by Arghore

- The straight towards crystal desert (and thus this desert) and somewhat the coast of the southern shiverpeaks

Hardly, the river is bent, the wave would hit the bottom of the mountains, bounce off, and die off around there. It wouldn't hit the desert or the top of the mountains.

Originally Posted by Arghore

- The Ilses where the mount of Abbadon is, these ilses also deflect the wave towards the Tarnished coast..

The wave would die out before it hits the Tarnished Coast...

Originally Posted by Arghore

- any landmass south of Orr, so parts of the Elonan Coast are mildly hit, due to parallel to the shockwave...

It wouldn't hit Elona... Not at any possible angle.

Originally Posted by Arghore

From what i remember from scanning over the lore, Orr Sunk after they awakened Zaithan, meaning mostlikely he was very pissed being woken up, and dove back to where he came taking Orr with him...

Zhaitan never woke up, where did you get this? You mentioned it in the other thread which is wrong from what we know.

Originally Posted by Arghore

The 'fall' of Orr causes waves because the land first displaces the water as it sinks in the sea, then the water meets in the middle of where there used to be land, this collision the dissipates in the form of waves.

The rise of Orr will cause a tidle wave because it presses all the water away...

But the water that rebounds wouldn't be that big, due to the force of the collision, energy from the wave should leave the wave and the wave then shrinks. Though draxynnic could be more clear, I'm sure.

[Arghore]

Originally Posted by Konig Des Todes

But the water that rebounds wouldn't be that big, due to the force of the collision, energy from the wave should leave the wave and the wave then shrinks. Though draxynnic could be more clear, I'm sure.

You should reread what he said as he largely supports what im saying, though he seems to be putting it in better understandable words (unfortunatly i didnt pick watermanagement at uni, and have to do with the understanding of fluiddynamics from a few years back) ... and you should realy check for tsunamies that are caused with seaquakes to see what they can do:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_In...ean_earthquake

And this was just a small quake, not a whole continent rising

Originally Posted by Konig Des Todes

Zhaitan never woke up, where did you get this? You mentioned it in the other thread which is wrong from what we know.

Hmm this what i assumed had happened... though tbh. the articles of lore are so extensive that might have mixed some things up and filled in the blanks for myself ...

Originally Posted by Konig Des Todes

Hardly, the river is bent, the wave would hit the bottom of the mountains, bounce off, and die off around there. It wouldn't hit the desert or the top of the mountains.

I dont agree, the water would just rush through that 'river' untill it hits Amnoon Oasis and from there it will rush inland... it will also rush into the bay in the Southern Shiverpeaks and bounce of those clifs untill the energy is totally dissipitated...

The wave would die out before it hits the Tarnished Coast...
It wouldn't hit Elona... Not at any possible angle.

http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/File:..._map_small.jpg
Check the angle, all the way along the coast of elona, where there is no high cliff the water will rush in... seeing the seaquake tsunami also hit the african coast cantha isnt save either...

other 2 things allready addressed...

[Konig Des Todes]

Energy is given off in sound, head, and movement. The force of Orr sinking would have first caused waves going outward, then the area in which the water filled would force water inward, stretching those waves heading outward (since the Cataclysm happened so quickly). Thus making two opposing forces there (and weakening the waves heading outward, if not removing them after they reach a bit out). The sound of the waves would help reduce energy of the waves (via air molecule vibrations), then there is the waves clashing against each other once they would go to where Orr was, then rebounding with even less energy (especially since water is not a solid mass). And due to known lore, it didn't cause a flood, so those waves couldn't have been that huge, but big enough to cause shipwrecks in the Bay of Sirens.

Then for Orr being risen, you have the shockwaves, then the raining water. Making the outgoing waves even more fierce (or another set of waves). But that wasn't on what you quoted.

[Arghore]

Originally Posted by Konig Des Todes

Energy is given off in sound, head, and movement. The force of Orr sinking would have first caused waves going outward, then the area in which the water filled would force water inward, stretching those waves heading outward (since the Cataclysm happened so quickly). Thus making two opposing forces there (and weakening the waves heading outward, if not removing them after they reach a bit out). The sound of the waves would help reduce energy of the waves (via air molecule vibrations), then there is the waves clashing against each other once they would go to where Orr was, then rebounding with even less energy (especially since water is not a solid mass). And due to known lore, it didn't cause a flood, so those waves couldn't have been that huge, but big enough to cause shipwrecks in the Bay of Sirens.

Yes that was somewhat what i was saying... so we agree on that (appart from those sound waves)

Then for Orr being risen, you have the shockwaves, then the raining water. Making the outgoing waves even more fierce (or another set of waves).

Yes, now if you were to see the animation (wiki page, halfway / rightside or the page) you will see that tsunami reached the African coast, also causing floading there, the energy in these waves does not get smaller (does not dissipitate), but the further it gets from the source the bigger the circle, the energy is still largely the same only spread over a bigger surface area) ... seeing the location where the Tsunami originated is fairly similar to the location of Orr, one could overlay Tyria map and Earth map to somewhat understand what the rise of Orr would do...

But that wasn't on what you quoted.

Next time ill answer everything, quote by quote, like i normally do...

[Gmr Leon]

Not going to quote you Konig, but where do you get the idea that the waves wouldn't hit the Tarnished Coast? Are we talking about waves produced from the sinking of Orr or the rise of Orr? As I imagine even with the sinking of Orr you'd get slight, probably not extremely large, waves hitting the coasts. Although as I mentioned earlier, the ship seen in the Gates of Kryta mission and the shipwrecks in Scoundrel's Rise may be an indicator of large waves produced.