Gw2 Mysteries: Asuran Origins

[@dreadeddarko]

It's funny you mentioned seeing Lazarus in Guild Wars 2 potentially. You absolutely called it, as he returns when Aurene is born in Guild War 2. I love your lore series even 8 years after you made the videos!

[@ctsnicky]

The Asura can be a bit forgiven for not having much of a history for another reason. They're a "forward thinking" race, they don't tell stories, or really LOOK much at their records. They don't really fall under the "learn from past mistakes" kind of philosophy, and more of a "what can I do in the future" (to make money or blow something up) kind of philosophy. For example the golem uprising! It happened, and yeah they've taken steps to hopefully prevent it from happening again but that didn't stop them from using golems; a sort of lesson gone unlearned... The only asura we hear about from the past are those we were introduced to in GW1, or Snaff. There are no "great inventors" from when they lived underground being told to us about. It's like they've completely abandoned this part of their history to pave the way for the future.

[@sif9633]

Much like Rata Sum is an anagram of Mursaat,, Rata Novus is an anagram of Dissapointment

[@fatefulseven]

Whenever I look at the asuran structures and buildings I get reminded of the aztec cultures. Which then leads me to Utopia, the cancelled camapain for GW1, which was supposed to be aztec themed. "Utopia" is greek for "No Place" or "unseen" ... which then leads back to the mursaat.

[@jonathanyoud8266]

We may eventually get an explanation to all the hints about the Mursaat, but it's unlikely to explain everything. Unfortunately the architecture in GW:EN was very confused because a lot of the areas were made for the unreleased Utopia expansion and then once that was cancelled they were used in Eye of the North because it would have been a huge waste of resources not to. That meant though that the underground buildings similar to Rata Sum could have been put there for lore reasons, or could just have been put there randomly because the maps were already made - there's just no way to tell. Personally I find it a real shame because I love the lore in GW, but I just couldn't get past how hollow the combat felt to me in the sequel. It always felt like I was just bashing enemies on the head until they passed out whereas in the first it seemed like you needed a different tactic for each type of enemy. Has this improved since launch - I haven't played the game in a year or so, but I still have the itch to play because I love the world so much.

[@TheSimmr001]

another theory dredge and asura are mmore similar than we think just as the dwarves enslaved the dredge, so did the mursaat enslave the asura

[@RayvehnGames]

Hey WoodenPotatoes, I've watched your videos before, never commented before but after watching this video I believe I have an idea that may be able to explain the connections between the Asura and Mursaat, past and present. As you pointed out, the Asuran architecture is the same both underground and above ground, from the earliest structures to the most recent. I don't think it's Asurans taking inspiration from the Mursaat, or mere Mursaat strongholds/fortifications/cities they're building amongst... It makes more sense that, ages long ago, the Mursaat enslaved the primitive Asurans. What do I mean by this? I believe that, before Asurans made their own cities or whatever, the Mursaat enslaved these relatively intelligent creatures and used them to construct their cities and strongholds. They dragged them from the depths and forced them to build the ruins we see today on the Tarnished Coast. Those Asurans mostly died when the Elder Dragons awoke the last time, or they fled back home. There, the Asurans advanced with what they knew from the Mursaat, and their own civilizations flourished underground. Centuries pass once more, and the Asurans were forced out by Primordus, returning to their old land - whether intentionally or not - and are now building among the ruins their ancestors had built in slavery for the Mursaat. This explains why this is the "First" time they were ever on the surface, and yet their architecture is identical to the ruins that already exist - it was so long ago, with such a small group of Asurans, in such a primitive time that it's simply been forgotten. What do you think? Is this a viable explanation?

[@TheAeroMechanic]

Rayvehn I'm starting to think the Mursaat are just the first generations of Asurans. It would explain the coincidences of architecture and similar things that connect the two races. And perhaps the Asurans created the Mursaat to "scare" away other races in a sense.

