Guild Wars 2 Mysteries - The Arkk in the Mists

An alternative title might be "The Entire Fractals Story so Far". Since ArenaNet made it clear they wanted to tell a story in this area of the game I've wanted to make this video, feels good to at last share it with you all! Enjoy!
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[@WoodenPotatoes]

This video took way way way WAY WAYYYYY too long to make! But phew, it's finally out. Now I can feel comfortable putting out all this other stuff that's been waiting it's turn - like the end of the cats christmas, and things should start flowing like normal again. Thanks for the patience guys, you're all the best.

[@esperjace6677]

It was worth the wait ! The world feels way bigger than it already are with two story lines ! I don't know how many more they can build...I would love current events be something more than just the main story line but it would mean too much manpower.

[@Teraphas]

WoodenPotatoes awesome video hope they retweet this out to the gw2 main account so more see it. great recap and speculation

[@0c00l]

absolutely top notch video!

[@classicconundrum870]

oh WP you went out your way and crafted the legendary bow how dare you destroy the market and exploit it ! * Shame * ( note this is a joke )

[@thetrueNutCake]

so, since Dessa have been looping in the fractals for ages, why does she react to Consortium like that? Why does she know about it, this one thing doesn't line up with the theory at all, or am I missing something? Greate video by the way.

[@DrFoxyNation]

my mind was blown away

[@MixzawaV3]

Yup. Watching it again just to drink more.

[@NickLetsom]

Now that we have EoD and we know what happened with the Aether Blades, I'd love to see a continuation of this

[@Hornswroggle]

While for the most part this video is "just" stating what I already knew/presumed, I really like the tie-in with the other fractions of this lose story arc. I like the idea of Arkk being a "non-mist" Character. He knows all to well from his history lessons, that times lie ahead of Tyrias present, that can be described as at least "uncertain" if not "uninhabitable" and, like the Mursaat knew as well, the only safe place are the Mists. And since the Mists tie all times together the Harbinger of Woe might as well just be the first taste of a manifestation of what might be the Future of Tyria.

[@ericd.5206]

First off, the production value on this video is off the chart; you should be very proud of the work you did here. Audio, transitions, pacing (the part where you introduce Ark into your narrative is so good), writing and ideas presented are all top notch stuff. One thing I thought of while watching this. You mention that Uncategorized and Chaos "look" similar and that the DDR might have been involved in both. I know we can be certain, but all we have to go on are visual clues and those clues are strong enough that I can't see them being coincidental. So what if Ark IS the boyfriend, but things are flipped. What if Dessa is the one who's been lost because of the DDR, "looping" in the Mists, and her boyfriend, Ark, though suffering a bit of a break when the DDR failed and caused Dessa to be stuck in the Uncategorized fractal, actually survived and he has been working all this time - over 25 years - to find a way to fix and refine to the DDR so that he can build a sanctuary where he can "save" Dessa. Honestly, we don't have enough info to make any concrete guesses as to what's going on. But the fact that ANET is putting this level of effort into the game while also doing Living World is pretty great, IMHO. Again, great video; always interesting and entertaining.

[@janopd5026]

Destruction of Tyria? This sounds a bit like something for Guild Wars 3!

[@JamEngulfer]

Like Guild Wars 2, but in space!

[@visceras7979]

Space combat here we go !

[@Techstriker1]

You said it wrong, you have to say it IN SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE! ;)

[@janopd5026]

Yes, maybe. To explain my thoughts a bit better: As far is I know, every MMO or similar game needs a big main world conflict, e.g. Pact vs. Elder Dragons, Horde vs. Alliance, Humans vs. Omnics, etc. But when all dragons are dead, GW2 loses this world conflict. This is where the destruction of Tyria jumps in: Since there are no dragons left, the planet explodes and everybody has to flee to the Mist. There, the former people of Tyria have their conflicts and so on. This is what I mean with "something for GW3".

[@visceras7979]

I believe before killing every elder dragon Gw2 as a franchise has yet much to explore.

[@06jtm]

You've completely changed how I look at fractals. Best GW2 mysteries video so far. Amazing work WP

[@SvRazor33]

This is hands down one of the best videos you've made! Quality of videomaking, content-wise - simply outstanding! Keep it up!

[@leubzo1436]

the image projected on the harbinger is seriously epic! props for finding something like that!

[@sanguis_aeternus-x]

Woah. I don't even play the game anymore and I'm still mind blown from the way this story is being played out. It really says a lot about the story crafting in the game to get non-players fascinated.

