Home instance

A home instance is an instanced area within a character's home city based on the character's race, which evolves as they progress through the world.

A character's home instance will change based on their progress and actions in their personal story. For example, character actions could determine the presence or absence of non-player characters, special merchants or even buildings.

Players can invite others to visit their home instance. If a character visits a home instance in a city other than their home city (for example, a charr visiting Salma District), they will see a basic version of the district without any story-related changes. However, most upgrades are available to all characters in the account and visitors to the instance.

Locations

Race	Home instance	Description	Nearest waypoint
Asura	Applied Development Lab	A laboratory in Rata Sum.	Magicat Court Waypoint —
Charr	Hero's Canton	The barracks in the Black Citadel.	Hero's Waypoint —
Human	Salma District	Residential district in the north part of Divinity's Reach.	Salma Waypoint —
Norn	Hunter's Hearth	Upper levels of The Great Lodge of Hoelbrak.	Great Lodge Waypoint —
Sylvari	Dreamer's Terrace	A garden nestled in the roots of the Grove.	Ronan's Waypoint —

List of home instance upgrades

Upgrades can be added to home instances for all characters on the account. All unlocked objects for the instance owner will appear and can be gathered by other party members. Each object can only be gathered once per day per account.

Gem Store upgrades

These upgrades can be added by purchasing the relevant upgrade from the Gem Store.

•  Basic Ore Node Pack unlocks nodes for Copper Ore, Silver Ore, and Gold Ore.
•  Basic Lumber Node Pack unlocks nodes for Green Wood Logs, Soft Wood Logs, and Seasoned Wood Logs.
•  Basic Harvesting Node Pack unlocks Herbs, Root Plants, Vegetable Plants.
•  Basic Cloth Rack unlocks the Basic Cloth Rack.
•  Basic Leather Rack unlocks the Basic Leather Rack.
•  Black Lion Hunters Contract unlocks the Black Lion Hunters Board.

Black Lion Chest upgrades

These upgrades can be added from very rare drops from Black Lion Chest.

•  Advanced Leather Rack upgrades your Basic Leather Rack - …
•  Advanced Cloth Rack upgrades your Basic Cloth Rack - …
•  Hard Wood Logging Node unlocks a node for Hard Wood Log - …
•  Elder Wood Logging Node unlocks a node for Elder Wood Log - …
•  Ancient Wood Logging Node unlocks a node for Ancient Wood Logs - …
•  Iron Ore Mining Node unlocks a node for Iron Ore - …
•  Platinum Mining Node unlocks a node for Platinum Ore - …
•  Mithril Mining Node unlocks a node for Mithril Ore - …
•  Orichalcum Mining Node unlocks a node for Orichalcum Ore - …
•  Omnomberry Harvesting Node unlocks a node for Omnomberries - …
•  Snow Truffle Harvesting Node unlocks a node for Snow Truffle - …
•  Lotus Harvesting Node unlocks a node for Lotus Root - …
•  Orrian Truffle Harvesting Node unlocks a node for Orrian Truffles - …
•  Flaxseed Harvesting Node unlocks a node for Flax - …
•  Ghost Pepper Harvesting Node unlocks a node for Ghost Peppers - …

Achievement upgrades

These upgrades can be added by earning the relevant consumable from achievements.

•  Aurillium Node unlocks the Aurillium node. Earned by completing the No Mask Left Behind achievement.
•  Enchanted Treasure Chest unlocks an enchanted chest that replenishes itself daily. Earned by completing the Treasure Hunter achievement in Rare Collections.
•  Gift of Candy Corn unlocks Raw Candy Corn. Earned by completing the You, Back in the Box achievement for Blood and Madness (2013).
•  Gift of Magnanimity unlocks the Wintersday Tree of Generosity. Earned by completing the For the Children! achievement in Basic Collections.
•  Gift of Quartz unlocks the Quartz Crystal Formation. Earned by completing the Bazaar Ambassador achievement for Bazaar of the Four Winds.
•  Gift of Sprockets unlocks the Sprocket Generator. Earned by completing the The Origins of Madness Completionist achievement for The Origins of Madness.
•  Krait Obelisk Shard unlocks the Krait Obelisk Shard place of power. Earned by completing the meta achievement for Tower of Nightmares.
•  Personal Bandit Chest unlocks the Found Bandit Chest. Earned by completing the story achievement for Point of No Return.

Vendor upgrades

These upgrades can be added by purchasing the relevant consumable from various vendors.

•  Bloodstone Crystal Node unlocks Bloodstone Crystals. Purchased from Natto for 10,000+ 50 .
•  Fire Orchid Node unlocks Primordial Orchid. Purchased from Supplymaster Hanjo for 10,000+ 50 .
•  Greater Gift of Candy Corn unlocks King-Sized Candy Corn. Purchased from Candy Corn Vendor for 5 Candy Corn Cob.
•  Jade Fragment Node unlocks Jade Fragments. Purchased from Quartermaster Hitchens for 10,000+ 50 .
•  Orrian Oyster Node unlocks Orrian Oyster. Purchased from Provisioner Anlana for 10,000+ 50 .
•  Personal Airship Cargo Voucher unlocks an Airship Cargo. Purchased from Itzel Mastery Vendors for 250.
•  Personal Crystallized Supply Cache Voucher unlocks a Crystallized Supply Cache. Purchased from Nuhoch Mastery Vendors for 250.
•  Personal Exalted Chest Voucher unlocks an Exalted Chest. Purchased from Exalted Mastery Vendors for 250.
•  Petrified Wood Node unlocks Petrified Stump. Purchased from Scholar Surra for 10,000+ 50 .
•  Winterberry Bush Node unlocks Winterberry Bush. Purchased from Slooshoo for 10,000+ 50 .

NPCs

See individual instances for specific NPCs, but some types are common in all home instances.

• Ambient creatures, various friendly NPCs that on interaction will do little more than provide a greeting.
• 
  Belcher's Bluff NPCs offer unique skills to players.
• Personality, a hidden mechanic, combining dignity, charm (charisma) and ferocity; may be boosted by certain home instance NPCs
  • Krewe Researcher at top of stairs in Applied Development Lab boosts charm
• Personal story NPCs, presence depends on the character completing a particular chapter in a their personal story. Every chapter adds at least 1 NPC to the story instance. For example:
  • Joining the Durmand Priory: Priory Explorer Kalliee
  • Joining the Order of Whispers: Agent Otto Barenjaard‎
  • Joining the Vigil: Vigil Crusader Dalloros
  • Completing Retribution: Lionguard Mira
• Various Services are available in some, but not all home instances.
• M.O.X. will join your home instance after completing Heart of the Volcano.
  • A Webby Hatchling has a random chance to appear next to M.O.X.
• Various cats will join your instance after feeding hungry cats found around Tyria. (The asura home instance comes with one cat, but is not part of the hungry cats.)

Notes

• Certain personal story instances take place in the home instance instead of a separate instance.
• The Home Portal Stone allows players to instantly travel to the home instance and return to their original location.
• Gathering done in the home instance is applied to the regional gathering daily achievement, e.g. gathering in Salma District counts towards Daily Kryta Miner/Forager/Lumberer, so daily gather can be readily achieved by mapping to the appropriate home instance.