[@chadwicksnow4577]

This video got me thinking. There are five elder races; jotun, mursaat, seer, dwarves, and the forgotten. Now the Mursaat went into hiding and some went to ground. After 10,000 years underground their body size shrank due to the cramp spaces and limitations on food. Also all of the time caused them to forget their origins.

[@WoodenPotatoes]

One thing I couldnt mention are the constant references to the structures pulsing with magic energies. It makes sense for the asura to want them if theres more than meets the eye.

[@WoodenPotatoes]

Yeah basically. A ''hidden city'' in its entirety, though, suggests the mursaat could bring the city itself in/out of the mists to reveal it only to those they wanted (like saul in the story). That would contradict a lot of the theory the ruins are mursaat, too. Also, mursaat architecture seen on the fire island chain is all distintcly purpleish, so that doesnt add up either.

[@GreyFox474]

Lazarus the Dire... I'm so happy I found your channel. I only recently started playing gw2 again after I stopped somewhere around the destruction of Lions Arch. I have all your Lore and "what has changed" videos on my "watch later" list that you did since then. And I'm just as much in love with the GW universe as I was when I preordered the Collectors edition of gw2. Thank you for this.

[@RougeOfLuck]

I started watching your channel recently and as a player who is playing GW2 but haven't played GW1 I found it as quiet a useful channel. So thanks for making such interesting videos that helps countless GW2 players.

[@natk29]

Oh god.. I'm doomed.. Fell into yet another game's lore and can't stop watching the videos...

[@nolancartwright9471]

I JUST HAD A REVELATION! what if the asura were the worker slaves of the mursaat. They were kept underground and forced to spend their whole life digging in search of the bloodstone fragments. Then whenever the mursaat needed a structure built they would task the asurans to build it for them. Then afterwords, they would sacrifice all of the workers on the bloodstones, so the others had no concept of the sky or anything above ground. Then after the fall of the mursaat, they didn't die. They came back as all of the asura the sacrificed on the bloodstone. Which would explain the buildings, their superior intellect, and magic proffisiency. Also the personal story for an asuran character in gw2 show a lot of corruption in the government, and everyone of them is hungry for power. Sound familiar??

[@AwsomeSauceBigJ]

I feel like if the asura lived on the surface longer then we would have spaceships

[@udaythambimuthu3176]

*Asuran engineer looks at an Aetherblade ship and scoffs* "A flying bag of gas, that's the best you could do?" That first EOD mission was the perfect place for a Hindenburg joke.

[@cgrus25]

I really like your final hypothesis. That the Asura are deliberately following in the footsteps of the Mursaat, and I hope A-net goes with that story line and gives us more about Asura lore.

[@Olodus]

I love this serie. I am not even a Guild Wars player (but have thought of trying it some day) but I just love to hear a big fan speak passionate about his game and really dig deep into nerdiness of a fiction world. I have not been able to stay away and even though I don't understand most of what you are saying I have watched every video of Gw2 Mysteries :D Keep it up.

[@Sturmjaeger]

Thanks for this. I love the Asura. My main PC in GW2 is an Asura Engineer, and I appreciate this deep background stuff on the species. Gives me another level of appreciation for those little mad scientists!

[@dannylee214]

Your origin and mystery videos are incredible and add so much to world that is so easy to leave on the surface level. I personally think the devs would be smart to take into account some of the theories you have espoused in these videos. Would make for a much richer game.

[@xephini]

Yay a new WP video! :D I've never played the first game, which means that all knowledge I have about GW lore comes from your videos. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing all this lore and mysteries with us, it really makes me appreciate the tyrian universe more learning about the depth of it. It has actually made me so interested and curious that I've began watching your GW1 playthrough to understand it all better. ^_^

[@WoodenPotatoes]

No the origins of the dwarves can only be traced to a legend that they were forged on Anvil rock by the great dwarf. Though they had a part to play underground for sure.

