Guild Wars Eye of the North: Hero Basics

Name	Eye of the North: Hero Basics
Category	General

First introduced in Guild Wars: Nightfall, Heroes are computer controlled Non Player Characters or NPCs, who can join your party and help you on your adventures; however, unlike the normal Henchmen, Heroes can be almost entirely customized by the player - you can modify and upgrade their weapons, armor, and most importantly their secondary profession and skills. The only thing you have no control over is their original profession. This fact gives you a lot of flexibility considering to create a party member worthy of going through quests and other content with you.

The good deal does not end here. In comes the additional fact that Heroes can be given very specific instructions, such as "Fight", "Guard" or "Avoid Combat". They can also be directed around the map, enabling you to control engagements with the enemy and manage your party’s aggro range all at the same time. It is quite a handy feature and you really do have an unlimited amount of control for a game.

Only three Heroes can be in your party at any one time, so choose them wisely. There are a total of ten Heroes available in Eye of the North. Some will simply join your party as part of the storyline; for others however, you will need to complete individual side missions to ‘unlock’ the Hero and make them available to you for partying. We will now take a look at all of them.

PYRE

Eye of the North introduces several new heroes and this is one of the first that you come across. I should not need to mention that this one of them in particular is a bit of a surprise. That becomes quite obvious right away. Pyre Fierceshot is a Charr. I bet you did not think you would ever be inviting a Charr to join your party, did you? On top of that, the missions and quests that Pyre opens up require you to not only team up with Charr, but actually help them out as well. It is a pretty big shift.

Pyre has Ranger armor labeled as a Charr set, with an armor rating of 13 - 70, depending on level. His armor bonuses are + 30 to Elemental damage, + 5 to energy on his chest armor, and + 1 to energy regeneration on his leg armor.

The look of his armor can be improved to Brotherhood armor using Cloth of the Brotherhood acquired from the Glint's Challenge, the challenge mission. It can also be improved to Deldrimor armor using Deldrimor Armor Remnants acquired in the Hierophant's Chest at the end of the Slaver's Exile dungeon. Pyre Fierceshot's starter weapon is a maximally customized blue Stoneshard Hornbow with an attribute requirement of 9 and Damage + 10 % while Health is above 50 %. This item cannot be placed into storage.

As his name hints at, Pyre Fierceshot is a Ranger. His default skills are:

- Dual Shot
- Kindle Arrows
- Resurrection Signet
- Savage Shot
- Throw Dirt
- Troll Unguent

When you first meet Pyre, it is the Grothmar Wargrounds, at some point in the quest "Against the Charr.” To make use of Pyre, you have to successfully finish the Primary Ebon Vanguard quest "Warband of Brothers.” In result, Pyre is unlocked as a hero, and can be used in your party at any point you choose to utilize him.

Pyre is an excellent Hero addition to your party in Eye of the North, and is above all useful with an Interrupt build. Having a Charr is fun in any case, and if you need a Ranger, Pyre tends to obey orders and run off less than Acolyte Jin - which can be a serious life saver on some missions where wiping is practically imminent.

LIVIA

Another new hero in Eye of the North is Livia, a Necromancer from the Shining Blade. She has been sent on a mission to find a great weapon that can help the Shining Blade bring tranquility to Kryta, no matter what the cost comes to be.

Livia has Shining Blade Necromancer Armor, with an armor rating of 60 - which you may not believe considering how little she is actually covered. Her armor, well, what little there is of it, can be upgraded to Deldrimor Armor using a Deldrimor Armor Remnant, and to Brotherhood Armor using a Cloth of the Brotherhood. Once her armor has been upgraded she can be added to your Monument of Fellowship in the Hall of Monuments.

Livia's basic starter weapon is a maximally customized blue required 9 Crimson Claw Scepter with Energy + 5 (while Health is above 50 %) and it cannot be placed in storage. Her default focus item is an uncustomized blue required 9 Bone Idol of Fortitude with Health + 20. It also cannot be placed in storage, like others.
As a human Necromancer, Livia's default skills are:

- Life Syphon
- Strip Enchantment
- Unholy Feast
- Vampiric Gaze
- Well of Blood
- Resurrection Signet

Livia is first introduced when you embark on Primary Missions for the Asura. She joins you on the quest 'Finding the Bloodstone', and is unlocked as a hero once the mission is fruitfully accomplished.

