Exploration | Basics Guild Wars 2 Guide

On the contrary to other MMOs, you don't find typical quests offered by the NPCs in the Guild Wars 2. Instead of that, you have two types of missions: hearts, showing the area which needs our help and dynamic events.

Symbols on the map:

	Heart (uncompleted, completed)
	Waypoint (undiscovered, discovered, blocked)
	Point of interest (undiscovered, discovered)
	Skill challenge (locked, unlocked)
	Vista
	Scout

Hearts are missions which should help you get familiar with the location. Information about them is usually displayed in the right upper corner of the screen; in rare cases you need to speak to the proper person first. Completing this quests help you discover the vicinity, enemies and meet NPCs, like merchants and guards. Quests are various, you may be asked to collect minerals, kill monsters, be a mediator in a trade between giants or help repair some machines. After completing quest you can go to the vicinity's governor and buy new items for freshly received karma.

Heart with an exemplary description.

On your way you may often meet scouts marked with a spyglass. Conversation with them reveals all uncompleted missions in the vicinity. It's an easy method of finding missions and exploring the map.

The second type of missions in the Guild Wars 2, which are the core of PvE (Player versus Environment) is dynamic events. There are hundreds of them in the game, and they differ greatly: from collecting ore, through rescuing captives, ending on big invasions. The most important feature of events is their influence on the map. If the city nearby is besieged, you can help defenders or ignore it totally. If the enemies win, you not only lose access to the area, but it's possible that the next place will be attacked. In this way every event in which you take part, influences which locations will be safe and which under the enemy's reign.

Events divide on few types: collecting resources, defending (location, machines or NPCs), exterminating enemies or killing the particular character. It's not rare that the chain of events will include few activities: defending the city and counterattack ended by the duel with the enemy's champion, defeating whom opens chest full of treasures. Besides the loot, you receive, as in the case of hearts, proper amount of experience, karma and money for every event.

Events are marked on the map. Thanks to that every player may easily find them.

Besides events you can find waypoints, vistas, points of interest and skill point challenge.

Waypoints, according to its name, help us travel. You activate them by approaching and after a small payment you can teleport to any unlocked location.

Vistas are something like puzzles, basing on finding a proper way to the view point: part of them is very easy, some requires longer journey and sometimes even defeating dozen monsters. As a reward you get a short animation showing the vicinity.

Vistas show you the vicinity, but sometimes you have to do a lot of jumping.

Points of interest (POI) are different locations which are or were important for the Tyria's history. Their only function is increasing the level of map discovery.

Skill challenges are the last type of icons on the map. Completing them gives you additional skill point. Sometimes it's enough to get to the location and activate the point, sometimes you need to use the item you have. But part of challenges is more difficult and lies in fighting with much more powerful enemy. In such case better go to the location in a group, what improves your chances.

Completing hearts, vistas and skill challenges increases map discovery level. After filling it, you get a chest with reward. Remember that rewards for completing locations with hearts are better than for the locations without.

It's worth to discover a whole map, because rewards may be powerful.