Hero's Handbook
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| Hero's Handbook | |
|---|---|
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| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Storybook |
| Stackable | No |
| Campaign | Eye of the North |
The Hero's Handbook provides lore for repeatable primary quests completed in Guild Wars Eye of the North. There are two separate versions, one for normal mode and one for hard mode; the hard mode version is brown and gold rather than brown and silver.
The entries or pages found in the book:
- Quests shown in bold will always appear in books, even when they have not been completed.
Acquisition[edit]
The following NPCs will only offer a Hero's Handbook [Hard Mode] to level 20 characters on an account with Eye of the North hard mode unlocked.
Rewards[edit]
- The above NPCs give rewards for any Hero's Handbook or Master Dungeon Guide that has at least half of its pages completed. The rewards given for turning in one Hero's Handbook are as follows:
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- 1 The reputation points are added to the Asura Rank, Deldrimor Rank, Ebon Vanguard rank, or Norn Rank depending on the NPC that the book is given to. See the list in Acquisition, above, for the NPC you should use.
Game mechanics[edit]
- This item is automatically customized upon acquisition.
- You can request a second copy of this storybook if the first is placed in storage.
- You cannot turn this book in until you have at least 8 of the pages filled out.
- You only need to complete 3 missions to turn in a book, since all Hero's Handbooks will have pages 1, 2, 6, 10 and 14 already filled out.
- If you do not have the book in your inventory when completing a mission, you can talk to Kodan at Gunnars Hold, Lexx at Rata Sum, Gedrel of Ascalon at the Eye of the North, or Tyr the Skaald at Gunnar's Hold and any of them will add the entries for 100g each.
- Your character cannot buy pages retroactively if that character goes 30 days without completing one of the missions listed in this book (source).
- Retroactive entries will only be made for the first book in your inventory.
- Once you reach rank 8 in the title track for their group, the respective NPCs will no longer give out, accept, or retroactively fill out normal mode books.
- Most characters will have achieved rank 3 in every reputation title track by completing the Eye of the North storyline, so it would only take 4 or 5 completely filled out hard mode Hero's Handbooks to achieve rank 10.
- If your character has achieved rank 10 in the four reputation title tracks, you may still request hard mode books, have at least 8 of the pages filled out and turn them in for the experience and gold.
Title maxing with a Handbook[edit]
The table below shows how many points can be gained from successive completions of this storybook. The table assumes that a player completes missions in normal mode until forced to switch to hard mode after reaching Rank 8 in all four titles. For each track, there are two rows: the first shows the reputation points earned for turning in the book; the second shows the points for quest completion. Each Cumulative Total (Cum. Tot.) column displays the least amount of reputation earned by this point; it ignores additional points earned through bounties and Zaishen Challenges.
Title NM Bk 1 Cum. Tot NM Bk 2 Cum. Tot NM Bk 3 Cum. Tot NM Bk 4 Cum. Tot HM Bk 1 Cum. Tot HM Bk 2 Cum. Tot Remaining to max Dwarf 20,000 29,000 20,000 49,400 20,000 69,800 20,000 90,200 30,000 132,200 30,000 162,800 0 9,000 400 400 400 12,000 600 Asura 20,000 28,000 20,000 48,700 20,000 69,400 20,000 90,100 30,000 130,600 30,000 161,650 0 8,000 700 700 700 10,500 1,050 Norn 20,000 23,000 20,000 43,300 20,000 63,600 20,000 83,900 30,000 118,400 30,000 148,850 11,1501 3,000 300 300 300 4,500 450 Vanguard 20,000 24,500 20,000 44,900 20,000 65,300 20,000 85,700 30,000 120,950 30,000 151,550 8,4501 4,500 400 400 400 5,250 600
- 1 Title is close to max. You are likely to be even closer, since you probably traveled under the effects of bounties or did a few dungeons. You can choose to partially complete one more book or farm.
- Efficiency notes
- A very efficient way to get from Rank 1-8 and 8-10, in any title track, is to have the number of books you need in your inventory (4 for NM and 2 or 3 HM (see below)) and move the empty ones to the lead in order to fill them. Then run each mission again and again until each book has the completed mission. Finally, turn in all of completed books for each title track. In total you will need to fill 16 in normal mode and 10 in hard mode for all 4 titles to Max (see below). This also makes a net profit of 120,000 gold plus drops. This takes into account rewards for completing the quests once each on both normal and hard mode, however repeat rewards, sidequests, and bounties have been omitted for simplicity.
- It is more efficient to get to rank 5 before vanquishing Eye of the North areas.
Bug. Entry #11 (Oola's Laboratory) is misleading: the handbook requires you to complete the quest the Elusive Golemancer, not the dungeon with the similar name (Oola's Lab); these are completely different tasks. Bug. During Northern Support weekly bonus, upon handing in the books the text in the chat window will claim you have gained half the reputation points of what you would have gotten according to the above table. In reality you are actually granted the proper amount of reputation. Entries[edit]
1.