[@tslupphaug]

ArenaNet, please hire WP as your lore team chief! This might (along Cantha lore) be the most interesting lore studies I've seen so far for GW! Thank you WP, keep 'em coming!!

[@NoMoreNever]

"In due time, all will serve the Asura." ArenaNet pretty much said it themselves. I am a novice in terms of Guild Wars lore, but whether it is intended or not, the possible implications presented in these videos makes for some serious, and intriguing food for thought. Keep it up!

[@InTheDesertRain]

It sounds like a joke they would say only to mock their own creation for being so proud of their genius. I don't think we should take this seriously :)

[@7Leksu7]

Another great lore video WP! My first priority when logging in to youtube is to look for any new lore video from you :-) Having played gw1, currently playing gw2 and also reading the books, I care a lot for the lore of the guildwars universe and your videos makes it even more exciting! I were thrilled to hear you say that you wanted to create a video for each race anyway :-)

[@WoodenPotatoes]

Fractals are so crazyballs ''possibility space'' that it's hard to make solid speculation, imo,

[@oliver2580]

You manage to blow my mind everytime you dive into the Guild Wars lore - amazing WP!

[@TheNexus3000]

Your lore and mystery videos are like crack, I NEED MORE! I know they take a long time to make, could you maybe start making smaller, like 5-10 minute videos were you just talk over random gameplay, like the old GW2 dailies? To fill the gap between the longer vids.

[@WoodenPotatoes]

Haha, I'm glad! From day 1 making that LP I had in mind that it would be fun to watch after Gw2's launch! :D

[@brand4024]

Very much hinted that lazarus would come back in GW2. good catch WP :)

[@TheThunderCake]

Wow.. I have been waiting for this stuff! WP, you have really got me into the lore about this game and now I am almost obsessed with it! Good work as always!

[@CynicalNaivety]

Interesting fact about the potential of the Asura betraying the other races: Gorr's theory storyline has the council say some interesting things, such as: "We know. We've always known." And they go on to say how they're working to turn it to Rata Sum's advantage, the subject being draconic consumption. Add to that the Inquest, despite their objective of complete subjugation of non-Asura being 'legal' in Rata Sum, and the Arcane Eye listening post in Garrenhoff...

[@MrFox1231]

One of the actual pro's of having taxed based quests, and that is that we are provided a lot more information that talk about the surroundings and lore.

[@meagermollusc]

I like the link you described between the mursaat and asura! I knew about the rata sum anagram before, but had never heard any sort of elaboration until now.

[@WoodenPotatoes]

All over the place. They build asura gates that spanned as far and wide as all Tyria, Elona AND Cantha.

[@queensdalesf8890]

I can't wait to watch this :D putting this video aside for now so I can finish my Dragon Bash achievements, so don't spoil it for me! Loving the GW2 Lore videos WP, always so interesting and nostalgic. Keep it up mate!

[@AzureblueSnowman]

awww, I so miss your daily/GW2 playthrough! It's just so sad, that you have all this massive playthrough content for GW1 but so little for GW2 =(

[@SolitudeTheory]

Very interesting! ^^ Maybe not the best addition (you've seemed to go over all of them), but 'asura' is also two letters short of being an anagram for 'mursaat'. I've also heard a idea on how the Asura may have been connected to the unreleased Utopia expansion. And I also remember the idea of Utopia and Janthir being one and the same. Keep being epic! --Sol

[@mrrdizzle479]

amazing vids man its good to see somebody trying to find answers for the mysteries of tyria.

[@christopherjensen3034]

Don't know if it ads anything but found somewhere in GW2 a story regarding the exodus for Asuran. It was about the Asura having found Primodius and though it was just a statue - with a lot of power - they build a construct to grab energy from it (magic or thermal I guess) and when it awoke they fled up to the surface.

