User:TEF/Guides/Guide to unlocking traits

Guide to Unlocking Traits

This isn't so much a guide as it is an at-a-glance list of all the trait unlock requirements to make it easy to see where/when/how. It includes my recommendations of "Grind" vs "Buy" vs "Try," i.e. should you spend the effort to unlock it, pay the gold, or try unlocking first and buy only if you find yourself getting annoyed by the process. I've attempted to offer a neutral appraisal of whether you could earn the required gold faster than you could complete the relevant task. For example, map completion takes ages, but the cost of unlocking is only 10 ; since time is money, it's "cheaper" to earn the coin and skill points than completing the entire map.

I have a strong personal bias against this type of leveling in any game; I especially dislike it for GW2 (see below), but I've tried to avoid letting my preferences interfere with providing a fair objective guide (with the exception of using the word, grind — I think it's hard to argue that repeating identical tasks is pleasurable for anyone after the Nth time).

At a glance

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Line #	#	Task	Type	Map	Nearest Pingable	Code	Notes	Effort	Coin	SPs	Recom
1	I	Complete the story step "A Light in the Darkness."	Personal Story	The Grove	Omphalos Chamber	[&BH8EAAA=]	L55 story.	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
1	II	Capture Inferno's Needle.	Capture	Edge of the Mists	Inferno's Needle	[&BEIHAAA=]	[none]	4 (group effort)	10	2	Buy
1	III	Earn 100% completion in Gendarran Fields.	Map Completion	Gendarran Fields	Vigil Keep Waypoint	[&BJIBAAA=]	[none]	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
1	IV	Defeat Rhendak the Crazed.	Event	Diessa Plateau	Font of Rhand Waypoint	[&BNwAAAA=]	[none]	2 (easy)	10	2	Buy
1	V	Earn 100% completion in Blazeridge Steppes.	Map Completion	Blazeridge Steppes	[na]	[na]	[none]	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
1	VI	Help Shining Blade Kimber defeat Kol Skullsmasher.	Event	Harathi Hinterlands	tbd	tbd	Giant	4 (group effort)	10	2	Buy
1	VII	Befriend the ogre camp so they will join you as allies.	Event	Eternal Battlegrounds	Dragoss Kraal	[&BOkDAAA=]	[none]	4 (group effort)	50	5	Grind
1	VIII	Complete the Citadel of Flame in Story Mode.	Dungeon Story	Citadel of Flame	The Flame Citadel Waypoint	[&BEAFAAA=]	[none]	3 (medium)	50	5	Buy
1	IX	Find the splendid chest in Rebel's Seclusion.	Explore	Fireheart Rise	Breaktooth's Waypoint	[&BBoCAAA=]	Achievement: Rebel's Seclusion	2 (easy)	50	5	Grind
1	X	Defeat the Terror-Seven Krewe Leader.	Event	Mount Maelstrom	Aquabase Terror Seven	[&BI0GAAA=]	[none]	2 (easy)	50	5	Grind
1	XI	Discover Death's Anthem.	Explore	Cursed Shore	Death's Anthem	[&BA0DAAA=]	Achievement: Grounded	1 (fast)	1  50	10	Grind
1	XII	Defeat the Risen High Priest of Balthazar.	World Boss	Straits of Devastation	Glorious Victory Waypoint	[&BPoCAAA=]	Orrian Temple (random timer)	4 (group effort)	1  50	10	Try
1	XIII	Defeat the Risen High Wizard and secure the Promenade of the Gods.	World Boss	Cursed Shore	Arah Waypoint	[&BCADAAA=]	Orrian Temple (random timer)	4 (group effort)	3	20	Try
2	I	Find the splendid chest in Earth's Gap.	Explore	Kessex Hills	Gap Waypoint	[&BLoDAAA=]	Achievement: Goff's Loot	2 (easy)	10	2	Grind
2	II	Complete Twilight Arbor in Story Mode.	Dungeon Story	Twilight Arbor	Twilight Arbor Waypoint	[&BEEFAAA=]	[none]	3 (medium)	10	2	Buy
2	III	Defeat Ulgoth the Modniir and his minions.	World Boss	Harathi Hinterlands	Cloven Hoof Waypoint	[&BLEAAAA=]	Timer (5:30 & 10:30 pm)	4 (group effort)	10	2	Try
