97 replies to this topic

[Ardaion]

I don't really care about the story behind them, because in reality they are just larger humans.
People will go for them because they look much better in armor [due to their size]. There is plenty of more original races in the Guild Wars universe - Jotun, Frogmen, Tengu to name a few, but Arena Net decided to do yet another humans. I can only suspect that this decision was made due to the issues with limited resources and I really hope that they will avoid another place fillers in the future expansions - because it's cheap.

Edited by Ardaion, 22 July 2012 - 12:14 PM.

[Magikarp]

or because you haven't played Guild Wars 1 and looked at the significant role the Norn race played in the story of EoTN.

Moot post is moot.

Edited by Magikarp, 22 July 2012 - 12:16 PM.

[Feralz]

I would say, in terms of aesthetics (which should be one of the main reasons of introducing a race).
the Norn does feel out of place, they are pretty much humans only bigger, not quite feeling how they blend in with the other races.

[Dnab]

As I understand it, the Norn need no point.

[bmine]

Since you don't really care, why do you care?

[Sapho]

Given that Anet redesigned an entire race because the first attempt didn't work out so well, I doubt they chose their races i the first place based on budget considerations.

Personally I love Norn, but of course that's subjective.

[WasiKaBooM]

I agree, Humans are pointless, they are just small Norn.

[Eir]

Ardaion, on 22 July 2012 - 12:12 PM, said:

I don't really care about the story behind them, because in reality they are just larger humans.
People will go for them because they look much better in armor [due to their size]. There is plenty of more original races in the Guild Wars universe - Jotun, Frogmen, Tengu to name a few, but Arena Net decided to do yet another humans. I can only suspect that this decision was made due to the issues with limited resources and I really hope that they will avoid another place fillers in the future expansions - because it's cheap.

yes cause dwarves are just small humans, giants are even bigger humans, elves are humans with pointy ears.
so what was your point exactly?

[Ardaion]

bmine, on 22 July 2012 - 12:28 PM, said:

Since you don't really care, why do you care?

I don't really care about the story behind them [you should read more carefully], but I care that yet another human race [albeit slightly larger] is filling a slot that could be used by a different, more original race [Jotun, Frogmen, Tengu etc.].

Edited by Ardaion, 22 July 2012 - 12:50 PM.

[KodakMoment]

I'm guessing cause if you played eotn you had to befriend all the races except sylvari cause they weren't available but had a plant growing in the lake i forgot the name. Anyway you had to help the charr/asura/norn/dwarves(they are extinct from what happened in eotn if i rememebr correctly) and bring them together to fight the destroyer

I do agree though aside from the culture they are just big humans. Especially the Norn women

Edited by KodakMoment, 22 July 2012 - 12:52 PM.

[UVShockwave]

Uhm, what? * man I barely know anything about GW lore, but even I know Norn are a huge part of the lore specifically in EotN which was the most recent expansion, only makes sense. Norn have the best story IMO and look boss.

Also, saying you don't care about the story basically justifies that your point is invalid, seeing how the story means everything.

Edited by UVShockwave, 22 July 2012 - 12:52 PM.

[Illein]

Just like dwarves are small humans and elves are pointy-eared humans. I agree with the OP - I have no idea why anyone would bother with these type of creatures in a fantasy setting, it's inane!


That's sarcasm.

[Ardaion]

Illein, on 22 July 2012 - 12:53 PM, said:

Just like dwarves are small humans and elves are pointy-eared humans. I agree with the OP - I have no idea why anyone would bother with these type of creatures in a fantasy setting, it's inane!

Everyone will need to have a certain anatomic similarities due to the nature of itemization in RPG games. My point is that the differences between Humans and Norns aren't significant enough to classify them as a different race. And going by your logic - Arena Net should just put another, mid-sized human "race", instead of going for more elaborate, original and exotic design.

Edited by Ardaion, 22 July 2012 - 01:04 PM.