[@ZachRChase]

Underground asuran architecture can be seen in a quick glimpse during the joining of the vigil cutscene the buildings are rounded tall spires with circular pads as walkways

[@axci123fire]

It's interesting to note that within the Asuran personal storyline, the Arcane Council is revealed to have knowledge of the Elder Dragons and their consumption of magic at the end of part 3 "Something Lost, Something Gained." How this knowledge came to the Council and their intentions for using it are still a mystery for us and gives credence to both theories of the betrayal of the mursaat and of the foreknowledge of the mursaat. There is too much parallelism to suggest otherwise.

[@keksopfer]

Hey WoodenPotatoe :) Great vid, and here´s what I think: I think the second theory is the correct one.. The Mursaat had their "Minions" the White Mantle. I think it´s quite obvious that they don´t only had one race to do there "bad stuff". If you compare both: Mursaat and Asura, they both practice the same way to achieve there goals. Both sacrifice others to achieve things for the higher goal. The influence of the Mursaat is not only seen in the way of building, but also achieving things.

[@WoodenPotatoes]

This is a nice idea, adds more breadth rather than depth to the universe though. I'm not sure I agreed with that at launch of Gw2 and I'm still not sure now.

[@CynicalNaivety]

Adding to that, Rata was also used for Rata Pten, which further obscures a possible meaning the anagram might have, as Rata is no longer a solitary piece of Asura city naming. Still, a deeper connection between Asura and Mursaat is not out of the question, but it might be even less direct than architecture - What if they both had the same original source of inspiration that caused them to study Magic? The bit where Lazarus talks about 'your function has ended' reminds me of the Eternal Alchemy.

[@bampire287]

This makes me think of the Great Alchemy. How the asura gained such things. Also the minor thought that Mursaat magically enhanced the Asura into intelligent beings. As a way to start over, like many species feel the need to do. Pass on their legacy, or just starting anew.

[@noz3bo]

This theory of yours is interesting, too. It reminds me of H.G.Wells The Time Machine, where there were the eloi living on the surface and the morlocks living underground, both descended from humans as their common ancestor. There is one problem though: If they are, in fact, so closely related to each other (and share the same interests, architecture etc.) you'd expect them to look very similar to each other.

[@Asadasek]

I recall that a researcher in Durmand Priory in GW2 saying that the rise of the dragons might have happened earlier, and is a recurring event. What if the Asura were exiled from the depths by Primordus ages ago, built the structures on the Tarnished Coast, devolved to a less intelligent race over time, came back to the depths of Tyria after the dragon threat was gone, and the cycle started all over again? Now that would explain a lot.

[@pepps779]

I don't know what the GW staff are planning for future patches/expansions, but I hope they watch your videos so they are more likely to keep the lore interesting.

[@Krionion]

I think this video made me like the Asura's story more than that of the Humans :P It turns out that the Asura have a lot of great background. Thank you once again!

[@samdoren5375]

My theory about this is that the asura at some point before the previous rise of the elder dragons, before GW1, the mursaat and asura had some sort of alliance or coexistence below ground, and when Primordious arose, they fled to the surface, fought, in the process building the ruins on the tarnished coast, and fighting off the elder dragons as well. After all of that was said and done, I believe the asura retreated back to their structures underground while the mursaat remained on the surface, leading to the lore we know from GW1. Flip to EotN when Primordious rose again, and the asura came to the surface again, with the knowledge that their race once had structures on the surface and they inhabited those. As for the mursaat, I think the idea of their betrayal is a very valid explanation for why they are the enemy now, but I really hope that they resurface in Guild Wars 2 sometime soon - they were an interesting race in the original game, and I think that could really be expanded upon in new content. I also have believed for quite some time that if the devs were ever going to add a sixth playable race to Guild Wars 2, it would be the mursaat because of their presence in the original game (it is almost similar to how the charr were - enemies in the storyline that were brought back for GW2) and also because of the lore behind them. The concept of mursaat being playable has fascinated me because of the potential interactions with other races.

[@SmalllFarAway]

Will you ever finish this up with the norn and charr, given that we now know where the sylvari come from? This is a really cracking little series.

[@WoodenPotatoes]

Maybe yeah it could be fun!

