Q & A
The Following are some common questions that are asked when trying to uncover the final spots on the maps:
General Questions:
1) Does the Undercity and Skyway count as two separate areas?
No. Any area that has multiple levels only counts as one area, they do not stack. However, if a portion of one area sticks out from the area below or above it, you will need to get that area. For instance the SE corner of the Undercity juts out and thus cannot be uncovered from the Skyway area of the map.
Note: In a not so recent update these areas have now become separated. Though they are still theoretically located in the same area, the undercity now shows up in the U map as a black area that is uncovered as you explore. Any area that you encounter like this (this goes for all chapters) will not count towards the cartography title. Thus where you could get an extra .1% from the undercity that you could not clear in Skyway before, you now gain no points from exploring the undercity.
2) I’m a Tyrian and can’t access the Monastery Overlook/Boardwalk area or the Shing Jea Arena; can I still get 100%?
Yes. As I said in the post above, you do not need these areas to get 100%. In fact there are quite a few spots you can miss and still get 100%. However, even as a Tyrian you can visit the Shing Jea Arena outpost and uncover most of the island.
3) I can't seem to get into the Jade Quarry or Fort Aspenwood as it always says, "No opposing party joined," how do I get in?
Though you will get about .5% from Jade Quarry, you do NOT need it to achieve the title as long as you get everything else.
You need a total of eight people trying to enter from the Kurzick side as well as eight people trying to enter from the Luxon side. You can usually get into Fort Aspenwood if you make sure to log on in the evening time of whatever server you are on. Jade Quarry isn't as popular, so it will be harder to get in. Try to get in during the weekend, as more people will be on. Also try switching to the international servers at different times. It's usually dead in there, but a couple times I have been surprised and found it busy.
You can also try gathering a group to get in. You will need one group of eight for your side as well as another group of eight to play against. The best way to do this is to find someone else who can form the second team for you. It doesn't matter who is Kurzick or Luxon as either side can enter either side, so just chose a side and have the other person take the other side. You will also want to switch sides after the first match in order to make sure you uncover everything. Next, go to Kaineng Center, House Zu Heltzer, and Cavalon and advertise that you are gathering a group for the Jade Quarry or Fort Aspenwood. Have the other guy do the same. If you are on at a busy time, it may take a bit of work, but you should be able to pull it off.
Or you can go here:
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...php?t=10039148
Shiro Specific Questions
1) How do I get the NW and NE corners of the area where you fight Shiro?
In order to get these areas you must be banished by Shiro. This is what happens when members of your party disappear and are replaced by Shiroken Constructs.
2) Does Shiro banish you to different areas?
No. He will only banish you to the NW area. To uncover the NE corner, once you have been banished you need to face the NE direction and walk very slowly, hugging the wall. If you do this correctly you will discover a small corner that will take you closer to the NE and it will uncover that area.
3) How do I get Shiro to banish me?
a) Shiro will not banish you if you are alone.
b) Shiro will not banish you if you only have henchmen
c) You should go in with only you and one other person to increase your chance of banishment. Try and get a Warrior or a Ranger to go with you as these professions have less of a tendency to get banished. If you are a warrior make sure you are with another warrior. If you take henchies, Murphy says they will be the only ones that Shiro banishes.
4) I've done all of the above, but Shiro only banishes the other person I bring with me, how come?
Shiro seems to be rather chaotic with his choice of who he will banish and why. I have yet to see anyone pin point with 100% accuracy exactly who Shiro will banish and why. There have been many popular theories, most of which have been proven to only work in certain cases.
The only solution that I have personally never seen fail is the following:
a) Buy a cheap suit of armor (25g per piece) from Shing Jea Island. Then buy five Superior Runes for 100 gold each, they can even be the same rune. This will only cost you 625g. You could probably even get away with leaving out the helm and only buying four runes for a total of 500g. (Hint: You can easily get this gold by simply joining 1-2 Alliance Battles, and selling the Amber or Jade you get from it. PM me if you are unsure of the process.)
Put all of the runes into the armor and go in with it equipped. You should be banished as soon as you hit Shiro's aggro circle, though I believe it works best if you are the second to hit it.
Don't know why this works, but it does.