With Necromancer's making a great team member - either as interrupters or Minion Masters – I am sure many people will be finding a place for Livia as they explore Eye of the North.

XANDRA

Most of the heroes in Eye of the North are unlocked by completing Primary Quests. There are on the other hand a few who only come into view in side missions. We will look at one of these heroes now. Her name is Xandra, a Luxon Ritualist. If you have played Factions you might remember the Luxon Captain Juno. Xandra is coincidentally her daughter. Xandra, being a Luxon, is the first and only hero from either the Kurzick or the Luxon faction of Guild Wars Factions.

Xandra can be recruited and unlocked by defeating her in the Norn Fighting Tournament. Do note that you do not actually have to complete the tournament in entirety. In fact, as long as you can win the match with Xandra, she will be unlocked.

Xandra's default skills are:

- Channeled Strike
- Cruel Was Daoshen
- Resurrection Signet
- Soothing Memories
- Spirit Rift
- Vengeful Weapon

Xandra's armor is Turtle Clan Raiment, with an armor rating of 40. As with other Eye of the North heroes, her armor can be upgraded to Brotherhood Armor with a Cloth of the Brotherhood, and to Deldrimor Raiment with the Deldrimor Armor Remnants.

Xandra's starting equipment is a customized max blue 9 required Ritualist Cane (loop skin) with HSR 10 % Channeling Magic and an uncustomized max blue 9 required Channeling Focus of Fortitude with Health + 20. Neither of the two items can be placed into storage.

An excellent way to use Xandra in your party as a Ritualist / Necromancer Explosive Creation hybrid build which is:

- Boon of Creation
- Explosive Growth
- Animate Bone Minions
- Death Nova
- Blood of the Master
- Signet of Creation
- Flesh of My Flesh

Although she is a ritualist, Guild Wars Factions is not required to unlock Xandra. The disadvantage is that Guild Wars Eye of the North offers only 10 ritualist skills. Guild Wars Nightfall offers an additional 25 ritualist skills, with the addition to including 10 more elite skills. Once you have unlocked Xandra in Eye of the North, you will likely find her persistently in your party as a Minion Master with the Explosive Creation build if you know what is good for you. I can highly recommend giving Xandra with this build a try.

KAHMU

Kahmu is yet another hero who has traveled to Eye of the North. As an Elonian Dervish, Kahmu is a bit different, as he is not actually trying to help his homeland, nor is he on a mission. He merely seeks combat, and the challenges it brings. How brave, right?

Just like Xandra, Kahmu can be unlocked by taking part in the Norn Fighting Tournament, which is established by talking to Magni the Bison in Gunnar's Hold. Once defeated in the Tournament, Kahmu is unlocked and can be added as a hero to your party. Also like Xandra, you must merely defeat him.

Kahmu's armor is labeled "Vabbian Armor". As it is Dervish armor, it provides + 25 health and + 2 energy regeneration, with an armor rating of 70. The appearance of his armor can be upgraded to Brotherhood armor using Cloth of the Brotherhood acquired from the Glint's Challenge challenge mission. It can also be upgraded to Deldrimor armor using Deldrimor Armor Remnants acquired in the Hierophant's Chest at the end of the Slaver's Exile dungeon.

His default skills are:

- Chilling Victory
- Faithful Intervention
- Heart of Fury
- Mystic Vigor
- Resurrection Signet
- Victorious Sweep

JORA

Jora should already seem pretty recognizable to you, as it is a picture of her on the front cover of the Eye of the North box. Of course, if you got the box that has a bear on the front, that is still Jora, just a bit less noticeably so. Helping Jora creates the way to getting the Norn onside as allies against the Destroyers, and so she is a pivotal hero whom you will meet early on in Eye of the North.

Taking the Primary quest “Northern Allies” introduces you to Jora, who will be waiting at the bottom of the ramp that leads up to the Eye of the North. Completing the Primary quest “Curse of the Nornbear” will unlock Jora. This quest is part of a larger story line of three missions, consisting of:

- Tracking the Nornbear
- Curse of the Nornbear
- Blood Washes Blood

Not only will finishing these quests give you a big jump in your Norn Title Track, but they will also unlock a number of Norn skills, some amusing Norn side quests, and also re-introduce you to the Charr. This is the first time you will face them again, and they are a lot tougher than they ever were in Ascalon, so be forewarned.

