The Unofficial Guild Wars Gold Guide
8 – Balthazar’s Spirit – Use this to
Rankor is a great spot for taking a break
manage energy during the run.
and is another good spot for collecting partial pay for the run thus far. Once that business is settled, Talus Chute awaits as the final zone standing between your group and Droknar’s. The Chute is not an especially large zone, and the last leg of the run to Droknar’s is basically a straight shot to the southeast, with a few initial twists and turns. In this zone, the source of knockdown is the Signet of Judgement elite used by the Azure Shadows that pop up along the path. After the road’s initial few bends, no more shadows appear; instead, swarms of Avicara and a few trolls guard the rest of the way to the forge; if you see a collector and crafter, you’ll know you’re headed in the right direction. If you’ve made it this far, the final dash across the southeastern slope will probably seem like child’s play. When you see the large, wooden gate, zone into Droknar’s Forge and (hopefully) get paid in full.
Even with the right setup, running to
Droknar’s Forge is a very difficult task, and it probably will take many deaths to perfect your strategy. In Lornar’s Pass, the real trouble begins about 1/3 of the way through the zone, with a cave entrance that is guarded by a swarm of Avicara and at least one frost wurm. The Balanced Stance / “Charge!” combo is critical for getting past this point. Beyond that tunnel is a series of groups of Avicara and wurms, scattered along the path. Lornar’s Pass continues in this fashion until the zoneline to Dreadnought’s Drift. Dreadnought’s is a much smaller zone but still has its share of wurms.
Upon entering Snake Dance, the
wurms start to taper off, but in their place come a large number of Stone Summit dwarves – a mix of casters and giant herders, who have a stomp ability that will knock you down unless Balanced Stance is up. As its name implies, the path through this huge zone winds back and forth, slowly progressing southward to Camp Rankor. Many runners prefer to collect partial pay in Snake Dance, especially if they don’t trust their customer(s) much and expect them to bail at Camp Rankor.
The Unofficial Guild Wars Gold Guide
From Beacon’s Perch to Droknar’s
“Balanced Stance” skill to prevent the knockdown effect.
Forge
Droknar’s Forge is by far the best
With that in mind, warrior-monks have a
money-making destination when working as a guide. Since the Forge offers crafters who can make the strongest armor in the game, it is a popular destination for players who want to outfit a mid-level character with excellent armor. Working as a guide to the Forge can pay off greatly: many successful Forge runners charge 2-3k per party member.
tremendous advantage over other class combinations when making this run. “Balanced Stance,” sprinting abilities, and high armor level all make the warrior a good primary for this lengthy run, and the monk’s hex removal and healing skills, notably “Mending,” further increase the chances of survival.
Here is an example skill setup for a
W/Mo (specialized for high Tactics and Healing Prayers):
The path connecting Beacon’s Perch
and Droknar’s Forge spans about half the vertical length of the continental map and includes a total of five zones: Lornar’s Pass, Dreadnought’s Drift, Snake Dance, Camp Rankor (an outpost), and Talus Chute. The problems plaguing the runner in each zone are very similar: lots of mobs in huge groups, multiple casters (some of which can reduce move speed), and the presence of frost wurms or other creatures with knockdown capabilities. Frost wurms are the most annoying because they do not show up on radar until they strike up to attack, and their initial rising from the ground causes a knockdown shockwave. Because of the prevalence of knockdown-using enemies, the only ways to survive the run are to avoid them altogether (virtually impossible to do) or to use the warrior’s
1 – Balanced Stance – With this stance,
the pesky frost wurms, giant herders, and azure shadows can’t knock you down.
2 – “Charge!” – It’s a shout, not a stance,
so you can combine it with Balanced Stance
3 – Healing Signet – A helpful self heal,
not for use in crowds.
4 – Sprint – Another means of boosting
run speed, for when “Charge!” falls. This is a stance though, so avoid using this near frost wurms.
5 – Endure Pain – The extra HP is very
good for escaping some crowds.
6 – Smite Hex – Use this to break any
serious hexes put on you.
7 – Mending – Pay its upkeep, and you’ll
have HP regen through the entire run.
The Unofficial Guild Wars Gold Guide
lots of fire imps here.
probably won’t complain.
- The road will turn northwest, leading
- Turn west at the bend, and then go
to a grassy area with many Caromi Tengu. Protect yourself from physical damage and avoid groups of mobs when possible.
north and over the hill at the fork.
- Turn south at the next fork and follow
the road west to the Black Curtain area. Beware crippling ghouls.
- Head north into the Ascalon
- Move north to where the road forks. If
settlement, turning west when possible to reach Nebo Terrace.
there is a large group of necrid horsemen and hellhounds nearby, let them pass.
