Guild Wars 2

Is there a guide for what to do when entering HoT?

I was really on a high after killing Zhaitan and looking forward to getting the glider mastery in HoT. I found my way to Silverwastes and proceeded to get hopelessly confused. The story line wasn’t as clear as it had been up to now, and there didn’t seem to be any hints of nearby POIs or Mastery/Hero Points. I tried to find my way into the tunnels to pick up waypoints only to find that some event had to be completed before they would open again. So, the only waypoint I could depend on was on the far eastern edge of the zone. Then there were the caravans that seemed to start and stop inexplicably. I found my way further west into the jungles and into a labyrinth that seem to send me into deadends with destinations always above me and no clear path to get them. Then to top it off, the masteries seem to flip haphazardly between the second phase of gliding, to mushroom hopping, to crafting without me doing anything (at least I don’t think I’m doing anything.)

I’ve gone back to leveling an alt rather than face this frustration.

I would start HERE and read up a bit on the guides and watch some videos posted on Dulfy. May or may not help out with all of your problems, but it can provide some insight into Heart of Thorns and its elements.

You can use the following to determine how to locate specific things on the maps.

Verdant Brink
Auric Basin
Tangled Depths
Dragon’s Stand

To enter HoT, you need to activate the story in the hero panel and do the first mission. You actually do a small instance in Silverwastes before going into another instance which is for the story itself. Another alternative is to hop into someone’s guild and then exit it into Verdant Brink or Auric Basin.

It sounds like you even skipped season 2 story. Some of the instances actually train you to get better. Then you shouldn’t have problems in the jungle. But be prepared that the initial phase without masteries is difficult, so get you XP buffs ready and farm Verdant Brink events couple of dozen times like we all did
LFG tool is your friend. Look for “VB T4”

Silverwastes isn’t a part of HoT. It was released during Living Story S2 and acts as a transitional area between HoT and normal GW2. It’s quite similar to Orr in that it’s one big push from your camp to the enemy camp/boss. It’s a well-made and rewarding zone, but you don’t have to spend much time in it to get to HoT zones.

Verdant Brink is the jungle zone and admittedly it can be a bit confusing at first, especially since you’re new to gliding. However, I think it’s in many ways one of GW2’s best zones, so exploring it is worth the effort. When you’re used to gliding and have the updraft & mushroom hopping masteries, it’s rather easy to navigate. To get the hang of it, hop on it when daytime starts and follow the Pale Reavers from the eastern WP. That should open up a big chunk of the map’s southern side and give you some mastery XP.

As for the masteries changing constantly, that never happened to me, so I don’t know how to help.

The reason the masteries are changing is due to location. The Maguuma masteries can only be trained in the HoT maps, and the Tyria masteries can only be trained in the core game. You can separately select which to train from each, and it’ll automatically switch between them depending on which map you’re in.

Try play through some of the HoT story… it’s not hard and it does an OK job of guiding you through the map and is a lot better than going off in a random direction. It’s also an easy source of HoT XP and mastery points, which will let you unlock abilities that make traveling through the jungle easier (e.g. gliding, mushrooms, etc)

Dulfy has many HoT Guides:

http://dulfy.net/category/gw2/hot/

Don’t even try getting into the story if you’re going from Zhaitan straight to HoT. You’re missing 8 chapters that fall between. If you have access to Living World season 2, you should play that first.

The proper order to experience the story can be found in the Story Journal that’s found on the hero tab.

Manasa Devi.7958:

Don’t even try getting into the story if you’re going from Zhaitan straight to HoT. You’re missing 8 chapters that fall between. If you have access to Living World season 2, you should play that first.

The proper order to experience the story can be found in the Story Journal that’s found on the hero tab.

Doing the story in order is only important if you value the story integrity. Technically, he has also missed LS1. I suggested HoT story as an efficient way to get into the swing of HoT.

That said, I only killed Zaithan after I had defeated Mordremoth, so that shows where my values lie :P

Well, the OP stated that “the story line wasn’t as clear as it had been up to now” so the missing story pieces do seem to be an issue.

I mean, I bought HoT about 2 weeks ago… I followed the handy green markers and did group events when I needed to grind some XP for required masteries… HoT is a bit much at first but it is really less complicated than you give it credit for… Just follow the green markers….

PaPa Theos.4160:

Is there a guide for what to do when entering HoT?

