Droknar's Forge

"Named for one of its most beloved kings, the Forge has never once been taken by an enemy nation." -In Game Description

There was a previous post about Droknar's Forge. Some of Project Tyria's readers may remember it, but there were only a few pictures and nothing really said about it since it was bundled with the rest of Mount Maelstrom's locations.

After a better look at it, Sunken Droknah is closer in appearance to the original Droknar's forge than I previously thought. Because of the movement restrictions in Guild Wars compared to Guild Wars 2, I've begun taking pictures in the first game before moving over to the second game for the matching pictures, instead of the other way around. I highly suggest doing the same if you're interested in seeing the similarities between most places, but especially for Droknar's.

A lot of the arches still stand, but I noticed that a new one has appeared next to the previously covered market space since Guild Wars. Most of the buildings were kept in their original locations and some new ones have appeared. In Guild Wars 2, the central hub of Droknar's seems to have collapsed inwards and is now part of a quaggan village.

If you're looking to explore the two areas yourself, I suggest starting with the northern gate since it's a good starting point to get your bearings. The geography is pretty close to the Guild Wars version up until you get to the quaggan village. The map, however, may not help so much since the Guild Wars 2 version is pretty focused on the water rather than the features underneath.

Lornar's Pass - The Temple of Grenth

 "Where is the god to whom I may give my undying devotion? Where is the god to whom I may beg revenge against those who scorn me?" -Desmina (Scriptures of Grenth)

The last post was the Temple of Balthazar so I decided it was finally time to go give the Temple of Grenth another visit. The two temples are very similar to each other in the first game; their architecture is nearly identical to one another, namely the entrances. In the second game, however, the Temple of Balthazar looks very similar to the original but the temple of Grenth couldn't look more different than the first game's appearance.

The statue is one of the more recent styled statues in the time of Guild Wars 2. It kind of makes me wonder what happened to the original. None of the beautiful pillars and entrance-ways are present anymore. The entrance altogether has been caved in and replaced with a more dwarven entrance elsewhere in the temple. It no longer looks like a temple, but a statue tucked away in some hidden recess.

It was interesting journeying out to see this location once again. After making my way through a bunch of difficult enemies in a winding map, I was reminded of what a beauty it once was. It used to lay in dwarven territory, namely around the area of the Stone Summit. Over two and a half centuries later, it's now inhabited with underworld creatures- fitting as it was once a portal to the underworld. We know in Guild Wars 2 of the temples in Orr to the gods, but one could imagine that they'd need other places to worship after Orr sank. It makes me wonder how long these temples have been present.

As for getting there, it's known as the Reaper's Gate in Guild Wars 2. In the first game the Temple of Grenth is at the very southeast of the map in Lornar's Pass. It's really tricky getting there in Guild Wars and I recommending bringing a bow to pull enemies rather than charging in headstrong. The locations on the map, however, are pretty easy to spot, but as usual, I've taken a comparison shot of the map to show exactly what you're looking for.

Eye of the North

"I have recorded your deeds so that we never forget the heroes who saved Tyria."

The Eye of the North is probably one of the most recognizable areas in between the games due to the fact that it hasn't really changed at all. The building still stands just as firm and tall as it ever has. Getting to this area is easy between both games as well; in Guild Wars you only need the expansion pack and to be level ten before getting the mission to arrive there from the main city of your campaign. In Guild Wars 2 all it takes is getting a portal stone (usually from a skritt in a cave in Lions Arch these days or upon character creation.)

Because the two rooms are circular, it's easy to stand and pivot on one spot in each room to get a full view of the rooms. This works in both games, making it perhaps the easiest place to explore both games versions.

One of the most interesting things to note in this area is the fact that the Xunlai chests haven't moved from the outpost between the games. This is the only time we see a Xunlai chest in Guild Wars 2.

If you're interested in seeing some of the previous screenshots from outside of the building, head to this post Here. Don't expect it to be a finished product since the outside was not meant to have been seen. 

Mount Maelstrom

Next in the maps is Mount Maelstrom where we find Droknar's Forge and Port Sledge. 

Droknar's Forge

Port Sledge

I've been fighting the Mark II Golem quite a bit lately, and every time I've been to the Old Port Sledge waypoint, I've tried to remind myself to get myself back into Guild Wars and take corresponding screenshots. There are a lot of broken bridges in the area and it still amazes me how much melted snow and floral growth changes an area, of course with 250 years on top of that.