- Head west briefly and then due south
- Head southwest to the first wooden
through Nebo Terrace along the road to reach Bergen Hot Springs. Along the way, watch out for mesmers and other casters who can ruin your run with hexes.
bridge. Kill the group of necrids there if your group can manage it.
- Run southwest across both wooden
bridges.
- In Bergen, equip a skill that will help
- When you see ghosts appear, use the
protect you from lightning damage, and collect any partial pay that was agreed upon.
anti-lightning skill to reduce damage from Chain Lightning. Your group can try to follow as decoys.
- Outside in Nebo, head west avoiding
- Follow the road, avoiding the poison
what mobs you can.
marsh, as it winds its way to the northwest.
- After passing through a large shack,
grasping ghouls may rise to attack. Move quickly past them, or you’ll risk being crippled.
- When you reach a fork, head northeast.
You should see a group of Reed Stalkers. This is the last group of mobs before the temple entrance. They are mesmers who like to cast Wastrel’s Worry; use a stance or other fast-activating skill whenever the hex hits you to avoid taking damage from it.
- As you approach the west end of the
zone, you’ll encounter large groups of undead. Have your run-ees distract them while you dash past into the Cursed Lands area.
- Follow the road north. If you want to
- Enter the Temple of the Ages and get
clear the first few groups of mobs for simplicity’s sake, your customers
paid.
The Unofficial Guild Wars Gold Guide
- At the second fork in the road, head
– In the foothills, watch out for hydras;
west.
their Meteor spell will knock you down briefly.
- Head north-by-northwest when given
the opportunity and keep following the road northward.
- Head northwest and follow the road
until it forks; turn right.
- Head east through a stone archway
- You should reach the Statue of Grenth
when the road curves.
and an artisan soon. Continue south up the hill past them and west across the bridge.
- Take the northern road at the next
fork.
- Follow the road west and north to
Traveler’s Vale.
- Head northwest at the next fork.
- Follow the road directly north to Yak’s
- After crossing a decrepit stone bridge
Bend. Watch out for movement-slowing ice elementals along the way.
you’ll see a large torch burning. If you head north at the torch you’ll quickly reach Grendich Courthouse, a good outpost to recuperate, collect partial pay, and tweak your skills.
- Collect the rest of your cash.
From Lion’s Arch (or Bergen Hot
Springs) to Temple of the Ages
- Head back out to Diessa and follow
This is a rather popular run, though the
the road southwest past the torch.
profits here tend to be lessened by the fact that many folks in Kryta are already high enough in level to run to the temple themselves. This run is greatly simplified if you stop to fight a few of the groups of mobs. It can be cleared at levels 18 or so if you kill the recommended mob sets, though the extra HP from being level 20 will help if you plan just to run.
- When you see the next torch, turn
left.
- Turn left again at the next torch. This
should send you southwest through a stone archway.
- Head west and down the stairs. The
gargoyles here will probably use “Imagined Burden” to slow you down.
- In Lion’s Arch, bring a skill that can
- Once you pass through another stone
reduce Fire elemental damage (if you have one) as well as one that reduces physical damage.
archway, follow the road northwest.
- You’ll soon see another torch. The
Ascalon Foothills are just beyond it.
- Go outside to North Kryta Province
and head west along the road; there are
The Unofficial Guild Wars Gold Guide
- Before starting a run, hash out a
range per customer varies here between 500g and 1k. The main benefit of running this route is that it’s possible to complete this one without necessarily being level 20 with a full set of skills. If you have a character at level 14, you can probably run this route; practice helps. Here’s a step-by-step walkthrough:
payment plan with your customers. As suggested above, it’s usually best to ask the customer to pay for the run in small increments as you reach each zone along the way. It’s best to try to get at least half of your pay in this fashion before reaching the destination zone.
- On paid runs, if you only have a
- Exit Ascalon City into Old Ascalon.
single customer (or if one customer is paying for everyone), inform that customer before the run starts that failure to pay along the way will result in your map traveling back to town to find a new customer.
- Stay to the right as you head out onto
the road, and make your way north to the wall. The devourers attacking you should give up and go after the guards instead.
- Follow the road along the wall
westward to the Breach and enter. You’ll be dodging Charr for a large chunk of the run after this.
- Remind customers to be sure they
have enough money on their character (not simply in storage) to pay your fee.
- In the Breach, move forward, turn
right, go past the crowd of soldiers, and turn left twice to reach a downward, cracked flight of stairs.
Destinations
- Head down and keep to the left. Get
Finally comes the main part of the
into the river of tar and follow it southwest; then head north to dry land.
runner’s job: actually running through zones. What follows is a list of some popular locations for which players seek runners, along with tips for successfully reaching each.
- Run uphill to the road, heading north.
- Turn left (west) when the road forks.
You should be almost directly west from Piken Square at this point.