Important: If you use this method, make sure to re-equip your normal armor once you are banished. Otherwise the spirits in the banishment area will make short work of you. Also make sure to bring skills that will allow you to destroy the spirits here, as the area is best explored very slowly and without having to worry about being attack.
If you are a monk character, you may want to try going in with 5 major runes instead, as the Superior are very expensive. Make sure to bring only a Warrior (player) with you and try to get one that has +HP items, to help offset the balance. I haven't tested a monk with major runes yet, so this specific way may not work, but the superior runes will. If you try it with major runes, let me know how it goes. Make sure to record you and your partner's health, profession, and any items effecting AC or Health.
b) It seemed to be the most popular theory was that Shiro consistently banished the character with the least amount of hit points. However, my own tests proved this wrong.
Shiro does seem to have a thing for banishing the weakest characters physically though. As such, it is best to first try removing all +Health items that you have on your character including armor (with runes of vigor). If you do have armor with superior runes in them that will lower your health, go ahead and equip them as well. Next get your Warrior/Ranger friend to equip himself with any +Health items that he may have and remove any items/armor that lowers his health. The point is to get him/her to have the most health possible and get you to have the least.
c) Since Shiro does have a tendency to banish the weakest characters physically, this means that he "usually" banish spell casters before heartier professions like Warriors and Rangers. This is not a rule set in stone though, you will encounter instances where he will consistently banish a spell caster over a Warrior or Ranger.
d) Some have reported that even though Shiro initially would not banish them, after fighting for a while, Shiro did eventually banish them, once the other person had been banished numerous times in the same fight. So if you prefer to spend time over money, you may continue to fight Shiro until he decides to banish you. Though there is no telling how long it will take, or if it will work at all.
Summary:
* First get a Warrior or Ranger to accompany you, without the aid of Henchmen.
* Lower your health and raise the Warrior/Ranger's health as much as possible through item manipulation.
* Enter the mission and see if Shiro will banish you
* Keep fighting him in the same battle until he decides to
* Spend 500-625g for the armor and runes and be banished immediately.
5) Every time I get banished it ends before I can explore the area, how can I clear the banishment area before I am returned to Shiro's sanctum?
Once again you must go in with only you and one other person . The only way that Shiro's banishment ends is if you enter the portal at the top of the hill, or if the Shiroken construct that took your place is destroyed. As such, simply get the person you come along with to run away from Shiro and the construct until they break aggro. Then they find a corner to stay away from them, and you will have as much time as you need to clear it.
If you have tried to find others to go with you and it isn't working, send me a PM and I will go in with you.
Location Specific Questions
1) Ok, I now see that I'm missing heaps of spots that have been circled on the maps. So how do I get to them?
The following is a wonderful guide curtosy of Shyft the Pyro which can also be found on page 2 of this thread:
Shing Jea
1. North wall of Minister Cho's Estate explorable. Check the beach on both sides of the rock outcropping.
2. NW corner of Minister Cho's Estate explorable.
3-6. West wall of Kinya Province. Make sure to go as far west as you can on all islands and beaches.
7. SW corner of Panjiang Peninsula. Check from east (dock) and north (beach).
8. Middle of Panjiang Peninsula. Walk the edges of the bay.
9-10. The "mountain spot" west of Tsumei Village. This spot cannot be cleared completely, but 9 can be reached from SE corner of Kinya Province and 10 from NE corner of Panjiang Peninsula. Go as far NW as you can when exiting Tsumei Village to clear 10.
11. East wall of Panjiang Peninsula.
12. Shing Jea Arena. The battle area of this arena is open to characters level 10 and under. The staging area of this arena is open to all characters. Talk to the arena guard in Shing Jea Monastery to enter.
13. SW corner of Shing Jea Monastery outpost, behind the Xunlai Agents.
14. For Tyrian characters who never entered Monastery Overlook, parts of that zone can be cleared from Saoshang Trail and the docks of Seitung Harbor.
15. The docks of Seitung Harbor. Make sure to go as far south as you can.
16. SW corner of Zen Daijun explorable. Gates leading to this area are closed in the mission.
17. The south wall of Zen Daijun explorable. This area may be open for exploration in the mission but the north path is much easier for mission completion.