I was really on a high after killing Zhaitan and looking forward to getting the glider mastery in HoT. I found my way to Silverwastes and proceeded to get hopelessly confused. The story line wasn’t as clear as it had been up to now, and there didn’t seem to be any hints of nearby POIs or Mastery/Hero Points. I tried to find my way into the tunnels to pick up waypoints only to find that some event had to be completed before they would open again. So, the only waypoint I could depend on was on the far eastern edge of the zone. Then there were the caravans that seemed to start and stop inexplicably. I found my way further west into the jungles and into a labyrinth that seem to send me into deadends with destinations always above me and no clear path to get them. Then to top it off, the masteries seem to flip haphazardly between the second phase of gliding, to mushroom hopping, to crafting without me doing anything (at least I don’t think I’m doing anything.)

I’ve gone back to leveling an alt rather than face this frustration.

There is event chains that you should be able to see in you right side. Move mouse pointer above mini-map and you will see some info about your progression. Do those events and you should have more and more POI open and WP as you pass those. Use LFG (Looking for Group) tool if you your map is not populated enough for doing events.

Make sure that first invest your MP and XP (pick MP track you will collect your XP, so you only need to spend you MP to active that ability) up to the level where you have Advanced Gliding. With AG you will be able to be in air as long you wish by using updrafts in Maguuma. With only basic Gliding you will loose endurance very fast for normal gliding, so AG make a big difference in the way you can glide.

When you press forward key (W, E or whatever you might have key bind for your forward movement) you will move faster while gliding in air, but now loose endurance as long you hold down that key (because of Lean Techniques). Press backward movement key and you will be able to stay in air at one point and very gradually get down. This is kitteneful MP ability which also work in Core Tyria and there you will not find places with updraft to compensate for endurance lost or for getting higher up in air. You must train Gliding in Maguuma, but can now use it all around Tyria.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Heart_of_Maguuma_mastery_tracks

If you still have trouble with setting Mastery tracks, then I would try to make a repair of your client as it must be something that isn’t working as it should in your application to keep set tracks in place.

In Verdant Brink there will be choppers waiting with ladders hanging during some stage of events chain which let up to the Canopy. From here you can combine gliding and falling down to ground to places which might otherwise be harder to reach from ground level. Look at map when you are both above and below normal ground level on map to see MP, HP and other places which might be hidden when you are not at the same level on map.

Here is a list of events on Pact Encampment: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Outpost:_Pact_Encampment

Look into your Hero Panel for Achievement which also might give you some more MP!
There you will have Maguuma story in one place and different maps AP in another, so look after which of those AP you have with green stars that you can complete as you do events, find (strong hold) boxes etc that might get your faster access to MP at least for movement, vendors (=language) and abilities to progress further in the jungle.

In general Pact Encampment WP is open for the most part, so it is probably a good place to start as it is located in the central part of map (VB). Take your time (even if those events can become rather repetitive after some time) and below that cliff where WP is located you will find a repair station for gear and access to chopper (you should be able to see it even from WP).

There is no Black Lion TP in cities or any other places in HoT maps, so bring with you enough of food and utility as event chains can be long rather long and you will loose progression if you change map. You might have Bank Access Express or other consumables to summon vendors for TP. (Normal items like salvage tools, gathering tools etc can be bought from local vendors when event(s) is not blocking those vendors and when you have learned their “language”. Make sure that you also buy enough of those “keys” or token (it work much the same way kitten with bandits keys) from local vendors on map as otherwise you can not access those chests or containers when an event have finished or while you are doing events and find those Air ship cargos in VB!)

Prio (1): movement related to map – gliding is basic for every map, but make life much easier when you have Advanced Gliding; Basic Mushroom is enough while you are in VB to get around. (If you prefer more speedy Mushroom movements instead of gliding, then its also fine, but I find it more useful to have Gliding up to Advanced Gliding early on and later advance tracks into Itzel lore.)

Prio (2): Language (track) for access to token specific for each map to open containers for loot.

Prio (3): Make sure that you complete as many AP with MP at the same time you are doing evens in a map to reduce time for getting those MP.

Prio (4): Finish Living Story once and then activate it again to make a second run and you will get some more items (loot) and MP. Best to do it while you still have fresh in memory how to do each step in that story, so you don’t have to struggle too much to get those AP and MP. You will find that both Core Tyria and Maguuma have each their section for LS which will give you some MP and AP for doing a second run.

Complete story (or chapter) like “Gates of Maguuma” which is one story divided into smaller chains of events to complete that chapter. Completing Gates of Maguuma until you get your first reward and then you see a special option to replay it again. Now for AP and MP reward. Don’t jump around between chapters as you will loose progression from doing that and have to start it all over again. Gates of Maguuma is an introduction for HoT maps and some part of its mechanics, so it is a bit different from the other stories or chapters later on.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Living_World_season_2

(Not sure if you already own LS2 as those during the season for LS had access for free. I did purchase it in Gem store during a sale, so I do not know if it is included in HoT. From information in wiki it will cost 1600 Gems: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Living_World_Season_2_Complete_Pack.)

