When you walk into a new map for the first time, what do you do?

[Fipmip.7219]

I'd like to get a general understanding of how people play the open world and experience new content.

 

If some new content drops with a new world map, for example: EoD, I play it slowly. My process is to:

-Not use mounts at first, and run from story object to story objective

-Allow myself to be distracted by interesting areas, and mini metas or hearts on the way to each objective

-Listen to NPCs talking

-Not do the main map meta until all the areas in which the main map meta takes place are discovered

-Not necessarily discover every POI before moving onto the next map, leaving some stuff for later

-Eventually transition to using mounts near the end of the process

 

Another thing i did for EoD was try and do the fishing collection for the map before moving onto the next one, which netted me a nice 70G in ambergris + whatever in fish meat, but that's probably not typical for me. Overall I find my method to be a good way to appreciate the finer details and discover some cool secrets organically. Although I wish anet would stop spamming mobs everywhere. Like jesus christ have you ever tried walking through echovald just trying to appreciate nature? exhausting.

 

Anyway, just curious if you try to go fast or slow, and how you go about it.

Edited August 26, 2022 by Fipmip.7219

[Freya.9075]

When I enter a new map, I take my time exploring. I do use Mount at first as I’m really curious about the place and want an overview of how it looks like. I do however stop when I get distracted by something new and stay there until I move on exploring.
 

then I slow down and take a better look at details and npcs (specially dialogs as gw2 has so many good and funny dialogs in the game) and vendors, mobs, ambient creatures, nature and just details in general.

Then I do story or events and just get to know the map better.

[Tukaram.8256]

I like to run around, just looking at the scenery, and unlocking waypoints. Then I decide which direction to go exploring in depth. 😎

[GreenZap.1352]

I always 100% unlock the map first; WP's, Hearts, Poi etc.

 

After I do the story or what's up there.

[Danikat.8537]

I don't have a standard procedure or even a plan really, other than doing whatever I went to the map to do. So for example when I first got into each of the EoD maps I was heading towards the green stars to continue the story, but I would sometimes be distracted by things along the way and that could lead to anything from gathering materials or watching a vista to a one-off event or a jumping puzzle or an entire meta event chain.

I don't set an order for completing things or save some things to do after everything else because a big part of the fun for me is not knowing what's going to happen or what I'll find.

It's the same with mounts. I oftten don't use them, especially in new maps, but if I see something I want to get to and using mounts is the only way I can see to reach it then I'll use them. For example while exploring Shing Jea I was mostly on foot but frequently switched to the springer or skyscale to get up mountains I couldn't reach otherwise. I might have been wrong about that sometimes, there might have been a path up the other side, but I'd rather check them out as I'm going along rather than trying to remember to come back later and check them all out.

[JayHog.3280]

I focus on just unlocking important points and try and finish the story bits first until the end. Only after I finish the story, that I go back to finish the map and sightsee as I do so.

[Andy.5981]

If the map is an expansion map or living world map, the first thing I do is follow the story right through to the end within that map.

A lot of these maps are meant to be discoverd by the storyline, a prime example is Tangled Depths. If you follow the story through, in the case of Tangled Depths, it takes you through the majority of the areas and leads you to most of the important waypoints. The rest, you can fill in after the story from these areas.

If the map is a core world map and not at that point part of the storyline, I tend to explore around the edges of the map until I come back to the point I started at. It's a habit I picked up from playing Everquest. Sticking high on the zone wall was a good way to avoid the big bad nasties who you knew inhabited the central area of the map.

Another thing I always do and always mention to my guildmates, is I always check behind waterfalls for loot, enemies or secret passageways.

[Danikat.8537]

30 minutes ago, Andy.5981 said:

Another thing I always do and always mention to my guildmates, is I always check behind waterfalls for loot, enemies or secret passageways.

I thought that was one of the unwritten rules of gaming - you always check behind waterfalls.

(And if there is something you moan that it's a predictable and overdone trope, but if there isn't anything you moan that it's a waste of a waterfall and what's the point if it's not hiding something.)

In some games you can't even stop checking after you've found a treasure chest or whatever because there might still be another one. (Breath of the Wild likes doing that. One waterfall had 3 things hidden behind it that needed different methods to find. I can't decide if they just know their players or if they're lampshading...or both.)

[rune.9572]

Try to map complete

Get annoyed by 1 area gated behind 1 hour of story

[Gibson.4036]

I link my [Marsh Frog] in map chat. He’s very social and likes to say, “Hi”.

[HnRkLnXqZ.1870]

Right after entering the map, I inspect the arrival area. Although their information is rather trivial, I am always looking out for a scout NPC. They usually offer some information about the place, a few interesting spots and also explain relationships between the locations. 

Once that is done, I check the vendors. After Thunderhead Peaks, I also check the regular weapon & armor vendors, as well as the standard merchant NPCs. Is a heart-vendor nearby? I complete the heart and check their goods as well. That gives me an idea about what to expect from the other heart-vendors and offers minor story-spoilers, thanks to the minis. If it is a LW map, I get the first information about the map-specific currency. The prices at the heart-vendor, e. g. for the minis or other trivial stuff also gives me important information about how rare the map-currency is and how many gathering nodes/sources I can expect from that map.

