Secrets of the Obscure story

A note on spoilers: Aside from a brief summary, this article assumes a basic understanding of the End of Dragons plot and previous stories. Since the story of Secrets of the Obscure begins circa 1336 AE, and the personal story takes place in 1325 AE, it is likely that this article will contain personal story spoilers, as story threads that began in the personal story may be continued with the expansion.

Secrets of the Obscure was released on August 22, 2023.

Setting[edit]

Kryptis looming over the Wizard's Tower.

The old Elder Dragon cycle which has ravaged the world of Tyria for millennia has ended with the death of Soo-Won, the Elder Dragon of Water and Life, in Cantha while Aurene has become the benevolent One Elder Dragon to balance the All by herself. With Tyria's magic in balance and her task fulfilled for now, Aurene has entered into slumber and has entrusted her champion, the Pact Commander, to watch over the world.

In the quiet that follows, something unexpected has happened: the famous yet elusive Wizard's Tower which has levitated far above the town of Garenhoff for centuries has suddenly vanished for seemingly no discernible reason, leaving the townsfolk worried. Meanwhile, a demonic race known as the Kryptis intends to invade both Tyria and the mysterious levitating domain of Amnytas high up in the sky where the secretive Wizard's Court and the Astral Ward have been watching over the world below for millennia. With the Kryptis threat now about to emerge from the Mists, the two organizations must finally reveal themselves to the Tyrians below and share their secrets in order to face the upcoming calamity together.

Zones[edit]

The story of Secrets of the Obscure covers three new open world zones.

Main characters[edit]

Allies[edit]

Astral Ward

Zojja assisting new allies from Amnytas against the invading Kryptis.

Arina — The norn outrider and daughter of Frode who is scouting for potential Kryptis activity across Tyria. Her encounter with the Pact Commander sends her down an unexpected path.
First Hunter Rian — The human leader of the Rift Hunters who is tasked with eliminating supernatural threats to Amnytas and Tyria.
Frode — The norn leader of the Astral Ward who is dedicated to his duty to protect the wizards' secrets at any cost.
Galrath the Undying — A former villain who sought the secrets of the Wizard's Tower before being stopped by the heroes of his time, he has since been raised as undead and now prepares the forces of the Astral Ward for battle.
Gladium — A mute and observant charr scout who is paired up with R'tchikk.
Narcisse — A playful sylvari specializing in medical magics and herbal remedies.
R'tchikk — An easily excited skritt scout. She is paired up with Gladium whose sign language she interprets to others. She idolizes the Pact Commander.
Uenno — A senior asuran member of the Astral Ward who was once a professor in the College of Synergetics.
Zizel — A quirky Itzel hylek alchemist who was banished from his village and has since joined the Astral Ward.
Zojja^[1] — A famous asuran golemancer, member of the Destiny's Edge guild and apprentice of the late, renowned genius Snaff. She has been inactive for years while recovering from the damage her mind had sustained in the Elder Dragon Mordremoth's Mordrem Pod.

Wizard's Court

Dagda — A jotun member of the Wizard's Court. She is distrustful of outsiders and protective of the denizens of Amnytas. She has been on the edge ever since the Kryptis invasion.
Isgarren‎^[1] — A secretive and obscure wizard of enigmatic origins and mysterious motives who leads the Wizard's Court. He is the owner of the Wizard's Tower in Garenhoff, which has recently disappeared from the town for unknown reasons.
Lyhr — A dwarven member of the Wizard's Court who has avoided the fate of turning into stone unlike most surviving dwarves. He has learned the ability to split himself into the facets of emotion and logic.
Mabon — A mursaat member of the Wizard's Court and one of Isgarren's oldest allies who bears the heavy weight of responsibility on his shoulders. He is trying to move past the mursaat's troubled history and use his powers for the benefit of Tyria, forging a particularly close bond with his current apprentice Zojja.

Kryptis Rebels

Peitha — The Lady of House Nephus and sister of Cerus, she has become curious of Tyria and the emotions its inhabitants have. She has set her sights on a particular Tyrian whom she hopes to help her achieve her secretive goals.
Ramses — A steadfast and philosophical ally of Peitha, he likes to observe natural phenomena.

Main villains[edit]

Kryptis Loyalists

Cerus — The Lord of House Nephus and brother of Peitha, he is struggling to live up to the legacy of his late brother Deimos. An intimidating huntsman, he has set out to lead the Kryptis on a hunt for a very special quarry in order to earn Eparch's favor.
Eparch — The tyrannical Midnight King of Nayos, the Realm of Dreams, and overlord of the Kryptis. He and Isgarren have a centuries-spanning rivalry, and he is constantly scheming to find ways for his horde to enter Amnytas and Tyria to feast on their inhabitants' emotions and claim their knowledge and secrets for himself.

Story[edit]

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Secrets of the Obscure storyline

Act 1	Prologue: Uncertain Times → Commander without a Cause → Hell Breaks Loose → Mother of Stars
Act 2	Voices beyond the Veil → The Missing Facet → Tower of Secrets → Mabon's Fate
Act 3	Into the Obscure → The World Spire → Treachery
Through the Veil	Duress → The Survivors → Heitor's Gate
The Realm of Dreams	The War Council → Forced Hand → Eventide's March

Secrets of the Obscure: Act 1[edit]

Prologue: Uncertain Times[edit]

“

The commander finds themselves with no shortage of things they could do, but at the same time, they are not feeling a pull toward any distinct purpose.

— In-game description

Under false pretenses, a Canthan reporter tricks the Commander into an interview about the end of the dragon cycle. The Commander answers a few questions, then escapes with the help of some timely mail from Taimi.

Chapter 1: Commander without a Cause[edit]

“

The commander is called into action, giving them a much-needed reprieve from an otherwise relaxed vacation.

— In-game description

Taimi's mail includes an experimental upgraded comms device that allows the Commander to directly call people (and in most cases, hit their answering machines). She also mentions Ivan needs something, so the Commander contacts him and is asked to look into some strange occurrences in Garenhoff.

It turns out that the Wizard's Tower that has long hovered in the vicinity of Garenhoff has suddenly disappeared, leaving the residents of the town frightened and confused. The Commander investigates the last known location of some suspicious individuals who arrived just after the tower's disappearance, and finds a note signed "F" addressed to someone they call "Mongoose" that directs them to take their team to a location in Gendarran Fields.

Upon arrival, the Commander is rebuffed by the group that's set up camp there, and is unable to get in touch with Ivan to give an update. The Commander makes a plan to sneak in after dark and waits in a nearby lookout tower until nightfall, when some farmers are suddenly attacked by a group of monsters - the Commander's first encounter with the Kryptis. Upon victory, the Commander makes their way into the camp to investigate the situation further. They're able to gather some scattered pieces of information about the group and their intentions before the group's leader, Arina, calls them all together to begin a Kryptis hunt. The Commander follows them to a rift, engages in combat with the creature that comes through, then gets sucked into the rift.