Can't get enough info on Guild Wars 2? Interested to learn more about the Sylvari, Norn, Asura, and Charr? Read this interview to find out all sorts of little details about your favorite race!

ZAM: One of the things that seems to be changing a lot from Guild Wars 1 to Guild Wars 2 is this idea that the world is open… that it’s giant and immersive. How are you handling that from a story perspective? How are the individual characters going to be heroes in this world?

Soesbee: Some of the answer to that question will be revealed in a huge article we’re coming out with soon. That said, I’m going to be a little shifty in the way I answer the question.

But basically, there are a number of stories all over the world, and they’re all very different. You can come across very different encounters and have very different experiences based on how you play the game.

When it comes right down to it, if your home is threatened or your mother (sister, horse, dog, etc.) – something personal to you – is affected by the fact that the world is going to go down in flames created by these giant elder dragons that are rising for no purpose other than to destroy all life, you’re already invested. The story can be completely different from everyone else’s – because it’s your home that’s being destroyed or his father – but you’re both invested. 

ZAM: Are there different technologies being used to employ these storytelling experiences than what we encountered in Guild Wars 1? One of the big techs that has been used lately in MMOs is this idea of phasing… is that something that you’re trying to employ?

Soesbee: One of the flaws that I found with phasing was that I’d be very excited to play with my friends, but they wouldn’t be on the same phase as me. So I found phasing to be a great idea, but a flawed one. I can say that we’re trying to avoid that sort of situation.

ZAM: Let’s delve into some of the specifics of the lore. You’re introducing some new playable races in Guild Wars 2, which is relatively novel for MMOs. Typically you see a world start up where they have a set list of races and then add one or two along the way – even in expansions – but you’re adding a whole battalion of creatures that people can play.

Soesbee: But they were always in the game…

ZAM: The Norn, Charr, and Asura all were, but they were often just allies or enemies…

Soesbee: But we do have the Sylvari, which are a race that no one has seen before. Lorewise, the Sylvari will have very important things to do, but playwise, there were holes in our archetypes. There’s the character that’s very invested in nature, there’s the chivalrous character that’s very knightly, there’s the elflike character who’s very fey… and we wanted to appeal to those players too. A lot of players were saying that they loved the smart Asura or that they love the Charr because they rip people’s heads off. There was this entire faction of dedicated fantasy gamers that came to our game wanting to see themselves reflected in the world, and we wanted to make sure that was there.