[Life_Infusion]

Lore: they are the "noble" hunter race with transforms

Aesthetics: Tattoos that don't show when you wear armor....
http://imgur.com/a/n3YA5

And if you want to be all sparkley when you take your armor off, you can be Norn! >.> (maybe it's the default color option but I just find it to be really cheesy, especially with stars on the Norn lady's cheeks)

It's too late to nitpick about a race that existed for 7+ years (since EOTN) anyway.

Edited by Life_Infusion, 22 July 2012 - 01:07 PM.

[C50802160]

Umm the point is Anet wanted them in their game? That's the point of every race really. It's what Anet envisioned for their world, so i can ask the same question for every race, whats the point of asura/sylvari/charr/human?

[Vorch]

They are just large humans that:

1. Can transform into bears, leopards, ravens, and wolves

2. Live in an icy tundra with a spiritualistic culture (rather than the theistic culture of humans)

3. Drink exorbitant amounts of alcohol due to livers that have livers

4. Are very hairy; even the women

5. Have large breasts; even the men

6. Would crush your skull for even comparing them to the weakling cowards that are humans; Norn have no need of cities or armies, Norn are Norn.

[Glint]

Ardaion, on 22 July 2012 - 12:12 PM, said:

I don't really care about the story behind them, because in reality they are just larger humans.
People will go for them because they look much better in armor [due to their size]. There is plenty of more original races in the Guild Wars universe - Jotun, Frogmen, Tengu to name a few, but Arena Net decided to do yet another humans. I can only suspect that this decision was made due to the issues with limited resources and I really hope that they will avoid another place fillers in the future expansions - because it's cheap.

So You don't care about the story behind eh?
Alright, i can accept that. Please tell me Whats the "point" of the other playable races if not the story elements the present...
"The Norn need no armies. We are Norn."
With that telling 4(!) Norn went against the armies of the Grand destroyer/Primodus.
So how do you make a people that value honor of hunt above all, get together, like all together, and go to war...
Should be pretty interesting story.
Oh wait, you don't care about story, right.?
Then, With all due respect, Ask yourself - "Why am I playing this game?"
GW2 is an mmoRPG. Not mmoGYAO (figure that one out yourselves). The devs have, several times, sad that they intend to bring Story(gasp!) back to this mmo. If you say you don't care about story in GW2... Do some research before you buy games, then go complaining on the forums about something that is the core of the game.

note.
If there is 1 race I can ask "what's the point?" it's the sylvari. Not due to lack of story/differences, rather the opposite. The abundance of odd hints in it.
/note

Oh and about the Minor races (tengu, Hylek, skritt etc) they are there, But, except tengu (of whom we know little), it is rather obvious that they have progressed very little during 250 years since GW.
Well to find a good game to compare to...
...
WoW had goblins, up until Blizz made them playable (not to mention the worgen, of whom so many have been killed before as mobs)...
GW2 in unique in that it has actual... well unique races populating it.

bottom line.
If you don't like the story of a race, don't play them. Just don't come back crying "why must i go to there, I no wanna!"... The very BackStory of GW2 shows that all 5 races Will come together. And It is you, the player, who makes that happen.
...
See you in keg brawl!

[Dilbon]

Because there are no dwarves, there needs to be norn.

[Sir Bertrand]

Ardaion, on 22 July 2012 - 12:12 PM, said:

I don't really care about the story behind them, because in reality they are just larger humans.

Story is one of the most important elements to make a race unique. Without a story, Sylvari would just be the next Dryads, Asura would just be the next Gnomes, and Charr would just be the next beast-race. But ask yourself: wouldn't Frogmen and Tengu just be the next beast-race? Why would two beast-races be original, but two humanoid-races not? Sure, there are differences between them, but there are also a lot of differences between humans and Norn, which you all seem to disregard.

If you don't take a races story seriously, I can't really take your complaint about uniqueness seriously.

[Ardaion]

Sir Bertrand, on 22 July 2012 - 02:03 PM, said:

Story is one of the most important elements to make a race unique.

