src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/86905">

For the release of the first
novel set in the href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2">Guild
Wars 2

universe,
href="http://www.guildwars2.com/en/shop/ghosts-of-ascalon/">Ghosts
of Ascalon
,
ArenaNet has also given fans a sneak peak into the
major regions of Tyria and how they've changed since the original href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/47">Guild
Wars

by providing a new world
map. While many of the marked locations
no doubt tie directly into the storyline of the new novel, this new map
of Tyria still sheds plenty of light on the size and scope of
the world as players will experience it in the upcoming MMOG.

style="width: 640px; height: 100px; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
border="0">
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/86970"> src="/image/view/86970/preview"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px;"> href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/86971"> src="/image/view/86971/preview"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px;"> href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/86969"> src="/image/view/86969/preview"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 200px;">

Shown
above: The original Guild Wars: Prophecies map, the
orignial map overlayed with the new map of Tyria, and the map of Tyria
provided on the Ghosts of Ascalon page at the official game site.

As you can see in the above
images, Tyria has remaind somewhat
consistent between the original Guild
Wars
and Guild
Wars 2
, though you
can also see a number of areas where the desctruction caused by the
elder dragons has forever changed the landscape. The new map of Tyria
can be broken down into a number of major regions, five of which can
also
be loosely associated with the five playable races of Guild
Wars 2
.
These include Ascalon
(charr), the Shiverpeaks
( href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/features/previews/norn">norn),
Kryta
( href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/features/previews/humans">humans),
Maguuma Wastes
(sylvari) and the Tarnished
Coast
( href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/features/previews/asura">asura).




Below you'll find a detailed breakdown of each of these regions
along with pertinent info on the main locations marked on the new map
of Tyria for Guild Wars 2.

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/86900">

Once a proud kingdom of
humanity before being violently overtaken by
the charr in a catastrophic event known as the Searing, Ascalon as it
stands in present day Tyria has been reduced to little more than ash
and rubble. It is here that players in the original Prophecies campaign
embarked on the first leg of their heroes journey, eventually moving
westward across the
Siverpeaks and beyond in an attempt to save the survivors of Ascalon's
war with the charr.

style="width: 640px; height: 100px; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
border="0">
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/72968"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/72968/preview"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 300px;"> href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/72969"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/72969/preview"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 300px;">

In Guild
Wars 2
, the ghosts of the
previous era now inhabit the ruins
of Ascalon. It is here that the charr also reside as described below.
Key points of interest include:

Ascalon
Catacombs
- Originally only
accessible in pre-Searing Ascalon,
the Catacombs have notably been marked on the new map of Tyria. The
location marked is roughly at the former Sardelac Sanitarium entrence,
though it remains to be seen just how much of the once extensive
network of caverns remains intact.

Black
Citadel
- Built upon the ruins
of the former human city of Rin,
the Black Citadel is now the headquarters of the charr's Iron Legion,
and serves as the charr capital city.

Dragonbrand
- This massive scar which cuts south across the landscape
of Ascalon was left by one of the elder dragons, Kralkatorrik, on its
way to the Crystal Desert where it is believed to currently reside.

Ebonhawke
- The last vestige of humanity in the region, Ebonhawke is a
fortress nested along the foothills of the Blazeridge Mountains on the
eastern boarder of Ascalon. Originally founded by Gwen and Lt.
Thackeray, survivors of the Battle of Ascalon fled here after King
Adlebern's fall.

Separated geographically from
Ascalon proper by the Dragonbrand, travel
to and from Ebonhawke is made possible due to use of the asura gate
network.

Flame
Citadel
- Not much is known
about the Flame Citadel currently,
though its location on the map is north of the shatterd human lands of
Surmia, and just northeast of an area in Prophecies known as Dragon's
Gullet. It would seem likely, however, that the Flame Citadel is of
some importance to the Flame Legion, one of the four charr High Legions
which has been outcast from charr society.

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/86903">

Once the home of the proud
Deldrimor dwarves and the dasterdly Stone
Summit dwarves, after the events of Eye of the North the norn were
forced to flee into the southern Shiverpeaks due to the awakening of
the elder dragon Jormag. Prior to these events, heroes in the original
Prophecies campaign lead the refugees of Ascalon on a perilous journey
across these mountains in hopes of reaching Kryta, eventually returning
to the southern peaks to prepare for the final confrontation with the
Lich
and his army of Titans.

style="width: 640px; height: 100px; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
border="0">
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/72974"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/72974/preview"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 300px;"> href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/72984"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/72984/preview"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 300px;">

On the new map of Tyria, a
number of key locations have been
highlighted:

Durmand
Priory
- One of the three main
orders players can join in Guild
Wars 2, Durmand Priory is a monestary hidden in the Shiverpeaks which
houses many volumes of information rescued from Lion's Arch. The monks
of the monestary are a collection of fighter-scolars that come from
multiple races, and seem to be likely candidates for those players
interested in seeking out profession challenges to unlock new href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/features/previews/traits">traits.

Frostgorge
Sound
- This area seems to be a
large bay in what was
formerly known as the Far Shiverpeaks. It is likely that the awakening
of the
elder dragon Jormag which forced the norn south plays a role in the
creation of this massive new landmark.

Hoelbrak
- After being driven south by Jormag, the norn established
Hoelbrak, the largest of their settlements in the Northern
Shiverpeaks. 

Sorrow's
Embrace
- A key location in Guild
Wars
history, Sorrow's
Embrace is in the former location of Sorrow's Furnace, the Stone Summit
mine where the Tome of the Rubicon was thought to be forever buried
beneath age old ruins. It's this tome that contained the true name of
the Great Destroyer which, when spoken aloud would bring about the
return of the elder dragons.