It's pretty sad though. Witman's Folly was actually one of my more favorite explorable areas in Guild Wars and I hate to see it turn from a deadly frosty wonderland to a deadly garden.  However, being able to go in between even this day is fun enough. I've never been so grateful that they kept the first game running.

On another note, I'm going to be trying to post weekly now in order to keep the front updated.

Eye of the North: Unfinished Outside

 It isn't Halloween related this time. Sorry!

So last night, I was checking my stats page and followed a reddit link to the Guild Wars 2 reddit page. I don't really go on reddit all that often; I get linked on the site all the time and I want to thank everyone supporting me there! However, I saw a thread that interested me greatly!

Outside Hall of Monuments it's Big was what I saw there. It's a very interesting thread and I knew I had to have a look right away! I must say that I am absolutely impressed with A-net here. I've never known a game company to work as detailed and loving towards a game as they have. I was brought back to memory lane when I went outside to explore. A lot of people commented how nothing looks the same, but it does. It was incredibly thought out. I've honestly been playing Guild Wars so much that I recognize rock and ground formations. When I went out, I found that these formations were still there and I was impressed and filled with so much glee, I had to stop and calm down. What impresses me most is that the designers have even thought about what we don't see and still put effort and thought into it. Sure, there are no trees past a certain point, no real details to the ground, but the point is, it's still the same and still had a lot of thought put into it.  I didn't expect to find anything familiar, so I didn't plan on taking screenshots, but I had to when I arrived. Here's a bit of what I saw on my journey!

Traveling the Shiverpeaks

So, I've been poking my way through the Shiverpeaks. I've found a lot of places that bring back memories, and some that look completely different from what they did in the first game. Believe it or not, but the Shiverpeaks have always been my favorite place, but it's no secret that I love any place that has snow in it.

I heard that Droknar's Forge was under water and had to head over to see it immediately. Yes, it's mostly submerged and all of the snow is gone; if you don't know the lore behind it, a volcano erupted, melting the never-melting ice of the southern mountains. We can only imagine that Primordus is behind it all.

Droknar's Forge

Entrance to Droknar's Forge

Droknar's Forge buildings

The Granite Citadel

Those of you who keep up with the Facebook page know that my most recent journey has brought me into the Granite Citadel. Before I post pictures of it up here, I want to say that the renown heart quest for this area is particularly interesting. It requires you to know the minor NPCs in the town from Guild Wars 1. A lot of people died defending this outpost and what a way to commemorate them all than to know what they did for the town!

I have a few more places to chart in Dredgehaunt Cliffs, but after that, I will be posting up a landmark map to show you all sorts of neat things you can find there. There are several shrines and locations that you can find in both games.

Now onto the screenshots, of course!

Final Batch of Pictures until BWE3

Lions Arch

Shaemoor Bridge

Grendich Courthouse

Graggult's Keep

Beta Weekend Event 2 Pictures

Do we have a lot in store for you this coming week. This last weekend, I took about 30 location shots. While I won't be able to dump them all in one day, I'll try to upload new photos over the week until I am done. What I will also be working on as well, as I mentioned in the last post, is a map detailing key locations that might be of interest for those of you who enjoy the site.  Another feature I will be adding is a bit of lore or information under the pictures on their pages (not posts). I will go back and cover the older pictures I've taken in this with information as well.

I will have more pictures through the week, and maybe even a few times daily, so please keep checking back!

Click to view larger image!

 

Kryta

Wizard's Tower and Fisherman's Haven

Nebo Village

Ascalonian Settlement

What Is Project Tyria?

What is Project Tyria?

I've always loved the graphic of the Guild Wars games and have grown to love the world of Tyria.There's nothing like adventuring through the vines of the Maguuma Jungle or trudging through the snow of the Shiverpeaks. Ascalon has evolved many times now, and a lot of Kryta is underwater. We were there in the before times, and now we arrive again in the after.

    One of the things I absolutely adore are before and after pictures. Don't know why, maybe I like progress? But in celebration of the upcoming Guild Wars 2, I decided to do some comparison pictures to show the progress Tyria has made in the last 250 years. This blog is dedicated to showing those pictures off to the world!
     If you have any pictures you want to add to the blog, feel free to contact me or post via our Facebook page: Project Tyria on Facebook. I will tag your name and even your GW related site to the pictures if I post them on the blog. I'm not only going to post my own pictures here, but anyone else who wants to join in to Project Tyria!