2	IV	Earn 100% completion in Lornar's Pass.	Map Completion	Lornar's Pass	[na]	[na]	[none]	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
2	V	Earn 100% completion in Bloodtide Coast.	Map Completion	Bloodtide Coast	[na]	[na]	[none]	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
2	VI	Earn 100% completion in Fireheart Rise.	Map Completion	Fireheart Rise	[na]	[na]	[none]	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
2	VII	Befriend the hylek camp so they will join you as allies.	Event	Eternal Battlegrounds	Novotl Grounds	[&BOoDAAA=]	[none]	4 (group effort)	50	5	Buy
2	VIII	Find the grand chest in the Windy Cave.	Explore	Lornar's Pass	Mistriven Waypoint	[&BJkBAAA=]	Achievement: Windy Cave Treasure	2 (easy)	50	5	Grind
2	IX	Defeat the fire shaman and his minions.	World Boss	Iron Marches	Gladefall Waypoint	[&BO4BAAA=]	[timer unknown]	4 (group effort)	50	5	Try
2	X	Complete the story step "Forging the Pact."	Personal Story	Timberline Falls	Rankor Ruins Waypoint	[&BFQCAAA=]	L62 story.	5 (fergidaboutit)	50	5	Buy
2	XI	Complete the Crucible of Eternity in Story Mode.	Dungeon Story	Crucible of Eternity	Crucible of Eternity Waypoint	[&BEIFAAA=]	[none]	3 (medium)	1  50	10	Buy
2	XII	Find the grand chest near Scholar Fryxx.	Explore	Straits of Devastation	Vesper Bell Waypoint	[&BPICAAA=]	Achievement: The Long Way Around	1 (fast)	1  50	10	Grind
2	XIII	Defeat the Risen Priest of Grenth.	World Boss	Cursed Shore	Murdered Dreams Waypoint	[&BCIDAAA=]	Orrian Temple (random timer)	4 (group effort)	3	20	Try
3	I	Defeat Fleshgrazer.	Event	Dredgehaunt Cliffs	Wyrmblood Waypoint	[&BGUCAAA=]	Achievement: Forsaken Fortune	4 (group effort)	10	2	Buy
3	II	Complete the story step "The Battle for Claw Island."	Personal Story	Lion's Arch	Claw Island Portage Waypoint	[&BA8EAAA=]	L50 story.	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
3	III	Capture Stonegaze Spire.	Capture	Edge of the Mists	Stonegaze Spire	[&BEcHAAA=]	[none]	4 (group effort)	10	2	Buy
3	IV	Defeat Victurus the Shattered and his army.	Event	Iron Marches	Wreckage of Day's Labor	[&BNkBAAA=]	[none]	2 (easy)	10	2	Buy
3	V	Earn 100% completion in the Fields of Ruin.	Map Completion	Fields of Ruin	[na]	[na]	[none]	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
3	VI	Earn 100% completion in Iron Marches.	Map Completion	Iron Marches	[na]	[na]	[none]	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
3	VII	Befriend the dredge camp so they will join you as allies.	Event	Eternal Battlegrounds	Molevek Works	[&BPIDAAA=]	[none]	4 (group effort)	50	5	Buy
3	VIII	Complete Sorrow's Embrace in Story Mode.	Dungeon Story	Sorrow's Embrace	Sorrow's Embrace Waypoint	[&BD8FAAA=]	[none]	3 (medium)	50	5	Buy
3	IX	Defeat Vidius Flame Tribune.	Event	Fireheart Rise	Vidius Castrum Waypoint	[&BBwCAAA=]	[none]	2 (easy)	50	5	Grind
3	X	Complete the story step "The Battle of Fort Trinity."	Personal Story	Straits of Devastation	Plinth Timberland Waypoint	[&BFgGAAA=]	L70 story.	5 (fergidaboutit)	50	5	Buy
3	XI	Find the locked door at the end of the forgotten stream.	Explore	Cursed Shore	Verdance Waypoint	[&BBsDAAA=]	Achievement: Forgotten Stream	2 (easy)	1  50	10	Grind
3	XII	Defeat the Risen Priest of Melandru.	World Boss	Cursed Shore	Verdance Waypoint	[&BBsDAAA=]	Orrian Temple (random timer)	4 (group effort)	1  50	10	Try
3	XIII	Defeat the Karka Queen.	World Boss	Southsun Cove	Pearl Islet Waypoint	[&BNUGAAA=]	Timer (6 pm PDT)	4 (group effort)	3	20	Try
4	I	Complete the Obsidian Sanctum jumping puzzle.	Explore	Obsidian Sanctum	[na]	[na]	Achievement: Obsidian Sanctum	4 (group effort)	10	2	Grind
