Summary
- Felicia Day's character Zojja returns to Guild Wars 2 after almost a decade, with a more evolved and matured personality.
- Players will explore new maps and defend Tyria against the demonic Kryptis in the expansion.
- The expansion introduces a meaningful and emotional story that delves into Zojja's growth and struggles, providing a relatable experience for players.
Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure is slated for release later this summer, and marks the return of Felicia Day's character Zojja. The fourth expansion for the ArenaNet MMORPG will take place high above Tyria, focusing on the mysteries of the Wizard's Tower. Screen Rant has an exclusive first look at Day's behind-the-scenes work on the project, as well as an interview with two of the game's developers.
Felicia Day's elementalist character Zojja hasn't been seen since the very first Guild Wars 2 expansion Heart of Thorns nearly a decade ago, and after so many years will now return as a much more evolved character since players last saw her. Fans will be able to delve into what Zojja has been up to while exploring two new maps, Skywatch Archipelago and Amnytas, with a third to come in a future update. Following the events of the Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons expansion, players will need to defend Tyria against the demonic Kryptis as they uncover new lore, relics, weapons, and more.
Alongside exclusively premiering new behind-the-scenes footage of Day, Screen Rant can also share an interview with ArenaNet narrative director Bobby Stein and narrative lead Indigo Boock where they discuss Zojja's return to Guild Wars 2, working with the actress again after so many years, and what players can expect from the new expansion.
Screen Rant: What was it like reuniting with Day for the role so many years later? Was it easy to fall back into the rhythm of the recording process?
Bobby Stein: It was pretty wild. I think the last time we were in a session with Ms. Day was for Heart of Thorns back in 2014 or so. Fans have been wondering aloud where Zojja had been since then. We’d considered bringing her character back for years but the timing never felt right until now. And when the expansion team pitched the idea, they put together a character arc that allowed us to explore more of her personality and give the actor a bit more of a substantial headspace to explore.
We recorded all of Zojja’s parts over two sessions spread across the year-long development cycle. Like we do for all returning actors, we provide them with some voice reference to get them into the same vocal range for continuity. But in Zojja’s case, we wanted Ms. Day to show the strain of time. To get a sense of weariness into the character. Even a touch of bitterness to reflect all she’d gone through in the years since her injuries that she sustained in the war against Mordremoth. We spent a fair amount of time walking her through Zojja’s arc, gave her context as to the character’s mental state, and then let her do her thing as a professional. Standard operating procedure for VO but Felicia made it look easy.
Indigo Boock: Like Bobby said, bringing Felicia back in to reprise the role of Zojja was something we’d explored over the years—but we needed to have the right story to make it work. We had a lot of ground to for between her departure after Heart of Thorns and present, so whatever that story was, it needed to be a meaningful one (for the character, especially). When we finally had that story, it was incredibly exciting. Some of the growth that Zojja has experienced would not have been possible without stepping away for a bit to find her own footing, and while the Zojja we meet during Secrets of the Obscure is the same character our community re and loves from events past, she’s grown. A lot. She’s much more mature and self-aware (albeit needing to experience a little more growth in SotO).
This was something Felicia noticed, as well. When we sat down with her in the booth for the first time in years, we had a lot of catching up to do. But much like Zojja, Felicia has also experienced a lot of growth between now and then—a lot of the threads we explore truly resonated with her, and she brought that growth straight into her performance. It was stunning to witness, and such a seamless experience. It’s a story that, beyond the mysticism and fantasy of the expansion, has a very real conversation at its core: what does a professional do when they need a change?
How much improvisation goes on in a recording session with Day?
Bobby Stein: A bit! We’ll go through a few takes to hit the emotional beats as we’ve written them with the VO Director guiding the talent through each scene and sequence, but then we give our actors some room to interpret those moments in different ways if inspiration strikes. We’ll occasionally go with the new take, adjust the dialogue to fit, and update the script in the game to match. So there were definitely moments where a scene organically changed a little based on some discussions we had together. The major beats remained but sometimes the dialogue would shift if the actor brought something new that worked.
Indigo Boock: Plenty, yeah. Felicia is the kind of actor that really immerses herself in a script, so she was constantly asking questions and giving us her take on a line. When I write a script, I do so knowing that some of our actors have been with these characters longer than I’ve written for them (our player character actors, for instance, have been with us for 10+ years now)—they’ve been with these characters since the beginning. Felicia not only brings expertise as a professional, but she’s also an expert on Zojja—even this more matured Zojja. Hearing her reaction to and adaptation of a line is just as crucial as the writing itself. The script is a springboard, and Felicia is the gymnast.
Are there any scenes that stand out to you as especially difficult or rewarding to get right in the booth?
Bobby Stein: Two come to mind (and I wouldn’t be surprised if Indigo is thinking of them, too). The first is a moment where Zojja and a friend process some grief together. It was beautifully animated by our Cinematic Team and shows her character at a low point in the story where she opens up a little bit. Still a bit guarded as the emotions are very raw, but you start to see a different side of Zojja than before. She’s definitely a closed off type of character but there’s a lot going on behind those eyes in that moment. And Felicia really brought her A-game to the scene.
The other one is probably my favorite, as the genesis came from some chats that Indigo, Narrative Designer Matthew Medina, and I had about how we could show this normally impossibly strong individual in a way that bares her soul. Since she’s not the touchy-feely type, it had to be framed a bit differently in order to work (with a little inspiration from one of our favorite films as a reference point). I think Felicia really nailed the moment in a way that made everyone on the session tear up a bit. I hope that fans feel the same way when they experience it in the game. (Tip: when the moment comes, hang back a bit and let Zojja talk. Don’t barge in or it gets cut short!)