[@WoodenPotatoes]

Ooooh no not a bad guy! Tragic hero please! They had better not have forgotten Saul. Or Evennia. And they'd better not just show up in random event chains...

[@xfInN90x]

I had the exact same taught after hearing about the Mursaat for the first time and how they betrayed the other races a few months back but had no idea how much the Asura may have looks up to them so much. As to weather or not the Asura would betray the current races of Tyria is something big to think about, I myself don't see Anet going down this path however because I'm sure it would disappoint many players who already love the race.

[@La.máquina.de.los.sueños]

the Largos are a big mystery too

[@regista4]

Love your work WoodenPotatoes. As you explain, there are clearly a lot of possible clues linking the Asura and Mursaat, but could the ruins on the Tarnished Coast which the Asura may have copied be those of the Seers? We know they are also a magical race who fought the dragons last time. Their proximity to the Mursaat on the Ring of Fire could've been what led to war and their eventual demise.

[@OoTronnyioO]

There is a fractal that very much suggests that the asura did something very crasy and if you listen to the "last" asura in that map it seems that all the others somehow disappeared.. maybe into the mists, following the mursaat?

[@Grakaron]

One issue with this, Lazarus the Dire was not the last Mursaat. We know this from doing the quest in EOTN and then the later update Guild Wars Beyond with the War in Kryta, more Mursaat showed up during that fight and this chronologically takes place after the EOTN. Even though we kill all the Mursaat we face in War in Kryta they still mention that they believe them to be out there, expecially in the Kieran beginning stories of Hearts of the North.

[@MithranArkanere]

The things mursaat create, buildings, weapons, golems... all look made from the same material, with that purple color and those orangeish glints. If Rata Sum is in fact a mursaat city, it'll have to be from before they started building things with that material. Considering there's at least another asura city on the surface, they are most likely asuran architecture. Either something they build on the surface, or something that was pushed to the surface after being built.

[@JoshSweetvale]

Looking at the Heart of Thorns trailer and GW1 Rata Sum I'm forced to come to the conclusion that we're either gonna visit old Asuran cities, or, more likely, that Rata Sum's precursor was a Mursaat stronghold.

[@LazarusBlake]

I mean the statue of Lyssa in mineral springs, it appears alone in an ice cave along with a few fallen objects that look like large brazers to me. I've always found it to be an interesting spot. The only thing up there are a few normal dwarves, one human I think. And a lot of stone summit. IT is also in a place not accessible currently in GW2. I do hope it will be one day in the future.

[@Manifibell]

Great video! Asura is my favourite race, glad to know more about this. Really interesting theorys and a good story. :D

[@kalbal93]

I truly wish Anet would release the next expansion, so the story and lore unravels more. GW2s Lore and story is amazingly fascinating!

[@GaruruMoon]

this just gave me an idea: Mursaat and Asura both have/had an unrivaled understanding of magic and the world, maybe the 2 races didn't influence each other but instead build their structures individually in the best way they could think of based on their understanding of the world. since their understanding was right so to say, this lead to a similar understanding which transferred to the structures they build. so the asura used the ruins out of convinience and for research when they found them.

[@youmo97]

I reckon the mursaat gateway in gw1 was what they used to either flee to another dimension, or as a portal to another location - a city by janthir bay. Maybe Saul stumbled on it and was transported to that city

[@mdma17]

Adding to my post below, instead 'all' of the Mursaat interacting with the Asura, what if it was a small expedition to the depths of Tyria (looking for primordius maybe?) after becoming trapped they came into contact with the Asura. That small group lived with the Asura teaching them about magic and the world above

[@PowerKlaw]

Hopefully they drop more hints on all the races. I personally don't want to know exactly were they all came from because I think it's more interesting and fun coming up with theories based on in-game text and environments. I like reading, watching, and even creating my own theories on how things came to be in fictional worlds.