4	II	Capture Tytone Perch.	Capture	Edge of the Mists	Tytone Perch	[&BD0HAAA=]	[none]	4 (group effort)	10	2	Buy
4	III	Find the grand chest in Provernic Crypt.	Explore	Gendarran Fields	Provern Shore Waypoint	[&BOQAAAA=]	Mini-dungeon	1 (fast)	10	2	Grind
4	IV	Earn 100% completion in Harathi Hinterlands.	Map Completion	Harathi Hinterlands	[na]	[na]	[none]	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
4	V	Earn 100% completion in Timberline Falls.	Map Completion	Timberline Falls	[na]	[na]	[none]	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
4	VI	Earn 100% completion in Mount Maelstrom.	Map Completion	Mount Maelstrom	[na]	[na]	[none]	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
4	VII	Find the chest in Verarium Delves.	Explore	Sparkfly Fen	Ocean's Gullet Waypoint	[&BMkBAAA=]	Mini-dungeon	2 (easy)	50	5	Grind
4	VIII	Find the grand chest in Arundon Vale.	Explore	Frostgorge Sound	Arundon Waypoint	[&BHgCAAA=]	[none]	2 (easy)	50	5	Grind
4	IX	Defeat the dredge commissar.	Event	Dredgehaunt Cliffs	Tribulation Waypoint	[&BFYCAAA=]	[timer unknown]	4 (group effort)	50	5	Grind
4	X	Complete the story step "The Source of Orr."	Personal Story	Cursed Shore	Verdance Waypoint	[&BBsDAAA=]	L80 story.	5 (fergidaboutit)	50	5	Buy
4	XI	Complete Honor of the Waves in Story Mode.	Dungeon Story	Honor of the Waves	Honor of the Waves Waypoint	[&BEMFAAA=]	[none]	3 (medium)	1  50	10	Buy
4	XII	Defeat the Statue of Dwayna.	World Boss	Malchor's Leap	Tempests Waypoint	[&BLACAAA=]	Orrian Temple (random timer)	4 (group effort)	1  50	10	Try
4	XIII	Find the grand chest in the Ship of Sorrows.	Explore	Straits of Devastation	Plaza of Lost Wisdom	[&BOACAAA=]	Achievement: Ship of Sorrows	2 (easy)	3	20	Grind
5	I	Complete Caudecus's Manor in Story Mode.	Dungeon Story	Caudecus' Manor	Beetletun Waypoint	[&BPoAAAA=]	[none]	3 (medium)	10	2	Buy
5	II	Kill the Foulbear chieftain and her elite guards.	Event	Fields of Ruin	Foulbear Kraal	[&BNIAAAA=]	[timer unknown]	4 (group effort)	10	2	Buy
5	III	Complete the story step "Retribution."	Personal Story	Lion's Arch	Claw Island Portage Waypoint	[&BA8EAAA=]	L59 story.	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
5	IV	Earn 100% completion in Dredgehaunt Cliffs.	Map Completion	Dredgehaunt Cliffs	[na]	[na]	[none]	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
5	V	Earn 100% completion in Sparkfly Fen.	Map Completion	Sparkfly Fen	[na]	[na]	[none]	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
5	VI	Earn 100% completion in Frostgorge Sound.	Map Completion	Frostgorge Sound	[na]	[na]	[none]	5 (fergidaboutit)	10	2	Buy
5	VII	Defeat Vexa and her golem in Vexa's Lab.	Event	Fireheart Rise	Noxious Castrum	[&BA4CAAA=]	Achievement: Vexa's Lab	2 (easy)	50	5	Grind
5	VIII	Defeat the Infinity Coil Commander and capture the Infinity Coil.	Event	Mount Maelstrom	Crucible of Eternity Waypoint	[&BEIFAAA=]	[none]	3 (medium)	50	5	Try
5	IX	Defeat Admiral Taidha Covington.	World Boss	Bloodtide Coast	Laughing Gull Waypoint	[&BKgBAAA=]	Timer (8:30 pm)	4 (group effort)	50	5	Try
5	X	Defeat the Branded Devourer Queen.	Event	Iron Marches	Grundallion's Lair	[&BN0BAAA=]	[none]	2 (easy)	50	5	Buy
5	XI	Defeat the Overgrown Grub.	Event	Eternal Battlegrounds	Blue World Keep	[&BOIDAAA=]	[none]	4 (group effort)	1  50	10	Buy
5	XII	Complete the Ruined City of Arah in Story Mode.	Dungeon Story	Ruined City of Arah	Gates of Arah	[&BBUDAAA=]	[none]	3 (medium)	1  50	10	Buy
5	XIII	Defeat the corrupted high priestess of Lyssa.	World Boss	Malchor's Leap	Lyssa Waypoint	[&BK0CAAA=]	Orrian Temple (random timer)	4 (group effort)	3	20	Try