Jora is unable to use the Norn skill to turn into a bear in combat - the reasons why and how to solve this are unveiled in the above quests. Sadly this means her default skill set does not include the Norn Bear Form skill.

Jora is equipped with Norn Warrior Armor which has + 20 against physical attacks, and an armor rating of 80. As with all other Eye of the North heroes, her armor can be upgraded to Brotherhood Armor with Cloth of the Brotherhood, and to Deldrimor Raiment with Deldrimor Armor Remnants.

The sizes of the weapons given to Jora are scaled up slightly, making her one big bad...well, you know. Jora's default weapon is a customized max blue 9 requirement Long Sword with Damage + 10 % ( while in a Stance ). It cannot be placed into storage, of course. Doing a direct swap from storage to the weapon can place it in storage, however. Jora's default shield is an uncustomized max blue Wooden Buckler of Fortitude with Health +25 and an attribute requirement of 9 Tactics and it cannot be placed into storage, as well.

Here is Jora’s default set abilities:

- Gash
- Healing Signet
- Resurrection Signet
- Savage Slash
- Sever Artery
- Shield Bash
- "Watch Yourself!"

Few of us can resist the chance to have a tall blonde babe with a massive sword running around Eye of the North with us. Jora makes an excellent tank and with the amount of customization available with heroes, she can be a powerful addition to your party.

ANTON

Anton is one of the more uncertain heroes in Eye of the North. Having escaped a Death Camp in Ascalon during the bewilderment of the Searing, he has run North and joined the Ebon Vanguard. Even though he is at present loyal to them, this situation may change depending on what happens in the battle ahead.

Anton appears in a number of quests in Eye of the North. He can initially be seen as a spectator in the Norn Fighting Tournament. He then appears in “Assault on the Stronghold”, as one of the soldiers you save from the Charr. He can also be found in Sacnoth Valley during “The Assassin's Revenge” quest. To unlock Anton and make him available as a hero, you need to complete three quests which form part of a separate story arc.

These quests are:

- Failure To Communicate ( from Captain Langmar in Grothmar Wardowns, after completing Assault on the Stronghold )
- The Imploding Past ( also from Captain Langmar )
- The Assassin's Revenge

Anton starts with basic assassin armor, labeled as Ebon Vanguard armor but with its own unique appearance. The appearance of his armor can be upgraded to Brotherhood armor using Cloth of the Brotherhood acquired from the Glint's Challenge challenge mission. It can also be upgraded to Deldrimor armor using Deldrimor Armor Remnants acquired in the Hierophant's Chest at the end of the Slaver's Exile dungeon.

While an assassin, Anton does not require Guild Wars Factions to unlock. The disadvantage is that Guild Wars Eye of the North offers only 10 assassin skills. Guild Wars Nightfall, which offers an additional 25 assassin skills, also including 10 elite skills.

Anton's default weapon is a pair of blue customized max Butterfly Knives with damage + 10 % while Health is above 50 %; they cannot be placed into storage.

Anton's default skills are fairly standard Assassin's skills:

- Critical Defense
- Death Blossom
- Fangs
- Jagged Strike
- Resurrection Signet
- Shadow Refuge

I am not particularly sure about how Assassin heroes do in Eye of the North, or even in other chapters of Guild Wars. They can be complicated to control and tend to be the first to die, usually because they are sent in close to the enemy and beyond the healing area of your Monks. There are also lots of problems with Assassin Heroes not using their skills properly. This can all add up to a difficult to manage character who can aggro the wrong group, quickly leading to a party wipe. Be careful about this.

HAYDA

Hayda is another member of the Shining Blade. She is a Paragon, who has traveled to the Eye of the North after joining the Shining Blade. Hayda is rather stubborn and futile, and as a hero in your party often does not respond (or does not respond quickly enough) to your orders. Hayda is also pretty vain – so, some of the comments she comes out with are priceless to hear.

You can meet Hayda in Sparkfly Swamp, during the quest Frogstomp. She will additionally join you in the quest Give Peace a Chance. Completing this will unlock Hayda as a hero. She is kicked out of her group and becomes a member of yours instead!

