Waypoint

Example of a waypoint

Destroyed Thistlereed Waypoint

“

This is a waypoint. Waypoints appear on your compass, which is in the lower-right corner of your screen. You can also see them on the world map, which you can access by pressing "M." Press "M" again to close the world map. To teleport to a waypoint, open your world map and click on the waypoint to which you want to travel.

— Watchman Rebec

Waypoint (commonly abbreviated to WP) is the primary method of transportation and fast map travel in open world and some instanced zones in Guild Wars 2.

Mechanics

Traveling

Players can instantly travel to a waypoint by using the map. Before a character can use a particular waypoint for map travel, it must be discovered through exploration. Undiscovered waypoints will be displayed on the compass and map, and approaching the waypoint will unlock it for that character.

Map travel within a city is free (except for travel from the home instance), but traveling to waypoints in other parts of the world costs a fee in coin based on the distance between the character's current location and the destination waypoint, as well as the character's non-scaled level.

If contested or defeated

During and after dynamic events, waypoints can become contested if the area is taken over by enemies. These waypoints will be unavailable for map travel until they have been liberated. Contested waypoints are not shown as contested when viewed from a different map; attempting to travel to a contested waypoint will take you to the nearest available one, for the original cost.

If a character has no unlocked waypoints in a map and becomes downed, they will automatically unlock the nearest waypoint. If the only waypoint(s) a character has unlocked in a map is contested and they become downed, they will automatically unlock the nearest uncontested waypoint.

Waypoints cannot be used while in combat (the message "you cannot map travel while in combat." appears in red text if you try to do so). Defeated players can choose to be revived at a waypoint for the same fee as regular map travel. If a character is defeated with no coin, they can be revived for free at the nearest waypoint.

Chat links and UI

Along with points of interest, Shift+Left-click or Ctrl+Left-click on a discovered waypoint on the compass or map adds a clickable link in chat. Double-clicking on a discovered waypoint allows to bypass the confirmation window.

Central Tyria zones in the base game typically have between 10 and 20 waypoints each, while expansion maps generally have less than 10, following player feedback that waypoints were too numerous.

Lore

According to Technician Penn, waypoints are mini-gates and magical matter-transportive devices devised by the asura to make it easier to travel long distances.

During the events of Season 2 of the Living Story, it is revealed that waypoints will only function if placed on a ley-line. If a waypoint was not placed on a ley-line, it would eventually fail, and the asura would remove it in order to ensure the waypoint network remained stable. Therefore, the asura have unknowingly mapped the location of ley-lines all over Tyria. This discovery by Scarlet Briar allowed her to locate the massive leyline hub under Lion's Arch, disrupt it, and awaken Mordremoth. Shortly after, Mordremoth's vines started entangling waypoints, even destroying some like at Fort Marriner. Taimi deduced Mordremoth's vines were attracted to the waypoints' magical resonance and developed a machine that could tap into the waypoint network and retune waypoints to a different frequency that was less attractive to the Mordrem. There was some inconsistency in the Living Story as to what frequency would be less attractive to the Mordrem. In The Machine, Taimi says they needed a higher frequency, but in Recalibrating the Waypoints she says they needed to vibrate at a slower rate. Taimi's machine was commandeered by Councillor Phlunt when it was found to work, and since then, vines have no longer been seen attacking waypoints. The implications of this machine are that the waypoint network can be "hacked", and that waypoints are somewhat programmable.

Map icons

Available/unlocked

Locked

Contested

Hover

Jade Bot Personal Waypoint

New characters

Each new character starts with one waypoint unlocked in each of the starter maps of the 5 races:

Unlocked waypoints
Asura	Soren Draa Waypoint —
Charr	Smokestead Waypoint —
Human	Shaemoor Waypoint —
Norn	Horncall Waypoint —
Sylvari	Astorea Waypoint —

This allows characters of different races to play together and explore each others' starter zones.

Personal Waypoint

Player's personal waypoint

Personal waypoint of a party member

Players can use Left Alt+Left-Click on the map to place a permanent marker called personal waypoint. It is visible to others in the party as a . The marker can be moved by repeating the above key-mouse combination in a new location or removed with a Left-click at the personal waypoint's current position.

Mechanics

• Despite the name, personal waypoint is just a marker, and cannot be used to teleport the character to another location.
• The marker will remain in its place until removed even between map changes or gaming sessions.
• Personal waypoints are character-based, and each character on an account may have a different one.
• When you mouseover another party member's personal waypoint, a popup displays that character's name and your distance to the waypoint.

Similar permanent map markers for squad groups available only for their commanders.

Jade Bot: Personal Waypoint

Example of a Jade Bot Waypoint

Players with the Jade Tech Waypoint mastery from the End of Dragons mastery tracks can activate a personal single use waypoint at the current location of the character. It can be placed by using   Jade Bot: Personal Waypoint skill and teleported to by double-clicking it on the map or compass. The skill can't be activated again for 10 minutes after using the waypoint.