18. SE corner of Zen Daijun explorable. Gates leading to this area are closed in the mission.
19. SE corner of Haiju Lagoon. Make sure to check behind the resurrection shrine.
20. East wall of Haiju Lagoon. Clear from the "Sentimental Treasures" quest island north of the spot. Beware of the Ritualist boss.
21. Hanzing Pier, endpoint for "Captured Son" quest. Go as far east as possible.
22-23. North wall of Haiju Lagoon. Go as far into the water as possible.
24. North wall of Jaya Bluffs. Instead of just exploring it from Zuuyun Point (where the road below goes into the mountain), walk the cliffs to the east and west.
Livingston Edit: You will often need to go along the north wall to the East of the spot and then clear it by hugging the wall on the way back towards it. In other words by traveling from right to left. I recently uncovered this with another character and fully hugged the wall going West to East, but it didn't clear until I hit the same spot on the way back going East to West. I believe this is why so few people fully uncover this spot on the first go.
25. Sizhou Hall, endpoint for "Looking for Trouble" primary quest.
Kaineng
1. West wall of Wajjun Bazaar. Head NW from Nahpui Quarter. Easiest if "Seek Out Brother Tosai" quest from Kaineng Center is active, as it turns all regular Am Fah spawns in Wajjun Bazaar into NPCs rather than enemies.
2-3. Make sure to hug the edges of the island as closely as possible - you can uncover some spots in the water that show as a "vertical line" glitch on the world map the way west edge of Dunes of Despair mission in Tyria does. The "U" map and zoomed-in overview map don't show this line.
4. West wall of Kaineng Center outpost. Go SW past the armor crafters or NW past the Canthan Ambassador to reach the docks.
5-6. NW and NE corners of Bejunkan Pier. Check the edges of both levels (up the stairs and down at the docks).
7-9. North wall of Raisu Palace explorable. To clear 8, walk the piers.
Livingston Edit: The NE corner of 7 is also uncovered from the closest peer. You may have to sit in the corner for a few seconds.
10. NE corner of Imperial Sanctum mission, accessible only from Shiro's banishment path. Hug the cliff as closely as possible. If this spot does not clear immediately, walk back along the edge from the first spirit to the east side of the banishment area. For tips on getting banished, see this thread.
11. SW corner of Imperial Sanctum mission, accessible only from the battle area. Shiro always banishes players to the same path. To uncover the rest of the area, walk the edges of the battle area without engaging Shiro.
12. Tahnnakai Temple explorable. This area cannot be reached during the mission due to locked gates. In the explorable, make sure to walk both the east and the west side, as they form separate paths and do not link up.
13. South wall of Dragon's Throat outpost. Dragon's Throat is bugged in that you cannot clear any fog from inside the outpost and the PC marker does not show up on the overview map (the same way it does not show up inside Dragon's Throat mission). To clear this, walk out into Shadow's Passage and get as close to the portal without zoning back in as possible.
14-15. East and south walls of Vizunah Square mission.
16. North wall of Shenzun Tunnels. Start from Tahnnakai Temple and go west; you'll only need to fight/run past one mob of Am Fah.
17. SE corner of Undercity. This is one of the spots where Xaquang Skyway does not coincide with Undercity, so this spot must be cleared from below.
Shyft The Pyro edit: I have just personally confirmed that it is no longer possible (since a recent update) to uncover the SE corner of Undercity. The map marker (green circle with a pointer) remains in the center of the Skyway on the overview map regardless of where your character travels in the Undercity, so Undercity is now as "glitched" as Dragon's Throat outpost in that you cannot uncover the overview map from it.
18. Center of Shenzun Tunnels. Many people miss this spot when following the "To Tahnnakai Temple" quest.
19. NW corner of Sunjiang District explorable. Parts of this spot may be cleared from east wall of Shenzun Tunnels.
20. This spot can be cleared from inside Zin Ku Corridor outpost. Hug the corner directly NE of the spot.
21. SE corner of Tahnnakai Temple explorable. A lot of people miss it when rushing to Vizu during the mission. A related spot further south is the east wall of Zin Ku Corridor, behind the weaponsmith.
22. East wall of Sunjiang District explorable.
Mount Qinkai
1. SE corner of Nahpui Quarter mission and SW corner of Nahpui Quarter explorable. You cannot clear this spot completely but can hug the edges closely, especially since a lot of people don't clear all they can in the burned-out home of Am Fah (south wall of Nahpui Quarter explorable).