So they should make 5 size variations of the same human model and give them 5 different stories.

Much faster & cheaper.

Why even bother with the race concept?

Edited by Ardaion, 22 July 2012 - 02:22 PM.

[Burk]

Ardaion, on 22 July 2012 - 12:59 PM, said:

Everyone will need to have a certain anatomic similarities due to the nature of itemization in RPG games. My point is that the differences between Humans and Norns aren't significant enough to classify them as a different race. And going by your logic - Arena Net should just put another, mid-sized human "race", instead of going for more elaborate, original and exotic design.

Sure just do away with the story from their previous games and the books. Arenanet doesn't care that you don't view the Norn as a separate race, deal with it because they are and they have a huge impact on the worlds history.

[Dizzard]

They brought us Keg Brawl. I take back whatever I said about them in the past, all is forgiven.

(Seriously though....playing the betas has made me much more appreciative of the Norn as a race. The only thing that bothers me a little is how....oblivious they seem to be. It's kind of weird playing as a race that seems incapable of fear or panic....but I admit it's kind of interesting too. They're still my least favourite but that's not saying much since I like all of the races now.)

Edited by Dizzard, 22 July 2012 - 03:00 PM.

[Licentia]

First rule of Norn:  don't ask what the point is to Norn.

[LemmingHerder]

Ardaion, on 22 July 2012 - 12:59 PM, said:

My point is that the differences between Humans and Norns aren't significant enough to classify them as a different race.

The norn have a point. I'm not sure about yours.

So you say that you don't care about the story, you just want strange new exotic creatures to play as. Does this mean you wouldn't object to anet randomly placing a race of moving pieces of rock without any apparent reason? As interesting as that may look, it would be awfully confusing...

[Azure Skye]

OMG This thread is such a lulzy thread! Op, have you played Guild Wars 1 or watched or read any of the Norn Backstory or lore at all? Go and please read this, http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Norn amd this http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Norn , it should help you abit. I wish that bear would help this lost human. XD

[Ardaion]

LemmingHerder, on 22 July 2012 - 03:13 PM, said:

So you say that you don't care about the story, you just want strange new exotic creatures to play as.

I want original and exotic creatures with story to play as.

I don't want 5 different sizes of the same human model - even if they all have 20 different stories.

Edited by Ardaion, 22 July 2012 - 04:00 PM.

[Dasviidonja]

Magikarp, on 22 July 2012 - 12:15 PM, said:

or because you haven't played Guild Wars 1 and looked at the significant role the Norn race played in the story of EoTN.

Moot post is moot.

Yeah! what he said! ^

Some people just don't have imaginations and see everything with eyes wide shut. Norn just another human HAH you have no clue what the Norn are and how they are BETTER than a HUMAN as they has SUPER STRENGTH and can turn into BEARS! Lemme see a human turn into a bear?

[Sleepyx732]

Whats the point of sylvari. They're just green skinned men who glow in the dark at night, but cover that thing in armor and you won't even notice a difference. Unlike norn.. male..

Edited by Sleepyx732, 22 July 2012 - 04:18 PM.

[Trolozaur]

Ardaion, on 22 July 2012 - 03:56 PM, said:

I want original and exotic creatures with story to play as.

I don't want 5 different sizes of the same human model - even if they all have 20 different stories.

You said earlier you don't care about the story and now you say you want a race with story? I am confused, what exactly do you want? Seeing a "larger human" makes you sick? If you PvP against one you'll get a seizure? If you don't like the norn, don't play them. Shocking, right? Yes, it's that simple. You're also said earlier that ANet have done this because of limited resources. No, they've scrapped the old design of an entire race (sylvari). If you don't believe me, watch the 2009 trailers and then the 2012 trailers. Big difference, no?

Basically, the norn have a rich story from GW1. Some of us actually want to see what happens to them after 250 years. Just avoid them if you don't care!

[LIVESTRONGG]

Don't feed the trolls.