User:Euste Ylhes/Understanding Tyria Leveling Guide/Plains of Ashford

Introduction

The Plains of Ashford is one of the starters maps. It is a very cool map with a lot of Lore and many call backs to the original game of the franchise. On this map you will learn about three of the major threats to the Charrs: the Flamme Legion, the Foefire and the Separatists. Of course you will also be introduced to the Ogres and the Grawls as well as the Charr Technology. This is a beautiful and pleasant map and it does not demeremit even if it lacks a world boss when compared to the other starters zones.

Although you will not need to focus on completing hearts as events will usually make you complete them without you noticing, I advise keeping an eye out for them as they are a good source of experience. Heart completion is also a good way to kill time while waiting for an event to be active. Also do not forget to speak with the NPCs on your journey to get the full picture of what's happening in the area of the world.

Map

Roadmap

1. Your adventure on this map starts at the Smokestead Waypoint. You are in what might be called a starting zone in the starting zone, as is often the case in starter zones. You will pass several around that part of the map to ensure that you gain enough levels to venture in other places.

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2. So you may start be completing the heart you near you, helping Tolona with her farm. Then walk north, keeping an eye open for any problem at the armory on your right.

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3. After that you get on the slope down to Devourer's mouth. An event with devourers can trigger here that I advise to wait as it will allow heart completion on top of a lot of experience. Wait after this first event ends so that you can have a fight against the giant enraged devourer.

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4. Now you get find your way out of the Devourer's Mouth trough a tunnel going north-east. At the end of the tunnel you might find an event involving a veteran skale. Now that you've killed a giant devourer this should be a walk in the plains... Wait what?

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5. Now go further east. There is an event to clear the lake of tar elementals which then chain in two other events leading you into the Facula Castrum. You can wait for the chain to reset if it has already started as this event is on a pretty low cooldown. Otherwise just take the chain from its current state.

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6. Get out of the flamme legion's caves and walk south. You will find a tunnel through the cliffs which you allow you to get out of this starting area for a little while. Explore Old Duke's Estate. I advise waiting for a super cool event that requires you stay near the Crush cubs and keep the ghosts away. After that event has ended, follow the cubs.

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7. Have you done the cubs event or not, you should have come back to the Village of Smokestead. at the entrance of the village, it is possible that you have encountered an event to fight back the harpies, in that case good for you, if not you will have a second chance do not worry!

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8. Note that there are Barradin's Vaults near there. This this where the Battle in the Vault Meta Event occurs. You will run in this area a lot, just keep an eye out for this Meta, it can be done really quickly and is really easily missed because on that.

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9. If you want to know more about the legion try to prevent a brawl between the three legions in Smokestead. It is a very cool event.

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10. After having pacified the legions, go along the wall east and reach The Wrecking Yard. From there you will be able to get to the Lake Feritas Vista.

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11. Jump from the top of the pipe into the Lake (it is not as dangerous as it seems, I promise). Near there an escort can trigger with NPC Marik Grimeclaw. However it triggers very rarely. I propose two paths depending on if the event is active or not (in pink).

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12. At that point you should be at the Greysteel Armory Waypoint. You can explore at small skritt lair north to get Mock's Niche point of interest. Then you only have to go back to the entrance of Smokestead near Vir's Gate Waypoint. This is you second chance to event to fight back the harpies.

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13. Now go south and settle at the Sharptail Encampment. There you want to wait for a charr to tell you that a scout has gone missing. Propose your help, and go fetch the missing scout.

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14. When you are back to the Sharptail Encampment you will wait again to Escort Vhes Hauntslayer and her warband. After escorting them, Protect Hauntsmash as he plants charges. The following event will be to Defend the Ash Legion's camp, do it only once as it will repeat indefinitely as long as you are successful.

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15. Before you quit this part of the map, get the Langmar Estate Waypoint. Then you can head north and go back to Old Duke's Estate. Just east of there is an event involving capturing ghosts for Jenk Cutspecter. Wait for this event if it is not active and speak with Jenk Cutspecter when he gets the special yellow icon on him to start the event. After the event is done, follow Jenk south.

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16. Having followed Jenk, you should be at Exterminatus HQ. Make sure you got the Temperus Point Waypoint on your way there.

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17. Jenk event will now chain in the Hangar. Wait for a while and do it.

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18. After that, speak to the Iron Legion Legionnaire just outside the Hangar. He will lead you to Kill the veteran lava shaman. Stay where you are when this event ends and wait for the effigy to spawn.

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19. Go south and along Lake Adorea then to Ashford Forum. Get hero points and vistas on your way.