2. South wall of Shenzun Tunnels. Most easily reached by starting in Senji's Corner and going through Nahpui Quarter explorable.
3. NW corner of Pongmei Valley.
4. The "farmland spot" east of Maatu Keep. The best way to clear this spot is to hit SW corner of Sunjiang District explorable, but you may need to hug the walls in all surrounding areas - SE corner of Shenzun Tunnels, east wall of Maatu Keep and north wall in Pongmei Valley - as well. Sunjiang District mission won't let you reach the SW corner of the zone as the area is closed off by a gate.
5. East wall of Pongmei Valley and north wall of Boreas Seabed outpost. To get the north wall of Boreas Seabed outpost, use the bridge behind the Xunlai Agent.
6. North wall of Boreas Seabed explorable.
7. North wall of Mount Qinkai.
8-9. South wall of Pongmei Valley.
10. West wall of Mount Qinkai.
11. NW corner of Arborstone explorable.
12. West wall of Arborstone explorable.
13. SE corner of Arborstone explorable or NW corner of Ferndale, depending on which side of this spot you're missing.
14. North wall of Ferndale.
15. West wall of Kurzick Aspenwood Gate outpost.
16. This spot is cleared by asking the Luxon Commander in Luxon Fort Aspenwood outpost to Replay the mission cinematic.
17. NW corner of Jade Quarry battle area. To clear this spot, check behind the guardpost NE of the yellow quarry. Make sure to hug the walls inside the yellow quarry as well.
18. East wall of Jade Quarry battle area. Check the east wall of the Luxon starting area, behind the guardpost north of the green quarry, and inside the green quarry.
19. SW corner of Jade Quarry battle area. Check the west wall of the Kurzick starting area and behind the guardpost SW of the yellow quarry.
20. East wall of Ferndale.
Unwaking Waters
1. East wall of Melandru's Hope.
2. NW corner of Melandru's Hope.
Livingston Edit: The dark spot in the SW area of #2 is cleared by hitting a northern point in Ferndale, just SW of the area in question.
3. SW corner of Saint Anjeka's Shrine outpost, behind the henchmen.
4. SW corner of Drazach Thicket.
5. NW corner of Eternal Grove explorable.
6. SW corner of Mourning Veil Falls.
7. SW corner of Amatz Basin mission.
8. South wall of Mourning Veil Falls.
9-10. North wall of Morostav Trail.
11-12. NW corner of Unwaking Waters explorable.
13. NW corner of Luxon Unwaking Waters outpost or NE corner of Unwaking Waters explorable.
14. East wall of Silent Surf and south wall of Seafarer's Rest outpost.
15. South wall of Silent Surf, on the island.
16. East wall of Unwaking Waters explorable.
17. South wall of Unwaking Waters mission. Head south after coming out of the gate, but remember to help the other team finish the mission if they're not all henchmen to avoid giving cartographers a bad name
18-19. East wall of Morostav Trail.
Luxon
1. NW corner of Eredon Terrace outpost.
2. North wall of Maishang Hills.
3. South wall of Maishang Hills, SW corner of Maishang Hills (hug the wall facing east), and NE corner of Archipelagos.
4. SW corner of Maishang Hills (hug the wall facing west).
5. Zos Shivros Channel mission.
6. SE corner of Archipelagos.
7-9. West wall of Gyala Hatchery explorable. Sometimes the island above 7 also isn't completely cleared; check the west wall of the gated quarry next to it.
10. There is supposed to be a tiny island north of the Leviathan at this spot. To clear it, head west out of Leviathan Pits, kill the boss mob and the oni spawn on the big island, and squeeze into the southern corner of the big island as tightly as you can. Move around and change the direction you're facing to make sure you clear the spot.
11. NE corner of Silent Surf and west wall of Rhea's Crater.
12. SW corner of Aurios Mines mission.
13. NE corner of Aurios Mines mission.
14-15. North wall of Rhea's Crater. 14 is rather easy to clear, but 15 pops up only when heading east in the north hallway, up against a block of jade that juts out of the wall. Clearing the boss spawn west of 15 might help as well.
16. NE corner of Gyala Hatchery explorable.
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