Indigo Boock: Oh yeah, Bobby nailed it haha. We’ve got a scene later in the expansion where Zojja and another character share a very raw, tender moment together. Both Felicia and Sharon Muthu (her counterpart in this scene) brought their absolute best to the table here. It’s a tough relationship to land: a bond that’s years in the making, but we’re only witnessing that bond through how these characters interact with one another. It’s like going to meet your partner’s friends; they all have history, and while we’re (probably) welcome to listen in, we’re observing years of friendship and relationship development. While the commander, our player character, was busy saving the world from certain demise, Zojja was building a foundation elsewhere, and this is one of those core moments where we see that foundation in action. It’s one of the sincerest moments we’ve had in the game to date.
The other scene Bobby referenced was maybe one of the most challenging and interesting scenes I’ve tackled as a writer. In game development, brevity is key: we don’t want to spend too much time in a single scene, so when we’re approaching heavy, complicated character moments, we try to be concise. This happens at the apex of Zojja’s arc and while we don’t want to give anything away, we get to see her at her most vulnerable here. Everything she’s felt and experienced after the blighting pod in HoT is strewn on the table at the commander’s feet. Zojja’s otherwise curt austerity, cracked open (though, we love our prickly girl; that is maintained). It’s a good, existential scene, and a lot of the topics are things that we all think about. We hope it's relatable.
What made this expansion the right time to bring Zojja back to Guild Wars 2?
Bobby Stein: Being done with the dragon saga frees us up to explore other pockets of our lore and go deeper on certain characters. While I’m proud of what the teams have done from launch up through End of Dragons, I’m happy to close that chapter on the game. Like I mentioned earlier, we’d considered bringing Zojja back since Heart of Thorns, but the current velocity of the story and the large cast of characters made it difficult to find the right space for her. This time, almost a decade later, we looked at where we were going with the GW2 story, at where we’d “parked” Zojja, and at Ms. Day’s availability and figured we’d put together a pitch that would hopefully result in a satisfying character return for all involved. And to our delight she was excited to reprise the role.
We wanted to make sure that we could do Zojja justice and give non-asura player characters a chance to spend some time with her, get to know her on a deeper level than before. And seeing how much Ms. Day’s life has advanced over the years—running multiple businesses, becoming a mother, producing, directing, and acting—we felt that she could lend her own life experience to the role and show this iconic character maturing as well.
Indigo Boock: We’ve thought about bringing her back over the years (at least one or two people brought the character to the table each release). The timing just didn’t feel right until now, and that’s largely because we didn’t have the arc or setting to tell the story that the character needed. Where we left off with Zojja’s arc in HoT was pretty brutal, after all. She’d just suffered a horrible incident and returned to Rata Sum to recover, and as we’ll soon learn, she needed change. Zojja needed to find herself amongst the chaos of the Elder Dragons and expectations back at home.
As the overarching story of Secrets of the Obscure began to unravel, Zojja’s place in this mysterious, archaic side of the world felt pretty darn perfect. Her arc of growth and maturity fell into place—it was a story that meant a lot to myself and Matthew Medina, SotO’s Narrative Design Lead. A lot of the emotional struggles that she tackled prior to and during the event of SotO are very real conversations that all of us have, especially as we move into the middle of adulthood.
Coupled with her emotional odyssey, bringing Zojja in also served a very practical purpose as well. It’s a goal of ours to introduce a newer cast in expansions moving forward (with nods to our typical allies). This keeps things fresh for returning players and approachable for new folks; it also highlights the fact that we’re exploring a new region, and thus, are primarily interacting with new voices. Bringing Zojja in allowed her to serve as a grounding presence for the commander.
The last time players saw Zojja was in the Heart of Thorns expansion, where the player was helping her escape from a jungle filled with Mordrem. What has she been up to since then? What can you reveal about where players will find her, narratively speaking?
Bobby Stein: These questions get answered in the expansion, so I can’t spoil them here.
All I can really say is that they’ll reunite with her fairly quickly and check in with her throughout the story.
Indigo Boock: I included some sneaky teasers about her time between HoT, but we’re gonna keep those details under our hat for now. She’s been through a lot, to say the least.
What are you most excited to see players react to in Secrets of the Obscure when it comes to Zojja?
Bobby Stein: GW2 is a big game, and not everyone has been along for the journey since day one (as a matter of fact, we’ve gotten a lot of new players into Tyria in the past year or so, and not everyone goes through the 10-year dragon story in linear order.) Some folks just simply won’t know who she is or why her return is kind of a big deal at first.
My hope is that returning players who know, love, and Zojja will be happy to adventure with their old mentor or partner in dragon hunting in a new era. And for brand new players, I hope they get to know her and empathize with all she’s been through (and annihilate a few demons along the way ).
Indigo Boock: Bobby summarized it beautifully. The Zojja we’re meeting in Secrets of the Obscure is the same spitfire elementalist our players know and love, but one that has undergone quite the journey since we last met. It’ll be exciting to meet her again, especially for players that know her well! And in the case where folks are getting to know her for the first time, we try to set you up for success. SotO very much marks the beginning of a whole new journey, so while we reference the Dragon Cycle and the events of Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 to date, players new and veteran alike will be exploring the secrets of the Wizard’s Tower (or, the secrets of the obscure—no? fine.) for the first time together. Zojja is but one facet of that puzzle, but a critical one.
Amid the otherwise chaotic, darker tone that we achieve in SotO, Zojja and her story is one that demands empathy and is a story that we hope anyone can take something away from. It’s personal and pretty darn fantastical.
Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure will release August 22 for PC.