[@DomikaClarke]

That harbinger really freaks me out. Honestly, since he was brought into the game in the latest fractal, I've felt quite a bit more invested in the story (or at least the ending of it). The magic spiralling out of control and destroying the world possibility is mostly what is keeping me on the edge of my seat. Or at least wondering just how far we are going to get, how mad the world will become, before we realise we have to come up with a new plan than just slaughtering the dragons. Maybe that won't be until the last couple of them are so insanely powerful that killing is just out of the question. Thanks so much for the video! It was well worth the wait!

[@Oblivius33]

Guild wars 2 stories always spark my interests very easily. The delivery so far didn't catch up to any form of expectation, but I here am. Hoping one day they'll do.

[@TheMarc1k1]

Videos like this keep my interest in GW2, thanks for compiling it together!

[@brianspatton]

Your theory of what Arkk is doing sounds surprisingly like what the Mursaat did during the last dragon uprising. Great video all around WP!

[@imenz93]

Even though it probably took forever to make, this video is one of the best you have put out! I also couldn't help but notice that the quality of your writing has increased quite a bit for this video. Good stuff.

[@Luknron]

Imagine if in real life we discovered multiple realities and ways to access them. And instantly just made it an amusement park experience of going into those alternate realities and killing people.

[@drmanolitos]

Best video I've watched about a game in a very long time! Great content and amazingly put together! Keep this up WP! PS: You actually made me think about all the dialogues that I've been ignoring all this time doing fractals and now I want to run them all at a low lvl with a friend to explore them in their entirety. Thanks.

[@maedre3750]

WoodenPotates..... you continue to blow me and many others away! This video was awesome!! Really looking forward to continuations on your ideas in this video. Well done!

[@TMellow-g5w]

Just rewatched this after I saw the link in your most recent video. This has me 10 times more hyped for Episode 6 and its new fractal!

[@davidthom6154]

Whenever WP releases a video: Fire up the chromecast to watch on my TV (Check) Bowl of Popcorn (Check) Let it commence.

[@milo14564]

I play, almost exclusively pve, because i love doing story. I thought fractals were just self contained things. The fact there there is story involved has gotten me interested in trying them. Cool video, thanks for posting it.

[@Zrikkenz]

Damn I love your theories and mysteries WP, you can get sooooo many little smallest pieces together so they start making sense! I love it please keep up this mysteries serie it's realy awesome to find out that someone like me could play the whole game for years without noticing even like 10% of this in game

[@litagoal]

This poses so many questions, so many possibilities, and it finally makes me believe there is hope to the narrative of this game, i have always wondered those same things you have pointed out in the video, but never actually linked them together in such a nice way :o

[@TheEvors]

What if Ark is from the future or a parallel reality of Tyra where the "end of the world" is happening and he is trying to escape or even doom both of the worlds? Well most likely not, but that would be interesting, at least for me.

[@regendo]

There's one thing you hinted at but that I find interesting enough to say explicitely: the Dessa we meet in the Dessa's Laboratory fractal (and the rest of her crew) may not be an actual asura trapped in the mists, she could be just as un-real as everything else we see in the Mists. She could be an echo of an actual asura named Dessa that existed at some point, or she could be some original character completely made up by the mists and a Dessa may have never even existed.

[@dilipbs1066]

26:11 chills! literal goosebumps when I saw the destroyed planet. This video is so freaking good, watched it after finishing shattered observatory fractal

[@71775926]

Outstanding video, well worth the wait. More of such videos providing insight into the more subtle narrative threads in the game!

[@riverbord5353]

This is probably the most beautiful and interesting video you made so far!

[@OniZai]

That Harbinger detail..... blew my mind! And that line at the end.... failed attempt on salvation?

[@KecalMilenium]

I have been following you for about 2 years now WP, this is my favourite video so far, now I'm really curious where the fractal story will go next.

[@DrSharpSaw]

Was waiting for a new video. Finally it is out. Super video. My mind was blown. Loved it!

[@DeadManProp]

Holy shit, I don't even play this game anymore, but this is fascinating. If only the game itself was capable of telling the story in an equally compelling manner.

[@blastelemental1172]

Thank you for this awsome vid. I really like lore, but it is hard for me to put the pieces together, but you are a master at it. Thank you for doing it for us! Also not sure if this answers questions or generate more speculation, but that it just make it more EPIC!

[@icirrus5104]

Probably one of my favorite videos from you, WP.

