By Jim Rossignol on February 22nd, 2011 at 11:46 am.
The Norns – handsome, snow-wreathed, shape-shifting northern types – have been confirmed as a playable race for Guild Wars 2, and ArenaNet are spending the entire week detailing them. Here’s the first such entry, which explains: “Aside from their size and their ability to shape-shift into a powerful half-animal form, norn are defined by their unique worldview. They value glory and deeds of valor above all – they’re just built that way. ”The norn get famous or die trying,” says Lead Writer Bobby Stein.” Go, Norns, I say.
There’s also a picture of a Norn with a rifle, as you can see above.
Subtle class reveal is subtle…
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Rangers can use guns.
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I was under the impression that currently only Warriors can use rifles though.
Warriors wear heavy armour, in that screenshot she’s wearing medium at best.
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That’s heavy, medium is a y string and light is a piece of dental floss.
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The perspective they’ve used for a screenshot of the “tall” race is quite amusing.
Run away tiny little people!
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Well, assuming standard Norn height, that lady is 8 feet tall.
So imagine how big that gun is.
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I think he means the fact there are tiny people visible at the left and right as the Norn is standing way above them.. so it looks like she is a mega-giant.
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yea, she probably has huge guns
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Guild Wars 2 is not a permadeath MMO, right? Once that entered my head, “get famous or die trying” didn’t really have the same ring to it…
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Become famous or die trying! Then resurrect, and become famous or die trying! Then resurrect, and become famous or die trying! Then resurrect, and become famous or die trying! Then resurrect, and become famous or die trying!
I miss the days of Nethack and Stone Soup.
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Guns strike me as a little bit of a boring choice of weapon for a fantasy world.. weird cos I love FPSs :P
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GW2 is set a couple hundred years after GW1. Technology has moved forwards to early gunpowder tech, so you’ve got ships and fortresses with cannons, and flintlock pistols. It’s still mostly swords and bows and magic, though.
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Some of the concept art sketches have been showing what appear to be multiple grenade launchers and other such exotic gunpowder contrivances.
Still, that’s some nice Norn Iron right there…
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World of Warcraft has guns, I don’t think it really impedes the fantasy aspect.
Though, then again, personally I enjoy a hefty mix of sci-fi and fantasy.
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If Gillen Was still Writing For RPS headline:
WHEN I WAS NORN FOR THE 7TH TIME.
KG
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ouch.
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I am only familiar with the Fatboy Slim mix of ‘Brimful of Asha’. Does that make me anathema to you?
Also, I find that ‘Norn To Be Wild’ would be a more fitting title.
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Norn Again?
We need more puns in our headlines, “It’s Norn Week for Guild Wars 2″ just doesn’t cut it. Shame on Jim! Shaaaammmmmeeeee!
EDIT: Haha! I thought I was referencing a Bourne film, but then I realized I was thinking of the Bourne Again Shell (popular unix shell with an incredibly geeky name with multiple meanings).
So maybe the headline could have been “Norn Again, Geek Harder” or “nash” perhaps even the contrived “Norn Again, walking on eggShells”.
Never hire me for headlines, clearly. I’ll mess up your references and make you look silly.
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bash’s “Bourne Again” is also riffing on the (primarily Evangelical) Christian concept of being “born again.”
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Was it Spellforce that had an improbably large-breasted female character called “Norkana Queen of the Norks”?
Edit: Oh, apparently it was Nightsong Queen of the Norcaine. Damn you, reality, for being less amusing than my addled memory.
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Actually, the Norns are really short. Am I the only one to play the “Creatures” games back in the 1990s?
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No you’re not, as soon as I saw that title I instantly thought of Creatures too. Norns are small fury creatures, not nordic valkyries.
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Yeah, my instant reaction was “That’s not a Norn.”
This is a Norn: http://creatures.wikia.com/wiki/Desert_Norn_%28C3/DS%29
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Is Cheryl Tweedy/Cole a Norn?
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no, she is a racist.
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they sound like mandelorians
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Except the giant, shapeshifter part obviously… Also, the Mandalorians are/were nomads and their culture is based on war, to the contrary of the Norns which are sedentary (although chased from their homeland, but still) and pursue fame and glory through any way, not just war or conflict.
Looks like they aren’t much alike, all things considered.
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Oooooh now I know what I’ll be playing.
Still the only MMOG on my radar, nothing else seems worth my interest. Maybe SWToR but I dunno.
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SWTor is on my “ho wtf, this is so bad it’s not even good” radar
GW2 is one of the only things, who aren’t actual people, I “like” on Facebook.
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Norn have no need of weeks… we are norn!
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When playing through the Norn area in GWEN, I kept thinking of “Rest well and dream of large women.”
Yeah, I think I’ll have a Norn or two in my roster.
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I know I should just look this up, but what’s the currently projected release date?
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