[@FatalFist]

I'm being drastic here but they could even have a common ancestor. Perhaps in hiding away the Mursaat that stayed behind became Asura. Similar to the relationship between Dwemers and Forlorn in The Elder Scrolls series. For whatever reason, they became diminutive and as their culture evolved underground a large portion of understanding their roots lead them to subconsciously recognize their heritage's own ruins and thus quickly reverse engineered them.

[@Choosinganameisharddontjudge]

hey WP, i recently started to watch a lot of lore videos from you to get myself back into the story after a year break from the game. While watching this video it struck me that perhaps the asura and mursaat are related in a more deep way: Given that the asura are native to Tyria, they must be an old race, and somehow i dont fully believe that the asura managed to get from being a startup race to this advanced within a few thousand years. (considering that anet speaks of 5 elder races, of which only the dwarves and managed to ¨survive¨ the previous coming of the dragons, it means that not everything got fully destroyed by the dragons. Therefore some lower creatures could have survived the dragons as well, for example charr, norn, asura and kodan. If these races were there before the dragons, but then much less sentinel then they are now, we could compare them to the current semi sentinal beings like the quaggan, krait and hylek. The quaggan find refuge in for example human lands. Sometimes with the help of the local population (lions arch). What if the mursaat helped the asura to survive. let them hid with the mursaat underground and after the mursaat found a way to leave the world as they eventually did during the previous rise of the dragons, left the asura behind with their old culture and technology and knowledge, which the asura adopted as their own and over the years forgot that it used to be mursaat. Given that asura dont really tend to have a thing for history except legacies and creating a legacy. if i were to build up on that, logically thinking mursaat never seemed to be a race that aides another race out of good will. The only record of them infuencing a race was with humans where they used them for their own purpose and gain. What if the Asura were either way enslaved by the mursaat and used as labrats, or even created? And after the mursaat left tyria the asura were able to brake free and adopted the mursaat's tech, culture etc because that is what was left behind, and all they knew. I know its a lot of speculation, but i would be interested to read yours or someone else's opinion on this

[@JamEngulfer]

+One without a name, possibly *sentient, not sentinal.

[@BalancedMasterEl]

WP!! I think you can safely say that the ruins the Asura built on were of Mursaat origin and I say that because if you look at the middle of the Caledon Forest map, there is an area called "Ruins of the Unseen" and we know what "unseen" is referring too. Its in the same area, within the Maguuma jungle just like Metrica Province and Rata Sum.

[@jyenh]

Although the architecture is very similar as portrayed to be in Utopia, it was scrapped for EotN. Yes the areas were adapted, so it could have been intended for that but the lore was essentially never created, so those humans have never existed. New lore was then created in eotn to cover all that. Though Anet still had power over the placement of the areas, Utopia was going to be another continent, that rata sum is placed in it's current location was on purpose. Or so I'd like to think.

[@naeviaus]

Uhh, you're right! That's very similar! Even the red gem in the shield looks like red light in the portal! Good Catch! So, maybe the Inquest played a big part in the Asura coming to the surface at that location..

[@lifewhatsoever]

I think it was built by the seers. 'Seer ruins exist still, but those who find them do not know their origins.' wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Seer

[@DelayTheDecay]

It's also possible that the Durmand Priory doesn't know everything about the two races, meaning that they could have once been the same race but broke off from one another due to severe disagreements, which would explain their wars, and then evolved separately as they both became completely immersed in different types of magic.

[@tao2queue]

Maybe the reason the azura seem to mimic the mursaat is that they were an early slave race (or construct), much like the dredge were to the dwarfs or the sylvari are to Mordremoth. And maybe, the azura gained their freedom by fleeing to the depths of Tyria. This might also explain the lack of history.

[@kore1993]

That Mursaat portal at 9:30 looks a bit like the asuran Inquest Shield from Crucible of Eternity. Also, could a Tengu clan, particularly advanced in engineering, have built the first city? It is known that the great wall between Caledon Forest and Lion's Arch is made by the tengu too.