[@etsaru9553]

Hey WP I think one of the most important questions we should be asking about Arkk and the fractals is WHEN he is from. The fractals have pretty clearly shown that they do not care about time in the slightest, so who is to say that Arkk isn't from the past? This could also tie in with the atherblades too. We know they have some kind of presence in the mists, maybe Arkk is one of the people who helped establish that. Him saying that a surge of magic is what allowed him to access the mists isn't necessarily a pinpoint for time either, we have four big surges just we know about. 1) the death of zhitan, 2) Scarlett waking morde. 3) The death of Morde, and 4) the bloodstone explosion. And those are just the ones we know about.

[@MyuNeptune]

I really have to thank you for this video. It made me being really interested into Fractals and i always ignored them as i'm a loner player. *intrigued hard*

[@lusinashaw]

Gosh, this gave me goosebumps! Love the work, WP

[@Twigggggy]

GW3 is every character you create starts in the fractals of the mists, turning the progression from the previous game on its head.

[@GruntSquad92]

Or GW2 does, what WoW Cataclysm did. Set the story of core tyria forwards in time, and have a new living story season replace the old story with zhaitan. You'd have to redo the prologue aswell then. Maybe the expansion after the next one. You can combine that with your idea.

[@saptron]

Amazing video mate, you blown my mind with this, keep it going.

[@ivanlando1149]

This is why I follow this chanell, great video WP!

[@TheFeanor74]

Absolutely fantastic work. Definitely like your mystery videos best. Please keep on creating them.

[@skelletorjo3227]

Excellent, excellent video! your last Idea gave me goosebumps! AWESOME!!

[@wafflingmean4477]

This is very interesting, as this is not the first time someone has thought of running to some sort of sanctuary in the mists to escape certain death. The Mursaat did the same thing, and as we get closer and closer to Arkk, living world seems to be getting closer and closer to the Mursaat. Perhaps we might even go to this sanctuary in the main story.

[@GrandPaladinTyrux]

It's heeeeere! Right after I got The Unclean finally \[T]/ That little clip at the beginning was absolutely perfect!

[@Reedamaster]

Your thief looks great! Nice to see you finally git gud at fashion wars 2

[@StefanHayden]

thanks for this video! you make gw2 more fun to play

[@MyRAZZMATAZZ]

Serious stuff you just presented Potatoes can't wait to see if this plays out the way you touch on :) GJ man :)

[@DualFreedom]

This is the kind of stuff that made me start watching you :) so good keep it up

[@LivFP]

Wow, that ending has me mind fucked. Great video as always WP!

[@urushii7765]

I sooo love these vids and your storytelling! It's like I picked up a very exciting book and I can't stop reading! :D sadly I really got to go to bed or else I won't be productive at work :( Ah well, it means another treat to watch tomorrow ^_^

[@christopherhattingh3111]

best approach on the lore ever

[@lovegood1992]

one of the best videos so far. ty.

[@hosttar21]

Really interesting stuff!! Can't wait for next fractal now. I never made the harbinger - destroyed planet - "ark" connection. I feel stupid, but seems to obvious now.

[@aravisdeistery790]

This was mindblowing!!! Thanks for the video. And thank you for having spoken a little slower and more articulate :) I really enjoy your videos but sometimes You speak so fast, I have to replay it so I can understand what you're saying

[@TrancedForLife]

One of the best ones WP! Simply amazing.

[@N0ctepteran]

i really love watching your videos. always so interesting. thanks so much for making these and keep on making them.

[@commentator098]

Arkk has such a cool voice

[@kaicluster6783]

I just realised that the symbol that appears above your head when you interact with the mistlock singularity is VERY similar to the inquest symbol

[@zerofire66]

Loved the video. Pretty new to your channel, but i've been watching some of your stuff and playing guild wars for about a month or so now. Your mystery series is great and helps me catch up some since I haven't played GW1, but one piece of lore I'm really curious about are the Human Gods and if you could make a video on them.

[@tatu4086]

Breakfast + new video from WP =

[@Wiziv33]

What about Revenant LORE. Will ArenaNet ever explain revenant creation?

[@bamjo9]

From Gw2 Wiki: "With Rytlock no where to be seen since Season 2, Rytlock first appears from a mist portal during the mission "Torn from the Sky" where he is first seen as the new class, the Revenant. Using the new skills he acquired in the mists, he helps the pact commander and the group to defeat an attack from Mordremoth's minions" Rytlock disapear in season 2 when trying to dispel the ascalon curse (and btw is still there, and we know nothing :\ ), and went in the mist (you can catch that from talking).

[@Wiziv33]

Yes i know that, but what about my personal Revenant. Why i can kill Zhaitan, Join in event on Season 1 and 2. Wiki Say: Rytlock is the first Revenant and he show after Season 1 and 2. My question is: How is that possibile, that i am revenant before Rytlock become the FIrst Revenant?

