Giant's Basin

The Giant's Basin is a huge saltwater lake in the northern regions of the region of Kryta. The game presents apparent contradictory information regarding the Giant's Basin:


 * According to Damaris, Giant's Basin is "the great salt lake out past the swamp", not far from the Ascalon Settlement. Signposts marked with "Giant's Basin" can also be found in North Kryta Province, pointing in the direction of the smaller lake north of North Kryta Province.


 * According to the description of Divinity Coast (location), Giant's Basin is "the huge saltwater lake that defines the northern edge of the coast." Additionally, the description of Beetletun is focused on the ruin towers (presumably of Watchtower Coast) which Krytan historians speculate to be used to defend against enemies "from across the great saltwater lake called Giant's Basin."

The lakes referred to by the different in-game sources points to two separate lakes. This article will cover both of these lakes, labeling them as "Giant's Basin (east)" and "Giant's Basin (west)" respectively.

Giant's Basin (east)
Only Giant's Basin's southern beach in North Kryta Province can be reached during the game, most easily from the Scoundrel's Rise portal (a short walk) or from Lion's Arch, taking the northeastern path through the province's swamplands.

Giant's Basin (west)
The lake defining the shores of Divinity Coast and Watchtower Coast has an outlet into a much larger body of water to the north. This outlet places the salinity of the lake into question. However, the larger body of water to the north may itself be an endorheic lake, and depending on the relative geographic elevation, the outlet might not have (or no longer have) much "flow" at all, and the two bodies of water form one single endorheic system, explaining how the southern lake may also be a salt lake.

Reconciliation of the lakes
Prior to the revelation of the Eye of the North map, the apparent contradictions can be trivially rationalized by considering all the bodies of water as being connected. Whether due to oversight or other reasons, the landmass north of Nebo Terrace turns out to severe the bodies of water. However, as a rationalization, it maybe that the waters were once upon the time all connected, and was known to be the Giant's Basin. Then some major terrain change (of a lesser degree than that of the sinking of Orr) altered the landscape, causing some land to rise and cutting the Giant's Basin into two pieces of water, while both continue to keep their names.

Trivia

 * The name, Giant's Basin, might be a reference to The Great Giants.