[@SendMeOnMyWayy]

Aw cool, I never thought about that, I should probably think more tbh. There are so many mysteries to do with this game, I just hope one day we actually find out about it, and they release story lines that are related to all this cool shit.

[@Chessrook44]

This does seem similar to the fact that the five races currently fighting the Elder Dragons (Human, Asura, Charr, Norn, and Sylvari) draw parallels to the ORIGINAL five races that fought the Elder Dragons before (Mursaat, Seer, Dwarf, Forgotten, Jotun). There's generally arguments about which ones are which, but I believe it's something like Jotun-Norn, Charr-Dwarf, Asura-Mursaat, and Seer and Forgotten are argued over which is Human and which is Sylvari.

[@SendMeOnMyWayy]

YESSSSS gw2 mysteries man! Come back in 20 minutes and I'll tell you how awesome I thought it was

[@EssenceOfTrance]

Very cool stuff for someone who's new to the GW lore :) Asuras are my favorite!

[@XxOL1V3ERxX]

If you look in the Central Transfer Chamber in GW1 you can see it looks the same to Rata Sum (GW1) in terms of architecture but that was created by the Asuras, (note; look at the staircases in both areas they look the same) so this kind of quashes your theory of mursraat buildings as it would seem the CTC was built first as it was underground

[@regendo]

I think the idea of asura simply adopting mursaat building techniques, technologies, and magic is very likely. We've often enough seen that the highly intelligent asura tend to behave stupidly and do things without considering or even noticing the risks because the gains are too good or the experiment is too interesting. Examples: Central Transfer Chamber (EotN), Zinn (GW:Beyond), Infinity Ball storyline (GW2). I wouldn't be surprised if some asura accidentally brought back the mursaat race.

[@fpcoutinho]

Another great video. I love the Asuras as much as the Mursaat, and I would do anything to ascend to the Mists and beyond, so do not trust me completely if we meet on the game, Wooden Potatoes XD Yet... there is a detail that pick up my attention... you talk about a previous Elder Dragons confrontation perhaps ? For what I get, the result of the confrontation was... the great Elder Dragons be forced to take a nap ? Also, I believe that a race such as the Mursaat would not be totally absent from the physical world. Not all had the will to ascend to the mists, I think Finally there is one more race that I think it should be roaming silently on GW2, the Margonytes Although they lost their God, they were capable of manifest themselves on the physical world, besides, they were original human, consequently, being a Margonyte or not, they could live with a physical form. Also, although the godly Kormir began a war against them in Tormented Realm, you think they have been completely wiped out in just... 200 years, while they managed to live a period larger than the Exodus ? Finally, would not be understandable that if the Margonytes still exist, they could be silently increasing ? That some humans could be tainted by their power because of the Elder Dragon threat ? I really want to discuss those matter and many other with you XD Thanks again for the video

[@MithranArkanere]

As for the mursaat, I strongly think they are parasites that need bodies to survive. The things in their back are branchiae they use to breath, smell and sense the world around them in addition to the senses of the host, and the reason they all look quite the same is because their original host species was also a relative of ogres and asura: little dimorphism, 3 toes... Why did they take Alessio? As they are running out of hosts, they needed to find other hosts. So they took him to experiment.

[@primaldebow]

what would make a bit more sense is that the mursaat followed the eternal alchemy as well as the asura and like the asura were influenced in similar manners by its magic and could be possible that they had a divice to see the eternal alchemy the same as the asura have with the same maddening effects

[@rbi24]

Interesting. What if the Mursaat and the Asura shared a common ancestor? Perhaps they were one race until some event split them into two factions causing one to leave. Like say civil war broke out and the loser left-either to the surface or the depths of Tyria and those groups evolved into the forms we know today. Which could explain why they have similar interests and architecture.

[@WoodenPotatoes]

That's a great poiint, would have been smart for me to mention definitley.