[@thewaterguy17]

Because video games! Seems to be Arena-nets official stance on the entire bloody thing...the lack of care or information regarding the lore ramifications of the revenant and where they come from and how their magic works is staggering, never mind the same lack of lore or story regarding the elite specializations...

[@riftborn1058]

Then again, it wouldnt suprise me if we went there in a new episode and got some info on it that way

[@Teletric]

Mihail there's a theory that the player character is special because he has the ability to travel to certain points in time. This provides explanation for things like how Orr still hasn't been cleansed despite the personal story and how you are able to go back and relive certain moments (Living Story episodes) without needing fractals and whatnot. Why does this matter? Maybe in the future the secrets as to what somebody has to do in order to become a revenant gets out. So if your player character is a Revenant, you are from the future. You trained in the future and you brought your abilities into the past to make the fight easier. Maybe the future was doomed, only having one Revenant (Rytlock)? That's just my theory.

[@thewaterguy17]

To add to the theory even further, think of the name MistLock Observatory "Mist Lock" that heavily implies something

[@Lmfaocj]

OH, mai god. I never payed too much attention to the fractal story till now. Holy shit that's trippy

[@LivFP]

WARNING: Some fractals may cause injury or death- love it XD

[@k132547986]

Wow, awesome video here. Really like the lore of Fractals :D

[@AyakaruJuuhachi]

I've got to wonder though, a similar question exists in the matrix, is it actually bad to be caged if you don't know? You live your life thinking its in free will, and you don't suffer. Is there a difference in experiencing free will, or thinking you experience free will? Deessa doesn't seem to be in a very bad position, she's just doing her job, repeating it over and over not knowing she's looping. But if she doesn't know, is it any different from the day you went to work today? what if the day you went to work today, you also did yesterday, and the day before that?

[@Icewolfnector]

The thing is though, we don't really know if this is just a memory/recreation of her and her crew made by the mists, or the original Dessa. I kind of do wonder if Dessa died in the mists or is on tyria again, in case this one is just a creation of the mists.

[@AyakaruJuuhachi]

OR, worse even, the Mists generated her, and that created a loophole that she created a portal from the mists to tyria I mean, The mists is an echo, but we already saw that the mist can mix and mess with echos. Just like dreams, we don't dream of stuff we never saw in real life, but dreams van still be absurd because we mix and shuffle all those scratches of memories. So maybe deese is an acumulation that was complex enough to create the conditions of her own creations *pooof, mind blown*

[@Jaxos050]

here's to hoping more frac content, as a still somewhat new player with a lot to learn they're my favorite part of the game :)

[@VaikNay]

Holly shit WP! You BLEW my brains out! FANTASTIC episode! Keep it up!

[@youtubedeletedmynamewhybother]

Well shit..... Thats some tasty food for thought and makes me really keen to see where the devs take fractals going onwards.

[@Josh-sv8nj]

There's just too much suggestion that something bad is going to happen. I love it, it puts an interesting twist and perspective into the story and other things. Much like you suggested some time ago that, based on what mordremoth said in his dying moments, killing the dragons might not be the best thing to do for tyria. Maybe the harbinger of woe is a spirit being trying to warn us in some sort of way of this fate. Why else would he appear to us, the "heroes" of tyria that have already slain 2 elder dragons? It all seems to connect somehow. It's a little creepy, but I truly like this about the story so far. It also makes me wonder about GLINT as well.....Glint aided us so to speak in our path and decision to slay the elder dragons...is it because glint truly wanted to see to our destruction? Or, I could be extremely wrong about glint's reason for helping us at all, since I am not too familiar with gw1 lore in full depth. Could this also be the reason the mursaat fled into the mists during the battle of the elder dragons some time ago? Could they have been aware and knowledgeable of what would happen if they helped the other ancient races fight and destroy an elder dragon? Could this also be why they sought to destroy the humans? So many questions could arise from all of this....

[@KotMatroskin]

Arkk is the son of Dessa and her boyfriend Varkk. Arkk knows E and works for E. Mind blown.

[@coranova9354]

... Anet proudly announces the next Addon: Guild Wars 2 End Times Dragontide :D

[@WouterDRav]

I enjoyed this video very much, thanks!

[@HappyMooose]

the real mystery for me... what is the name of the armour on your theif? looks awesome! (loved the video BTW, can see you put in insane amounts of work for this. well worth the wait!)

[@RickyPTstop]

I love this videos, do more like this, and always, great job!