Thank you all for the advice and the guides. I have even been contacted in game and been offered help, advice and friendship. I’ve gotten everything squared away and am dividing my time between advancing the story, getting mastery points and farming Silverwastes for mats for ascended gear. I did skip the two chapters between Khaitan and Maguuma, and may go back to them later. The excitement of meta-events is offset by the frustration of long treks or flights (and I do have 2 glider mastery) to places where the mobs overwhelm me. But that’s just a function of me asking for help and not trying to do everything solo. Thanks, again!!!!

PaPa Theos.4160:

Thank you all for the advice and the guides. I have even been contacted in game and been offered help, advice and friendship. I’ve gotten everything squared away and am dividing my time between advancing the story, getting mastery points and farming Silverwastes for mats for ascended gear. I did skip the two chapters between Khaitan and Maguuma, and may go back to them later. The excitement of meta-events is offset by the frustration of long treks or flights (and I do have 2 glider mastery) to places where the mobs overwhelm me. But that’s just a function of me asking for help and not trying to do everything solo. Thanks, again!!!!

You will learn after some time where mobs usually will be waiting and how to avoid them. When you fight snipers in melee range try to anticipate that you will sooner or later get in a crossfire, if you try to take out one sniper. Doge or use some evade skill to get out of that position and keep on moving around while taking out each sniper as fast as you can. Orange line on ground (watch out especially for intersecting lines/cross fire as that means that you now are being target of more then one sniper) and a small symbol on your head is indication on that you will soon get hit by a sniper. You can get rid of that symbol on your head, if you disengage and run a bit from where you saw that line on ground and then return to take out that sniper. The key here is movement and use of skills/effects that prevent you from getting hit. (You can get one shot, if you don’t watch out for those signals in time.)

Don’t try to kill mobs with very high toughness, if you run a power build. Normal Husks is no problem, but those with a higher rank can be really a problem. You will not have much luck in doing enough damage to break bar in time and burst through what is left of health before break bar will be regenerating health again. At least for a light armour class that is a very difficult task to manage and in most cases there will be other enemies joining in the fight, so you will not have enough time to both heal or mitigate incoming damage and keep up damage at the same time all by yourself. It is possible to do most things solo, but there are exceptions.

Use condition damage or bring someone that have a toon that can bring down health (surpassing armour/toughness) for those kind of enemies.

There is a setting in option (keg wheel in left corner on your screen or press escape) where you can see yellow tags for items that you can interact with. I would recommend you to use that as then you will find all gathering sources and other important items which can be hard to see with all grass, leafs and environmental obstacles. You can also enable a tag which will show name plate for enemies, which help you to keep on alert for those pesky pocket raptors (might be small and not easy to see) or any other possible creature to aggro that you might want to avoid because you didn’t see them in time.

Invisible frogs (in stealth) can be very annoying first time you fight them, but you will get a hang on where they go and where they will attack you when they come out from stealth.

If you have traits that give you more vigor (boon for endurance), then that would be good to use or trait which combine an effect for use of dodge. Movement is key when you first go to VB, so every weapon or utility which make it possible to reposition yourself is useful. It is not necessary true for HoT maps that the hardest hitting weapon is the best in every situation. Maybe changing gear, trait or weapon can help out if you get stuck/killed to often. If you run in a group, then there is traits that might work better to keep your group alive, but not yourself. In return you might get more Fury, Vigor or other boons which change how your own build now feels and work. High uptime on quickness from having Chrono+Herald in fight near you change how your own skills work including how you now can move or rezz downed people when needed.

Condition and stun break is good things to have equipped, but condition from blind can reduce incoming damage or condition and evades/blocks have the same effect. Weakness on foe make it harder to hit you. Chill and slow will reduce some movement (and how fast enemy can do damage), but will not be enough to keep hidden frogs or snipers at bay. Soft CC as chill and slow is important for break bars. Hard CC is also helpful when you need to break those bars and for keeping some kind of control during battle.

What helped me understand the four new maps instantly was staring at a HoT meta timer. Google Dulfy’s HoT timer. The maps are literally alive and changing based off the meta events occurring on each new zone.

Other then that simply explore. I went for all the waypoints first. You can run allll the way to Dragonstand. Nothing is stopping you. I bought HoT around 2 weeks ago so I can sympathize a bit.