From post-Searing Ascalon City (or
Grendich Courthouse) to Yak’s Bend
- Follow the road to Diessa Lowlands.
This run is popular among players who
- In Diessa, head northwest from the
want to skip post-Searing Ascalon and move on to other regions. The price
entrance.
The Unofficial Guild Wars Gold Guide
every bit of health counts.
is one good way to create a reputation for dependability. After all, a person who does freebies on occasion isn’t likely to stiff paying customers. This is also a good way to practice runs with which you are unfamiliar.
- Do not wield any vampiric weapons
during the run. I wouldn’t have included this, but I once saw a runner do it. =(
- Don’t offer to run people to a town in
exchange for gold until after you’ve practiced the run successfully a few times.
- Another alternative is doing some runs
“for donations,” not specifying any particular price and not requiring payment except what the run-ees want to donate to your cause. Unless you happen to run people who are very generous, you probably won’t make much money this way, but it’s another good way to boost your reputation as a runner.
Dealing with
Customers
Perhaps the biggest difficulty when
working as a runner – even more difficult than staying alive – is making sure your customers trust you, while at the same time making sure you can trust your customers. Scamming can happen on either side of the deal where running is involved: some customers refuse to pay after being delivered to their destination, and some runners refuse to run after being paid in advance. For those reasons, both runners and run-ees must be cautious. Typically, these problems are resolved by having the customer pay in spurts over the course of the trip,
- If you fail to run a customer to the
target destination, be quick to return any money the customer has already paid you. The last thing you need is someone spamming /all that you’re a scammer or a newbie.
- The camera trick – this won’t
necessarily make customers trust you more, but it will provide them with some entertainment during the run and may put them in good humor. Simply have your customers die to mobs while you run toward the destination. Once your customers are dead, they can click your name in the party window in order to watch you as you run.
Winning Customers’ Trust
- Doing runs for free now and then, on
the condition that the assisted players will recommend your services to friends, guild mates, or whole districts of towns,
Keeping Your Customers Honest
The Unofficial Guild Wars Gold Guide
- Hex Breaker – stance, cancels the
– Storm Chaser – provides good move
next hex used against you. This is excellent for dealing with enemies who like to use move-speed-reducing hexes.
speed and can help manage energy.
- Troll Unguent – not the best self heal,
but it’s handy to use before running through a group of enemies and can’t be removed with dispel skills.
Necromancer – specialize attributes for
Blood Magic
- Blood Renewal – cast this before
- Lightning Reflexes (or other defensive
running through a group of enemies.
stance) – for surviving tough groups of mobs.
- Parasitic Bond – tag a mob with this
as you run past, and you’ll be healed thirty seconds later.
Warrior – specialize attributes for
Strength (if primary) and/or Tactics
- Vampiric Touch – handy if lag causes
- “Charge!” – run speed boost that isn’t
you to run directly into a mob.
based on a stance or enchantment.
Monk – specialize attributes for
- Balanced Stance – stance, keeps you
Healing Prayers
from being knocked down. Vitally important for preventing knockdown during Droknar’s Forge runs.
- Mending – sustained HP regeneration,
great to have on any run.
- Endure Pain – extra max HP is great for
- Healing Hands – an excellent way to
getting through tough situations.
heal yourself during a run.
- Healing Signet – great for surviving
- Healing Breeze – use this before
DoT hexes after escaping a group of foes.
running through groups of enemies if you don’t have Healing Seed yet.
- Sprint – stance, run speed boost.
- Healing Seed – cast this before
Here are a few other general tips to
running through groups of enemies.
prepare for a successful run:
- Remove Hex – because
- If you plan to do a lot of running, try to
move-speed-slowing hexes are bad.
avoid using any runes that reduce max health (i.e., Major or Superior attribute runes).
- Watchful Spirit – for the sustained 2
HP regen
- If possible, use a piece of armor
Ranger – specialize attributes for
containing a Vigor rune and/or health-boosting weapons. In many runs,
Wilderness Survival
The Unofficial Guild Wars Gold Guide
Running isn’t for everyone, but it can
Droknar’s Forge (see “Destinations” below) is the only target town that gives most non-W/Mo runners problems.
be a fun and not-so-tedious way to make money in Guild Wars if you enjoy death-defying dashes past hordes of enemies. In general, the most profitable “runs” are those that will allow customers to skip large portions of the story or otherwise gain an advantage. A list of popular destinations, with running strategies for each, can be found in section 5.2.3. But if you want to be a successful runner, you’ll need a good understanding of what skills are most appropriate for running, as well as a feel for dealing with your customers. These are discussed below.
The following are skills from each class
that are especially helpful in running situations. Note that you will definitely want to have at least one skill at increases move speed equipped so that you can escape the pursuit range of groups of mobs:
Elementalist – specialize attributes for
Water Magic
- Armor of Mist – for the armor as well
as the move speed increase.