If it is a LW map, the next stop is the specific currency vendor - if there is one. If possible, I unlock the Home Instance Node right away and take a quick look at the map-specific abilities (e. g. Karmic Retribution). Taking a look at other tabs, expecting items to be story/achievement-locked. But I can already get an idea what this map will offer me in terms of content, especially group-content.

By the time I enter a new map, it was already accessible for several hours or a few days. So I spend some time watching other players. What minis do they have? Any unusual gear-pieces to spot? Mapchat is a good indicator for the map-meta events and the most difficult achievements, as well as bugs. Are there any tags on the minimap? If mentors, it is probably a map with smaller group-activities. If there are only commanders, it can be an indicator for a meta-event. So I check the lore/map-information in the top-right corner. Does it say something that looks like a meta-event? If no, the commander tag is probably just a regular farm zerg.

Then I open the map and switch through my guilds, which shows me where people are on that map. If I see several yellow dots in one location, it is either a hub or an important location for an event/activity/achievement. If I see one near a commander-tag, I open the LFG and read through the descriptions of the groups. That gives me information about the main activities on the map and hints about the meta-event. 

At last, I check the gemstore. Any special skins which give me a hint about allies/enemies I will face on that map? Then I usually check the clock, realize it is mid-week and I have to work the next day. I'm still in the arrival zone of the map. I use my portal scroll to Rata Sum so I can focus on my dailies on my next login and log off.

Edited August 26, 2022 by HnRkLnXqZ.1870
typos

[Astralporing.1957]

For the first time? First, make sure the waypoint gets unlocked. Then do the story. I may do some slight exploring/events if they are nearby (and will definitely unlock any waypoint that is not too far out of the way), but generally exploration starts only after the story is finished.

Any subsequent character is going to run through the maps unlocking key waypoints, and probably do hero points to unlock new espec if it's new expansion (obviously, not an issue for LS maps). Then, exploration.

[fenriswolfman.5486]

Pick a direction and start running. Let the world come alive around me.

[Zok.4956]

I travel/walk the map to get a feeling/impression/theme of the map and to be immersed and I do some events I stumble upon. Then I unlock some waypoints, then I do story and then I try to explore all the rest of the map.

When I started the game with my first character, I walked, as a low-level character, into higher level-maps to explore/experience them and trying not to aggro mobs that one-shoot me. This gave me a sense of danger I never experienced again as a level 80 in the Core game. And years later HoT released and I had exactly the same sense of danger because it was a very dangerous and hostile jungle before Anet nerfed the HoT maps.

[Tinker.6924]

I explore the entire map and finish all the hearts, waypoints, poi's, etc...  and then I go back and do any story stuff.

[Batel.9206]

I generally follow story markers, but I get sidetracked. A lot. Usually because I've gotten hopelessly lost on the way to those story markers, so I'll just shrug and decide to see what's off in this direction anyway...and then before I know it, I've got half the map explored while the story quest is impatiently tapping its foot off in the distance.

[Farohna.6247]

Follow the personal story around, then go back and complete the hearts/events/poi's/etc.  

Occasionally just skip story entirely and work my way across a map, clearing sections completely before going to the next part.

[Randulf.7614]

I try to stick to a small area and immerse myself in that bit before widening my exploration. For example, when Verdant Brink came out, I’d follow an event chain to its conclusion, but for days I’d stuck only around that path doing other events or looking around etc

In Amnoon, it was a week or two before I left the city, just doing events on repeat, exploring the local area, absorbing the ambience and dialogue

[ugrakarma.9416]

mount the beetle and start racing blindly to open all.

[RadiantWolf.2058]

I try to 100% complete the map, sometimes ahead of story, sometimes while doing story.

[Sobx.1758]

Following the whole story, probably doing some events on the way and slightly sidetrack if I see something interesting. If I see a mastery insight on the map, I'm going straight for it, for the most part it helps with not being stalled with mastery xp too much. Not really going for map completion before I finish the story.

Edited August 26, 2022 by Sobx.1758

[Ashen.2907]

If the story got me to the map I continue with it. After that I explore, sightsee, etc.

[EMPI.4013]

I press M

[aikatara.3462]

18 hours ago, Fipmip.7219 said:

I'd like to get a general understanding of how people play the open world and experience new content.

 

If some new content drops with a new world map, for example: EoD, I play it slowly. My process is to:

-Not use mounts at first, and run from story object to story objective

-Allow myself to be distracted by interesting areas, and mini metas or hearts on the way to each objective

-Listen to NPCs talking

-Not do the main map meta until all the areas in which the main map meta takes place are discovered

-Not necessarily discover every POI before moving onto the next map, leaving some stuff for later

-Eventually transition to using mounts near the end of the process

 

 

I play more or less like that as well when I enter a new map/new content.

[sylmatyr.1485]

If applicable, do the story.  Then do map complete taking time to look around and do some events.  Typically don't participate in metas until I have most of the map completed, but if I stumble into them, I go with it.