Hayda starts with basic paragon armor, labeled as Shining Blade armor but with its own unique appearance. The appearance of her armor can be upgraded to Brotherhood armor using Cloth of the Brotherhood acquired from the Glint's Challenge challenge mission. It can also be upgraded to Deldrimor armor using Deldrimor Armor Remnants acquired in the Hierophant's Chest at the end of the Slaver's Exile dungeon.

Although she is a paragon, Hayda does not require Guild Wars Nightfall to unlock. The drawback is that Guild Wars Eye of the North offers only 10 paragon skills. Hayda's default paragon skills are all from Nightfall; she can use them normally. However, without access to Nightfall, you cannot force their use, although you can still disable them.

Hayda's default equipment is a customized max 9 required Crenellated Spear with Damage + 10 % while Health is above 50 % and an uncustomized max Goldleaf Defender of Fortitude with Health + 25 and an attribute requirement of 9 Command, neither of the items can be placed into storage.

Hayda's default Paragon skills are:

- Anthem of Flame
- Barbed Spear
- Hexbreaker Aria
- Signet of Return
- Spear of Lightning
- Wild Throw

OGDEN STONEHEALER

Ogden is one of the first new heroes you meet in Eye of the North. When taking the initial quest to travel to Boreal Station in Eye of the North, you meet Ogden Stonehealer and his dwarves amassing their explosives in an effort to blow their way out of the catacombs, in order escape from a new menace that is pursuing them - the Destroyers. What fun!

This initial quest is obtained from Len Caldoron in Lion's Arch (for Prophecies players), the Minister for Maintenance Raiugyon in Kaineng Centre (for Factions players) or from Bedah in Kamadan (for Nightfall players). The mission name and description all vary accordingly, but all have the same goals and rewards: you must discover why a mysterious crack or fissure has appeared near the city. You end up befriending Ogden Stonehealer and his friends, and fleeing the Destroyers through an Asura Gate, thus making your way so to Boreal Station, and unlocking access to Eye of the North.

Ogden Stonehealer starts with Dwarven Monk armor, with an armor rating of 60. His armor can be upgraded to Deldrimor Armor using a Deldrimor Armor Remnant, and to Brotherhood Armor using Cloth of the Brotherhood. Once his armor has been upgraded he can be added to your Monument of Fellowship in the Hall of Monuments.

Ogden's default weapon is a customized blue Holy Staff with Energy + 10, 11 - 22 fire damage, an attribute requirement of 9 Divine Favor. It halves the skill recharge of spells (Chance: 10 %) and Energy + 3 (while Enchanted). Of course, it cannot be placed into storage.

Ogden's default Monk skills are:

- Healing Breeze
- Healing Touch
- Holy Veil
- Orison of Healing
- Resurrect
- Signet of Devotion

Having a hero monk in your party can be hugely useful, especially as you can deploy them with a very powerful hybrid build for maximum healing efficiency. Whether Ogden Stonehealer is in your party or not, one of the oddities of Eye of the North is the Ogden - along with other 'main' heroes like Vekk and Gwen - will appear in nearly all of the Eye of the North cut scenes regardless. At any rate, he is a good one to pick.

VEKK

There are two new races in Eye of the North - the Norn, and the Asura. The Asura will be one of the new playable races in Guild Wars 2, despite how darn ugly they are, so it is interesting to see what they are like as NPCs in Eye of the North. Vekk is an Asuran Elementalist, whom you first meet along with Ogden Stonehealer.

Like all Asura, Vekk is bright, speedy, and has an enormous ego that quite contradicts his short height. If you can put up with the endless sarcasm, Vekk can make an excellent addition to your traveling party. A Searing Flames build makes him particularly effective as an AoE (Area of Effect) damage dealer.

Vekk’s armor is labeled as a set of Asuran Elementalist armor, with the headgear always hidden. It has an armor rating of 60, as well as Energy Recovery + 1 on the leg and feet pieces, and Energy + 5 on the gloves and chest piece.

Vekk's beginning weapon is a customized blue Air Staff (core skin) with Energy + 10, 11 - 22 lighting damage, an attribute requirement of 9 Air Magic and Halves skill recharge of spells (Chance: 10 %). It cannot be placed into storage.