- Earthquakes have ripped through Tyria, Cantha, and Elona, leaving gaping fissures in the pockmarked land. In the aftermath, explorers discovered a maze of underground complexes called the Depths. In these Depths, I found Ogden Stonehealer and his Dwarven party fleeing their supply depot. Moments later, powerful, inhuman creatures called Destroyers attacked us, but we escaped with the help of an Asura named Vekk. He led us though a magical gate to the Far Shiverpeaks, a frigid land far from home. There we encountered one of the natives, a hulking Norn woman named Jora. She had little time or patience for strangers, but directed us to a great structure called the Eye of the North. After a long and arduous journey, we found several other humans at our destination, including soldiers of the Ebon Vanguard and a young Ascalonian woman named Gwen. Ogden, Vekk, and Gwen have their own ideas of what must be done next, but we will travel together. There is, as they say, strength in numbers.
2.
- Gwen is a refugee from Ascalon and a former prisoner of the Charr. Fleeing north after her escape, she joined up with an Ascalonian unit called the Ebon Vanguard, led by Captain Langmar. The bulk of the unit has been patrolling the Charr homelands in the east. They've been raiding the Charr near echelon and tying up forces that would otherwise be in Ascalon. Their return is long overdue, and Gwen fears the worst. Impatient and angry at the Charr, Gwen wants us to find the Ebon Vanguard. If we don't, I fear that she may go after them by herself.
3.
- In Grothmar Wardowns, we found the site of a battle between the Ebon Vanguard and a large Charr force. The Vanguard sustained heavy casualties, but we believe the bulk of their unit was captured, not killed. By following the Charr's traces, we found a large encampment. We defeated the soldiers bivouacked there, but we couldn't find human prisoners. Instead, we found a captive named Pyre Fierceshot, who seems to harbor a fierce hatred for the ruling Shamans. If we can help him rescue his warband, he's willing to help us find the Ebon Vanguard. Gwen would rather kill this Charr than look at him, but if he holds the key to rescuing the Vanguard, we should take him up on his offer.
4.
- The Charr have been ruled by their Shamans, who once claimed authority granted by the Titans, their so-called gods. After the death of the Titans, the Shamans were desperate for new deities. When Pyre's warband disagreed with the choice, the heretics were captured and slated for sacrifice. We have freed Pyre's allies, and after a brutal interrogation of a priest, learned the location of the Ebon Vanguard. They're being held prisoner to the south, in Sacnoth Valley, where the Charr want to sacrifice them to these "new gods." Gwen grows angrier every day, lashing out at Pyre over the slightest provocation. Pyre, for his part, seems to enjoy irritating her, though I sense he sees something in Gwen's behavior that he understands all too well.
5.
- Hierophant's Stronghold has fallen and Hierophant Burntsoul is dead, and the survivors of the Ebon Vanguard have been rescued. Pyre's warband and their knowledge of Charr tactics proved valuable in defeating the shamans. Instead of surrendering, Burntsoul chose to unleash the Destroyers upon us. As for Gwen, she seems better. She still hates the Charr, but she no longer lets that hatred control her. Perhaps this is what Pyre Fierceshot saw in her. The Charr view fear and anger as natural emotions, but they believe those feelings are only dangerous when they are out of control. Gwen seems in control of her fears and anger now, though I doubt she will thank Fierceshot for the lesson.
6.
- Ogden feels our best course for survival is rallying against the Destroyers. After being chased from the Depths, I can see his point. Precious few Dwarves and humans live in this land, and the few who do aren't here to hunt monsters. The largest group of natives in the mountains are the Norn, a proud, independent race of huge, shapechanging warriors. The first Norn we met, Jora, was friendlier than most, but she has lost her ability to 'become the bear.' Because she can't change her shape, she has little status among her people, but she may be our best hope for convincing the Norn that the Destroyers are a threat. Ogden certainly hopes so.
7.
- Jora was cursed when she entered a taboo area. She lost her shapechanging ability when her brother transformed into the monstrous Nornbear. With our aid, Jora confronted and defeated her brother. To show her gratitude, she has joined our group. Ogden is now searching for Olaf Olafson and other powerful Norn who can aid us in our quest. Jora must seek out Egil Fireteller, an elder Norn, who can teach her how to regain her honor. I think we can do both, though Ogden grows more frustrated by the day.
8.
- Olaf Olafson is a typical Norn. He's willing to discuss things rationally, but he's always ready to fight to get his point across. He deigned to meet with us, but our "discussion" was interrupted by a large group of Destroyers attacking Raven's Point. Olaf traveled with us as we sought the source of this corruption. We soon discovered, as Vekk surmised, that a functioning Asura gate lies beneath a nearby shrine. Olaf is now committed to fighting the Destroyers, though he doesn't seem to care that they desecrated the shrine. He's more concerned with finding "worthwhile prey." Still, he has proven a valuable ally. Olaf also contacted the Dwarven king, Jalis Ironhammer, and the battle against the Destroyers will continue.
9.