Legend

• Line #: The order of the trait line, i.e. 1 corresponds to Zeal, Strength, ...
• #: The trait #.
• Task: The required task to unlock.
• Type: For sorting purposes. I hope the categories are self-explanatory.
• Map: The name of the map.
• Pingable: The name of something that you can ping to chat, allowing for a clickable link.
• Code: The chat code. (I need to update these to copy/paste friendly versions.
• Other: Notes about whether the task is associated with an achievement or is time limited (times are PDT).
• Effort: My estimate of how much time and aggravation is required. The number is for sorting only — it's the text that gives the estimate of easy vs forget about it.
• Gold and SP The gold and skill point costs to unlock.
• Recom: My personal recommendation. Buy = spend the coin. Grind = spend the time. Try = attempt the task first (if you can pull it off, it's a big time/coin savings.)

Summary

• Buy: 12  60  + 132 
• Try: 18  10  + 127 
• Grind: 12  30  + 101 

In other words, spend about 13  and then save a lot of the remaining costs by running around the map.

Editorial

One of the things I loved about the initial launch of Guild Wars 2 was: less grinding to "level up," by which I mean: I wasn't forced to do anything in particular to maximize my build potential. As of April 2014, that has changed substantially. Notably, there is only one way to obtain maximum armor/weapons (grind crafting); only one way for newbies to obtain ascended trinkets (FotM and guild missions — the laurel method only works if you have played for ages); only two ways to unlock traits (pay 43  or repeat the same exact tasks on each toon). I happen to like g-mish, crafting, and Fractals, so I don't mind those requirements, but Kormir help those who don't. And I especially hate having to run around the map to places I have been before multiple times to unlock various traits. Sure, I could grind the gold, but that's a ridiculous investment for a relatively small return: I need the traits unlocked, because I have no idea when/if I will need them. It's almost worse than in GW1, where I could accidentally accumulate tomes on Toon A, that would allow Toon B to unlock the relevant skills; there's no such shortcut in GW2.