[@otakuribo]

Maybe ... the reason the Consortium is interested in collecting ley-line magic is because they ARE working with Arkk and they ARE building an ark; the ley-line magic is needed to stabilize or power the DDR*, and de-stabilizing existing fractals is a result of them clear-cutting a chunk of real estate in the Mists to make way for it.

[@MrBlutkeks]

Whoa, that destroyed planet picture slipped right by me o:

[@finarfinnoldor778]

I think it's really cool, it's just like Sunrise and Twilight, like a window into something else. Sunrise and Twilight probably don't have any lore behind them really, but I think WP is really onto something!

[@Teraphas]

I learned something new. never noticed they were cat Golems in the observatory

[@TheSavlow]

This be some SCP level stuff, I love it!!!

[@edwinramirez1019]

probably those early hints that tyria is domed. and our meddling with elder dragons imbalances magic. The image, itself looks like an implosion, which i would surmise is magic that wasn't properly consumed turned into a bomb. either that, or it's an image of the human's previous home.

[@biofrog]

I'm still wondering if there's a link between the Uncategorized raving asura saying "Falling! Screaming! Dying!" and the hidden achievo in the Fractals lobby "Falling! Screaming! Diving!".. Maybe that fractal pool is used for.. something else?

[@biofrog]

Oh also, was that a subtle hint in there about the current events Rift Stabiliser and the DDR floor/room? :)

[@PlanetDiablo16967]

5 races battling the elder dragons and one of those races is trying to find a way to avoid conflict with the dragons all together. Sounds like history is repeating.

[@PowerLord83]

Maybe the destruction of Tyria will happen if we kill the Dragons? Cuz we are so set on destorying them so it is bound to happen

[@lastgamebender]

Damn, that was an awesome video!

[@Sagiso511]

OMG 25:50 just blew my mind

[@BehraamBaqai]

The challenge mote Harbinger looks to be wearing Primeval armor? GW1 Nightfall reference, which also had Harbingers of Nightfall in various Elonian locations. Sounds like a red herring though.

[@Zajori]

Maybe Dessa's boyfriend is now the new leader of the Consortium and he is trying to use his position to find a way to get dessa out of The Mists. He is luring adventures to the fractals so they can help in his studies to find a way to get dessa out. Arkk can be a henchman of dessa's boyfriend or he is using him by telling that he has a way to get dessa out of the fractal but in exchange of whatever power he is looking in the fractals of the mist.

[@BlitzEBub]

Wow, good mind blowing content! *insert mind-blown gif here*

[@pobcam]

Maybe Arkk is building an ark?!?!

[@ng429]

I had been wondering since the increased prevalence of anomalies, if the colossus in cliffside is some sort of "crystallized" or solidified anomaly that being held down by the seals that, somehow, must be broken out by the hammer with the "entropy" (or disorder, or chaos) skin. Granted, cliffside could well have been written long before the details of the current story line were even thought of, but maybe not...

[@finniganschtots6611]

Aw, I missed these. Nice!

[@Zargyl]

Thank you WP! Great video with lots of interesting insights - especially as I like to play fractals O:)

[@AramilsMusic]

mind = blown awesome work WP!

[@Binidj]

Fantastic stuff WP! Thanks.

[@MegaEdproductions]

I actually think there is a way to meet the Consortium's higher ups. Job-o-tron. Or more accurately Hero-tron, we know the golem is a former Consortium member, what if he was created by a higher up and assigned to Noll as his assistant?

[@JustDrawCats]

Fantastic and super interesting video!

[@jesusantispray]

this may be you're best video to date WP. hooly shit im hyped for the next update and even more so for the next expansion. As awesome as the story is panning out so please god can we get another fucking race already lol. I've been waiting like 3 years to make a kodan guardian or tengu ranger.

[@Pandemonium088]

Awesome, i havent digged a lot in your channel but I assume you have other story coverages too?

[@Niyack]

Harbinger of Woe makes me think Harbinger of Nightfall or Twilight, but of course looks like nothing like.

[@mortalvombat66]

are there many people playing the early fractals? i just started playing the game for the first time recently (almost level 80) and am looking forward to checking out the fractals. i really hope i'll be able to find groups to play with because none of my friends play the game

[@ivanlando1149]

Just make a lfg for any fractal you like, and people will join

[@ganjah.e.r.bdinosaur5638]

Mortal .Wombat i am still kind of new ive been lvl 80 with 1 char now for a month and have done plenty fractals, people still do them for achievements and dailys or just fun

[@sintasweifell5144]

kay Viindix Been to 80 with 4 Chars now and I'm running fractals more or less frequently. Ask, if you need help