Gods of Tyria

The Old Gods
The canonical Gods of Tyria are the five gods who in the theology of humans and other advanced races created the world of Tyria. They are:
 * Balthazar: God of war and fire, worshipped by Warriors and fire Elementalists.
 * Dwayna: Goddess of life and air, worshipped by Monks and air Elementalists.
 * Grenth: God of death and ice, worshipped by Necromancers, water Elementalists and Ritualists. (defeated Dhuum to obtain this position)
 * Lyssa: Twin goddess of beauty and illusion, worshipped by Mesmers.
 * Melandru: Goddess of nature and earth, worshipped by Rangers and earth Elementalists.

They are also known as the "Old Gods" as they left the world of Tyria about a thousand years ago.

The Old Gods
The presence of the Old Gods can be felt in the present day in the game in two major ways:
 * Players earning the maximum rank in one of several titles will bring the Favor of the Gods to the world. This will open up interaction with the avatars of these Gods.
 * If the world has the favor, then players in the PvE campaign can interact with the avatars of the Gods at any non-mission god's statue. The avatars can bestow blessings, give quests and even grant access to the Realms of the Gods. See God's statue for full details.

History of the Old Gods of Tyria
According to legend, the Old Gods lived on Tyria while creating it. They made their homes in the city of Arah in the area known as Orr. (It is unknown if at this time Dhuum was still God of Death, or if Grenth had already defeated and replaced him.)

In the year 1 BE, the Old Gods represented by Abaddon gifted all sentient races with the gift of magic, but it was abused as each race tried to use this gift to destroy the other. After a plea from King Doric, the Gods sealed away the power to control all of magic in the Bloodstones and shortly after Abaddon attempted to usurp control of Tyria from the other gods. After his defeat they left Tyria for good and went into the Rift in an event known as the Exodus of the Gods.

See also here.

The lore of the Old Gods
Outside of their history in Tyria, the Old Gods have a greater history and lore. Some of the known plots are:
 * The constant war between Balthazar and his half-brother Menzies in the Fissure of Woe.
 * The demon infestation that plagues the Underworld, the realm of Grenth.
 * The defeat of Dhuum, the previous god of death, by Grenth.
 * Wintersday.
 * The exile of Abaddon, former god of water and knowledge.

A new Goddess
At the conclusion of the Guild Wars Nightfall campaign, the Goddess of Truth was created. See Goddess of Truth for more details.