Skill use

The skill can be activated by one of the following methods:

• Clicking on its icon in the Mastery Skill pop-up menu.
• Using its own keybind "Set Jade Bot Waypoint" (unassigned in the Control Options by default).
• Using "Activate Mastery Skill" keybind ( J by default) after setting "Jade Bot: Personal Waypoint" as the active skill by right-clicking it in the Mastery Skill menu.

Mechanics

• Jade Bot Waypoint is removed upon moving to another zone or changing instance within the same zone.
• Recharge timer is individual for each character and is paused while on a different character or logged out.
• The recharge of the skill starts after placing the waypoint, but also resets back to 10 minutes after teleporting to it.
• Adrenal Mushrooms reset the cooldown.
• Jade Bot Waypoint can't be set while on a Skiff or while swimming, both on the surface and underwater. However, it can be placed while mounted, either on land or over the surface of water while on a skimmer.

Cost

Waypoint cost versus level for travel from the Cornucopian Fields to Vigil Keep waypoints (41,573 units)

The total cost of traveling to a waypoint depends on the level (base fee) and the distance traveled , and can be determined as follows:

Waypoint cost = C1 * [ 0.78 + max(0, (0.0003 / 24) * (Distance - 14400)) ] + C2

There are two level dependent constants, C1 and C2, which are determined by a lookup table:

• C1 scales linearly between levels 0 and 80 from 4  to 50 .
• C2 is zero up to level 30, and scales linearly between levels 31 and 80 from 0  to 1 .

The distance for this equation is measured in standard game units (inches) which also appear when hovering over markers on the minimap or in skill ranges.

Base waypoint fees per character level
Character Level	Base Fee	Character Level	Base Fee	Character Level	Base Fee	Character Level	Base Fee
1	3	21	12	41	44	61	92
2	4	22	13	42	46	62	94
3	5	23	13	43	49	63	97
4	5	24	14	44	51	64	1  0
5	5	25	15	45	53	65	1  2
6	6	26	15	46	55	66	1  5
7	6	27	16	47	58	67	1  7
8	7	28	16	48	61	68	1  10
9	8	29	16	49	63	69	1  12
10	8	30	16	50	66	70	1  14
11	9	31	19	51	68	71	1  16
12	9	32	22	52	71	72	1  19
13	9	33	24	53	73	73	1  22
14	9	34	27	54	75	74	1  24
15	10	35	29	55	77	75	1  26
16	11	36	32	56	80	76	1  29
17	11	37	34	57	83	77	1  31
18	12	38	36	58	85	78	1  33
19	12	39	38	59	88	79	1  36
20	12	40	41	60	90	80	1  39

Reducing travel costs

Primary article: Map navigation

There are several useful methods of lowering or avoiding waypoint costs, examples include:

• Guild Waypoint Discount Upgrade
• Teleportation devices
• Portal Scrolls
• Asura gates
• Custom methods of transportation unique to certain zones.

See Map navigation#Reducing travel costs for more details.

Map completion

• There are 486 waypoints that count towards map completion.
  • Waypoints in dungeons, WvW, PvP areas, and in zones added after the game's launch (such as Southsun Cove, The Silverwastes, and the Heart of Maguuma zones) do not count.

Gallery

• 

  Kryptis Corrupted Waypoint

• 

  Astral Ward Waypoint

Related achievements

• Adventure Guide: Volume One: Using Waypoints — Travel using a waypoint.  Waypoints allow you to travel quickly around the world. They are unlocked by visiting them once. You can teleport to any unlocked waypoint for a small amount of coin. (0)

Notes

Update	Added	New total
Game launch	-	503
28 January 2013	6	509
26 February 2013	2	511
26 March 2013	1	512
15 October 2013	1	513
18 November 2014	-29	484

• The number of waypoints required for World completion achievement has changed over time, from 477 during the first Beta Weekend event to 503 when the game launched. Since then, other waypoints have been added, and the WvW waypoints, along with all WvW Vistas, POI's, and Hero Points have been removed from the map completion requirement. All of these ARE still available, and the WvW Hero Points are still added to the character's totals.
• In Season 1, when Captain Ellen Kiel was elected to the Lion's Arch Captain's Council, the fees for using a waypoint were reduced.
• Some waypoints were destroyed during Living World Season 2 story and have yet to be repaired. While they are still needed for map completion, and can be selected as travel destinations from the world map, they are shown in each map as permanently contested even if no foes are around.

Bug:

Traveling to a waypoint is unsuccessful if attempted in the midst of losing a connection to the server, or if attempting to waypoint to another map with a different build number from the one you're on. You will still be charged for the waypoint cost, and unfortunately there is no refund.

See also

• Asura gate
• Chat link format/0x04 codes
• Central Tyria Waypoint Unlock Cache
• Central Tyria Waypoint Unlock Package
• Expansion Waypoint Unlock Package
• Waypoint Unlock Box
• Emergency Waypoint
• Waypoint Research Material