- Frozen Burst – great for slowing down
melee foes if you happen to get caught.
Equipping Yourself
Mesmer – specialize attributes for
for Success
Illusion Magic and/or Inspiration Magic
- Distortion – stance, allows many
attacks to be evaded during the run
When it comes to running from
- Illusion of Haste – provides good
town-to-town without killing anything, not all professions are created equal. By far, the best class combo for running is a W/Mo, who can take advantage of the warrior’s run speed skills and durability, as well as the monk’s sustained healing and hex removal. Beyond those two classes, the mesmer also has a large number of handy running skills.
speed, also cancels Crippled condition.
- Illusion of Weakness – allows you to
take a few extra hits
- (Physical/Elemental) Resistance and
Mantra of (Element) stances – situationally, these can greatly reduce the damage you take from enemies. Use “Physical Resistance” to survive swarms of physical attackers and “Elemental Resistance” or a Mantra to ward off elemental damage.
Even so, any class combination can
survive most of the popular town runs with practice and the right skill setup.
The Unofficial Guild Wars Gold Guide
able to recognize exactly what type and level it is because of its unique graphic. Once you know what kind of rune you’re holding, you should be able to sell it for a higher price – or in the case of a Rune of Superior Vigor or Absorption, a very high price indeed.
town. This way, you won’t waste your time if you happen to be selling when no one is buying. Alternatively, you can use the “District Hopping” auction method described in section 6.1.
Propechies: Working as a
Salvaging and then selling weapon
Guide to Unlock
upgrades for unlocking works basically the same way, except it often wastes expert salvage kit uses (because many colored weapons do not contain runes). Furthermore, since you won’t be able to tell one upgrade apart from any other of its type without identifying it first, you probably won’t be able to advertise them as highly as you would runes. For that reason, it’s usually better just to sell the unidentified weapons as they are, rather than wasting precious charges from an expert kit.
Towns/Outposts
If you’ve spent a lot of time in
post-Searing Ascalon City or any other town, chances are good that you’ve seen at least one message like this:
“Running people to (insert town/outpost
name here), 1k per person!”
Such messages hint at one of the other
major ways to make money in Guild Wars: helping other players unlock towns or outposts for their characters. Since a single player in a party walking into an area will force the entire party to enter it as well, a good “runner” can traverse whole areas, skipping mobs and cheating death at every turn, while the customer waits patiently at the entrance. When the runner zones, the customer gets zoned as well, and when the runner finally reaches a town/outpost, the customer has that location unlocked for map travel – without having killed a single mob along the way.
Tip: As with most sales to other
players in Guild Wars, it’s not very efficient to dwell on selling unidentified runes for long periods at a time. Whenever you happen to go to a town or outpost, mention in the Trade channel what types of unidentified runes or upgrades you are carrying, and see if someone sends you a whisper within thirty seconds or so. If no one does, go on and do whatever else you were planning to do, and then repeat your auction the next time you come to a
The Unofficial Guild Wars Gold Guide
Making Money by
To profit from this market, you’ll need
Helping Other
some unidentified salvage items or weapons. Gold salvage items will contain a Minor, Major, or Superior rune; purple will contain a Minor or Major rune; blue will contain a Minor Rune or be “highly salvageable.” Unidentified weapons are much harder to generalize, but usually only purple and gold weapons have a decent chance of containing an unlockable upgrade.
Players
This section of the guide offers two
basic strategies for making gold by helping other players out. The first is a specific form of item selling; the other is the infamous “runner” job, helping players unlock towns or outposts in exchange for gold.
Some players are willing to purchase
unidentified salvage items and weapons as they are, without any additional work on your part. Unfortunately, such buyers often will not pay very much because they won’t have any idea what type of rune or upgrade they might get when they purchase the item.
Selling Unidentified
Items for Unlocking
You can increase your asking price by
Many Guild Wars players enjoy
expert salvaging the item first, looking at the unidentified rune or upgrade you get from it (if you get one), and determining what sort of rune or upgrade it is. For example, suppose you have expert salvaged a piece of armor and received a rune. If you take that rune to a rune trader, you can compare its graphic with the runes on sale to tell whether it’s a minor, major, or superior rune, as well as what class it comes from (though you won’t be able to tell exactly which attribute). In addition, if you are very lucky and have found an “Absorption” or “Vigor” rune, you will be
experimenting with “PvP Only” characters, but in order for those characters to be maximally effective, the person making them will need to “unlock” runes and weapon upgrades to attach to their armor during character creation. Since the simplest way to unlock runes or upgrades is to identify an item containing them using a role-playing character, PvP enthusiasts often will pay well for the right to identify a rune or upgrade for unlocking.