Vekk’s default skills are:

- Air Attunement
- Aura of Restoration
- Blinding Flash
- Blurred Vision
- Lightning Orb
- Lightning Strike
- Resurrection Signet

GWEN

As I am sure you have all heard, one of the biggest talking points leading up to the release of Guild Wars: Eye of the North was that the game title could be abbreviated to make the acronym GW:EN. Could this possibly be an inevitable hint of the return of Gwen, the exasperating flute-playing girl who hung around outside pre-searing Ascalon?

As it so turned out, yes, it surely was. We get an idea of what happened to Gwen after the Searing, and how she is now in the Eye of the North, working for the Ebon Vanguard. After the Searing you may have picked up a Broken Flute outside Ascalon - all that remained of Gwen. In Elona, on the Barbarous Shore, you can also discover a Preserved Red Iris Flower in a locked chest. Both of these items can be given to Gwen in the Hall of Monuments to unlock the Master quest Fire and Pain. So they did have a purpose after all!

To acquire Gwen as a Hero, you must go into the Hall of Monuments in the Eye of the North, and use the Scrying Pool. After the cut scene fills in some of the back story of the Destroyers, Gwen is available as a Hero. It is pretty simple.

As a Mesmer, Gwen has Ebon Vanguard Mesmer armor with a rating of 60. It provides Energy + 5 on chest and hand pieces and Energy Recovery + 1 on leg and feet pieces.

The appearance of her armor can be upgraded to Brotherhood armor using Cloth of the Brotherhood acquired from the Glint's Challenge challenge mission. The appearance of her armor can be upgraded to Deldrimor armor using Deldrimor Armor Remnant acquired in the Slavers' Exile from killing Duncan the Black.

Gwen's starter weapon is a customized max blue 9 required Crystal Wand with HSR 20 % Inspiration Magic, it cannot be placed into storage. Gwen's default focus item is an uncustomized max blue 9 required Jeweled Chalice with 20 % + 1 Inspiration Magic, it cannot be placed into storage.

Her default skills are:

- Cry of Frustration
- Diversion
- Ether Feast
- Hex Breaker
- Power Drain
- Resurrection Signet
- Shatter Enchantment

There are some massively potent interrupt and shutdown Mesmer builds, making Gwen an excellent addition to your party. I always take her with me, and she can be a very powerful addition to spell casters, especially AoE Elementalists.

As a central character whose story runs right through all the Guild Wars campaigns, having Gwen in your party unlocks some special dialogue and cut scenes. This can be a nice addition to the sentimental or role playing geared player.

HERO ARMOR UPGRADES & CUSTOMIZATION

To add unlocked Heroes to your Hall of Monuments, you first need to upgrade their armor.

This is accomplished in two ways:

A) Complete the Elite dungeon Slaver’s Exile, receiving a Deldrimor Armor Remnant. You then take this to Gunnar Poundfist in Gunnar’s Hold, and he will upgrade the armor of your chosen Hero.

B) Or you can complete the Challenge quest Glint’s Challenge, receiving a Cloth of the Brotherhood. You then take this to Master Armorer Kor in the Central Transfer Chamber and he will upgrade the armor of your chosen Hero.

Each Hero can consequently have up to three different armor types, even though only the upgraded versions can be added to your Hall of Monuments.

A hero is modified or customized by the player in much the same way as a character is, by simply using the inventory and Skills and Attributes Panel. When a hero has been added to the party, the player is able to customize the hero before leaving the town or outpost, just like they would themselves.

From the inventory pane the player can choose the picture of the hero they wish to modify. Here the player sees a "paper doll" of the hero. Items from the inventory of the player, which is coincidently shared with the hero, can be dragged into slots for the hero as for a character. The hero can use and gain the advantage for items customized for the character they are associated with. As with a character they cannot equip items which are customized for characters they are not associated with.

The Skills and Attributes screen allows the player click the image of a hero they control and select the skills and set the secondary profession and attributes for that hero. Selecting skills and setting attributes is done as for characters, so skill templates can be used for a hero. In a later guide we will go over such builds.

Hero armor does not need to be crafted or replaced. It is set at a level suitable for the hero's level and automatically increases in level with the hero level. How handy! The armor cannot be destroyed by using salvage so any items put into the armor will always be recoverable.

You cannot customize certain aspects of a hero, such as name, Primary profession, or armor color. But, these should not be a huge deal. Of course, some or all of heroes' default weapons and offhand items cannot be placed in storage, but this you already knew.