Eye of the North is set eight years after an event known as "The Searing" occurs in
Guild Wars: Prophecies, where a northern race of
cat-like beasts known as the Charr incinerate the Tyrian kingdom of Ascalon. Earthquakes begin to increase in frequency across all the three continents of the game world;
Tyria,
Cantha and
Elona, which correspond to the three Guild Wars stand-alone campaigns;
Prophecies,
Factions and
Nightfall, respectively. Strange creatures have begun to emerge from
crevasses created by these earthquakes and the player is tasked to investigate further, starting from either
Lion’s Arch, port city of
Tyria;
Kaineng Center, port city of
Cantha; or
Kamadan, Jewel of Istan, port city of
Elona. Descending into one of these crevasses, the player fights enemies native to the respective campaign before coming across a Dwarf named Ogden Stonehealer and an Asuran named Vekk – a race unknown to most humans. It is not long before the party is ambushed by a group of creatures known as "Destroyers". The party then makes their escape through an Asura Gate (a
teleportation device similar in appearance and function to ones seen in
Stargate) which brings them into the Far Shiverpeaks. Vekk destroys the gate to ensure the Destroyers have no chance of following them. It is here that they meet a Norn (a race of giants that resemble the
Vikings in terms of culture and appearance) named Jora. She tells the player of the existence of humans in the Far Shiverpeaks. Ogden, Vekk and the player eventually make their way north to a huge structure called "The Eye of the North". It is here that they come across Gwen, a character that first appeared in
Prophecies as a little girl in Ascalon, prior to the "Searing". She informs the player of her temporary appointment as leader of the "Ebon Vanguard" (a group committed to fighting the Charr) in the absence of an officer named Captain Langmar. The player enters the
Eye of the North and discovers a room called the
Hall of Monuments. Upon approaching a
scrying pool at the centre of the room, the player triggers a vision which displays Destroyers working their way towards the surface. Shocked by the prospect of the Destroyers being so close to their goal, Ogden, Vekk and Gwen make their own separate pleas to the player in gaining reinforcements. Ogden suggests getting help from the Norn; Vekk suggests that his people, the Asura, are the best choice; whilst Gwen believes that finding Captain Langmar's squad in the
Charr Homelands would most benefit the player. The player can choose to help Ogden, Vek or Gwen in any order he/she so wishes but is required to gain the help of the Norn, Asura and the Ebon Vanguard before proceeding further into the game. Through the course of the game, the player receives three more
visions through the scrying pool. One of them reveals that the main antagonist is a being known as "The Great Destroyer"; the nemesis of the Dwarven God, The Great Dwarf. Another reveals its location, which Vekk identifies as a cavern nearby the
Central Transfer Chamber, a junction for the Asura Gate network. With the help of new allies secured, Ogden Stonehealer tells the player that they must head to the
Heart of the Shiverpeaks to summon the
Great Dwarf. Only then would the Dwarves stand a chance against the Great Destroyer. The player eventually meets with King Jalis Ironhammer, the king of the allied dwarven peoples. Jalis prepares for the final onslaught against the Destroyers by initiating a ritual that permanently changes him and the allied Dwarves by imbuing them with magical strength and transforming them into stone. It is then that the final assault commences in earnest as the Dwarves, the Norn, the Asura, and the Ebon Vanguard fight side by side to reach the
Central Transfer Chamber. Upon arriving at the
Central Transfer Chamber, the player conducts the final battle against The Great Destroyer. ==Editions==