Humanity is a very important race in any MMOG universe and Guild Wars is no exception. Humans are the self representation of us, the player, within any game. There may be ogres, demon vampires, goblins, snake people, and werewolves but none of them can connect on an emotional level to us like a human could, especially as a playable race. After all, unless you are a vampire or a cat, you are a Human and will always identify with Humanity the most. It’s important that a game place a large focus on Humanity’s plight if such a race is to be included, but that’s not to say that Humans have to hold the center stage.

Guild Wars gives Humanity a large role within the original game. They are located on every continent and are almost always the key players in every story. Even Guild Wars: Eye of the North puts a large emphasis on Humanity when, in fact, other races begin arriving on the playing field. Guild Wars 2 will not keep the status quo. Humans may have a powerful role in the story but they’re just a small part of what makes the story that’s waiting to be told.

A History Lesson

There are three continents in Guild Wars that house the Human nations: Tyria, Cantha, and Elona. These continents are explored in each campaign with the main story unfolding on a large playing field. Tyria sees the invasion of Ascalon and the White Mantle’s control of Kryta. Cantha has a plague, warring houses, and an insane spirit lashing out across the continent. Elona witnessed a god going out of control in an attempt to corrupt the world. Each of these stories brought out the best and worst in Humanity. Each of these stories ended with Humanity being the victor.

Of course, victory is never secured. Ascalon suffered great losses and lost most of its land. Orr was completely destroyed during the invasion of the Charr. A powerful undead warrior was unleashed on Elona, trading one evil for another. Cantha’s weak political system was never fixed and the last known emperor would choose exile for anyone who tried to speak against his rule.

Movement of the World

The world is unforgiving, even when it comes to Humanity. Even with an uneasy peace there always remains a chance for something to happen. In the time between Guild Wars: Eye of the North and Guild Wars 2 we will see a large portion of the world change. Ascalon falls to the Charr, their great city destroyed and the remnants fleeing to Ebonhawke. The Charr build their new capital city, The Black Citadel, right where Ascalon’s capital was at: Rin. Ascalon is all but destroyed between now and then.

Cantha is not even accessible. Fleets of undead corsairs from the dragon Zhaitan block access to the Empire of the Dragon. No one has heard word from them in over 100 years. Elona suffers a similar fate. Palawa Joko’s undead grip now holds Elona tightly. The remnants of humanity here fight hard and long, but their entire lands have been lost.

There is hope, though. There is one remaining Human settlement. The last bastion of Human power, Divinity’s Reach, stands proudly in the land of Kryta on the Tyria continent. A large powerful city, it’s the last remaining stronghold of Humanity. Humans from every region are welcome here, all exiled from their homelands. Ascalonians and Canthans have their own sections waiting for the day they can retake their lands while the Royal Family and Senators rule.

Things may be bleak for Humans in Guild Wars 2, but the human spirit will persevere. Humanity will not fall to some dragon, or Charr, or unknown creature lurking in the wilderness. They will fight and in the end they will win, just like they always have and always will.

So what do you think of Humanity’s troubles? Come to our community forums and talk about the lore or the upcoming book Ghosts of Ascalon which details the story of the fall of Ascalon and the retrieval of a rare artifact within the remains of the scourged city.


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

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

About The Author

Get in the bush with David "Xerin" Piner as he leverages his spectacular insanity to ask the serious questions such as is Master Yi and Illidan the same person? What's for dinner? What are ways to elevate your gaming experience? David's column, Respawn, is updated near daily with some of the coolest things you'll read online, while David tackles ways to improve the game experience across the board with various hype guides to cool games.

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