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20. Loop back to get the Adorea Waypoint and then head north to the statue of Pyre Fierceshot. Then follow the road north-east until you reach Spirit Hunter Camp Waypoint.

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21. This place is amazing. You are now waiting for a defense of the camp. While you wait, speak to the Engineer, she will propose two expeditions. Vote for the caverns option and follow her to the cavern then back to the camp.

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22. After defense of the camp, follow the Bane Warband to scout the Abbey Ruins. There you will defeat the Ascalonian ghost leader in Abbey Ruins, after what you will not follow the NPCs back to Spirit Hunter Camp, but head south instead.

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23. South, you will find you way into the Windrock Maze. It is a beautiful place with little going on, but you will find some material nodes and veteran foes. After that little detour, just waypoint back to Spirit Hunter Camp Waypoint.

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24. From the camp, you now walk north towards Agnos Gorge and the Shards of War point of interest. Just east is also the Deadgod's Lair point of interest where you can do an event chain involving Grawls. This event chain starts with the enraged grawl and end when you Drive the grawl away.

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25. When you are done with the Grawls, just visit the Toppled Wall area east. I advise you to do the heart and climb on the wall as it is a beautiful area. An event can eventually trigger involving NPC Explorer Erin, but it relies on the failing of a previous one at the Priory Camp just south.

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26. This Priory Camp is precisely where you are heading now. Note that there is a Sylvari explorer in the tent to whom you can speak to go on an adventure with her. But depending on your current level, this might be an arduous task.

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27. After this short visit to the Priory Camp, head east to get the Ascalonian Catacombs Waypoint. Here is the entrance of the first dungeon you will be able to do. However, you will have to wait level 30 for that.

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28. You are now in the north-east area of the map. This is where The Battle for Ascalon City Meta Event takes place. You want to keep an eye out for it. Fortunately, there are a lot of things to do in the area while you wait.

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29. Especially, you can go a bit south to Swordcross Outpost. A defense event happens here that allow the camp to be settled. When it is settled other events can trigger. The one that I personnaly find fun is the one you get by speaking to Aymber Blastrock during which you have to Protect the demolition team while you cross the map to the extreme north-east.

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30. After you did some events at Swordcross Outpost, completed the area by getting hero points and vistas, and you also defeated Horace at the end of the Meta, you can leave this part of the map. The intended way on the roadmap is to depart from Human's Lament and head south towards Stonecrag Kraal and then Watchcrag Tower Waypoint. There are several events involving Ogres in this area depending on the current state of the event chain. If you are lucky you will have to push the Ogres back from the watchtower to Stonecrag Kraal, but most of the time you will only have to defend Stonecrag Kraal.

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31. Ogres are cool, but I get it, you want to go on. Then let us head west (for once!). You leave Cadem Forest and get to Lamia Mire. It is a beautiful place. Then go south a join the Irondock Shipyard Waypoint.

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32. Once again, this is a very cool area! Explore the docks and find out about top notch charr technology: submarines. Well, wait for the mouse separatists to launch an attack on the Irondock and Kill the Separatists before they destroy the Iron Barracuda (which is the name of the submarine, do not look for such a fish in Ascalon Basin there is no point in doing that!).

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33. Did you manage to protect the submarine? Then it's great. Now benifiting from submarine artillery support, Destroy the Separatist camp just south accross the water.

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34. You are now a true Charr. Get that Irondock Shipyard Vista and dive in the water.

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35. You can head east and get the Loreclaw Waypoint. From there you can either climb the cliff, find and do the jumping puzzle or skip it strait to the south-east corner of the map. Here you can do the event chain starting with the dread skale and leading to Help infiltrate the separatist camp and free prisoners. Or just go north to Duskrend Overlook Waypoint and visit the Ash Legion camp.

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36. The end of your journey is now closer then ever. You should waypoint back to Temperus Point Waypoint and get the Victory Cenotaph Vista if not done yet.

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37. Then go north to Calhaan's Haunt where you might confront Captain Calhaan's ghost. This shall now be a laughing matter.

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38. Well that's it. Join the Martyr's Waypoint and your journey has ended. If you are a Charr starting on your adventure on Tyria, do not go north, it is not suitable. Instead go back to the Village of Smokestead and enter your capital city, the Black Citadel. There you will find a northern gate, this is you way to the Diessa Plateau!

END NOTE

Do not forget to return sometimes in the future to complete eventual puzzle jumps you skipped and properly finish map-completion (some things will undoubtedbly miss such as hearts and hero points), and to get some memories of you first steps on Tyria!