Vigil
Keep
- Vigil Keep was
established by the Vigil, one of the various
multi-racial orders which players can choose to join in Guild
Wars 2
.
The Vigil consists of crusaders who believe that by facing and testing
the powers of the elder dragon Zhaitan directly, one day such knowledge
can eventually be used against it
in battle.

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/86901">

The human lands of Kryta have
seen a number of significant events over
the years. It is here that the White Mantle rose to power before
eventually being defeated during the href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/beyond/guides/war-in-kryta">War
in Kryta in-game events. Prior
to the war, the refugees of Ascalon's war with the charr settled in the
lands north of Lion's Arch, though eventually the great human city fell
pray to floods upon the arrival of the elder dragons, forcing the
survivors northward where they eventually established the city of
Divinity's Reach.

style="width: 640px; height: 100px; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
border="0">
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/72981"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/72981/preview"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 300px;"> href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/72972"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/72972/preview"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 300px;">

As with Ascalon and the
Shiverpeaks, a number of key locations have
been marked in the lands of Kryta on the new map of Tyria:

Divinity's
Reach
- The new capital city of
Kryta, it is here that human
characters will call home in Guild
Wars 2
. Players of the original
Prophecies campaign will likely recognize this area from the Divinity
Coast mission. This area is also of special significance during the
chain of events currently in-game for the War in Kryta as part of href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/beyond">Guild
Wars Beyond.

Dominion
of Winds
- This is a small
island chain located just south of
mainland Kryta. In the original Guild
Wars
, this is where Sanctum Cay
and Wizard's Tower can be found. It is uncertain what role this area
will play in the upcoming game, though its inclusion on the new map of
Tyria does point to this being an area of some importance.

Lion's
Arch
- Lion's Arch as we know it
today has undergone a number of devastating changes. Not only was the
city destroyed by the floods caused when Orr rose from the ocean, but
it is now home to numerous mercenaries and corsairs whereas it was once
the seat of power in Kryta. It's also said that the former battles of
the Hall of Heroes have been moved to the Free City of Lion's Arch as
it is called in Guild Wars 2.

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/86902">

The Maguuma Jungle is located
directly to the west of Kryta, and it is
here that the centaur Ventari originally resided before he eventually
made his way to the area now known as The Grove. It was there that he
created a tablet containing his morals and philosophy which were
imprinted on the sylvari race which would eventually emerge from the
great Palm Tree. So while the sylvari race technically came into
existance along the Tarnished Coast, it is due to the role of Ventari
that I've loosely associated the race with the Maguuma region for this
article.

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border="0">
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/72967"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/72967/preview"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 300px;"> href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/72970"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/72970/preview"
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Little is known about the
impact of the elder dragons on this region leading up to Guild
Wars 2
,
though the fact that it is now being called the Maguuma Wastes should
give some indication that the jungle did not remain unchanged over the
years.

On the new map of Tyria, only
two major landmarks have been added,
though each likely contiunes to play a major role in the world just as
they did in the original Prophecies campaign:

Bloodstone
Fen
- In the original Prophecies
campaign, players will
recall the Bloodstone Fen mission as the location where it is
discovered that the White Mantle are sacrificing the "chosen" viilagers
from Loamhurst,
whom you previously helped select during the Divinity
Coast mission.

The Bloodstones themselves are
the five shards of a massive stone
created by the gods of Tyria. Four of these shards represent the four
schools of magic, while the fifth serves as a keystone which is
required to reassaemble the completed Bloodstone. The locations of only
three of the five stones are currently known.

Ruins
of Denravi
- The Henge of
Denravi in the original Guild
Wars

could be reached upon completion of the Aurora Glad mission, and served
as a base of opporations by the Shining Blade during the early days of
the White Mantle occupation of Kryta. In Tyrian history, this was also
once a sacred meeting place for the druids of the jungle, though they
have long since disappeared.

As with Bloodstone Fen, it is
likely that the Ruins of Denravi will
prove to be an important location to the ultimate defeat of the elder
dragons considering their connection to the most ancient of magics in
all of Tyria.

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/86904">

The area known as the Tarnished
Coast was first introduced to players
in Eye of the North. Reachable only by use of the Asura gate network,
the area has a very "Land of the Lost" vibe due in part to the
abundance of prehistoric wildlife. Once the Great Destroyer appeared,
it's minions all but forced the Asura to move above ground, and it's
along the Tarnished Coast that they quickly erected the great city of
Rata Sum.

style="width: 640px; height: 100px; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
border="0">
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/84575"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/84575/preview"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 300px;"> href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/84574"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/84574/preview"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 300px;">

As with the Maguuma Wastes,
only two key landmarks have been added to
this region on the new map of Tyria:

Rata
Sum
- First appearing in Eye
of
the North as a hastily erected
outpost after the Great Destroyer's minions forced the asura above
ground, Rata Sum has since been built up into the massive capital city
of the asura. As an interesting bit of trivia, Rata Sum is actually an
anagram of 'Mursaat', a name that should be all too familiar to anyone
that's completed the Prophecies campaign.

The
Grove
- Last but certainly not
least we come to The Grove, which is
the sylvari capital. Hundreds of years ago a human exile named Ronan
resided in a village in this location. It was here that he planeted the
great Pale Tree which he watched over with the centaur Ventari.
Eventually the tree would spawn the sylvari race, and remains their
racial home at the start of Guild
Wars 2
.


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Guild Wars 2 Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

Reuben "Sardu" Waters has been writing professionally about the MMOG industry for eight years, and is the current Editor-in-Chief and Director of Development for Ten Ton Hammer.

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