View source for The Unseen Ones: A Primer on the Mursaat

{{spoiler|''[[Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure]]'' and ''[[Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds]]''}}
{{ArenaNet content
|title=The Unseen Ones: A Primer on the Mursaat
|url=https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/the-unseen-ones-a-primer-on-the-mursaat/
|author=The Guild Wars 2 Team
|date=2025/02/27
}}

== Text ==
{{Verbatim|
Our second major update for ''[[Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds|Guild Wars 2®: Janthir Wilds™]]'' is coming on March 11, and we’ll be sharing many details about what to expect soon. Today, we’d like to spend some time recapping the known lore surrounding the nefarious and mysterious [[mursaat]]. Brushing up on these stories will help set the stage for our [[Repentance|upcoming release]]—but with that in mind, there are some story and lore spoilers in this blog, so proceed with caution!

[[File:Lore Blog mursaat.jpg|600px|center]]

== Ancient Rivalries ==
The mursaat are a species of powerful spellcasters with a long and shadowed history in [[Tyria (world)|Tyria]]. These tall humanoids possess elongated bodies, preferring to float ominously rather than walk. Alongside the [[Dwarf|dwarves]], [[jotun]], [[Forgotten]], and [[Seer]]s, the mursaat are known as an [[elder race]] of Tyria—the beings who preceded and survived the rise of the [[Elder Dragon]]s before the events of the original ''[[Guild Wars|Guild Wars®]]''. In those ancient times, the mursaat and Forgotten allied to subdue [[Zhaitan]], but their efforts [[Mursaat Lore Tablet|failed]], and the mursaat resented the other elder races for pulling their support away before the fight had even begun.

Sometime after the Elder Dragons returned to their slumber, the mursaat and the Seers waged [[Seer-mursaat war|war]] for thousands of years until the Seers were all but extinct. During that war, the mursaat began using a terrible weapon called [[Spectral Agony|spectral agony]], which killed its victims while causing them indescribable amounts of pain.

== Rise of the White Mantle ==
After learning to hide from those without the [[gww:Gift of True Sight|gift of true sight]], the mursaat began manipulating Tyrian events in secret. [[Lazarus|Lazarus the Dire]] was a powerful mursaat who was instrumental in helping his people influence members of the other sentient races of Tyria. The mursaat were particularly interested in keeping the [[Flameseeker Verse|Flameseeker Prophecies]]—which foretold their own eradication by the [[titan]]s—from becoming reality.

[[File:Lore Blog mursaat 02.jpg|600px|center]]

Lazarus chose the [[human]] [[Saul D'Alessio|Saul D’Alessio]] to form the [[White Mantle]] in an effort to rule [[Kryta]] as puppets of the mursaat. The mursaat helped the Krytans [[gww:The Rise of the White Mantle|battle]] against the [[charr]] when they were outnumbered and desperate. This assistance came with a price, however, and the mursaat killed any they deemed unworthy, leaving only the most stalwart zealots alive. Saul realized too late that these “gods” were not the salvation he prayed for, and he was taken away by his Unseen masters.

Even after Saul’s abduction, the mursaat used their White Mantle puppets to commit horrific sacrifices in an attempt to keep the [[gww:Door of Komalie|Door of Komalie]] shut and prevent the titans from emerging. One site of these atrocities was [[Gavril]], a human village in [[Janthir Syntri]], the residents of which the White Mantle had subjugated. When the village was emptied, the mursaat turned on their White Mantle sycophants.

Ultimately, the mursaat failed: the Door of Komalie was [[gww:Hell's Precipice|opened]], the titans emerged, and the mursaat fell.

[[File:Swampy Lake Area concept art.jpg|600px|center]]

== Mastering Mursaat Shadowcraft ==
The mursaat practiced a kind of magic called [[Mursaat Shadowcraft|shadowcraft]], which allowed them to travel through a shadowed pocket of existence within Tyria. Using mursaat mirrors, they were able to travel long distances in a short amount of time by passing through that shadowed realm.

A new [[Mastery]] line in the next major release will allow the [[wayfinder]] to tap into this same [[magic]] after learning more about the mursaat and exploring the outer ruins of one of their great cities.

== Exploring the [[Mistburned Barrens]] ==
During the events of ''[[Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure|Guild Wars 2®: Secrets of the Obscure™]]'', we learned that the mursaat do not originate from Tyria at all, but in fact came from [[Nayos]], the Realm of Dreams. We also discovered that the mursaat weren’t entirely extinct, as we were introduced to [[Mabon]], a senior member of the [[Wizard's Court|Wizard’s Court]] and our only known mursaat ally.

[[File:Astral Ward Camp concept art.jpg|600px|center]]

In the next major release for ''Guild Wars 2: Janthir Wilds'', the wayfinder will explore the ruined outskirts of [[Bava Nisos]], an ancient mursaat city built on the battleground where the mursaat-Seer wars finally ended with the Seers defeated. With their enemies gone and the [[Six Human Gods|human gods]] withdrawn from the world, the mursaat thrived in Bava Nisos until the Door of Komalie opened. Shortly after that, the titans attacked and destroyed the city. Mabon, as one of the last remaining mursaat, had cast a ward over the ruins to preserve its memory, but that ward fell after [[Mabon's Fate|his death]]. The city’s secrets are now unearthed for all to see.

There’s much to be learned about the mursaat from the newly accessible remnants of Bava Nisos. Studying their last home may provide deeper insight into who they were as a people. Make sure to check back next week for more information about our next major update. We’re excited for everyone to dive into this new area steeped in history and learn more about the mursaat!
}}

{{Lore nav}}
[[Category:Tales]]
[[Category:Mursaat culture]]
[[es:Los Ocultos: Aspectos básicos sobre los mursaat]]