[@belgeode]

Awesome vid and theories. I did not even get the rata sum anagram till u said it and it makes perfect sense! Please do norn next and the possible kodan connection.... as well as their relation to other giant races.

[@MithranArkanere]

There's a couple of things races native to Tyria have in common: * Little sexual dimorphism. * 3 toes. Asura and ogres also share * Spikey teeth. * Short legs compared to arms. * Prominent forearms. * Pointy ears. My guess is that they at least as old as ogres, and they share a common ancestor. I really doubt they'll ever betray us, at least as long as there's Whispers in their ranks. There's already the Inquest to do the nasty things.

[@CynicalNaivety]

The Anagram bit might just be the loredevs messing with us though - Using a rough latin phrase (According to the wiki) meaning something along the lines of "I have calculated" and "I am certain." There the Anagram of Mursaat might have been their starting point for naming, to forge a connection between the Asura and the history of Tyria where none actually exists, and to make lorefans go crazy, trying to find an explanation where there is none.

[@Chessrook44]

I believe that's one suggestion, with Sylvari to Seer due to their... otherworldliness, but I've heard it the other way around. Sylvari to Forgotten due to them both being new and foreign to the world, and Human to Seer because of... I forget the reasons actually.

[@Zithith]

... would name their city as an anagram of Mursaat (at least without having some direct contact with the other race), it's the only bit that rankles me. Even if the name of the city was engraved somewhere and the asura translated it as they had done else where, it's in the asuran nature to re-name the place as they rebuilt it. It just seems like a rather blunt way for the designers to make a connection (admittedly one I personally didn't see at first, but it just sticks out now I can see it)

[@PatrickKuijpers]

The Asura-Mursaat theory is even strenghtened with the connection between Rata Novus (Asura) and Tarir (built by Mursaat-like creatures, same architecture). The theory is getting even more interesting with the new story involving bloodstones and the re-appearance of Lazarus the Dire. I also found "Lazarus (the Dire)" includes the word "Asura", but I cannot make a complete anagram of it. Any suggestions? ^^

[@brucewillis2]

I like it. I believe the Mursaat found a primitive subterranean race called the Asura, and guided them into helping them create portal gates etc. Over the years the Asura adopted the ways of the Mursaat, and being ever inquisitive continued to probe deeper into science long after the Mursaat departed. I also believe the Asura think of themselves superior since they survived long past the Mursaat.

[@loopyslop]

Oh sigh I wish they made every part of GW2 more story driven, you bring up so many interesting pieces but it feels like they don't try to push some stories and give us some good mystery.

[@jamebro1798]

Because KZbin messed up when I changed to 1080p I just spent 20 minutes looking at the picture of the races, on full screen. -_-

[@chrisj1746]

I've always loved the Asura and god damn it if there isn't a connection between the Asura and the Mursaat. It would be cool if they'd sort of betray and start going down a Mursaat path, being a playable race and all. I always wondered if Asura might have settled in Mursaat building because they somehow enhance their power or help tap into the magic or something like that. If anyone, the Mursaat would know how to do that.

[@thanatrell]

Great video, as usual. Can't wait for the mysteries of the Sylvari!

[@Altaranalt]

Asura came to the surface and when they had the option to assent the broke up into 2 factions. The Mursat who assended and the Seers. :P Who knows. There were some Asura experimenting on a Seer in GW1, maybe they were communicating with it.

[@videobeetle8]

Rata Sum was probably proto Asura, since there were Ancient Asura in Rata Pten, another set of ruins, meaning they decided they were on the surface before.

[@MrPootzandMeercat]

The actions of a single asura, of one experiment, can have wider implications throughout the world. We are all part of the Eternal Alchemy, whether as cogs, pistons, wheels, springs, or arcanic crystals. The ultimate goal in life is to comprehend the greater purpose of the Eternal Alchemy and to strive in perfecting it. the users are axylcross, asuransupremacy, happily-hunyya and riixti-files on tumblr. sorry for the multiple comments idk how else to send it to you