- Under Egil's guidance, Jora sought to redeem her honor and her name by retaking her hearthstead. Jora's family home had been overrun by meandering Charr from the south, who left it destroyed and abandoned. We dealt with the Charr through the blessing of the bear spirit, a holy guardian of Jora's people. Despite this, Ogden is sorely disappointed. He had hoped that by helping Jora, we would recruit other Norn to our cause, but evidently, that is not the Norn way. Jora will speak to her fellow warriors, but they will all make their own decisions.
10.
- Vekk is extremely concerned about the Destroyers, His people were driven from their underground homes by these creatures. Now the Destroyers have taken over the Central Transfer Chamber, the "hub" of many of the magical Asura gates. He believes his fellow Asura, with their "superior intellect," will come up with a viable plan to defeat the Destroyers. Finding them, however, will be a challenge. After their exodus from the Depths, many of the Asura settled along the Tarnished Coast. If we can't find a functioning gate free of Destroyers, we'll be in for a long walk.
11.
- The Asura have strange methods of organizing themselves. To complete difficult tasks, they form "krewes." Our krewe's task was building a superior magical device called a golem to battle the Destroyers. Before we could build the device, we needed the help of an Asura named Oola, who had squirreled herself away in the depths of her lab. After getting past her magical watchdogs, we had to use a little reverse psychology to get Oola on board. Vekk is impressed, and he's acting a little less superior as a result.
12.
- Not all Asura are good natured. To complete our product, we had to seek out a particularly acerbic little one named Gadd, an expert on the Bloodstones. Vekk describes him as egotistically nasty, unpleasant, and insulting. That description actually compliments him a bit too much. Gadd has been working with Livia, an agent of the Shining Blades. She was hoping to learn information that would help Kryta in its civil war, but unfortunately, she had to put up with his insults along the way. Eventually, the two of them had a falling out. Livia now travels with us. Gadd doesn't seem to care, but then again, that seems his nature.
13.
Genius Operated Living Enchanted Manifestation
- After all of the Asuran egos were sorted out, the G.O.L.E.M. project moved along quickly. One of the Asura on the original krewe couldn't make it, so Vekk stepped in, despite his misgivings about working with Gadd. We had to defend a foundry from Destroyer forces, but we got the golems functioning in the nick of time. Our victory came at a price. Gadd recklessly exceeded the project's safety margin in his work, and he paid for that mistake with his life. At this point, I learned the reason for Vekk and Gadd's continual squabbling: they were father and son. Vekk is grieving, but the Destroyers have been driven back. Now they're less of a threat to the Tarnished Coast
14.
- A threat has erupted from the Depths of Tyria. The Destroyers, merciless, mindless, destructive creatures, have emerged from the dark heart of the earth. They've driven underground races like the Asura to the surface, and tested the defenses of the Dwarves. The Destroyers have overrun the Asura's Central Transfer Chamber, the hub of a series of magical gates, and now threaten the entire surface world. Some of the Dwarves feel that an ultimate battle is coming, as chronicled in the Tome of Rubicon. For the moment, we need to find allies, resources, and most of all, knowledge to defeat this threat to the human lands.
15.
- The scrying pool in the Hall of Monuments has revealed an apocalyptic vision. With that revelation, we move towards a final battle. Vekk recognized the vision's location. It's beneath the Central Transfer Chamber, the hub of the Asura's magical network, and Ogden says that the ultimate danger is a creature from Dwarven legend: the Great Destroyer. We have rallied what allies we could among the humans, Norn, and Asura. King Jalis himself has worked a mystic rite to invoke the power of the Great Dwarf. The ritual metamorphosed many dwarves into stone formed warriors who are now dedicated to eradicating the Destroyers. We fought our way deep into Destroyer territory and entered the Central Transfer Chamber. Now we're ready to face their destructive master. The Great Destroyer awaits.
16.
- We have finally defeated the Great Destroyer. In the wake of this climactic battle, its minions have fallen. Just as the Central Transfer Chamber was a hub of magical gates, the Great Destroyer was the central mind of the Destroyers. Eliminating that central mind has weakened their race. Those that remain are unthinking engines of destruction that can no longer swarm in organized hives.
- This victory has cost us greatly. Many dwarves [sic] sacrificed their minds and their natural forms. They now pursue the surviving Destroyers deep within the earth. Yet, peace, of a sort, reigns. The sacrifice of the Dwarven race has spared the surface world the depredations of a deadly cataclysm.
- Peace is not eternal, I know, and there will be challenges in the years to come. We have found new peoples and new lands, and the role of mankind in this world...this creation of the gods...seems to be shrinking. I can only hope that when the next great danger arises in Tyria, whether on its surface or within its Depths, champions and heroes will once again be ready for the challenge.
Trivia[edit]
- The Hero's Handbook, as well as the Master Dungeon Guide, are references to the Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide respectively, the two main rulebooks from the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing game. As well as having similar names, the coloring of both book icons are similar to those of the 3.5 editions of the real books (source).
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